FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

A boy clenched his teeth into a snarl as he stared at the blank screen shining back at him. Unbeknownst to him, the package he held in front of him crumpled under his grip. When he realized the damage he did, the student let out a sigh as he peeled away the shrink wrap. "I guess there's no going back now," the youth lamented before pulling a jewel case out of the cardboard.

With a little pop, the cover opened up, revealing its contents. The disk inside greeted the student with big stylistic text that screamed "Elder Tale: Novasphere Pioneers" before he closed it back up and sat down. A button press illuminated the boy's desktop. Another turned on his screen, and yet another exposed the disk tray, as well as its contents: A disk that also said "Elder Tale." A light smile graced the youth's face as the soft edges of the CDs massaged his fingertips as he swapped their positions.

After closing the case and nudging the tray back into the ebony tower, electric motors whirred. A few seconds later, a window popped up, asking the kid if he wanted to run the software on the disk. A moment of hesitation was all that stood between him and clicking "Yes." When he finally did, his monitor went black. "Elder Tale" flashed on screen immediately afterward, followed by "Homesteading the Noosphere," and finally, a background depicting a small section of the game's world. A few clicks later, a progress bar appeared, showing the student how much longer he had to wait.

As the installation took its time, the boy took his to browse through his library. After putting in the latest expansion, he counted no less than 14 disk cases for Elder Tale, including the base game. When the student thought about how little content he actually experienced, he sighed in regret. "What a waste of time," he grumbled, shaking his head at that comment. The student went on to ask himself two questions he'd already answered in his head.

"Why am I doing this?"

"Is he still playing?"

And one he didn't.

"Will he still talk to me?"

The question had little time to bounce in his head before the screen blacked out again. When it lit up once more, it asked the student to start the game. A minute passed before he did, and the instant he clicked his mouse, his world went black, and another question flashed in his head.

"What's going on!?"

With a drool-filled gulp, the boy creaked his eyes open, and the sights in front of him pried them wide. A field of green-stained buildings greeted, and just above, a blue, cloudy sky. Several hundred other people surrounded him, all looking as astounded as he was. A cool breeze swept through the area, chilling his newly-bared chest.

"I could've sworn I was wearing a shirt," the student thought, and he looked down to see what was going on. Tufts of white graced his neck and bits of his chest, while black fur lined the rest of his body. A bit to either side, a scarf, resembling a flame. He lifted his hands into view, and two cat's paws waved back at him. The youth stepped back in shock, and he saw that he was wearing a Hakama, adorned with a belt and several decorations.

After a deep breath, the student reassessed his situation. The character he played in Elder Tale had this same fur pattern and wore the same thing he is right now. The world he saw closely resembled the sights on his screen a few minutes before, if a bit higher resolution. And the people around him? All the races from Elder Tale were represented, so...

"Am I in the game?"

Deciding the answer was "Yes," the first thing on the boy's mind was how to pull up a menu. Before he could wonder how, several status windows popped up in front of him. The first one to catch his eye was the Heads-Up Display, showing him his name (Shin), Race (Werecat), Class and Subclass (Samurai/Blacksmith), Level (50), and his HP (6969/6969) and MP (2717/2717) Bars. To the side: a list of Menu actions. His eyes scrolled down until he found the one he was looking for: Friend List. However, before his finger could touch that icon, his entire body froze up, and his paw clenched up to a fist.

With a shake of his head, the menus dispersed, and the Werecat took off on all fours. His destination didn't matter; he just wanted to disappear. Shin's tail rippled with each leap, and in seconds, he was out of Akiba. Thick trees darkened his sights, but his eyes adjusted in an instant. When he finally stopped, he found himself surrounded by monsters.

"Level 30s," the Samurai muttered, looking at his enemies' statuses. Back on two feet, the Mostly black cat drew the weapon on his back: A Metal-Studded Wood Club, known as the Great Oni's Rod. Shin could feel the weight of the rod as it threatened to hit the ground, but his paws, as small as they were, managed to hold it up with ease. A fascinated exhale escaped his muzzle as he lay witness to his own power. His wide-eyed stare narrowed into a focused stare before he bared his teeth and roared, "BRING IT ON!"

