FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Soundless and dead, Xio's retro alarm clock sat unplugged next to the wolf's bed. The late morning sun glowed warmly against the thick, red blackout curtains stretched across the only window in Xio's bedroom. The wolf in question laid on his front, his head burrowed in the soft confines of his feather pillow. A particularly loud crow croaked right near the single-glazed window and Xio groaned softly, shifting his petite body to lay on his side, bunched up in a curled position under his covers.

Ugh, Monday... And I still feel like crap. I wonder if... One of his paws leaned towards the nightstand and grabbed the ancient Nokia next to the alarm clock. "1 New Message" read the black-and-green retro screen. Xio's face lit up, and his body zipped up; he never ever received texts! Mashing the phone buttons to read the text.

~Oscar [00:14]: hey, its oscar! havent texted someone in yeeeears haha hope ur ok, seemed a bit awkward earlier.

Xio observed it was sent just after midnight last night. Must be a night owl... I wonder if he has a bedtime like me? He worked his paw digits as quickly as he could to text back.

~Xio [11:03]: Hey Oscar! Yeah sorry about yesterday, I found it awkward too, wanna meet up sometime?

A paw digit hovered over the "Send" button, but he hesitated, and sighed to himself. Won't I be coming off as desperate asking to meet straight away? He pondered this thought, debating it in his head for a minute. His paw was shaking slightly at the nervousness and indecision in his head, his paw clicking the "Send" button, and immediately his body started shaking.

I'm such a moron. He's going to think I'm desperate, he'll never want to meet up. Xio gripped his phone tightly, eyeing the notification bar, waiting for a reply but none came in the ten minutes that he'd waited. He grumbled to himself, frustrated. You've really done it now, haven't you? He's just going to ignore you for the rest of your life. You failed.

The words in his head struck a chord with him as the sensation of gut-kicking commenced inside of him, and this deepened when he noticed the time. "11AM?!" he hissed to himself. He stumbled out of his bed, shoving the phone into his plaid PJ pocket as he rushed downstairs, angling himself to jump into the living room. As he neared the bottom of the stairs he steeled himself. "Mum I'm really sorry I was just rea-oh..."

Expecting a scowling mother on the sofa, instead on the sofa sat no one. He then noticed a ripped, folded piece of paper taped on the inside of the wooden front door. He curiously padded forward, tugging the lined parchment from the door, unfolding it and reading it. Definitely from mum, he deducted, observing the aggressively cursive writing. It read: "Out restocking paper and food, won't be back until 5PM. Don't worry about your lay in - we have a lot to discuss. Mum xx"

Xio breathed a sigh of relief as he read the note. Least I won't be in trouble for that... He set the note on a sofa cushion, when a very unfamiliar vibrating sensation surged in a bzzzt bzzzt in his right pocket. He scrambled to pull the phone out, unlocking it before reading the message before him.

~Oscar [11:07]: yeah we can meet up, im actually free all week cause im between jobs atm.. just hmu or ring me.

Xio froze, staring at the screen in bemusement. He wants to meet up? But... but he's met me! Between jobs huh? I've never worked... I never asked how old he is... So many thoughts and feelings swirled in Xio's mind, but the overall feelings were a combination of joy, ecstasy and excitement. He rapidly punched in the next message to send.

~Xio [11:08]: I'm actually free today now if you are, and my parents are away for the day.

His heart pounded loudly and heavily in his chest. Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Xio was bewildered at why all of a sudden it felt like he was going to throw his entire chest up, the adrenaline shooting through his veins like angry hornets buzzing around his body.

He was torn; the excitement of seeing Oscar today sent shivers up his spine that he'd never felt before; he would actually be bonding with a friend, in his own home! On the other paw, he knew he definitely wasn't allowed to invite anyone here without explicit permission, and it could land him in trouble. Still, he knew he had at least 5 hours to play with, and the prospect of finally hanging out with his first potential friend got the better of him; he sent the text.

The following hour was a blur to Xio. He wharfed a bowl of hastily-made porridge down his throat to simply fill his stomach, like petrol in a fuel tank, and worked quickly to clean up the kitchen. The house is a mess! Worried Xio as he rushed around, trying to perform 3 cleaning tasks all at once in a panicked frenzy, his mind overflowing with anxiety and apprehension.

