FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

“Favorite movie?”

“It's between Shaw Shank and Top Gun Mav. Really it's hard to choose since they're so good for different reasons.” Max moved the large quantity of supplies from the back of his car out into the recently snow cleared yard. His dogs sat on the small porch of his shed turned home, sunning themselves in the midday sun. “What about yours?”

Eli beamed as she stirred the chemical cocktail in one of the several metal buckets under her. “Princess bride! The whole thing is a masterpiece! The set, the story, the costumes! Not to mention the lead male role was a dreamboat!” She swung her arms wide as she spun in the midday light with a warm smile beaming off her face. The sun sat in the sky providing a level of warmth to the surrounding area, letting Eli work without her hat and scarf.

“Is that where you got your attractions to humans? That the main guy was human and the princess just happened to be an anthro?”

“You’re a smart ass. Do you like Top Gun because the fighter pilot girl was a python?” Her hands were on her hips as she shot back to Max's comment. Her retort stopped his mind dead in his tracks as he took a moment to think before he shut his mouth.

“It didn’t hurt the film in my eyes.”

“Thought so.” Her sly smile painted her scales giving her an air of vile hostility that only worked to worm its way into the back of mind. Her smile stayed as she thought of her next question. “Favorite song?”

Max set up the mixing station before tapping his chin. “That's a tough one, off the top of my head I’d have to say ‘The Sin And The Sentence’ by Tivium. The drums are just far too good off the bat but for a more mellow mood I’d say ‘Hypnotize’ by Sleep Token.” Resting back against the trunk of a tree he pulled out his phone to play the second song he mentioned letting the dulcet tones wash over the two. The melancholic notes cause both of them to bob their heads allowing them to really begin to work. “Why are you here?”

The question surprised Eli as she was mixing the thick paste of gasoline, Styrofoam and helping level of aluminum powder and rust powder. Her eyebrow raised as Max poured diesel into the bucket of flour and began stirring much like she was.

“Uhm you were the one that asked me to help. Not sure where the confusion is.” Her exposed head absorbing the sun and warming her dark scales in a very pleasing way to her.

Max shrugged as he absentmindedly stirred the white mixture until there were no clumps and it settled into a thick paste. “I didn't mean here, I meant wyoming. We’ve already had over two feet of snow in the past week and it's no secret reptiles try and avoid the cold unless they hibernate. So why are you here?” Eli stopped mixing the thick paste as she stood back up straight looking out to a set of mountains bordering Max’s property.

“My dad and I had a falling out.” She didn’t look at Max the entire time as she began reminiscing. “Mom wasn't much help since she sided with him and my sisters didn't take either.” Eli sneered while glaring into the distance, eyes narrowed into blood red streaks of rage and loathing. “Dumb bastard just had to keep pushing the issue until I snapped. I just hate how stubborn he is.”

“I know how family gets. Part of the reason why I moved to Wyoming in the first place.” Max moved closer to Eli, trying to comfort her with just his presence. “You don’t need to talk about it if you don’t want to. Just like when you told me I don’t have to share about Iraq.”

Eli drops her shoulders before whipping around and wrapping Max in a tight hug. Her tail locked his legs together as he held her in return, doing everything in his power to calm her down. “I’m afraid you’ll see me differently. That you’ll be as disgusted with my past and my choices as my family were and still are.”

He pulled her tighter as he spoke. “There's nothing you can say that will make me see you in a different light. Well unless you like gross butt stuff, then I will see it as gross.” She chuckled before giving the top of his head a kiss. “You can tell me if you’re ready, but I won't hold it against you if you don't.”

She leaned into him as she let the weight she constantly carried rest on Max’s shoulders, even if it was just for a moment. “I was walking home during my last semester of college. It was dark, but I had done it so often I got comfortable. I was complacent.” Max could tell where her story was going and that only caused his blood to run cold. The color drained from his face, gripping her tighter as her voice hitched. “I tried to ignore him at first, but he kept harassing me. Following me home as I tried to just get away from him. I…fainted when I was cornered and he tore my clothes from me.” Max’s anger flashed white hot. A searing and painful rage as his jaw clenched and muscles tightened. “It could have been much worse if Jeffery wasn’t working late and man handled the asshole. Tossed the guy a solid four feet away. His shop had his windows smashed three times after that.”

Max’s expression was neutral as he pulled back from her embrace. She let out a sigh as she could finally let the weight off of her shoulders around the man she was intimate with. “Eli, which ranch did you say he was at?”

Her eyebrow raised to the sudden question; confusion written clearly on her face. “It's the one just north of town, it runs the ski lifts just next door too. Why?”

“I’ll be right back.” Max pulled away from her and made his way back into his home with a confused Eli in tow. His home was much the same, except his two dogs that were normally incredibly friendly kept their distance from him. A wooden panel was pulled from a bare wall allowing him to pull the entire wall-based apparatus down to the floor. There in front of the human and the hognose sat a wall of firearms. Eli was flabbergasted as she took in the arsenal in front of her, and Max contemplated silently in front of his hidden shrine. “There she is.”

