FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Cristobal yawned awake with a stretch. A tender soreness afflicted his legs and hips, but it was merely a pleasant reminder of last night's romance. Golden sunshine from the morning sun was shining on him through the open slats of a window shutter. The warmth of the sun was always pleasant to wake up with, but he lacked a certain sensation.

'Huh?' He blinked and found himself all alone. There was no lovely female wolf lying beside him anymore. None of last night was a dream, and neither was everything that had happened during his stay in the wolf village. Anushka had disappeared.

“Anushka?" He started to sit up and looked around, but only silence greeted him. The human laid back down and missed the warmth and softness of her body beside him. He missed the sensation of the wolf's soft fur, and wanted to run his fingers across her thick cream and brown furred coat. Yet, his hands touched empty fur pelts instead. Another realization dawned on him.

“It's my last day here." He grumbled and stretched only to stare up at the ceiling. The days had passed by so quickly. The human should've been happy to start his journey home after staying in the wolf village, but he found himself sad and upset at the prospect. Traveling to different clans and villages of various customs wasn't entirely new to the young human. He had been doing the same task for nearly two years at the behest of his family's patriarch; the man who ran the entire merchant family's business. His duties were to expand the family's commercial reach while also accumulating experience, and local knowledge. At this very moment, staring up at the ceiling, it didn't feel like a business venture. It resembled a wonderful vacation coming to an end.

'I wish I didn't have to leave right now.' He paused to look around the guest house he had been so graciously given during his stay. The human had gotten accustomed to its odd tribal layout and decorations: the feathered dream catcher, decorative hand drums, and different hides inside the home. The oddly comforting earthly scents and aromas of herbs like rosemary and pine lingered in the air like fresheners. Cristobal sat up and ruffled his hair before slouching his shoulders.

“Might as well get up." He mumbled and stretched before getting dressed. He began gathering his possessions and packed them away.

“Hey!" A familiar voice whispered and immediately drew the human's attention to the window.

“Anushka?" He dropped everything and darted over towards the sound of her voice. The human was greeted by the female wolf standing at the window once he opened the shutters. The beautiful cream and brown furred wolf was naked from at least the chest up; but tribal canines weren't bashful about the fact at all. Fur was essentially all one needed to stay warm anyway. Cristobal instantly smiled at Anushka.

“Hey-!"

“Shh!" She hushed him by placing a padded fingertip on his lip.

“What? Is someone there?" He gently grasped her hand and looked past her.

“No." She quietly held back a chuckle. “But it's early and many are already awake." She briefly glanced to her side and dialed her ears around.

“Then why not come inside?" He offered, but she shook her head to his dismay.

“Meet me by the creek closest to the village before you have to leave." She whispered.

“The creek?" He pointed past her shoulder.

“Yes. Can you make it there?"

“Y-yeah." He nodded. The human couldn't refuse such an invite from the lovely wolf, especially when he was starting to feel sad about leaving.

“Is-?" A sudden knocking sound at the door interrupted their conversation. Their eyes winded and looked over before reconnecting.

“Remember! The creek!" Anushka whispered before darting away. Cristobal grasped at the air, wishing he could've held her hand just a moment longer.

“Okay!" He agreed and quickly went over to open the door. The village's head shaman was surprisingly standing at the home's entryway.

“S-Sasu!?" Cristobal looked at the coyote-wolf hybrid in surprise. Unlike yesterday, the canine wore a more modest loincloth made from buckskin with little tassels adorning it. A pair of leather pouches were tightly tied around his waist as well.

“I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" He politely asked and peered inside.

“No, not at all!" Cristobal quickly smiled. “It's just me in here."

“Ah, I thought I had heard you talking to someone." He mused and meandered into the guest home. The human glanced at the window and was relieved that Anushka was no longer standing there.

“I understand that today is your last day visiting us." He continued.

“Yeah…" Cristobal sighed.

“Tanguxuan sent me to let you know that he will be ready to accept your presence shortly, but to take some time if you need it." Sasu informed the human.

“Thank you. I appreciate it." He nodded and felt happy. “I've enjoyed my stay here with everyone." The human thought of Anushka in particular.

“I'm happy to hear it."

“Can you tell me if he is favorable to my family's offer?" Cristobal had to ask.

“He's always in a good mood." The shaman grinned, avoiding a direct answer, but his optimism hinted at a good response.

