FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Meanwhile at the lair of Dr. Callyco

"Dr. Cutie Pup!" Dr. Callyco ran through the arms flailing his arms. The orange kitten in a lab coat didn't stop till he almost ran into the wolf pup knocking both of them down to the floor.

"Dare I even ask what now?" Dr. Cutie Pup sat up after being knocked down.

"We have invaders!" Dr. Cutie Pup exclaimed while still laying on the floor. "It appeared when the sun came up! I was annoyed, cause the light kept shining on my face so I tried to adjust my goggles... Then I saw a ball of light going across the wall! I tried to pounce it but it kept moving!"

"Wait were you just chasing the reflection off your goggles?" Dr. Cutie Pup asked.

"N-no!" Dr. Callyco finally stood up as his fur bristled. "It was... Most definitely some kind of invader."

"Uh huh..." The wolf pup slowly reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a laser pointer. With a flip of the switch he turned it on and a red dot appeared on the wall.

"They're back! And in a new color!" Dr. Callyco screamed before tackling the wall head first. "And they have some kind of force field!"

"No that's not..." Dr. Cutie Pup tried to interrupt as he watched the kitten throw himself against the wall multiple times in a row. "Callyco it's just-" But it was o used. The kitten wasn't going to stop. "Well... This might go on for awhile... So let's get to our next guest! Tonight we're welcoming Nick the Griffin as our guest. He's a little on the hefty side, but this is what the life of an office worker can do to you sometimes. He doesn't get a lot of time to play, but he takes care of his responsibilities."

"Sounds boring to me." Dr. Callyco responded as he lay upside down against the wall. "Anyway Nick's world is a bit too orderly if you ask me. A little chaos would be good for him."

"You would say that." Dr. Cutie Pup rolled his eyes.

"Hey don't sass me! After I capture this alien invader I'm gonna give you such a booping!" Dr. Callyco attempted to flail his arms... But due to being upside down just wound up falling onto his side. "Right so... I guess story time. We present you our eleventh tale. The Tale of Unreciprocated Gifts."

Thirteen Karmic Tales

Eleventh Tale

The Tale of Unreciprocated Gifts

Nick's heart sank as he entered the workplace garden in the early hours. He had been somewhat excited when the higher ups approved the place. It was a chance to finally get some nature in the place. He'd never admit it outside... But Nick liked to think of himself as more at home in the wilds of nature than in a small cubicle. Of course one look at the pot bellied griffin with wings stunted from nonuse made it obvious he didn't belong out in nature.

And it seemed the garden agreed with him.

Nick was one of the few people who had put any time or effort into the garden. He had been showing up an hour early to work each day to put in effort. He had hoped to maybe grow a few pumpkins for the Halloween season, or maybe to just get a few flowers going just to add some color. He had also tried a few peppers and tomatoes to try and make something that could be eaten.

None of it had grown. Tiny bits of plant matter poked out of the soil but they were brown and dying. It was pretty clear the garden was as dead as Nick's chances of being seen as a man of nature.

"Maybe if I tried using more fertilizer?" Nick knew it wasn't going to do anything. Anyone would have known it was too late to save the garden. That still didn't stop him from picking up the can and slowly distributing it throughout the garden. "I really wish I could have gotten this place to grow." He gave a sigh as he finished his rounds. Tomorrow he'd likely have to dig the roots up and throw all these out. For now he'd try not to think about it. He had to report to his cubicle.

The next morning Nick returned to the garden. He had brought a trowel and a bucket prepared to dig everything up and throw it out. As he stepped out onto the office roof he was met with an unexpected sight.

The garden was growing. It wasn't just growing a little though. A massive fully grown pumpkin sat in the middle of the entire garden. Then it was surrounded by a field of flowers of almost every color imaginable. There were flowers that Nick was fairly certain he hadn't even planted. Vines grew out around the flowers, many of them curling above them as if clinging to invisible poles in the air. Brightly colored berries hung from said vines each one perfectly ripe.

"What?" Nick stared in awe. "That's... Not possible." Even if the fertilizer had worked and the plants had started growing it wouldn't be like this. This looked like a garden with years put into it, not one that was just starting out. He didn't understand what had happened.

"Maybe not possible for you." A high pitched girlish voice spoke up. Nick spun around in place looking for it but he wasn't able to find the source of it. "But I decided to help out just a bit."

"Who? Where?" Nick kept looking around on the confusion.

"Where are you even looking?" The voice sounded annoyed. "Down here, on the pumpkin." Nick's eyes slowly found the source of the voice. From the sound he would have guessed it belonged to a mouse... And that wasn't too far off. The person was the size of a mouse, but they looked almost human. Sort of. She had light green colored skin and messy darker green colored hair down to her waist. Her eyes shined like solid blue gemstones as she stared up at him unblinking. Two almost transparent wings shaped similarly to a dragon's were currently folded against her back. "Well don't stare. You act like you haven't seen a faerie before."

"I haven't." Was the only response Nick could think of to say. He dropped his trowel and bucket and just gawked with his mouth open. He had seen some strange things before... But he had never encountered faeries before. The idea that they existed was a bit much to process. Part of him wondered if he was still home in bed asleep.

"Look let's just try to move on." The faerie spoke. "Now then... I did you a pretty solid here. Was just flying through trying to decide where to make my new home. I heard your wish and made my home here to help grant it. Anything you plant will grow and produce wonders now. You're very welcome."

"Just flying around?" Nick tilted his head unsure of what to make of the little fae's explanation. "Just who are you?"

