FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Eccitaze lounged against the bar, sitting on a stool and tapping one long rabbit foot against the foot rail in time to the gentle beat filling the air. The club was due to open in about an hour, the huge, empty space a stark contrast to its normal thumping energy. The only sound was the quiet beat of the techs up on the DJ stage testing the sound system, and the faint clink of glasses and bottles as the bar staff finished preparing for the grand opening.

The club itself looked as ready as the rabbit and his team could make it. The massive steel and aluminum warehouse had been cleaned roof to foundation, years of grime and chemicals stripped away, then artfully replaced with fresh grime, and transformed into a proper dance club. The entrance on the upper floor had clients coming straight out onto a walkway of steel mesh, chrome railings lining the metal path. They bracketed the club, giving a view of the main floor below, spiral staircases leading down to the dance floor. The walkway also lead to the upper bar, VIP dance platform and lounge positioned above the main dance floor, all offering an excellent view of the main stage below.

The main attraction was the massive glass and chrome pillar, stretching from floor to ceiling out of the centre of the dancefloor. During business hours, it would combine light, sound and display system into one marvel. It was what the whole club was built around, and it had eaten easily half of the club's budget. The techs buzzed around the fixture, testing lights and speakers, but the empty tube rendered the effect hollow.

According to the concept his partner had provided, when the club opened it would fill with a thick silver liquid that would move in time to the music, or condense into animalistic shapes formed out of oil and quicksilver to dance. Or at least, that was the concept. The reality was that it lay empty, and with only an hour before the doors opened Eccitaze was chewing his lip in worry that they'd have to have their grand opening without it.

Aside from that, though, the rest of the club was perfect: dark, and tastefully grungy, evoking an image of oil, chrome, and cyber-punk. Eccitase had been thrilled when he'd talked Quinten into backing him on this project. His co-owner had texted him an hour ago that he was on his way, and hopefully he'd have the answer for the pillar.

If they wanted to break into Tof'Marole's club scene, their opening Halloween night bash had to be a success. Turning away from surveying the club, Eccitaze caught sight of himself in a mirror and saw a disheveled, stressed face. That wouldn't do at all... he sighed, then pulled a comb out of one pocket to adjust his hair. He'd had it dyed purple by Quin, a rich shade that hung down on either side of his muzzle in long waves, with a shock of cream highlighting his bangs. His black and white fur otherwise was all natural, and he'd chosen an outfit to match: Black leather trousers that gleamed with chrome studs, an open leather vest that showed off his torso, with silvery-grey silk lining the inside.It was a slightly more... daring... outfit than the print t-shirt and jeans the rabbit would usually have picked, especially with the leather cuffs around his wrists.

Quin had insisted that a host for this sort of club had to stand out, and so Eccitaze stood out. The clang of feet on the metal walksways made the bun look up and he grinned as he saw Quinten coming down the stairs. The hare looked amazing, Eccitase felt his muzzle hang open as he drank in the sight of his friend as he descended.

He was wearing a pair of overalls. The legs had been cut off and the arms were wrapped around his waist, showing off his sleekly muscled frame. His fur was dyed a pale, pastel shade of blue, patches of white giving him the appearance of clouds in the morning sky. In contrast, his dreadlocks gleamed like oiled metal, glistening and swaying in a variety of colours--black, silver, grey and purple. As usual, no trace of Quin's natural fur colour remained and yet it didn't look artificial in the slightest. If Taze hadn't known the other hare for years, he'd have sworn that Quin had been born with those colours.

He paused at the bottom of the steps and sauntered over to Eccitaze, a bright smile lighting up his muzzle as he leaned in to kiss the bun gently on the cheek, "Looking good, Taze," he murmured."We all ready for opening night?"

"Yeah... except..." the rabbit waved a hand at the pillar, "The pillar still isn't ready. Your friend Flinty arrived earlier with a bunch of barrels and vanished with them into the attic, but nothing has happened since."

"Oh, he's just waiting for me," Quin demurred, "But I wanted to bring Kyy down here first and introduce him."

