FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The horse dragged Marcus down the corridor by the scruff of his neck. Up ahead, the two bulls from the main entrance were waiting with the female ermine "That's the urchin who stole my ticket" she said, narrowing her eyes "Don't worry madam, we'll deal with this personally" the horse replied Marcus knew there was no way he could protest his innocence and realised with a sense of dread that he had no way of calling Harry for help without using his phone. The listening device was still hanging around his neck but the sound had gone dead "Move it!" the horse ordered, dragging Marcus along while the two bulls followed. They walked to a service elevator and shoved Marcus roughly inside. The horse pressed the button to go down. "So what's this then?" One of the bulls asked, grabbing hold of the headphones "I was listening to music" Marcus replied "Don't bullshit me" the bull growled, he spoke with a rough East London accent He tore the device off Marcus' neck and examined it closely "You know what Shaun, it looks like some sort of radio transmitter" the horse said, taking the device and examining it "I bet he's an undercover cop" the other bull said "Is that what you are wolf-boy, a cop?" Shaun said, grabbing Marcus by the shoulders. Marcus recoiled as Shaun's rank breath hit his nostrils "I hate fucking cops" the other bull muttered "So, what do you reckon Shaun and Angus. How will you deal with him?" The horse asked. The two bulls looked at each other and grinned "Let's waste him in the alleyway" Angus said "Yeah, but first I wanna make him suffer" Shaun replied. The service elevator rattled to a halt as it reached the basement. The two bulls grabbed Marcus and threw him out. Marcus yelped as he landed in a heap on the floor "Don't make a mess. I'm going to head back to the party" the horse said He pressed the button and the doors slid shut.

Marcus sat up to see the two bulls leering over him. Angus and Shaun had worked as enforces for some of London's toughest crime bosses. They were now employed by Fawcett's security as hired muscle, but had kept their sadistic methods and enjoyed using them on anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path "Look, this is a mistake, I'm not a police officer" Marcus began, standing up and trying to back away. He glanced around the basement. It was a wide space full of industrial pipes and electrical wiring that buzzed ominously "Oh really? I can smell a bullshitter from a mile off" Angus said "And don't think of running, we know this place inside out" Shaun added Angus grabbed Marcus and forced him to sit in a plastic chair. He pulled off Marcus' jacket and ripped open the collar of his shirt, causing the buttons to go flying in all directions "You know what they call us?" Shaun asked tauntingly "Dumb and Dumber?" Marcus replied, trying to put on a brave face Shaun reached over and backhanded Marcus, almost knocking him over "You'll be laughing on the other side of your face wolf-boy. We're the Brodie twins, and the mention of our name make a lot of furs tremble" he snarled Angus had taken Marcus' phone out of his jacket pocket "Look, he's a queer wolf" he said mockingly, showing Shaun the Prowlr logo "Yeah? Takes one to know one" Marcus shot back Shaun glowered and slapped Marcus across the face, causing the chair to fall over. Marcus could taste blood in his mouth and his eyes were smarting. Shaun removed a switch-blade from his pocket while Angus put Marcus' phone on the floor and stamped on it, smashing the screen "So, why are you here?" Shaun asked, advancing on Marcus with the switch-blade.

Outside in the Jaguar, the three canines were still glancing up at the skyscraper. Riley was growing anxious "He's been gone a while, something must have happened" he growled to himself. He turned to Ayden and Harry "I'm going inside" he announced, opening the door "Riley, wait..." Harry began, but Riley had already jumped out and was sprinting off. Riley made for the entrance to the Crystal. Most of the guests had gone inside. There was a single fox standing outside in a security uniform "Excuse me, sir..." he began, but Riley pushed past him and marched into the lobby. A female Siamese cat was sitting behind the reception desk, she looked up in surprise as Riley walked over "Can I help you, sir?" She asked "My friend is in this building, he's attending the party and I need to find him" "What's his name and species?" Riley paused, in his haste he had forgotten that Marcus was not officially on the guest list "He's called Marcus Denman, and he's a wolf" Riley explained. The feline typed on her computer "I'm afraid we don't have anyone here by that name" she said "Hey, he was fighting outside earlier!" a brown Labrador in a security uniform shouted. Riley cursed and turned to race back towards the door. He pushed past the fox, who shot him another perplexed look, and ran towards the side-street. Harry's Jaguar drew up and Riley jumped in "Riley, you might have just busted Marc!" Harry exclaimed Riley splayed his ears, realising how rash he had been "What do we do now?" Ayden asked "I know it's not the safest option, but I'll keep circling. Keep your eyes focused on any exits we pass. If Marc is found out, they might take him somewhere else. They won't do anything in front of the guests".

