FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"ID?" barked a terrifyingly big doberman. His yellow eyes squinted down at the trembling teen, daring him to defy his authority. Kerry slipped his paw into the pocket of his jeans, but he didn't know what he was looking for. He was seventeen; there was no way security would let him through.

"Uh... I must've left it in my uh... at home..." he halfheartedly offered, giving an apologetic shrug and trying to keep his tail as still as possible.

The doberman raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Nice try, kid."

Kerry thought about making a break for it, but the dog in front of him looked like he could crush the tiger just by looking at him hard enough. And the massive pecs that weren't exactly hiding behind his thin shirt were bigger than watermelons. Getting passed this guy would be impossible, and probably extremely painful. Kerry gave a defeated sigh and trudged over to the curb.

A car rolled slowly by as Kerry sat down on the concrete, wrapping his arms around his legs. A light breeze ruffled the fur on the back of his hand, and the tiger watched as the orange light caught his maroon and black striped fur. What do I do now? He thought.

It had taken him all evening to muster up enough courage to even come out here. Clubs weren't really his thing, especially when there was dancing involved, but this was his only chance to get out there and figure himself out. He had given himself one night, only a few hours where the rules of his sheltered life didn't apply and he could experiment with his darker side, but his only chance was slowly slipping away right in front of his eyes.

Kerry's ears perked up as he caught a piece of a conversation behind him. "Oh. My. Goduh! Did you see what Kerianne was wearinguh? It was hideous_uh_!" A leopard who had clearly dyed his fur a loud, neon pink was standing in line, talking to two rabbits who were in drag. Kerry twisted around a little to get a better look, but one of the rabbits caught his eye and winked at him.

"Hey there, sugar." He said seductively. Kerry quickly shifted his focus down the street and pretended not to hear, blushing deeply under his fur.

The leopard continued on like nothing had happened. "She was wearing this like purple slip dress with a floral pattern stitched on the back, and the slip came like up to here, I'm not kidding, and every step she took her boobs were like flopping out all of the place, and it was guh-ross-uh! I was like 'Honey, that dress is not doing you any favors,' and she was all 'Mind your own damn business, Nikki,' and I was just like 'Mmmmmm, I'm gonna have to lay a smackdown on this bitchuh.' I mean it's not my problem if you look like a slut, I was just trying to be nice and protect your image-uh."

Maybe this is a good thing... thought Kerry. I mean most of these guys are pretty much girls anyway. I wouldn't have had much fun if the entire club was like that. Kerry shook his head. God, what am I even doing here?

He stood up and wiped the dirt off the back of his jeans. Just as he was about to leave, the rabbit that winked at him earlier stepped out of line and walked up to him. "Where you goin', cutie?"

"Uh... I was..." Kerry could practically see down the rabbit's dress, and he wasn't sure if the boobs jiggling in front of him were implants, or if he just couldn't see the rabbit's chest. Either way, he was freaking out. The overwhelming waft of perfume slithering up from the rabbit's neck wasn't helping either. "...I was just headed home."

"So soon? You just got here?" The rabbit was already standing uncomfortably close to Kerry, his whiskers tickling as the rabbit's breath flicked passed them. "What's the hurry?"

"Well... I can't get in, 'cuz I'm underage..." he hoped the rabbit would get the message.

"Oh, baby, age doesn't matter around here. I'll get you in." The rabbit wrapped an arm around Kerry's waist, pulling him even closer.

"That's really ok. I don't wanna cause any trouble..." He tried to slip out of the rabbit's grasp, but the rabbit was surprisingly strong for her... well, for how she was dressed. Or he. Or whatever.

"It's no trouble! Really. Girls, is slipping our little friend here into the club any trouble?" The pink leopard and the other rabbit giggled. "You see? We'll take good care of you."

"Look, that's really nice of you, and I'm sure you guys... er, girls... are a lot of fun, but I..."

"There you are!" A deep voice boomed through the crowd. Kerry whipped his head around to see a tall, fit fox wearing a very trendy looking suit and jeans rushing towards him with a worried look on his face. "I've been looking for you all night! Are you alright?"

"I'm, uh..." Kerry stuttered. The fox had wrapped his arm around the small tiger's shoulder and was trying to pull him away from the rabbit, but the rabbit wasn't giving up without a fight.

