FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"The good news is that it's a pretty easy repair, I can get the job done in 'bout thirty minutes," the boar told her. "The bad news is that I don't have the parts right now, and I'm not gonna have them for about another two days."

The russet-pelted, red-haired deer blanched at the news, putting a hand on the service desk to keep herself upright. "Two... two days?" Allison Jean Tilton whimpered, her green eyes giving the boar a pained look. "But I told my fiancee I'd be in Charlotte by next weekend! I can't wait that long, I'd have to drive the rest of the night just to make up for the lost time! And there won't be a good motel until I cross into Texas!"

The boar shook his head apologetically. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but that's just how it is. If it were a modern C-RV from the last five years I'd have exactly what you need, but not for something built and sold in '99- and yours uses three serpentine belts. You're not gonna be able to go anywhere missing even one, daytime or night." He gestured to the rest of the station, offering an encouraging expression. "But you got yourself here safely and believe me, you're not gonna find a better stop in the entire state of New Mexico, outside of a city. Y'got a bar in the back with a good grill and karaoke every other night, free wi-fi, an arcade we keep fixed, a Native American gift shop, and free refills for extra-large drinks- it's pretty much a roadside oasis, all things considered."

"Where am I supposed to sleep?" she asked.

"We can keep your car in the lot so you can get some sleep if you'd rather do that, but we can do better for you, ma'am," the boar offered. "The backlot to this place has motel rooms meant for club members, but as most truckers tend to sleep in their own semitrailer cabins, I think I can talk to the owner and get you a room for a couple of nights until you're good to leave. You also get a 5% discount on anything you pay for here while I work on your car. And if you need to clean up, we've got shower stalls open to the public," he added, pulling out a silver token and putting it on the desk. "I'll give you the first one free."

The deer groaned, feeling a prickle in her belly and squirming in her chair. She thought she'd prepared fully for the trip to North Carolina, making sure she was packed with everything she needed. A large part of her had loathed the idea of meeting Richard's extended family on the east coast, moreso just as her heat was starting to flare up, but at the same time she knew his family wasn't going to pitch in for the wedding until they could meet and talk with them. So when her fiancee had left for a business trip in New York, the two had agreed it would be the ideal time for them to drop in on his family. He could pick up his cousin in Brooklyn; book them both a flight to Charlotte/Douglas just as the deer made it into the state; visit family and friends and get their approval; and then spend the next week or two ambling their way back to San Diego. It was a brilliant plan.

And after only a day of driving, all of it was ruined by a busted engine belt.

The doe sighed, nodding as she took the token. She was at least fortunate enough that her car had broken down a few miles from the major truck stop with a repair center nearby, and the grizzled but pleasant-faced boar was doing what he could to make her circumstances more comfortable. Deciding it was better to focus on the positives, she managed a half-smile.

"Alright," she said. "Thank you. Just let me know when it's done."

"I'll call it over intercom," the boar assured her. "Just relax for now- you'll be on the road again before you know it."

It wasn't long before the doe had made herself as comfortable as she could be, snagging a lunch and hanging out at one of the tables as she listened to music from her phone. Money wasn't an issue for AJ, born into a wealthy family on the west coast, but whereas her family would have griped about the décor of the place, she found herself accustomed to it. She suspected that she also looked very much at home, wearing a comfortable pair of jeans, a pair of worn sneakers, and a plain green t-shirt that did a decent job hiding her ample bosom; her expensive smartphone might have been the only giveaway that she was not in any financial need.

Not that she wasn't used to living light, either. A combination of settling for community college, road trips with her friends, and a love for cross-country traveling had ensured she'd grown with a mind apart from her family, in terms of both expenditure and in tastes. It was also the major reason she'd chosen to drive across the country as opposed to booking a flight, more comfortable in a used, reliable C-RV than she would be on an overpriced jet with no leg space and bad in-flight movies. Nevertheless, she found herself wishing she had even a bad movie to watch, boredom setting in as she was relegated to simply watching customers and truckers come and go: from gruff-looking bikers in denim vests buying jerky and beer; to harried mothers ushering in screaming or crying children; to stereotypically-dressed tourists in shorts, polo shirts, and cameras around their necks.

A ping on her smartphone drew her attention, a tiny image of an envelope notifying her of a new text message. She smiled and opened it, met with the profile pic of a pale-brown stag with dark-brown hair and a nearly incomprehensible message next to it.

"Jst picked up rozlyn, flight is tomorrw, how r u?"

The doe chuckled humorlessly, shaking her head. If Richard had any faults, it was that he was not particularly tech-savvy nor interested in typing legible sentences. There were times she wondered how he managed to function at work with such a lazy grasp on grammar, but rather than needle him for it she quickly typed her response.

"Car trouble in New Mexico. Will be a couple of days until fixed. May be a day or three late."