Eli had no idea what was currently resting in his hands except the fact that it was a shotgun with a barrel that seemed far larger than average. His hands ran across the worn metal surface with its wire stock and wooden pump action handle. “Max you’re not going to-”

“Oh, I'm going to cut that bastard in half with one slug.” A massive brass shotgun shell was slotted into the internal magazine with brutal precision. The heavy clacks of that first shell being slid into the chamber burned Eli’s ears, but sounded like music to the man holding it. “Reproduction KS-23, fully functional and kicks like a mule. That bastard is gonna pay.” More massive brass shells were slid into the internal magazine until its max capacity of four, plus one in the chamber, was reached.

Eli was certainly confused, but she was currently more terrified of her partner. His eyes burned with a rage she hadn’t seen on him before. This wasn't the reaction she was expecting, she was ready for disgust, resentment, or even sympathy. Not this blinding rage. “Max, you need to calm down.” His eyebrows narrowed and for a moment, a chill ran up her spine as his eyes met hers. The moment only lasted for a few seconds at most but it felt like Hours to Eli as she wilted under his loathing gaze.

“And why shouldn’t I?!” His calmer demeanor snapped in the thick air finally letting Eli gasp for breath as her limbs shook. In this moment he terrified her. Rattled her foundations knowing that anything she said would more than likely spur him further onto the warpath. She didn’t notice the tears rolling down her scaled cheeks as she took a step back from him. She was ready to run. To leave and gain as much distance as possible from the powder keg she unknowingly lit.

The next step she took backwards she bumped softly into the small australian shepherd looking up to with comforting brown eyes. Her breathing steadied as she leaned down to pet Sig’s head and comfort her. Wordlessly attempting to comfort her she lapped at the thick scales of her cheek before the clatter of the shotgun drew her attention back to Max. He was on his knees, holding Sauer close to him as he let the anger seemingly peel off of his frame.

Eli pulled Sig close to her side much like her boyfriend. “You know you’re pretty scary when you get like that.” Sig continued to comfort the dark scaled woman by rubbing her forehead into the snake woman’s stomach.

“This is kind of how I got them.” Eli’s eyes locked onto Max’s face that was an opposite painting of the rage he previously wore. His eyes were soft and lidded, looking sad but with a light smile on his face. She was enraptured with how fast he calmed down from just the presence of his companions. That's when he began to speak. “I had just gotten to Jackson a few years ago. The army had burnt me out and I had to just keep moving in an entry level job. I was going through the motions, aimless and tired. None of my friends were here and neither was my family.” His smile grew as he chuckled thinking of a fond memory of his two companions. “Ware was still in at the time and suggested that I should get a dog. Have something that relies on me.

“I wasn’t in the best mindset as I went to the pound. My emotions had flatlined for over a month at this point and I just didn’t have the heart to really look so I just went to the nearby shelter. They were in the yard playing when I showed up and one of the volunteers let me spend time with them. Nearly all of them kept their distance from me. Maybe I just gave off a hostile vibe but little Sig just strolled up and placed her head on my lap.” Max gave a warm smile to both Sig and Eli as they shared the small moment together. “I couldn’t leave without her after that and they told me that her partner in crime here was a package deal. Don't know what she taught Sauer but she gets me to calm down just as good as she can now. Can’t imagine life without the big goofballs now.”

Eli’s nails massaged the Australian shepherd’s head as she listened to his story. The tone’s in his voice sweetened as he continued speaking, his words becoming a verbal manifestation of his emotions. “Why did you get so mad?”

Max sighed as he kept holding Sauer close. “I guess I've gotten to a special point between us.”

“What would that be?” Just before Max answered there was a heavy knock at the door, knocking the two back to reality as both Sig and Sauer moved to defend their family home with deep growls and barks.

“Girls calm down, it's me!” Noah’s familiar voice broke through the thick metal door letting them know that they were more than likely getting better treats than what their owner gave them. “Max, how many times do I have to tell you not to start mixing or having breakdowns without me??”

Max rolled his eyes as he stood up and offered a hand to Eli. Lifting her off the ground he pulled her close into a hug and whispered just loud enough for her to hear. “I’ll tell you once he heads home. It’s important alright?”

Eli nodded as she returned the hug just as Noah opened the door himself with a case of beer in one hand, a lit cigarette in the other and wearing only board shorts, a tank top and flip flops that were covered in a thick layer of snow. Max just blinked a few times to clear his confusion as Noah took one last drag of his cigarette and flicked the butt into the deep snow. Without another word he blew the smoke outside the home before making a beeline to his fridge and selected one of the sodas kept there specifically for him. A single swig passed his lips before turning to look Max directly in his eyes and say simply. “You’re gay.”

Max chuckled at the completion of his ritual that left Eli confused more than usual. That was until the sound of an engine drew their attention to the new arrival. Max placed the loaded KS-23 back into its slot before lifting the wall back into place. “Let's go meet our newest ally.” With that the trio passed the threshold back onto the porch.

