FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Y'all almost scared me to death! I didn’t receive any notice about transferring the package." The Labrador led the way, its slender tail wagging rapidly. "Where did you come from?"

Once he relaxed, his accent became apparent—some sort of thick northern city dialect.

"From a very distant rural area," I answered before 74258 could.

"Ha, cautious! That’s helpful." The Labrador stopped, turned around to face us, and with the same friendly smile on his face, said, "I'm Hunter."

It seemed like he was trying to ease our doubts by introducing himself, but I wasn’t convinced by such upper-class behavior.

"Sorry, we only have numbers, which probably don’t mean much to you." My tone was slightly firm, but the pedigree merely shrugged and didn’t say much more.

"Hunter...?" 74258 tilted his head, giving the Labrador a confused look.

"Hunter Chocolate," the pedigree rolled his eyes dramatically, clearly expressing his opinion of his own surname, then turned and continued leading the way. "Obvious, isn’t it?"

We passed through a few hallways and eventually arrived at a place that looked like a kitchen.

"I guess you must be hungry," Hunter glanced at me as he spoke. That made the tips of my ears heat up, confirming he had heard the series of growls my stomach had just made. "I’m making dinner right now; you can join me."

"We can help!" 74258 said enthusiastically, and before I could even politely decline, the pedigree handed him a large ladle with a grin.

74258 didn’t know how to cook—it's a rare skill, usually monopolized by the pedigree class who had too much time to kill. So the fox just handled chores like washing ingredients or stirring, while after cutting my fingers three times, I was honorably relieved from duty.

74258 seemed to be enjoying himself, with the Labrador and the fox laughing and joking with each other the whole time. After a fragrant pasta dish was done, Hunter leaned in close to 74258’s ear and whispered something, making the fox burst out laughing.

That gesture, which seemed a little too intimate, made me awkwardly turn my head away.

"Hope you don’t mind if I temporarily ‘steal’ your 'partner,'" Hunter said, placing a plate in front of me, glancing sideways at 74258. I didn’t miss the way Hunter slightly squinted his eyes or the deliberate lick of his right canine tooth—a gesture that felt a bit off when paired with his perpetual smile.

"We’re not that kind of relationship," I tried to respond as nonchalantly as possible, with no doubt in my mind that he was emphasizing the alternate meaning of the word.

"Oh, really?" he said with heightened interest, turning back to flash a predatory grin at me. "Then I suppose you wouldn’t mind if I kept him?"

"Uh... what do you mean?" I sensed something was wrong, but I tried to act unconcerned.

"The railroad has limited spots for transport," the Labrador said, glancing at the fox, who was busy peeling and slicing fruit. His fingers tapped lightly on the terminal he had placed on the table. I saw a map, with several red nodes connected by lines of black and white. "I need to decide who’s 'worthy' of priority boarding."

The bluntness of his tone left no room for misinterpretation. I could only nod, trying to maintain my composure.

Whatever Hunter read into my response, he looked very satisfied. He casually grabbed a slice of apple from the counter and popped it into his mouth, chewing with no attempt to hide his exposed canines.

This is bad. What a strange situation! I shouldn’t have trusted a pedigree so easily!

But was that the railway's base map? Maybe the managers at other bases would be more normal, like the mayor. Then again, what if they were worse? For now, I need to find a way to get his terminal, and then figure out how to deal with this creepy dog.

Suppressing the feeling of nausea, I watched Hunter return to the counter and place his hand on 74258’s back, slowly moving it downwards, until his fingers twisted a tuft of black fur at the tip of the fox’s tail. The fox didn’t seem to mind, even playfully pushing away the Labrador's rude hand with a slightly teasing look, his ear tips drooping just a little. Hunter leaned in close to 74258's ear again and whispered something, making the fox nod before walking towards the door the Labrador had indicated.

The growing sense of unease gnawed at my mind, leading me to a terrible conclusion. Forcing my brain to keep running, I began working out a plan for the worst-case scenario.

While they weren’t looking, I grabbed a sharp knife from the utensils nearby and slipped it into my sleeve. I had no idea how to use it, and I was sure the Labrador knew how to use his gun. But having something in my hand felt better than having nothing, and as long as I stabbed fast and hard enough, maybe it wouldn’t matter much, right?

"I let 'Peachy' grab us a bottle of suitable wine." Hunter sat down on the chair opposite me, then tossed something onto the table with a heavy thud. "Where did I slip up?"