At least things seemed to be going smoothly on Richard's side, more than could be said for her circumstances. If it weren't for her phone and the station's wireless feeding her internet, she was sure she'd be asleep by now; an outcome that seemed more likely as she stifled a yawn. The flatscreen overhead was showing a spanish soap opera, and the small arcade in the corner was closed down for cleaning; there wasn't much else to do but to watch the folks passing through.

She lowered her phone, looking up as the door to the station opened once more. Her eyes widened and she drew in a sharp breath as a trucker stepped in, this one far unlike the others. It was not his attire that ensnared her attention, dressed in a white t-shirt, denim overshirt, and blue jeans; but his physical form and attractiveness was impossible for her to ignore. His coat was a dark bay with a sheen that caught the overhead lights, his mane long and raven black, and a white diamond-shaped spot on his forehead. He had to easily be in his early thirties, a good six and a half feet tall; and even with his shirt on, she could tell he was toned and athletic. The stallion strode towards the counter and waited behind a slightly overweight customer, looking around a few moments; his sunset-amber eyes fell on her and he seemed to straighten up. A slight shiver passed through the doe's nerves, her heart skipping a beat as she looked away, almost certain their eyes had met for a split second.

"Knock it off," she muttered to herself. "Just gonna make your heat worse if you ogle handsome men." Her phone pinged again and she felt a rush of relief as a text from Richard updated her screen.

"that sux Take ur time if u need 2. well b waiting 4 u"

The doe frowned, hoping he'd offer some advice- but sighed, knowing there wasn't much he could do but offer his sympathies. And he was right, there was no hurry- unless one counted the burning in her belly, the tingle of her heat ever present. If only he were here to take care of it...

"Okay. Will call you when I reach Texas. I love you."

"luv u 2 <3 <3 <3"

She set the phone down, and stretched a bit before bringing both her legs up onto the booth and pulling her knees up to her chest. Her eyes flicked to the engagement ring on her left hand, eliciting a pang of loneliness. Rather than linger on it she closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall, allowing herself to be swept away by her tunes, enjoying a lyricless beat composed of drums and woodwind instruments. Minutes passed and she felt herself dozing, still being carried by the pleasant tones.

The music stopped abruptly, signaled by the sound of her earbuds being disconnected.

The doe's eyes flicked open in confusion, eyes blurry as she caught the form of a medium-sized rottweiler wearing a hoodie standing next to her table. She squinted and frowned as the image became clearer, watching him look to either side with an alert look, and fidgeting with his pants. It took her a moment to realize the man had her smartphone in his paws, and was trying to slide it into his pocket.

She sat up. "Hey! What are you--"

But the moment she had moved he slipped the device into his jeans, leaned over the table and pushed her hard, causing her to fall back into the booth with a cry of fright. Before she could sit back up the dog had darted away, making a break for the door as she yelled out.

"Someone stop him, he has my phone!"

Several customers turned to her with confused expressions, but it was the stallion who reacted the swiftest. He spared her only a brief glance before spotting the running canine, then lunged towards the closing door and shouldered past it. AJ struggled to get out of the booth, nearly tripping over her backpack as she tried to run after them; by the time she was at the door, she could see the dog climbing into the driver's seat of a pickup truck, parked in a space just in front of the station. He had just slammed the door when the stallion reached him- but his window was down, and before he could start the vehicle the horse had grabbed his shirt and was wrenching him back.

"You're not goin' anywhere you little punk!" the stallion shouted, reaching in with his other hand and grabbing his arm. The rottweiler growled and tried to swing at him, but all it did was make it easy for the stallion to yank him out of the window, until half his body was flailing out of the truck. With one last snort of exertion, he grabbed the thief by the jeans and pulled his lower half out, staggering back as the dog rolled in the dirt and got to his feet, digging into his pockets.

The stallion had taken only a single step forward when the dog brought up a switchblade, jabbing it towards him threateningly and sending several scared shouts in the air from several bystanders. AJ's own blood went cold at the sight of the blade, covering her muzzle as she gasped. But the stallion only glared at the smaller male, balling his fists as he eyed the weapon and gave the thug a nicker of contempt. "You're gonna wanna put that away, kid. You'll only end up hurting yourself. Even if you manage to stick me, I'll have more than enough time to beat your ass cold before I bleed out."

AJ gasped as the rottweiler lunged at the stallion with the knife held out, aiming for the chest. With a speed belying his size the athletic equine sidestepped and grabbed the rottie's wrist, wrenching it up and generating a yelp as the blade clattered to the ground. His face open and unguarded, the stallion swung his fist up and brought his bare knuckles under the dog's chin solidly. AJ gaped as the dog was literally lifted off the pavement from the blow, flying backwards and landing on the hood of his own truck before rolling off with a pitiful whine.

The bystanders around them either muttered in awe or laughed at the scene; a few of them had their phones out, recording the incident and keeping their camera trained on the weakly stirring canine. The doe sighed in relief, feeling tension leave her body- a moment later it returned to the sound of a sharp bark.

