FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The lithe feline covered in black fur sat exhausted and alone on the warm yellowing grass, attempting to hide himself from the aired heat of the setting summer sun. His normally shimmering and soft fur had been reduced to matted clumps of grime and sweat imbed in what felt like every inch of his fur that did not have the constant shielding of clothing. He looked across the field of his new community's park, and his weary eyes could easily spot out the other twenty-one boys who he knew had shown up at the beginning of the tryouts that morning.

He could also tell, just as things had been at his other school, who the returning (and thus nearly instantaneous members the team) players were. They were lounging around a park table wearing nothing but their shorts, not bothering to bring cleats or guards. Scattered across the grounds were all the others- hopefuls of joining the team for the upcoming school year. The shrill screech of a whistle broke the serenity of the picturesque park scene and two figures walking into the center of rectangular playing field.

"WILLIAMS. LAYNE." Bellowed the taller one, a tall and brawny bull.

Thomas's heart sunk as his family name echoed across the park, and with a heave of his aching muscles lifted himself from the ground and ambled lethargically towards the coach. The Layne boy had nearly sprinted at the call of his name, which is why Thomas was greeted by three sets of eyes when he had finally made his way down. The man standing next to the coach, the assistant coach, was a much younger-looking cheetah who quickly read the chart he held in his paws behind the thin rectangular frames of his glasses.

"You two both played well, but almost identically... I don't think we got quite the best look at you when we did the general scrimmages, so you two are gonna go up against each other for a bit- alright?" He spoke quickly, and produced a ball from behind his back.

"Yes sir!" Responded the Layne boy, a lanky ferret with dark tan fur and splotches of lighter colors in no particular pattern around his head and face. He was shorter than Thomas was, which was surprising considering Thomas was one of the shortest hopefuls at five feet and five inches.

Thomas simply nodded to the assistant coach, fully aware of why he had been paired against the Layne boy. During the scrimmages it was clear they were relatively equal in skill with two distinct differences: Thomas was much quicker, but lacked the ball control the Layne boy had nearly mastered at such a young age. The bull's whistle pierced the air again, and as soon as the ball had touched the ground the two boys sprung into motion.

The two bodies intertwined aggressively for less than a minute when Thomas saw his chance, the ferret's pause as he calculated his kick could not have been a larger opening for Thomas. He kicked, sending the ball streaking across the field but nowhere near the goal. Two rapid screeches informed the boys it was over, and another incredibly loud blow of the whistle notified all the other boys to congregate.

"Take a seat." The coach said calmly, to which Thomas and the ferret instantly obeyed.

Once everyone had assembled, assured after the assistant coach who had counted everyone twice, the large bull stepped forward. He cleared his throat and spoke in a deep, calmed voice,

"Alexander. Bowen. Daniel. Edric. Eloy. Faber. Neil. Philips. Welton. Williams. Layne- Randy. Congratulations. Have all your gear and a ball of your own by the time school starts up."

And with no more than a nod to the assistant coach, the massive bull turned and proceeded out of the park. The cheetah stepped forward and began to speak of the following school year and what being involved with athletics added. But Thomas could hardly focus- he had made the team, but so had Layne? Could the coaches really not pick either of them so they decided to add them both? He felt dreadfully uneasy about the decision, but after the cheetah had dismissed them what had occurred became clear.

Walking away from the dispersing crowd was Layne- the comforting arm of a much taller, almost identical ferret around his shoulder. The tall, elder ferret shifted his gaze over his shoulder and met Thomas's eyes. It was clear by the two eyes shrouded with dislike fixated on him that Randy Layne would be someone to avoid come practice. Thomas sighed deeply, amazed at his ability to not meet a single person but make an enemy in his first encounter with soon-to-be classmates.

"Thomas Williams." Said the already familiar voice of the assistant coach. Thomas turned to see the cheetah advancing towards him. He stopped, removing his glasses, which made his steely eyes apparent, and looked past Thomas.

"Nathan- Dane- Jacob!" His voice was only raised slightly, but it carried across the field stopping three of the tallest furs in the group of leaving shirtless team veterans.

