FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Dizzying pleasant dreams of old days long gone slowly faded into a dim blue, and Nereen realized she was staring at the wall of her bedroom as her eyes slowly blinked open. She yawned and stretched before rolling over and picking up her phone. It was also her watch, and when needed her alarm clock. Just a little after nine in the morning. 'Wow.' A tiny voice spoke from nearby. 'I've never seen someone sleep for so long.' 'Hmmhh.' Nereen sat herself up with a tired smile. 'Sleeping in is one of life's simplest and best pleasures. Like binging on sweets.' 'The other two... left hours ago.' Teo said. 'Can I go home and make sure everyone's alright? Please, I don't trust those two!' 'Will you relax?' Nereen giggled, standing and walking over to her wardrobe. She gave a glance to the micen still sitting in the tall glass on the dresser before picking out a decent pair of clothes to wear for the day. She had no plans of doing any dirty work, so one of her better blue tops and a pair of slim grey pants were her choices. Teo watched her dress, either intrigued or unashamed, she couldn't tell. His prison, the glass she had used to take a drink of water before setting him inside could not have been comfortable to sleep in but she had been low on options to ensure that the micen would not simply flee during the night. 'Okay, we'll check in on your home soon.' Nereen said, lifting the glass up. 'First I wanna have breakfast. Have you ever had bacon and eggs?' 'No...' Teo replied, calming down after a moment of thinking he was going to be her breakfast instead. 'Oh? You'll love it.' Nereen grinned, carrying the glass out of her room and sitting it on the kitchen counter. After a trip to the bathroom and back, she readied herself a plate before switching on the stove and setting a pan atop it. Teo watched anxiously as the leona withdrew a packet of bacon and two eggs from the fridge and set them beside his glass on the counter. 'What are... those?' The micen muttered as the leona deftly cracked both eggs into the pan, licking her lips as they started to sizzle. Following this she opened the bacon packet and took out the last three strips. 'Looks like I'll be heading to the shops today.' She said softly. 'I'm actually glad Dienza decided to help... It should be easier to stock back up now.' Teo simply responded with a blank stare, perhaps insulted that she'd been ignoring his questions. She stared back for a few seconds before an idea crossed her mind and she grinned. She lifted the glass and held it under the tap. 'What are you-!!' Teo's protests were cut short as the water flooded over him and filled the glass. He held onto the edge, shaking the water from his face before his eyes widened in horror. Nereen sipped from the glass, forcing Teo to press his palms against the flat of Nereen's nose to avoid being sucked through her lips. 'Mmmh, micen adds a good bit of flavour to tap water.' Nereen said with a laugh, taking another sip and this time ending up with Teo clinging to the top of her muzzle. She pulled the glass away and set it down. Teo's shivering body clung to the short fur on her face, making her smile and lift him gently from her nose with two fingers. 'That wasn't funny...' He said, dripping and wet and visibly upset as she placed him back onto the counter. Nereen smiled and flipped the bacon, figuring she'd teased him enough. Before long her breakfast was ready and she transferred it onto the plate. She pulled a knife and fork from the drawer and lifted Teo into her free hand. She carried them both to the table and sat. Teo took one look at the food and approached the plate. 'Stop.' Nereen commanded. 'You do not take from a leona's plate. Anything on the plate is food, and if you get on the plate...?' 'O-oh...' Teo stopped, looking at her and then looking at the food longingly. 'So why are you... keeping me like this?' 'I like you.' Nereen replied, lifting her first fork load of egg wrapped in bacon to her mouth. Teo watched in trepidation, shivering once more as the leona swallowed and cut a few pieces of bacon and a cut of egg, setting them at the edge of the plate and nodding her permission for him to take them. When the two had finished, Nereen placed Teo back on top of her head. She rinsed off her plate and left it on the sink. The dishes had piled up so she'd have to get to that at some point. For the time being she had to see to Teo's colony so he'd loosen up and start to trust her a little more. Hopefully Dienza and Spiika had left them alone since last night, otherwise he'd be a lost cause. She opened the pantry and got down on her knees. She leaned in close, feeling Teo's tiny claws digging into her scalp as the micen watched with wracked nerves. As she lifted the shelf the same way Dienza had done, she heard the squeaks of over a dozen small bodies scattering to try and find a hiding place. She stayed still until they all settled, curling up in groups and pairs with a few remaining alone as they all eventually came to rest in one place. 