“So what did you come by here for this early?" He asked.

“I'll purify the house once you leave." He held up some sage and incense in one hand.

“Oh, sorry to keep you waiting then. I'll go." Cristobal slipped on his traveling cloak and pack.

“No, there's no rush at all. You're fine." The canine reassured him. “You aren't one of the brash city goers who remains haughty in the presence of others; looking down on people." He mentioned. “You aren't scared or fearful either, but you are not readily rushing to excitement. You have a natural balance."

“I'm balanced? What exactly are you getting at?" He didn't understand.

“What I am trying to say is that you're a good human, and I think I trust you in spite of being a city trader." The shaman explained. The human wasn't phased at all by the tribal shaman's skepticism towards merchants.

“Thank you for the kind words. Merchants are a tricky class." Cristobal spoke. “Keeping up with politics, rivalries, logistics, and always searching for the most lucrative deals leaves little to-."

“You need not tell me about this." He politely declined. “I have been around longer than you have, and seen many walks of life across these lands."

“Sorry." The human felt carried away. “I will let you purify the home. I need to take care of something first anyway." Cristobal explained and looked over his shoulder to the direction of the creek.

“Of course." Sasu nodded. “Take care on your journey back home if I don't see you again today." The shaman stated before going inside to ritually purify the house.

“Thank you." Cristobal said before walking earnestly through the village. He had to pause and remember where the creek exactly was before navigating through the humble wolf village of Ska-Ruh-Reh.

'I've only been there once. She's lucky I have a decent memory.' The human thought to himself and observed where he went. The scenes weren't dissimilar to the urban town he lived in; although, there was a unique feeling to everyday scenes in the tribal wolf village. The brief squealing howl of a young pup cried out from a nearby home that would've put any rooster to shame. Two women were finishing weaving a damaged basket at another home before wanting to head out to the nearest cultivated field. A white furred adolescent was further away, carrying several pelts in his arms.

Cristobal approached a cream and brown furred mother wolf who was seated outside a home along a sparse patch of grass. She was holding and nursing an infant pup who looked very much like her. The little one looked so fragile in comparison to its strong mother, but took no notice of the strange human nearby while suckling. The mother's other breast with its wide areola was patiently waiting its turn if needed. They exchanged brief grins as Cristobal walked by, but no words were necessary.

'Cute.' He thought to himself and passed the final home before reaching the nearest tree line. He found a little worn path beginning at honeysuckle bushes that was rarely used. Cristobal glanced around and ensured no one else saw him disappear down the pathway. It was a very short walk along a narrow winding trail. He soon heard the quiet sounds of running water and emerged at a flat embankment.

It was a scenic little location tucked away from the eyes of the closest village homes. A little rocky and sandy waterway snaked along the forest floor with lush green ferns and grasses growing around its course. The bases of trees closest to the source of water were covered in thick green mosses resembling natural carpets. The persistent fresh smell of earthiness was ever present around him as well.

'It's like an old pagan shrine.' Cristobal liked the beautiful natural scenery very much. His ears perked up as the leaves rustled and crunched nearby. However, a glance couldn't detect anyone hiding around him in the lush greenery.

“You're not going to pounce on me again, are you?" He smiled, knowing it was her.

“Not unless you want me to." Anushka popped up from her hiding place and walked towards him. Cristobal readily smiled as the female cream and brown furred female emerged before him.

“You've done that enough yesterday." He countered with a grin. “Sorry it took a while, but Sasu was the one who was knocking at the door."

“Ah, so that's who visited you." She gave a slow nod. “But that's fine. I was patiently lying in wait for you." The wolffish grin teased.

“He was there to purify the home since I was leaving. Is that normal?"

“Yes, cleansing a house after a foreign guests stays is normal." She nodded. “But I didn't expect him to come by and do that so early."

“Ah, okay." He glanced over his shoulder and fell silent as he gazed across the trees.

“Hey, what's wrong?" She noticed Cristobal's quietness and touched his arm.

“Well…" He glanced away before looking into her pretty canine eyes. “I was sad to wake up and find that you had left my side." He touched her arm in turn, and started to grin at the soft fur he felt.

“Believe me, it was difficult leaving you this morning." She sympathetically smiled and stepped closer until their fronts were nearly touching. The human felt excited as he could faintly smell her wild yet lovely canine scent that resembled the forest around them.