Eccitaze turned and smiled at the... feline...? in a long trench coat who had entered behind Quin. His muzzle and ears looked feline but for the life of him the rabbit couldn't pin down Kyyano's species. His head had been dyed a luminous shade of navy blue like the night sky, and his silver hair gleamed, reflecting the bright lights of the club's many spotlights.

He smiled at the rabbit and held out a hand, "Hi, I'm Kyyano. I hope you don't mind me crashing the club early, but Quin wanted to show meeeEEEE--"

The cat was cut off as Quin pulled his coat off his shoulders and Eccitase took a step back to admire what was revealed. like Quin's, his whole body had been painted a gorgeous navy blue, his spots glittering silver and white like his hair, giving the impression of stars in the night sky that had stepped down onto Earth in the splendour of a cheetah. Even the usually dark tip of his tail was a gleaming silver to accentuate his design.

Kyy also appeared to be completely nude at first glance, until the rabbit realised he was wearing a pair of speedos That had been coloured to match his body. The tight lycra clung to his package and allowed him to move around with just his fur on display whilst keeping him barely decent.

"I can see why he wanted to show you off," Eccitaze grinned, "You look fantastic... are you here to dance for us on stage?"

"Well... I... don't mind people looking at me but dancing... but Im not really a..."

Quinten clapped a hand on Kyy's shoulder and grinned, "Of course he's here to dance on stage. I want to show him off to everyone, his design came out amazingly well."

"I... well... maybe if you're dancing with me, too," Kyy mumbled, the blush invisible under his fur but obvious in his posture. Eccitaze took pity on the poor cheetah, and tugged him over toward the bar.

"Let's get a drink and we can come up with a plan, you can come on stage with me," he shot Quin a look and grinned, "As for you, grunge buns, go up there and get that pillar working or we'll be in the red before we sell a single drink!"

"I'm going, I'm going. Just try not to pull Kyy's speedo off and break him before I get back," the hare laughed all the way up the staircase, vanishing through the staff door as Kyy gawked at the rabbit.

Shaking his head, Eccitaze smiled at the night sky cheetah. "Come along, let's get that drink and you can tell me all about yourself... and how Quin convinced you to let him dye you like that. It's a gorgeous look, I have to say."

Kyy relaxed a bit and followed the rabbit over toward the bar, a dopey smile on his muzzle as he ran a hand through his silvery hair, "Well, you see... it all started when I heard about this cliff walk you could do..."

-0-

Wiping his brow, Flinty leant against the last barrel and looked around the small attic room. When Quinten had promised to get him into the new club if he helped out with a job he had not expected this. Sighing, the blue and white fox started hunting around for the tank hatch Quin had told him would be up here.

He'd just found the large metallic hatch when a voice called up from below. Turning the fox waited and was rewarded as Quin climbed up the ladder into the loft space. The grunge coloured bun smiled warmly and pulled himself the rest of the way into the loft space.

"About damn time you showed up," Flinty groused, a smile on his face belying the harsh words. "You didn't say I'd have to lug these all the way up the outside of the warehouse to the attic on my own!"

"Sorry, sorry..." Quin sauntered over and knelt down and with an easy twist of his hand unlocked the hatch and pulled it open, "It took longer then expected to get down here."

"Well, you're here now, at least," Flinty smiled, "So help me pour these in? What is this stuff, anyway?"

"It's ink, a special kind designed to react to sound and light," Quin levered the lid off one of the barrels revealing the thick, dark silver liquid filling it, "It's for the club's centrepiece."

"Cool," Flinty peered in at the thick, goopy material then turned back to the floor hatch and knelt down to peer into the tank below the floor, "So... we just pour it in here, and that's it??"

"Something like that," Quinten said airily, "But it's missing one final secret ingredient..."

"Oh, what's that?" Flinty leaned down, practically sticking his head into the hatch, as Quin came up behind him. Suddenly, Flinty felt a heavy rabbit's foot pressing into his back, squeaking in alarm"Wait, wha--"

The fox was cut off as Quinten kicked him into the hatch, the impact against the tank's metal floor stealing his breath away. Rolling over, Flinty tried to clamber out of the tank, but the inner walls were slippery with a coating of slick oil. The fox found himself slipping and sliding in all directions, falling over and unable to find his footing in purchase on the smooth walls of the tank.