At first, I didn’t notice the coldness in his voice, nor the gun barrel pointed at me. The Labrador had thrown a collar onto the table — and it felt like my blood froze.

"And I'm really curious how you managed to take it off." He tapped the collar with the gun. "But let's take things one at a time, we'll get to that part." The large-caliber barrel aimed at my head once again. "Put it on."

As the worst-case scenario of my suspicions became reality, every command I attempted to give my body spiraled into an endless loop.

He wants me to put on the collar...

"At other times, I wouldn't mind taking some time to enjoy this tension-filled atmosphere, but I don't want another lecture about 'spending too much time have fun.'" Hunter's expression grew darker, but that smile still lingered on his face. The pedigree shifted his gaze toward the door where 74258 had exited. "I promise, that sweet little 'Peachy' won't get hurt. I'm even willing to let him go after I've had my fill." The Labrador gestured for Rationalism witnesses. "But how quickly I had my fill depends on how cooperative you are."

He thinks I was the one who took off the collar.

Even with the administrative privileges granted by the key, had 74258 not noticed a hidden safety protocol, I would have triggered the territory system’s alarm the moment I removed the collar.

Like everyone else who thinks they understand how the world works, he underestimated 74258, simply because the fox's behavior didn’t fit the image they had in mind.

But that’s an advantage I could use. He underestimated 74258 — who knows what else he’d underestimate? And, in the most optimistic scenario, maybe the Labrador really would let 74258 go — sometimes cutting your losses is wiser than continuing to struggle.

So I picked up the collar from the table, struggling to convince myself not to tremble too much or vomit.

The collar felt much heavier than I remembered. Perhaps it was all in my head, or perhaps it was due to the difference in models. The Labrador stared at me intently, gesturing with his gun to urge me on. With no other viable options, I reluctantly put the collar back around my neck and fastened it.

Even as I heard the click of it locking into place, I still couldn’t believe what I had just done.

I had just personally ended my brief moment of freedom.

I used to think I’d rather die than wear that thing again. But now I knew for sure — there was a way to take it off. I guess that changed a lot.

"See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?" The Labrador glanced at his terminal before holstering his gun. "Now, let's start with why you suddenly became suspicious of me." Hunter cradled a large fruit bowl from the table in his arms and leaned back in his chair, balancing it on two legs, propping his booted feet on the table. "I don’t think I did anything that goes against my character role, did I?" He tilted his head, casually tossing a piece of fruit from the bowl into his mouth.

"If the rumors about the 'Railroad' are true, and the organization’s goal is to help all those yearning for freedom escape their predicaments..." I met Hunter’s gaze, refusing to look away, and spoke with as much conviction as I could muster. "...then no member of the organization would ever say something like 'keeping' someone as if they were property."

"But no one had a problem with that before, did they?" The chocolate-colored Labrador scratched his ear, as if genuinely perplexed. "Whatever, I'll take it into consideration." He grabbed another piece of diced red fruit and threw it into his mouth. "Now, where exactly did you run off from?"

I bit my tongue hard, certain that revealing the answer would spell big trouble for 86138, the others, and even the Earl and the Mayor.

"Oh, you get what I’m saying." Hunter flashed me another toothy grin. "I don’t even have to lift a finger to make that collar bring you more pain than you can imagine. But that would be too easy."

Not even lift a finger? I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, but I had a feeling he'd soon explain — much to my dismay.

The Labrador licked his nose slowly and tilted his head toward the door 74258 had just left through. After a moment, I heard a faint noise, immediately recognizing it as a signal that the fox was returning.

I tensed up, ready to shout a warning to 74258, but Hunter raised a finger and wagged it at me, giving me an amused look.

"I wouldn’t mind watching you get shocked until you wet yourself, but that’d stink." The Labrador pressed his raised finger onto the table. "Sit still."

Hunter’s body language was so confident, as if he had the entire situation under control. I had no doubt that the Labrador genuinely believed this, but I also noticed his hand moving slightly toward his waist, ready to draw his gun at any moment.

I slumped back into my chair, deciding to wait for a better opportunity.

"Pour me a drink, will you, Peachy?" Hunter didn’t even look at 74258, his voice sickeningly affectionate. "My tongue’s feeling a little dry."

74258 stood frozen, gripping a bottle of wine, one hand still resting on the door handle. He quickly surveyed the situation, clearly grasping what was going on.

