FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

As usual, his thoughts cleared up in the morning.

Kevin sat up on the bed and gripped his head. His body felt stiff, but thankfully his head didn't hurt that much. He still felt rather nauseated, though, and he leant back on the headrest. He stared at nothing, waiting for his mind to catch up. He looked at the messy bed, then at the messy bedroom, then closed his eyes only to be greeted by his messy thoughts.

He opened his eyes again and looked at his bed. Ugh, he was still stress-shedding. Anthony told him about it last night, to which he just joked that he was still getting used to the colder winter here. In times like these, he missed Tom. They could comb each other's fur and talk about tea or something to take his mind off the stress.

Getting up, he shook his body to let the loose fur go and made an even bigger mess, then put a pair of pants on and went to the kitchen. He would take care of it later. It was 8 in the morning, which was rather surprising since he usually woke up much later after a night with someone. Right now, though, he just felt like going back to sleep. He drank a glass of water and ate a slice of pizza from the counter above the fridge, not caring that it was cold.

After that small breakfast, he sat down on the sofa and turned the television on. Finally grappling with his thoughts, he absent-mindedly plucked the fur from his tail. His mother was getting better and would be allowed to go home in a week. Maybe that was why he had been in a cheerful mood lately. Yesterday, he was keeping watch on her mother, joking and laughing and doing what he could to take the stress off his mother's mind. And when Cynthia was asleep, Kevin watched over her, leaving him time to think.

Last night, Anthony also texted him more details about that job opening after they fucked, so Kevin planned to go apply tomorrow since they said they needed more people urgently. The snow leopard told him that the pay was very good even though it was only a freelance job. He wanted to use the money for his mother's hospital fees, leaving enough for himself while Shaun paid for the household expenses.

On another note, he had also been texting with the Barrowisle folks almost every day. He was worried for Tom and Octo, so thankfully the grey wolf had pretty much been updating him about their condition as well as the city. He said things were calming down and he and Octo were getting better. Christmas was only three days away, and Tom said the winter festival would still be held.

With that, now he had to think about himself. Last night after he did it with Anthony, they were just talking easily and browsing Chirper when the snow leopard stumbled upon a stupid inspirational quote on Chirper which said, "You don't really want sex. You just want the physical validation that you're sexually desirable to replace the emotional rejection of being unlovable." Somehow, that one really stuck with him.

As usual, he just shoved the thinking to the back of his mind to enjoy the moment more. He joked about asking the snow leopard out. While the snow leopard was nice--for him at least--he said he didn't want to be involved in any relationship just yet.

Now, though, it came back to his mind. Did he really want sex because of that? Did he ever face rejection for being unlovable? Was he too much of an arsehole to have a stable relationship? His past relationships were... nothing special at best and problematic at worst, yet he didn't know whom to blame. Maybe it was him, maybe it was his partner. Thankfully, since the relationships weren't that deep, he could move on quickly.

With Octo, though... he wasn't sure. It seemed as if Octo was the first person he was trying to get a proper relationship with. Yet, he failed in his efforts. Kevin only chuckled sadly. If Vilkas were here, the husky might shove him away and say that he was a sad boy. That was true, though.

Now, he missed that stupid, handsome panther. He couldn't blame Octo if the panther didn't want to meet him again because he knew it was his fault, but really, at least they could stay friends or something. Fuck being weak; he missed the panther and wanted to cry in his hold.

A commercial on the television snapped him back. He shook his head, giving a low growl to clear his head. So many thoughts he had, he didn't even have a proper breakfast yet. He glanced at the clock, then at the calendar. Today was Sunday, so Shaun's night shift would be busy as usual on the weekends.

Oh yeah, where was Shaun? He should be here by now.

Right, the relationship between him and his brother was improving, and he was very glad about it. Shaun was still a wanker, but at least not as much as he used to be. They tolerated each other more and more, even to the point where they could just watch a funny show on the television and laugh together while sitting on the same sofa. That seemed trivial, but he had never done that with him since... well, as long as he remembered.

The door then opened and Shaun came inside. Kevin perked up and his tail started wagging. Just when he was thinking of him. "Oh, you're awake already. Here's breakfast."

