FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Stars twinkled in the night sky as Lilly, a pink cross between a fox and a skunk, made her way home from her friend's Christmas party. Though the bright city lights masked the stars from view ever so slightly, she could still catch glimpses of the heavenly bodies as they shone over the chilly December night. The lights lining the street made snowflakes sparkle as they fell to the ground, creating an almost magical atmosphere for her walk home.

Wrapping a new sweater tightly around her shoulders, she shuffled along, kicking accumulated snow out of her path. It was a little cold, but the weather didn't warrant much besides the light outerwear. One of the benefits of being covered in fur was that it made nights like this easy to deal with. The young lady sighed happily, hot cider on her breath making steam swirl up from her mouth and into the crisp air. The few snowflakes that made it through the cider breath settled on the pink girl's heart-shaped nose, tickling her before melting away.

Lilly's path home wasn't a very long one. The only real obstacle was trudging through a local park, as her home was on the other side of it. She turned off the city sidewalk and started following a brick walking trail that led through the woods. It was a bit creepier of a walk, but the mood was lightened by several lamp posts that were lined along the right side of the path.

The bricks had been freshly cleaned of snow, but it seemed like the park staff had gotten a bit lazy. Not even a few feet in, and some snow was already trickling back onto the pathway. However, she wasn't about to let something as simple as snow dampen her spirits. As she walked though, the feeling that something had kept the cleaning crew from doing their job crept back into her mind. Though she was sure it was just her nerves, she quickened her pace a bit.

A little "floomp" sound made Lilly jump in surprise, head whipping around toward the noise. At first she saw nothing, but then her eyes spotted some larger snowflakes fluttering down from a branch. They must have been trailing after a big clump that had just fallen. She started walking again, shaking her head and chuckling to herself about how skittish she was being, though her mind was still on edge.

A sudden crunch under her paws made her heart leap into her throat. Looking down slowly, she saw fresh snow beneath her, untouched by a shovel, plow, or any creature. She wanted to blame snow drifts, but looking ahead, it was easy to tell that a flat layer of flakes was coating her path home. Why hadn't the workers gotten this far? Worry started flooding her mind, and she felt her body start shaking nervously.

The air around her grew colder, and her trembling body released a visible puff every time she drew breath. Instead of the cheery atmosphere in the city, this place was quiet and dead, warranting no comfort or warm feelings. Her feet carried her faster through the snow. She was running before she knew it. The lights, bright at the beginning of the trail, now flickered around her. She lowered her head and bolted forward, eyes squinted so much that everything became a blur around her. Her heart pounded in her chest as she kicked up a flurry of snow behind her.

The lights were now completely dark, offering no help whatsoever. If they had been, maybe she would have been able to see the small figure hunched over in the snow. Maybe she would've been able to see it from far off, and avoid it altogether. She might have even seen the gnarled footprints leading to this spot. But she didn't see any of that. She ran right into the creature, her leg catching at about knee level. With a little "oof", she was sent sprawling in the snow.

As she sat up and tried to catch her breath, she looked back to see whatever she had run into kneeling in the snow on its hands and knees. Fear pushed to the back of her mind for the moment, Lilly rushed over to the figure and put her paw on its back.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going." She blurted out, concern filling her eyes. The creature sat silently for a moment, not even moving a muscle. Lilly felt unease creeping back into her body now that the rush of the accident had worn off, and she backed up a couple steps. "Did I hurt you? Are you-" The creature's very appearance cut Lilly's questions short, leaving her maw hanging open in a silent scream.

As the figure turned toward the voice, huge holes where its eyes should have been stared lifelessly in her direction. The light reflecting off the snow illuminated the skull of a wolf, shooting fear up Lilly's spine. Her body was paralyzed in terror, feet unwilling to move as the creature cocked it head at her, taking a step forward. Dark blue marks and swirls became visible around its eyes, giving it an eerie tribal appearance. The rest of the wolf was covered in blue and black fur, but Lilly couldn't peel her eyes off of the disturbing skull.

"Get away from me!" She shrieked, body finally snapping into motion. She fell backwards on her large tail and scurried back a few feet. The skull wolf whimpered and pulled back at the noise, looking as if someone had tried to strike at it. Curling its legs up to its chest, the creature scooted back to where she had been resting, which was against a completely dark lamp post, whining softly.

Lilly, who was still trying to settle her nerves, stared curiously at the creature. It didn't seem like it wanted to hurt her. She thought about standing up, but decided against it, as she might appear intimidating to the poor thing. Not that she was very intimidating in the first place, but she didn't want to take chances. Getting on her hands and knees, she crawled over to the creepy wolf, putting on her best smile. Luckily, her cute appearance was coming in handy. Being covered in soft colors and a few little hearts sometimes had its advantages. "Hi there... Are you all alone?" She asked, trying her best to sound cheery.

At first, silence overtook the pair as it had before, making Lilly feel uneasy again. She decided that she had better just get home before anything bad happened. She turned her body, swiveling on her paws as she was about to head home, but a deep, yet small voice made her freeze. "Don't go..." Turning back around, Lilly found herself directly in the skull wolf's gaze, catching her a bit off guard. Still, her friendly smile returned as she reached out a paw. "I'm Lilly. Do you have a name?"

"Amaris..." Another pause, and then she spoke again. "I'm sorry I tripped you... It's hard to see back here. When people saw me around here, they started not showing up. Even the workers didn't bother to replace the light bulbs by my den this year..."

Lilly felt her heart softening for the poor girl. Here she was, alone and heartbroken in the woods, and all her mind had thought to do was cast her aside. "Do you like the holidays?" Lilly asked, trying to make the subject a little cheerier.

Amaris's eye sockets seemed to light up, though they remained black. Her voice gained a faintly cheery tone as she nodded. "I love them. I like to watch couples who walk through the woods together. They look so happy to have companions. I want to meet people, but no one has even said hello to me..."

Without even thinking, Lilly stretched her paw out to the little outcast. "Well hello then, Amaris. Would you like to come out of the cold with me? I can make a fire that'll warm us up once we get home." The little wolf looked confused at first, but then lifted her head and gave an eager little nod. Lilly giggled and took her hand, standing her up. The pink girl leading by a few steps, the pair walked off toward the lights that were functioning just a bit further down the path.

As the two reached the visible line where the workers had stopped trying to shovel, Amaris stumbled a bit crossing over from one side to the other. Lilly's arms wrapped around her, supporting her new friend and helping her back up. The skull didn't bother her anymore. There was a creature inside it. Whether it was alive or not, she wasn't quite sure. What she did know was that no one deserved to feel so alone, especially around the holidays. As she pondered these thoughts in her head, the little wolf clinging to her arm, her step regained its usual spring as they exited the trees and headed for home.