“I could've been given the best furs in the whole region; but nothing can compare to holding you." He looked up the bridge of her long canine snout and into her pretty eyes.

“Hehe. Are you saying that I'm warm to lay in bed with?" She softly spoke and drew her padded hands up his arms to rest on his shoulder. Cristobal shuddered briefly from the velvety warmth of her touch.

“Well…" He blinked only to feel the cool brush of her black nose touch his face followed by a wide smooth tongue wash over his entire cheek.

“Ack!" He leaned away and wiped his face. “I hope you're not hungry for human flesh." He joked.

“I only hunger for a certain part of your flesh." She spoke in a low growl that had the human's cheeks blushing a not so subtle red.

“Heh, um…" His cheeks blushed visibly.

“What!? I'm thinking of your vulnerable neck." She teased and licked below his ear next. Cristobal found himself smiling from her goofiness but didn't shy away from her little kiss.

“At least you're smiling again." She pointed out.

“Thanks. It helps." He admitted with a sigh that made her smile fade noticeably as well.

“It helps me too." She whispered and lightly rubbed his shoulders.

“I never would've expected all of this to happen." He remarked.

“What do you mean?" The wolf curiously asked. Cristobal looked up at her and then the forest around them.

“This eh everything." He didn't know where to begin, but Anushka kindly tilted her head, ears facing him, eager to listen. “I didn't think anything special of this village when I was walking along the road with Tushunke and Kaianwa. It was just another forest and another land to seek a trade deal from. I would've returned home like any other trip and expected nothing new with my life.

“Have you been anywhere like my village?" She asked.

“No, not like this. There's nothing like this." He admitted. “It's all because I saw you."

“Aww." She licked the tip of his nose affectionately. “You're being too kind."

“You were a very kind and friendly guide… beautiful too."

“Do you say that to all the young ladies you meet in towns, or only the wolves?" She playfully teased.

“So far it's just you." He bumped his nose into hers gingerly. “The festival has been a lot of fun too. Eating so many different types of food was delicious. Enjoying the activities and rituals was nice too. The atmosphere was joyful like any celebration, and everyone has been kind to me despite being a foreigner."

“I was happy that you participated in the chasing ceremony." Her tail subtly wagged behind her. “That was so much fun."

“It was."

“I don't think I have ever run so fast after someone in my life." She added.

“Heh, you ran like thunder chasing lightning." He found it funny. “You also visited me at night…" He added with a little emphasis on the word night.

“Several nights." She grinned, correcting him.

“Heh. True." He half grinned. “All of that time hidden in the darkness, or under the moonlight was perfect."

“Mmhm. It was." Anushka hummed contently and rubbed the back of his head before licking his forehead tenderly. The warmth of her wide tongue swept smoothly over his skin.

“I feel so lucky, like none of this should've happened to me." He admitted and took ahold of her other hand resting on his shoulder.

“I feel lucky too." She agreed.

“Our hands fit so well together." He intertwined their fingers together until they were holding each other closely. “Like two birds of the same feather meeting for the first time."

“Aww, Cristobal." The wolf wrapped an arm around the human and pulled him in tightly for a hug.

“I love you, Anushka." He buried his cheek into her shoulder and clung to her with equal fervor. The wolf's fur warmed his face, only making it that much harder to think about leaving.

“I love you too." She nuzzled the top of his head with her fluffy cheek. “Why can't you stay longer? I will host you, and spend every night with you." Anushka whispered sadly. It sounded no different than an angel promising to take him to heaven for eternity, and he felt awful to turn down her offer.

“I can't…" He sighed. “I have to return home."

“Why can't you run away from home?

“I won't be of any use to your village if I cut ties with my family." He honestly spoke. “And I don't want to leave my family behind. I have my duties to tend to." He hated the idea of refusing her advances and turning her away. The human felt her nod without a word, perhaps from choking up a little or stifling a whine of defeat.

“I understand." Her voice was a somber whisper. She pulled back just enough to look into his eyes once again. Cristobal could see the mixture of sadness and happiness inside her pretty gaze.

“I'll visit as much as I can." He offered. She nodded and liked the idea.

“Give me a deep kiss. I want to remember it no matter what happens after today." The wolf leaned forward, lightly pressing her damp canine nose against his human nose.

“Not too loud, Anushka." Cristobal said in a hushed voice and placed a hand on her shoulder; but it was difficult to pull away. His heart soared and thundered approvingly inside his chest.

