FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

-= Complete and Total Disclaimer of all Responsibility for what YOU do =-

If you aren't mentally mature enough to read about various forms of sex, then go away. I don't care what your physical age is, if you're too repressed/undeveloped to be reading about sex, why are you here? This story not intended for use during operation of nuclear facilities, aircraft navigation/communication systems, submarine vessels, nuclear weapons, sharp pointed objects, or any other hazardous activity in which failure could lead to death, injury, property damage, environmental damage or lawsuit. All natural; No preservatives; 98% Fatuity-free. Close cover when striking. Practice safe sex ... practice, practice, practice - until you get it right.

¤º°'°º¤Ø,¸,ؤº°'°º¤

Final Edit - Deepest gratitude, thanks and hugs to those faithful readers who spotted typos/errors and emailed me.

¤º°'°º¤Ø,¸,ؤº°'°º¤

Chapter Four

¤º°'°º¤Ø,¸,ؤº°'°º¤

Rich Furr, Poor Furr

¤º°'°º¤Ø,¸,ؤº°'°º¤

First Week, Summer 2, Year 1580

Healer Edvard Wind was not a happy furr. In the months since the death of his tiny cub Leafley, run over by Sandy Fielder, his mate had almost shriveled away. She just couldn't accept that some fool had done something incredibly stupid and paid the penalty for it. The further away her baby's death got, the more she "adjusted" it in her memory. Fielder and his mate were both only in their forties, but she now looked and acted like she was eighty.

Healer Wind sighed. Theirs had never been a passionate marriage, but they'd gotten along well. Unfortunately, the cub had been their only child - after the vixen almost died during the delivery, the medical consensus was that she dared not have a second kit.

He found himself spending more and more time at his office in the hospital. Throughout his whole career, he had specialized in restoring damaged craniums and assisting the brains inside to heal. Although he was past the point of having to be active in paws-on medical work, thanks to being involved in some amazingly-profitable advances in his early career and having gotten very good financial advice, the tod now found himself with vast amounts of money. More came in every year. But for what? Now, he had no-one to leave it to.

Senior Healer Wind hated doing the paperwork required for his clinic, but couldn't get away from it. He tried hard though, disappearing into the wards at the slightest excuse. He always made himself available for Surgery as well.

A medium-sized red fox, he had managed to maintain a reasonably trim figure, despite being required to spend far too many hours of his life sitting at a desk. He always wore the traditional crimson tunic of a Healer rather than a businessfurr's clothing, even at his desk, but his was a well-worn and rather faded one. This was another sore spot with his mate - she'd tried for years to get him to at wear new tunics, but he refused. This was the one he'd worn to do his hospital work since his younger days and it was comfortable. The pockets for his professional tools were just right. The only change he'd made was to have the light-blue stripes of a Senior Healer sewn onto the sleeves when he attained that status.

His receptionist came in with the afternoon mail. Since the Courier Service had been taken away from the Council bureaucrats and made into a publicly-owned, publicly-traded business, their efficiency and service had greatly improved.

She was an otter, twenty-four, with the longest headfur he'd ever seen on such a mammal. She wore a combination of white slacks and white ruffled shirt that set off her glossy brown fur nicely. Smiling to himself, he observed that she was definitely a mammal - a very healthy one.

"This is all that came in, Healer," Otalia Riverside said.

_"Sera Riverside ..."

"Yes Ser Healer?"

"Oh, I was just wondering ... It's been a very long time since Sera Wind and I went out ... what are the best places for a romantic evening now?"

"Oh, I have no idea, Ser Healer."

"Hmm?"

"Well, ah, you see ..."

He was amazed to see her blush. He hadn't known mustelids could blush - his mind had thought "Mustelid = Promiscuous Yiffer", based on the ones he knew in college. Nothing since had occurred to correct his early-formed impression.

She continued, "You see, I don't go out at all. I have only been here six months and I haven't, well, I just haven't met anyone who ..." She trailed off.

[She looks distressed. What's going on?] Healer Wind looked at her and his brow furrowed. This wasn't right. "Otalia - why are you getting upset?"_

"Well, I ... I ..." Suddenly tears were pouring down her cheeks as she silently cried.

"Sera! Here, sit down! Yes, here, now!" He turned to the samovar in the corner by his desk and drew a cup of strong black tea. Hesitating, then deciding she needed the mild stimulant, he dropped three sugar cubes in it. Briskly coming around his desk, the tod sat on the wide ottoman next to her and put the steaming cup in her paws. "As soon as it's cool enough, drink this down. Eh, 'Healer's orders'," he smiled.

She had the tears under control now, and essayed a weak smile at him.

They sat there for several minutes while she sipped the tea. Eventually, she seemed to gather herself together. "I am so sorry, Ser Healer. I shouldn't have come apart like that, but ..."

"But?"

"Last week, I met a mel - a skunk - at the grocery store. I thought he was nice, so when he said he'd noticed me before and asked if I'd like to go to a movie with him, I thought there c-could be no harm in a - a 'date' like that in such a public place," she said, with sobs threatening to burst out again. "M-my family was very poor and we just barely got along on our farm. I n-never saw a movie until after I started working for you."

"It didn't go well?"

"When we went to the movie, we had to walk through a park. He ... he grabbed me and ... and tried t-to attack me. And I-I don't know WHYYYYY ..." she wailed. "I n-never said anything to g-give him that ... that idea! He j-just s-said 'all otters do' and ... and ..." The tears started up again.

Feeling extremely uncomfortable, Healer Wind remembered how he'd assumed the same. Without thinking about it, he put his arm around the glossy brown otter and held her to comfort her. As he looked slightly down at her face, he noticed her dark brown mask. [Hrm. That's cute. Sort of like a coon's.] Her headfur was a shade somewhere between red and brown; it was so long, it cascaded down her back and over his arm. [So pretty ...] Her scent wafted into his nostrils. It reminded him of a forest floor, and brought back happy cubhood memories of growing up in a rural family.

She seemed to have recovered now. Brushing her face with her paw, she leaned away from him and sat upright. He withdrew his arm, and she stood.

~=~

The next day, she was as composed as if nothing had happened. He'd had a yelling fight with his mate that morning over nothing, and he did not want to go home. On a sudden impulse, when Otalia brought in the last paperwork of the day, he said, "I want ice cream. I haven't had any in longer than I can recall."

She blinked and said, "I don't think we have any in -"

"No, I mean I want some ice cream from a proper ice cream parlor and I hate eating alone. Will you go with me for some?"

"Why - why - but I ..."

"Please."

"Alright Ser Healer - I haven't had any in a week either."

"Ah. A New Rule: If it concerns outside the office, I'm not Ser, I'm Edvard. Alright ... Otalia?"

Soon they were seated in her favorite ice cream parlor. She had restricted herself to a single-scoop bowl of Dark Cherry, but Wind was engulfing four scoops of Rich Vanilla drenched with hot butterscotch sauce.

Wind enjoyed watching the otter in her cheerful yellow tunic. She was totally concentrated on her ice cream. He hadn't spent any time outside of work with a furr so young in years.