FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It was a bright, sunny summer day that found Jake outside helping his dad Pat tune up his mom's car while his dog Flint lay in the open garage watching them. As far as the teenaged gray fox was concerned, this day could not get any better. Cars had been a passion of his since his parents took him to a car show when he was nine, and he'd learned everything he could about them since.

And after he was done here, he and Flint were going to go hang out with his friends, the feline twins Jason and Dakota. They were planning on biking around the neighborhood for the rest of the day, maybe going to the pool if it got too hot before having a sleepover/babysitting job at the twin's house that night. No, Jake couldn't possibly see how the day could get better.

"Well, sport, everything looks good here," Dad said as he straightened up from under the hood. "Just need to change the oil. While I run to O'Riley's real quick to get some, do you think you can remove the filter and drain the oil?"

"You got it!" Jake replied happily, returning to the garage to grab the plastic pan used to catch the old oil. Another reason his dad was glad for the help was the Jake was small enough to slip under the car to take care of issues with the undercarriage without having to lift the car. Despite being almost fourteen now, he could still get under the car, though when his next growth spurt hit it was doubtful he'd be able to do so again.

Dad went inside the house to clean up a bit and grab his wallet and keys while Jake lay on his back and scooted carefully under the car, dragging the pan with him. He hummed Castle on the Hill as he began removing the oil filter, ignoring the oil that began running down his arms. He was lost in thought, imagining what hijinks he and the twins would get up to later that afternoon.

So lost in thought was the teenager that he didn't notice that he had company until someone nudged his foot and called out "Hi Jake!"

Clang!

"Ow! Shit!" The vulpine howled, clutching his forehead where he'd banged it against the car when he was startled. Insult was added to injury when the filter fell from the car and splashed into the pan, splattering the teenager in black oil. It was a good thing he wore old clothes, he mused silently.

He could hear Flint whining as he came to his Alpha's aid, Jason's braying laugh, Dakota's quiet giggling, the deep, barking laugh of his father, and his mother shouting at him from inside the house. "Jacob Myles Williams, you watch your language!"

"How does she always know?" He muttered to himself. He gently kicked at the red-furred leg that he could see. "Hey! Since you caused this, least you could do is help me out from under here! Give me a hand, short-round!"

Jason's laugh never subsided as he reached down and grabbed his foot, followed quickly by Dakota grabbing his other one. Flint decided to help by grabbing his jean leg with Dakota and the between the three of them, they dragged the teen out from under the car. Fresh laughter followed as they got a glimpse of Jake's face. Upon glancing at himself, Jake could see why. Two black handprints covered his face, making him look like he was wearing a mask.

He leveled a dark glare at Jason who was rolling on the grass with laughter, Dakota who wasn't looking at him, and his dad who was by the door doubled over. "I hate you all," he muttered grimly, heading toward the door with Flint by his side, gently pushing his dad over as he passed him.

"No you don't," Jason gasped, sitting up. "I'd ask for a hug to prove it, but you're kinda grody right now." Dakota, who was calming down, had a fresh round of giggles upon hearing that.

Once inside, Jake headed to the kitchen where his mother Sarah was prepping for dinner tonight. Mom took one look at him and burst into giggles herself. "What happened to you?" She managed to ask.

"Jason happened," muttered Jake as he moved to the sink. "He spooked me while I was under the car. He's gonna get it tonight." He turned to ask her what was for dinner when he saw her phone out. "Mom!" He protested as a flash of light filled the room before he could turn away.

"Sorry, honey," she said, still giggling as she locked her phone and slipped it into her bra where she knew he'd never try to grab it. "I couldn't resist."

"If that gets on Facebook, I'm adding you to my list with the twins and dad," muttered Jake darkly, returning to the sink. "Why is Flint the only one on my side?" He asked, looking down at where the dog was sitting next to him, alternating between checking on Jake and making puppy eyes at Mom.

"Because he doesn't know any better," Dakota answered as he came in, followed by his twin.

"And he's a suck up," added Jason, still chuckling.

"Isn't that the truth," Mom muttered as she returned the prep. "The only reason he's making eyes at me instead of jumping on the counter is because you're in here. I still want to know what you did."

Jake snorted. The only ones who knew what he did were the twins, and it was staying that way.

"So what were you doing under there?" Dakota asked curiously, absently smacking his brother's hand as he tried to reach for a cut carrot next to Mom.

Jake waited until he'd washed his face to answer. "Helping Dad with the car. We're changing the oil." Turning around, he dried his face with a paper towel. "I think I've got it the best I could. Did I miss anywhere?"

"I don't think so, but your fur is stained and might be for a while," warned Mom as she moved on to cutting celery. "I also want you to shower before you boys go biking today. Jason, stop." She added as Dakota smacked his twin's wandering hand again. She leveled her knife at him. "You're having dinner with us tonight, so you'll get some soon. Keep trying and I might take a finger as punishment."

Jake chuckled at Jason's pout. "C'mon, demon," he said, heading for the door, the twins and Flint behind him. He sighed wistfully as he looked at the car. "I can't wait until I'm sixteen."

"Do you do this a lot?" Dakota asked, looking at the engine critically. "Help your dad, I mean?"

"Yep," Jake answered proudly as he got on his knees and check under the car. Seeing the oil flow had stopped, he reached for the pan. "Have for years now. Dad lets me because it's a useful thing to know. He often says that if a fur knows his way around an engine, he'll never have to look hard for work."

"Cool," Jason enthused, leaning closer to look at the engine himself. "Can you show us?"

"Sure," Jake grunted as he pulled the pan out from under the car. He carefully carried it over to a shelf in the garage, out of reach of Flint, before returning to the car. "I'm still mad at you," he informed Jason cheerfully. "You're gonna get it tonight."

"Looking forward to it," the red-furred cat returned, grinning.

Jake snorted. He tapped on a capped nozzle. "This is where the oil goes. It's used to lubricate the engine so the moving parts don't wear out too quick. You can check oil levels with this."

***

As he continued lecturing the twins, none of them noticed that they had company. Ms. Simms had come out of their house and was standing nearby, watching them with a small smile. She was soon joined by Jake's mom. "Is everything okay, Jen?"

"I'm fine, Sarah, thanks." Ms Simms replied, never taking her eyes off the three cubs. "Thank you," she said after a moment.

Her thanks caught Sarah off guard. "You're welcome, of course, but for what?"

"For everything you do for me and my boys," answered Ms Simms. "I owe you, Pat, and Jake more than I could ever repay. Especially Jake," she added, nodding to where the fox was moving something around near the engine. "The boys have never had a good male role model in their lives, and Jake has stepped up much better than most boyfriends I've had."

"You don't owe us a thing," Sarah chided gently, reaching out to grab her paw. "The boys are a joy to have over, and I know Jake considers them the little brothers we could never give him. Besides, the influence goes both ways. Jake's grades have only improved since he started hanging out with Dakota, and I thought Pat was going to burst with pride when Jake tried out for the school baseball team this year, and it's because of Jason."

They both smiled and watched as Jake continued to show the twins the inner workings of cars. Then Sarah took Ms Simms by the arm. "Come on," she said, "let's leave them to it. I'll make us some tea and then I've got a picture to show you."