FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It was autumn time; the meandering hills rolled into the horizon. A light mist hung in the air, sweeping over the contours of the landscape like a softly woven blanket. It was also night time, bright lights, obscured slightly by the moisture in the air, glowed dimly from miles away. The rays shined through the branches of an old tree a top the fields. Its shadow was large and so imposing it looked solid. As the wind blew, the leaves on the ground stirred and the rest rustled impatiently; waiting for their time to fall. It was not long until winter now, it was already harvest. He could also hear the sea, behind him, smashing against the harsh rocks and ice that nearly surrounded the entire port of his town. The countryside was extraordinary in its simplistic beauty.

He rotated his head slightly and saw that along the side of a luscious pasture, a hay baler whirred constantly. Its mouth spewed out black bags of straw for the snow and hibernation ahead. Lucan wondered to himself, why do the bales not roll down the slope? Why are they so stubbornly obedient to their masters? They are intent on defying the laws of our world, or so it would seem. The he swept his eyes across to his left glazing over the familiar gravel path way and low, dry stone walls in front of him. The beasts to his side were gentle and curious, despite their gargantuan size. They stared at him through the wooden gate and made not a noise, they were used to the company of wolves. He thought it ironic that these traits were considered normal and natural for wild animals. It was stranger still that they were preferable in the cattle and that those who were not completely brain dead were considered too lively. In reality their calm personalities were as artificial and engineered as the hay baler and the collapsed metal and glass building to his right. The old office block as it was known, not like anyone knew what an office was anyway. Movement to his immediate right brought him back into focus, his friend was beckoning.

"Lucan", called a female voice, "Lucan hurry up already. We'll be finished by the time you get started."

He jumped the low wall of the pathway and into the field. Lucan pulled a bag from his coat pocket and strode over to the damson bushes. The nearest one was bobbing severely as its fruit was hastily harvested. She called him over, close enough to whisper, and indicated to a tree to her right hand side. It was well endowed with their juicy prize. Damsons, being far and few between were a delicacy among the wolves. Their flavour was sweet and excellent for use in jam, gin and pies. Ali had told Lucan this many times before.

"Quickly, grab some from over here."

"Got it." He replied as she turned back to the branch clutched in her left paw.

Ali's fur was perfect white in colour. Her bright and compassionate eyes were defined by a light blue band that ran across her face. The same colour tipped the fur on the end of her tail and the top of her shoulders. She was often described as stunning and Lucan was not one to disagree. As he stepped over to the indicated vegetation, Nolan's voice carried authority through the blackness.

"We need to be finished as fast as possible, these farmers aren't all stupid."

Nol' snapped his head back towards to his objective. He took the upmost care to take hold of a bushel lightly. He then continued to twist and the pull at an angle so that the branch moved as little as possible. The tall wolf repeated this process, working like a machine, taking large handfuls each time. Nolan, or Nol' for short, was nearly invisible at night. His fur was brown with black highlights. He had dark, matte paws and ears that looked like they had been dipped in tar before being placed on his sculpted face. Standing tall on his digitigrade legs, Nolan was athletic and usually well humoured, if not a bit serious at times. He and Lucan had been best friends since the start of secondary school. He was the leader of their group and was treated with respect. His decisions were balanced and sensible, his plain and fair views were what gave Nol' his jurisdiction. He was on everyone else's level and reliable.

Lucan worked quickly to make up for lost time. He often had a more creative outlook on life that not many could comprehend; however Lucan was certainly no slacker. One hand in the bag, the other on a branch, he swung his arms with speed and mobility. It wasn't long before it looked like a localised hurricane had formed under his damson bush. The crimson wolf looked over to his tall friend, Nolan was not happy. Staring intensely at Lucan, his angular face was drawn tight across his skull. Turning back to face Ali, the two friends giggled and chuckled at Nolan's seriousness.

The dark wolf lighted his mood, the creases in his brow disappeared. "Very funny, but I don't want to be caught okay? We probably shouldn't stay for much longer if we can."

"I can see you now", said Lucan gleefully trying to contain himself. "Nolan Waterfield, fruit heist extraordinaire." They all laughed, Ali especially.

"Well think about what we're doing now, it's ridiculous," she whispered with a smile. "Sneaking into a field in the middle of the night for some damsons."

Looking back at Nol' expression she repressed a fit of giggles.

"Shh, look out; he's got the angry face." Lucan replied.

Their friend shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Well let's just try and keep the noise down alright? I've got enough on my plate as it is."

Continuing quietly, they decided to save their jokes for later. For when they were back home in more adequate temperatures and snug chairs. If they had known how long that would be, the three would have spoken there and then. In the quite field, alone with the long grass and the ancient, stone walls.

Suddenly, a bright light lit up their worlds.