"All right, everyone back up!" a voice behind some of the onlookers closest to the gas pumps said firmly. A German Shepard in a highway patrol uniform stepped between them, followed by a younger-looking rat. "You got your pictures, go about your business. Sir, gonna have to ask you to take a seat on the curb."

The stallion have a nod, taking a step back as the younger officer ran forward and worked on putting the still-dizzy rottweiler in cuffs. It took a hard look from the older officer for the crowd to take the hint and begin dispersing, though AJ remained where she was while the officer spoke.

"I need your name, big guy. ID, if you have it."

"Dakota Satler," the stallion said with amazing calmness. With slow and smooth movements he fished his wallet from his back pocket, pulled out his license, and handed it to the cop. "I'm a truck driver, stopping here for the week."

"I saw half of what went on out here," the officer started as he pulled out a notepad and pen, "so I'm pretty sure what happened was a case of self-defense. Problem is that I'm lacking context here without the other half. Why'd you pull that boy out of his truck window?"

The stallion looked over to the doe, jerking his head in her direction. "The young lady over there shouted, said the little punk had stolen her phone. I saw her using it a few minutes earlier, and he was making a run for the truck, so I decided to step in before he got away with it." He looked back up at the officer. "Wasn't aiming to do anything but get the phone back and boot his ass back into the truck, until he pulled the blade out."

"This true, ma'am?" the officer asked.

AJ nodded, swallowing. "He still has it in his pocket."

"Got it right here, Denver!" the rat said, holding up her smartphone.

"Good enough," the officer said with a nod. "Get him in the car, I don't think we'll be getting any talk from him after that punch. I hate to bother you folks after a scare like that, but I'm gonna need to take you both aside for a few minutes and get a report from the two of you. We'll have this settled in no time, don't you worry."

AJ nodded, managing a smile at the stallion; a flush filled her cheeks as he smiled back. "It's no problem, officer."

The station's owners had gladly let the state troopers review the security footage, and that was all it took for him to be satisfied. In less than an hour their car was pulling out of the station and back on the highway with the rottweiler still cuffed in the back, AJ having watched until the vehicle was merely a bright glimmer on the horizon of a steadily lowering sun. Beyond using it to send Richard a text letting him know what had happened, the doe had kept her phone in her pocket, switching to a playlist with quieter and less intense music to help calm her nerves. By now the heat in her belly was warmer, though not uncomfortable enough that she'd have to seek personal relief.

The employees had offered AJ a free meal from the attached burger joint, and had even reserved one of the trucker rooms for her, to compensate for the hard time she was going through, hoping the experience would not deter her from visiting again. They didn't need to worry, as the fact they were being so kind and that there had been at least one decent person around to intervene had convinced her this was the safest place she could have stopped. Nevertheless, she still felt a slight bit of despair as the sun reached its halfway point to the horizon- it was possible she would be trailing behind by a full three days at this point, if not four, depending on how long it would take to fix her vehicle.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a tall figure approaching her. She looked up, spotting the stallion approaching with a tray of food in one hand and a look of hesitation. A blush crept on her face as she took her earbuds out and got up from her seat. "Oh, hello," she managed to say in a soft voice, swallowing as she realized she had forgotten express her gratitude. "You... I mean, thank you, for earlier. I'm sorry, that should have been the first thing I said to you, especially after he..."

The stallion gave her a warm smile and waved it off dismissively. "It's fine, ma'am. Just thought I should check up on you, I saw the footage of that jerk pushing you when he stole your phone. Are you doing alright?" he asked, holding his hand out.

"Yes, thank you," the doe said, smiling back as she shook his hand. "Dakota, was it? I'm Allison Jean, but you're welcome to call me AJ."

"Pleasure to meet you, AJ," he replied agreeably. "And I'd like to apologize for not checkin' up on you sooner. Seemed like you had some things on your mind when I first saw you, so I figured I should leave you be so you could calm down. May I?" he added, gesturing to the seat.

"Oh no, go right ahead," she insisted, taking her seat. "I wouldn't mind having some company right now, after that little scare. Just one more stain on this trip, I'd be crazy not to have decent company around."

"That's kind of you to say, ma'am," Dakota said, picking up a potato wedge. "I'm kinda wondering why you're still here, actually. Don't get me wrong, this is one of the most comfortable spots a driver can find out in the middle of nowhere, but after that bit of craziness and adding in you seeming to have a rough trip, I figured you would've gassed up and hit the road again just to get out of here. Everything okay?"

"I wish I could hit the road," she admitted sadly, brushing a few strands of hair out of her eyes. "My car's engine belt snapped, and the repair shop across the way won't have the part my car needs for another two days, so I'm stuck here."

