FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"See, I told you it'd be open." The puma said to his three friends. Well, they were guests at the local hotel resort, but what did it matter to him, anyway. He was a typical cat, with the same markings as others of his species. The only difference was his fur, as this was a bright, vivid red. He was dressed in a black t-shirt, with tan cargo shorts. The place that the group of cats were about to enter was a small white building. There were a series of windows that gave a view of the inside which revealed a series of chairs and tables. A few metal antennae were on top to receive radio signals.

"This the place? Thought it would be more fancy than this." The one who spoke was a housecat, black and white tuxedo pattern on his fur. He was shirtless, with only black running shorts on. "I mean, with a name like King's, I'd expect quality. Know what I'm saying?"

"Of course there's quality. If it wasn't, why would I not bring us here? Cheer up Danny, it won't be that bad." The puma gave a laugh and went to open the door. The door was the same as he remembered it, a white steel screen door. The interior was shaded, as the glass of the windows were slightly tinted. The group of four marveled at the design of the place. It had several tables, as well as booths. Each table had room for four apiece, and came with a napkin dispenser as well as several condiments. The walls were a pale red, and there were pictures on the walls, slightly below the ceiling. Most of it was tribal art, with a lot of nature symbols. One such symbol featured was the medicine wheel, a circle divided into four, each a different colour. One was red, then yellow, another black, and last one was white. There was a picture that looked absolutely adorable. It was a painting, a kitten's interpretation of a family fishing at a dock. Despite the simplicity, the kitten had a good sense of colour.

"Well, hey! Look who's back from Europe! It's our James, coming back home after being away." The speaker was a tan lioness, dressed in a cook's outfit, minus the hat.

"How's it going, Missy? Europe was fine, managed to make new contacts, and I just wanted to stop back in, check on everybody."

"Oh, just fine. The marina's seen better days, but we're fine. Terry would've liked to see you, but he's not here." Terry being the owner, a lynx greymuzzle who knew James as a kitten. Missy had worked for him for a few years now. She'd hoped to take over after Terry retired.

"So, who're your friends? I don't know these cats." The group stepped up to the window, which was visible from the left side of the doorway. Their paws made distinct thum sounds on the wooden floor. As a rule, every fur who walked in had to wipe their paws outside, on a small rug that was cleaned every evening.

"This is Danny," James said, indicating the housecat, "and these two are Paul and Landry. I met them while on the plane back, and decided to show them around." Paul was a leopard, dressed in a tan sleeveless shirt and jean shorts. Landry was a panther with green eyes, the typical jet black fur, save for a few silver markings around his muzzle and eyes. He was dressed in full denim, sleeveless shirt and shorts. The group of four cats were now gathered at the kitchen window, and Missy asked them what their order would be.

"So, what'll you have?"

The menu was homemade fast food, burgers, fries, and the like.

"I'll have a chicken burger with a large fry." James placed his order, then turned to his friends. "Well, what're you getting? It's on me today."

"Do they have fish here?" Paul lifted up a handpaw.

"No. But they do have chili dogs."

"Hmm... I'll try it. Are there any specials?"

Missy gave him a sly smile. "Huh, well, there's the Kal-dog."

"The Kal-dog? What's that?" Paul looked confused. He looked cute when he did that, but no one would outright tell him.

"It's named after some local fur, his relative to be exact." Missy pointed her head in James' direction. "It's a chili dog with extra spicy sauce, bacon, and extra cheese. Still want it?"

"Ah, what the hell. I'll try it. Give me that, and a small fry."

"Alright, that's two down, two to go. What about you two? You got something in particular you wanna eat?" Missy looked at the other two cats, who were moping about.

"We'll just have burgers, no fries." Danny and Landry went to find seats. They seemed nonchalant about the whole thing.

"You sure about that? Alright. I'll get everything cooking. I'll let you know when it's ready."

The group went to get their sodas from a cooler on the right side of the room. The cooler was a large thing, and cold to the touch. James got root beer, Danny got grape soda, Landry, cream soda, and Paul took ginger ale. Each drink was in a regular sized can, generic brand. At least it was cheap, unlike some brands...

"What is it with you and root beer anyway?" Landry asked James.

"Haven't had it in a long time. I figured since I'm back home, I'd try it again." He took a long pull from the can. "It was a guilty pleasure for me. Still, I enjoy it."

The group took their seats by a window facing the parking area, at a booth for four.

"Hey, what about paying for everything? The food and stuff?" Danny was flighty, his eyes darting around, suspicious.

James' muzzle flashed with a grin, and he put a handpaw on Danny's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. We pay after we're done eating. Like I said, I've got this." The group sat down at the table, with James and Paul facing Landry and Danny. Landry was the first to start the questioning.

"So, what is this place? The cook mentioned a marina. What's that?"

