FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

In each classroom, the kids spent the rest of the remaining nearly-two-hours of the school-day cleaning up the classrooms, packing their things away, and returning the desks to their groups or rows.

Ket was relegated to a back-corner of the room, where he sat with his backpack underneath his chair. His teacher told him to raise his hand if he needed anything, and she looked over to him periodically to check if he did.

But, he didn't have any reason to.

None of the others got within a few feet of him. Only Panda, Lyza, and Emeral would stop by when they had spare moments. But, they didn't talk long--only because they didn't want to cause any more trouble for him.

A few minutes before the bell rang, Mrs. Vaughn entered the room. She went to the teacher to speak for a second. She then went to the white tigress.

Together, she and Emeral approached Ket.

"Arkethius," the principal's secretary greeted the boy. "I got in touch with Emeral's mom," she looked at the white tigress. "We're going to let you go home as you normally do, but," she held the piece of paper she had in her hand in front of her, "when you get home, call this number--it's the school's number and my extension--and I'll answer to confirm you're home."

She handed the paper to the tigress.

"If I don't hear from you, I'm going to call your mom and... Well, just make sure you call," she told the tigress.

Emeral nodded.

"I'm also going to have to escort you to the edge of the campus, so we'll wait behind for a bit until most of the others leave."

The tiger nodded silently, his eyes looking dull and shadowed.

While the kids all got their backpacks and lined at the door, many glanced at the strange woman they had rarely seen standing by their classmates.

Though Lyza had given them back their money, Rini had yet to return the knife. The rat's purse remained around her shoulder, even throughout clean-up.

The bell rang, and the familiar mad dash to leave started, for what would be the third-to-last time for the year.

The tigers waited behind, which was already their habit, while the others left the room.

Once the halls were settled, Mrs. Vaughn stood from the nearby desk she had taken seat in, and told the kids to follow her, bidding goodbye to their teacher.

The tigers followed the lady's flowing dress and crunching heels outside and along the sidewalk. She let them lead, and they started their usual walk home; though, for the first time, before the buses had even left.

They caught several glances in their direction. Whispers and murmurs, some kids even scurrying away if the tigers got even remotely close.

"Hurry home," the secretary told them, when they reached the edge to the first, small crosswalk. "And don't forget to call when you get there."

"Yes ma'am," the tiger said.

When they were out of sight, Ket's hand snatched Emeral's.

She held him tightly right away, countering his firm grip with her own.

They were quiet as they walked; their usual chatter silenced by tension. They didn't walk fast, but they didn't walk leisurely, either.

After a short while, his grip loosened.

About halfway, down a long street that saw few cars, and next to a long fence set several feet in from the sidewalk with grass growing all along, Ket abruptly stopped.

The tigress took only a few steps more before realizing he had, and paused with him. "What?" She asked.

He turned to look back down the sidewalk.

There, several yards away, were three boys. A moment after they were spotted, they started to sprint down the sidewalk.

The tigers did not move.

The cheetah arrived first, followed by the wolf a few seconds later, and the chihuahua tailing behind an awkward several seconds more.

"You." The cheetah snarled, pointing to the tiger. "Your ass is mine."

The chihuahua cackled maniacally. "Didn't think you'd get away with beating up our friend, didja?"

"Shut up, Beck," the cheetah barked.

There was a rustle, as the tigress took off her backpack. She held it by the handle to the tiger, without turning from the three boys bearing down on them.

He took it.

She reached into her pocket, pulling out a simple hair-tie, and spent a few seconds gathering her hair into a pony-tail. She motioned for the tiger to back up.

They backed up diagonally toward the fence, and she stopped halfway in the grass, gesturing for him to continue moving back a bit more. She started to pop her knuckles, each one four ways.

The wolf watched as she popped her wrists, loosened her arms, and then grabbed her chin and the back of her head.

With a slow twist, her neck popped. She did so the other way, and then briefly shook her hands and rolled her shoulders.

"You done showing off, bitch?" The cheetah growled. "Get out of the way. He'll need you to fix up all his boo-boos when I'm done with him," the feline taunted with a smirk.

"You want him?" The tigress said, then pat her chest with a fist. "You go through me."

The skinny dog cackled again.

"Oh shit guys, look at this," the cheetah laughed, stepping closer. "This stupid bitch is pretending to protect her dumb boyfriend." He stepped up to the tigress, looking slightly down at her. "Fine then, bitch. Gimme your best sh-ghhhkhh!"

The wolf saw her hand lash out in a blur at the cheetah's throat; she held her thumb against it, and pushed in.

He balked, stepping away and holding the spot, coughing and sputtering. Anger burned on his face, and he balled a fist, sending a haymaker at her.

The tigress's left hand caught the cheetah's fist, and the back of her right followed directly after, her wrist touching his forearm as her fingers slid over.