He hasn't even responded to your text yet, who's to say he is actually coming? Came the mischievous devil in Xio's brain, that he promptly imagined being swatted away. He slaved over cleaning not only the kitchen but also the dining room; the house was actually reasonably clean. Clana never let anything fester and always strived to keep on top of the cleaning duties, but Xio cleaned anyway, wanting to make a positive, lasting impression on the guest he didn't even know was coming yet. He wiped down the surfaces, feather-dusted the books and even pulled the heavy hoover out, vacuuming the old decked floors running through the house.

Xio's pocket vibrated again and this time the message read:

~Oscar [11:58]: ill leave in a bit not got anything else, be there in 10

Xio noticed there must've been a delay in the message being received, as the timestamp read 10 minutes ago. "Crap, he must be nearly here!" Exclaimed the wolf to himself, rushing to wheel the hoover back into the rickety cupboard-under-the-stairs. Just then, a gentle, three-tap knock sounded on the wooden door. Xio sprung forward to the front door and hesitated there for a moment, frozen on the spot as time seemed to slow down from Xio's perspective. His heart pounded heavily in his chest as the anxious, adrenaline gut-wrenching feeling surged through his entire body again. This is it...

The door swung open just as Oscar was about to knock again, retreating his paw. Xio looked plainly at the cat, his eyes hungrily absorbing every detail about him. Oscar wore loose-fitting, navy trackstyle-type shorts that sat just above his knees, and a well fitting branded navy t-shirt to match. On the top of his head rested a dark green baseball cap, from which his 2 ears jutted out of their allocated spaces. A sleek, thin band watch rested on his left wrist, and a telltale bulge in the cat's right pocket showed off his smartphone.

"Hey Xio, I parked my bicycle against the wall in your front garden, is that okay?" Asked the cat, who looked a tad concerned.

Xio smiled and nodded in response. "That's totally fine! Please come in!" He gestured, standing aside to let Oscar inside.

The cat slinked in, ducking his head as he faced the low ceiling. His sleek, lanky tail wiggled about as he absorbed the foreign surroundings around him, and his nose wiggled, sniffing out the house's unique scent.

"Wow, it's really cosy in here isn't it?" He remarked, his voice upbeat. He grinned and parked his bottom on the soft, fabric sofa, eyeing up the television sitting on the opposite of the room.

Xio's heart thumped heavily in his chest and the same jittery feeling encompassed his senses as he nervously sat next to the cat; unsure of what to say, or how to respond, afraid of making a single wrong move. Xio seemed to gaze in the distance as he fought the flurry of thoughts and feelings swallowing him up, when a paw on his right arm pulled his attention back into the here and now.

"Xio? Are you okay? You seem really, really nervous," spoke Oscar, his voice soft with concern and even his face looked sympathetic. Xio's face reddened around his cheeks, feeling the soft touch and the sympathetic tone.

"I-i'm really sorry.. This is the first time I've had a friend over... Or a friend ever," he blurted, suddenly realising what he had just said. Now you've done it! There's no way he's staying now you've admitted that you're a sad loner!

Oscar was taken back by this fact. He sat in silence whilst he thought about it; it seemed to make sense now to the cat, and he offered a gentle smile to Xio. "Your first friend? I've got so much to learn about you and your family. It's really different to mine," he admitted, his tone twinged with concern towards the end. "I'm happy to be your first friend though. If it helps, you're the first friend I've made since I moved. I know it's not quite the same, but still.. I'm feeling a tad nervous too," he admitted, his tone calm and quiet.

Xio nodded rapidly, staying quiet for a moment, letting Oscar's words sink in. "So um, I'm new to this friend stuff. Do we just play games, or? I dunno how this works," admitted Xio with a shy giggle.

Oscar found the boy's mannerisms adorable, and found the boy endearing in general, his smile widening. He shrugged lightly at the question. "Yeah I guess! I have friends I play video games with, friends I play football with, friends I go to the movies with... My best friends I enjoy my time with no matter what we do, we just enjoy each other's company, you know?" His tail squirmed around softly in interest.

"So, what do you like to do?" Came the million dollar question that hit Xio like a truck. What do I like to do? The question circled around his mind like a circus act; he didn't know what to respond with, or even how to respond!