“We'll be quiet." Her whisper felt warm against his lips as her fuzzy mouth brushed over his skin.

“Mmhm." He agreed as their eyes closed. Anushka's head tilted to the side. Her smooth wet tongue licked over his lips before her jaws widened, and teeth grazed his softer skin. His lips parted as well and their tongues met in the middle. Her long dexterous appendage lapped all over the human's shorter one. Her teeth nibbled his cheeks and jawline affectionately, anchoring their kiss.

“Hmmhm."

“Mmmm." They hummed together letting their mouths share one another's breath and essence. Cristobal felt the heat of her breath all over his face. Their hands began roaming over one another; ruffling through fur and hair alike. Cristobal felt a lovely shudder run down his back as warmth spread throughout his entire body. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and for a moment, their hearts were as close as could be. Lost in their passions, they didn't hear the singing birds or crunching of leaves around them.

“Ahem!" A coarse cough alerted them both. The entangled human and wolf froze for a split second as Cristobal heard someone behind them.

“Tu-Tushunke!" Anushka half gasped as her jaws retracted from Cristobal's face.

“Eh-?" Cristobal pulled away and wiped the wolf's saliva off his face. Stepping aside, he turned around and found the white furred male wolf standing along the pathway towards the village.

“What are you doing here?!" Anushka demanded to know.

“I was looking for Cristobal, but uh, I see you are busy this morning." He was a little amused at the pair. The human felt a flash of embarrassment wash over his face.

“Perhaps a little privacy would've helped." Anushka frowned at him.

“What I'm seeing is no secret." He grinned before looking at the human again.

“Is the chieftain ready to meet?" Cristobal guessed.

“Yes he is, and I was sent to find you." The male explained. “Thankfully your scent trail was fresh, and doesn't stray far from Anushka's."

“Heh. Yeah." The human didn't have much to say to that.

“I guess you must go…" Anushka blew a sigh and rubbed the back of her head, still a little flustered.

“Tanguxuan wants you to come too." Tushunke informed the female wolf. “He is your uncle, you know."

“He does? Why?"

“I don't know." He shrugged.

“The chieftain is your uncle?" Cristobal looked at Anushka in surprise.

“Yes." She gave a little nod.

“I didn't know that."

“I can come back later if you two need to talk more." The white furred male half teased.

“Sorry."

“It's fine." He didn't mind. They walked along the pathway and emerged at the edge of the sunny village. Cristobal felt the warm golden rays of sunshine, but even the warm morning summer air felt cold compared to Anushka's touch.

'I suppose I have to talk trade deals now that I have a heavy heart.' He felt a little empty as he navigated by the lodges and longhouses alongside Tushunke. The everyday sights and scenes around him were a blur, and not in his focus at all. Kissing Anushka moments ago only made it more painful for him to leave, and difficult to think of haggling on behalf of his family's business.

The trio arrived at their destination after a brief walk. The chieftain's residence was a large lodge made circular in shape like that of a tall dome. Surprisingly, there was very little to denote that the chieftain resided there, aside from its unique shape. Two poles with banners of the village's arms were on display before the entrance: a howling wolf head and a full moon.

“Wait here please." Tushunke asked before he went inside the large circular lodge. Silence ensued between the two remaining outside. Cristobal glanced away and saw a topless female raccoon, one of the visitors for the summer festival, playing with a wolf toddler while talking to the mother and father. He blankly gazed at the playful sight before looking back at the entrance.

'You knew you'd have to leave today, so stop being sad.' He told himself silently but glanced at Anushka standing beside him. The cream and brown furred wolf had a look of sadness across her face as well. The human exhaled unhappily as Tushunke appeared from inside.

“Both of you can come in." He ushered them forward. The lower entryway required them to bow forward as they entered the abode. Inside, the space was surprisingly well lit despite all of the shutters being closed thanks to the opening in the middle of the roof. Unlike the outside, the inside space was anything but bland or empty.

Weapons of war and interesting items from different lands adorned one section of the wall, including a small table. War clubs, a quiver full of arrows, tomahawks, spears, decorated bows, a crossbow, and broadsword were proudly on display. However, it wasn't all martial prowess on display.