The stallion winced sympathetically. "I'm sorry to hear that, ma'am. I can't imagine having your phone stolen while waiting was a pleasant experience, I wouldn't blame you for feeling a mite agitated."

"The phone's just a nice piece of tech, I can always get a new one," she told him. "It's more just... I dunno. Road trips as a kid and after college were never this bad, or at least I don't remember them being that way. I always used to like traveling, having long stretches of road and someone to talk to." She paused, mulling that over. "Then again, maybe it was just having anybody to talk to was why it was so much fun- and why it's not now. Just makes me feel more vulnerable, like I'm not up to this."

"Making the trip alone?" Dakota asked.

"Not by choice," she sighed. "And not to somewhere I'd go to if it weren't so important. After this, though, I don't think I'll make the mistake of traveling by my lonesome again."

"I can understand that," the stallion said gently. "But hey, don't sweat to much over what happened. I've been driving for about a decade now- that kind of crime doesn't happen very often, and they usually get caught anyway on account of them not hiding their license plates." He smiled and gestured to her. "Besides, you could always track a smartphone if it's stolen, you'd have gotten it back sooner or later."

"Maybe," she said with a laugh, "but it's better when a handsome passerby decided to intervene and get it back for me quicker. Seriously, though, thank you so much," she offered. "If there's any way I can pay you back for risking your well-being on a stranger's behalf, just let me know."

"Aww, you don't gotta offer me nothin'," the stallion beamed. "Except maybe a little bit of time to talk, if you'd like. I'm a week ahead of schedule with nowhere to be until then, and I rarely get that kind of free time, much less opportunities to meet new people. I'll share some grub with you in exchange."

"You don't need to share food to get me talking, I'd be glad to spend a few minutes chatting," she assured him, before reaching over and grabbing a potato wedge from his tray with a playful smile. "But since you offered- deal."

It turned out Dakota was more than just a truck driver. Over the next two hours she discovered he was something of a constant traveler, always taking on jobs that required some manner of driving, be it cabs, limousines, public transportation, pizza delivery, courier routes, valet parking; he even took on self-employed chauffeur jobs when work was light. But although such jobs came and went, he'd always took up temporary truck driving jobs for his main source of income; though despite his claims that his work wasn't very interesting, he still seemed to have been to as many places as AJ had been- perhaps even more. From one side of the country to the other, and everywhere in between, there didn't seem to a place she'd been to that he hadn't yet visited; and as her now-unused phone continued to charge next to her, she was as hungry to hear more from him as she was hungry for the curly fries they were now sharing.

"What about Zion National Park?" she asked him, leaning back and taking a sip of soda. "I haven't had the chance to go there yet, but I've heard good things about it."

"I actually have a cousin that works as a park ranger there," Dakota told her with a smile. "I'm not exactly fond of the state, it's a bit too 'godly' for my liking; but the park itself is pretty damn impressive. It's worth taking the scenic drive through it when you have the chance, but if you ever have a week to kill and you're in the area, you'll want to see the Emerald Pools and waterfalls, the Three Patriarchs, and the Grand Staircase. It won't disappoint." He laughed. "Just don't be surprised if you come across at least a dozen people with pamphlets who want to talk your ear off about Jesus."

The two laughed, generating some of the only sound in the station far apart from the barely-audible roaring of diesel engines outside. Though there were still a few bodies lingering around the place, AJ had all but forgotten them as the few minutes of chatting had turned into a full-blown talk about each other.

"Ugh, I get enough of that with some people I know," she sighed humorously. "Part of why I'm not looking forward to continuing this trip, especially alone."

"Oh yeah?" Dakota said, perking up. "I mean, not to be too nosy but it seems someone like you would have a guy to keep you company on the way to wherever your going- present company excluded," he added with a sheepish smile. "I just figured you had that ring on your finger for a reason."

She blinked, looking down at the engagement ring on her left ring finger, before chuckling shyly. "I mean... he probably would, if he could. He's part of the reason I'm making the drive, after all."

"Where to, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Charlotte, North Carolina," she answered. "Not exactly a friendly place to some folks."

"Ouch," he winced. "Been there before. Not a fan, I can tell you that much. So how does your beau fit into having to go there?"

"It's where his family lives."

"Ah, I gotcha," the stallion said, nodding. "Meeting the parents, getting their blessings, I take it."

"Assuming I can," she sighed. "Richard- that's my fiancee- he's different from his family, a lot more open-minded and a lot less religious. But I don't think his family was ever comfortable with the idea of getting hitched with a west-coast doe with a well-to-do family; they also don't care much for my occupation."

"What is it you do?" he asked curiously.

"Music editing and recording," she explained. "More or less making sure everything sounds its best before it gets distributed. It's not exactly glamorous, but I enjoy it; though Richard's parents seem to think it's a fake job with no future. We're hoping we can get them to contribute to the wedding, although I'm expecting them to demand a dowry and the music selection, just to have some control over me." She managed a smile. "But it's a small price to pay to secure my future."

