FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The heavenly bodies slowly dance around the sun in an elegant fashion as the earth hustles and bustles about with its mass of humans working away. The stars in the night sky down on the tiny blue planet barely reflect the monstrous beyond that lies just outside the human's grasp.

Past the scattered civilizations that cover the planet. Past the fields of gain that supply the inhabitants with all they need for their life. And past the sky sits the wondrous world of the great beyond, and it is just as busy as the world it sits and watches over.

In this utopia sit every god and goddess, spirits both mischievous and noble. and the creatures of myths and legends humans pass down to their children. It is a world that has many striking similarities to the earth below. In a brilliant mix of marble and mountains of feathery clouds, a particular troublesome argument has broken out

"No Aries, I don't think there needs to be that many lanterns at the festival!" A shrill female voice rang out.

The voice belonged to Virgo, the astrological beauty who was helping plan the winter equinox festival for the inhabitants of the above world. She took the form of a gorgeous young human maiden, with flowing flaxen hair and features that were stretched and elegant in an almost inhuman way. Light blue silks were draped around her complete with a gold spiral embroidery and a gold colored cord around her waist. Despite her alluring and calm appearance, she became somewhat rash and angry when things didn't go her way.

"Alright well don't come complaining to me if no one can see anything! Every single year when the winter equinox comes around you turn into a controlling demanding monster Virgo!"

"I do not!" She argued. Both of them were known to be a bit stubborn at times and putting them together in the same room was sometimes a recipe for an uproar.

A heated Aries griped back "You aren't the boss you know! We're suppose to agree and work together!"

Her brow furrowed " Well then, go find Leo and ask what he thinks, I'm sure he'll agree with me. He should be around here somewhere"

"Fine, whatever." The ram growled, glaring as he turned and left.

He trudged away from the loud obnoxious being that was Virgo. Aries was a gray ram with horns that curled around his ears, clad in brown cloth pants and a short leather vest. He and Virgo had been planning decorations and preparations for the upcoming festival when their dispute had broken out. Aries remembered how dimly lit the festival had been during the night last year, but Virgo apparently wanted the low light to be romantic and mysterious and clearly thought otherwise. He figured he could ditch her and send Leo to take his place. Aries was now on a mission to find the lion, another astrological being who was supposed to be helping prepare for the upcoming festival.

Aries walked out the entrance through a couple of columns, and down the wide marble stairs leading away from the large temple. His hooves clacked on the white stone The temple was dedicated to a goddess of the winter months, being an appropriate place to begin the festival decorations. It was in the wide roman style that had become tradition in the above world, complete a golden tiled ceiling and a frieze depicting the goddess and several young women.

Aries was eager to depart from the large marble structure that housed Virgo and her sour attitude. Spotting Leo conveniently sitting to the edge of the speckled white marble stairs as he was about halfway down he walked over to him to inform him of Virgo's summons.

"Hey Leo" he said casually "Virgo's inside looking for you." The lion slowly turned around and looked up at his colleague.

"She wants your opinion on the whole lighting situation. He waved his hand in a sarcastic gesture "Apparently mine isn't good enough"

Leo nodded slowly and tilted his head. "You two not getting along?"

"Damn right" he declared. "You know how she can be sometimes."

"Sure do" Leo said dully. "I'll be there in a minute"

"Have fun" the ram said as he started down the steps again.

"Always" Leo rolled his eyes.

Leo had been sitting by himself halfway down at the edge on the steps that lead down from the temple. He was enjoying himself as usual, staring at the scenery of beautiful temples colored white and gold nestled in the soft milky clouds.He wasn't avoiding work, just taking a break. He sighed and got up. He stretched for a moment and groaned at the fact his break had come to a premature ending. He looked at the entrance to the temple and started ascending the steps. "Ugh."

