FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Soundlessly, flakes of snow dance in the world beyond the pane of glass, the quiet bustle of the café keeping me company as my eyes dart amongst the words of my novel, my free paw occasionally reaching down to bring my styrofoam cup to my lips.

The day had been a long and rather tiring one, a drape of melancholy stretched over the eyes of the Tuesday that just seemed to drag on forever. Little of anything seemed to be of interest to me today, the demons of my mind choosing to sap from me even the most basic of enjoyment; I hate days like this.

With a soft sigh, I close my book, making sure to place my bookmark between the pages I'd last read before setting the rather thick novel aside.

My right paw instinctively reaches for my cup of coffee, the bitter flavor of the dark concoction lapping against my tongue as the quiet chime of the bell above the door barely touches my attention.

"Hey, Kat," chimes an unfamiliar voice.

"Heya, Mitch! What'll it be?" replies the female clerk, her cheery remark drawing an odd feeling of annoyance out of me.

"The usual, please," replies the male, his tone of voice bearing a uniquely calm tone I'd only heard a handful of times before.

"Alright. I'll have it ready for you in just a minute, so feel free to take a seat while you wait."

"Thanks, Kat," he replies, the sleek flow of his voice tempting my attention as I hear the sound of footsteps grow close.

"You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"

I glance up, my somewhat disgruntled scowl attempting to shift to a more friendly expression as I take in the sight of the rather tall wolf standing only inches away from the booth I was sitting in.

"Not at all," I reply, my tone seeming less inviting than I'd hoped it would, though he didn't seem to mind.

The wolf gives a polite nod of the head before taking his seat across from me, the details of his entire image beginning to surface as I give him a nonchalant look-over.

His fur is black as pitch, his glowing amber eyes giving light to his otherwise dark coat. A pair of thick rimmed glasses sit on the bridge of muzzle, complimenting his pleasantly rounded face, whose lack of sharp edges and visibly jutting cheekbones adds a rather friendly touch to his visage. I also happen to notice three silver studs lining the insides of his ear, while a thick, circular piercing hangs from his septum. His short, somewhat unkempt headfur matches him well, accenting his dimly colored jacket and scarf with an almost fictional sort of charm. All in all, he was rather handsome, like a character whisked straight out of a book.

"'The Desires of a Fool' hmm? Quite a good read, if I may say so," he chimes, gesturing toward my book.

It takes me a moment to realize his statement was directed at me, the worry of making a fool of myself preventing me from replying.

"Have you ever read any of his other works?"

At the expense of avoiding further conversation, I manage a meek reply.

"Y-Yes, I have."

A faint smirk of interest stitches onto his lips.

"What's your favorite work he's written?"

I think on his question a moment before letting a hesitant response slip past my lips.

"Definitely 'Darling Girl'."

"Really?"

Shyly, I nod.

"Yeah. The plot is excellent and explores a rather cliché theme in an interesting fashion."

"Since you say that, what did you think of Hubert?"

I take a sip of my bitter drink before giving a somewhat cold reply.

"Quite fucked up in the head. Excuse my language, but he is. Driven to the extremities he commits all in pursuit of Mina's love and affection... it's rather bizarre, don't you think?"

The wolf leans forward, his paws folding as he places them on the table.

"I agree that he's messed up, but what of the sympathy that you're supposed to feel for him?"

I gave a nonchalant wave of my paw.

"I felt none for him. He pursued Mina despite her outright requests to be left alone. Frankly, I had no sympathy for the stalker."

An airy chuckle part the wolf's lips.

"Good. Looks like you and I understood his point, then. Most come off with the impression that Hubert was a character to be sympathized with and that John was merely trying to steal her away, but it looks like you are one apart from the rest."

A warm smile forms on his lips as his sentence comes to a close.

"Any other books you really like?"

I dig through my head for a moment before giving my response.

"'A Social Animal'."

"By Bethany Ross?"

I nod.