-

“You seem more concerned than yesterday.” Max let the stiff wolf relax slightly after downing the offered beer in his hands. “Did something come up?”

After a moment of internal deliberation Ian finally came to a conclusion and dropped his shoulders. “I've got good news, bad news and worse news. I’ll start with the bad.” Max and Noah nodded as Eli listened whilst holding a cup of decaf in her slender fingers and enjoying the pleasant smells by flicking her tongue in the wafting steam. “The bad news is there’s gonna be more than the couple of guys I originally thought. Maybe around ten to fifteen. The good news is that they'll be following Trevor’s plan which is literally just a full frontal assault. Clearly he hasn't seen this place himself.” Trevor looked around the small home before shooting a glance outside. “I don’t know how long you’ve been here but you’ve turned outside into a fortress.”

Eli looks up confused to the wolf before looking at Max. “Fortress? Sorry if my ignorance is showing but I don't see it.”

Max chuckled as Noah explained to her what was set up outside. “You might have been distracted coming in the last few times but he’s had this place built up for a while. Barbed wire, trenches, pits and a few others sprinkled in. Although the mines will be a nice touch.”

Eli turned her attention fully to Max and mouthed a simple ‘why?’ before Max rolled his eyes. “For this exact situation Eli. That’s why.”

“That still doesn't add up though. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of anything like this happening. Why would you need to prepare like this?”

Max laughed as he leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. “Please stay this innocent forever. If not I'll have to tell you what Ruby Ridge and Waco are. Just know that all that stuff is put there for a reason and be happy it is since they'll probably not even get close.”

Eli’s eyes fell to Max’s hands where she noticed how scared they were for the first time since they met. The puckered flesh told of a lifetime of mistakes and lessons in a map of old and new skin criss crossing the surface. “Alright I trust you but Ian, you said something about worse news?”

Ian nodded as he looked over their small posse. “The worse news is that the police are turning a blind eye to all of this. Called them on a burner trying to see if they could step in and all they said before they hung up was, ‘We’ll be there to clean up.’ We’re on our own.”

Noah laughed. It was a hearty laugh that came deep from his gut with Max only offering a toothy smile in return. “Ian he’s in stitches right now because we saw war together. Worse odds in an unfamiliar part of the world.” Cracking open a beer with a single hand he takes a hearty swig. “Home turf, prep time and my favorite season? This’ll be the easiest home defense seen on earth. Just so you two know you can step out and distance yourselves from this. No hard feelings, really.” Another swig followed by an incredibly serious look. “This will be your last chance to have any sort of plausible deniability. If you don't leave now you’ll be stuck for the long haul. Eli, I already know your answer but I still highly suggest you stay out of the actual fighting.”

Eli rolled her eyes before she set down her coffee she was enjoying. “You know my answer already. I'm in this for the long haul.” Max seemed to melt under her words, overjoyed with her continued courage and resolve. That's when Max turned his steely gaze towards Ian.

“This will probably be the best chance I have for getting out from under my brother’s boot. Father will be a different issue but I guess I'll burn that bridge when I get there.” Rubbing the stress and uncertainty from his eyes he made his final decision. “I’m in. Do you happen to have an extra place to sleep?”

Max motioned to the couch before Eli looked back to him. “Then…where will I sleep?”

Max raised an eyebrow at her question before answering her plainly. “With me? Worse comes to worst if you’re not comfortable with that then you can take the bed and I’ll crash on a cot. No skin off my ba-”

“No! That's fine!” Eli surprised Max and herself with her excited outburst. “I mean…I don’t mind. I'm comfortable with you anyways so it’ll be fine.”

“If that's settled then let's get to work. Could you show the new arrival how to set up toe poppers bud?” His best friend nodded silently and led Ian out to the shed beside Max’s small home before he turned to Eli in their regained privacy. “I know you’re adamant about helping but I meant what I said. If at any point I think you'll be hurt I’m tossing you in the bomb shelter until it’s over.”

Everything that was happening around her was alien. The hostile acts, the wounds Max had already sustained, the fact that Trevor wasn’t going to back down even after the decent amount of time that had already passed screamed at Eli that she should just start driving to Arizona and wait out this storm. On the other hand her parents didn’t raise her to be a wuss and for the first time since middle school she had someone she genuinely liked. Maybe even… She shook her head, getting that single word dislodged from her mind. It was too early for that. “I know but I’m not backing down just because it’s getting dangerous. Besides, you’ve been training me and letting you fight alone would be wrong.”

Her smile lit up Max’s world before she spoke again. “One more thing, you were going to say something before Noah showed up?”

Max nodded, his mind brought back to the words he was going to bring into the world. He knew it felt too early but he didn’t care. She was special to him. He had grown attached. He… “I got like that because I’m pretty sure I’m… I care deeply for you.” Maybe he did care about saying it too early. “C’mon, let's not let those mixtures sit any longer.” She could see he was holding back, staying around him for so long she was really beginning to pick up on his tells. She was going to pry at that little chink in his armor and pray it didn’t back to bite her gorgeous ass. Max wanted to though, she knew that much.