Leo was, as you might guess, a lion, and yet another of the zodiac council members. He made very little noise for a creature his size. Dressed in a tan, silk shirt that fit loosely over his broad muscular shoulders and tan linen pants complete with cord tie, nearly the same color but slightly off color compared to his tawny fur. The linen fabric had quite a contrast to his mane and the tip of his tail though, which were unusually dark compared to some lions, and had a brilliant sheen that was somewhere between blood red and mahogany. Unlike some other denizens of the sprawling city in the clouds, Leo never felt the need to wear anything as extravagant or colorful as someone like Virgo would. He was considered by himself and many others to be quite modest and deliberate, only speaking when necessary and carrying an air about him that many often mistook for boredom.

The solemn lion could hear Virgo's voice as he reached the top few steps and wondered if he should even bother going inside. Like most others, Leo couldn't stand Virgo's controlling attitude during festival times. Figuring it would be worse later if he didn't show he slowly walked around the marble corner and into the large open room of the temple.

"Oh, There you are!" Virgo said excitedly after she turned around to the sounds of Leo's footsteps "Aries was being rather unhelpful, so I'd have him grab me someone more" She forced a smile. "Agreeable."

Leo cringed at the artificial pleasantness in Virgo's voice. Behind her energetic exterior he could hear the cold but persuasive tone she had used to persuade others on many occasions.

Leo was unamused. "So what do you need? Really?" Leo grumbled at her while rubbing his chin a few times and his tail swished in annoyance. Of all things he could have been doing, pretending to agree and and help Virgo fiddle with some lanterns was pretty low on his list of ideal festival jobs.

"I was putting up these lanterns and Aries wants to put them everywhere. I think it'll be too bright." She frowned.

"Isn't that the point?" Leo suggested

"Well, no" She started. "I want it to be mood lighting and give it a more intimate feel to things."

Leo remembered the shouting voices of Virgo and Aries about this exact same subject only a few minutes before. He honestly did think that last year's festival needed more light. He thought about it for a second. If he went about this the same way Aries did, he probably would end up walking away just as he had. He decided to use a bit more tact though.

Virgo looked at him for an answer and placed a hand on her hip impatiently "Well..." Leo began. He realized if he could get Virgo annoyed he probably wouldn't have to spend much more time in the large open interior of the temple with her.

"You know Virgo, I think I'm going to have to agree with Aries on this one, needs more lanterns" his tone then became a bit condescending "You do remember last year don't you? After a while the lanterns just weren't enough to keep everything going, people started calling it quits and going home early when it got too dark" Virgo scowled as he finished and looked up to glare at Leo. He looked back and shrugged, knowing she was about to shoo him off.

Oh noooo He thought to himself sarcastically.

Her voice was low but threatening "Fine, maybe more lights then!" she stretched the word maybe out as she glared and gave Leo a look of absolute disdain before spinning on her feet and walking away, with long strands of blue silk billowing behind her. Virgo hated not getting her way and Leo was glad he knew exactly how to push her buttons and play into her temper to absolve himself of the decorating duties. He chuckled to himself at how quickly he had went from lounging about, to a quick demand for his assistance, and then back to being free as a bird again.

Leo didn't like to think of himself as notoriously lazy and had only been taking a moderate break from moving slabs of marble for tables before Aries had arrived. It sounded tempting to shy away from any more festival related duties but Leo decided on going back to moving the marble as he knew any lack of effort for the preparation of the winter festival was universally looked down upon by his fellow zodiac colleagues. If there was one thing Leo hated more than thinking of himself as lazy, it was the thought of others considering him to be.

Leo elected to find Aries who couldn't have gone far and was enthusiastic about pretty much anything having to do with the festival that Virgo wasn't involved with. He took several steps off of the marble stairs and onto the fluffy white clouds before he heard the somewhat distant voice of Aries around the corner of another column encased structure that surrounded the temple.

Perfect! He thought as he rounded the corner of the white building and into the clearing behind as the grunting figure of Aries came into view carrying one side of a large flat piece of marble with none other than Taurus, the newest one among the twelve companions. The pair set the marble slab down on a bronze pedestal to create a temporary makeshift table for the festival before they looked up and realized Leo was standing before them.

