FSE

Furry search engine

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Ravi opened his eyes. Everything seemed to be quieter than usual. The tiger took out his phone and looked at the time.

-"Shit!"

He grabbed his backpack and ran to the library's entrance. Locked. Ravi shouted, just in case someone was still nearby, but no one came. Without credit on his phone, the tiger was trapped inside until the next day. Not one to miss an opportunity, he went back to check the shelves. Who knows, maybe someone would come soon and he could ask them for help.

The tiger made his way to the fiction section. It wasn't that he didn't like "real" stuff, but he wasn't in the mood to read that at the moment. Besides, he really loved fiction. The opportunity to leave his boring life behind and be under someone else's skin. With a good book he could be an adventurer, a spy, a successful businessman, or anything else he wanted; something he couldn't get reading a biography.

Ravi looked at the titles. He had read all the ones that seemed interesting. However, one caught his attention. It was an old book whose title had already faded. Usually, he ignored these kinds of books, but now he had time to spare. The tiger opened the book and a note fell from between its pages.

Beware.

He wondered what kind of fur could have put something like that and why. A joke? Still, he didn't know of what he was supposed to be careful from. Maybe the book could share some clues on this note. The tiger returned to the desk he was using and turned on the light. After all, it's not like had anything else to do.

The book told the tale of a boy that was so in love with stories that he decided to write them himself. However, in typical horror-fashion, that wish soon turned out wrong. The boy, while enamored with the settings and plots, found that characters often lacked when compared to real people.

After years of research, the boy found the answer to his pleas. He'd trap people in his work and let their actions become his writing. To that end, he created a studio where he wrote story after story until they were too many for him to keep. Thus, he built a library over his studio, and waited for the occasional victim to appear so that he could continue with his work.

Ravi scoffed. Was this what he was supposed to be scared from? The tiger inspected the last part of the book. There was a map that, while it wasn't that of the library he was in, showed the location of this mysterious writer. Ravi took the book on his hands and started to follow the directions.

Ten steps from the entrance. Turn left and walk some more. Turn right. Cross a few hallways and, to the left, there lied the doorway.

Ravi looked at where the book had gotten him. He was in the mystery section. Well, that was it for following cryptic clues in a fiction book. The tiger prepared to leave when he spotted a book that was put in the other way. Probably the same prankster as the one from the note.

The tiger took out the book to set it right when he heard some sort of mechanism moving. The shelf and wall before him moved to reveal a hidden entrance and, at his feet, another note appeared.

Don't say anything. Don't wish anything. Don't be anything.

The passage smelled of mold and the walls looked to be covered by it. Or at least what he could see of them, since it was quite dark with no light in sight. Ravi hesitated about going in, but you know what they say about cats and curiosity. The tiger took out his phone and went down the passage.

From the looks of it, it was quite old; possibly older than the library. Ravi shuddered at the thought of being at the library of the book. He continued his travel until he felt something wet at his paws.

He had heard of the underground sewers beneath his town, but this was the first time he had seen them. Pointing the light of his cell phone forward, he saw that the passage was still far from over and got on his way. Maybe he could leave further along.

The tiger walked on until he saw a dim light in the distance. Ravi approached it and found himself in a room full of parchments and yellowed papers and, sitting in the middle of the room, an old man held a feather in his hand.

The owl looked at the tiger, "Ah! Welcome, welcome. It's been some time since I got visits." He got up and pushed some of the papers to the side. "Please, do come in. Sit, sit."

Against his best judgment, Ravi entered the room and sat in front of the owl. The owl asked him lots of questions about the world above. How everything looked now, what new things had been discovered, and so forth. The tiger answered one question at the best of his ability before the owl asked another one soon after.

-"Have you ever wondered what it'd be like to be someone else, young man?"

Ravi was mildly perturbed by the old man. The way the owl looked at him screamed of one thing: hunger. He didn't want to stay there any more than he should.

-"I'm sorry, I have to leave so--"

The owl interrupted him, "Come on, have you never thought about being a martial artist?"

The owl started to scribble in a piece of paper and Ravi struggled to breathe. A weird energy flowed through his body. He was now in a sleeveless green shirt with golden motifs. His pants changed to match his shirt and he was belted with some type of cloth.

Ravi was walking along a mountain before he entered what looked like an underground lab. In his arms, a boy was sleeping. Dead, maybe.

-"Or how about a military officer?"

The tiger was once again surrounded by the energy. His shirt turned into armor and, in his neck and shoulders, an insignia appeared. He was now in the cockpit of a starship, a gun in his hands. Around him, several other cats stood reading radars, piloting the ship, manning the guns. It was war.

-"A child's toy?"

Ravi looked down. He was naked, and the energy was getting inside his body. His chin got longer and his eyes got smaller until only his pupils remained. Lastly, his insides were changed to stuffing and his tail was filled with a spring. He was in the middle of the woods, though there seemed to be a river and a carrot farm nearby.

-"Oh, I know! How about someone looking for his place in society?"

As far as the tiger could tell, he was back to normal. Though he was now in a tie, checkered shirt, and hat combo. However, he screamed when he paid attention to his surroundings. He was surrounded by some kind of furless beasts. Everything seemed wrong.

-"Come on, boy, I can do anything you want. So tell me, what is it that you desire?"

The beasts were getting closer, and some of them were dressed in incredibly flashy, colorful outfits.

-"I just want to go home!"

And with a swift movement, the owl closed the book he had been writing on.

Ravi opened his eyes. There were still a few people left in the library, but the sun was setting already. It was only a dream. The tiger grabbed his stuff and hurried to leave. There was a huge world out there for him to explore.

It was just the start of his story, after all...