FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

This story and its characters are completely original and belong to Zelosh and him alone. Any resemblance it has to another story is accidental as well as coincidental. While this story is fairly clean there may be things you find inappropriate or offensive. Read at your own risk.

With that, enjoy your stay inside The Eternal Door.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Eternal Door

"Just a bird in a cage"

It was cold, dark, and so very lonely. The room he was in, if it could be called a room, was excruciatingly small and slowly seemed to close in on him as his skin crawled with every shiver that came to pass. It was suffocating, he was scared, the claustrophobia was settling in. He pulled at his shirt desperately, swaying this way and that searching for air. The darkness was getting to him, picking at his sanity like a toy meant to be pulled apart. So pull apart it did, one strained nerve at a time.

After the longest hours he had ever known, he felt something on the wall that was not there before. It was a door knob, immediately recognizable and cool on touch. He only calmed down slightly and pushed on it desperately twisting it every which way. Although it seemed to be locked the door eventually burst open as he threw himself gasping and shaking out of the cramped closet and sprawled out on the floor. Slowly, he brought his legs into himself as he became a tight, fuzzy ball, sniveling and whimpering pathetically at every shadow.

The long corridor he had appeared in came into view as light became evident, but he was too shaken up to care for his surroundings. However, when a soft whisper was carried to his ears, he stopped moving altogether. "Snap once and they'll come out to play." A deafening snap of fingers resounded in the hall. "Snap twice and they'll go away." The same sound echoed in the halls with a bell like ring to it. He had unknowingly stuck one arm out apparently reaching for something. "Snap three time and you're home to stay."

With that, he snapped his fingers and the world around him turned black again. Except this time, there were no walls to greet him. There wasn't anything at all.

* * *

Ryan woke up abruptly almost throwing himself out of his own over sized bed. He was drenched in sweat and panting heavily as his long cat like tongue hung limp out of his mouth. The claustrophobia he had felt only moments before carried over into reality as he tore off his white undershirt and tossed it as far as his arm would take it. The moment the shirt passed over his face though, his own musk almost overwhelmed him. He was on the verge of passing out, senses overloaded and heart racing uncontrollably, but he dared not go back to where he was before. More than anything, right now, he feared his dreams.

The incident had passed though and Ryan was beginning to calm down one inhale and exhale at a time. That's right, I am Ryan Den, I know who I am. The thought crossed his mind as he genially let reality conquer nightmares. He remembered who he was and where he was, he had nothing to fear.

Despite the comforting thoughts, when his alarm clock went off he almost flew from the shock. Irritably he shut the alarm off and went back under the warm covers contradicting his original intentions of escaping tiredness, but he wanted back the two minutes he had lost over a nightmare. Then and only then, would he get up to get ready.

Like planned, he got up reluctantly after a few minutes and headed across his long room leaving the lights off. He could see so well in the dark at the moment it didn't matter whether there was light or not, and besides he knew where he was going. Eventually, the bathroom was reached, and with a flick of his paw the bright white lights sprang to life and he instantly regretted it.

With paws fiercely trying to block the light from his eyes he slowly got adjusted as his twenty year old reflection in the mirror became focused. Ryan was well over six feet, not a bad height for tigers. His skin had the usual black stripes and white fur in various places but rather than orange the rest was a light, mellow green. His build was somewhat thick and muscular, but his muscles weren't clearly defined even though they were easily seen. A long tail winded and spiraled behind his back before wrapping around his neck playfully like it had a life of its own. His tail was way longer than other tigers and allowed full functionality and control all down its length. In fact, it was probably longer than any specie's average tail length, but he could only wonder if that were true or not. The only other notable thing about it was the dark green tip which created a gradient that extended throughout the entire tail.

Cool air seemed to linger with him for a moment as he shivered remembering the uncomfortably chill bathroom. Closing the door he discarded the rest of his clothes and jumped in the shower. He didn't care how long he took, he really needed a long one right now anyway. He let the steaming hot water pour down his nakedness until his mind went dull. All the fears, all the stress, and all the pent up emotions melted away as every muscle was soothed and massaged by the rushing water. It became invisible hands that caressed him gently, better than any mother could.