"Quinten, stop it!" Flinty shouted in panic. "This isn't funny, it's an awful... NO!!!"

The fox screamed in alarm as Quinten wordlessly pushed first barrel of thick silver liquid into place. The thick liquid gushed in, splattering over the fox, soaking his clothes and fur, oozing in heavy rivulets down his arms and through his hair, clinging to his face and ears. It was heavy and thick, and the poor fox found himself lost in the torrent of liquid silver continuing to pour down atop him.

He struggled to stay upright, but every time he found his footing another wave of silver poured down on top of him, sending him sprawling back onto the tank's floor, the liquid pulling him down, dragging at his tail, sliding through the fur of his arms and legs. The torrent paused for a moment, then Flinty heard a loud clang, and then another bang of metal on metal as Quinten attached a second barrel to the tank, and another torrent of thick silver ink splashed down over Flinty's head.

The heavy liquid had pulled him down to the bottom of the tank, exhausting the fox and him. The level was up to his waist and continuing to rise, and as the second barrel petered out it was nearly up to his armpits. The fox squeaked and tried to shout out, but the third barrel started pouring down directly onto his head, directly into his mouth.Spitting and coughing as the third barrel filled the tank the rest of the way, the fox struggled to stay afloat as the liquid oozed over his head.

With a sickening, final CLANG the hatch slammed shut, leaving the fox struggling in the dark to find a pocket of air. Panicking, starting to squirm from the need to breath, Flinty let out a burbling squeal that was more of a "blorp" as his body gave in to its demand to breathe, swallowing a lung full of silvery ink. As his lungs burned from the invading liquid coating his internals, he felt his clothing and fur contracting, his world going dark as the liquid covering him wormed its way into his body.!

Riding a wave of terror, and fear, the fox felt his body shutting down, the burning spreading through his entire body. As he faded, he felt himself oddly coming undone, his fear slowly diminishing even as his body dissolved into the liquid... His awareness spread through the whole tank, becoming vaguely aware of the walls of the tank constricting him, pressing against his body. He spread out, exploring the tank, dimly registering smooth metal walls and the silence. It was growing harder to think, harder to focus, harder to remember his name. Flinty was suspended throughout the thick silver ink, but deprived of all sensation he was starting to grow lethargic. It was as if the oddly peaceful darkness drained his terror and fear, leaving him waiting for... something. What it was, he couldn't tell, but without any stimuli he was left sinking into a quiet somnolence.

Flinty wasn't sure how long he waited, before slowly, distantly at first, but with growing strength, the sensation of sound started to intrude upon his world. Suddenly, the bottom of the tank opened and Flinty could feel the vibration of the sound, taste the light as it was rocked in from below. Eagerly, without any thought more complex than a simple animal need to be near the music and light, Flinty allowed himself to ooze down through the opening and into the long glass tube below.

His world transitioned from tranquility and darkness into light and sound, the vibrations of the music tingling pleasantly against his body. Outside the tub, people the size of his baby sister's dolls danced to the music, swaying and shouting and talking. Flinty gave it no more thought than he gave his sister's dolls. All he cared about was the music, and he flooded down to fill the tube, stretching his long, viscous body into a spiralling twist. Stretching from the hatch from his tank all the way down to the floor, he span his body and let it pulse in time to the music.

The lights flashed, the music drummed, and he started to move in time to the beat. His body oozed down across the base of his tank, sliding up the glass walls, bubbling, oozing, twisting. As he pulsed and oscillated in time with the music, a mighty cheer rose from the crowd as he rose out of the silver fluid, pulling the ink in around himself to form limbs, a head, flowing silver hair! Without thought or pause, he started to move, joy filling his very being as he danced! He was on display, sliding up and down, grinding and twisting and dancing! He was the music, he was the heat of the lights, he was the roar of the crowd!

