FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The Right Thing To Do?

Chapter 1:

The Monsters inside us

Written by: Seliron (Sel)

/----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------/

Disclaimer:

This story is purely fictional and does not depict any existing person, living or dead, or any real event. The characters are not human.

This story will not contain sexual interactions at all. NEVER. I'm sorry. I just don't want these two characters to do things like that, for personal reasons.

/----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------/

Characters:

• Seliron "Sel" Lynch - Male black leopard (panther), 28 years old

• Leon, called "Leo" - Male eurasian lynx, about 8 years old

/----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------/

"Idiot!" the black cat grumbled, rushing out of the door of a big office building. The panther, about 1.80 meters tall with a quite slim figure, didn't really draw attention to himself. The only thing that stood out a bit was his white jacket. Besides of that, he looked like pretty much anyone that worked in an office. Well, technically he didn't even work in an office - he was part of the research & development department of an electronics manufacturer.

The cat crossed the large parking lot and reached the street just in front of the complex he worked in. Actually it wasn't a big company, but it grew steadily in the five years since he started working there. After university the panther found a job really quick - the economy in his country always needs electrical engineers, and he hadn't been doing bad in school.

The job wasn't bad at all, at least most of the time. Payment was good, but his boss sometimes just got extremely annoying. He had just left work after a long conference talking about some details for a new product his team was currently developing. Discussions really weren't his thing - especially with furs without any knowledge of the subject trying to tell him how to do his job. One of the few things that drove him mad sometimes.

The panther wandered on the sidewalk, heading straight to the city center. Paws in his pockets, he didn't even bother where he walked. His legs knew the way, they had walked it many times in the last years. He was shivering slightly, it was a rather cold day. Soon he would need to wear a thicker jacket, October wasn't far away. Autumn will be here soon... he thought. He had hoped that the frustration that built up during the meeting maybe would fade away, but it didn't. Actually it just got worse the longer he thought about his colleagues and his boss, the frustration slowly mixing with anger.

Fuck them. Really. Don't think I'll do anything productive anymore today... not in that mood. I just want to go home... he took a quick glance on his smartwatch, checking the time. Buying this pretty useless thing was more of a sudden decision then a rational one - he just liked the design. A normal watch would've done exactly the same. At least not everything's a catastrophe today. Perfectly in time for the bus.

He lived in a small flat actually not very far away - on nice, warm days he preferred to walk home, but today he just wanted to go home quickly and... do what? Watching TV? Playing games? Reading a book? He didn't know. Even smashing a wall almost sounded like a good idea to him at the moment.

"This stupid idiot! Why does he think this could work? He should shove his micro-controllers up his..."

A slight pull at his jacket caught his attention. He had arrived at a pedestrian crossing, waiting for the light to turn green. The bus stop was just on the other side of the street, the bus number eleven should arrive any second. He turned around and looked for the cause of the pull - finding a small lynx, probably a boy, not more than 1.25 meters tall and really skinny. His headfur was dark brown, his eyes blue. Wearing a dark blue shirt and filthy jeans, both dirty and torn, he looked pitiful.

"Mister? Could you pleeeeeeaaaase give me some money?"

A beggar. Could have thought so. Nothing unusual in a large city, almost every day he met one of those filthy scammers. Using cubs also was common, furs tend to give more money to young beggars looking at them with big puppy eyes. Few of them are actually homeless, they just want to earn some money. There's usually only one way to get rid of them: Giving them what they want. But he wasn't in the mood for that at the moment.

"Fuck off, I can't give you anything" he grumbled at the boy.

"But... but... I don't wanna sleep hungry... again... Pleeeeaaaaase?" the boy stuttered, sniffling slightly.

Their eyes met for a second, but the cub quickly looked at the ground again. Something is different... the panther thought. Something in his eyes. The boy didn't stare at him like... like he wanted to beg for something, there wasn't a trace of the usual "puppy eyes" that young beggars used so often. Actually, the boy looked really, really sad, almost desperate. Maybe he's really homeless?_For a second this thought crossed his mind, before his prejudice rushed back in his head. _Stupid Idiot! Don't let that little brat fool you. He's just a good actor, that's all.

"I. said. FUCK. OFF!" The panther now yelled at the poor cub, the anger that he had built up in work driving his voice louder and more aggressive than before. He absolutely wasn't in the mood for another discussion.

"S... s... sorry..." the cub stuttered, slowly stepping back - away from the adult. At this point the panther noticed a movement on the other side of the street. A white bus just closed his doors and drove away. As the bus passed him, he could see the number on the side - "11". My bus!