Thomas looked to the assistant coach, clearly wondering what was going on. Waiting for the three other boys to arrive the coach focused his attention back to Thomas saying,

"Seeing as you're not only new to the team, but the school also, I'm going to arrange for a more experienced player show you around... like a mentor."

The feline's heart sunk again, the very last thing he wanted was to be treated differently than the rest of the students (before school started nonetheless) but before he could he object the three older players arrived at the coach's side.

"Okay boys." The coach said as if he were speaking to friends,

"Thomas here needs a mentor. Show him around the town, teach him about the team, maybe introduce him to the other players in the remaining days of summer, and once school starts just guide 'em around and make sure he knows where he's goin'. You're basically filling him in on the three years of the school and the team."

All three sets of eyes dropped (for he was at least a foot shorter than all three of them) to Thomas.

"Dane?" Urged the cheetah lightly.

The tallest of the three, a horse, chuckled lightly as large paw rose to scratch behind his head. He was also the most muscular of the three, almost too much so to be an effective soccer player. Short tan fur stretched across his defined chest and stomach, a dark chocolate colored fur wrapping his arms, legs, and everything from his collarbone up.

"You know how close I was to being kicked off the team last year because of my grades, I really don't think coach would be cool with me spending my time giving tours when I could be studying... and near finals... with graduation... I doubt I'll ever leave my desk."

"You're right, you're right." The cheetah said discouraged, turning his eyes to a gray wolf, who spoke before he could even be asked. Thomas noticed that the wolf was not shirtless like the others, and instead wore a baggy t-shirt that fell down to below his waist. His captivating eyes were crystal clear- two golden eyes that seemed to penetrate his soul until they shifted to the cheetah.

"No. With school, practice, and work there's no way."

It was obvious the assistant coach was not about to let the wolf slip away as quickly as Dane had.

"Nathan, you have to have some free time in there, no student work-"

"I can't." Nathan interrupted sternly, and Thomas saw the cheetah decide against further agitation.

Thomas could easily see where this was going- why the assistant coach believed any senior player would willingly chime in to take around a complete stranger all year was beyond him, and he wanted desperately to stop him from asking the final boy so he would not have to hear what he knew was coming three times in a row.

"I'll do it." Said the third boy, a doberman just slightly shorter than Dane but still a full foot taller than Thomas. His dark coffee colored fur was so close to black only the sun allowed the brown to show through. His paws, forearms and stomach were a dark tan that was just light enough to compliment the dark fur.

"Great." Exclaimed the cheetah, Thomas was amazed.

"Thomas," The assistant coach continued,

"This is Jacob Alexander. He'll be your... mentor." The coach ended his sentence as if he had just taught a child to read, producing a priceless gift for Thomas to treasure. Dane and Nathaniel had left, and with a slap on the shoulder the assistant coach had left as well.

"Uh, so you busy?" The doberman said, looking apprehensively to Thomas.

"Ah... uh..." Thomas uttered, still surprised someone had offered to take him on,

"What time is it?"

Jacob produced an older cell phone, flipping it open so that each of the countless scratches of the black plastic became apparent in the light.

"Quarter to six. We should grab some lunch."

"Lunch?" Asked Thomas

Jacob slipped the phone into a small pouch on the side of his duffle bag and began to walk towards the parking lot.

"Yeah." He said desperately, putting a hand on his stomach,

"Haven't eaten since breakfast. You got money on ya?"

Thomas looked ahead, they were walking towards where he had been sitting earlier, and he knew his bag only had a few bills in it.

"Yeah, alright, sounds like a plan." He responded following the towering Jacob, grabbing his bag with a swift swoop as they walked past it and to the parking lot, where only one car remained.

It was a white sedan with four doors; the two numbers of the next year were shining just under the widely recognized symbol of an expensive luxury car company. Thomas looked shocked as Jacob pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the doors as they approached.

"You drive this?" He asked, bewildered.

Jacob simply laughed as he jerked open the passengers door on the driver's side and tossed his sports bag on the seat. Thomas imitated Jacob, ears intent.

"No, no, I wish." Said Jacob, still chuckling,

"My mom works with administration at the school. In summer I get to drive it around because she's home most of the time."

