FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Ava stood there in stunned disbelief as she looked around. Her families hard work, her belongings and her home where in ruins. It truly looked like a version of hell. The crops in the field were ablaze, orange flames and jet-black smoke pointing towards the heavens. The cattle and most of the livestock laid in bloody heaps in their pens. The few that survived where thrashing around in panic as the heat and flames drew closer, threatening to burn them alive.

"NOOOOOO!" She roared as she broke from her fear filled trance, sounding more feral than anything. Her sword fell to the earth as she raced towards the pens trying to get them open and free the survivors. She looked to her left and looked in horror she noticed smoke coming from her home.

The single story home that was built into the side of a hill was burning. A thick jet of flames and smoke billowed out of the already broken windows. "Scar, free the rest of these animals." The leopard demanded as she ran towards the inferno.

"Are you crazy? You're going to get yourself killed!" Scar shouted after her. But she had already reached the door.

She took a hesitant step towards the wall of flames as she tried to steel herself for the incoming heat. She took a step back before launching herself through. She looked around the narrow hallway and tried to stay low, as the flames and smoke scorched the ceiling above. "Dad? Sal? Anyone in here?" She yelled as she frantically ran through the house.

She ran into the kitchen only to be nearly blinded as the propane stove sitting on the brown wood counter exploded. Splinters and shrapnel flew in every direction. A three inch piece of metal nearly decapitated her as it sliced through the air less than an inch away from her neck and stuck into the wall. Her ears rang as she attempted to stand. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she stumbled through the house. She kept calling out for her brother and father even though she couldn't hear her own voice. After 3 minutes, she lungs began to fill with smoke making it nearly impossible to breathe. She ran down the narrow hallway that as flames crawled up the wall. Her throat burned as she attempted to yell again and her vision became darker than the smoke above. She stumbled a few steps further, before collapsing on the ground.

Meanwhile Scar had finished releasing the remaining livestock. He looked up at the burning house and huffed. "Stupid BITCH! I told her not to go in there and now I have to save her. Wonderful." He ran over to the entrance and dove straight through the flames, his fur getting singed on the top of his ears. He kept low and moved quickly as he dashed through the house on all four legs. He tore off a piece of his shirt and held it to his face to help him breath. He tried to listen for her but all he could hear was the roaring, popping and clicks of the burning structure. He rounded the corner and ran down the narrow hallway until he all but tripped over her limp body. He regained his stance and put to finger to her neck. He was relieved to find a pulse.

"Don't die on me dumbass." He said as he threw her over his shoulder. He could hear the ceiling buckle overhead and bolted through the halls towards the entrance. By that point the fire had reached the 3 wooden gun cabinets and had begun to heat up the rounds of ammunition within it. They began to go off, shooting through the burning wood. "Shit!" He shouted as he reflexively ducted. Scar needed to get out of there and fast. He raced down the hallway towards the door. That's when the hallway collapsed sending a wall of dirt and debris down, blocking the door.

"God damn it!" He hissed. There was no other way out, meaning if they wanted to get out alive he was going to have to dig. Scar bent down and set the passed out woman down and began digging. From the moment he touched the dirt, his hands began to burn and his fur was singed. His hands felt like they where being dissolved with acid after only a few meager scoops of dirt. "Crap!" Scar looked around for anything that could help. Unfortunately for him, everything around him was either burning or completely useless. That's when he got a brilliant yet risky idea.

He looked down at his lower body and huffed. He unbuttoned his cargo pants and slid them off, leaving his bare fur exposed to the flames. "I can't believe I'm doing this. Reduced to strip down too my fucking skives AGAIN to save you." Scar wrapped the thick fabric around both of his hands. The fire was now beginning to weaken the structure to the point where it was about to collapse. The walls and ceiling began buckling even more. He had to work fast. He put his knees against the heated dirt and began clearing a hole at the top of the pile. Light began pouring through as a small hole appeared at the top of the doorframe. He worked feverishly to widen the hole enough for them both to squeeze through. The whole was barely large enough when a large crashing sound began to echo through the house. "Shit. Times up." He unwrapped his pants and picked up the leopard and pushed her through the small opening. His knees burned as he attempted to squeeze through but became stuck halfway through.

He wiggled and tried to dig himself free. His waist and upper body tensed up painfully as the scorching dirt and debris pressed against him. "Come on come on. Fucking hell, WORK WITH ME HERE!" He growled. His legs where flailing, his steel toed boots kicking at the dirt, desperately trying to push himself through. He finally was able to wiggle through. He slid down the mound of dirt on his stomach until he hit the brick platform that made up the front porch. He just wanted to lay there, his entire body pulsed with a feeling of burning agony. His breathing was ragged and heavy. His chest had second and third degree burns and was bare of fur except for a few patches of still smoldering fur. He pressed his hands and knees against the brick, and winced as he got up. He ignored the pain and picked Ava up, carrying her about 100 yards away before falling painfully onto his knees.

Ava was set on the ground and Scar leaned in to check if she was still breathing. She was but he decided to do CPR just to be on the safe side. He opened her mouth and tilted her head back before pressing his lips to hers and sharing his air with her. Her eyes shot open and widened in panic as she tried to figure out what was going on. She pushed him away and coughed. "Wh.. what the hell are you doing? How did I get out here?" She panted. She took a second to gain more breath. "I need to get in there and look for my family." She started to get up.

