FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

I pulled open the door to The Doghouse and scanned the room. The tavern was about one-third full. It was well after dinner but not quite time for drunken reveling this Saturday night. The orange fox behind the counter smiled at me as I stepped inside. What was his name again? Favian? Fabio? His smile was by far the warmest welcome I got--the few heads that turned gave me scowls and dirty looks. Even with my hood up my feline features must have been obvious. I wove my way past tables and to the bar, where I sat down next to a familiar black lab.

"Hey Tyrus!" the cheerful bartender said. "I haven't seen you in months, maybe closer to a year! It's good to see you again. What'll you have?"

I hate it when people remember my name and I can't remember theirs. "Just water, thanks." The fox went for a glass, and I nudged the dog beside me with an elbow. "Thought I'd find you here."

Brad groaned and took another swig of his rum and coke. "Can't you see I'm busy," he mumbled.

I frowned. I realized I hadn't seen him in a good mood since we got separated over a year ago. The last time I'd seen him was a week ago when we were first reunited, and that had started with a fistfight and ended with me walking away in tears. A couple days ago I tried to find him at his apartment again, but only Lynn was there, and I had to go on her word she'd tell him my message about my plan to get them out of the city. It was time he heard some good news for a change. "Hey, listen. I've been doing some recon over the last two days, and I've finally figured out which orphanage Audrey's at."

The lab's ear twitched. "Really? How?"

"I visited city hall and did some digging through orphanage rosters. I tell ya, those things go back for ages. I even found you and I on St. Mary's."

"Fascinating. So where is she?"

"Well, the only orphanage that currently has someone named 'Audrey' is St. Thomas Aquinas. It's on the north side, which fits with what Lynn told me the other day... By the way, did she--"

"Yeah. She told me you dropped by."

"Ah. Did she tell you about the plan?"

He sighed. "Yeah. Yeah she did." There was a look his face I couldn't quite place. Remorse? Loneliness? What was he thinking about?

I flicked my tail nervously. "Sooo what do you think?"

"Well, it's crazy, I'll give you that." He took another sip. "It's either crazy enough to work, or crazy enough to get us all killed. And what sucks is that we can't know until the plan's already in motion. That scares me."

He turned and looked at me. I could see the tiredness in face. "I've thought about this a lot the last couple days," he said. "I've realized I can't sit around and hope the status quo changes. I have to do something about it myself. I can't say I like this plan, but it may be the best shot to ensure Lynn and Audrey's safety."

I nodded. "My thoughts exactly. I know this is asking a lot of you, but this is the best way I can think of to protect them. And it all starts with Audrey. I just hope those orphanage rosters I found are up to date."

Favian came back and placed a glass of water on a coaster in front of me. "Sorry for the wait. Had to tend to another customer. I couldn't help but overhear; what are you looking at orphanage rosters for?"

"Long story," Brad said.

"Trying to get a special someone out of the city and to safety," I filled in. Brad shot me a glare. Probably more information than he was comfortable sharing, I realized.

"Hmm." Favian leaned in conspiratorially. "Lemme guess, The Pack's good old 'child protection' scheme? Holding kids hostage to ensure good behavior from their parents in The Pack?"

"Exactly," I said. "I was hoping we could get her out tonight, but... Well, I was coming partly to tell Brad that the escape vehicle is having some engine issues. It's gonna be out of commission for a day or two."

Brad sighed. "Great. Just... great." He looked more upset and pensive than I might have expected. He stared deep into his glass. Is there something he's not telling me?

Favian looked at us quizzically. "You mean you're looking for a ride out of the city? Tonight?"

"Yeah," I said. "You know someone who'd be willing to help us out?"

He gave a toothy vulpine grin. "You're in luck: you're looking at him. Just so happens I've been getting ready to leave the city to try to find bigger and better things. I've paid off my gambling debts and finally bought a car with the money I've been saving. Better yet, just the other day I finally heard back from someone who's offered me a bartending job in another city."

"Really?" Brad seemed surprised -- he must not have heard this news yet.

"Yep! If you're ever in town, search for the Tricolor Beguile. Weird name, I know."

"I'll be glad to," Brad said. "I mean, if I ever get out, myself."

I turned to Favian. "How much room does your car have?"

"Three extra seats, if I move some stuff around."

"Perfect!" I said. "That's enough for Brad, Lynn and Audrey. We can get all of you out of here. Tonight."