"He's just fine, thank you. He's my dancing partner, and if you don't mind, I'd like him back." The rabbit tightened her grip, pinching Kerry's waist. He winced, secretly hoping the fox would punch her or something so he could get away.

"No he's not." The fox said sternly, staring the rabbit down.

"Says who?" The rabbit retorted sassily.

"Says his extremely jealous boyfriend. Now step off." The fox gave a small growl and the rabbit immediately removed her paw. "Thank you." He said, then turned to Kerry. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Kerry let himself be led away from the line and towards the street. He tried to look back at the girls to see how they were reacting, but the fox kept moving him forward until the club was out of sight.

Once they had rounded a corner, Kerry could feel the fox chuckling as he pressed up against his torso under his arm. Even though his tail was nervously flicking from side to side behind him, Kerry couldn't help but ask, "What's so funny?"

The fox smiled and said, "You, kid. You looked like you were about to have a heart attack back there. You alright?"

They stopped and leaned against a wall. "Yeah, I'm fine..." Kerry meekly replied.

"What are you doing out here?" The fox was still grinning, thoroughly amused by the situation.

"Nothing. I was just... trying to get into the club." Kerry looked down at his feet and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, kid. I've done way worse than that in my time. But you know that's a 21 and over club, right?"

"I thought it was eighteen..."

The fox laughed. "Even if it was, you still look way too young. How old are you anyways?"

"I'm not that young. I'm seventeen," said Kerry, a little more defiantly than he had intended. The fox didn't seem to mind.

"So still too young for a club like that anyways." He replied with a tone of challenge in his voice. "How were you planning on getting in?"

Kerry shrugged. "I was kinda hoping they wouldn't be checking IDs..."

The fox gave Kerry a slow, considerate once-over. But Kerry didn't see. He was too busy avoiding the fox's gaze. "What's your name, kid?"

"Kerry."

"Well, Kerry, I'm Todd." The fox extended a paw. "Nice to meet you." Kerry lightly shook his paw, then quickly stuffed it back into his pocket. He didn't want to admit it, but he kind of liked the contact between them. Maybe a little too much. It made his stomach jump and flip. "Can I buy you a drink somewhere?"

Kerry's ears perked up and his tail stopped twitching as he excitedly turned towards Todd. "Really?"

"Yeah. You seem like a nice kid. I'd love to get to know you a little better." The fox smiled warmly.

Kerry couldn't agree fast enough. "Yeah! Ok!"

* * *

Jazzy piano music drifted gently though the smoky lounge. The felt cushions had absorbed enough smoke over the years to keep a comforting, warm scent trapped between the fibers. This was much nicer than Kerry had expected of any place called The Depot. Candles flickered softly on each table, everyone spoke in moderate, polite tones, and the waiters were practically non-existent, appearing only when the drinks were running low.

Todd had requested a cozy little booth in the back corner of the lounge, where things were a little more intimate. He was sipping a scotch on the rocks, the ice tinkling each time he lifted the glass to his lips. Kerry had ordered a coke, but Todd insisted that the waiter put a little rum in it. The waiter had simply nodded and left, not bothering to check Kerry's ID. Minutes later, Kerry was timidly taking tiny sips from his glass.

"This is good!" admitted Kerry, taking a bigger swig.

Todd chuckled. "I'm glad you like it. You've never had it before?"

Kerry shrugged. "I'm seventeen..."

"So? I was a seasoned connoisseur of alcohol by your age."

Kerry shifted in his seat. "I just... I never really even thought about trying it before. My parents don't really keep stuff like that around the house."

"Sure they do!" Todd said with a playful smirk. "You just have to know where to look."

Unsure of how to reply, Kerry nervously took another sip of his drink, the alcohol stinging his throat a little as it went down. "So..." Todd said, leaning back in his seat and crossing his legs. "Tell me about yourself."

"What do you wanna know?" Kerry asked.

"Anything you want me to know," Todd suggested nonchalantly.

"Ok..." Kerry thought for a moment, but all of a sudden his life seemed extremely boring. He couldn't think of a single interesting thing to say. "Well... I just graduated..." Kerry felt like an idiot.

"That's good," Todd replied. "Do you know where you're going to school yet?"

"Yeah, just down to State."