In the basement, Marcus could feel sweat breaking out on his muzzle as he gazed helplessly up at the Bulls "Don't lie to me. I'll make sure you feel a lot of pain if you piss me off" Shaun hissed, kneeling before him with the switch-blade "Now, why are you here?" Marcus was about to answer, but a walkie-talkie attached to Angus' belt suddenly crackled "Yes?" Angus growled as he answered it "Get the wolf out of here and finish it. Someone came looking for him" a voice said Shaun grabbed Marcus by the shoulders and forced him to stand "Let's gut him and dump the body in the Thames" Angus suggested "Move it!" Shaun barked, giving Marcus an aggressive push. They dragged him up a flight of steps and through a fire escape that led into an alleyway. A black van was parked nearby and Angus reached into his pocket for the keys. Suddenly, the alleyway was lit up by a pair of headlamps "What the..." Angus began. The car charged straight at them and Angus yelled as the corner of the hood struck him, knocking him over. Marcus and Shaun fell backwards as the car screeched to a halt. Harry jumped out of the driver's seat, sprinted over and drove his fist into Shaun's face "Get in!" He shouted to Marcus. Marcus struggled to his feet as Riley opened the back door. He leapt in, landing in Ayden's lap as Harry climbed back into the driver's seat. They sped off as Shaun and Angus struggled back up "Oh. We're screwed" Shaun gasped in horror. Harry drove across the city towards Chelsea. Marcus sat in the back, wedged between Riley and Ayden "What happened to your face?" Ayden asked, his eyes wide with shock. Marcus looked at his reflection in the window and saw an ugly bruise forming under his fur from where Shaun had struck him "Oh Marc, who did that?" Riley asked "Some knuckle-head security guy" Marcus replied "Bastard, I wanna find him" Riley growled "No point" Marcus replied "they'll be in trouble for allowing me to give them the slip"

Hector Fawcett sat back in his office chair as the horse stood before him. The listening device was sitting on Fawcett's desk "So, Bennett, this was the wolf?" Fawcett asked, handing a tablet over. It showed a security still of Marcus in the Crystal's lobby "Yes, that's him" Bennett replied nervously "And he got away?" Fawcett asked "Yes. Angus and Shaun were with him..." Bennett began, but Fawcett held up a paw and the horse fell silent. Fawcett gestured for Bennett to hand the tablet back. He swiped the image and another appeared, this one depicting Harry jumping out of his Jaguar to punch Shaun "My team can track the registration of that car and find the wolf. Then we'll kill him" Bennett said desperately. Fawcett didn't answer. Instead he stood and turned to gaze out of a floor to ceiling window behind him. Beyond, the lights of London stretched into the distance. "Yes, track the car but don't kill the wolf" he eventually replied. He turned to face Bennett "He has some sort of professional help" he said, pointing at the listening device "the wolf needs to be kept alive for now, but have the German Shepherd put down" Bennett smiled "I'll start working on that right away, I know someone who can do the job" he said, feeling relieved at being spared "But Bennett, don't disappoint me a second time. You're on thin ice" Fawcett added, his eyes narrowing. Bennett nodded and hurried from the room. Fawcett picked up his phone and punched in a number "Tell the Queen that the Pawn is indeed in London. We can put our plan into action" he said before hanging up.

Harry pulled up outside his apartment and the four canines hurried inside. Marcus sat at the kitchen table while Harry examined the bruise before handing him an ice pack "It doesn't look good, but it'll heal" he explained "We've got to stop this now. Marc is gonna get killed" Riley growled "Riley..." Marcus began "No Marc, listen. I care about you, more than you than you realise. We can get a plane home and stop all this nonsense, and you sent him in there with no way to contact us!" Riley rounded on Harry. Harry looked as if he was about to say something but sighed and gazed at the floor "You could have got him killed, and it'd be all your fault" Riley continued. He turned his back on them and leaned against one of the kitchen units with his eyes closed "Riley, it's not Harry's fault. I want to continue" Marcus said "Yeah, and you could have blown his cover" Ayden cut in "Oh will you just fuck off, you stupid faggot!" Riley yelled As soon as the words had escaped his mouth, his eyes widened in horror as he realised what he had just said "I'm... I'm sorry" Riley gasped. Marcus looked away and didn't reply "Oh no, I didn't mean... I need to get outside" Riley stammered He raced across the apartment "Wait!" Marcus called, but Riley had slammed the door shut. There was a dreadful silence. Marcus was too stunned to say anything "That was a drama queen act even by my standards, but he has a point, about Marcus getting killed that is" Ayden eventually said "Marc, if you want to stop, now is the time" Harry said "they'll know we're onto them and they'll probably try to follow us" Marcus looked at both canines and sighed "No, I want to see this through" he asserted. Harry nodded "Ok, did you hear anything useful from Fawcett?" Marcus recounted what he had heard over the listening device about Fawcett discussing The Link, the references to a Queen and Pawn, as well as the name of Gordon Hendricks. "That's definitely code for something and it confirms Fawcett is a member of The Link, but I have no idea who Gordon Hendricks is. Right, our next plan of action should be to find out what exactly Fawcett's plans are, who Hendricks is and how he fits into the jigsaw, and investigate the next name on the list, Benjamin Khaled. You said he was a club owner?" Harry asked "Yeah, but like Fawcett, there wasn't much about him online" Marcus explained "Then I suggest we do some digging, and if you want to continue, some heavy artillery might be a good idea. I know a friend who can help us" Harry said.