He grabbed the first bottle of expensive conditioner he could reach before lathering himself up and letting his tail float wildly as it slid along the walls of the shower. Every hair on his body was now silky and flowed like the water all around him. By some unheard signal, he knew he was ready to get out.

Ryan exited the shower feeling full and complete in his resolve and preparedness for the coming day. Why the need for such strong preparation? Well, generally most college students only had grades, money, and a future to worry about. He had that, and the enormous expectations that his family owned pharmaceutical company had for him. If he didn't get the best grades, charm others in the best way, act with the best manners, or simply be the best there is, he'd be in for hell on earth. The company, known as Red Line, was huge and he had to inherit it when the appropriate time came. In the mean time, it was being run by close relatives since both his father and older brother were deceased.

It really sucked to have the world handed to him, especially at the unsuspecting age of fourteen right after hearing half his family was dead. Nowadays, he felt caged, it hurt more than anything else to give up one's freedom in order to please others.

Then again, the devil's advocate in him began to say with enchanting words, what did he have to lose? He had good looks, money by the barrels, and it was practically being handed to him. He need not search for the required knowledge a book was simply handed over and he would be told "read this" or "do that." It was easy, and he was intelligent enough to keep up. The whole world would smile at him and clap at his success. They'd call him a prodigy, they'd call him a genius. At fancy parties he'd be paraded and bragged about, the most upstanding and fine ladies fawning over him all the while.

Wasn't the world great when it was held so easily in the palm of a hand?

Although, this wasn't the world, this was just business. One surrounding drugs at that, which never bode well in all those television shows that were watched in his younger years. The thought was associated with shady business and glittering lies. There were lawyers and their lawsuits, cries for help and the ones who shut them up. He might have been turning something innocent into the villain but hell if he hadn't already caught onto some suspicious activity within the company.

Stepping back into his room, Ryan used a remote to slide open the blackout curtains covering his slanted windows. It presented a wonderful view of the city with an unseen light source causing the buildings to shimmer brightly. This room was designed to let him see the sun set, not the sun rise, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He wasn't much of a morning person ignoring the fact that he had to wake up at 5:30 AM most days and by the grace of God was still keeping up with the horrid schedule.

His attire today would consist mainly of sleek black jeans with a small built in chain on the right side. As for the top half he wore a white button up shirt that was left undone showing the black T-shirt underneath. On the black shirt it said "Game Over" with "Press 'start' to continue" in subtext. There were no shoes on his feet, he hated them with a passion and only obeyed the nagging of his instructors when it was a formal occasion. Everything he enjoyed wearing was informal, and yet to normal people he was probably well dressed. After all, he didn't have the tendency to let his pants ride low or show off as much as possible, which in his world was practically asking to get a five hour lecture.

Stepping out the door Ryan paused realizing he was forgetting something, his usual accessories. Two silver band ear cuff earrings were added to the northern tip of his left ear and curved to its shape. A silver ring with an unattached band in the center and tribal patterns engraved into it was placed on one finger. It was made that way so that the wearer could spin the central band around the other one with one finger during moments of boredom or distraction. Finally, a silver chain was hung around his neck and over his shirt with two dog tags clinking noisily against each other attached to it completing the process. If it wasn't obvious already, he took a liking to silver.

After proceeding down modernized staircases into the lower parts of his lofty apartment, Ryan checked the clock in order to assure himself he had time left to cook his own breakfast. Thankfully, he did, which brought a short lived grin to his face at the thought of this day kicking off with a good start. Gathering the necessary ingredients he started with the basic eggs and built onto it letting the meal evolve in flavor and peculiarity. It consisted mostly of meat, a very common part of every man's meal. It was even more important in the morning because its what gave him the energy he needed for the rest of the day.