Todd raised his eyebrows, his eyes gleaming. "Really?" he said. "Just state?"

"Oh, well... I mean, I know State is a good school and all, and I'm excited to go, but it's just... a little..."

"Close?" Todd finished for him.

"Yeah." Kerry put his drink down.

Todd nodded. "That's fair. College is supposed to seem exotic. But I get the feeling that's not the only reason you don't really want to go to State."

"Well..." Kerry considered his options for a second. Was he really going to tell this guy he just met something so personal? Well... he did meet him outside of a gay club. What the hell. "This place is just a little... conservative, y'know?"

"I do." Todd replied, nodding sympathetically. "It's not easy for guys like us around here."

"Guys like us?" Kerry couldn't help but challenge Todd's assessment of him. It was impulse.

"Yeah. Attractive men of our age who have slightly unpopular preferences in our dating partners. Am I wrong?" Todd peered at Kerry over the rim of his glass as he took another sip of scotch.

"No, you're right, but... I'm not..." Kerry stuttered.

"No? Kid, if you weren't gay you wouldn't be here right now. Straight guys don't accept invitations for dates with other guys."

Kerry hesitated for a moment, then shyly asked, "This... this is a date?"

Todd couldn't help but laugh. "Of course!" he said. "I don't buy drinks for just anyone." He continued to laugh, a deep, rich, warm laugh. Kerry didn't bother holding back the smile that spread across his lips. He was blushing under the auburn fur on his cheeks. His tail began to swing gently under the table.

"Um... I hope you don't mind me asking this, but... why'd you wanna take me on a date?" Kerry looked up at Todd coyly.

Todd was still smiling brightly. "Oh, I have my reasons," he said with a wink. "Maybe it has something to do with how handsome you are..." Kerry coughed out a single nervous laugh. "...or how cute you looked when you were helplessly being dragged away by that rabbit. You two made a very attractive couple, you know," Todd said, raising his glass as if he was toasting them. Kerry guffawed.

"Yeah, right... He... or she, I guess... isn't exactly my type."

Todd leaned forward. "Oh? And what is your type?"

Kerry found himself at a loss. "I dunno... I mean, I guess I don't really have a type, but..."

"Well what's wrong with the rabbit then?"

"She's a... a guy in a dress and heels!" Kerry replied incredulously.

"So? Did you get to know her?"

"Well, no, but..."

"Then how do you know you wouldn't like her?" Todd sat back and crossed his arms, satisfied that he had won.

"I... I guess you're right."

"I know I am, but I appreciate you admitting it." The fox smirked at the younger tiger.

Kerry took one long swig and finished his drink. As soon as he set the glass on the table, the waiter slipped another drink in front of him. "So... What about you?" Kerry asked.

The fox shrugged. "What about me?"

"What's your um... story?" Kerry wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for, but he guessed anything was better than nothing.

The fox smiled back at him. "What makes you think I have a story?"

"Well... I dunno... I mean you seem like an interesting guy. There's gotta be some kind of story behind your uh... well, you, I guess."

Todd chuckled again. The tiger was so cute when he didn't know what to say. He could sit there all night just watching him stumble over his words. "It's pretty undramatic, really. I grew up a few hundred miles south of here, left as soon as I could, and got my teaching degree."

"Is that what you do?" Kerry asked.

"I'm an English professor, yes."

"At..." Kerry started.

Todd nodded. "At State."

"Oh... cool." Kerry felt sheepish. He couldn't believe he'd said he didn't really want to go to State.

As if reading his mind, the fox said, "Don't worry, I'm not a huge State fan myself. It's just where I work. For now, anyways."

"What is it that you want to do?" Kerry asked, trying to quickly change the subject.

"Well... I like teaching, but it's a little tedious sometimes. Especially when you can tell the students in your class really don't want to be there." Kerry nodded, but he chided himself silently for all the times he had zoned out in his own classes. "In the long run, I'd really like to be a published poet. But it seems that poetry is a dying art these days..."

"Why is that?"

"No one pays it any attention. Everyone is far too concerned with efficiency. Think about it, how long does it usually take before you hit the reload button on your internet browser because the page is loading too slowly?"

"About ten seconds," Kerry admitted.

