FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Hey everyone,

today is the birthday of a friend of mine, you should know him from his sweet comments, his name is The Cuddling Fox. He had been such a faithful reader and great friend, so i felt like I should do something for him for his birthday. This story tells of a future I am sure he will live, not far from now.

And, of course, this gift is from Gritou, even if he might deny that!

The Fennec fox groaned, trying to get more comfortable in his seat. The flight had been really long and tiresome, and it was just the second one of the day. He had needed to get one from his hometown to Ottawa, one that went a bit rackety to his tastes, making him worry they were going down a few times.

The vulpine had survived that flight, landing in the capital of his homeland without a scratch and trouble. He would have liked to visit the city, but he had barely enough time to snatch his luggage and go to the other side of the airport, just in time to get in line and, eventually, on the much bigger plane, designed for trans-continental trips.

Trying to focus on something else, he took out the book he had bought just for the occasion, a good, lengthy crime novel, one of those specifically designed for these occasions. The fox managed to read a couple of pages, forgetting that he was flying thousands of meters in the air, over the great expanse of water that was the Ocean.

Though, a quick glance outside showed him that water had been replaced by green lands, some time during the flight. He hadn't kept track of how it was going, but the sight of the continent made it clear they were getting nearer to their destination.

The tanned-furred male shifted on his seat, feeling uneasiness creeping in his heart. That feeling wasn't brought by his place, thankfully there was enough space to accommodate his legs, which were longer than the average of his species.

No, the Fox thought, it wasn't a physical feeling. The fact he was getting closer to the end of his journey had made surface all the emotions linked to it, the hope, the fear, the excitement, the nervousness.

He fished out his phone, the somewhat old device being allowed to be on as long as it couldn't connect with the outside world. He didn't need any of that, what he was seeking would be present there, deep in the memory of the phone.

Just a few clicks and push managed to unearth what he sought, a text he had got on Skype just before leaving home early that day, or maybe it was already the day before. Regardless, he had saved it in his phone, just so he could re-read it as he was doing now.

The text was from his friends, the orca and the wolf, who were living together now but always rooting and pushing him in the right way, just like friends did. It wasn't that long, but it conveyed the right emotions and made him feel strong.

Hey Fox! We know you must be busy preparing for the great journey, and such. Nonetheless, we wanted to poke you and say that we are really, really happy you are finally managing to accomplish this, we know you were waiting for so long!

_ _

Just be calm. We know what you might be feeling, it is the same we felt back then, so many years ago. Just relax, it is a great moment for you, and even if you might be scary, don't ever forget why you are doing this.

_ _

We will be there, at your side, with our thoughts to you. We know you can do it, you are stronger than you think, and you will have the most amazing time during your stay. Just enjoy it. We will see you pretty soon!

_ _

Have a nice flight!

_ _

Those were simple words, but they showed how much they cared for him, and how supportive they had been through the years. He would end up meeting them for the first time, for real, in a few days, which made his stomach churn in anticipation and nervousness.

But that wasn't the big even of his trip, the main goal of it. It was a pleasant add-on, but there was another thing that he was waiting for, for so long, and his friends knew that, and had been cheering for him to do it for quite some time.

That meeting he had been waiting for so long.... It was finally happening. He had saved money, doing small jobs, constantly thinking that he was doing that for this particular reason. It had been tough for the fennec, but the hard work had been paying off right now.

Though, deep down, his insecurities were rearing their heads, nipping at his heart. What if everything would go wrong? What if his expectations were too high? He might not like that, after all, and had been wrong and... and...

He re-read the message, time and time again, trying to calm his mind. He convinced himself that his friends were right, that everything was going to be fine. It had been hard to change his mind-set, and he still was a bit like that, but he had come a long way from then, and he wasn't ready to go back to how he used to be.

Sighing, the vulpine went back to his book, wanting to clear his mind as much as possible. The novel was fine for that, nothing too complex after all; a prose that was simple, characters that were sketched well enough, the mystery of the murders... The perfect, time-consuming activity.

Unfortunately, it left room for thinking, and his fears took advantage of that. They were keeping saying the same thing, that he was a fool to do that, that he should have given up long ago. They were always ready to pull him down, and drag him in the dark corners of his mind.

But he fought them. Once upon a time they would have won, but thanks to the support of his friends, and of the one he loved, he had defeated them and chained them. He wasn't that scared kit any longer, he was grown up, and was facing the future with a smile; sure, the smile was shaky, but it was there, along with his resolution.