Stumbling back, their retinas were overwhelmed, heads burning pure white. The first to recover, Nol' jumped from his haunches and ran over to Lucan. Nolan's dark fur had given him protection over the glare but his eyes were still watering. He shook his friend and then pulled the shorter wolf to his feet. Together, they groggily made their ways over to Ali who was whining and holding her face in a muddy ditch. Her fur was stained and tears of discomfort ran down Ali's cheeks, parallel to the markings on her face.

"We gotta move now!" Nolan's voice was horse but still powerful, its might invigorated them to recover faster.

In fight or flight mode, little remained of the well humoured wolf from minutes before. It looked like he had never muttered a joke in his life. Nolan could barely see through his dilated pupils, the darkness consumed any objects he might have been able to see in daylight. His surroundings blurred into one mix of dark colours, indistinguishable from each other. Yet he kept moving, nearly dragging Ali in the direction of the collapsed sky scraper behind him. The needs of the pack outweighed the needs of the individual. Covered by weeds and vines, it as an excellent hiding place if you knew the way inside.

"Quickly to the office block!" He boomed back to Lucan.

The light, forthcoming from a torch, was less powerful now but getting closer. The beam oscillating vertically through the pitch black as its holder ran furiously towards his precious plants. He was going to kick the shit out of whomever he found. Fortunately for the friends, his stomach was bulging and heavy. It looked ready to burst free of his sweaty, checked shirt and leather braces. Behind the safety of a tonne of metal and glass Nolan took tight hold of Ali, testing her responsiveness. Lucan trailed in behind with his hand on his knees. Breathing heavily and desperately trying to catch what little breath he could, Lucan knew it wasn't over yet. Running through the tall grass was exuasting on his legs, he could never understand how Nol' could keep up such a fast pace.

A small voice whispered in the crimson wolf's head, "It's because he's better than you."

"Ali, Ali can you hear me?"

She replied, cautiously at first but then with confidence in her voice. "I, I think, yes I can."

"Good, but I don't think we can stay here for long." He pointed out wiping his eyes with a yawn of frustration.

"I agree." Lucan stated without hesitation. "We'll be found in minutes." He paused and then continued sentimentally. "It looks like our plans have gone awry. The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men

Gang aft agley."

"What?" Ali twisted her head backwards and forwards in her paw. Her leg jittered in discomfort. "Uhh, I don't care we need to come up with a plan now."

The guys nodded simultaneously as the glow reflected of the crimson wolf's lighter under belly. Time was running short indeed. Nolan spoke quietly and quickly after a moment of silence, hoping to hide their position for a few extra seconds.

"Over there." He said simply, jousting his index finger at a group of low lying trees. "If we go through there, we can cut across the edge of the forest; leg it over the meadows; and slip into the back of my dad's house."

Their captured now seemed almost inevitable, emotions were coasting high. Ali, who was still sat on the floor, displayed obvious discomfort at the idea. Her vision had recovered but her mind still felt clouded; even still Nolan sounded insane.

"We can't go into the forest, what if we get lost and they have to search for us. You've heard the stories; we'd been in even more trouble than we are now." She turned quickly between the two boys in defiance; they were united behind Nol's judgement.

"Anyway the forest has that big fence all around it; you know we can't get past that." She said whilst pouting but in a matter of fact manner.

Nolan growled mildly and Lucan looked about anxiously, trying to find a place to remove himself to, he hated arguing. He could find no such location.

"Well we can either go through the forest or around it to that old shack for the night; it's your choice Ali so make up your mind." He had a steel edge to his tone. She became frustrated and kicked the loose ground, snarling a bit at Nolan. Ali arched her back in stubbornness and made the call. She didn't like make decisions and he knew that well.

They all ran off together, heading for the far end of the forest. It was at least a 3 mile trek to the rusted shed hidden from plain sight. Suddenly they were plunged back into darkness as the previous light faded and left emptiness in its space. Reasonably safe as long as they remained in the shadows. They sped across the rural landscape, jumping the walls and nearly hurdling the gates in some cases. Ali could just keep up with Nolan's long, streamlined legs. Her well defined calf muscles giving her ample power for her height and lower body mass. Lucan was however, struggling in comparison. Being the shortest and least motivated, he experienced difficulty trying to trudge through the slick mud at speed. As his friends got farther away and harder to see, he wanted nothing to do but rest in the heather. As soft as a pillow and as springy as a mattress, it was the closest thing to bliss out in the wild. His stamina was diminishing and he stumbled, collapsing into a soggy ditch.

Ali turned around and with some distress, pulled Nolan back the way they had come. Her heart might have just saved Lucan from the danger of being caught. It did however, have dire consequences in the long run.

Pointing to the nearby forest boarder, Nolan could see a break in the metal fence. Dragging their comrade to his feet once more, they led him into the forest, a mere 20 meters away. The trees were no more welcoming than the outstretched arms of the farmer but the friends had little preference on the matter. The forest was waiting for them, the forest was expecting them. The forest had them. Putting their hopes on each other, they entered the darkness ahead.