The lab frowned. "That sounds great and all, but I don't think we're ready. I mean, Lynn's still at work right now. I'd have to go get her from the casino. And what about you, Tyrus?"

"Any way you cut it, train's leaving tonight," the fox said, cutting me off. "I can't wait another day. I'm leaving the city at 10, sharp."

"What time do you get off work?" I asked.

He looked at his watch. "Nine. So in about thirty minutes."

I took a deep breath. "I know this is going to be asking a lot of you, Favian. And you can say no, of course. But would you be willing to go to St. Thomas Aquinas' with me to try to extract Audrey? I won't sugarcoat this: it could be dangerous. But Brad won't be able to help me if he's busy getting Lynn out of the casino. There's just not enough time left in the night. Think you'd be up for it?"

Favian frowned. "If you're proposing going in there, guns blazing, you can count me out. I'm no killer, and never want to be."

"Nonono, that's not how I roll either. Negotiation and subterfuge are my first lines of defense, and if those doesn't work, then I can physically subdue or incapacitate the enemy."

Brad snorted and finished off his drink. I realized I had been quoting something Mr. Hattori had said during training once, and probably sounded corny out of context. But I felt like divulging the secrets of my ninjutsu training would be less than productive right now, so context would have to wait.

The fox bit his lip. "Well... if we try to talk things through with them first, then I'm in. I'm not opposed to fighting with my fists, but I'm no good at it."

"You'll do just fine. And thank you. I really appreciate it."

"Make sure you get here out in one piece, you hear?" the lab said, addressing both of us.

"Of course," said Favian. "You've done so much for me, saving my hide from thugs multiple times, this is the least I could do to repay you. Besides, I've heard you and Lynn talk of Audrey before. I'd love to meet the little darling in person."

* * *

"This is it. Pull around the block and park in the back alley."

Favian slid his car, an aging red sedan with something rattling in the engine, around the street and parked it where I said. We got out and scanned our surroundings. Nobody in sight. I checked my watch. 9:09 PM. It was getting near prime time for Pack-related activity, but tonight we'd been lucky so far.

We padded our way over to the entrance, a set of arched wooden doors. The St. Thomas Aquinas Orphanage was built from an old church that no longer held mass--it was now devoted solely to the care of children. The building stood out sharply from the distinctly urban brick and concrete structures on either side of it. Though its white plastic siding was cracked and covered in mildew, it still managed to look nicer than any building on the block. From a distance, anyway.

"After you," Favian said. I stepped up to the door and gave it a sharp rap with my knuckles. I still had my_hanbo_ cane strapped to my back, just in case things went south. I wish I had some kind of implement to give Favian, but he insisted he was no good at fighting. I was going to have to be on my best behavior this time.

But with just over 45 minutes until Favian had to go, a peaceful resolution would be cutting it close.

The door still hadn't opened yet. I gave it another knock, louder this time, and I finally heard some movement on the other side shuffling closer to the door. It opened with a loud creak and an old, wrinkled, white and brown bulldog peered outside. "Yes? Can I help you?" he said in a gravelly voice.

"Hey," I said. "How do you do? I know the hour's a bit late, but we were wondering if you'd be up to talking about adoptions?"

"We're closed," he said. "Come back tomorrow." The door started closing.

"We're in a rush," I cut in, putting my paw in the crack of the door. "Trust me, we won't take up much of your time. I'll even make it worth your while."

The elderly bulldog eyed us suspiciously, pondered for a moment, then drew the door open and motioned for us to follow. Favian gave me a questioning glance. I shrugged. I was just making it up as I went along. I stepped inside and pulled the door closed with one last glance outside.

A figure retreated back into the shadow of the alleyway across the street.

The bulldog turned to us once I closed the door. "So, you said you're interested in adoption?"

"Yes," Favian said. "We were thinking about a girl."

"You two married?"

I opened my mouth but couldn't think of a response. Favian never missed a beat, and reached out and held my hand. "Yep! Just got married last week. We've been dating for three years now and are finally about to start a family." He leaned over and gave me a peck on the cheek.

The bulldog pursed his lips. "Alright. Lemme go grab some candidates before they head off to bed. Wait right here." He walked across the room stiffly and disappeared through a door.

I turned to Favian. The fox smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Had to come up with something. I hope I didn't weird you out too much."

"It's fine. Just a bit..." I tried to put my jumbled thoughts into words. "Just unexpected, is all." I studied the worn floorboards beneath my feet.