They both entered the vehicle; Thomas was surprised at how roomy it was. The sedan glided across the street, the ride so smooth it hardly felt like they were driving on the same street.

"And she just... let's you take it when ever? Where ever? She's not afraid you'll total it or something?"

Thomas had no intention of accusing Jacob of poor driving skills, but it was clear through his infliction that he was surprised any mother would let their teenaged son take the luxury car around town.

"And what exactly is there to hit?" Responded Jacob, his bright emerald eyes catching a ray of sun as they met Thomas's.

Thomas glanced around; they were the only car on the road. He had become so accustomed with driving alongside hundreds of other cars that he had not even noticed the lack of blaring headlights and honking horns constantly surrounding him.

"I guess you're right..." Thomas responded quietly, looking out across a vast field of tall grasses that seemed to have no end. The two drove in silence for a few minutes, the sun setting magnificently behind them as the sky turned from a deep orange to a light purple.

A loud, repeating beat emitted from Thomas's bag, and in a flash he had undone his seatbelt and reached around hastily searching for the phone.

"Crap I forgot to cal... hey! Mom!" He answered with a hint of excitement in his voice, Jacob noticed Thomas's tail had begin to twist happily as he turned around to sit back down.

Thomas did not speak much, other than the occasional yes, okay, and uh-huhs, until finally it seemed as if something worthy of a two-sided conversation popped up.

"What? How could you not have left yet?" Thomas asked angrily. There was a silence, the feline's wide eyes dropped slightly and his thin tail stopped moving, remaining still in his lap.

"Yeah. Okay. Whatever." He clicked his phone shut, looking to the clock on the front screen.

"What's up?" Asked Jacob out of what he felt to be mentor obligation.

"Nothing. Mom and dad are just gonna be late home. Nothing new." Thomas's eyes shifted to outside the window as Jacob pulled into the drive through of a fast food restaurant.

"Where do they work?" Jacob asked, curious as to where in the town that being late would be a big deal. Downtown had all of the offices, and was not really too far from the rest of the town.

"They work back in the city. Mom said they wouldn't be leaving for another couple hours." Thomas responded absentmindedly.

Jacob ordered his food, and after Thomas refused to order anything remarked,

"Holy hell, that's almost a two hour commute, why the hell would they move away from their jobs?"

"Because they can't move the firm, and wanted a bigger house than we had." Thomas spoke with bitterness in his voice that clearly established he had heard the same explanation many times before.

Jacob pulled forward to the next window, paid, and set the bag of food in the large area where the empty cup holders were and turned onto the main street again where their conversation continued.

"Well being home alone ain't that bad." Jacob reasoned,

"Once school starts I'm usually home way before mom is. And besides, with school and practice and stuff you'll hardly be home anymore."

"What about your dad though?" Thomas asked. Jacob did not hesitate to respond.

"He left my mom before I was a year old. I don't remember anything about him." He said casually, as if he had just been asked about the weather.

"Oh... sorry." Responded Thomas, feeling embarrassed for asking.

"Oh it's no problem." Jacob said quickly sensing the awkward silence to come,

"Like I said, I don't remember anything about him so it's not like I was attached to him or anything."

"I live down this street." Thomas pointed out hastily looking for anything to change the subject.

"Oh we live pretty close together!" Responded Jacob instantly, in an attempt to keep the mood light.

Thomas directed Jacob into and through the gated community they had entered, around the back where the larger houses were, and told him to stop in front of one that looked awfully unoccupied. There were no flowers in the gardens, no curtains in the windows, and not even a hose connected to the faucet in the driveway.

"Well, there's always TV!" Jacob said as Thomas opened the door.

"Nope, not until my parents get home." He said as he exited the car and retrieved his bag from the back of the sear. He went to shut his door when Thomas interjected.

"What do you mean? Don't tell me they have a child block on for their 17 year-old?" He asked with a slightly laugh.

"I'm 18, and no, we just moved so there's still only one set of keys." Thomas said as he went to shut the door, but was again stopped by Jacob.

"Woah woah woah, so you're just gonna wait outside for a few hours until they get back? That's harsh! Why don't you come over to my place instead?"

