FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Editor's Note: Hey, y'all! I hope you like the story. It's still very much in progress, but I figured I wanted to share what I had down so far. Feel free to give any feedback or ideas that come to your mind while reading this.

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The train car stopped abruptly, its old brakes squealing and bringing a hundred tons of metal to a shuddering halt. This was Opal's cue to hop out of the comfortable bunk they'd been napping in for the past hour or so.

It had been an eventful week of travel, to say the least, but this newly matriculated student had finally made it. And even better, with all their luggage at paw.

Yawning, Opal stretched themselves out of bed, ducking to avoid the bunk abovehead.

Opal stepped onto the Plainsview train platform. They instantly noticed the difference in temperature. The air outside was warm and humid compared to the cool, dry air inside the train. It was a typical weather for this college town in the Midwest, but one which Opal was entirely unaccustomed to and unsuited for.

'I really need a grooming', Opal decided right then and there. Thick fur simply wasn't conducive to existence, let alone enjoyment, in this muggy environment, and the big cat had let this detail slip their mind in the rush to get packed, ready, and moved in time for the fall semester.

Passengers rushed to get their things when the train's baggage area opened, each with their own urgent tasks. Once the crowd had thinned enough for easy access, Opal was able to gather the couple bags they'd checked in, and finish up their own deboarding.

Fortunately, it was easy to find the bus bay at the Plainsview transportation complex. There were many signs pointing in all directions, to all places. Beside the bus bay, there was a ticket window painted emerald green and gold. A sign above it read "Plainsview Academy for the Magickal Arts". Below that, a smaller line mentioned the office's connection to the university shuttle service. The ornate wooden design stood out among the rest of the transportation complex's modern structures, all metal and polymers.

There was always money coming into Plainsview for new projects, particularly in infrastructure and corporate sponsorships. PAMA, an old, established university, often preferred tradition over keeping up with new advancements. This sign was simply one small example of this modus operandi amongst the rest of the university's operations.

Working the ticket window was a tired-looking raccoon, dressed in light business attire. Opal approached the counter and had to bend down to meet the employee's eyes. Travis, his nametag read.

The raccoon glanced at his papers, raised an eyebrow, then coughed briefly. "Oh, hi there. How can I help you today, ma'am?"

Ma'am. The title felt uncomfortable, it felt wrong. And not just because in a T-shirt and jean shorts, Opal felt horribly unsuited for the formal honorific.

Opal brushed that feeling off.

"Hey, Travis. I have a shuttle reservation for..."

Opal checked the papers they'd been holding.

"1 this afternoon. The name should be under Opal."

Travis nodded, clicking away at the computer terminal in front of him, checking his own manifests. "What's the last name for the reservation?"

"No last name.", Opal replied, matter-of-factly.

Travis' face conveyed a confused response to this statement. "Really? No last name?"

Opal shrugged, not finding the need to explain.

Travis didn't say anything else as he finished pulling up the reservation details.

"Opal. Snow Leopard/Sabertooth Tiger Mix. Class E Seating. 1 carry-on, 2 checked. Coming from..."

The raccoon paused for a moment, unsure if what he was reading was right.

"Antarctica - Central Research Base? Gods, that must have been a hellish itinerary, huh?"

The big cat smiled tiredly. "You have no idea. I'm sure you can see the whole thing on your screen."

"Yeah, everything from the cold-weather rover to the final train.", Travis said as he continued his typing. "I'll need your passport, enrollment documents, and proof of financial assets. After that, I'll be able to put your student visa in your passport, and the shuttle will be here in an hour or so."

Opal nodded and handed over their documents. The relevant documents were in a striped paper folder, which included their white Antarctican citizen's passport.

Travis looked at the travel document with incredulity. He even checked a thick passport reference book to confirm it was real. He eventually reached a page that described and showcased designs for an Antarctic passport.

"Wow, no kidding. I didn't even know they classified Antarctica as a sovereign entity."

"Sure is!", Opal replied.

It was, indeed, a country, if only technically.

"Only a few dozen in circulation.", Travis marveled.

"You know, I bet a passport like this would see for a lot on the collector's market." He would know, he had a few passports in his own collection. "And, uh, "Gender: X"?", he said, pointing to the designation on Opal's passport.

"Non-binary. You know, not male or female.", Opal stated simply in way of explanation.

"Ah.", Travis muttered, clearly not understanding. But seeing as how it was a valid option on his screen, he continued with the customs and immigration process.

(Writer's Note: I like the idea of someone being completely supportive of all LGBTQ+ variants as long as they're properly listed within the customs and immigration process software that they're using. It's pretty funny. "I don't give a shit whether you're male, female, non-binary, or a fucking cupcake, I just need your date of birth and travel itinerary."