Harry called his friend while Marcus searched on his laptop and Ayden used Harry's tablet "Is this him?" Ayden asked, "it's a pic of him at Heavenly, a club in Berlin. I auditioned there as a dancer there when I was travelling across Europe" Marcus took the tablet and looked at the image. He felt his blood turn to ice. The picture showed an Arabian Leopard, grinning and standing behind a group of scantily clad canine dancers, mostly foxes and a couple of wolves. A memory that had been buried deep inside his mind suddenly came flooding back

"Go on wuff, take it" "No, I don't want to" "No one ever says no to me, wuff. I'm your master and you'll do as I say" "I want to stop this, it isn't fun anymore" "I don't care whether it's fun for you wuff, you're supposed to be giving me my fun. Now take it"

"Snowflake, are you ok?" Ayden asked Harry had finished his call and was looking at Marcus with an expression of concern "You look like you've seen a ghost" he remarked "It feels like I have" Marcus murmured "Anything you want to tell us?" Harry asked "I'm not going to be able to get near to Khaled without him recognising me" Marcus explained "What do you mean?" Ayden asked "We've met before" he admitted. The three sat in an awkward silence for a moment "My friend says he can help, he'll meet us in Battersea tonight" Harry eventually said. Marcus nodded "Ok, we'd better go" "Snowflake, just make sure you look after yourself. I'll call Riley and get him to come back" Ayden said Marcus tried to smile reassuringly "I'll be fine" Ayden forced a smile, but the expression in his eyes showed that he was unconvinced.

Harry led Marcus back out to the car and they drove across London towards the Thames. They followed the river along until Harry pulled into a gloomy patch away from the main road. They parked beneath the hulking and empty shell of Battersea Power Station "This is where he'll meet us" Harry explained "so, how exactly did you know Khaled?" Marcus took a deep breath before recounting the story "When I moved to London to study at university, I dated a wolf who worked part time as an escort. He said he serviced rich furs who always treated you well and paid a lot. He got a call from some feline in Mayfair who wanted to hire two furs for the night. We went to his place and the feline was Khaled, although he used a different name. He was certainly rich but very sleazy. He plied us with money and took us too his bedroom. But then he tried to get us hooked on drugs and essentially keep us as slaves. Some of his friends turned up and basically tried to play a game of pass the parcel with us. I know I'm not perfect, but I don't do drugs and I was really uncomfortable with the whole situation. Khaled wouldn't take no for an answer and locked us in the house. Eventually we escaped by breaking the bathroom window. Thankfully, my boyfriend gave his job up after that" Marcus explained "Marc, you promised me you'd stop that" Harry sighed "I know. I still wasn't thinking rationally, but that night was a wake-up call" Outside it had started raining and the drops pattered against the Jaguar's windshield. Another set of headlamps appeared out of the gloom "He's here" Harry said as the second car drew up next to them. The driver's window was wound down and the face of a brown Otter appeared. Harry lowered his window "Evening Keith, what have you got for me?" Harry asked Keith handed over something wrapped in brown packaging "Nine millimetre Berretta" Keith explained in a gruff voice "with three rounds of ammunition and a silencer, just as you asked" Keith then gazed at Marcus but didn't say anything "Perfect, thanks" Marcus said, handing a wad of money over. Keith counted through the banknotes, nodded and then wound his window up. Harry watched as Keith drove away before starting the Jaguar's engine up and re-joining the main road.

It took them twenty minutes to drive back to Harry's apartment. It was raining harder by the time they got in. Ayden was sitting alone and watching the television "Riley still hasn't come back" he explained "I tried calling him but he won't pick up" "Give him some time to cool off" Harry said "he'll be back. I don't think he meant what he said" "No, he didn't" Marcus said firmly Although he had been shocked at Riley's outburst, Marcus knew Riley well enough to know that the Dingo was a kind and caring individual for the most part. Harry cut open the package and pulled the gun out "I'm hoping we won't have to use this, but I want to be prepared" the German Shepherd said "you two need to play attention" Marcus and Ayden sat at the table while Harry loaded an empty magazine into the Beretta "Make a triangle shape with your arms and stand with your hind-paws shoulder width apart. The recoil won't be as bad as you expect, but hold it firmly. Aim for the chest, it's an easier target to hit than the head" Harry then put the gun on the table "Now, Marc, take the gun. I'll tell you how to load it" Before Harry could say anymore, Marcus flicked the safety catch on, popped the magazine out and reloaded it "Impressive" Harry noted "Ian showed me how to load and fire when I was fifteen" Marcus explained "at the time, I didn't care, but now it might come in useful" Harry then showed Ayden how to load. The fox dropped the magazine several times before correctly repeating the routine "If this Khaled feline will recognise Marc, I'll go in and listen to what he has to say" Ayden said "Ayden, I don't think..." Marcus began "Look Snowflake, I'm here and I want to do something useful" Ayden cut in, putting his paws on his hips "Besides, I did some more research while you two were out. Heavenly in London is recruiting staff. I worked for a bit as an exotic dancer so I'll look convincing. No offense, but you look like you're having a fit whenever you dance" Ayden explained Marcus was about to protest but Harry interrupted "I'm not happy about the idea either after today, but we can discuss it tomorrow".