"Hey!" Aries shouted with a smile as he saw the same lion approach he had seen not less than ten minutes before.

"Man that sure was fast! guess you have better ideas on lighting than I do" he said with a mocking tone, directed at the fact he was certain Leo had gotten the same treatment from Virgo he had.

"Ugh" Leo rubbed his forehead "That woman needs some tips on how to deal with stress. You think she'd be used to it by now, I mean this thing happens every year"

Aries Let out a hearty laugh as Leo turned and look at his other companion. Leo had learned through many social interactions and conversations that when three people were involved it sometimes made things a bit awkward and forced. In this particular situation he realized he had looked from Aries and was now looking at Taurus, who he attempted to give a less than awkward greeting to.

"Hey" He said flatly looking at the bull and struggling to find something else to say.

Taurus gazed at Leo and Leo found himself somehow at more of a loss for words than he had be a second earlier. Taurus had bright yellow eyes and a bright gold nose ring that contrasted with his chocolate brown fur in the most pleasant of ways. He wore the same tan linen pants as Leo but had a loose fitting green shirt on instead. Complete with short gray horns that stuck straight out and curved up slightly at the ends he could only be described as-

Handsome, Gods he's handsome Leo thought, momentarily stunned by the golden eyes that were staring back at him. He quickly regained his composure as a friendly and goofy grin spread over Taurus's face.

"Leo!" Taurus exclaimed while giving the lion a firm pat on the shoulder. "How are you doing? I haven't seen you all day!"

Leo's face lit up. "As well as I can be with all this commotion and hard labor we have to do with the festival" He laughed.

"You know I don't know what the others would do without us big guys to haul all this heavy stone around" Taurus joked as he crossed his arms with a big grin on his face.

"Speaking of which, I actually came to help you since Virgo is shooing out anyone who doesn't see eye to eye with her on the decoration ideas. Leo replied.

Before Taurus could say anything Aries spoke up "That's actually the last of the tables and the last of the heavy lifting we have to do for now. Taurus and I were going to grab a drink. You should come with."

He was amused at the fact he was just worried about his friend's opinions on his work ethics. "Sure! Sounds great." He said, happy to be able to finally relax some and get to spend time with Aries and especially happy to be spending time with Taurus.

The trio trudged off and away from the temple grounds. As they put distance between themselves and the temple, the clouds they stepped on became sparse and solid ground began to take over under their feet. The Otherworld had varying features depending on where one was. Many of the temples and buildings that the governing officials resided in were surrounded by white, cottony, but very corporal clouds that were soft on one's feet. These were seen as somewhat of a luxury due to the fact that most of the city was set under gray cobblestones, or in less well-off parts of town, bare ground.

Taurus wasn't used to the feeling of clouds under his feet and preferred the solid ground. He had grown up in one district of the city that was notorious for being so impoverished nearly all of the walkways were flat dirt paths. Stone was considered a luxury. Growing up in such a poor part of town, both he and his parents had resigned to him being a laborer for most of his life like his father was. By chance on one of his nights of drinking he decided to trek to a bar in the nicer part of town. There he met a old gray owl named Barton who walked with a cane and happened to be a governing official. After some drinking and small talk Barton offered him a part time job working on a repair on one of the older marble temples that had fallen into a bit of disrepair.

During the first week of his brief time there hauling stone around the temple, Barton had came to inspect how the repairs were coming along and decided to rest his arm on a large slab of unstable marble that was resting against a wall. The slab pressed against the wall and began to fall forward, and if a certain brown bull hadn't been walking up to meet him and caught the stone before it fell, he would have likely sustained many broken bones or possibly have been killed.

Taurus had no knowledge of what the old owl did for the governing sect and he was totally unprepared and taken aback when the owl showed up at his family home in a poor residential district. How he had found where he lived, Taurus had no idea. The aged gray owl, with his gold framed spectacles, walked in slowly and deliberately and sat the family down and explained something that would change the life of a humble yet indigent bull.