"Well, you have both my congratulations and commiserations," the stallion consoled her. "I can't imagine it's all that easy, but if you're dead-set on doing it I'm sure you can get it to work. Not that an opinion from a stranger you met only a couple of hours ago should matter, mind you, but..."

"No, I appreciate it," she told him, genuinely pleased by his encouragement. "Again, thank you." The silence lingered for a bit, and she found herself awkwardly taking a sip from her soda to cover it, wracking her brains for something to discuss. "Um... how about you? Any family of your own, back home?"

The stallion shook his head. "Nah, not really. I'm what you'd call a broken-home horse. It's the kind of thing you'd expect when your mom's half of the family lives on a reservation, and your dad's half of the family drinks and walks out every few months." He shrugged. "But the upside is he was at least decent enough to leave me his family's inheritance when he kicked the bucket. So I took two thirds of it, gave the rest to the reservation, finished up community college, and starting picking up odd jobs to support myself."

"I'm sorry," the doe said quietly, her cheeks burning. "That must have been hard for you."

"For a bit, yeah," Dakota admitted, though he still wore a smile. "But it's been a life I've enjoyed for going on ten years, now. Not many people get the opportunities I do. I spent a lot of time on the reservation, and every now and again there'd be some tourist rolling up the dirt road after taking a wrong turn and getting lost. Every time they did, it made me want to do the same thing."

"You... wanted to take dirt roads and get lost?" she said, puzzled.

"No, it's more like..." he paused and adopted a thoughtful expression, as if trying to articulate it more clearly. "They had a destination, right? They knew where they wanted or needed to go, but they ended up taking a wrong turn and arrived somewhere else. You'd think that in most cases it would lead to being angry or upset for screwing up and losing time on the road, and sometimes it was like that; but if you can believe it, most of the time it wasn't all bad. Sometimes they'd stick around the reservation, learn a little something they hadn't known, and maybe make a few friends in the process- hell, one of them even ended up marrying my little sister, as good a happy ending as one could get. That's kinda of how I wanted to live my life, taking roads I never knew about and seeing where it'd lead, maybe finding something new and exciting in the process. Taking a little risk and seeing what what come of it, y'know?"

The doe reflected on his words for a few moments, nodding. As someone who enjoyed going across the country every so often, she had sometimes wondered where certain roads led, dirt paths with no signs to their destination which nonetheless had to lead somewhere. "I think I can understand that. Though it'd probably cost an arm and a leg in gas money," she chuckled.

"Nah, out here?" he grinned. "Gas is cheaper on the highways than it is in the city, I'm sure you must've figured that."

"So... no lady back home either?" she pressed curiously, hoping she wasn't being too intrusive.

"Nope, nobody," he acknowledged. "I've had my share of attractions, a few brief and intense moments in my life. But the cost of moving around the country so much is you don't often get to stick around long enough to build something as complex as a relationship. That's fine, though," he added. "When the right one comes, maybe I'll slow down and see if they catch up."

AJ smiled. "Well, if you don't mind my saying so I'm sure they will. You've got the looks, the charm, and guts to boot."

The stallion blinked and chuckled nervously, looking content with her vote of confidence as he ran a hand through his mane. Though his pelt was dark, she could see the red tint that revealed his blush. The fact that she had said something so heartfelt and kind, to someone who had stepped in on her behalf and yet only hours before had been a total stranger, caused her to blush in turn. A pleasantly awkward silence followed between them, compelling her to cast her eyes towards the window shyly. It was then she realized the sun had set, the vestiges of its light barely visible in the sky.

"Oh my, I didn't think we had been talking so long," she remarked, sitting up. "It must be well past six by now. I hope I haven't been taking up too much of your time."

"Well, like I said, I've got nowhere to be right now," the horse told her as he started piling used napkins and food wrappers on the tray he'd brought. "But I expect you're probably bored of boring ol' me, so I'll gather up the trash here and--"

"Not at all," she said, not wanting him to leave just yet. "You're welcome to sit and talk however long you'd like."

The stallion grinned and stopped short of gathering the remnants of their meal, and was halfway to sitting back down- only to be interrupted by a loud voice calling from the entrance to the station, belonging to a short but muscled black bull.

"'Ey, Dakota! I thought I'd seen your rig in spot 57! You got a free moment to help a brother out?!" he said.

The stallion looked up with a surprised expression. "Hey, Miguel, didn't realize you were working the highway this week!" He glanced to AJ. "Friend of mine, we cross paths every now and again," he explained. "What'd you need help with, buddy?"

"Been having trouble workin' this damn GPS thing in my truck, it keeps hiccuping and clearing the route I gotta take for my deliveries," he groaned. "You help me fix it, I'll cover your gas for you!"

Dakota looked to the doe, rubbing behind his ears and looking reluctant. "That sounds great, but..."