The apartment's intercom suddenly buzzed and Harry answered "Uh, guys, it's me" crackled the voice of Riley Harry unlocked the door and Riley shuffled inside. His sandy fur was matted from the rain and his clothes were soaked. He looked at the floor, his expression was nervous and ashamed "I felt really awful saying that in front of all of you and I didn't mean it" he said "I'm sorry" "It's all right" Harry said "but you should apologise to Ayden really" Riley looked Ayden in the eye "Ayden, you were right about what you said back in Australia, we've got to stick together and I've done a pretty shit job of it so far. You two are my best mates, the finest friends I've ever had, and always will be" Ayden hesitated, but walked over and hugged Riley "Riley, don't go all emotional on us, it doesn't suit you. You're the only manly fur in our apartment" Ayden joked Riley forced a smile and hugged Ayden back "I'm pretty manly" Marcus said "after all, I withstood an interrogation and removed that Cane toad from our tent that time we went camping while you two were screaming like girls" "Hey, it was huge!" Ayden protested. The three canines smiled at each other. There was still a feeling of mild awkwardness between them, but most of the air had been cleared "I'd get warm if I was you" Harry said to Riley "I've got fresh towels in the bathroom" "Thanks Harry, I'm super grateful for everything you've done too" Harry smiled and squeezed Riley's shoulder "It's no problem at all. Now go, or you'll catch your death".

Riley went to take a shower while Marcus made his way to the bedroom. He undressed to his underwear and climbed into bed. The previous night he had slept in pyjamas when sharing a bed with Riley for the first time. However, he felt too tired to get changed and wanted to sleep. He rolled over and closed his eyes. A second later, Riley entered the room and Marcus heard the covers rustle as the Dingo got into bed "Marc?" He whispered Marcus rolled over and saw that Riley was also shirtless "Hey" Marcus whispered "you ok?" "Yeah, I understand if you don't think much of me anymore. I know it's no excuse for what I said, but I do really care about you" Riley said "It wasn't a nice thing to say, but it's ok. I understand that you're worried and it's good to know I have a friend who cares" "Can I be honest about something" Riley whispered. In the moonlight streaming through a gap in the curtains, Marcus could see Riley's nervous expression "This is going to sound kinda inappropriate, but it's been burning in my mind for ages. Honestly, I really like you, I mean really like you" he said Marcus was quiet for a moment "Sorry if that's weird" Riley mumbled "No, it's fine. It makes sense in some ways" Marcus replied "but you had a girlfriend?" "I know, but we never did anything. I think I like guys and girls, well not all guys. Just you. I liked you since we first met, that's why I asked you to room with me" "That's sweet. I've had a crush on you since we first spoke too" Marcus said. The two canines reached over and hugged "But Marc, if something happens to you, it'd be the end of me too" Riley explained. Marcus didn't reply but kept his arms wrapped around Riley "Just promise me you'll be careful" Riley continued "I want to see this through, but I promise I'll come back to Australia with you when this is done, and we can talk about it further" Marcus replied. Riley looked as if he was about to lean in closer, but instead he smiled and closed his eyes. Marcus listened to the sound of Riley drifting off to sleep before rolling over.

In a faceless looking hotel room on the other side of London, a Malayan Tiger was studying a set of cards. Playing solitaire was the only hobby he had outside of his grim profession. The Tiger went by the name of Chang, but that was not his true identity. He preferred to remain anonymous and untraceable. Chang's phone buzzed and he reluctantly turned away from his game. He held the phone in his paw and studied the message. It showed a security still of a black and tan German Shepherd coupled with a car registration number. Below the image was the price of the bounty placed on the canine's head. Chang immediately turned to his laptop and began a search. It took him five minutes to find that the registration belonged to a 1968 Jaguar XJ owned by a German Shepherd called Harry Pelham. Pelham had two listed addresses, one of which was in Chelsea. A cold smile spread across Chang's face. It was time to go hunting.