The previous representative of Taurus was retiring and to show thanks for helping with repairs and nearly saving his life, the old owl wanted a young bull who was named Midas at the time for his golden eyes, to take the elder bull's place.

~ ~ ~

Leo couldn't remember the last time he had been so flustered and uncomfortable while drinking. He sat between slightly drunk Aries and Taurus and was nudged a little close for comfort due to how crowded the bar seemed to be. Although he was smitten with the large bull, Leo would never let it show.

Taurus was a new addition to the group of principal representatives of the zodiac and had been the average example of a bull before being appointed to represent the sign of Taurus. He seemed to always be jovial and full of excitement but somehow still humble and mellow tempered. A fact Leo admired since the bull's arrival but tried his best not to be too obvious about it.

"Man it sure is crowded" Aries complained scowling down the bar at Taurus and Leo.

"Hah! It's not so bad" A tipsy Taurus leaned forward and laughed back at Aries past Leo with a grin. " What did you expect this time of day?" referring to the fact the sun was starting to set and it was the time of day where many decided that after a long day of work that they needed a drink.

"Still, with all this stupid work we've been having to do, I just want to relax" Aries harumped.

Leo shrugged. "At least we got seats at the bar" he offered.

"At least you don't have to work" the bartender, a tall stag named Alric said while smirking and hurriedly pouring a couple glasses of wine.

"Yeah well I bet those glasses are a little bit lighter than all the heavy chunks of rock we've been carrying all day" Aries jabbed back.

As the door opened Alric stopped pouring his wine and set the bottle down. "Aries, look" Alric's voice was hushed as he leaned in and his brass metal pendant in the unsurprising shape of a stag's head swayed back and forth "Nymphs"

Two gorgeous and unnaturally beautiful humanoid females had just walked through the door. They had flowing dark hair with flowers scattered in it, pale light gray skin under their flowing white gowns, and slender yet curvy forms that their gowns clung to in the most suggestive way. They also both wore looks of mischievous boredom on their faces as the door shut behind them.

"Ohhhhhh boy!" Aries excitedly whispered back to the bartender. " I take back what I said about it being crowded!"

Leo knew, and Taurus probably had yet to know, that Aries could be an incredible womanizer and with enough alcohol and hormones he would try his best to chat up and hopefully take home one of these beautiful creatures.

Taurus glanced at the two nymphs before looking back and whispering to his friends "Wow they really are pretty, I had no idea"

Alric the bartender scowled and was about to say something before Leo asked "You've never seen them before?"

"Well I, Uh. I haven't" He said looking a bit embarrassed. "Before I was appointed I lived in a place where things weren't exactly..." He paused, and glanced back at the nymphs across the bar that were getting settled "...Beautiful"

"So much to learn" Aries grinned as he stepped up from his stool and teetered a bit before steadying himself. "I might be back" he said to his pals as he walked off, honestly hoping he wouldn't be.

Taurus still looked a bit self conscious and there was an awkward silence between the two that were left still at the bar.

Great. I made him feel bad. Leo thought and mentally kicked himself while he tried to think of something to say. "Sorry" Leo muttered softly while looking at the bar and anywhere but Taurus's gold eyes.

"For what?" Leo heard Taurus say. He somehow gathered the courage to look up at his friend who had a frown on his face.

Leo felt the awkwardness claw at him and threatened to bring his mind to a halt. He couldn't comprehend why Taurus had such an affect on him, they were just friends after all. "Well" Leo began while glancing down quickly before meeting Taurus's gaze again "I just didn't mean to put you on the spot like that is all" He said with a shy smile.

The frown on bull's face turned into a soft smile "Hey, It's ok" He reassured the lion and placed his soft brown paw on top of his friends tan one that was gripped tightly to the wood of the bar.

Leo prayed the bull couldn't feel his pulse through his paw because his heart was suddenly beating at an incredible pace. He could feel the heat on his face as Taurus broke his stare and lifted his paw to move it to the mug of ale in front of him and took a hefty drink.

