FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

John was more surprised than most when his friend jumped up and down as he beelined to the beach. I might be the only black guy on the beach, but I shouldn't have been that easy to spot.

Isaac wore a turquoise Hawaiian shirt that he buttoned up the wrong way. Considering that I couldn't see the shirt's patterns, the buttons had to be thoroughly messed up to be noticeable this far away.

"John, John, John, you're not going to believe this." There was so much excitement in him that I thought he'd explode. Sadly, and as expected, he didn't, not literally.

"Go on, tell me," I asked, applying more sunscreen. I was under an umbrella and on a beach chair with melanistic skin. I should be safe, but I couldn't be too sure on the beaches of Australia.

"Werewolf!" Isaac blurted out, raising his arms up and out like a starfish pose.

I looked at him, then around to the other beach residents. I didn't see anything but tourists and locals dressed in summer blues, blacks, greens, and pinks, enjoying the frothy ocean and the mist that broke from the waves.

"What about them?" I asked, trying to figure out the context from no information.

"Werewolf! I have one!"

"You have a werewolf? As in, the two, maybe three-meter-tall skulkers that howl on the full moon?"

"Yes!" He jumped excitedly in a tight circle, voice raising a pitch as he said, "She asked me out, so I said yes. She wanted to go to the beach, so I said yes!"

I waited for a moment, expecting more. Nothing more came out of Isaac's mouth. It was clearly evident that he didn't bring one. "And so, where should I meet her?"

"I'll call her." He placed two fingers in his mouth, looking back to the land, and whistled with a shrill tone that made me jealous. He showed me a few times, but I couldn't do it.

I, and possibly many others, all watched up the little hill that separated the nearby parking and the beach, hinted only by tufts of grass, stone paths, and metal railings next to the disability access ramp. I would have laughed my ass off if the werewolf was in a wheelchair, rolling down and getting stuck in the sand.

My half-smile faded as I saw a large, black dog leap over the fence. It bounded to us, kicking up towers of sand as it grew in size. A muffled panic escalated, fighting against the wind and waves as nearby tourists ran to give it some space. I was paralyzed in surprise.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Isaac said as the dog skidded to a stop, her trail marks almost ten meters long. It panted, sitting in the shade, looking at me.

I heard something, a warble of woofs in my direction. I wanted to ask, politely, if it - if she - could repeat it. I blinked away the thought. There was no way it could have been speaking. Did Isaac say something? I looked at him.

He looked at me, expecting an answer of some kind. When I didn't know how to answer, he spoke. "When were you going to tell me you were a familiar?"

I blinked at him. "A familiar? Like the cats on broomsticks with witches?"

He looked at me, confused by my answer. "No, like the magi that walk the streets all over the world, bonded to an animal. Hang on, let me see."

Isaac pulled out a piece of paper and some pastel blue chalk. He scribbled some notes, then held up the paper so I saw the blank side.

"You're showing the wrong side," I tried to inform him despite him putting it closer and closer to me. The massive dog still panted by his side, taller than him, and curiously watched the paper.

"You okay if I pull off the illusion?"

"Yeah, sure, why not?" I said sarcastically.

To my utter surprise, he did. I felt the 'human' part of me pull off like a bedsheet in an amateur magician show. As it pulled off, everything changed. I saw motifs glowing on the paper and crawling down Isaac's arm, with a flopping suit held out.

The dog that sat taller than Isaac was actually crouching, a paw - was it a hand instead? It was to her chin in consideration. She spoke with a deep baritone timbre, "-be the case. Ah, there it is. He sees us. What a strange spell."

I waved my body, paws flailing in surprise as smells of the sea, the sand, and a large dog poured into my mind. I felt something kick in my mind, making me twist and turn, terrified out of my wits and feeling threatened.

"Woah, woah, John-"

I ran, sandy pelt letting me dash along the beaches. Some people yelled out 'dog' while others more accurately called out 'dingo'. They all stayed out of my way as I scampered across the sands.

I didn't win. I felt a shadow behind me, and the continuous thumps of something louder than my heartbeat pounded the dirt, and then my neck grew tight around me. I rose off the ground. My legs couldn't brace against the sand. I winged and whimpered.

"Got 'im... why's yer friend like this?" said the baritone voice.

She swung me around as the shadow held me, my paws dangling in the air. Isaac was jogging up, disordered shirt fluttering in the wind. "I honestly don't know. Are you okay, bud? Why were you hiding this? What's wrong?"

I whimpered and let a whiny howl come out of my mouth.

"John, are you okay?"

No. No, I was not