'Are you all done panicking?' She asked, trying her best not to look intimidating. Teo crawled down her face, resting on the tip of her muzzle and staring down with frantic darting glances all over the place. 'Where's Tanee?' Teo asked in desperation. 'I'm here!' A voice came from higher up, one of the above shelves, prompting Nereen to lift her head. A bold young micen, couldn't have been older than six months, stood on the shelf above the leona's head holding an elongated wooden splinter. 'Let my dad go you monster!' 'What are you-?' Nereen was interrupted as Teo tried to stand and slipped. He fell from her face, causing her to almost unbalance herself as she fumbled to catch him. 'Idiot...' She put a stunned Teo down in the midst of his colony and turned back up towards Tanee. 'Get away!' The girl raised her splinter and tried to wave it threateningly at Nereen's incoming hand. Nereen giggled and made a quick feint before pinching the splinter between her finger and thumb and yanking suddenly. Tanee fell forward with a cry of fear and landed with a grunt on Nereen's head where Teo had been. 'Hmmm. What a misbehaving little brat.' Nereen said in a scolding parental tone. 'Do you know what happens to little girls who threaten adults, like some kind of little hoodlum?' 'No, please... I just wanted to...' Tanee's words were cut short as Nereen lifted the micen by her feet and opened her mouth slightly. The girl whimpered and flailed as she was set on Nereen's tongue and slurped into her mouth. 'Nereen!' Teo cried, reaching a hand up in the air towards her and almost hyperventilating in panic. 'Please! Please don't!' Nereen smiled, then a faint gulp sounded from her neck. She looked into Teo's wide shocked expression before her smile grew wider and she opened her mouth. A shivering curled up Tanee dropped out, landing with a soft thud on the floor before her father. Nereen had swallowed nothing, simply to toy with him yet again. 'W-what was...? Tanee?' Teo glanced between Nereen and his daughter in bewilderment and relief. 'Oh thank gods...' He darted over and wrapped her arms around the small girl before sparing a glance back up at the leona. 'Listen, I know you all have it tough.' Nereen leaned in closer, causing them all to start shaking a little more. 'But I will expect you to show respect, because you are micen and I am the leona. Remember that, and we'll all get along fine.' 'What about the other two?' Teo asked pleadingly. 'They took my mate... and my sister, and her mate too! We'd all be dead if you didn't stop them, can you promise us we'll all be safe from them too?' 'No.' Nereen replied bluntly. 'You should probably move your colony somewhere harder to find. I also want to make it clear that even though I'm letting you all go this time, it doesn't mean I will always protect you. I saved you because of the amount of kids you need to look after, that's all.' 'Thank you!' Teo replied. 'But...' Nereen leaned in closer again. 'They won't all be kids forever.'

A few hours had passed since the encounter with the pantry colony, and Nereen had busied herself with the laundry and dishes in the meantime. Every now and then she'd catch sight of a micen scurrying across the kitchen floor towards the cabinets under the sink, sometimes carrying a bundle of food or cloth supplies. At one point a young boy was watching her from a hole in the skirting near the kitchen doorway, but he vanished into the wall when she stared back, smiling coyly and licked her lips. And that thought had been on her mind for those hours also. She'd given up eating micen at almost Dienza's age, when a psychology class project had left her disheartened. Thinking back on it, she'd actually been quite traumatized. The pain had faded, bit the habit of not eating micen had not. Once the cleaning was done, she'd checked the pantry and fridge. Most of what Dienza had bought was running low. There was still some left, but it hadn't lasted as long with Spiika's unexpected extended stay. She returned to her room and picked up her phone. With a deep breath she looked up her bank account and sighed softly at the numbers. They were higher than usual with Dienza's market spree easing the burden, meaning she could make a visit to the shops and top up a few things.