Cookware hung along another section of wall, including exotic pottery, and different pipes. The earthy smell of wood and ash mingled with herbs like rosemary, thyme, and possibly incense. Wood carvings of various animals decorated a lengthy shelf with various adornments. A pair of books were also visible with extra parchment. So much was on display to showcase his status, but only in a personal setting. A pair of privacy screens hid portions of the dwelling though. Not everything was for show.

Tanguxuan the village's chieftain was standing with the sunlight shining from above, granting his fur a more radiant appearance. He was also flanked by Tushunke and another male wolf who carried a pair of sheathed knives around his waist. The chieftain was a tall jovial red wolf who had long partially braided scarlet red hair adorned with crow feathers. He wore a pair of necklaces: one with a coin sized silver emblem representing the full moon, and another with a gold emblem representing the sun.

“Please come forward." Tushunke gestured. The human did as he was told and Anushka stood over to the side.

“Thank you for meeting me, Cristobal. I hope you had a good stay in your guest house. I know that urban towns are very different from rural villages such as ours."

“I had a wonderful time. Thank you so much for you and the entire village's hospitality." Cristobal gave a small bow. “I won't forget these past few days I spent here." The red wolf looked mildly surprised at the glowing praise from the human merchant.

“Well, I'm certainly glad that you enjoyed our village's hospitality during our summer festival." He happily noted. “Now, I understand that before you leave, you wished to discuss a trade agreement between the village and your family. I know you'll have an offer, which is what set up this entire visit in the first place. I must admit, the timing on my part wasn't the best for negotiating due to the summer festival. But I did want you to experience it to obtain a better understanding of the wolves who live here." Tanguxuan explained himself throughly.

“Yes, and thank you for being receptive to an offer." Cristobal began. “And I do appreciate that you had me visit during the summer festival." He reiterated to the smiling canine. “I know that textiles and clothes aren't exactly needed in a wolf village." He gestured with his hands at how little the wolves in the home wore. “Were you looking to acquire shipments of salt?" Cristobal guessed. “My family will be able to source it inexpensively when compared to other towns. Or did you have something else in mind?"

“I am already well aware of what your family trades and sells. Primarily salt, but also dyes, textiles as you mentioned, and some moneylending." The red wolf admitted and waved a hand that he wasn't terribly interested in discussing the details right now. Cristobal was a little surprised.

'Did he go through my belongings one day?' The human skeptically wondered but he could've simply known from communicating with other towns and villages.

“I can see that you're a little surprised by what I said." Tanguxuan chuckled briefly. “But I assure you, what I have written in that message will be well received by your family."

“Honestly speaking, I am." The human admitted.

“Here is a hand written response I want you to deliver for me." He grinned and passed the rolled parchment to Tushunke who in turn handed it over to Cristobal. “It's a letter to your father detailing what I think will be a fair price and trade for what we are looking for." Tanguxuan was vague but it appeared he had already planned everything out beforehand.

“Thank you. I'll see to it that your message is delivered." Cristobal promised.

“I appreciate it. There is another message I have to deliver to your entire family by word of mouth, but I also included it in the message." He grinned.

“And would that be?"

“I would like to offer you my niece's hand in marriage to help strengthen my family's ties to your own."

“Your niece?!" Cristobal's eyes widened and had no clue who he meant.

“Yes, Anushka." He smiled and looked at the female wolf standing to the side. The human's heart nearly stopped and jaw dropped in complete shock as he looked over at the cream and brown furred wolf. Anushka appeared equally surprised in her own canine way with widened eyes and ears standing attentively. Her canine jaws were unhinged, revealing her tongue and nearly every tooth inside.

“I hope that neither of you are shocked with dismay." The red wolf chieftain glanced between the two. Anushka shook her head and Cristobal stuttered.

“Dismay?! No!" He blurted out and took a deep breath. “Marriage? R-really?" The human's thoughts raced, but he could scarcely form a word with his tongue.

“Yes. This is an arranged marriage offer." Tanguxuan acknowledged with a curt nod. Anushka leapt forward and nearly knocked the human over as she collided with him and wrapped her arms around him.

“Will you marry me, Cristobal?" Anushka happily asked while licking at the surprised human's face. The human almost laughed happily and rubbed her head and back lovingly, unable to talk with her tongue washing over his face so much. The unexpected joyous moment worried the back of his mind though.

'What can I do? What will my family think of this?' He didn't know how his arrival home would be received now. As much as his mind worried, his heart pounded full of love as the female wolf showered affection onto him while the chieftain smiled proudly.