Amidst the intoxicating smells he had gotten excited and let his tail move around excitedly, but that agile rope of his managed to avoid danger in the well memorized kitchen. He bounced to and fro freely adding spices and debating which vegetables he needed to convince himself to eat.

The finished product was nothing short of colorfully executed. It was a bit much for him but he'd have a day of sitting around at school so his stomach could take its good old time digesting it then. So, sitting down with fork and knife in hand Ryan prepared but instead stopped, a slight frown forming on his muzzle. Glancing around nervously he had a moment of paranoia looking for hidden cameras before letting go of the knife and just using his fork and hands to eat. Half the enjoyment was the indulgence, just diving in, and he sure as hell hoped no one watched him do this kind of thing or else he'd get an earful. He was probably fine though, he had the lonely apartment to himself, so no one else was there to see.

Ryan's blissful happiness was drowned out by the sound of him wolfing down the food as the feast continued. When he was done he took and drank his entire glass of milk in one go letting the glass slam back down on the table. Slumping back he lowered himself in the chair let out a content sigh with eyes closed and a smile plastered on his face.

"Oh right, I need to go." He mumbled to himself while getting up and cleaning up the dishes scattered across the table. His backpack was right next to the door so picking it up he paused for his usual mental checkup. Homework was done, keys were on hand, phone was in his pocket with no new messages, and the alarm system had now officially been turned on as he headed out the door locking it behind him.

The green tiger exited the building only stopping when a familiar voice came from the door he had just left. "Good morning Mr. Den, shall I ring a cab?"

Ryan grinned at the doorman and waved his hand to show it wasn't necessary. "No thanks Jerry, I like to walk when I can. You know you can just call me Ryan right?"

The doorman, a well groomed, sandy brown kangaroo, laughed lightly before dismissing the idea of using informal names. "Have a nice day, Mr. Den." The tiger stuck his tongue out playfully knowing he was being teased and headed down the sidewalk.

It was a particularly nice day in Havenine, one of the most successful cities on this side of the planet. Anything can happen in Havenine so they say. The city is pretty densely populated and tons of business goes on everyday to match that saying. Surprisingly though, while there were plenty of skyscrapers dotting the area, a good portion of the land was privately owned by the rich or the government. Because of that, there was the occasional park or forest to liven up the place. Speaking of forests, this city happened to be home to the Eversnow Forest, which was full of crystal white trees that are seen nowhere else in the world. The white forest is said to be incredibly beautiful, and unlike the name it has no snow or ice to explain the glittery white bark.

Ryan loved the city of his childhood, he didn't need to go anywhere else. Sure he'd love to escape this dreaded reality, but he'd give it all if he could escape to here.

* * *

Havenine University, a pretty popular college thats good for any student and has buildings that span the entire city. If their budget was high they'd buy an old rundown building and turn it into something educational, frequently letting students station clubs and groups in such places after renovating it. In fact, the clubs were pretty much endless here, and almost all of them were student run.

What was Ryan in college for? Well thats simple really, he was focusing on business classes, management, advertisement, marketing, entrepreneurship... the list goes on. Plus he had to understand a bit of what exactly the company Red Line did, which meant another list of completely unrelated classes. Some were therapeutic, some medical, he really didn't understand how they all connected other than the fact that they "helped people." His hands were full enough so he wasn't in any particular club but there was the occasional discussion groups he joined.

Walking along wide brick paths which were heavily artistic in design and structure, Ryan headed to his first class after the trek to the campus grounds. There were numerous people milling about outside and for a moment he let his eyes wander through the crowds. After a few seconds, something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Even though his sight was good the image seemed to be blurred and hard to see, but an unmistakable feeling rushed over him as a wave of emotions mixed in his judgment of what he was seeing. He took his first steps toward the figure seeing that it was moving away, so he chased. Unfortunately though, it only took another ten feet for him to realize the person being chased was well out of sight and would be hard to find now. Since when do I chase random people... Ryan could only wonder, but the moment their eyes met he could've sworn that he had seen himself.