Looking at the plastic package Shaun put on the table, Kevin's stomach started rumbling.

"Had fun last night?" His brother said as he took his coat off. Kevin opened the package meanwhile.

"Mrf."

"Threw the condom away?"

"Mrf."

"Good fag." Shaun said as he walked into the kitchen area, somehow sounding proud of him.

Kevin just rolled his eyes at that. He was used to being called fag by Shaun, and lately, the lighter-red wolf seemed to use that in a more friendly tone with him, sort of like a nickname. In his revenge, though, he called him straight more often, which Shaun usually just shrugged off.

Taking the plastic container out, his ears drooped. Aw, they had salad again. Sure, salads were tasty and all but eating too much of them wasn't healthy for them.

Looking at Shaun in the kitchen area, he noticed that his muscles were a bit less pronounced. He was sure his own muscles were the same, though, since they hadn't been eating meat that much and he only hit the gym twice since he came back. He wanted to train some more but he should save his money. He knew he still had some homemade equipment, but he wasn't feeling like it lately.

Good thing he still had his abs.

Opening the container, Kevin started eating. Not long after that, Shaun sat down on the other sofa and dug into his own food. "So, was that snep a good fuck?"

Kevin grunted an affirmation, then swallowed. "Yeah. Tight but eager as hell. Too bad he's not here for long."

"Which one of you was the man?"

He rolled his eyes. "We're both men, y'know."

"No, I meant... uhh... the one doing the fucking?"

"Oh." He chuckled. "Dumb straight. It's called topping. We both took turns topping each other."

Shaun smirked. "Knew it you're just one big horny slut."

"Tell me that when you stop getting angry when you don't fap for just one day."

They chuckled, then continued eating their breakfast. It might take a while for him to get back on his feet, but at least he had one less thing to worry about. Small steps, like Tom said, small steps mattered.

"But seriously, tell me when you're gonna fuck someone. I don't wanna be in the house."

He mrf'ed. "Too horny to care."

---

Hands in his pockets, Felipe stared at that alleyway.

It was closed to the public and police officers were guarding the entry points, but he could take a small peek inside through. It was deserted; it had been snowing and raining intermittently since that night so what remained of the evidence must have been washed away. He doubted there were any left anyway, maybe some pieces of clothing and some daggers and guns, but they would not be enough to track Red Wolf down.

As for tracking the mafia group down, no need for that since he was sure they coordinated with the police anyway. Lower ranks of the police, that was. This must be handled by the upper ranks, though, so he didn't know how this would be done.

Whether Red Wolf escaped or not, he didn't know. To be honest, he felt guilty.

"Hey, here's your coffee."

The bison sighed and looked away from the alleyways. In front of him were Noah and Evelyn, a cheetah and a badger whom he worked with in the summer festival. Somehow, they kept hanging out after the summer festival and became friends.

Felipe accepted the cup and grunted at the badger. He took a sip and kept looking around. Slowly, the city was returning to normal. The police were still patrolling around, but other than that, things were mostly returning to normal. People were slowly feeling safer and safer to go outside.

"Felipe, come on!"

The bison looked away and followed the two as he noticed that he was being left behind. "Where are we going again?"

Evelyn shrugged. "The main square. The winter festival is starting."

"It's better than spending all day at home again."

"You have a PlayBox, Noah. You can just play games."

"It gets tiring after 3 days!"

Sipping his coffee, Felipe huffed a smile. "At least you have something to do. I just watch TV all day."

"Can't get even more boring than that!" The cheetah laughed.

Felipe allowed himself a light chuckle. He had a flat now. It wasn't the best or the biggest, but it was enough. He still spent most of his time at home since he worked as a freelancer for a photographer team. He was the muscle of the team most of the time, but at least he had a stable enough income. He intended to get another job, though, maybe next year.

Christmas was five days from now. A rumour had been spreading since that incident that the winter festival was going to be cancelled, but the city council dismissed it. Today, the festival was being held with increased security. At least he had somewhere to visit, rather than just spending the holidays at home.