Jacob extended the invitation seeing the perfect opportunity to actually start acting as the mentor he had said he would be.

"I got our playbooks from the last years. You could look 'em over, learn a thing or two." Jacob offered as he put the car into park and took his foot off of the break.

Thomas looked torn, his mood had been killed since the beginning of the day, but he certainly did not feel like waiting on his front porch for the next four or more hours. He sighed, sitting back into the car and tossing his bag back into the back.

"Alright, cool." He said casually, attempting to maintain a calm and appreciative voice. Thomas shut his door and pulled out his phone again, beginning to press the keypad rapidly as he entered letters into a message to be sent to his mother. He did not feel like talking to her on the phone.

"Awesome." Responded Jacob, who put the car back into drive and did a complete u-turn.

Thomas began to lighten up and actually participate in conversation as Jacob brought up the tryouts, and the two drove only a few blocks down from the street they had gone down. They arrived at a medium-sized two story home with a large front lawn adorn with potted plants and extensive flowerbeds that lined the property.

"Nice place." Thomas said, looking at the small fountain that rested in the center of the lawn.

"Yeah, mom loves to garden." Jacob said pointing up, and Thomas noticed there were even planters around the trim of the roof.

The two exited the vehicle, and Thomas followed behind Jacob to the front door. He noticed again at how much shorter and thinner he was than the towering doberman, even though they could not have been more than a year apart. Jacob entered and Thomas shut the door behind him. Striding across the hallway the voice of an older woman greeted Jacob as he walked past an archway.

"What did I tell you about walking around without a shirt? Didn't I raise you with a shred of modesty?"

Jacob looked as if he had just remembered, laughing as he stepped through the arch. Thomas followed, walking into a well-decorated room divided into a living area and a dining area.

"What, trade me in then." Jacob said to a sharply dressed female. She was tall, thin, and very beautiful, her ears were not cropped, unlike her son's and her fur was the same light tan color of her son's stomach. She wrapped her arms around Jacob (one paw had a large glass of white wine) and kissed him on the check.

"I would, but Nathan's parents refuse to let him go." She said wishfully, obviously joking. She rested her wine glass on the table behind her before looking to Thomas and then to Jacob,

"Is this the new Nathan? Does he work and study and clean, you know, the things you seem to be so adamantly against?"

"Mom, knock it off. This is Thomas, he's new to the school and I'm just kinda being his guide. No one's at his house so I brought 'em over."

Jacob's mother approached and shook Thomas's hand, who was surprised to see she had a firmer handshake than he did.

"Our home is your home." She said warmly, the sincerity in her eyes genuine. She turned back to Jacob saying in the same tone of her previous remark,

"I hope you got food. I didn't make enough for two."

Jacob held up the bag from the car,

"You're lucky I'm so independent." He said, they both laughed.

"We'll be in my room." He said, turning back to the hallway.

"Nice to meet you." Jacob said quickly.

"Likewise." Said Jacob's mother with a faint smirk,

"See you around school."

Thomas smiled and followed Jacob into the hallway and up the wooden staircase, the feline had yet to feel carpet under his running shoes. They walked to the end of the hallway and entered a door adorn with stickers and even a small flag of the local high school. Jacob stood aside with the door open, allowing Thomas to pass under Jacob's arm.

The spacious room was tidy, but not immaculately clean. It gave the impression the room was cleaned by his mother and poorly maintained by Jacob. Tall russet walls surrounded squishy forest green carpet that was littered with a few articles of clothing, and the desk just under the only window in the room (though it was quite large, overlooking the front yard) hosted a laptop and plethora of unsorted papers and books.

A grand bed dominated the rest of the floor, obviously long king in size. The comforter looked unusually thick and comfortable, it was a bed straight out of a five-star hotel garnished with throw pillows. Jacob threw his sports bag to the foot of the bed, falling onto the bed with an exaggerated sigh. Thomas simply took a seat in the swiveling chair at the desk, turning to face Jacob as he said,

"Your mom likes Nathan a lot. He didn't even seem that nice."

Jacob jerked himself upwards, and began rummaging around the room as he spoke as if he were apologizing for Nathan.