"FUCK!" he shouted as he started to run, trying to catch the bus. Unfortunately, the only thing the bus drivers in this town are famous for was not waiting for people who are late, especially when they try to catch a driving bus by foot. After a few seconds the distance between the bus and the panther increased, and as the bus reached the next intersection it turned left and drove out of sight. The black cat stopped, panting heavily. Realizing that he had missed his bus and had to wait another 30 minutes for the next one, he turned round. As he noticed the little lynx slowly walking on the sidewalk, head hanging down, paws in his pockets, his anger and frustration simply burst out of him - he started to run after the cub, chasing him down the street.

"YOU FUCKING BRAT! I MISSED MY BUS BECAUSE OF YOU!"

The cub ran into a small alley between two stores, trying to escape the adult cat. Just as the panther entered the alley, the lynx raced through a small gate in a chain link fence. The distance between the two decreased rapidly.

"STOP RUNNING, YOU CAN'T ESCAPE!" the panther yelled, also rushing through the gate. He had entered a small playground. His eyes wandered around, scanning the equipment for the cub. The playground was fully enclosed with walls and a fence, the boy was trapped - he must have been hiding somewhere. He stepped forward slowly, and just as he reached the swings in one end of the yard, the cub rushed out of a bush besides, trying to reach the exit. But the panther turned round quickly, chasing the boy the last few meters, catching him right in front of the gate. Well, actually "catching" may be the wrong word, he simply threw the poor lynx in the dirt, holding him down on the ground.

"I'm... s... so... sorry..." the boy cried frightened, but he did not try to escape. It was hopeless, anyway.

But the panther didn't even hear him - he needed to release his frustration, somewhere, somehow. His face distorted, he clenched his right paw into a fist and was just about to punch the poor boy right in the face...

... but then he suddenly froze in shock, only a split second before he could hit the cub. A puzzled look on his face, he shook his head in confusion.

What... what is happening? What am I doing? Did I really just try to hit a little cub? What's... WRONG with me?

The adult cat looked at the frightened boy who still held his paws in front of his face, crying quietly. The expression on the panther's face changed, new emotions mixing with the anger and confusion - shame and guilt. He stood up slowly, stepping back from the lynx. He tumbled on a small bench behind him, burying the face in his paws. His anger had almost disappeared, vanished into thin air.

Did that really just happen? I'm not a... monster or something, I've never hurt anyone - how could this even happen? Why did I loose control so easily? Maybe the stress, my job? Or am I becoming a psychopath? Maybe I just need some days off. NO, a few weeks of real vacation would be better - or I'll get crazy at the end...

Still lost in his thoughts, he almost didn't realize a slight movement besides him. The panther looked up. The little lynx sat on the bench next to him, looking at him with a strange, almost worried look on his face.

"Why are you still here? Run away, I won't chase you again" the panther mumbled, waving his paw to the gate.

The cub just sat there in silence, looking down on his feet. After a few minutes the panther slowly got uncomfortable, a little worried what the boy wanted - and why he wasn't leaving.

"What do you want, cub?"

"I don't know... I just didn't want to leave you alone" the boy replied quietly.

"Aren't you scared of me?"

"Not really... You don't look like a bad guy. I don't think that you'll hit me anymore"

"I won't... I'm sorry... did... did I hurt you?" the panther asked, slowly calming down.

"It's okay, just a few scratches" the cub replied, showing some of his small wounds to the adult. "What's your name?"

"Seliron" the adult answered after a long pause, his voice much softer than before. "Just call me Sel."

"Sel... that's a nice name. I'm Leon" the boy said, smiling shyly at the black cat. "But I like Leo more. Are you... are you okay, Sel? You kinda... looked strange when you tried to hit me"

"I don't know what happened... but why do you even care about me?"

"I just wanted to be nice, you looked sad... like you needed help" the cub replied, a slightly offended tone in his voice. "But if you don't want me to stay, I'll better go before it gets dark"

The small lynx got up and slowly walked away, looking a little hurt. Sel sat there, unsure about what to do now - more than before he wanted to go home, but...

"WAIT!" the panther jumped off the bench, hurrying to catch up with the cub. "Leo, please wait!"

The kitten stopped and turned his head around, looking at the adult questioningly.

"I'm sorry that I were so mean... you just wanted to be nice, trying to help me" the panther said, looking down at the cub in front of him. "Maybe... I don't know if you want... but..."

The lynx stared at him, curious about what the other cat wanted to say.

"I'm kinda hungry, and I was just about to get something to eat at the fast food restaurant around the corner. I'm sure you're hungry too, so... I thought you would maybe come with me... only if you want to, of course"

Originally he didn't plan eating something before he got home, but a little lie couldn't hurt anyone. He just felt like he should make up for what happened earlier. Smiling shyly, the adult cat waited for an answer - but all he got was a sad look, confusing him even more.