He saw the movements of the grey and black hare and the starlit cat on the stage. They too were dancing, grooving, and swaying in time to the music, and Flinty eagerly joined them in their dance! He picked another species from the crowd to twist his form and shape into, revelling in how his new form left him completely free of limitations, copying them all as he danced! Everyone was unique and as they pressed up close to the tube he condensed himself, forming a copy of each fur in the crowd that spiraled up through the slick silver of his body! This is what he existed for: to dance, to show off, to be one with the flow and the tune. It was truly everything he wanted to be! His soul soared as he lost himself in the beat. He didn't want the music to stop, he was here to dance, to show off, to mimic and play.

He quickly forgot his old life and what he had been before he had been kicked into that tank. It was of no matter any more, a pointless waste of effort compared to the bliss of his dance. Only the music and lights had any purpose to him. Grooving, twisting to the music, debasing himself, coiling, splashing, stretching his body from shape to shape to flowing liquid!

-0-

Stepping off the stage, Kyy grabbed the bottle of water proffered by one of Quin's friends and promptly emptied it over his head. Cold water soaked through his hair and down his chest, sending shivers of bliss down his spine. Quin had been a right devil, keeping them up on stage dancing for the crowd for nearly an hour.

Kyy's chest heaved, his thighs and calves burned with fatigue, and he felt ready to collapse. Glancing back at the stage, he saw Quin strutting back and forth to the cheers of the crowd. The raccoon who'd given him the bottle looped one arm with Kyy's and drew him away toward the stairs.

"I think you've earned a break," he shouted over the music, "Quin will be a while yet, he's like a bloody machine up there."

Kyy nodded and followed the grey and black raccoon down to one of the booth tables, where an equally tired Eccitaze sat with a group of people Kyy had never seen before. With a groan of relief, Kyy sat down on an empty bench with a thump and pulled his legs up onto the bench, massaging his calves to ease the burning. Smiling warmly at the crowd, he turned to the rabbit. "How did I do?"

"You were fuckin' bonkers out there, Kyy," Eccitaze said with a grin. The bun slid another bottle of water over to the cheetah, and Kyy gratefully accepted it with a long swig. "The crowd loved you, mate. Quin did an amazing number on that starscape design of yours, nobody could keep their eyes off you."

"Yeah," the raccoon said with a smile. "He must really like you to give you the full works like that." he held out a hand, "I'm Shiro by the way, it's good to meet you."

"Likewise," Kyy shook the hand and looked at the others, "Have I... met you all before?"

"Oh, not yet," the purple rabbit with a horn standing proud out of his forehead said with a grin, "We're friends of Quin's. I'm Nido, and this is Inger."

The white labrador with a gorgeous rainbow hairdo sitting next to the horned rabbit smiled and raised his drink in greeting. Kyy smiled and slumped lower in his chair, "Lovely to meet you all. Man this is some night."

"Oh, it's only just beginning," Shiro chimed in. "It'll probably go on f--" Shiro dropped off his sentence as he frowned and glanced toward one wall. Kyy looked up in confusion as Nido and Inger also turned to look in the same direction, alarm spreading over their faces.

"What?" Kyy struggled to sit up as all three of them suddenly raced for the stairs without a word. "What... was that about?"

"Leave them to it," Eccitaze suddenly snapped, sipping from his drink and watching the cheetah intently. "Trust me, cat. You know what they say about curiosity and your species. Quin may be my friend, but I know better than to get too involved in his... eccentricities. Those three didn't heed my advice, and they're probably worse off for it in the long run."

Kyy opened his mouth to say he wasn't going anywhere, but then he saw Quin jump off the stage. With a wave at the crowd and a florid bow, the hare leapt toward the stairs after his friends, clearing the entire crowd in a single leap. Kyy stood up, ignoring the ache in his bones and started after him. Eccitaze called out to him one last time, but Kyy ignored the rabbit and hurried after Quin, his legs pumping as he pushed his way through the crowd. Something serious was up for Quin to leave like this in the middle of the Halloween party, and Kyy knew it could only be something involving the forest.

Racing up the stairs two at a time, the cheetah followed the hare and his friends outside, determined to be a part of it and pay his respects properly for all the friendship Quinten had given him over the last few weeks. If something was truly threatening the hare's forest, Kyy couldn't just sit idly by!