The arm traded hands, and she pulled him forward as she continued to swing the strike down.

She passed the fist back to her left hand, and her right palm lashed up to his muzzle.

The wolf winced as he heard the cheetah's teeth clack together.

The tigress ducked as her left hand continued to roll the cheetah's fist around, and she stepped underneath it, herright hand returning near to her left to once again pass it along.

Her left foot stepped behind the cheetah's right, while his left hand groped for her. He grabbed her shoulder, trying to push her away, but she planted her heels and let out a sharp shout.

Her left elbow collided into his ribs

Then, she moved her left arm up across his chest, and pushed back, hooked her ankle behind the cheetah's, and swung it forward.

The cheetah let out a whine as he felt gravity take him, and a burst of what little breath he had left in him, as he hit the ground.

The tigress panted, her pony-tail dangling next to her lips as she gazed down at the cheetah, who struggled to get a breath of his own.

He turned to his side, curling up, the wind knocked out of him.

She righted up, moved her hair behind her her shoulders, and sucked in some snot from the back of her throat. She spat it out at the cheetah, the glob landing on his cheek.

She took in a deep breath, and then turned her gaze to the other two boys.

The chihuahua's demeanor had completely changed. A look of fear covered his face.

"Go on, Beck," the wolf stated, slapping the dog on the back and pushing him forward.

Letting out soft whimpers, Beck took a few more steps toward the tigress.

She sucked down more snot, and sent another lougie that landed right before where the dog's next step would have been, splattering on the sidewalk.

He looked at the cheetah, stillgasping and rocking on the grass. With a yip, he turned tail, and ran.

The wolf looked back, watching the chihuahua scramble away, and let out a weary sigh. He turned back to the tigers, and started to walk forward.

The tigress got into a fighting stance, and the wolf stopped.

He looked down at the cheetah, who let out a wheezing groan. The flat of his foot butted against the feline's back. "Shut up, Virg," he growled.

Emeral flinched when a hand touched her shoulder. She reflexively grabbed it, but then stopped when she saw its golden-orange sheen in the corner of her eye. She looked back to see his yellow eyes, catching the sun and glowing like gold.

Her stance softened, and she took her backpack when he held it out to her.

"I just have a question," said the wolf, holding up his hands in a gesture of peace as he closed the gap between them.

"Shoot," the tiger said.

"You have any of those wooden picture-things you were selling, today?"

In response, the tiger pulled his backpack off his shoulders and set it down in front of him. He unzipped it, and pulled out the wooden plaques, their yarn-loops dangling every which way. He had about eight left, and he handed the stack to the wolf.

Emeral watched as the wolf looked at each one, taking a second for some, skipping over others right away. Finally, he separated one, and handed the rest back to the tiger.

"How much for--" The wolf started to reach into his pocket, and he found his wrist snared by a white hand. She lifted his hand out of his pocket, and in his fingers he pinched a small roll of money.

The bills dropped to the grass.

"That'll probly do," he said, as the tigress relinquished his wrist. "C'mon Virg," the wolf said with a sigh, bending over and pulling the wheezing cheetah to sit upright.

The tigress retrieved the roll of money, and looked to Ket as he shouldered his backpack.

"Go home," the wolf said, waving his hand for them to leave. "No one else is gonna bother you."

Emeral handed Ket the bills, and he put them in his pocket, and took her hand.

They started to walk.

"Oh, hey, hold up a sec!"

They paused, having taken several paces away.

The wolf's hand flicked, and a blue object landed in the grass next to them. The blade of the knife glinted in the sunlight.

"Almost forgot to give that back to you."

Ket picked up his whittling knife, and put it in the side-pocket of his backpack. "Thanks," he said.

"See ya Monday," the wolf bid.

They hurried faster to make up for lost time. As they neared the gate, Emeral pulled the paper and her phone out of her pocket. "I'm gonna call," she mentioned, punching in the numbers while Ket did similar with the gate.

The gate's motor whirred to life, and it pulled away from their side of the fence, leaving a short gap. They slipped through, and Ket reached back to stop the gate, and pushed the button again to have it shut.

"Tells us to call; doesn't answer," the tigress grumbled, redialing and standing with her feet apart at the door to keep balanced while Ket dug in her backpack for her purse.

"For real?" Emeral huffed. "You were quick before when it was just to gab," she remarked, "but now when it's important, you're off fartin' around."

The tiger opened the door, and the alarm started to warn it was going to go off.

"Hello, Mrs. Vaughn?" Emeral said loudly over the alarm, "We just--got home," she told the woman, softening her voice once Ket calmed the system. "Okay, bye."

The tigers sloughed off their backpacks, but before Emeral had a chance to take off her shoes, she was snared into a hug. Her arms slipped beneath his, holding him tightly.

She felt him start to quiver, and lurch.