A bear brought it, and with one swipe, Shin flew into a tree, sliding down its trunk fast enough to give him rug burn from the bark. Before he could nurse his wounds, a bird dove head-first into his skull, and a status screen popped up, telling him that he was "Dizzy."

Sure enough, he was. After helping himself back up to his feet with the tree's assistance, the Werecat' nearly stumbled over himself a few times before he could properly stand upright. The head trauma scrambled more than his balance. When he returned to his battle stance, Shin though he heard a little chime. Following this imaginary chime was a familiar voice.

"Hey Shin," the voice greeted. "It's been a while. Shall we meet up at the usual spot?" An unintelligible roar forced itself out, and the cat leapt at the nearest monster with his weapon raised. Before he could bring it down, the Dire Wolf leapt out of the way, leaving Shin vulnerable as he struggled to heft his weapon back up.

Once he did get the Oni's Rod back on his shoulders, the Werecat turned around, only to get a face-full of charging bird. Another hearty bear swipe followed suit, and when Shin hit the ground, he looked up at his HUD. "Less than Half HP after just four attacks? That can't be right." A quick glance at the bear's status told him why. "Level 45. Shit..."

Still reeling from that last attack, Shin could barely lift a muscle to defend himself. The bear lifted its paw once more, but before the monster could bring it down on the Werecat once more, a transparent barrier appeared between the two. Looking past the giant brown body in front of him, the Samurai saw a figure in white and blue drawing a bow. The sound of an arrow flying gradually increased in volume, and in a second, one pierced the bear's chest and shone with light. The light filled the bear's body, and with a roar, the monster exploded in a burst of light, coins, and meat.

Little jewels surrounded the battered Cat, playing an upbeat little tune as it soothed a few of his wounds. When he got back up to his feet, Shin looked around for the bird, and saw its eyes trained on the other figure. Just as he did before, the Samurai sprinted on all fours, this time towards the figure rather than away. Right beside the White and Blue, Black stood back up and readied his Club. With another mighty roar, the Werecat swung his Rod, and the charging monster was sent flying backwards before it followed the same fate as the bear.

A sigh waltzed out of Shin's muzzle as he put away his weapon and closed his eyes. A hand ruffled up his mane, and the Werecat looked back at the one he saved. A white sleeveless shirt entered his view. To the sides, tan, hairy arms, and above it, a warm smile under long, dark, grey hair. The Werecat looked back down at both Hakamas, the skin under his fur as red as the other's legwear was blue. He opened up his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

It was the other male who broke the silence. "Are you all right, Shin?" he asked, and the Werecat looked back up. His status screen popped up, confirming his identity as the one the Samurai tried to avoid.

Shin's ears lowered and his face began to shrivel up. "Ros," was all he said before he went silent again.

The Wolf Fang chuckled as he lowered himself down to his friend's height. "You know, I was worried about you when you logged off on White Day," Ros answered. "You left before I could say anything."

Shin remembered that day as if it were yesterday. The day he finally caught up to Ros' level. The time his feelings reached a peak. The day he finally confessed his feelings.

The day he abandoned Elder Tale.

Paws covered the Werecat's eyes, unable to see Ros' expression. His muzzle opened up again, and just like before, no words came out. This time, the Wolf Fang remained silent as well. After a minute, Shin lowered his guard, and looked the Kannagi in the eye. "So...What did you think?" he asked, and this time, it was the dog that got his tongue.

Fresh saliva mixed with a hint of chocolates while the Wolf and Cat embraced. As the kiss continued, shin opened up his eyes, and he got a second look at his new lover's level. "Level 65..." he lamented in his mind. When they pulled out, both males were blushing like schoolgirls.

Ros ruffled the little werecat's mane once more. "Well, we''re together now," the Wolf fang chuckled. After getting a look at the Samurai's status, he asked, "Now that we are, how about we get you back up to speed?" Snickering about how long it took Shin to ask him the first time.

Shin's ears drooped in shame. He knew exactly why Ros asked that question. When he went in for another hug, the Werecat brought his muzzle up to his partner's furry ear and gave him his answer.

"I would love that."