AJ gave him a wide smile and shook her head. "It's fine, I won't be going anywhere tonight. You go ahead and help your friend, I'll still be here when you get back, and then we can chat a bit more."

The stallion brightened and nodded, picking up the tray of trash. "Alright then. I'll be back before too long, but if you decide to turn in before I'm back, then it was great talking with you, AJ."

"Likewise, Dakota," the doe beamed up at him as she shook his hand.

A slight shiver tingled through her spine as he felt his gentle touch along her fingers, certain there was strength in his hands. The flutter in her stomach was enough to prompt her to release his hand abruptly, though he didn't seem to notice. As he turned to toss the trash out and followed the bull through the exit, she had to breath in deeply to curb her anxiety, feeling the nagging, warm tickle a few inches below her navel. Looking out the window to see the stallion following the bull out only made it worse, like a log being tossed into the bonfire her lower body was experiencing; the resulting smoke hazing her mind pleasantly until she shook her head to clear it.

It was with a silent curse that she admonished herself, allowing her heat to captivate her mind even if only for a moment. She had enjoyed her chat with Dakota, not least because he had shared an interested perspective coming from a different upbringing and worldview the doe would have loved to see from. But for her eyes to follow him with a slight hunger was shameful, no matter how attractive he looked; nor could she rationalize it by claiming most people on earth probably did the same thing, whether engaged or even married. It's not like he was going to bed her, or that she was attempting to convince him to.

... Even if it was hard not to wonder.

"Stop it. He's just a... friend," she groaned to herself, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. "One I'm glad to have made." Yet whatever she said, the radiating burn in her loins would not cease.

Nevertheless, as she stared outside at the handsome stallion pulling off his overshirt and climbing into one of the big rigs, she managed to smile. Even with the minor agony of going through her heat and being stuck out in the middle of the desert, not everything had turned out so bad.

It was almost an hour later, and Dakota still hadn't returned.

It wasn't that he had left, AJ knew. Even now, she could see him circling the big rig with what looked to be a GPS unit in his hand, talking to his buddy and looking oil-stained and sweaty. From what little she was able to tell just watching him work and the hand gestures he was making to the bull, it appeared to be something related to the semi's battery. The doe could sympathize on some level, thoughts trailing back to her currently-useless car in the shop across the road. All the same, despite being certain the stallion would return once he was done, it was hard not to feel a little lonely again; and on some level, it was a bit worse than it had been while she had been driving. At least then, she didn't have_any_ company to rely on during an otherwise boring drive across the western states. But now, after having spent a few hours talking with an attractive and kind stranger, the silence gnawed at her uncomfortably.

And as it had been before, her estrus still ached her.

She had just considered disconnecting her now-recharged phone and popping her earbuds in to shoo the loneliness away with more music, when the device started vibrating. Her heart skipped and a smile split her face as she saw Richard's face on her screen, attempting to reach her with a video phone call. Eager for some form of contact with her fiancee (and briefly wondering why he'd waited so long to actually call and comfort her after she'd explained what had happened earlier), she quickly tugged the charger out of her phone and accepted the call.

A pause followed before the video started playing, showing a dimly lit room she'd never seen before, with a clean and well-made bed next to a nightstand. It confused her initially, until she remembered seconds later that Richard was going to stay at a hotel for the evening. What she couldn't understand was why she couldn't see Richard at all, though a light somewhere in the background hinted at a male shadow out of the frame. After a few moments the shadow moved, and the camera went out of focus as he stepped a little too close to the camera and obscured the shot.

The doe blinked. "Uh... Richard? Richard, can you hear me?"

There was no reply. She started to speak again- until the camera refocused, causing her to draw in a sharp gasp.

He had stepped back and seated himself on the bed, giving AJ a clear view of her fiancee; completely buck-naked, no less. A severe flood of heat bloomed in her cheeks and loins as he leaned back and spread his legs apart, giving her a clear look of her fiancee's attractive body. He possessed the physique of a runner; thin, agile, and lightly muscled, with a pale-brown coat and cream-hued belly that extended to his junk. His balls hung low and long, a proud display of his species' potency; and his cock, while only modest in girth, was long and well above average for a male of his kind. It was an organ she was very well-acquainted with, the sight making her squirm in her seat as he slid his hand around the base and gave it a shake; a string of precum flew threw the air and onto the carpet below as he groaned pleasantly, giving the camera a winning smile that made her heart cry out with joy.

His mouth moved, yet no sound issued from the phone itself. She could barely hear him say "I hope you're enjoying the sight, baby," in a distant and tinny voice, and it was then she realized she hadn't put her earbuds in. It took a few seconds of glancing around to make sure she was alone and relatively out of sight, and another glance out the window to see Dakota now leaning into the open hood of the bull's big rig, for her to feel safe enough in her privacy to quickly put her earbuds on. They were fitted just in time for him to hear his next words.