"Well, as soon as he got this new job he hasn't been the same. It's all he does, work and school. No one sees him anymore."

"What could he be doing as a high school student like that?" Thomas asked curiously, watching Jacob overturn clothes and books around the floor.

"No one knows." Jacob said simply,

"One day he was everyone's good buddy and after a few days of the new job it was like he was a completely different person. All he would say was work was keeping him busy, he just says its stress. Here we go."

He tossed three thick paperbacks to Thomas, who barely managed to catch all three in his lap. They each had a variation of the school symbol, and looked as if they had been looked through hundreds and hundreds of time. Thomas set them on the desk and turned back to Jacob, who had found a long white towel.

"I'm gonna take a shower. You can look those over and shower after me."

He kicked off his shoes and pulled off his socks as he made his way to a thin door on the wall opposite the desk, not bothering to close it as he entered. Thomas heard the water start, and after a few seconds turned back to the playbooks- but a flash of silver caught his eyes. He turned back to the oak headboard of the large bed, three silver picture fames stood close to one another. Thomas strode over, kneeling onto the bed (which he nearly sank into) and crawled on his knees to examine the three pictures.

The first was a picture that only looked a few years old, a thin layer of dust that covered the frame and glass obscured Jacob and his mother standing in front of a large flagpole, a building in the back that sported the words "Administration", which led Thomas to believe it was Jacob's first day of high school. They were both standing with wide smiles, their model-like appearances making it look like an ad for the school.

Thomas realized it was the second photograph that caught his eye - for the silver frame and glass looked like it had just been unwrapped. It was a picture of the same young Jacob from the previous picture, his arm playfully around a drastically different Nathan. The only way Thomas was able to recognize the wolf was through the piercing eyes, because the perfectly toned body of the tall wolf was much shorter and much more child-like. They were both laughing, and they were wearing soccer uniforms. A building with similar architecture was in the background, and if it was indeed the school Thomas deduced this must have been his first year on the soccer team.

The next, and final frame was just as dusty as the first, but hosted a picture of the Jacob he had met today, along with a stunningly beautiful female collie, her silken fur and brilliant eyes shone from the flash of the camera, Jacob's arms were wrapped around her waist from behind and his head gently resting on her shoulder, a thin smile playing across his face. Thomas had no idea who she could be, a girlfriend, cousin, or even a sister for all he knew.

After deciding he had spent enough time peering into his mentor's life, Thomas pushed off of the bed and made his way back to the desk, beginning his desperate attempt to decipher the cryptic play books. Os and Xs along with strands of pointing arrows were strewn across every page; Thomas could hardly understand even the simplest of plays. His ears perked up as he heard Jacob enter the room twenty minutes later, and he swiveled around to see the handsome doberman with a towel wrapped loosely around his waist.

"All yours." He said as he walked over to bed, sitting on the edge closest to Thomas.

"Nice pictures." Thomas said gesturing with his head to the three photos atop the headboard,

"Is she related to you?" He pointed with a nudge of his nose to the last of the frames; it was resting closest to them.

"Huh? No, no, " Jacob laughed,

"That's my girlfriend, Rebecca."

"She's really pretty." Thomas commented, she looked straight out of a magazine spread.

"Thanks. You don't have anyone back in the city do you?" Jacob asked with a tilt of the head. Thomas scoffed.

"No, no one like that. Long distance relationships never work out so I pretty much cut those kind of ties." He rose from the chair as Jacob let out a laugh,

"Ties?" He repeated,

"As in more than one? What a player." His voice lingered jokingly, Thomas responded with a short laugh.

"There's a towel already in there for ya. And uh, sorry for the mess in advance." Jacob said as Thomas entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

The bathroom was surprisingly spacious, but no apology could have prepared him for the disorder and chaos within. Bottles and tubes emptied, filled, and every amount in-between laid around the floor and sink counter. Brushes and combs scattered about, along with other silver grooming tools all that looked heavily used. Thomas made his way to the shower, turning the water on before stripping off his clothing and entering the warm water.