"Please, all passengers take your seats, we are about to land. Bitte alle Passagiere nehmen Sie Ihre Plätze, die wir über den Boden sind." The suave voice of captain ringed from the speakers, followed by furs going to sit in their places.

The announcement had the effect of increasing his nervousness, the fox clutching the book in his paws. He hadn't realized they were gone that far, the airplane had passed in the land of Germans while he was busy calming down; the flight had gone faster than expected. But also slower. He was in a strange situation, feeling so many different and opposite things.

"Are you okay?" A gentle question came from besides him, making him turn. The questioner was the old-looking sheep that had been his close eat-partner for the whole time, her features radiating motherly kindness.

"I-I guess so." The fennec answered politely. They have engaged in brief conversation during the flight, but they hadn't talked about anything really important.

"You shouldn't be, dear. I flew plenty of times in my life, there is no need to worry." The white-furred lady patted his arm, smiling reassuringly at him.

"I-I know." He said, his ears flattening a bit; he didn't want to tell her that his fear didn't come from the thought of crushing, but from something else entirely...

The sheep looked in his eyes deeply, her smile never waning, while her paw kept patting his arm, softly, like a grandmother would do. "You are going to meet someone dear to you, aren't you?"

The statement surprised him, his tall ears moving fast on his skull now, while his brows were raised high in disbelief. How could she knew that? That was what he was asking himself. The ovine just chuckled, seemingly reading his thoughts.

"Oh dear, I have been through life. I know the looks of a fur nervous for something amazing to happen, even if it frightens said fur." She explained, then came closer, as if she was about to reveal some big secret. "The trick is to imagine how good is going to be, play the scene in your head. You will get the confidence and the focus to banish any bad thoughts."

The fox was a bit skeptical about the counsel, but the kind lady was staring at him now, clearly wanting to see him try to do that and not letting him go until he did. With a sigh, he imagined how meeting him would be, there, in the airport, how he would feel, what they would.

And... It worked. His muscles relaxed, even if he hadn't noticed them tensing in the first place. Maybe what he was picturing wasn't what would happen, but there was no perfection in this world; however close he would end to that fantasy, that would be enough.

"See, dear? It worked!" The kind sheep giggled, still not breaking their physical contact. "I am sure that you will make it come true, dear. And look, we are descending!"

She was right, the fox was feeling the airplane tilting downward, piercing clouds to arrive to its destination. It was a swift move, but the captain was skilled enough that the contact with the earth went smoothly, with hardly a shake. Some passenger clapped at the fit, though he was too focused on replaying the meeting scene to notice it.

The vehicle came to a complete alt after a few minutes, lights turning off and on along with the signal of the belt diming out. Many rushed on their footpaws, to grab their bags and head quickly to the exit; not him, he didn't like being crammed between furs, and he was quite content to wait for the throng to go away.

"Well, dear, we depart now. I wish you good luck!" The elderly sheep saluted him while raising up, purse in her paw.

"Thank you madam." He said softly, watching her shuffling away. Finally, there were few furs about, enough for him to be comfortable with that, so he jumped on his feet, putting away his book in the retrieved bag, and heading to the exit, answering to the good byes of the stewardesses.

There were enough signs in English to let him navigate the terminal, his mind too focused on finding the baggage retrieving place to let feelings and fears creep on him. It didn't take long to find the place, thankfully, and not much longer for his big baggage to arrive, being spitted with everything inside still intact, he hoped.

With his belonging with him, he went toward the automatic doors, the gates to paradise, or hell. It all depended in the next few minutes. The fox looked around, his eyes searching and scanning through the crowd waiting outside, many already hugging and greeting their relatives and friends.

And then... there he was. He was taller than he had imagined, but there he was, his dragon, his beautiful mate. Their eyes met, for the first time in the real world, a spark of love passing through them, along with happiness.

They both moved quickly, ignoring everything else, the fox leaving the bag and baggage down when he caught up with the dragon. They stared at each other for a few seconds before he felt strong arms wrapping around him, his own tanned one doing just the same, both of them shaking with emotion.

"My emerald... My beautiful emerald..." He managed to say, uttering the pet name he used with his mate.

"My Fox..." The other said, his paw raising his chin so they faced each other, before their lips met in their first kiss, melting him to the core.

In his mind, in what little space left intact by love, he realized that his friends and the old lady were right. He had been dreading this moment, but now it had come, and it was as perfect as he had imagined, the best moment in his life. Tears appeared in the corner of his eyes, but they weren't of sadness, but tears brought by love and joy as he kissed his mate.