FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"You know, I can't say that I've ever met anyone who's connected with me so thoroughly before," Zack said, regarding the petite cottontail rabbit in front of him.

"I know, right?" Alan chuckled as he stared up at the silver-furred fox. "I've met people who like camping as well as people who like video games, but those two groups rarely overlap."

It was purely by chance that the pair of them met. Standing in line at their local coffee shop, the canine happened to overhear Alan mumbling something about requiring new equipment in order for him to go camping again while the weather was still nice, to which Zack offered to help the lapin figure out what would be best for him as he'd gone recently. The conversation developed from there into other activities, initially only outdoor ones until they branched into the things they did while at home. It floored the pair of them that they had so much in common to the point where it was almost impossible for either of them to stop talking.

"It might just be me, but I like being a well-rounded person. It means that I can do things I enjoy doing no matter where I am," Zack said, empty coffee cup in hand.

Alan beamed when he heard the vulpine mention that. "Hey, that's how I think of it too! It's no fun to sit around and do nothing; I like doing stuff."

Having so much in common with someone thrilled Zack to his core, and it'd been ages since he'd been able to relate to another person so effortlessly. He nearly got the chance to mention that a local board game café had just opened its doors when his phone began to buzz in his pocket. His brow quirked, he reached in to see what the fuss was about, only for his eyes to bug out wide when he realized that an appointment of his was coming up soon. "Ooh, I'd love to stay and chat some more, but I've still got a few errands I need to run before my presence is requested at the other end of the city."

Alan's ears drooped at having to say goodbye to the fox so soon, but they then perked up when he got a brilliant idea. "Oh, why don't we swap numbers and then meet up later at some point?" His emerald-green eyes twinkled. "Maybe this time we can do one of the things we talked about."

"Probably not camping since you said you needed new equipment," Zack rubbed his chin in thought. "Hiking might be a decent bet since the sun's supposed to keep it dry all week."

"Hey yeah, that's a good idea! How about we hit the trails by the bluffs?"

Zack warmly grinned. "It's a date."

***

Alan was all smiles by the time he got back home, dropping his new camping equipment off in the hallway closet before heading to his room. The heat from outside got the air conditioning to kick in, making the temperature in his home nice and cool, just how he liked it.

He felt fortunate that he happened to meet the fox as his regular friends had been growing increasingly busy with various other commitments. The fact that he somehow managed to meet someone who had basically all of his interests excited him to no end. Too long he'd been a part of groups that only offered him one form of entertainment, and while those were still good in their own right, it felt nice that he actually found someone who could effortlessly switch between different activities like he could.

And Zack was such a cool guy! Perhaps a bit braggadocious about his size, but at least not to an unbearable degree.

As with pretty much most people that he met, the vulpine towered over him, leading him to estimate that the other man had at least a foot of height on top of him as well as being around double his weight. It didn't particularly bother him as he'd grown used to it over the course of his life, though for once he'd like to at least be eye-level with more people. Oh well, such was his life.

But it was nice that Alan got to meet the canine at all, especially since he felt that the other man was quite the looker. The silver fur that covered the fox's body commanded his attention, though it gave him the opportunity to notice the tufts of white fur mixed with orange peeking out from the top of his shirt. Couple that with his golden eyes and long, fluffy tail and it made for an eye-catching, if peculiar, appearance.

But it was the vulpine's warm persona that he appreciated the most. He'd found that too many people these days were a bit rough around the edges and didn't particularly mind the sometimes-harsh words that left their mouths, but Zack wasn't like that at all. The fox was actually a genuine person, and he really felt grateful for that.

It was almost as if the canine's warmth was still radiating onto him at that very moment. He didn't pay it any mind thanks to the cooler air of his apartment being blasted at him, but his body most certainly felt hotter than it did mere minutes ago.

That heat came with an odd development - he was growing. Not by much, of course, but it was still something even if it was subtle. He might've been able to register what was going on if he happened to be standing on a scale at that exact moment, but were he to do it after he wouldn't see anything out of the ordinary. What was even more inconspicuous was the rest of his measurements, having maybe grown by a few inches spread across the whole of his body. It didn't look like anything had happened to him, and yet something did.

While Alan would never have seen anything different about himself, he could absolutely feel it. Hmm, the collar of his shirt felt a bit more snug than usual. It must've shrunk in the wash, he figured.

Regardless, his mind was squarely set on the date that he'd be having with the vulpine later that night. He didn't know if it was meant to be a friend-date or a date-date, but it was a date nonetheless, and he couldn't wait!

Now where were his hiking shoes...

***

"I hope the little rabbit doesn't need the big, strong fox to carry him up the hill," Zack shot the brown-furred lapin a toothy grin as he looked back at the bunny.

"I think you'll find the little rabbit is more than capable of fending for himself," Alan retorted with a wry smirk of his own. "I'll have you know I've walked these trails by myself."

Zack chuckled. "Oh, that's one better than me! I've only ever been here with a group before."

The two of them had been walking up the carefully designated path set out by centuries of other people trampling the foliage, creating a route that many, many feet have stomped up over the years. While others might grumble at the steepness of certain parts of the trail, the both of them relished what little challenge it offered, enjoying the exercise at the same time as the nature around them.

It felt nice to Alan that he had someone else to actually go on hikes with later in the day; he'd only ever gone by himself at this time because his other friends all had commitments that they had to take care of in the late afternoon.

