FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Eyes forward Stripes."

Nate looked over to see one of his best friends standing beside him, David. David was a good man, but the rough times had shortened the fuse for his temper quite a bit. Of course, David still loved to joke around, because he had given everyone in the team a fitting nickname. As Nate lifted his riffle, there was a chuckle from beside him. Nate looked over to see a large Doberman staring back at him.

"What's on your mind? You seem distracted." The Doberman said.

Shrugging his shoulders, Nate decided to brush off the question for now. There was a lot on his mind, but he was trying to focus on the matter at hand--survival. The Doberman beside him lifted his riffle over his shoulder and began walking with his head cocked back and his sharp blue eyes observing every building window. He was considered the bad ass of the group, because he was cocky and hardly ever smiled. Although he was a real Debbie downer, he was a great shot.

"Dante, leave Nate alone. We've all got a lot to think about." David said.

David had given the Doberman the nickname Dante as a result of his hardcore behavior and attitude. It was very fitting, and Dante did not seem to mind at all.

"Yes Captain." Dante said to David with his lips curled into a smirk.

Now, David was not a captain by any means. After the breakout of infection, ranks did not matter, but David always seemed to be asserting himself as the leader, and he was very good at what he did. He never really ordered the others around, but he seemed to always have a plan, and he always took charge when the mission got messy. As it would seem, no one else in the group minded that he took charge, hence the nickname.

Glancing over to his other shoulder, Nate stared at the last member of their little survival group. He had been nicknamed Mutt. It was kind of funny, but none of them were ever able to figure out what kind of mix Mutt was, but if Nate had to guess, he was a strange combination between a German shepherd and a Dalmatian. Mutt had the fur coloration of a Shepherd, but on his fur, he had spots of White everywhere, and as a result, the men jokingly called him a reverse Dalmatian.

As Nate kept walking with the other three men, David stopped in front of them all and looked back over his shoulder.

"Remember, keep an eye out for anything we could use like warm clothes, medicine, food, etc."

David's ears perked back, and he began to sniff the air. Considering that he was a pure bred Wolf, he had a very good nose on him, and Nate watched as Dante and Mutt began to sniff as well. Times like these made Nate feel left out since he was the only feline. His nose was good, but he couldn't pick up smell as well as the others.

"What do you smell Captain?" Mutt asked in a hushed tone.

Nate could see Mutt's hair standing up on the back of his neck. Maybe, he sensed something too, but Nate wasn't sure. Dante seemed to be watching the windows for other survivors that might be tempted to shoot, and Nate began to observe the distant buildings to see any signs of movement.

"It's probably nothing, but I can smell that some infected have been through here. Keep your eyes open." David said quietly.

He was right. As Nate sniffed the air, even he could catch the faint whiff of blood and decay. The infected had a very rotten scent to them. It wasn't because they were rotting themselves, but it was because their fur was often matted with blood and flesh of the others they killed. The infected were not Zombies per say. They were anthros gone feral with an intense need to bite, tear, and kill. Which in Nate's opinion, was just as bad.

"Should we split up?" Dante asked.

He was always looking for some kind of action, and Nate was not really a thrill seeker. Of course, he loved the thrill of survival, but he wasn't ready to die.

"Yes. I think we should. Search the buildings and find anything you can. We'll all meet back here when all the buildings have been searched. Fire your riffle if your need help. Nate, you can come with me, and Mutt, you go with Dante. Watch your backs." David said with authority.

After the orders were given, Nate began to walk with David as they headed for the left side of town, but he could hear Mutt and Dante talking as they began to inspect the right side of the town. It was odd how the town was built into two halves, but as Nate observed the road, it seemed that the two lane highway ran straight through the entire town.

As Nate was lost in thought again, David turned his bright green eyes on him.

"What's on your mind? You're hardly ever this quiet." David said with one raised eyebrow.

"I'm just thinking about Sophie. She wants to have a baby, but I just can't bring myself to give her one. I always avoid her when she's in heat, and I know it hurts her, but I don't want to bring a baby into this world." Nate said as he held the door open to a local grocery store.