Favian frowned and put a hand on my shoulder. "Hey. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"I can read people like a book. You're not fooling me. What's wrong?"

I drew a shaky breath. I was getting more emotional than I thought I would. "I just... That was my first kiss. I mean, besides the nuns at my orphanage kissing us good night. This was my first real one."

The fox gave a wry smile. "No it's not."

"Huh?"

"Something that quick doesn't really count. It wasn't even on the lips."

"Oh... Okay."

"I mean, unless you want--"

The front door burst open. A hulking canine figure stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the yellow street light outside. Favian and I took a step back. The newcomer had a switchblade hanging loosely in his left paw.

"What are you doing here?" the foreboding figure said in a deep voice.

I put my arm across my chest and pretended to rub my opposite shoulder. My paw was just an inch from the hanbo cane hidden under my hoodie. "What's it to you?"

The newcomer took a step forward and closed the door behind him. The indoor light revealed him to be a white wolf clad in a black hoodie and jeans. He had a scar running down his neck that looked like it was from claw marks. "If you're here for adoption, none of the kids are available."

"And why's that?" I asked.

"They're all under the Pack's protection. None of them are leaving, ya dig?" His grip on the knife tightened and he lowered his voice to a growl. "Now, I'm not going to ask you fuckers again. Beat it."

"No need to be hostile," Favian said. "We're not trying to interfere with anything. I bet the Pack would be willing to overlook our being here for a few hundred, right?"

"Not a chance." The wolf peered at Favian. "Hey, you're that faggot who runs the bar at The Doghouse. Haven't I had to teach you a lesson before?" The canine picked up on the fear in the fox's body language easily. "Yeah. I remember you now. Too bad your black lab boyfriend isn't here to protect you like last time."

"You won't lay a hand on him," I said. "Walk away. Now."

The wolf chuckled and pointed his switchblade at me. "Well well, I stand corrected, foxie. You've got a different fag covering your ass now. In more ways than one, I imagine?"

I slid my paw further back and gripped my hanbo. In one fluid motion I drew it from my back and swung for his weapon. He pulled his paw away just in time to avoid the swipe and countered with a lunge. I twisted to the side and let his arm slide past me. I gripped my cane with both paws, now forming a complete circle around the invading arm, and pulled it against my chest to trap it. I spun and lowered myself closer to the ground, trying to lock his arm and force him to the floor, but he withdrew his arm with a sharp motion and slipped out. I felt a stinging sensation on my forearm. I spared a quick glance. There was a new hole in my hoodie, and I could see reddening fur underneath.

The wolf came back at me with a quick series of cuts and jabs, trying to keep me in a defensive position. I backpedaled, ducking high slashes and deflecting offhand punches with my cane. This guy was no amateur. I stabbed toward his gut with the butt of my cane. He didn't even try to block--instead he took the hit, gave an oomph! and immediately leaned forward and slashed at my throat. I leaned back almost too late. I could feel the tip of the blade whiff right by my windpipe.

I saw orange arms wrap around the white wolf's neck from behind and pull back. The huge canine's eyes bulged momentarily and he swung around and elbowed Favian in the side. The fox yelped in pain but held on tight. I took the opportunity to wind up a baseball swing and bring the cane full force into the aggressor's stomach. I could hear the wind whoosh out of him.

Before I could line up another swing the wolf did a 180°, putting Favian between him and me. Before I could react, I saw the wolf's hand with the switchblade rise up, point toward the fox's arm, and plunge downward.

I heard a fleshy schlick. Favian gasped and let go, falling to the ground behind our assailant. I heard drops of blood plop_ping against the hard floor. "Fave!" I jumped over his curled-up form and lunged at the wolf. I was quick enough to come up behind him before he turned around again, and I put my _hanbo around his throat. I gripped it with both hands, pulled my arms close to my chest, and dropped to the floor, bringing the huge canine down with me. Favian was able to scramble out of the way before we hit the ground, hard. I felt like I couldn't breathe under the wolf's bulk. I kept the cane pressed against his throat, making him cough and sputter. He flailed his arms and dropped his knife to the floor with a loud clatter.

As I held our assailant there, Favian crawled over to the switchblade and picked it up with his good arm. He was clutching his other arm tight against his chest. There was dark red blood on his hands, contrasting sharply with his bright orange fur. He drew close and held the knife before the dog's face. "Get up. And get out."