What was especially nice was the way that the buff fox's muscles undulated with every step taken - not quite to what a bodybuilder's would in this instance, but certainly more than someone who was simply fit. It was something that he'd wished for in the past, but his body never seemed to like the idea of gaining size like that.

And yet, it did now. Admiring the fox triggered another spurt of growth, still unknown to the rabbit. The motion of walking up the hill obscured the fact that he'd gained two whole inches in height, the collar of his neck itching him due to his neck slightly swelling up with size, though he still chalked it up to the garment instead of himself.

The rest of his form had followed suit, with the musculature across his body taking on a lightly-toned appearance, like he'd been a long-distance runner for a number of years. It might not have been all too obvious on his normally lanky body, but it was easily more than he had before. Funnily enough, the first one to notice anything different wasn't the lapin himself.

"I can see your midriff poking out a bit," Zack stated as they reached the first plateau that they'd come across. His laser-focused gaze allowed him to pick up the slightest details that others tended to miss.

The announcement made Alan's eyes as wide as saucers, having not perceived that until that very moment. "Ah, something's gotta be wrong with my washing machine! This hasn't happened before."

"Relax, I think it's cute," Zack teased, endlessly enjoying seeing the rabbit blush profusely. He noted that the shadows on the ground had grown longer since they started their hike, making him turn around to prove his suspicions correct that the sun was setting for the day. "Wow, what a view."

"I know, right?" Alan felt his lips curl into a smile when he saw the incredible sight of the valley below the cliff lit up by the sun's rays.

Zack also grinned toothily when he looked back at the other man, though he stopped when he noticed something odd about the rabbit, causing him to cock his head a bit. "Heh, you look a bit taller than before."

The statement gave Alan pause, but his whip-smart mind came up with a solution almost immediately. "Eh, it's probably just a trick of perspective. I think we're just standing on uneven ground."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Zack swung his arm as if to beckon the lagomorph to him. "Come on over."

Alan did just that, taking a seat as close as he felt safe to the edge. The last thing that he wanted was to head to the hospital that night.

Zack was about to do the same, but he stopped himself in the midst of sitting down. "Hey, while we're resting for the moment, I think I'm gonna go take a leak real quick." With a spring in his step, Zack hopped back to his feet. "I'll be right back," he said as he wandered to a part of the trail concealed with trees.

"I'll be here," Alan called back, not turning his head in the fox's direction.

The way that the waning sun bathed the valley below him in a brilliant orange glow put him at ease, and he was happy that he got to share it with the canine... at least when the other man got back. He'd been wanting to show someone what being out here later in the day was like for quite some time now. Finally, he got his chance.

The vulpine had ended up being a pretty great travel companion; not once had he complained that the pace that they moved at was too quick, or that it was too hot or too cold out as he actually made sure to wear clothing fit for the weather that they experienced. It felt weird that he celebrated what he considered to be negligible accomplishments at best, but not everyone that he'd hiked with pulled these off all the time.

Just thinking about the fox made Alan feel warm and fuzzy, making it a definite contrast to the cooler evening air around him that he just couldn't ignore. It felt good! The heat diffused throughout his body, enveloping every square inch of his flesh as he sat there and reveled in it. He chalked it up to his body enjoying the movement.

That wasn't what the warmth was, of course. For the third time that day, his body creaked itself bigger thanks to his feelings for the other man, though this time it wanted to make things noticeable.

Another few inches of height had been tacked onto him, matching how his shoulders _slightly_pushed out a little bit more than they used to. The beginning of what was to be his traps started coming in, the muscles flanking his neck gradually puffing up and stretching his shirt collar that much more. It made things uncomfortable enough for him to tug on the fabric to alleviate some of the discomfort; that was when he made the discovery of a lifetime.

To Alan's complete surprise, he learned that his body had marginally swelled up since he'd last paid attention to it that morning. But why would he? He was the same lanky lagomorph day in and day out, so why would things change now? It wasn't all bad, however, because at least it told him that it wasn't the washing machine shrinking his clothes after all!

He had to admit, it didn't feel all that bad. The desire to gain some muscle had been there in his mind for quite some time, so he was overjoyed to see that become a reality, but gaining height definitely threw him off. That's not a thing that happened to people right? One shouldn't have that occur when they were done with puberty. And yet, he was bigger; bigger felt nice. Well, nice until he realized that more of his taut midsection showed. He grumbled trying to think of how to hide that from his companion.

Size wasn't the only alteration flourishing across his body. His delicate nose twitched when he picked up the scent of something familiar - himself. He, uh, must've forgotten to put on a sufficient amount of deodorant before he left to come here. Hopefully it wasn't that big of a deal to the fox.

Speaking of the canine, Zack finally wandered back to the resting lapin. "Hey, sorry it took so long. I forgot there was actually a bathroom all the way up here."

Alan's words got caught in his throat as he, too, recalled that specific piece of information. "Oh yeah, that's right," he mused. "Convenient."

"Very. You ready to keep going now?" As much as Zack wanted to stay and watch the view a bit more, the setting sun meant that light was going to be a precious commodity soon.

"We probably should," Alan said, thinking the exact same thing. Shame though - it was a nice, quiet evening out. Oh well, he didn't want to get caught in the dark again like last time. The peace would offer him an opportunity to process just how much his body had grown over the last little while.

Truth be told, he wondered how long it would take for Zack to notice any of the changes happening to him. He hoped it was soon.