"You haven't said it yet, but I know you missed me. It feels like it's been so long, I don't mind treating you to a show." The doe's cheeks burned harder, both from her blush and the wide smile she wore as he began to slid his hand up his erect rod, letting out an exaggerated moan as he squeezed more precum from the tip. Her eyes followed his hand as it massaged the thin, tapered tool upwards, then dragging down the pole until it reached his sheath, continuing down and caressing his nuts. They were large enough that they overfilled the palm of his hand, forcing AJ to shiver and consider how much seed they contained- more than enough to douse her heat thoroughly, of that she was sure. And while she knew it would be better for her to grab her backpack and take the phone into the women's bathroom so she could tend to herself in private, she was too enraptures by the kinkiness of the show to move.

"You have no idea how much I wanna breed you right now," he groaned, pumping his shaft faster and rolling his hips upwards. By now AJ was certain she was going to need to run back to the car to get a fresh pair of panties, her breathing ragged and heart hammering as she watched her future husband jack his prick with increasing pace. A barely audible voice in the back of her head told her that her heat would be easy to detect if she didn't tend to herself soon; it was easily being drowned out by the aching need in her body, the screaming nerves that were begging for her to be fucked. She desperately desired being in New York now, her fiancee mounting her and washing her heat away with his cum, such that beads of sweat were starting to form on her brow. He moaned again, looking close to orgasm, and that was all it took for her to snatch up her bag and begin sliding out of the booth, getting to her feet with the intent to rush towards the bathroom to take care of herself.

"Hold on, baby. Save that load for me."

AJ stopped short. It was not Richard's voice. The boiling in her womb ceased.

She looked back down at her phone, watching as Richard ceased his solo performance and leaned back on his hands. The camera seemed to jostle a little bit from an unknown source, a dark object obscuring the lens briefly before setting the camera down again; the angle had changed to show the bed in full. AJ's eyes widened as another figure entered the frame, this one unmistakably female; her pelt was a golden brown, her hair blonde, and her body unashamedly unclothed. The unknown doe smiled down at Richard, who was still getting his breath back- but he still smiled in return, holding his hand out to her.

"Enjoyed the show, Roz?" he asked, pulling her onto the bed and into his lap.

"God, I'm hungry for you," the doe answered, leaning in to kiss him.

It made no sense to AJ, her brow furrowed as she tried to comprehend what was going on. Something about it all was wrong, yet the scene was so abrupt and out of place that she found herself struggling to understand what was happening. But even if her mind could not decipher it, her body seemed to know, as a stinging warmth built up in the corners of her eyes. She longed to say something, to shout into the phone, to tear her eyes away from the screen. Instead, she could only whimper, struggling to breathe as the two kissed passionately, their muzzles flexing as their tongues met.

"R... Richard? What's... going on?" But it was as far as she got, despite the slew of questions she wanted to scream. Why was her fiancee kissing a woman that was not her? Who was she? Why was she being shown all of this through a video call? Why was her eyesight becoming blurry? And one by one, those questions were answered.

"Remember the last time we did this, cuz?" the blonde doe asked, as Richard pulling her in close and began to kiss her full breasts. "Kept wishing your boss would send you back to New York so I could see you again, I missed you so bad..."

"I know, baby. It's been hard not being able to fuck you like we used to as kids," the buck murmured, his lips pressed against her left nipple and giving it a suckle. "Much as I love AJ, I never forgot about you the whole time. I wanna make this night count."

"Richard...?" AJ whimpered again, her hands shaking- yet still she did not look away.

"I do too," Roselyn moaned, throwing her head back as his lips traced upwards and into her neck. "And in the end I'll have a video to remember you by, before you give yourself up to marriage. God, if only it were me..." She stared down at him, blue eyes shimmering. "But I can pretend, can't I?"

"As much as you want- I certainly will," Richard chuckled, before kissing her again.

"Richard, no..." AJ croaked, her face wet with tears. But nothing she could say or do could stop what was happening. She could only watch as her fiancee twisted around and laid his incestuous lover on her back against the bed, the smartphone camera in the perfect position to capture the bounce of her breasts, a clear view of her sopping wet slit, and the joy on her face as she was pinned down. Robbed of the ability to utter anything louder than a whisper, she stared at them, watching as Richard grabbed his dripping cock and pressed it against his cousin's pouting folds. The doe bleated at his touch, allowing herself to be pinned as he grabbed her wrists and held them down against the sheets. Her legs wrapped against his waist, hiding his cock from view; but when he rolled his hips forward and she arched her back, AJ knew he was inside.

Where once had been elation and warmth in being contacted by her fiancee, and arousal at his brief performance, there was now only a cold numbness that was steadily melting away, the pain underneath becoming sharper with each second. Every beat of his hips against his cousin's body seemed to chip away at AJ, a rusty nail driven deeper into her heart, every hammering blow seeming to knock the air out of her lungs. The pair moved in unison, their undulating bodies measured and careful as if they had done this hundreds of times in the past, expressing their passion without a trace of shame. Unfathomable grief started to peek out from behind her numbness, her trembling hands barely able to hold her smartphone.