"Good boy." Hunter checked the bottle’s wax seal and, after 74258 poured the wine, he ran his fingers through the fox’s tail. 74258 flinched but didn’t make any major moves, obediently allowing himself to be pulled close. "I hate repeating myself, but since 'Peachy' here is so adorable, I’ll ask you one more time," the Labrador said lazily, tossing the empty fruit bowl back onto the table. "Which territory did you run away from?" The empty ceramic bowl spun on the wooden table, humming as it circled.

I didn’t know what this pedigree would do next, but I was certain that if he got what he wanted, I’d no longer have any use to him — and everyone else would be in grave danger.

So, I clenched my teeth and stayed silent, for it was my only bargaining chip.

The Labrador shrugged and took a long sip from his wine glass.

"Take off your clothes, Peachy." Hunter propped his cheek on his left hand, casually swirling the wine in his right, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at the liquid inside the clear glass. "All of them."

"What?" 74258 exclaimed in shock, his ears standing straight, and the fur on his tail puffing up.

"You heard me," the Labrador said in an even lazier tone, not even sparing a glance at 74258. "I was aiming for your ears," he added with a frown, then shrugged, as if it didn’t matter. "Next time, I won’t miss."

It wasn’t until Hunter deliberately slid the gun slowly back into the holster at his waist that I noticed the burning sensation above my head and the scent of singed fur.

When had he drawn his gun? The wine glass, now back on the table, was swirling with the deep purple liquid inside, forming a small vortex.

74258 glanced at me, his expression full of inner turmoil. I shook my head slightly at him, silently begging him not to comply with my eyes. The Labrador hadn't put a collar around 74258’s neck yet—he still had a chance to escape. But when the fox's gaze drifted upward and saw the charred hole in the chair back above my head, he began to unbutton his shirt.

I hated myself for the relief I felt, and the armrests creaked under my tightening grip.

When 74258 had removed his shirt and was unbuckling his belt, I couldn't bear it any longer and turned my head away.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Hunter clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "You’ll miss the best part—or, sorry, correction—you’ll make me miss the best part." A tingling jolt of electricity ran through the collar on my neck, and I couldn’t help but cry out. "That’s just a warning. Now, keep your eyes on him, you pathetic fox."

I wasn’t sure if the Labrador was talking to me or to 74258—either seemed fitting. I clenched my teeth, forcing myself to lift my gaze and watch them.

I could taste blood in my mouth.

74258 had already stripped off all his clothing, standing with his hands covering his groin, head lowered as he stared at the floor. The tips of his limp ears had turned a deep, embarrassed red.

Hunter placed his hand on the fox’s rear, kneading and occasionally stroking, causing 74258 to shudder.

"See, I can be gentle too, as long as you don’t make me angry." The Labrador sighed and spread his hands, giving me a helpless smile. "Which territory did you come from?"

"The Earl of Kansas’ territory," I replied through clenched teeth, trying to buy time. Any chance... any opportunity...

"Oh, Toto, you’re far from home," the Labrador stood up, gently grasping the back of 74258’s head. Hunter was a bit taller, but now 74258 was doing his best to curl up, making the fox look even smaller. "And we’re not in Kansas anymore, are we?"

The Labrador suddenly slammed 74258 onto the table. The fox let out a muffled grunt of pain as the utensils bounced and clattered from the impact.

"I answered you!" I shouted, gripping the armrests of my chair tightly, barely keeping myself from jumping up.

"‘Basic Mental Wave Construction and Waveform Analysis,’" the Labrador tilted his head, eyes rolling upward as if recalling something. "I failed that class in the end, but most carnivore cadets don’t pass anyway." He locked eyes with me again, completely ignoring that I had no idea what he was talking about, and continued, "But I did learn one invaluable skill—how to tell when someone’s lying. It feels like a sharp twist, like the most hurtful words." Hunter tapped his chest twice with his fingernail. "If you don’t believe me, go ahead and waste more of my time."

The Labrador’s gaze swept across the table, eventually finding what he was looking for.

"I never figured out what to use extra virgin olive oil for—salads or quick stir-frying." Hunter twisted open the clear jar and sniffed it twice. "Stop pretending to be innocent. You know exactly what’s about to happen." The Labrador leaned down, placing the jar of pale yellow-green liquid in front of 74258’s face, whispering into his ear, "Raise your tail, fox."

74258 buried his face in his folded arms, making himself even smaller, but he did as the Labrador demanded.