Taking the opportunity, David walked past the broken glass door, and the sound of glass breaking and shattering under David's heavy boots filled Nate's ears, making them twitch a bit. The sound almost made him want to grind his teeth together, but Nate simply followed David into the building. This would be their best bet for food.

"I understand that, and I'm sure she understands that too. Try to keep your mind off of it. My job is to get you back to Sophie safely." David said as he lifted his gun in front of his chest.

"I can take care of myself." Nate said with a slight smile over his lips as he raised his gun as well.

Looking behind his shoulder, David gave Nate a large smile. Nate did not return the smile; instead, he grabbed the large duffle bag from his back and opened the draw string. It was time to search through the aisles.

To their surprise, the store had not been completely wiped out of food. Usually, any store they went into was bare, but this store had hardly been touched. All the food still sat neatly in rows on the racks.

"The infection must have hit hard and fast here," David said in a whisper. "Hurry, get some food into your bag. We need to get out of here. Something's not right."

There was a hint of urgency in David's voice, and Nate began to drop the cans of food into his large bag. Canned food was usually all they took, because it was the only type of food that could be eaten after it had been sitting around for long periods of time. As Nate loaded the bag to full capacity, David grabbed his shoulder and shoved him down to the floor.

Before Nate could say anything, David put his index finger over his lips to indicate silence. David had seen something, and Nate was not about to argue with him. As they both squatted in silence, they could hear the sound of movement a few isles over. Nate could tell it was the infected, because the sour smell of rotten meat and dried blood filled his nostrils. It was almost like laying in a dumpster that had not been emptied in over four months.

Fighting the urge to throw up, Nate and David both began to awkwardly crawl to the end of their isle. They had gotten all the cans they could carry with this load, and they needed to get back to the chopper before going to another building.

Listing his gun. David slowly stood--gun poised. Following in his footsteps, Nate stood and lifted his gun. They both began to proceed with caution, making slow movements towards the entrance, and as they walked in front of isle three, Nate could see a large animal poking its head into the plastic wrapping of old, stale meat. It was on all fours with fur completely matted with dust and dried blood. As Nate observed the infected, he realized that its fur was dripping fresh blood, and Nate wondered if it was injured.

In a perfect world, they would have made it out without disturbing the beast, but as they walked towards the door, Nate stepped on a shard of broken glass. The crunch made the beast lift its head out of the meat, and Nate watched as a shred of old steak fell from its nose. It started to growl, and its ears curled back in a warning gesture. As Nate started, he could see that the yellow, sharp teeth matched the hungry yellow eyes that were staring at Nate. All infected had yellow eyes, and even at that distance, Nate could see how disturbingly bright the eyes were. For an instant, Nate thought he could see remorse in the eyes of the infected. Maybe, he regretted hurting people, and maybe, he didn't want to eat Nate, but Nate couldn't take a chance.

Lifting his gun, Nate did not hesitate, and as the infected began to charge, Nate's finger found the trigger. Pushing the trigger back, Nate watched as a bullet went straight through the creature's head, right between the eyes. Blood started to pool, and Nate could tell that the creature used to be a wolf.

"You did the right thing." David said quietly.

Nate simply nodded in response and tightened his grip on the duffle bag. Had he done the right thing? Nate had killed many infected, but this kill seemed to be bothering him. David slowly lowered his gun, and they both walked back to the open door.

Making their way back to the chopper, Nate put the cans into a spare compartment for safe keeping, and once the duffle bag was empty, David and Nate walked back towards the town. There were several other buildings that needed to be searched, and Nate lowered his ears as they walked past the grocery store.

After searching almost every building, Nate and David had found spare clothes, food, and a few medical supplied that would be useful back in the colony. It had been a very successful trip, and David was starting to walk back to the chopper to wait for the others. As David looked back at Nate, Nate tried to put a smile onto his face, but the bright yellow eyes were still haunting his thoughts. What had that man been before he had become infected? He could have been a doctor, a construction worker, a politician, a police officer, or a bum. He could have even been a murderer, but no matter what he had been, he was dead now.

David must have been able to read Nate's thoughts, because he walked over and took the duffle bag from Nate's paw and spoke gently to him.

"You did what you had to do. He would have just suffered until the virus killed him. You did him a favor."