Not only did Leo find the other male physically attractive, he was also infatuated with how he managed to be so casual, so friendly, and so comforting. Leo's mind raced with the possibilities of what the bull might think of him. They had known each other a little over a week since Taurus was freshly appointed to the Zodiac seats by the old owl Barton. Leo had no idea that the previous Taurus, an elderly white bull with a short temper and a slight disdain for some of the younger members, would have been replaced by someone with a far more approachable attitude. The introduction was a quick one and there wasn't much socialization as the winter festival preparations had begun. It was the job of the Zodiac seats to plan events around the city such as athletic competitions, market event days, or the winter equinox festival. Everyone had the authority to direct workers to help set up but it was expected that even the twelve seats be directly involved. For some of the more physically inclined members, this meant doing some heavy lifting.

Leo usually kept to himself and once he was informed what was needed to be done for the day he went about it silent enthusiasm. He usually worked with an assortment of laborers that were hired by the Zodiac council, but sometimes worked with other members. If he had to work with other members, it was usually Aries or Sagittarius the stallion. Recently, however, Taurus had been working with them which was a huge contrast to his predecessor who hated lifting things and preferred to do planning and organizational tasks. Leo definitely didn't mind the bull's presence. Something about having Taurus around made the usually solitary lion feel quite a bit more sociable, and Leo loved it. He occasionally joined Aries or another at the bar down the road from the temples called Minister's, but in the past week he had come out twice before tonight. The fact that Aries had started dragging his favorite bull along with him was enough to make him want to spend a night at the bar instead of a quiet night at home. This was the first night so far that the two had been left alone together and the situation was filling Leo with nervous enthusiasm.

"I want to get some air." Taurus said. After setting his empty mug down and wiping a bit of beer of the brown tuft under his chin.

Leo wondered if that was an invitation. Before he could say anything Taurus answered his question while standing up from his seat, a bit more gracefully than Aries "C'mon" He motioned with his head towards the direction of the door.

"Sure!" Leo beamed, and couldn't stop the smile on his face.

He hopped up from the bar and followed his friend. The bull slowed his path to the door to glance over at a suave acting Aries leaned against the wall talking to one of the captivating nymph creatures. She let out a laugh and Leo wondered what on earth Aries could have said that was so amusing. Taurus stopped for just a second as he looked at the pair and let out a quick "Hmph" before continuing through the bar.

The pair stepped out into the night air that was cooler and much less humid that the crowded stuffy bar. The sky was clear and a brilliant dark cobalt blue with bright shining stars speckling the sky. The only others outside were a grizzled old wolf smoking a pipe and a younger feline who looked a bit too drunk for her own good. Taurus settled himself on the brick wall of the bar a ways away from the door and Leo followed him. "So" Leo shuffled awkwardly while kicking his foot over the paved stones with his hands in his pockets. "Where did you live before you were appointed?"

Taurus was looking up at the beautiful starry sky. He sighed as he leaned against the stone wall of the bar and looked back down to reality. "I actually lived with my parents." He paused. "I grew up in the Galthos district"

Galthos was the residential district on the edge of the city that was farthest from the temples. Its location also unironically coincided with the fact many considered it to be the least pious of places in the city.

Leo's eyes widened. "Really?"

He had never been to Galthos but like anyone he had heard of is reputation for being equal parts impoverished and crime ridden. He didn't want to make Taurus feel embarrassed, but after the way he reassured Leo in the bar, he felt he was probably just projecting his own insecurity onto his friend.

"It's not as bad as some people make it seem" Taurus reassured his friend. "It's only bad in some places. Most other parts people just don't have much money" He sighed. "Like my parents"

Taurus didn't want to go into any further detail on the subject. "Have you paid yet?"

"Uh, no. Why?" Leo asked, taken aback.

"I was just thinking of walking home" Taurus said as he stepped forward from the wall.

"Oh."

"Did you want to walk with me? You live in the Temple Town right?"

