FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

As the holidays rolled around, Arden noticed that, once again, David seemed to be less responsive than normal. This time though, he didn't wait months to hear from the fox. After a couple of weeks with no contact, he once again drove out to the house in the Valley.

In the dim light of the humid pool house, with all the shades drawn, and only a single reading lamp for illumination in the dank space, Arden sat on the shabby, broken-down couch, while David reclined, leaning on several pillows, on the mattress on the floor in the corner. His eyelids seemed to be permanently fixed at half-mast, and his inflection seemed rather flat as he spoke.

"They upped my meds, so I'm a little slow today. But I feel pretty good. I'm just so damn tired, you know? I did a performance for Saint Cat's day school earlier in the week. I had to sit down through the whole thing, but I think it worked! Heh."

"How much are they giving you, David?" Arden had never seen the fox so out of it in all the time he had known him.

"They've got me on three times the normal dose of lithium. Plus Prozac and Marinol. But the Marinol is supposed to be for my appetite, and it makes me sick. So I got medical pot instead - see?" He held up what looked like a sizeable roll of large white firecrackers in a cylindrical plastic container, dwarfing his small paws. "I mean, they say they don't want me to be depressed. But, I've got FIDS. I'm dying, y'know? I think if anybody has a right to be depressed a little, it's me, don't you think?" The frazzled fox chuckled dryly, causing him to cough deeply but unproductively.

"Well, David, I should let you rest. I just wanted to check in and see how things were going. But I'll be back this weekend, OK? Can I come over? If you're tired, we can just rest here. You don't need to entertain me, and we don't need to do anything. There's something I want bring by for you. Is that OK?"

The fennec regarded the wolf for several seconds. "Yeah. Of course. That would be really nice."

As soon as he got home, Arden called his friend Michelle.

"What are you doing this weekend?"

The rest of the week passed by in a blur, partly because work and the responsibilities of being an adult never ended, and partly because Arden had a mission, and he was single-minded in its completion. Craft stores, fabric stores, toy stores, back to the craft store. Up all hours every night, pulling an all-nighter once. That one was hard.

But by Saturday, he had finished. He looked with pride at the 'masterpiece' in front of him one last time as he closed the lid. "You take good care of him, OK?"

I hope he understands.

Michelle arrived shortly after work, and they drove together to David's. The tension in the car was nothing either of them felt particularly inclined to diffuse. This was an important visit; maybe the most important. It would not do to minimize the significance with small talk. Each sat with their thoughts during a short drive that seemed to take forever.

As they entered the darkened pool house, Tim peered at them from the shadows, his placid, ghostlike muzzle appearing faintly in amber hues from the ember of his cigarette with every drag he took, before once again disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

David was reclined on the mattress and pillows, appearing not to have moved since midweek. "Hey guys! Thanks for coming!" he said, his tail wiggling ever so slightly beneath the thin sheet that covered him.

Arden lost track of the time that night. They sat and talked. They talked about past glories. They talked about current events. They talked about inconsequential diversions. They could have talked for half an hour. They could have talked for the whole night. Their words wove an incantation, manifesting a tapestry of their history together, a fragile but beautiful testament to the power of connection - to love. So focused were they on each other, that time vanished within those walls, and wolf, fox, and binturong yearned to remain in that sacred space for as long as their magic would last.

But all good things must come to an end.

"David," said Arden after a lull in the conversation. "Remember I said that I wanted to bring something by for you?"

"Oh! Yeah," rasped the fox, coughing slightly with the effort.

"Well. I want to give you something. A good-luck charm of sorts. Something that can keep you company between the times that I am here, and let you know I'm always here for you."

With that, Arden reached into the bag that had been sitting quietly at his footpaws all evening. From within, he withdrew a black satin top hat. He set it on the low coffee table, just below eye level and within easy reach of the tiny fennec. On the top of the upturned hat, appearing for all the world to be magically floating in mid-air, was a white dress glove, seemingly filled by an invisible paw, holding in its impossible grasp a magic wand with brass ferules. The tip of the wand appeared to touch the interior of the topper, and from that point of ephemeral contact shot sparkling silver stars and streamers, as if suspended in time. A perfect magical moment, captured and set for display on a dingy table in a dilapidated pool house, of a random ranch home in the Valley of the dream factory.

Both Michelle's and David's eyes widened at the sight. Even Tim, who had silently remained in the shadows all night, stepped forward to look more closely. The hat was cleverly and meticulously constructed, and upon closer inspection, the brim of the hat could be seen to be a lid, beckoning to be opened.

David started to reach out one trembling paw. "This is for me? What is it?"

Arden smiled fondly at him. "Of course it's for you. And as for what's in it...well, you just have to open it."

David reached out again, but, try as he might, did not seem to have the coordination for what should have been a simple task.

Arden shot a quick look to Michelle, who subtly motioned him to go on. He reached over to assist the struggling fox, pulling the hat closer to himself. "Here, it's kind of dark in here, and the lid is a little tricky. I had a hard time getting it to fit properly the first time, to tell you the truth."

"You made this?" the fox intoned in disbelief.

Arden chuckled. "Well, sure! I looked all over for one of these, but you know? I just couldn't find one!"

Michelle's smile, though genuine, seemed a bit tight. She knew her role in this.

The fox beamed. "That's. Wow."

Arden moved the desk lamp over so the hat was clearly lit in its spotlight glare, the scene resembling a miniature stage in the darkness of the room, the beam bouncing off the tabletop and silver decors, casting faint stars around the room, like fiber optic sparkles fading to black. He carefully turned the trompe l'oeil box so the proper end was facing the fennec, and with a small flourish, lifted the brim, wand, glove and all, up in one quick, smooth motion. Out popped the head of an adorable plush tiger, with a silver ribbon around his neck. He was clearly too big to fit in the hat's interior with the lid on - a little illusion Arden cooked up himself.

David looked on in wonder. "Oh my god. That's. That's so cool! Thank you so much," he enthused softly.

Arden carefully lifted out the plush and handed it to David, who took it in his paws as if it were the one made of the thinnest glass.

"He can keep you company while you get stronger," said the wolf, quickly wiping away the tear that trickled down his muzzle, hoping his dark fur would work like black art in the dim illumination of the murky pool house.

"I wanted to thank you for allowing me the honor of working with you for the Halloween show. I know you wanted a tiger. And this is the only one I thought could fit in your house." Arden could say no more. The lump in his throat threatened to choke him.

Michelle, ever the best friend a wolf could have, jumped in right on cue and started talking about the gift, and wanting to know how it was made, and drawing the focus to every other detail that didn't matter at all in that moment, and which therefore made it matter all the more.

And so they continued to talk into the wee hours, loathe to break the spell that kept them in their timeless, hallowed circle.

But all good things must come to an end.