Oscar could tell that it was a difficult question for the boy, so he decided to provide some examples. "Like, I really like football. Or tennis. And I really like the movies, especially action packed ones! I love nature too, specifically plants, and nature walks. Oh, and lay ins on the weekend.. Maybe lay ins in general," giggled the cat.

This gave Xio the inspiration he needed. "Oh oh! I like nature too! I love being outside here, especially this time of year. I love the heat too, it's so nice," he exclaimed excitedly, just happy he was able to have this conversation with a friend. It felt so... casual, and loose, unlike anything with his parents!

The cat nodded in agreement, turning his body to face Xio's more. "Mmmm! It's so much nicer here than when I used to live... I've grown up and spent most of my life in Barking, and it's a shithole compared to here," blurted the boy.

Xio recoiled slightly at the curse word, his face scrunching up, which elicited a chuckle from Oscar. "Just how strict are your parents, dude? Are they mega religious too?" He asked, tilting his head, recalling what had happened the previous day at the forest.

Xio felt uncomfortable all of a sudden; being put on the spot like that, and he unconsciously squirmed, sitting on his paws. "Ummm... Mum's quite religious, Dad just goes along with it... and yeah, they are pretty strict, I guess... I dunno," he responded, his tone cautious and weary, looking at Oscar with suspicion.

The cat shrugged in response, seeing the discomfort in the wolf and deciding not to press further. Instead, he beamed at Xio, before asking: "C'mon, are you gonna show me the rest of the house?"

-

Xio's tour of the house finished in the wolf's bedroom. Oscar sniffed deeply and took in the wolf's innocent, earthy scent that occupied the room, amongst a few fainter scents.

"I-i don't usually have guests but you can have my beanbag!" The wolf stammered, pulling out a dusty-looking dark green beanbag from the corner of the room, rolling it across so that it sat opposite the TV. He pressed the on button on the PawStation 4 and waited as it loaded up.

"Are you sure? I don't mind sitting on a pillow on the floor," Oscar suggested, but Xio stubbornly shook his head, so Oscar slipped back onto the beanbag that squashed underneath his bum. Xio did take in Oscar's advice though, and pulled his pillow over next to the cat, sitting on it. The height difference between them was exaggerated by the pillow vs the beanbag.

"Do you like racing games?" Xio asked the cat, who shrugged and smiled.

"I can try, I've never played them really; I'm more into shooters."

Xio handed the cat the dusty 2nd controller which had a thick film of dust. Oscar blew away the dust to reveal a shiny controller, with buttons that looked brand new. The wolf loaded up the game and soon they were in an intense battle. Xio picked a small hatchback.

"I'll use a slower car, since I'm so good!" He gloated, feigning confidence as best as he could. Why are you being so fake right now? You're still nervous!

Oscar smirked slyly. "Sure, sure, and I'll pick a faster car. But you're probably right," conceded the cat, who shifted from side to side to fit in more comfortably as the bean bag rustled underneath him. Xio set up a set of races on three different courses of varying speeds and difficulty. On the faster tracks Xio had a hard time keeping up with Oscar's outright faster car, but on the technical course Oscar kept spinning out!

"Arrrgh you're so good at this!" Growled the cat playfully as he mashed the accelerator, but failed to keep up. After that stint, both boys were huffing and panting and working up a bit of a sweat, especially as the room warmed under the sun and the PawStation kicked out its heat.

Xio jumped up nimbly onto his feet. "I'll go get us some water! I'll be back soon."

As Xio retrieved them both some water, Oscar took about quietly exploring the rather bare room. He peeked under the bed but only found spare laundry in storage tubs. Disappointed, he opened Xio's wardrobe, to find a wide range of colourful t-shirts that looked more akin to what a child would wear hanging up neatly; impressively, the clothes in the wardrobe were in colour order.

Just at that moment Xio nudged open the door with his footpaw, with cups of water occupying both forepaws. Oscar sneakily and quickly sat back onto the beanbag, leaving the wardrobe doors open. Xio smiled and handed the tabby his water, and glugged his own in a fell swoop. Oscar lapped at the water for a bit, enjoying the cool water.

"Umm.. why is my wardrobe open?" Xio asked, frowning and mooching over to inspect it, worried that something had been taken.

Oscar blushed a bit. "I was just looking at what kind of clothes you have. You can read a person based on their wardrobe," Oscar explained with a sheepish smile. Xio glanced nervously at Oscar for a moment, but relaxed a little after the explanation, sitting on the edge of his bed.