Leo was sure his heart may have stopped_. He wants to walk home with me!_ He thought as he sputtered out a quick response. "I do!" he said excitedly "Walking it takes me about twenty minutes to get home"

Twenty minutes I'll be spending with him! He thought, elated.

"Well let's go settle up with Alric and let's get out of here." Taurus suggested. "I've been tired of coming here almost every night anyway"

Leo chuckled "It loses it's luster, unless you're Aries"

"It's been fun hanging out with him, tonight he just up and left though." Taurus said with a scowl.

"He does that"

"Why even bother inviting us if he's just going to leave?" the bull asked.

"He's got kind of a one track mind" Leo said. "You saw how fast he got up when those nymphs showed up. It's just how he is sometimes"

Taurus started walking towards the door. "I guess" He muttered.

The two walked back into the crowded bar, Aries was nowhere to be found. They walked up to the bartender Alric. He wasn't busy pouring drinks and noticed the two as they walked up. As they began to fish into their pockets for cash he gave them a look "You guys leaving already?"

"Yeah" Taurus said as he counted the right number of blue dollar bills that were decorated with constellations and mystical and imposing figures.

"Here, keep the change." Leo said with a smile. Feeling a bit elated at his current situation.

"Same" Taurus said as he finished counting and pushed his money forward on the counter.

"Thanks!" Alric said as he cheerfully grabbed the money. "You two have a fun night!"

As Taurus turned away, Leo gave a quick "You too." And it may have been his imagination but he swore he saw Alric give him a wink before he turned away to follow the bull.

As they stepped out into the night for a second time Taurus was walking with a brisk step and the lion following had to pick up his pace to keep up. Leo caught himself wondering why Taurus was so upset that Aries had a different agenda than hanging out with the other two. He didn't understand what the big deal was, Aries was notorious for this behavior, nothing to be upset over. Oh gods, I'm jealous Leo realized. What is wrong with me, what's wrong with him. None of this is a big deal. Were all just friends. He thought as he caught up and fell In line with Taurus.

The first few minutes of the walk were dead silent and Leo was wracking his mind to find something to say that wasn't awkward or weird.

"Hey" He said, without looking over. "So how do you like working with us?"

Out of the corner of his eye he could see his friend's face pull into a smile. "It's great. Amazing, really." He said. "I never thought I would be working for the Zodiac council"

Leo couldn't help but smile as well. He took pleasure in the fact Taurus was enjoying his new job, and enjoying having himself as a co-worker. "I'm so thankful." The bull continued "I was so surprised when Barton came to tell me and my parents he wanted me to work there" He let out a soft laugh. "My parents actually cried when we found out."

"Wow" Leo said back. "They must have been proud."

"Maybe, It was mostly just luck though."

Leo found the courage to be both contrary and uplifting to his new friend. "Hey, that's all true, I heard you did an amazing job working for Barton, plus you pretty much saved his life."

"Oh, you know what happened?" Taurus seemed surprised.

"Yeah, He came in and told us a day before your first day."

"Nice!" Taurus laughed. "I guess you're right though, I tried really hard every day working at that temple. He must have noticed." The bull seemed happy with himself. Leo was glad to see it. They both strolled past the structures of downtown and the shops and business buildings started to become sparse as they approached the edge of the main city.

"It's really weird living by myself" Taurus admitted.

Leo couldn't help but feel excited that Taurus was opening up to him like this. He felt giddy and it was usually a feeling that kept him silent, but he couldn't help but keep talking to the handsome brown bull.

"Why's that?" He asked, trying to sound interested but not overly so.

"Well I've lived with my parents my entire life, and I find out in a couple days i'm supposed to just leave and live in the Temple Town."

"That must have been weird." Leo acknowledged.

"Was it weird for you?" Taurus asked, glancing at Leo.

"Not really, I lived away from my parents for a bit before I moved here. My mom owns one of the bakeries at the market. I moved out to work for another shop because it paid pretty nicely." He chuckled a bit "even then I still worked for her though sometimes."

"That's great" Taurus said softly with a smile. "Does you dad work there too?"