"New Mexico," I blurted out the first answer that flashed through my mind, caring neither for logic nor reasoning.

The Labrador ignored me, pouring olive oil onto his hand. My mind froze, and all I could do was watch the viscous, yellow-green liquid trickle down, slowly spreading over Hunter’s deep brown furred hand, oozing and dripping onto the wooden table with a heavy splat.

Hunter discarded the now-empty jar and moved his greased hand under the fox’s raised tail. I couldn’t see what the pedigree was doing, but I could guess from the mocking jokes I’d heard in the past, and from 74258’s tense, trembling body.

When 74258 shuddered violently and let out a whimper, his voice trembling with tears, I could no longer bear it and closed my eyes, turning my head away.

The sudden pain from my neck made my entire body go rigid, my vision going white for several seconds. When I could see again, I realized how heavily I was panting.

"Forgot to mention, this collar is a bit different from the one you usually wear," the Labrador’s voice was full of amusement. I slowly straightened up, glaring at the disgusting pedigree. "I custom-made it. The electric current has no safety limit."

Hunter made a motion that caused 74258’s entire body to jolt, his clenched fists bulging with veins.

"The Earl of Texas’ territory," I slumped in the chair, defeated. "Please, just stop."

"See? That wasn’t so hard!" the Labrador said cheerfully, pulling his fingers out. I heard the slick sound of the sticky liquid and 74258’s suppressed whimpers.

Once again, all I could do was watch.

"So, tell me, who was it that helped guide your little adventure?" Hunter said, wiping his hand across 74258’s back a few times. "We can never find enough solid evidence to confirm who is in charge of the railway at the Texas station."

The image that flashed through my mind was a Labrador in a bright blue suit raising a glass to toast us.

Damn it... If the mayor has some weight within the railway, if I were to give him away, the consequences would be unimaginable.

But…

I glanced at the fox lying on the table. He still had his face buried in his arms, not moving.

Should I really let 74258 suffer this kind of... torment, just to protect some mysterious organization?

I... I don't know.

If I were to bite my tongue and end it all now, I wouldn't have to deal with any of this. But that disgusting pedigree would probably just get the answers from 74258 instead — I forced myself not to imagine that scene.

The sound of metal clashing snapped my attention back just in time to see Hunter undoing his belt.

Rationalism above all.

74258 clearly noticed it too. He stirred, struggling to push the pedigree away. But in the next moment, Hunter twisted the fox's arm behind his back and pinned him against the table.

His movement was so fast that all I saw was a blur.

"Please, keep resisting. I’m starting to feel it." The Labrador bared a single canine tooth in a nasty grin. "Rationalism bears witness, this is even more fun than I expected."

74258 struggled again, and the pedigree pressed down even harder. I heard the sound of joints popping. The fox cried out, which only made the Labrador laugh out loud.

I could feel something inside my mind... snap.

I pulled the hidden blade from my sleeve and, moving as fast as I could, tried to lunge at that disgusting pedigree. From the lightning-fast movements he had just displayed, I knew I stood no chance, but I couldn’t just sit and watch anymore.

An intense electric current surged from the collar, and every muscle in my body contracted violently. Trapped in a paralyzing agony, I couldn’t even breathe or move my eyes. The random spasms were the only thing I could do during this time.

I didn’t know how long it lasted. I only knew that by the time I slumped back into the chair, my body was so overheated it felt like I was being boiled from the inside. The burnt stench of sulfur wafted from my neck. The warm, wet sensation from my lower half told me I had pissed myself.

"Rationalism above all, that was just too entertaining!" Hunter laughed exaggeratedly, even wiping at the corner of his eye. "I've only ever heard about it, but this is the first time I've seen someone piss themselves from being electrocuted."

74258 looked at me, concern filling his olive-colored eyes. I thought I heard the fox call my name just now, but I wasn’t sure. After all, a strong electric current had just scrambled my central nervous system.

Rationalism bears witness, he still has the energy to worry about me in this situation?

"You disgusting... pedigrees..." I said, struggling to adjust my breathing, trying to shift Hunter’s attention toward me, but every word I spoke came from the bottom of my heart. "You call yourselves noble... aristocrats, always wearing those friendly smiles, but... behind the scenes, your true selves are just... revolting." I forced my face into the most disdainful expression I could muster and spat toward the floor.

My dry mouth produced almost no saliva, but my stubborn rebellious spirit drove me to do it anyway.

