FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Raynn, Squirrel, Year six!"

"Present, sir!" I lowered my hand and looked around, confident now that I had been called that I could let my mind wander. As the instructing Tiger finished off calling the names of my fellow academy furs, I admired the timbers and ropes of the ship. Someday, I'll be here, I thought as I looked around, imagining climbing the rigging to peer a distant piece of land for the first time. I imagined drinking grog while we planned our next heading using the starry night above, singing shanties while we made long voyages.

"Raynn! That's right, I remember your name, Squirrel! Eyes forward!"

"Yes, Sir!" I almost saluted out of embarrassment, but I knew that he would only take it as an insult.

"Now, you all are here from the academy because you have shown an interest in a seafaring job, after you have completed your training- whether for mage, navigator, quartermaster, or cook. Tell me, Raynn, what are you here for?" The tiger looked from my smartly styled hair to my well-groomed bushy tail as he advanced on the line that I was a part of, throwing his hands behind his back.

"I'm a medical student, Sir. I'm in my final year of-"

"Working aboard a ship is not some dream job." He clearly didn't even hear what I was saying. I gulped as he stared me down; my outfit was what I always traveled to the docks in, and I thought that I blended in pretty well. However, this ship had only official navy furs on board, dressed in uniform and moving in sync with each other as they worked the ropes and moved cargo on and off board.

"I understand, Sir!"

"Good. Being on board a ship means strict discipline, it means submission to the captain, and it means long stretches of time with nothing happening." He turned away from me and went on talking about what kind of magical applications were important on board a ship- but my personal talent, blade magic, was really only good for cutting ropes and timber (he apparently didn't appreciate the ability to make a clean incision). If I were one who dedicated my whole life to studying magic, perhaps I could get something cutlass-sized to obey my commands, if only slowly- the ones who studied it usually seemed to drop out after year one or two.

"Perhaps it is little-known that rune magic can actually summon a number of useful maps of the surface of the world..." Rune magic could get some information about a lot of things if you studied the language that it used, which required certain thoughts to go along with the words that you wrote. Naturally talented rune magic users usually didn't go on adventures, though; I don't think there was even one on that ship.

"Armor magic is nearly as useless as blade magic, except in cases where you want to go underwater and can sustain it, because it protects you from needing air and the crushing depths..." Armor magic was for combat, but some mages who could hold it for more than a minute used it for diving.

"Any military vessel will have a Life Mage on board that can keep the crew sustained..." Life magic acted the same as giving a fur food, water, and herbs. Most couldn't even make enough magic to sustain themselves fully, but those who learned how to feed many were treasured among ships as much as cooks and rations combined.

My mind started to wander again onto the broad timbers and thick sails of the ship, not to mention the muscular sailors that were working aboard. I gulped again as I tried to concentrate on what the rude Tiger was talking about.

"Fire magic is the heart of ship defense, and those who can command it well- such as myself- are sought after and can turn the tide of battles..." Nothing new about that- fire magic was what every fur army used for combat, big or small. Most of the mages here were all about fire, or the environmental control that the tiger went on to explain.

"...And finally, temperature control is very useful, especially in expeditions to the far south. As far as lesser skills that can help you, of course knot-tying and..."

I sighed and furrowed my eyebrows. I already knew everything that he was talking about, so there was no reason for me to come here at all. He didn't even mention that environmental control magic also protected furs from contracting diseases. That was why I started eating at the docks- I came for the guarantees of no food poisoning, unlike at the academy.

"...If you so wish, you may sign up now to be on this very ship when we come back from the main front line of the growing hostilities." I whipped my tail around and scratched it as I looked at the fire mages ready and eager to sign up. I couldn't bring myself to sign up for such an assignment, going into the front lines of a naval war. The Wolves of the neighboring islands were becoming warlike and holding a border with ships. Our own military was already acting as if we were at war with them, even forcing a few prominent Wolves at the academy to go on a permanent sabbatical.

"Very good. Everyone else, go ahead and get about the rest of your day." The Tiger turned smartly and waved his paw in a signal for those who wanted to follow him. I hid my face behind my tail a bit as I walked off the ship, trying not to catch anyone's gaze.

It was a little bit early in the day for drinking, but it seemed normal among the sailors to start drinking early and stop late, so I took their lead. I wandered down to the nearest pub that I frequented.

As I walked in, the comforting smell of fish and rum met my nostrils. I walked up to the bar and mounted the stool easily with a hop and a flick of my large tail. I flagged down the bartender, a slim dog that looked like he was even older than his establishment.

"Ey there, Squally," he slurred as he set down a well-polished cup in front of me. He kept his place in medical-grade condition, the reason that I always went before the night crowd showed up. "Ushal forya?"

"Yes, Sir," I said from instinct. I giggled and pounded the bar as hard as I could, barely shaking my own glass. "Yes! Give me rum, my good man."

He poured rum into my glass and then poured boiling water past bitter herbs to fill it. It was easy enough to drink, and the rum didn't ruin the taste of the tea too terribly.