I held the thug there for a moment more so he could get a good look at his hopeless situation, and then took the cane away from his throat. He rolled off me and went into a coughing fit. By the time he'd recovered himself, Favian and I had him flanked and both had our weapons at the ready. He looked at each one of us in turn, analyzing the situation, trying to figure out if there was any way he could still win this. Logic won out as he realized two armed opponents would probably beat an unarmed one. He gave a snarl and stomped toward the door. "You fuckers watch your backs," he warned. "Next time there'll be more of us. Lots more."

"Bring some skill next time," I goaded.

He glared at me for a second, then turned around with a swish of a tail. He slammed the door behind him as he left.

I heard the switchblade clatter to the floor again. I turned and saw Favian sink to his knees, cradling his arm. He was breathing hard. I could hear a whimper trying to escape his lips. I knelt down beside him to examine the wound--I had to pry his hand away from the cut long enough to get a look at it. I dabbed at it with the sleeve of my hoodie to clear away some of the blood. Thankfully it wasn't a stab wound, as I'd feared. He must have moved his arm back just enough to make the knife slide off his forearm. Still, it was a pretty deep cut, and it was bleeding freely.

"It's not that bad," I told him, stretching the truth a little. I rummaged around in my hoodie's inner pockets for some gauze. "You're gonna need stitches, though. Luckily, I know a guy. He fixed me up good after I broke some bones. A few weeks and you'll feel--"

I was cut off abruptly as I felt Favian's good paw snake around my shoulder behind my head and pull me down toward him. Before I knew it something wet and warm was pressed against my lips. My eyes widened. He had his closed. I wasn't expecting this at all, but something in my head was telling me to live in the present so I closed my eyes and returned the favor. For a long moment we stayed like that, sharing a well-deserved intimate moment.

The other door opened and the elderly bulldog returned. I heard his breath catch in his throat as he took in the confusing scene -- the supposedly gay couple from earlier on the floor kissing, surrounded everywhere by splotches of blood, a knife a few feet away. He looked like he was about to turn around, close the door, and try again. "Sorry," I said. "Someone came in with a knife."

The old dog shook his head to clear his thoughts. "I don't even want to know."

"You said you brought some candidates for us?" Favian asked through gritted teeth.

"Oh. Yes. Figured I'd start at the top of the alphabet with little Audrey, a fox."

"Sounds perfect," Favian said. "We'll take her. How much do we owe you?"

The bulldog opened his mouth but no words came out. This had to be the strangest night at the orphanage he'd ever overseen. "Er. Alright... Ya know what? Clean up this mess and she's yours. After we settle the paperwork." He retreated from the room and closed the door behind him quickly. I allowed myself a chuckle.

Favian shook his head. "It's sad how easy adoption is in this city. I guess the lack of law in this place is working in our favor tonight."

"Yeah. Corruption to the rescue."

"Poor Audrey. So, you were saying you know a guy?" the fox said.

It took me a second to remember what we were talking about previously. "Oh. Right. Yeah, he's a nice elderly fox living about twenty minutes from here. Took me in when my life was going nowhere." I could still feel Favian's lips on mine as I started wrapping the wound tightly.

"That's always good. What's his name?"

I chewed the inside of my cheek. Usually I didn't give out that kind of information about my sensei, but since he'd be meeting the man anyway and he was leaving the city far behind tonight, I figured there'd be no lasting danger. "His name is Mr. Hattori. Great guy."

Favian's eyes widened. "Wait. You mean The Hatter?"

"...What?"

"Y'know, The Hatter? Old fox, Japanese, drives around in a white Jeep?"

"Well... yes. How did you know that?"

He gave a shiver. I didn't know if it was from the stinging pain or the subject of our conversation. "I've heard stories about him, and not good ones, either. Never thought I'd have to meet him. You said he took you in?"

"I--er, yeah. Why is that so bad?"

"Jeez. I bet you've seen some crazy shit there."

"What are you talking about? I've never seen anything out of the ordinary there. He's a completely normal person."

"Then he's deceiving you. Lying to your face. Believe me, I'd watch my back around him if I were you."

I scowled. Nobody talked about my sensei that way. "Can you tell me just what the hell you're talking about? You're talking about Mr. Hattori like he's some sort of monster. And just where have you heard these stories?"

"From the bar. Duh. The Pack has some pretty scary people who gain reputations here in New Lou."

I froze. No. He can't really be saying... "You... You mean Mr. Hattori works for The Pack??"