"You're quite the avid reader, aren't you? Delving into the depths of what makes this whole social construct work... quite impressive that a human your age would be reading such hefty material." he remarks as he slightly adjusts his glasses.

"The workings of the world have always been an interesting subject to me, so it's natural that I'd look for books that tell me more about it," I sigh before taking another swig of my beverage.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced."

The wolf takes a deep breath before outstretching his paw.

"The name's Mitchell, but I prefer Mitch. And your name is...?"

"Felix," I reply plainly before giving his paw a firm shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Felix," he chimes.

His seemingly genuine statement touches my cheeks with a dash of red, an odd, warm feeling beginning to well up in my chest.

"You're coffee's all done, Mitch," announces the female clerk.

"One moment," sighs the wolf before getting up to retrieve his beverage.

It's rather odd that he had such perfect timing... I won't question why or how, but I'm glad he appeared as suddenly as he did. It's always nice to have a spot of company such as his.

"Sorry about that, Felix. Now, where were we?" he remarks as he sits back down, his sizeable beverage resting in his paw.

"I was hoping to ask you what your favorite book was, since you asked me for mine."

The canine hesitates before replying in an endearingly earnest tone.

"'Young Hearts' by Barbara Everson," he replies.

I tilt my head curiously, somewhat surprised by his response.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's a bit of an odd choice, but her style and message are just too good to pass up."

I can't help but smile as he gives his response.

"You know, I've never actually met anyone else who'd read her work."

"Seriously?"

"I know, it sounds kinda weird, but I haven't. You're the first."

An almost childish grin forms on his muzzle as he leans forward.

"So tell me then, is it merely chance or perhaps the workings of something else that allowed you and I to meet?"

I can't help but giggle after he asks.

"I'd have to take the side of Jason and say that it was chance. He thinks that even though we're all connected by this great web of interaction, it is by chance that we happen to meet others of similar interest or occupation."

"What a coincidence it is that I happen to favor Scott's perspective. I like to think there is a rhyme and reason for the things that occur, so perhaps this was all planned out to begin with. In which case, I wouldn't mind meeting up with you again."

"M-Meet up again?"

He nods and smiles.

"Certainly. I'm on a bit of a tight schedule at the moment, but how does Saturday afternoon sound? We could meet here and talk before we catch a movie."

Baffled by his forward invitation, I search my mind for a proper response, the shroud of excitement keeping me from making any sort of coherent statement.

"I... Well... Er..."

"Here, take my number. Feel free to text me whenever you get the chance, alright? I certainly hope that this meeting wasn't just by chance, but has something more behind it," he chimes before slipping out of his booth and looking at me one final time.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Felix. I hope to hear from you soon."

"Saturday afternoon at three? Does that work for you?" I sputter, trying not to let go of the opportunity to meet him again.

He smiles and nods.

"Sounds good to me. Just shoot me a message later and we'll work out the details."

"Alright. H-Have a good day," I reply, trying to find my composure.

"You too, handsome," the wolf coos before strutting out the door, the soft chime of the bell signaling his departure.

"H-Handsome...?" I mutter to myself as I grope for the piece of paper he'd left on the table.

Hastily scribbled numbers sprawl across the paper, a small note sitting just beneath them.

"Thank you for the chat, Felix. I'm glad to have finally met someone such as yourself. If your taste in books is any indication, I'm sure we'll have plenty more in common. Hope to hear from you soon. Mitch."

I lean back in the booth, a soft sigh of wonder rolling past my lips as I close my eyes.

Is it really chance that made this happen? Or did Mitch have a point? Is there a reason we met? For whatever reason or lack thereof, I'm glad we had our little encounter. Who knows, I might've gone the rest of the day without really having spoken to anyone but myself. It's odd how little things like this can blossom into much bigger things... maybe he was right... maybe we were meant to meet...

I can't help but smile as I take a deep breath of the warm café air.

"Thank you, Mitch."