Thomas emerged fifteen minutes later feeling much better and in much higher spirits- it was as if the shower had washed away his grief and resentment along with the mug and sweat. He toweled off quickly, and pulled up his shorts before grabbing the rest of his great and entering the bedroom again. Jacob was on the computer, dressed in a pair of mesh shorts and a tank top. Thomas shoved his clothing in his bag and produced a fresh shirt, which he pulled over his head before walking over to Jacob.

"So, I didn't understand a single arrow of those plays." Said Thomas admittedly. Jacob laughed, the short laugh Thomas would soon grow accustomed to hearing.

The next few days of the dwindling summer were relatively similar, but Thomas did not mind at all. Around noon Jacob would pick Thomas up in his mother's car, they would get lunch from the same fast food place (who's menu was luckily quite large), and spend the afternoon and evening in Jacob's room learning the team's plays along with ample "break time". It was over these days Thomas began to feel a light attraction to Jacob, treasuring the friendly hand on his shoulder and occasional slap on the back. It was deeper than his physical appearance (which undoubtedly only enhanced the attraction), something Thomas had never experienced before. There was a time he thought he had, but this was much, much different. It had grown so strong that the day before school began, Thomas could not tell if Jacobs's friendly touches were backed with more than friendly intentions- or if his mind was just telling him they were. It was early in the evening before Thomas acted on it, quite spontaneously.

"That's crap, this play just assumes all the defenders are going to follow the decoys, if just two guys notice the pass the whole thing fails!" Thomas yelled out of frustration, tossing his arms in the air and slouching back onto the chair at Jacob's desk. The doberman came from behind him, leaning in so that he could look and point to the book spread wide open. Thomas instantly noticed the light yet unmistakable scent of cologne; why would Jacob be wearing cologne? His words were a blur to Thomas as he simply stared at Jacob's profile; his heart beating wildly in his chest.

"Jacob..." Thomas said.

Jacob was just able to meet Thomas's eyes when their lips clashed, and for a moment, all was exactly as it should be. The hesitation from Jacob receded as his lips parted, but in the same second Thomas felt two strong paws press on his chest, forcing him backwards chair and all.

"What the hell, a thank you would've been plenty!" Jacob yelled, wiping his muzzle with the back of his paw.

"I-I-I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me..." Thomas said as he got up from the floor, pulling the chair up and apprehensively stood on the side of it, creating a small barriar between him and Jacob- who up until now, had never been afraid of.

"Look, it's fucking fantastic that you're gay, way to go, good for you but lemme tell you... you may really want to reconsider."

Thomas was beside himself.

"Reconsider? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he spat back to Jacob, his grip on the back of chair growing firm.

"You're not in the city anymore! That's what it means!" Jacob yelled frustrated, as if the cat before him was missing the point,

"You're miles away, where guys date girls and there isn't anything else. You grow up, find a girl, have a family, and die happy. It's what you're supposed to do here."

The resentment was subtle in his voice, and Thomas could not help but wonder if Jacob had done something similar in his past, speaking with such bitterness- but whether the bitterness was towards him or what he was speaking of was undecipherable. There was a silence, broken by Jacob picking up his jacket and throwing it over his shoulders.

"I have a date with Rebecca. Can you find your own way home?" The harshness implied that there was no way he was about to drive him anywhere, but Thomas simply pushed the chair away and stormed towards the door.

"Fuck you." Thomas said under his breath, slamming the door behind him and furiously storming out of the house, only pausing to say goodbye to Jacob's mother in an attempt to cover up anything in his voice that might make her believe something was amiss.

Back in his room, Jacob had pulled out his cell phone, waiting for Rebecca to pick up.

"Hello?" Came a confident female voice from the other side.

"You busy? I really wanna go out tonight." Jacob said quickly.

"Oh- well... ah... okay, I suppose that'll be fine. I'll be ready in fifteen." Her voice sounded as if she was not accustomed to him making plans.

"Great." He responded, shutting his phone and turned back to his desk, grabbing the set of keys he had to his mother's car.

His eyes glanced out the large window just in time to see Thomas walk into the street. He would wait a few minutes before leaving, so he would not have to drive by him and see the feline's eyes brimming with tears.