"Ryan! What are you doing out here? Class is going to start soon." A familiar voice came from behind him and he turned to find a shiba inu running towards him before stopping to catch her breath. "You walked again didn't you? I know you wake up early but wouldn't it be easier to just drive?"

The tiger let the matter of seeing someone exactly like him go as his attention turned to his friend. "Hey Jessica." He grinned, happy to be able to talk to his closest friend before school. "You didn't need to come looking for me you know, we have our first class together today. Wait, we do right?" He thought about it for a moment before coming to the conclusion he was indeed correct.

"That doesn't change the fact that it starts soon, we were told to come in 20 minutes early today remember? That old rat is gonna be miffed if we aren't punctual." He remembered the words of his teacher and put two and two together. Where he thought he had 25 minutes he had about 5. No wait, make that 4 minutes.

"Then what are we chatting for? I still need to go to my locker!" Ryan shouted and lead Jessica by the hand into the closest building, rushing so that they'd make it on time.

Jessica was Ryan's best friend at the moment. She was planning to become a masseuse and run her own business so luck would have it that they had one or two classes together. Was she after him for his money? Possibly, he did pay for most things when they hung out, but then again every girl that saw him was after him and his money. What's new? Besides, he really didn't care if his only good qualities were stature and money, no one has ever liked him for anything more than that from what he could tell. It didn't hurt him to think that a relationship could possibly be fake, but hell didn't all relationships hang on some kind of condition? In this friendship, the condition would simply be money, and he had no problem with that. He could provide the condition.

As for Jessica, she filled all his conditions. Funny, kind, and actually pretty darn attractive. He wasn't aiming for her as a potential partner, he'd probably get an arranged marriage anyway, but that didn't change reality. Her body was somewhat curvy with white and creamy orange colored fur. The orange fur spread across her back and along her limbs stopping before it reached her paws. It also went over her head and down along the arch of her nose. The rest was mostly just white fur except for her curled up tail which was white only at the bottom of the base. Her height was just below his by a head, perfect for his tastes.

Hold on, his snotty rich side piped up, there is nothing to gain by marrying her. She'll be leech and shame his family, and family is everything of course! He saw ten woman just like her if not better last week, and he could've gotten every one of their numbers. Why should he care for one girl with a questionable background?

Yet, none of those girls were like her, because she was unique. Cause she was herself.

The bell rang signaling Ryan's lunch was beginning. He packed up his backpack and headed out the door having no one in particular to wait for. "Hey Ryan." Multiple people would same the same lines they did everyday as he passed giving his pleasant smile while replying to each and every one of them. He even said their names, remembering each face as they passed, which caused some girls to blush. "Hey Ryan you coming to the game?" "Ryan the new issue is out, you getting it?" "Ryan, the discussion group this week is has been rescheduled to Thursday, see you there."

"Ryan you're eating in the cafeteria today?" Ryan had been in a trance that was broken when he heard Jessica's voice.

"Oh uh... yeah I am." His tail twitched slightly, it was wrapped around his waist so as to not get in the way. It looked kind of like a furry belt.

"Oh thank goodness I thought I was going to be alone, none of my other friends have lunch the same time as I do and I can only afford stuff in here." Jessica smiled at the thought of having company which became contagious and spread to Ryan.

"Yeah lets sit together. Actually, let me buy you lunch today, I'm in a good mood."

"What? No, thats fine I..." She tried to protest but a fuzzy green tail touched her mouth ending the discussion.

"Like I said I feel good today, let me have my fun Jessica." The way his voice rumbled her name caused her to blush but he didn't notice as he got in line with her to order their food. He got his usual, not really enjoying the food that had just been warmed up or sloppily prepared. The food was still good for sure, but what made him happy was eating food he himself made. There was mysterious gratification in the time spent in order to just reward himself.

They found a small table against one of the walls that only had two seats so hopefully they wouldn't be bothered. They would've gone outside, but the gray sky showed hints of rain coming soon. Jessica had started eating already but he seemed to have something on his mind.

"Hey Jessica, something weird happened this morning. I think I saw myself, but I didn't get a clear look so I'm not sure really."