He was slowly getting to his feet and he had Red Wolf to be thanked, yet he replied to him with that. So much for dignity.

Well, at least they were even now.

---

Getting off the bus, Kevin couldn't help but look up in awe. The building in front of him looked imposing and rather out of place. Instead of being made of stone like most other buildings around it, this one was made of glass, glistening even under the winter sun. Straightening his coat and making sure his scarf looked tidy, the wolf then took a deep breath and walked forward.

"Good morning. ID card, please." A lion security guard asked him as he entered the building. "Also please fill the guestbook in."

Oh, right. "Wait a sec." Kevin took his wallet out and gave him his national ID card, then filled the guestbook in. The ripples from that incident in Barrowisle were evident in the country, and he fully understood the reason.

"What's the purpose of your visit?" The lion asked him with a smile, not afraid of him even though he was only up to the wolf's nose in height. He gave the ID card back to the wolf.

"I'm here for the Clyde gala event, here for an interview for an opening." The wolf received it and put it back in his wallet. "Do you know where it is?"

"Ah, I see. It's on floor 25 if I'm not mistaken. There should be a sign there, but you might want to ask around." He gave the wolf a visitor tag. "Good luck on the interview."

Kevin put the visitor tag around his neck. "Thanks."

He walked to the lifts across the lobby. One was going up, while another was going down. It then opened and someone went out, so he hastened his steps. He saw a white wolf going inside, then the door began closing.

"Hey, please hold the lift!" He yelled as he brisked.

Fortunately, the door stopped before opening again. Unfortunately, the floor was rather slippery, so he couldn't stop in time and almost slipped as he went into the lift. He lunged, his chest almost hitting the white wolf's snout inside the lift. They staggered backwards, then the lift door closed.

Kevin stepped back and offered his hand to allow the other wolf to stand back up. "Sorry! I'm really sorry, wolf!"

"I-it's okay." The other wolf took his hand and stood back up. He cleaned his clothes, a shirt with a casual jacket over it and simple dark brown trousers, then looked up at Kevin with an annoyed expression. "Please be more careful next time."

"Yeah, I'm sorry. The floor was slipperier than I thought." Kevin said apologetically. He still felt glad to see another wolf here, though. "What floor are you going to, by the way?"

"Floor 25, please."

Kevin pressed the button. "Oh, are you here for the gala interview too?"

He then took a deep breath. "Yeah... I reckon." The white wolf replied.

"Ah, cool. I'm here for it too." Kevin smiled at him. He offered his hand. "My name's Kevin, by the way."

The white wolf looked at it for a bit, making Kevin think that maybe he was being too friendly. Then, the white wolf shook hands with him. "I'm Joseph."

Kevin smiled brightly. "Joseph. Nice to meet you! I'm really sorry for that, by the way. I guess I'm more nervous than I thought."

Joseph returned the smile, his blue eyes friendly. "I can understand."

The lift was still going, so he decided to continue the conversation. "To be honest, I didn't think the interview would be held at the venue. Usually, they interview people before the event, like, before the planning."

Joseph gave a mrf and looked away, his posture now relaxed. Kevin took the chance to look at him better. The white wolf's fur was clean and he didn't cover his thick fluff with the jacket. He was also shorter, a bit lower than Kevin's nose. Still, the white wolf looked easy yet composed. "Maybe they need more people right away. Plans don't go as expected and all that. Still, it's all good and seems like they're taking care of it well."

"Yeah, and they opened a vacancy." Kevin ended with a chuckle.

"Where'd you get the info, by the way?"

"An acquaintance told me about it. He works in a hotel near here."

This time, Joseph smiled. "Guess you got lucky."

"God knows how thankful I am." He laughed. "Oh yeah, do you know where it is? The security guard didn't know."

"Yeah, I know where it is. Just follow me later."

"Gotcha. Thanks a lot, wolf!" Kevin looked at Joseph. "Wolves together strong." He said and grinned playfully, partially referencing a popular film he watched.

Joseph turned to him and laughed. "Wolves together strong." He said in agreement.

The lift then opened and they went out. Kevin looked around in confusion, tail close to his legs as he felt so out of place. Joseph then poked his arm. "Come here, follow me."