"Uh" Leo started. He got that weird feeling he always had when someone mentioned his father. "He doesn't. I'm not sure where he lives"

"Oh" Taurus said. And it was silent for a minute as they passed under the large stone archway. And through the wall that separated the temples from the main city. "I...Ummmm-"

"It's fine." Leo said shortly "I'm used to it. He left when I was very young so I don't remember him." Taurus looked upset, Leo smiled. "My mom is awesome, we didn't even need him."

"That's good" Taurus said with an easy grin

What could have been an awkward conversation turned out be quite casual between the two, and both were happy for that. They started up the hill that ran through the Temple Town and began to pass the houses the made up the residential area. They were built up against the hill with gray stone bricks and most had nice sturdy wooden doors. They was plenty of space between each rectangular dwelling and many houses had small gardens in the front or various ornaments hanging from the walls or the sparse trees. Some houses were built to be two stories and there were a couple larger buildings with multiple doors that housed several different families.Small lanterns lit the road up that were placed every few houses or so. Leo lived in one of the smaller rectangular houses on the left side of the road that the council paid for. It was decently sized and quite spacious for just him.

The sadness hit him as he realized the two of them would soon be parting ways.He wished he could spend more time with the bull and his heart jumped at the thought of inviting him inside his home.

"I live right here." Leo pointed to his home as they walked up the hill closer to it. He cursed himself for just sputtering that out instead of an invitation inside.

"Sweet!" Taurus said. "Wow you live pretty close. I'm right up there, it's about a ten minute walk." He gestured up the hill and past the row of houses similar to Leo's own.

They stopped at the stone path that pulled away from the walkway and met up with Leo's front door. They both stood under the starry skies and Leo found himself staring into the golden eyes of his friend. The light of the lamp by Leo's house reflected off them and the small gold ring that looped through Taurus's nose and made his face seem to shimmer. The lion knew he wasn't out of shape and the walk up the hill certainly wasn't why he seemed out of breath. He could feel how awkward he was about to be with this goodbye.

"Thanks for coming with us tonight, and thanks for the company on the walk home" Taurus blinked slowly and had the most genuine smile smiled on his face Leo had ever seen.

Before Leo could say anything the bull wrapped his arms around his friend's shoulders and pulled him close, the fabric of their shirts pressed together. Taurus was just a bit taller and they fit together perfectly, his gray horns just a above Leo's head. The rush hit Leo as he quickly inhaled and could smell the unique and earthy smell that belonged to Taurus. It was so new, and so pleasant and refreshing as he breathed it in. he felt his mind sigh at the tenderness that the hug had and the enthralling scent Taurus gave off. He felt blank and devoid of anything other than the pleasure of this moment, completely unexpected but completely welcome. He felt like time had stopped and they had been standing there for an eternity. Taurus pulled away and Leo felt his body long for everything that the touch had made him feel.

"I had a great time tonight" Taurus said softly and upbeat. "And i'm glad to be working with you guys"

"Me too" was all Leo said, his mind short circuiting.

"I'll see you tomorrow" He heard Taurus say. A soft "Yeah" was all he could manage.

"Night!"

"Goodnight" Leo mumbled and didn't break his stare at the golden eyes until Taurus stepped away turned his head and began walking further up the hill.

The desire to run after him was powerful, but not as powerful as the force that kept Leo frozen to the spot, staring at the silhouette of the bull that slowly got smaller and disappeared as he walked up the stone paved hill. Leo regained a bit of his control as he shook his head and opened his eyes wide for a second, remembering where he was and what he was doing. He slowly turned toward his door that had a small dark red tapestry with the Leo symbol embroidered in silver. He automatically grabbed the key from his pocket and the lock clicked and he popped the door open. He unstrapped his leather sandals and kicked them away with a thud. He walked through the doorway and to his bedroom and flopped on the red comforter. Face landing neatly on a pillow.

What just happened he thought. He was completely bewildered and kept replaying what had transpired on his doorstep over and over until he fell into a deep and wonderful sleep.