"Exactly," continued the fox. "Poetry is about living in the world of the imagery, digesting each word slowly to feel the raw emotion that's beating behind the text. Reading poetry takes time and patience. There are very few people alive today who seem to understand that."

"That's a shame..." Kerry said as earnestly as he could. Even though he hated poetry, he could appreciate where Todd was coming from. "So what kind of poetry do you write?"

The fox laughed. "Nothing that's very good. That's why I'm a teacher and not a writer."

"How can you be a teacher if you don't understand what you're teaching?" Asked Kerry.

Todd shook his head. "It's not that I don't understand it. I know the mechanics and theory of poetry better than anyone. But when it comes to practical application, I kind of fall short."

"I'm sure it's not that bad."

"Oh it is," replied Todd, ears drooping a bit. "I guess I've never really had the proper motivation to write passionately."

"Well... why don't you let me be the judge of that?"

Todd cocked his head to the side, which cause one of his ears to flop over a little. "Sorry?"

"I mean... I'd love to read a little sometime... If that's alright with you."

The fox's face lit up brighter than Christmas lights, and his grin stretched from ear to ear. "Sure! That'd be great!"

"I mean, I don't know much about poetry..." continued Kerry, "but I'm sure I'd like it anyways! What kind of stuff do you have?"

Todd launched excitedly into his list of achievements. "Well, my specialty is sonnets, I really love those. I've tried a bit of everything, some haikus, limericks, free verse, iambic pentameter; I even tried writing an epic poem once!"

"Why'd you stop?" Kerry asked.

With a straight face, Todd said, "All my characters died within the first five stanzas."

Kerry burst out laughing. Todd cocked his head to the side again, as if he didn't understand the joke. It took Kerry a minute, but once the tiger realized that his friend wasn't joining him, he quickly piped down and became fixated on his glass.

"This is probably a dumb question, but..." Kerry hesitated before continuing his question. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know the answer. But still... it was kind of an important issue. "... how old are you?"

Todd didn't seem fazed by the question at all. "Thirty-five. Why?"

"Oh, uh..." Kerry stuttered, "No reason. Just... just thought I should ask."

The piano suddenly started playing a very lively jazz waltz. As if someone had called his name, Todd quickly looked over towards the piano and smiled. He turned back to Kerry and asked, "Do you want to dance?"

Kerry gulped. "Here? In front of all these people?"

"Oh, they won't mind. Besides, once we get started you'll hardly notice them." The fox elegantly held out his paw, as if offering Kerry the gift of a lifetime. Kerry was scared stiff. He'd never really danced before, let alone with a guy. At parties and school dances he'd always just sat on the side and drank punch. But Todd looked down at him with his bright blue eyes shimmering in the candlelight, and the tiger just couldn't refuse. He took the fox's paw and let himself be led over to the small, wooden dance floor in front of the piano.

Kerry's tail began to dart around nervously behind him as he noticed that they were the only two people on the floor. Everyone else was staring at them, expecting to see a show or spectacle of some sort. He was shaking, scanning the room to see if anyone he knew was in the crowd.

But then, Todd gently hooked a finger under his chin, turned his gaze so that he was staring directly into the fox's eyes, and smiled. "Hey, it's alright. Just follow me." With that, the fox wrapped an arm around the young tiger's waist, pulled him close, and took the tiger's maroon paw in his. Kerry wasn't sure what to do with his other paw, so he just let it dangle awkwardly by his side. The fox chuckled and took a hold of his wrist, lifting it so his hand rested on the fox's shoulder, then replaced his paw around the tiger's waist.

As soon as they were settled, Todd began stepping in time with the music, dragging Kerry along with him. It took a few measures, but eventually Kerry got the idea and began stepping along with him. As they twirled around the floor, Kerry couldn't help but stare into the big, beautiful eyes looking back at him. He felt like he was floating; no, he felt like he wasn't even there. The old Kerry had ceased to exist. All that was left was a tiger and a fox dancing happily on the floor.

* * *

This is the first of what I think is going to be more of a mini-series than a full novel type thing. I will eventually be adding some adult scenes (tastefully, of course) but only when the characters are ready for it

Anyways, this is my first post on here, and I'm dying to know what you all think. PLEASE comment, even if it's just to say hi. I'd love to hear suggestions, improvements, anything like that. Stay tuned for the next chapter, coming soon.