"I'm okay," she reassured him, holding more tightly.

He sniffled, and breathed shakily through his mouth.

Her hands slipped beneath his shirt, and she began rubbing his back soothingly. "Even if he did, it would have just been a really annoying cut," she told him.

He only held her tighter.

* * *

Ket paced back and forth in the kitchen. Every now and again, the fluorescent bulb overhead buzzed and flickered, warning it needed to be changed.

The clock ticked the seconds by.

He glanced up again; six thirteen.

His stomach growled.

The phone rang, and he rushed to it, answering within the second ring.

"Hello?" He asked urgently.

"Hey," Emeral's voice greeted. "You doing okay?"

"I'm fine," he told her, "Don't--"

"Don't even start with me," she interrupted him, both of them saying don't at the same time. "I just... I got done telling mom what happened. I think she's still trying to figure out how to feel about it, but she said she's glad you're okay."

He couldn't really find anything to say.

"How'd... How'd your mom take it?" She asked.

"...Mom's... Not home, yet," he told her.

"What?" There was a bit of a crackle. "But it's... After six, she's usually home by now."

"I know."

"Where is she?"

"I don't know!" Ket shouted in a flight of agitated panic. Then, he realized he'd done so; "Sorry, I--"

"It's okay. I... Actually, I remember something," the tigress told him.

"What?"

"When I was in Mr. Pretty's office with that dumb lady that chit-chats... She said she got through to the bank, but... Your mom couldn't leave to get you, and she didn't say why."

"I know," he told her. "I was there, when she called."

"Oh... Okay."

There was a bit of silence, and the tiger noticed a flash of headlights lights go by the window, along with the sound of the engine.

"Should I... You want me to keep you company?" She asked.

"I think she just came home," he replied.

"Okbye," she sad quickly, and hung up.

He tired to hang up the phone and dash, but it fell to the ground. He paused, but ignored it, heading out the door.

Running across the grass and onto the sidewalk, he headed for the small parking lane at the end of the street. As he approached, the light in his mom's car came on when she opened the door.

She saw him as he approached. "C'mon," she said, what sounded like tersely or urgently, "back inside, let's go."

They walked quickly, and he jogged ahead to open the door. When his mom entered, she shut the door, locked it, and threw her purse onto the table.

Ket took a step back when his mom got to her knees, and looked him in the eyes. She reached out to his shoulders, and pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around him.

"I love you," she whispered, holding him tightly.

"I love you, too," he whispered back. "I'm... I'm okay," he reassured her.

"I'm glad," she told him.

"Why... Why are you home so late?" He asked.

She started to weep. "Because... There are bad people, kiddo. People that want to hurt others, for whatever stupid reasons."

"M-Mom?" He asked, frightened.

She let him go, and wiped her eyes clean. She sniffled, rubbing her wrist against her nose. "How was your day, sweetie?"

His ears flattened back. "I... I got into a fight," he admitted, softly.

Her smile wilted, and then she let out an awkward chuckle. "You're... Kidding?" She asked.

He shook his head. "I thought... I thought you knew, by now," he told her.

She fell back, resting on the heels of her palm. She let out another chuckle, one of disbelief. "Sheesh," she muttered. "Someone really had it out for us today."

He sat down on the kitchen floor with her. "What do you mean?"

"The bank... Got robbed, today," she told him. "No one got hurt, but it was scary as hell. Described the guy so many times he'll probably show up in the nightmare I'm going to have tonight. And somehow, gotta be ready to stand at the till again on Monday," she remarked, standing and heading to the back of the kitchen.

She opened up a high-cupboard, and pulled down an oddly-shaped glass bottle with a dark liquid in it. She also plucked a couple of tiny glasses that the tiger cub had never seen before.

She went to the sink, rinsed the glasses off, and then carried all three objects to the kitchen table.

"What's that?" The tiger asked, as the bottle made a soft popping sound when his mother twisted off the glass-ball stopper.

"Something to help me forget this day ever happened," his mom sighed, the dark liquid glugging as she poured it into one of the small glasses. "Also, something you should never drink," she told him. Then, held the neck of the bottle over the second glass, following her previous statement with: "Wanna try some?"

He didn't even answer, and watched as the dark liquid poured into the glass, filling it up to about a third. It looked like barely a sip.

"Take the glass," she said, holding hers up.

He did the same.

She tapped hers against his. "To being okay," she said, and threw her head back to guzzle down the drink.

He did similarly, letting the liquid slide past his tongue. Then, right away, his throat burned, and he felt his nose and eyes water. He hitched in his breath, setting the glass down, and covering his mouth.

A nauseating wriggle went all down his belly, the liquid stinging and burning as it went down his throat. He lurched, and it was all he could do the keep from retching.

But, just as his mom said, in that moment, he did forget about the day.