"What's wrong, little cub?"

"I... I can't... I don't have any money to pay for food, that's what I was asking you before, don't you remember?" the lynx mumbled quietly, looking on the ground.

"That's no problem, I'll pay for you. That's the least thing I can do to make up for almost hurting you"

"Really? Do you mean it?"

"Come on, it's getting dark already" the panther said, slowly walking to the alleys exit, the cub following close after a moment of hesitating.

Walking in silence for a few minutes, the two cats finally reached the restaurant. It was nearly empty, as always. Sel liked the place, although most furs preferred the competitor's restaurant half a kilometer down the road. As another advantage the two didn't draw too much attention to themselves here, so they could eat in peace.

"See anything you like, Leo?" the panther asked, pointing at the menu above the counter.

"I don't know" the lynx replied. "I... I can't read..."

"Oh, I'm sorry... I could have known that... what about some simple cheeseburgers? How does that sound, little guy?"

"Hmm, I love cheese!"

A minute later they sat down on one of the tables in a quiet corner of the restaurant, no other fur around to disturb them. The pile of burgers and fries Sel had ordered quickly melted away, as Leo almost devoured everything that was offered to him.

"So, do you like it?" Sel asked.

"It's awesome!" the lynx replied, some fries still sticking out of his muzzle.

"Hmm, I can see that" the adult cat said, laughing quietly. "So, Leo... you did never go to school?"

"Nope, I ran away before I could go" the lynx said in between two bites.

"You ran away from your parents? Why?"

"I... I don't want to talk about it" the lynx mumbled, a scared look in his eyes.

"That's okay. How old are you, little guy?"

"I'm..." Leo started, thinking hard about that question. "I... don't know"

"When was your last birthday, Leo? Do you remember?"

"I don't know..."

"Do you... maybe remember the time of the year?" Sel asked the boy.

"I think... it was at the end of autumn, almost winter..."

"Do you know which..."

"Seven!" the lynx suddenly shouted, exited.

"... month... What?"

"I turned seven!"

"Hmm... that does mean that you are about eight years old now, doesn't it?"

"I guess so"

"How long have you been living on your own?"

"I ran away as soon as I could, when it got warm enough"

"You're completely on your own? Nobody helped you?"

"No... I'm all alone... why do you ask?"

"Just because... umm, to be honest... I'm kinda surprised that you're still alive. That's impressive"

"Thanks" the lynx replied, smiling shyly. The boy yawned, and just as he looked out of the window, his smile turned into a worried expression - he sighed, resting his head on his paws.

"I have to go now... thank you for everything, you're really kind!" the cub said quietly, heading to the door. But as he reached it, the lynx stopped suddenly, unsure what to do.

"What's wrong, Leo?" Sel had followed the kitten, now standing right behind him.

"I... never walked to my place when it was dark..."

"I could come with you if you want" Sel offered the boy. At this point he didn't care if he got home late, he just couldn't let a little kitten go home alone in the dark.

"Okay" the cub's face lit up a bit. Leo stepped outside, Sel following close. "It's not far away!"

"I'm right behind you, don't worry"

A few minutes later they reached the backyard of a small shop. Illuminated only by a small lamp, it was pretty dark - but he could see a cardboard box, standing under a small roof to protect it from the weather.

"That's your... home, Leo?"

"Yes" the lynx replied, crawling inside the box.

Sel got on his knees to get a better look of the cub's "home". Besides the cub the box was nearly empty - only a few boxes, cans and bottles - and a thin blanket that Leo was just about to cuddle into.

"Thanks for coming with me, Sel" the kitten mumbled tiredly.

The panther took out his purse. There wasn't much money in it, he preferred to pay with his credit card. He took out the only bill he got - a twenty-euro-bill - and handed it to the cub.

"Take that... I'm sorry... I wish I could help you more..."

The lynx took the money, putting it in his pockets carefully, almost like it was a treasure. He rolled to his side, looking out of his box.

"Thank you..." the kitten mumbled, almost inaudible.

"Are you sure that I can... just leave you here all alone? It... doesn't look very safe"

"I'll be fine"

"I'll come back with more help, Leo" the panther said, slowly walking away from the cub. "I promise" he mumbled, taking a final look back at the lynx in his box.

A few days later Sel returned to the backyard - but the box had disappeared, leaving no trace behind where the cub could have gone.

He thought about Leo for a long time after this days, though he hadn't seen him again on his way to work. Sel was worried about the boy, but at first he didn't really know how he could help him.

Even after a few weeks he still thought about the cub, getting more and more ideas how to help him - and finally he made his final decision, one that would probably change his life forever - if he could find the kitten again, of course.