Scar snarled at the leopard's obliviousness and stubborn attitude. "You're not going anywhere." His tail shot out and wrapped around her leg, yanking it out from under her. She landed on her back with a loud thud and responded with a hiss.

"Let me go fucker! I need to lo..." Scar crawled over to her and punched her in the stomach with all of the strength his burnt body could muster. All of the air rushed from her lungs and left her momentarily gasping for air. She looked up at him with a look of fear, irritation and confusion. She opened her mouth to try and speak when the male put a hand under her jaw and slammed it shut. Her teeth hurt as a result.

He glared at her and spoke in a tone laced with anger. "I just pulled you out of that fucking inferno because you passed out from lack of oxygen. Now you want to go back in? Are you THAT fucking stupid?" He looked to the side and coughed before looking back at her. "I'm not going back in there after you because you're not going back in! GOT IT?"

Ava glared at him for a few seconds before reluctantly nodded in agreement. She grabbed his hand and pulled it away. "But what if my family is..."

"Is what? Still in that collapsing pit of flames? News flash. THEY AREN'T! There was no sign of anyone in there. THEY ARE GONE! For all we know they might be out there looking for you."

"No! They really aren't. There is one rule that my father has drilled into my head since the fucking bombs dropped. That rule is to never leave this place unattended. It doesn't matter if we are under attack or withering away in starvation. We were told to never leave it alone."

Scar rolled his eyes at her and laid down on the ground as try and relieve some of the pain. "If that's true then where the hell are they? Huh? Where?" There was so much that wasn't adding up in this little shit show.

Ava sat up and got to her feet, feeling a slight amount of dizziness in the process. Her head spun as though it was on a swivel. "I don't know but they have to be here somewhere. They wouldn't leave. They... they... they couldn't have." Her head was throbbing as the stress of the situation kept piling up. She placed her hands on the sides of her head. By now, the adrenalin in her blood had dissipated and her muscles began shacking uncontrollably. It was all too much for her to bear. She fought to hold back a wave of tears, as a few streaked down her cheek.

Scar looked up at the leopard as she began to sob. He felt a twinge of sympathy for her. She was feeling that her world was being swiftly ripped away from her in the blink of an eye and there was nothing she could do to stop it. It was a feeling he knew uncomfortably well. He rolled over onto his stomach and painfully lifted himself to his feet. He approached her and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her head into his chest. He placed a hand on the back of her head and petted her lightly.

After a few minutes of this, Ava pulled away and gave the male a confused look. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" He asked taking his hand off of her head.

"This. Trying to comfort me, saving me from that fire. It makes no sense. What is your end game here?" She pulled away from his grip and took a step back. She wiped the tears from her eyes and cheek.

"Um.... I don't have an end game. I just didn't want to see you get killed by your own stupidity." He said flatly. His tail swayed uneasily as she continued to question him.

"My stupidity? What stupidity? Do you mean trying to save the life that I've built? Attempting to save my family? Is that what you call stupidity?" She growled. Her hands curled into a fist as the sadness was replaced with anger. She couldn't believe the nerve of him. Saying that she was stupid for trying to save everything. "News flash fucker. Most people who call that loyalty and bravery."

He rolled his eyes and huffed. "Really? Rushing blindly into an uncertain situation without caring about your own safety? Jumping head first into a burning building with out even taking two messily seconds to protect your lungs from smoke? You call THAT bravery and loyalty? Huh. Funny because I'd call it reckless and suicidal."

She screamed out of rage. Her arm wound back and delivered a powerful punch to the side of his head. The punch knocked him to the ground. "I don't need your damn opinion and I also don't need your fucking help. I can look after myself."

The male just laid there and began laughing. He sat up and placed his burnt palm to his face.

"What is so god damn funny?" Ava hissed. "HUH!? WHAT IS SO FUCKING Fu...nny..." her voice trailed off as she noticed the extent of his injuries. "Are you... going to be alright?"

He laughed again and laid back down. "You're able to take care of yourself huh? Oh give me a break. You can't even think properly before you go randomly jumping into a situation. Hell, you thank the guy who just saved your fluffy ass by punching him in the face."

Ava just stood there for a moment as his words sank in. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. If he didn't come in when he did, she would have been crushed or burned alive. Her eyes moved to look at the ground. "Your right. I would have died in there. I should have thought about what I was doing before rushing in. Thank you. I'll give you some medical supplies for your troubles."

"And what are you going to do when I'm gone?"

"I'm going to look for my family. They're still alive. I can feel it." She looked back at him with a somewhat confident look.

He shook his head as he looked up at the smoke stained sky. He couldn't believe what she had just said. If she went out looking for her family alone, she'd most likely be dead within a week. He sat up once more and looked at her. "You can't be serious. How do you know where to start?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I honestly have no idea. I'll just have to find a way."

"You've got to be kidding me here." He paused and made a split second decision. "Listen, if you go out alone you'll die. BUT, I have an idea that can benefit us both."

Her tail swished with irritation as she cocked an eyebrow. As annoyed as he was with him, he owed him it to him to at least hear him out. "I'm listening."

"If you patch me up, I'll help you search for your family. Do we have a deal?"