"You can't just ask me for my name." The faerie crossed her arms and huffed as she looked around. "But if you must call me something... I suppose you can call me Blossom based off what I've done to your garden. "But that's really all that important. All that matters is your garden is blessed now. So, you're welcome."

"Oh!" Nick had been so caught up trying to process that this was real he had forgotten his manners. He didn't fully understand what had happened... And he wasn't sure if it was even a good thing. But from what he understood Blossom had apparently done. He bowed his head slightly. "Thank you. It's very beautiful."

"Glad to see you appreciate my efforts." Blossom responded. "Well then... Get on with it."

"Get on with it?" Nick wasn't sure what she meant.

"Yes! Yes! I want to see what you did." Blossom jumped up and down in place. "Don't keep me waiting."

"I'm afraid you lost me." Nick shook his head. "I haven't done anything."

"Nothing? Surely you jest!" She seemed taken aback. "Even in the lowest of courts they know things this basic! You never accept a gift without offering another gift in return."

"But I-"

"No buts." Blossom flew into the air to be eye level with Nick. "You accepted my gift, and while I appreciate the appreciation I will have my dues in return!"

"But I don't have anything to give you!" Nick pleaded.

"You have a name don't you?" Blossom smiled.

"Well yes it's Nick-" The griffin started to explain.

"Then I'll take that as my gift." Her smiled turned outright wicked.

"I don't understand..." Nick wrinkled his brow. "How can you take a name as a gift?"

"Because when you control a thing's name, you control the thing." With that Blossom snapped her fingers. Nick didn't have a chance to ask what that meant.

Nick's clothes began to loosen on him as he saw the ground rushing up to meet him. He saw Blossom's smiling face one last time before he suddenly found himself lost beneath the folds of his own shirt. He was naked now. He was still inside his clothes, but nothing he was doing could be described as wearing them. At first he curled up in place trying to understand what had just happened. He was shrinking, and now stuck somewhere in his own clothes. After a few seconds he tried to move. Climbing out of oversized underwear and pants only left him trapped beneath a mountain sized shirt. He did his best to struggle to get out of that. Eventually he saw a light... And following it came out from his sleeve.

The world was a very different place now. He couldn't even see his garden. Instead there was just a massive stone wall in front of him that would be the side of the planter. It had one looked smooth, but now looked to be covered in cracks and grooves. He looked backwards at the clothes he had just climbed out of. That pile of clothes was larger than a mountain. He was no more than an ant standing next to it.

"There you are." Blossom spoke, but she sounded a lot louder now. She landed on the ground next to Nick. The sudden impact of it nearly bowled him over. She was bigger than him now. She was a lot bigger. She hadn't grown though. He was just that small. The mouse sized faerie was like a titan before him. He was only about as tall as her ankle. "Let's get you up off the ground." She bent down to pick Nick up. He turned to run but wasn't fast enough. She pinched his lion tail between her fingers and lifted him off the ground. Then with that she flapped her own wings and took off into the air.

"Ugggh." Nick felt unwell as he watched the ground fly away. He was only a few feet up but he might as well as have been staring at the grand canyon. He closed his eyes and tried not to look as the faerie carried him away from his clothes and over the garden. He didn't open his eyes again till everything was completely still.

When he did he found himself surrounded by greenery. Blossom was sitting on a leaf with her legs folded. She had placed Nick on one of her legs and was leaning back against the stalk to relax. Nick couldn't focus on her. The garden from this angle and this size was an amazing thing. There was a color filled canopy above his head that he could only assume were the flowers. Then giant vines easily large enough for him to run across encircled the entire area. Each one had a leaf that was just big enough for Blossom to rest on. For Nick he had room to run short laps.

Part of this sight awakened something in himself. It looked like an giant overgrown forest from his point of view. Meanwhile he was currently sitting there naked like some kind of savage animal. A secret fantasy flirted with his mind. Part of him wanted to run around, explore, even roar and scream. They were feelings he had tried to buy long ago. Being an adult and still thinking like that filled him with shame. Yet... Now finding himself in this situation. Part of him was panicking, but another deeper part of him was filled with exhilaration.

"I'm a fierce beast." Nick spoke to himself.

"A beast now?" Blossom laughed. She poked Nick with a finger causing him to tumble over. "Well... You're my pet now. But I suppose it would simply wouldn't do for a fae of the wild to have a tame pet. I suppose I'll have to put up with a little wildness from you."

"A pet?" He was being treated like an animal. And the worst part was that he liked it. "But... But I'm wild!" He knew that wasn't what he should be arguing. There were other things to worry about right now. So many more, but this was what he wanted.

"That you are." She stuck her tongue out. "So I guess you'll be a bit of free roamer. Just remember, I have your name and you are mine. When I call you back you will come. Until then, you're free to explore my new domain as much as you want."

Again, Nick knew there were points he should argue. He knew there were other points he should worry about. Just right now something he long thought dead in him was being taken over. And now he was just given permission, no encouraged to let it out. He slowly stood up and climbed down from Blossom's leg. He moved a few steps across the leaf feeling the plant's textures beneath his bare paws.

Then he bust into a run. He leaped for another leaf. He flapped his tiny wings. Even at this size it wasn't enough for him to have perfect flight... But they were strong enough to at least allow him to hover as he easily jumped to another leaf. From there he dropped to all fours running along the flower vine. Maybe the faerie having control of him made him a bit more wild, maybe it was being naked in a now giant forest, or maybe it was just him refusing to deal with the fact that he had just been shrunk to the size of a picnic ant. But he didn't care

Even if he was a pet. He was a savage beast who ruled this garden. That was what he wanted to be.

The End