"Well, looks like everything's in order. I have to say, your file is one of the more interesting ones I've come across."

The procyonid bureaucrat was about to hand Opal's papers back to the sabersnep, then stopped and turned around. Travis opened the bottom shelf of one of the office's filing cabinets.

Travis placed a can of apple-flavored energy drink next to Opal's papers. The can was branded under the name "Sweet Lightning".

"Take this. You seem like you need it more than I do."Opal nodded and smiled, thanking him gratefully. They weren't sure whether the can of apple drink would actually help much, Opal having such a high caffeine tolerance at this point. But, nonetheless, it was a nice gesture.

---

Opal sipped a beer and anxiously fiddled with their passport, waiting for the university shuttle in a café.

They really had come a long way to be here, just as Travis had said. Opal's passport, which Travis had examined with great curiosity, indicated that they were native to and had been raised in Antarctica.Opal often traveled with their father to other countries, and sometimes went by themselves. Sometimes for work, other times for pleasure, if they could swing it. However, Opal's view of the world has mostly revolved around that snowy tundra for 19 years.

Opal had finished both general and vocational schooling in Antarctica's tech school, but there weren't so many opportunities for further education.

Sure enough, the area was largely the domain of high-trained research scientists and support workers, with some creative types also having taken up residence. Most of the lot were international transplants, important but transient. The Scientocracy of Antarctica, as the country was officially named, hovered around an entire populace of just over 1,000 people, enough to support a small-scale social society.

However, Antarctica more accurately resembled a series of military outposts and stations than any village or town. This held true in both form and function.

Most people in Antarctica are foreign scientists, technicians, or support workers who stay for a few months or years at a time. The Antarctican government also had a small, permanent political structure of about ten people.

Opal was only a native Antarctican by virtue of the fact that before the age of 5, the sabersnep simply didn't exist on any official documentation. They'd been found by their soon-to-be adoptive father, Fågel, on a spectrothaumaturgical exploration mission, curled in a snow drift, bleeding slightly and knocked unconscious. Fågel, one of the politicians, adopted Opal. After a lengthy political process, he was given permission to grant them citizenship in Antarctica. He also fully integrated the young sabersnep into his research base.

Opal loved and appreciated their father, and the Antarctica they grew up in. However, it was isolating for an adolescent born into this life. It's not like there weren't other kids the sabersnep's age who went to school and formed meaningful relationships in Antarctica, but few shared the same badge of circumstance that Opal did.

Being of Antarctica, instead of being an accompaniment to whatever parent may have been contacted to work in the tundric research bases temporarily, Opal stood in rare circumstances. It could be emotionally isolating at times, but all in all, it was just a fact of life.

Opal had ambitions beyond large-scale maintenance operations in Antarctica forever.

Opal put their passport on the table. They absentmindedly called a small stone to their palm using Earth magic.

And so here they were, awaiting a shuttle to the premier magickal arts academy of the world.

Only around one in a hundred people had any magickal affinity, and Antarctica specifically was largely devoid of magick due to its geological composition. Opal needed formal training here to improve their magickal skills and advance further.

Coming to that decision, even if it may have seemed like a natural step to Opal, was one they had to consider seriously on whether or not they wished to pursue.

There were many factors the sabersnep had to consider before that final decision was finally made, but so Opal had.

The sabersnep felt good being in that position, with the ability to use their magickal talents, but felt nervous about the expectations.

It was a lot to live up to.

Opal was interrupted from their deep thoughts about life and advancement by a café worker wearing an apron. The ursine barista had a cross expression on her face.

Opal realized that by summoning the stone marble, they had taken material directly from the granite countertop. This created a big crack on the counter's surface.

The sabersnep sheepishly put the marble back into the granite, using magick to fix the countertop.

"Now that it's fixed, I don't have to pay for damages, right?" This kind of mistake had happened before, both the barista and the customer had seen it, done it. For similar reasons and experiences, Opal didn't trust the idea sitting down on any of the thinly-framed chairs the café provided for seating.

"No, I suppose not.", the bearista said, going back to her workstation at the cold bar.Opal looked out the window patiently, watching as the Plainsview Academy shuttle came into sight, rolling into one of the plaza's designated bus stops.

Throwing a few coins onto the countertop, besides a now-emptied beer mug, Opal made way to the shuttle.

The sabersnep took in the scent of freshly-cut grass wafting from the lawns of the bus bay, soaking in the summer atmosphere, excited for the beginning of a new chapter in the student's life.