An awkward silence circled the room for a few seconds before Oscar spoke. "I know a game or two we could play, and it'll help us learn about each other, and help us be better friends. Do you drink alcohol?" Oscar asked with a grin.

Xio blushed and suddenly felt like he was put on the spot, his cheeks and eartips burning red. "U-uhm, sometimes? I-I don't have any uh, left, though..." He fidgeted around with his paws nervously. Liar! Why would you lie to him? You're such a wuss! You're going to get caught out...

Oscar wasn't sure what to think, but took Xio's words at face value. "Alright, shame; I've got plenty at my place. Maybe next time! But I do have a game we can play without alcohol and that's truth or dare," smiled Oscar, "you wanna go first?" He offered, assuming Xio would understand and know the rules of the very common game.

Xio, however, didn't. He found it very difficult to muster up the courage to say anything, but eventually admitted meekly that he didn't know how to play. Oscar chuckled a little, noticing the fumbling before him.

"Oh yeah! I forget you've lived under a rock," he joked. "It's simple. We each take it in turns to ask the other to choose to be dared to do something of the other person's choice, OR to admit a truth of the other person's choice. Real simple. So go ahead! Ask away!" Oscar folded his arms confidently, toothily grinned at Xio.

Xio raised an eyebrow before asking "Uhh, truth or dare?"

"Truth. Ask me anything."

Xio paused for a bit, racking his brain of a question to ask him. Several questions he really didn't want to ask flooded his brain. Why are you so cute? How do you have such a pristine fur coat? Ugh... why can't I think of a normal question?

"Oh oh! How old are you?" He asked, beaming up at Oscar, wagging excitedly; happy he didn't ask anything embarrassing! He had no idea why he had questions like those swirling in his mind. Not only that, but the gut-dropping feeling returned as he felt more anxious than usual.

Oscar smirked. "That's easy; I'm 19 and three months. Okay, truth or dare, wolf boy?" Wiggled Oscar, sitting up straight.

Following Oscar's lead, he blurted "Truth!" His ears twitched and his paws fidgeted as he contemplated what Oscar would ask.

Oscar chuckled a bit. "Well, I gotta ask. How old are you?"

Oscar's bright yellow eyes stared in anticipation at the wolf, who's ears wilted just slightly at the lack of excitement from the bounce back question. I guess it's still a good question...

"I'm 17, but in 2 days I turn 18," he explained with a wag and a smile. Oscar raised an eyebrow; the wolf certainly didn't look nor act 18, but wondered if that was to do with his shelteredness. I mean, even his physical form was tiny for a wolf! He smiled, seeing no reason to disbelieve the wolf.

"Okay, your turn." Xio wagged, his cheeks blushing a little as he asked: "Truth or dare, kitty?" His voice reduced to meek mumbles at the last part.

Oscar smirked a bit at the boy's feeble attempt at teasing. "Truth," came with the same confident tone from the cat, folding his arms bossily.

Xio's response was immediate: "Do you like girls?" The words rushed out of his mouth and almost collapsed into each other and he gasped, placing both paws over his muzzle, his eyes widening into saucers. What kind of question is that? Personal, much?

Oscar winked at the wolf, thoroughly enjoying the embarrassed spectacle that Xio displayed.

"I... I do like girls, yeah," mumbled Oscar flatly, his own ears collapsing as he looked away briefly, his amused expression dropping down as his tail fell, and his eyes softened.

He's into girls??? Why does that answer upset me... and why is he looking so upset? Xio's eyebrows raised and he tentatively reached out a paw to brush against Oscar's.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I'm so stupid for asking something so weird..." he muttered, looking down and collapsing his shoulders, a faint whine emanating from his throat. Oscar glanced back at Xio, feeling the wolf's warm, gentle paw pads warmly glow against his wrist.

Oscar immediately raised his eyebrows in return, his own wrist flinching a bit, but not moving away. "No no, you didn't upset me I promise. I just.... It's a long story and I want to tell you, but..." He paused and sighed solemnly, looking away with his whiskers tucking in. He retreated his paw. "Maybe we should do something else," he murmured, avoiding eye contact with the wolf.