"That Bear thatcher like asn't been bye, afore ye ask," he smiled down at me as he threw the herbs and leftover water into his large metal waste basin. "I think e said e's about ta set sail. Mayap e'll be back agin to see ye." He smiled with half of his mouth sadly as I suddenly looked hurt.

The bear he was referring to was an old salt that visited me at that pub sometimes. I knew that he was setting sail soon, because he had hinted at it the past few times we talked, until I made him admit it outright.

"I can't believe that bear," I drank down as much as I could with one gulp and frowned. "Just because he's... so great... he can go and do whatever he wants, while I'm stuck in school for four more years." I hated school by this point. I had already been told I was a man and could do whatever I wanted. Why did I have to learn so many useless things when I already passed all of the surgery and anatomy courses?

My thoughts went from my own problems back to my favorite sailor when he burst into the bar fighting three foxes that looked like they were out for blood.

"You're not helping your point!" The bear was yelling at the top of his lungs, and grabbed one fox by the back of the neck to smash his face into a table. He grabbed another and heaved him above his furry brown head in one smooth squat, throwing his smaller body right back out the door to crash into an advancing fourth member of the gang. He drew his cutlass on the last standing fox and got into his face, spitting out a final yell of, "Would you die in a bar-fight to prove that you don't believe in dishonorable combat?" as the point started to drift lazily out of the fox's vision and towards his white-furred throat.

The Fox chose to flee, grabbing onto his injured compatriots and leaving with a string of curses.

"Yeah, blow it out your ass!" The Bear sat heavily on the ground as soon as he was done, sheathing his cutlass. It was then that I was shocked to notice he was only using his left paw.

"Nicholas!" I ran up to the sailor and started to take his coat off to expose the simple top that was under it, tucked over his belly and into his fancier brass-buttoned pants.

"Don't start undressing me right here," the Bear smiled up to me in a flirt, and I could tell that he was a least half-serious... or half-delirious. "Wait until I've bought you a few more dinners."

I blushed, but kept going until I could see his right arm clearly, hanging grossly out of the socket. We started to draw a crowd from the bar as I touched his face and gently turned it to make sure his eyes were alright. He squinted at first, but eventually caught my gaze, and I couldn't help but notice that he started to blush back.

"Your shoulder is dislocated. How does it feel?"

"It's not as bad as it looks, actually- I think that I could still get it up for a squi- ROOOAH!" He screamed to the ceiling as I tugged on the heavily muscled arm as hard as I could, then pushed it slightly, back into the right position. He broke out into a huge, silly grin, then gave me a kiss with a barely-heard "thanks," and fell backwards, completely out.

The room full of sailors broke out into cheers and laughter, the tension completely gone from the room. Most called for rum for me, but I insisted on smelling salts for the bear, and soon he was sitting at the bar with me, a dozen shots of rum sitting between us for our joint performance.

"Nicholas, don't drink too much," I tried to discourage the bear, but he just smiled and downed another drink in one swallow.

"I came here for three things: to get rid of those foxes and to get good and wasted before I set sail." He scratched his chin and smiled mysteriously.

I completely fell for it.

"What's the other thing you're looking for?" I'll give you anything you want, I thought, you're such a kind, strong bear....

"No, if I told you, you wouldn't believe me."

"Tell me, Nicholas!" I went to punch his good shoulder, half to test his reaction. His reaction was to easily catch my fist with his huge paw, and lower it as he smiled. I smiled back. "Alright, fine, I'll get you good and drunk, and you'll tell me."

"Hey, Doctor Raynn I thought that you wanted me to keep away from that swill?"

"Your choice. Your arm might fall off. Or you could just tell me." I offered him another shot, and he drank it.

"Alright, alright, you little squirrely boy. I came here to find a ship's surgeon at that military event. But there wasn't even one there."

"I was there!" I perked up, and then started to shake, half from the drink and half from inferring too much into what he was saying. "Don't tell me that you were looking for a ship's surgeon there? It would just be students!"

"We can't afford to hire a real surgeon onto my ship. I even picked up a paroled prisoner to be the quartermaster, and I even invested some personal funds into the mission."

"What kind of ship are you running?" My eyes felt like they were about to bug out of my skull.

"A light ship skeleton crew with a focus on speed, carrying a defensive force of one master fire mage."

I gasped. Such ships were legendary, carrying one archmage that could fil the sails with wind instead of rowers and blast ships from a distance rather than come in range of fireballs. I held down my bristling tail with one hand and controlled my breathing.

He kissed me once again, and the bartender winked at us. I blushed furiously even as I closed my eyes and kissed him back.

A:

"I'm not qualified to be a surgeon, Nicholas. But please, please take me onto your ship!"

B:

"Lucky I found you, Captain! But can't you show me everything before I make any promises?"

C:

"No, Nicholas, but I need to make sure your arm is alright. Can't you stay one more night with me before you go?"