Fresh bread, milk and another packet of lamb cuts later and Nereen was seated at the table with a ham sandwich and a glass of water. She hadn't seen any sign of the micen at all since she'd gotten home and a quick glance under the pantry shelf had confirmed that they had abandoned their old colony. She took a few bites of her sandwich before a thought occurred to her, prompting her to move a packet of lamb and a steak to the sink. Hopefully they'd be thawed enough to cook by the evening. She turned back to the table and had taken one step before she noticed the small body on the table. No, on her plate. The micen had noticed her and froze. It was the same little male she'd seen staring at her before. She felt anger flare at this slight so soon after she'd explained the importance of micen respecting leonas. She crossed the kitchen in seconds and slammed her hand down on the table just beside her plate, causing the youth to bounce into the air as he tried to run. Her hand slid onto the plate and gripped him tightly, causing him to squeak in fear and pain. 'What did I tell you about -?' The sound of the front door opening violently cut Nereen off in mid- sentence and caused her to flinch. 'Shit...' She dropped the boy into the half full glass for now and rushed to investigate what was happening. Her hand tensed and claws extended, home invasions were not common on this side of the neighbourhood, but at the same time they were not unheard of. 'Dienza?' She relaxed as her son stalked up the hallway, but tensed again once she saw the expression on his face. 'Dienza! What's wrong?' He met her concerned look with his unchanging scowl and stepped into his room without a word. Nereen felt her heart start to race. She hadn't seen him like this in a long time and back then it had been terrible. She took a deep breath and stepped into his doorway. He was sat on the floor beside his bed, a wooden chest pulled out from underneath and opened. Inside were an assortment of dull metal objects, a few pieces of armour, a fragment of helmet and a combat knife. He gripped the blade tightly in one hand, and held onto a dangling dog tag by its chain in the other, resting the base of his hand on his forehead and propping his elbow to his knee. 'Dien...?' Nereen stepped in slowly and knelt at the end of his bed. 'What happened?' 'She... She slipped.' Dienza replied softly. 'It was completely his fault too.' 'Whose...?' Nereen asked. 'Wait, Spiika? Is she alright?' 'She's had a catmint problem for years, Ma.' Dienza growled. 'I thought she might finally be making some progress. But she left work early today. Wasn't feeling well. When I called her at the start of lunch break, she answered. She was... too fucking out of it to realize what was even going on.' His fist tightened on the blade of the knife and he eyed along the edge, no doubt imagining the sheen of blood he so strongly desired to coat it with. 'Put the knife away.' Nereen said, almost whispering. 'This isn't the way to help her.' 'I don't know if I even can help her anymore!' Dienza snapped. 'I just... He needs to pay for this. He needs to pay!' Dienza climbed to his feet and took a step towards the bedroom door before Nereen rose quickly and barred his path. 'Please...' She shook her head, staring back at him, pleading. 'Don't throw your life away over this. Don't make enemies with those people, you'll never live in peace again. You might not even walk away, Dienza please!' Dienza paused, his eyes locked with hers. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but his deadlocked expression betrayed no such weakness. 'If I don't come home... Just pack up and leave.' He sighed before gently pushing her to one side. 'I'm sorry... But I just can't keep on letting this happen. I'll see you tonight. I love you.' 'I love you...' Nereen replied as he left. She listened distraught as his footsteps led to the front door. She heard the slam, before her legs finally gave out. She collapsed against the bedroom wall and slid to the floor, eyesight distorted by tears as she broke down and cried.