Her ears perked up and she instantly stopped eating. She adored the supernatural and fortune teller stuff so it felt suitable to mention it to her. She even gave him his fortune once on a whim. "You mean like a doppelganger?" He furrowed his brow in confusion, a queue that she should explain what she meant. "Its like a ghostly double of yourself. Supposedly everyone has someone out there exactly like them. A common part of the myth is that when you see your doppelganger you... uh..." Rather than looking like she had forgotten, it seemed she was just hesitant in the speaking next part.

Ryan motioned with his hand while nibbling at a sandwich. "Go on."

"Well, supposedly if you see your doppelganger its a bad omen, that you'll either be seriously injured or die."

Ryan blinked, surprised by the information and how she seemed shy in conveying it. "Interesting... I guess." He didn't really care, he didn't even know if he actually saw himself.

"I wouldn't worry about it though! Its a baseless myth honestly." Ryan stifled a laugh. "What's so funny! I take things like this seriously you know."

"I know I know, but its just hilarious watching trying to console me over some myth." She thought about that concept for a moment before realizing that it did seem kind of ridiculous. They both shared a hearty laugh before dropping the subject and continuing to eat.

The conversation from there jumped to random things before the subject of family came up, and when it came to family every girl seemed to have the same question on their mind. "Have you ever thought about what you'd name your kids?" Jessica asked while gathering her trash into a pile since she was already done.

"That's something only girls think about right? I don't really care as long as it isn't an absolutely ridiculous name."

That struck some kind of nerve in Jessica. "But how can you say that, names are really important! They have all these meanings and backgrounds..."

It was easy to tell what she had been studying up on recently. "Really now? Whats your name mean then?"

"Woman of wealth." She said it simply, and for a moment there was an awkward silence. He wasn't sure what to say but she already knew what he was thinking before he could say it. "Hey I find myself to be quite wealthy, if not in money then knowledge."

Ryan chuckled at the pose she made talking about being wealthy. "Well thats true for sure. Whats my name mean then?"

This time it took her a moment, she recalled looking it up but the memories were fuzzy. "If I remember correctly... it means little king." Upon those words Ryan leaned back in surprise giving Jessica the chance to laugh at him this time. "Certainly fits you wouldn't you say?"

"Oh shut it." She just laughed all the more.

They would've talked more, but lunchtime ended and they had to part ways. Heading to his next class Ryan felt time began to pass faster as his school day began to reach its climax. The only thing that seemed to stand out during this time span was a strange event that took place after his second to last class.

Being the only one who actually seemed to care about this particular lecture he was last one out because he had to pack up his books and stuff. Even the teacher seemed to have disappeared already he noted heading for the door. However, he stopped in his tracks as the sound of chirping was heard clearly to him. Not far away chirping, it was coming from inside the classroom. Turning the tiger saw a wonderfully crafted iron cage resting on top of a desk, but the cage had not been there before. Inside of it, an emerald green parakeet sang its song and fluttered about.

It seemed a bit unreal, he was certain no one had brought a bird into class or else they would've been yelled at. Also, there was only one door, so Ryan could only wonder how anyone managed to put it there without him noticing.

Approaching the cage he sized it up and found the little door that kept the bird locked inside. "Hey there little guy." His words were soothing as he put a finger on the cage to see if the bird would respond. It bounced happily for a moment but when It tried to jump up it hit the ceiling of the cage and fell down. "You okay? Want me to let you out?" He had long forgotten he was talking to a bird, the sting of sympathy he felt was too strong.

After a moment of consideration, he felt compelled to unlock the hatch, it being the only thing that stood between the bird and the world. The green feathered creature seemed elated and quickly seized its chance at freedom. It flapped a few times and soared out of the cage instantly to Ryan's surprise. Ryan was happy for some reason at the spectacular display of flight, but the mood didn't last long, because after a few more flaps the bird stopped. It plummeted to the ground, its motionless body collapsing into a feathery heap. The bird had died only moments after gaining freedom, never to fly again.