"No... no, please..."

The blonde doe mewled and moaned underneath her cousin, cupping his face with both hands and pausing his efforts with a kiss. "Didja notice, Rich? You must have, you've been hard since we got into the hotel, before I started blowing you in the shower."

The stag shivered and nodded, touching his nose against hers. "You're... in season. You smell so fucking good, AJ doesn't even compare..."

"Y'know what would be fucked up?" she breathed seductively. "If you stayed inside when you cum. I'll bet you've always wanted to knock me up, ever since we were kids, even."

Richard stared at her and swallowed, a far more powerful shiver ruffling the fur along his back. "Holy fuck, Roz... even if I did, don't even joke like that."

"I'm not joking," she moaned, squeezing her thighs around his waist. "Breed me good, Richard; don't stop until I'm pregnant!"

"Richard, stop!" AJ cried out, swaying on the spot.

But the words seemed to have put new life into his efforts, the buck grunting and growling as he grabbed the bed's headboard and started to nail his cock deeper into his lover. Roselyn was robbed of any ability to speak, reduced to wailing and moaning as her incestuous lover began to thoroughly breed her hole. All it took was a shift in Richard's closest leg for AJ to see it all- her fiancee's balls slapping against Roselyn's ass; the squeezing motions she was giving around the base of his cock; and the twitching of his nuts signaling that he was close to shooting his seed into his cousin.

"Oh god... please don't do this!" AJ shouted.

"I... Roz, I'm cumming!" he groaned.

"Give me all of it!" Roz mewled.

"Don't do this to me!"

He thrust a final time, and it might as well had been a knife of glacial ice plunging into AJ's heart. She knew his output was impressive, but had never before witnessed nor felt a deluge equal to the one he was now pouring into his lover. His back arched and he threw his head back in a groan of ecstacy, burying himself to the balls such that they were all she could see; the pair of orbs clenching and drawing up as they rested on against his cousin's supple ass. But within seconds he had seemingly topped off, a thick line of potent cum gushing out from around his narrow member and cousin's cleft, splattering both his balls and the doe's wiggling tail. Whether it was because he'd been holding back on her during sex, or because the act of incest, cheating, or willing impregnation had turned him on, he'd filled his kin more thoroughly than AJ had ever been. The harsh reality of watching the man she was in love with pumping his spunk into his own willing cousin and all but ensuring the doe was knocked up, brought the white-hot pain to its limit. But that was not the moment when she screamed.

It was only the next words that brought that out.

"God damn, Roz... I fucking love you..."

"I love you too, Richard..."

"NO!!! GOD, NOOOO!!!"

Feelings of betrayal, loss, and complete despair tore through her heart. It was the last piece her mind needed to hear in order to make everything click into place, coming to the conclusion she knew her body had realized the moment Richard's infidelity had been revealed. A surge of grief and rage course through the doe as she spun and swung out her arm, releasing the smartphone from her grip and watching it sail through the air as if in slow motion, the earbud jack torn from it's socket in the process.

It struck Dakota square in the chest.

"Whoa, careful!" The stallion stepped back with a bewildered look and a surprised yelp, hastily catching the smartphone before it could tumble away from him and hit the floor. Around them, several patrons were staring at the doe. He looked back up to her with a slightly hurt and confused expression. "What the hell was that all about!?"

The deer stared at him, her face wet with the seemingly unending flood of tears as she trembled. Dakota's eyes met hers, his expression changing to one of compassionate worry. Her urge to scream had subsided, the shock of pure grief keeping her rooted to the spot. Seconds, stretched into lifetimes, passed before the stallion's were drawn to her smartphone. So intent on ensuring her well-being, he had failed to notice the video call still going; with her earbuds no longer connected to the device, the shameless sounds of eager infidelity were audible to everyone within earshot. Every pair of eyes widened merely at the audio, the filthy dialogue causing many of them to blanch in disgust or blush in embarrassment.

Everyone but Dakota. Within seconds, his face fell and he looked up at the doe, his expression sad and sympathetic. Clear pain filtered into his eyes as he seemed to understand what exactly had happened without her having to say a word. Instead, he only took a step forward and put a hand on her shoulder.

"AJ... I'm so sorry."

The dam broke. The next moment her legs gave out and she was on her knees, sobbing loud and uncontrollably as a veritable flood of anguish consumed her. Heartbroken, she swayed forward with the intent to curl up on the floor and be subjected to the torment of her emotional pain.

But he wouldn't let her.

With the same swiftness he'd shown earlier, the stallion knelt to the floor with her and caught her in his arms, holding her close as she bawled into his chest.