The white wolf led him through a big corridor. "Wow, this place is bigger than it looks from the outside." Kevin remarked, still tailing Joseph. "You come here often?"

Joseph shrugged. "Often enough that it gets tiring sometimes. Like, the place is big so more walking here and there."

"Oh, do you work here?"

"No, but my father does." replied the white wolf. They reached a pair of wide doors and Joseph opened it. "Here it is."

The hall inside looked spacious yet cosy, and the gentle sunlight penetrated the glass windows on the left side. On one end of the hall was an unfinished stage. Kevin gulped upon seeing it; even though it looked unfinished, it still looked pretty.

"Well, I'll be going now." Joseph said. "Good luck on the interview, wolf."

Kevin turned to him and saw him smiling. He returned the smile. "Yeah, wolf, thanks a lot. Joseph, right?"

"Yeah, Joseph. See you around, Kevin." Joseph finally said before walking away.

Alone, Kevin took a deep sigh. Here he was, another interview. He checked his reflection on the glass door and combed through his fluff. He checked his files in the small bag that he brought. With everything ready, he took his phone and read the notes again. He needed to meet Mr Hystán Strongfort.

After asking around, he found Mr Strongfort backstage, talking about something with some people. Kevin politely greeted him, saying that he was there for a job application. The elk told him to wait a moment and gave him a spare chair to sit on.

As he waited, he looked at the ordered chaos of the room. It really looked like they were still in the early stages of building the, well, stage. This reminded him of that time when he helped Tom and the folks with that intercultural event during university. Electrical equipment and properties were in every corner with cables running all over the floor. There was a small dressing table in a corner, though it looked haphazardly put together with lots of bags on it.

"Alright, you, come here." The elk finally called him over. "So, you want to apply as a freelancer for this event?"

Kevin stood up and nodded. "Yes. I was told that there's a vacancy for that here."

The elk looked up at him, then down, then back up and gave a chuckle. "You're really a big one, aren't you? Come here, sit down."

He gave a gentle smirk at that as he sat down.

"Just call me Hystán. Oh yeah, English or Súþíslensj?"

"Either is fine. Jeðer is wel."

«Very well then. Your CV please.» Hystán asked him, switching to South Icelandic.

Kevin gave it to him, fidgeting a bit. He must not mess this up.

«Hm, well.» The elk hummed as he read the CV. «Where'd you hear about us?»

«From a friend, and that friend got the information from someone named Christopher from here.»

«Oh, him.» Hystán turned around and yelled at someone. «Hey, Chris, when did you tell your friend about us?!"

A lion, presumably named Chris, yelled back from a corner of the room. «The day before tomorrow! Is the guy coming?»

«Yeah!»

«Alright!»

Kevin just smiled politely at their interaction.

Hystán turned back to him. «Do you have any experience being an event committee member?»

«A few during university. I was a part of major and faculty birthday events, and it's not listed in the CV, but I also helped a friend for their event, also in university. In all of them I was a backstage and logistics helper.»

«Good, good. Well, we need a backstage helper, preferably can work in light tuning or schedule handling during the event itself. Right now, it's only for this event, but you'll be considered for future events if any. The pay is 14 euros per half hour, you'll be in contract for two weeks, and you can expect working till late night or even early morning, still counted on your pay as long as you clock in. Can you do it?»

He hummed a bit. By his rough calculation, he could earn up to 3.000 euros in two weeks. That sounded like a great deal. «Yes, I can do it. I can help with the schedule handling part.»

The elk smiled. «Great! So, welcome to the team.» He offered his hand.

Kevin smiled giddily and shook hands with Hystán. «I'm glad to join!»

They let the hands go. «Well, Chris will brief you in shortly and show you around. You won't be working today. I'll prepare the contract letter tomorrow and you'll be working right after you sign--oh wait, tomorrow is Christmas. Well, the day after that. Here's an invalid copy in the meanwhile. The letter will be as-is word per word.»

He accepted the sheet of paper and read it. Only, he couldn't focus on reading it because all that was in his mind was finally.