Slowly, Nate nodded his head as if he understood, and he did understand. If he had not shot the infected wolf, the wolf would have killed him, and Sophie would have been left alone in the colony.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Nate said in almost a whisper.

"I know I'm right. Now, get in the chopper. It's almost nightfall. We need to get back home." David said as he patted Nate's back.

As commanded, Nate got into the chopper and sat down in his seat. No one else was in the chopper, and Nate shifted his attention to stare out the window. He looked over the town, and as his eyes wandered over the buildings, he could see the broken glass door of the grocery store. He knew that inside was a large beast with sharp claws lying in its own pile of blood. Would it become a meal for another infected? Nate figured it would.

Slowly, Nate lowered his head into his hands. Sometimes, the reality of his situation sank in a little deep, and he felt hopeless. He wanted to be able to have a house with a beautiful green lawn and a swing set in the back yard. He didn't even care if he had to push mow it every day. He wanted to see little cubs running in the grass, and maybe, his little girl would even pick him some flowers. There were so many things he wanted, and even though his heart ached for them, his mind knew they would not come true.

With his head lowered, He closed his eyes and felt a hot tear roll down his cheek. It was the first tear he had shed in a while, and it soaked into his fur, trickling down his skin until he couldn't feel it anymore. For Nate, a simple tear meant a lot. It meant he was cracking. Lifting his head, he knew he had to stay strong. He couldn't let Sophie see how broken he was getting.

As he sat in his chair, Dante and Mutt walked back to the chopper with duffle bags full of supplies. It didn't take long for everyone to load up, and as the chopper took off, Nate stared out the window, watching as the small town disappeared in the distance.

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As Nate walked into the house, He leaned down and removed his boots before walking through the house. His heart still felt like a heavy weight. He had killed many infected before, but the last one had affected him more than any other. Nate thought it was because of the eyes. The eyes seemed almost regretful, forgiving. He also could not give Sophie what she wanted, and that only added to the weight in his chest.

Since it was late, Nate figured Sophie was upstairs in bed, and he walked into the kitchen. Sitting down at one of the tables, He lowered his head, feeling more hot tears roll down his cheek. Growling to himself, Nate tightened his paws into fists. Lifting his paw in anger, he punched the table as hard as he could, causing the wood to crack a bit just like his composure. As he started at the cracked wood, he could feel the pain vibrating through his fingers, but he didn't care. The aching in his fist still didn't take his mind off of the weight in his chest.

As he was about to punch the table once more, he felt a soft paw come over his. Looking up from the wood, he could see Sophie standing beside him, and she gently lifted his paw up to her lips, kissing his aching fingers. Nate stood quickly, letting the chair fall back onto the floor, and he put his paws on her cheeks, holding her face gently in his paws. He connected his lips to hers, and she could almost taste the need dripping from his lips. Once he pulled away from her lips, Sophie lifted her paw, and she gently rubbed her thumb over his cheek to wipe away the wetness of his tears.

"I love you." She whispered to him. "Come on."

Taking his paw, she led him to the couch, and as she sat down onto the soft cushions, she patted her lap. He knew exactly what that meant, and with a soft smile on his face, he laid down on the couch and put his head on top of her legs. After he laid down for her, he could feel her gentle paw rubbing through his hair and over his head fur to sooth him. Needless to say, the combination of her scent and gentle paw sent him straight to sleep.

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As the morning sun crept its way through the window, Sophie slowly opened her eyes to find herself still on the couch. At some point during the night, she had fallen asleep rubbing her mate's head, and she smiled softly as she saw him still laying on her legs. Slowly, she lifted his head slightly and slipped a pillow under his head. She didn't feel the need to wake him. He had a lot on his mind, and she wanted him to get as much sleep as possible. Walking upstairs, she quickly washed her fur and pulled on some warm clothes.

Since she had been a doctor in her so called former life, she often went down to the medical building to treat people. Also, she was anxious to see the new medical supplies that the boys had brought back from their scavenger hunt. As she walked out, she left a note on Nate's pillow to tell him where she had gone, and she walked out into the snow.

As she began to stomp through the white blanket, she looked up into the sky. Part of her wanted to see a little patch of blue, but all she could see was gray as usual. Tightening the hood around her head, she made her way to the medical building in less than twenty minutes, which for her, was a surprising new record time.

