FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"This is amazing!" Sammy exclaimed, eyes wide, taking in the sea of stars. The millions of tiny lights danced over him, filling the vast Saskatchewan horizon as far as the eye could see. The short, chestnut-brown beaver lay in the back of Cindy's old, tan '86 Dodge Ram staring up at the wide night sky, unable to blink.

The lithe doe beside him giggled and turned her head to glance at her star-struck friend. "Yep, greatest view for miles," the deer sighed, her sweet smile reflecting in the moonlight. "I don't know why people complain about there being nothing to see out here. All they have to do is look around, you'll see plenty."

The two teenagers laid next to each other in the bed of the rusted pick-up truck, covered in an unzipped sleeping bag to keep away the chill of the autumn evening. The wind raced across the empty field, blowing any leftover chaff along its tedious journey.

"Like, we never saw the stars like this back in Southern Ontario. There was always too much light pollution. You'd only ever be able to make out the basic constellations." The beaver's eyes zipped back and forth amongst the dots of scattered light, one finger directing his view. "There's Orion's belt. And-and over there is the big dipper, which means if we follow the line from those two stars we get...the North Star! I mean, it's all there." Sammy threw his paws into the air. "There's no skyscrapers in the way, no apartments, hotels, nothing! Just sky. I could probably find a book on constellations and do some stargazing."

"I didn't realize you were into stars so much, woulda brought you out here sooner." Cindy tipped the large thermos up to her muzzle only to have her ears droop when nothing came out. The doe gripped the sleeping bag closer. "Looks like we're out of cocoa. I'm starting to get chilly. Wanna pack it in and go grab some fries from Linda's?"

The wind howled around Sammy. The crisp chill of oncoming winter prickled his thick pelt, loosening the sky's mesmerizing grip on him. "Yeah, that sounds good about now." He sat up and pulled the hood of his bunny hug over his head. Glancing down at his watch, he asked, "It's already past ten, is Linda's even still open?"

"Not the restaurant." Cindy rolled the sleeping bag up and wrapped the strings around it, tying it tight. "But the bar'll be open."

"The bar? We're not old enough to go in there." Sammy hopped off the end of the flat-bed. His tail slapped against the cold ground, covered in left over straw from the wheat harvest.

"Naw, but it's cool." The doe opened the driver's door and tossed the sleeping bag behind the seat. "We'll just go in the back door and hang out in the kitchen. Linda'll be fine with it." Cindy pulled herself up into the driver's seat and started the V8 engine.

Once the beaver hoisted his smaller frame into the passenger seat, the doe shifted into gear and drove out of the field. It was a short fifteen-minute drive down the empty dirt range road that turned onto the single lane highway back into Crowthorn Creek. The town grain elevator and water tower stood over the tiny hamlet even from kilometres away.

Sammy watched as the line of telephone poles parallel to the road passed by on the side, one by one, broken up by the occasional bush or tree. Beyond that left the moonlit empty fields rolling into the horizon as far as the beaver could see. A low hill here and there, but nothing more than a few hay bales or the random barn to block his view.

Sammy gave a lofty sigh. "I still can't wrap my head about how empty and boring it is out here."

Cindy didn't meet his gaze, instead keeping her eyes on the road. "Yeah, well I guess people like to be distracted by lots of stuff. Out here, it's simpler. I think it's beautiful. Nothing to block your view; your eye stretches for miles. I never really understood it. People like staring at paintings of landscapes, but the real thing's boring?" The doe shrugged her shoulders under her worn red and black checkered flannel jacket.

"Huh, I guess." Sammy turned back to the passing by landscape. "Like, I mean in the city, you can never look more than a few blocks down at one time. You might get a good view if you're driving up a big hill, but even if you leave the city there's still a lot more hills and, well, trees everywhere you look."

Cindy chuckled and turned off the brights of her truck as they arrived in the town. "Still adjusting to rural life, huh? You've been here what, two weeks?"

"Three so far, but at the speed things go here, it feels like it's already been months." Sammy watched they passed a tiny motel, a gas station, and one block of houses before Cindy had to stop at Main Street.

"Why'd your family move out here this time of year?" the doe asked as she signaled right and turned into the empty street. "They aren't building the dam until summer I thought. Wouldn't it have been easier to move then? I mean, for school and all right?"

"Yeah, well, apparently they need to do extra planning and things. Measuring run off in the spring and stuff. Either way it was a pretty big promotion for dad, even if it meant moving all the way to the sticks."

The doe angle parked the truck in front of the half-diner, half-bar brick building. Turning off the engine and opening the door, she replied, "Aw c'mon, it's not that bad out here is it? You had fun checking out the stars tonight."

"Yeah," Sammy answered, hopping out of the truck. "That was pretty cool. I guess I'm just still adjusting. Thanks for that by the way."

"My pleasure!" The doe's ears flicked as she slammed the truck door behind her.

"Don't know why you put up with me. That dull around here that any tourists you get, you gotta give them the tour?"

The doe chuckled and punched the beaver in the arm. "Real funny. C'mon let's walk around back." She started off towards the bar.

Sammy stopped, looked at her, then back at the truck. "Shouldn't you lock the doors?"

"Why?" Cindy tilted her head confused.

"I dunno." The beaver shrugged, scrunching his face. "What if someone steals it?"

"Like who?" Cindy laughed, waving her arm to the only other two vehicles parked on the entire stretch of the road. "There's no one around, and if they did drive away, I'd still be able to see them for days." The doe winked and turned back. "Let's go, I'm hungry!"

Sammy opened his mouth, but after looking around, shut it quickly, his buck teeth hanging out. Unsure of a comeback, he waddled after the tall doe. Around back, Cindy knocked on the door before pushing it open and walking in.