Upon hearing those words, Xio began tearing up, droplets welling into his eyes. Now you really have done it. Look how uncomfortable you've made him! Wow, are you seriously crying? What a crybaby. You're no good for anything.

He sniffled loudly and hid his face with an arm reflexively which Oscar mewled audibly at.

"Xio? Are you oka-" he began, cut off promptly by the wolf launching himself off of the sofa and sprinting through the house, all the way to the end until he found himself locked in the bathroom, the house vibrating slightly with the slam. He gasped for breath as finally the floodgates opened and he sobbed loudly, still hiding his face inside his arms. His legs collapsed and he laid there on the floor, rocking back and forth, tears streaming down his face.

The one chance you had to make a friend and you just had to fuck it up, proving you're a little crybaby kid to the 19 year old. Grow up. The thoughts circled his mind like a never ending carnival circus. He just wanted to shut them out, but they kept coming.

A knock on the door rang through his ears, followed by the familiar voice of Oscar. "Hey Xio, are you okay? It sounds like you're really upset... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do anything," came a whimpered voice from behind the door.

Xio sniffled and slowly sat up, onto his knees, and finally onto his jelly-like legs. He gulped. I can do this... I can be a friend, came a different voice in Xio's head; a rare voice that popped up every now and again. He wasn't sure why, but his gut feeling told him to show Oscar his tears; to trust him. It felt scary though, to risk it all with his new and only friend.

His paw shook vividly as he latched the lock open and nudged the door, facing a face painted with distress; his eyebrows high, and his body took on a tense form.

"I-I'm sorry... I'm a wimp..." came the meek, sloppy voice of the wolf, who blinked rapidly and rubbed his eyes. Oscar launched forward and enveloped Xio's body inside of his own, his fluffy arms wrapping around Xio's lithe body snugly. Xio flinched and tensed up, confused and dazed about what was happening; his prefrontal cortex was exhausted so his instincts took over and embraced the warm, comfortable feeling that overwhelmed him. Am I being hugged? By him? This is weird... but it feels... nice?

Without consciously realising it Xio's skinny arms reciprocated, awkwardly wrapping themselves around Oscar's upper half and found himself murring deeply at the comforting gesture; a deep vibration resonating inside of his throat and stomach. His body relaxed and untensed in Oscar's arms and his previously thunderous muzzle curved upward into a content smile.

Xio wasn't sure how long had passed; it felt like millennia in this strange but pleasant situation. Oscar gently patted his paw atop of Xio's fluffy, grey headfur that bounced under each pat, and Xio jolted a bit, unlatching his arms as the thinking part of his brain re-engaged. A soft sigh escaped Xio's muzzle as his eyes half-lidded and his body rested slackly in front of the kitty, who smiled a little bit.

"C'mon Xio, you look exhausted," remarked the cat, who finally caught the attention of the wolf who nodded. Oscar reached out to take Xio's wrist, grabbing it.

He led the way through the house and back to the front room, his head ducking down and crouching, releasing Xio's paw before collapsing onto the sofa. Xio followed suit, feeling the boy's soft, gentle paw guide him, sitting merely an inch away from the cat.

"So umm.. I've never really been touchy or affectionate with a friend before... not even my girlfriend," admitted Oscar, who's ears wilted. These words circled around Xio's tired brain. Wait, he has a girlfriend?

Xio turned his head to face Oscar's, and gingerly rested his paw on Oscar's.

"I-is it okay if we are affectionate? I-i mean, you have a girlfriend... but you hugged me?" He squeaked, confusion swirling in his head and voice. I don't understand. I hope this is okay...

Oscar let out a long, low sigh, his ears splaying back. It looked like he was about to say something, opening his muzzle, but it closed. His eyes seemed to dart everywhere except for Xio's eyes and his whole body seemed to tense up. Tears began to well up as he looked away from Xio, his whole body tensing up. "I gotta go... I'm sorry!"

It all happened so quickly. In a flash, Oscar had vanished, taking his bicycle with him. Xio blubbed and tears stained his cheeks as he sat absolutely frozen in place on the sofa. Look how much you royally fucked this up. You made him cry with your weird antics. Why can't you just be normal and get a girlfriend, like other people? The words tore at Xio as he curled up into a ball, his tail tucking inside of his legs, sniffling and sobbing. This is the worst day of my life, he thought, feeling paralyzed and lost.