"Friendly smiles?" I had thought the Labrador’s tone was cold before, but now I realized I was wrong. "You think we’re always smiling, do you?" Every hair on my body stood on end. Instinctively, I knew I had touched a nerve. At least I had achieved my goal — now the Labrador’s attention was focused on me.

"Aren't Labradors the friendliest breed?" I didn’t actually care about those boring high-society gossip rumors or stereotypical jokes, but I desperately searched for any possible sore spot to distract the Labrador. "Whether it’s the warm golden sunshine, or the rich, velvety chocolate... always smiling, right?"

"Shut up." Seeing Hunter smile while speaking with such venom was incredibly dissonant, but I found a small victory in it. I had no room to relax, though, because another jolt of electricity pulsed through the collar, making my jaws clench tight, nearly causing me to bite my own tongue.

This one was much weaker than the earlier shocks, but it still hurt and severely affected my ability to control the rest of my body.

"You wild types have no idea how lucky you are." Hunter spoke slowly, his voice dripping with more venom than before.

In my twitching state, I couldn’t loudly declare how truly "grateful" I was for not being born a pedigree. I was indeed extremely lucky.

"You can’t even imagine what it's like, always having to smile." The Labrador gave me a deeper smile, baring both sets of canine teeth. "Do you think the 'friendly' trait in our breed is just about our appearance?" He raised a finger and tapped his forehead. "Try living with constant peace of mind, in a world full of rainbow-colored marshmallows!"

I couldn’t tell what was so terrible about that, but paralyzed by the electric shocks, I couldn’t mock him.

"Underdeveloped adrenal glands and constantly high serotonin levels... It's something no one talks about much, but everyone knows. Our minds are long ruined by the fact that we can’t even choose our own emotions!" He almost barked the words, glaring at me again. "You probably don’t even understand what I’m saying, do you?"

Of course, I had no idea what this disgusting Labrador was talking about. All I heard was a pampered pedigree, enjoying freedoms I could only dream of, complaining about a bunch of trivial things, like how he was too happy all the time to do anything but smile. Hunter glared at me for a while longer, his mouth twisted in that grotesque grin. For some reason, maybe to keep me from suffocating to death, the electric current finally stopped. I slumped back into the chair again.

"Everyone in the family knows without saying it aloud—the only way to feel anything real is through... more extreme measures." The Labrador's gaze shifted back to 74258, who was slumped over the table. I could see signs of madness flicker in his brown eyes. I desperately tried to draw Hunter's attention back to me, but my entire body was so numb and sore that even speaking was an enormous effort; at best, I could only produce a few meaningless sounds. "I'm not even interested in males," Hunter leaned over 74258, his hand moving toward the fox's groin. "But the humiliation and pain don’t differ based on gender." The pedigree buried his snout deep into 74258's fur, inhaling deeply. "When they’re violated but still get hard, they’re always so ashamed." The fox trembled under Hunter’s touch, letting out quiet sobs. "I'm deeply fascinated by this reaction of self-loathing, as if it’s their fault and they deserve punishment."

Just as I tried to stand up, the collar sent another short but intense shock, paralyzing me again.

"It’s time to get serious." The Labrador stood up straight, pulled off his belt, and tossed it to the ground without a second thought. The holster was still strapped to his thigh, and I was certain Hunter wouldn’t let his weapon leave his side.

74258 let out a faint groan, weakly twisting. But Hunter clearly didn't mind; he just gazed down at him, then grabbed the base of the fox's tail, causing another convulsive twitch from 74258.

In that moment, I really did think, "Maybe I should just let this kill me." But I knew this deranged Labrador wouldn't spare me, and besides, that would be a betrayal to 74258 and to everything Adam sacrificed for me.

But because of this damned collar, I couldn’t do anything. All I could do was watch... I should have fought back while I had the chance, instead of submitting to wearing the collar...

Suddenly, Hunter stumbled back two steps, letting go of the fox’s tail.

"What did you do?" he growled, slurring his words, a flash of panic crossing his face. "You damned fox... what did you do?"

The Labrador pulled out his weapon, but his movements were far less fluid than before. But when the metallic barrel aimed at me, I still couldn’t move—after convulsing for so long, my entire body was completely drained of strength. Even moving my eyes was difficult.

So, in the end, when Hunter pulled the trigger, all I could do was slump in the chair, watching as 74258 lunged at the Labrador.