James took a breath, and answered him. "Back when I was younger, there used to be boats that would go up and down the river. As you can see, they've still got the docks." He pointed his head to the docks that were visible outside. Despite the river and the flowing water, the docks looked well sturdy. They were made of wood, and there was a gas pump in the middle. "I don't know if they still do that. The diner's still in business, that's speaking for something. Terry would know. If I see him again, I'll ask him."

"Who's Terry?" This was from Danny.

"He's an old timer, him. I know him from back when I was a kitten. He used to drive the cubs to school in a bus, and still does, if I remember correctly. He was married once, but his wife died later on. He opened the place, and I've had good times here. The food's good, I can tell you that much."

He was about to continue when he was interrupted by Missy. "Hey, order's up! Come and get it." The food was presented on a large tray, the kind you'd see in a large cafeteria. The fries were in white takeout boxes, and the burgers were wrapped in white paper.

"I'll get the food. Hold on to your drinks, you'll need them." James went up to get the food. He balanced the tray carefully, making sure that their food didn't drop on the floor. He arrived at the table, putting it down in front of the group.

"Here, and if you're wondering, you don't need forks here." He set the food down on the table. He took his seat next to Danny, scooting the housecat over to the window a little bit.

Paul looked at what had been brought before him. True to what Missy said, the special chili dog was stacked with sauce, and he could see the generous portion of bacon. He lifted it to his maw, and took a tender bite. The sauce had a distinct tang on his tongue, and the bacon was well done. Was it maple glazed? He couldn't tell for sure. The cheese could have been done without, but it was an interesting special nonetheless. He took small sips of his ginger ale to wash it down.

The other two cats were eating their burgers, slowly at first. The taste was like regular hamburgers, but there was something different... Somehow it was different. Not in a bad way, they couldn't just place it. It was lower class than the hotel's food, but that was from the resort, now that was high class food. But this, this was... different.

"These burgers are something else! They don't taste that greasy, not at all like other fast food joints. Especially with ketchup." Danny and Landry both dug into their burgers with gusto. Between them, they didn't last more than a few minutes.

"So, what do you think of the food. I mean, it's not healthy, but..." James paused as he focused on eating his fries. In between bites one could see his cat's teeth, all pointed and even. Predator's teeth, they were once called.

"Quite good actually, there's something... I don't know what to call it, nostalgic, maybe." Paul had decided to weigh in.

"Would you want to come back? I mean, I did invite you over for a quick bite to eat."

"Well-" Landry was interrupted by Danny. "Yeah, I would. If not for the cook, then at least the atmosphere. I can't place my paw on it, but it's there." The housecat let out a nervous laugh.

"Ahem, as I was saying, the food's good, atmosphere's there. There's something missing, though. It might be location, this place is out in the middle of nowhere. Like a hidden gem, as they would say." Landry sat back in his seat, finishing his drink.

"What's up, no purple today? Usually you're seen in purple clothes, right?" This was Paul, commenting on James' choice of attire.

James looked happy at this. "Truth be told, everything purple's in the wash. Which reminds me, I have to drop you off at the hotel and get back to the house." The house being his first home, one that he built himself, with a little bit of help, of course. He had always wanted one overseas, in Europe. Considering he had funds from his writing career, the construction had taken months instead of years. His relatives helped too, that was a given. But never mind that, he had a bill to pay. The other three were done with their lunch, and he had agreed to take the bill. He walked up to the counter, where Missy was checking over the register.

"You ready for the bill?" Missy gave him a look. Reaching for the cash register, she tallied up the cost of the food. With a signature ding, the machine opened_._

"Ah, come on, don't give me that look. Here, money for all four of us." He reached into a pocket of his shorts and took out his wallet. Reaching into it, he took out the money to pay for lunch. She took his money, and put it into the register. The machine then shut, locking in place.

"You going to come back soon? I mean, everybody misses you here. Even your brother." His eyes widened at the mention of his brother. They'd been out of touch for a while. They had their moments, sure, but...

"No, I haven't seem him myself. Ever since you two had that argument over that catgirl at the local bar. He wanted to apologize, and he's been looking for you."

James remembered that one. Something about him asking for her number, as her kind were extremely rare. Then his brother stepped in, he was drunk. He remembered that his eyes, the ferocious rage... All over one female, no less. Sure, he'd just broken up with his last girlfriend, but messing with his brother, to the point of threatening him, that was too far. He remembered it like it was yesterday, but now was not the time for that. There would be time for memories later, James mused. But he had to take his guests back to the hotel. And that took top priority.

Maybe later, he thought, he could stop by the house, when everything was done. Stop and reflect, that would do him good.

"Yeah," he said, gathering the three other cats, "I'll come back. You'll see." With that, they all walked out of the diner, together. James still had a promise to come back, perhaps to stay. He always tried to keep his promises, always. The town of Partridge Drums never forgot its people.

The End