As soon as she walked into the building, she was greeted by her frantic assistant, missy. Missy always seemed to be on edge about something, and Sophie wondered how she would behave if an actual crisis was to occur.

"Sophie! There you are. I need your help. It seems that George broke his leg. I need you to set it, and by the way, the new supplies is in the back. No one has been through it yet." Missy cheeped as her tail swayed behind her.

Nodding, Sophie slowly made her way past the mouse to one of the back rooms, and she smiled as she walked in to see an older Raccoon sitting on the metal table.

"Hey George. What were you doing?" Sophie asked calmly.

With a painful smile, the Raccoon began to laugh a bit, but his laugh came to a halt when he moved his leg. George was one of the older members of the colony, and he usually helped take care of the green house, which was the major component to their survival. As she spoke to him, Sophie had a sneaking suspicion that George was the one who gave Nate her rose.

"I was being my clumsy self. I was up on a ladder and I just lost my balance." George said with a crooked smile.

Walking over to the table, Sophie looked at George's leg. Missy had already rolled up his pants legs, and Sophie began to slowly slide her fingers over his fur. She let out a soft sigh when she felt the bone pushing up against the skin. It was an eerie feeling, but there was no doubt it was a broken bone.

"Well, it is definitely broken, and since I don't have the regular things a hospital would, I'll have to do the best I can." Sophie said in a calm and reassuring voice.

"I know you'll do your best Sophie. You always do. You're an angel to all of us."

Sophie walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of scotch. It was used to help patients get a little numb since there was no pain medication, and Sophie knew that George could use a big swig of it. Pouring him a glass, she handed him the drink, and he quickly scarfed down the liquid. Honestly, Sophie had no idea how to reply to what George had just said. So, she concentrated on fixing his leg.

"This is really going to hurt." She said regretfully. There was no use in lying to the poor man.

Reaching down, Sophie put her paws on George's leg, and she pushed with all her strength. There was a sickening pop, and she heard George let out a cry of pure pain. Taking his paw in hers, she held his hand tightly until the pain eased.

"It's over. It popped back into place. Now, I need to set it, and it will hopefully heal back right, but you're going to have to stay with me George. Don't pass out on me ok?"

Sophie could see the pain in George's eyes, and she quickly went to work on his leg. Using four small, wooden planks, Sophie set his leg, and wrapped it tightly with the medical tape that she had gotten from a previous mission. The idea of the procedure was to make a cast. It would not be as strong as it should, but Sophie hoped it would be enough for him to heal and not get an infection.

After she was done wrapping his leg, she walked over to the cabinet and poured him one more glass of scotch. She usually only gave her patients one, because the drink was hard to come by, but the smile on George's face reassured her that she was doing the right thing.

"Don't be clumsy anymore. Okay?" Sophie said. "You won't be able to walk really well, but luckily we have a wheel chair in the back. Nate brought it back from a mission a while ago."

"Thank you Sophie." George said as he examined his makeshift cast. "It feels better already."

After Sophie gave George his wheelchair, he left with his son to go home and rest, leaving Sophie alone in the medical room. After cleaning up, she walked into the back rooms to run through the new inventory, but she couldn't shake what George had called her: an Angel. Before the chaos had erupted, she had been a decently religious woman, but she had slacked off in that department as of late.

"Where are all the angels?" She whispered to herself as she picked up a few bottles of medicine. They were simple medications: Tylenol, Cough Syrup, and some nerve medication otherwise known as a chill pill, but it would all come to use at some point. Sophie considered taking one of the nerve pills herself, but she wanted to save them for her patients.

Sophie quickly went through the inventory, and for the most part, she was very happy with what the boys brought back. As she stored everything in a proper place, she made a mental note to thank Nate and his friends later, but as she was putting her coat back on to leave, there was a commotion down the hall. Missy ran past Sophie, and Sophie grabbed her arm as she tried to pass.

"What's going on?" Sophie said in a panicked voice.

"A Family just arrived. The child got out. He got past our guards, and he may be infected. His mother and father were." Missy said in a hurried voice.

A bolt of fear struck through Sophie, and she quickly pulled the handgun out of her inside coat pocket. Even before the incident, Nate had insisted that she carry a gun and learn how to shoot. He was a protective mate, and at that moment, she wanted to thank him for helping her be prepared.

As it turns out, the medical building was connected to the entrance building, the one that happened to be only way into and out of the colony. It had been a good idea at the time, because if a person was not infected but they were injured, they would not have far to go for help, but in times like this, it had been a bad idea.

"Missy, are there still patients in the rooms?"

Missy nodded, and Sophie tightened her grip on the small mouse's arm. Missy looked like a scared little girl compared to Sophie. She was significantly shorter since she was a mouse, and her long blond hair, bulging blue eyes and innocent appeal made her look more like a child.

"Go to their rooms. Explain what is going on quickly and lock their doors for safety. Understand?" Sophie said in a demanding voice.

When Missy didn't answer her, Sophie shook her arm hard, making Missy's hair shake. "Do you understand me?" She said with a raised, motherly tone.

"Yes Ma'am. I'm going now." Missy said distressed.

"Good. Lock yourself in one of the rooms too."

Sophie examined her hand gun to make sure it was loaded. It was. Taking the safety off, Sophie made another mental note to keep track of every bullet shot. She didn't want to unexpectedly run out of ammo.

"What about you?" Missy said in a hushed whisper.

"I'm going to find the boy. He may not be infected, and I don't want him to be shot by the big headed idiots in the other building." Sophie whispered quietly.

Nodding, Missy ran off down the hall to do her job, and Sophie began to walk down the hall towards the entrance where the buildings connected. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and for a second, she was worried that her pounding heart would hide the sounds of an approaching attack.

Walking down the hall, Sophie could see the main entrance door was cracked open. Sophie held the gun tight in her paws, and she slowly stepped forward through the hall. If it really was a little boy that had gotten away, he would not have thought about shutting the door, and Sophie knew that.

As she walked past one of the office rooms, there was a loud bang from inside. Sophie's head shot to the left to see the door was open into the office, and she reached one shaking paw out to grip the door handle. Giving the door a hard push, she watched as the door flew open and hit the wall only to reveal a black room. In the corner of her eye, she could see a chair had been knocked over, and she slowly began running her fingers over the wall to find the light switch.

Sophie's paw hit the small knob, and just the feeling made her jump. She knew something was in the room in front of her, and her mind was imagining an animal pouncing out of the darkness to snatch her. With a large amount of courage, she flipped the light switch and watched as light illuminated the entire room. Sure enough, on the other side of the room sat a small boy. He was curled up in the corner, staring at her in the doorway.

In that instant, Sophie's heart skipped a beat,but the boy never made a movement towards her, He simply sat in the corner with tear streaked cheeks and stared at the gun in her hand.

"Are you going to kill me?" The little boy asked.

Observing him closely, Sophie could tell he was no more than five years old, and she slowly lowered her gun.

"No, I'm not going to hurt you." Sophie whispered.

Since the boy was talking clearly, Sophie took that as a good sign. Usually, the infected lost control of their vocal cords and could only made loud, disturbing growls and gags. Sophie could also see the light reflecting off of the boy's fur. That meant he was at least healthy, and in a boy his age, the infection would only take a matter of hours to invade his whole body. He would have to have traveled days to even get to their colony.

"What's your name? I'm Sophie." She said as she stepped closer to the boy.

"My name is Andrew, but my friends call me Andy." He said with a slight smile.

Sophie could tell he was starting to warm up to her, but as she stepped closer to see him, she could see his eyes held the same golden color as the infected. Stopping right where she stood, Sophie tightened her grip on her gun and hoped the boy wouldn't notice.

"Have your eyes always been that color Andy?" Sophie asked in a hushed tone.

"Yes. My mommy had them, but she died after I was born. My aunt took care of me though."

Staring at the boy, she reached over to the counter and picked up a little device that could read body temperature. If he was infected, he would have an abnormal body temperature reading, and as she lifted the machine in front of her, she could see the little boy staring at her with his large, golden eyes. Sophie was so close to him now that she could even see the small red dots in the mix of the gold, and as the machine beeped, she took a deep breath.

He was infected.