FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It was late on a chilly, fall evening. The air was crisp and cool as the breeze wisped around golden brown leaves that scraped and skidded across the pavement of the apartment complex. The winds blew about and chimes sang their songs. It was nights like this that Ty really appreciated solitude and made him smile as he sit on his balcony and took in as much as he could, wrapped with a warm throw, a hot cup of coffee to the right of his wicker basket lounge chair that was surprisingly comfortable. He grabbed his cup, the warmth transferring to his paws, and took a sip and sighed as he felt it coat his stomach and fill him with warmth. He always loved French vanilla creamer, but something about that moment made him grin even more at ease.

"How's that liquid cocaine tasting?" said a burly voice from behind the screen door.

"Pretty good, I'm all cracked out. Wanna join?" Ty motioned to a chair as he put his cup down and picked up his notebook and started typing.

"I suppose I could freeze my ass off." Will chuckled as he padded his way over to the sofa outside. Will was one of Ty's closest friends that he'd ever had, besides Molly, and a few other friends. "Why are you up so late?"

"Just working on some homework." responded Ty as he typed away, fluffing his English report.

"Homework already? It's barely the third week of school."

"Headstart. I have to plan ahead, in case I get called for a morning shift or I decide to sleep in."

"Geez Ty, I thought you'd agreed to no more super early or graveyard shifts?" said Will with a tinge of concern in his voice. He was always concerned with Ty's safety and didn't want him to overwork himself to death.

"I did, but I figured that I need to save up for rent, in case I fall behind. Besides, last year worked out fine. I mean, beside the occasional mental breakdown." Ty responded sarcastically.

"And there's no way of me convincing you otherwise, huh?" the familiar sound of clacking on the keyboard stopped. Ty turned to Will and smiled and closed the laptop. He stood up and sat beside Will and hugged him.

"Thanks, Will, but you know how I am. I don't want to risk falling behind or owing anyone money." He loved the way Will felt. Ever since he met him, Ty always had a small crush on him. Will was a burly black bear with an intense personality. He was a football defense player, wrestler, and 4.0 G.P.A kind of student who kept to himself in high school. Will was always quite introverted and reserved, but never unapproachable; a person of few words, but his actions spoke thousands of his personality. He'd do anything to keep his friends safe and was so loyal and always there for them. Even though he didn't say much, he didn't have to to be there for his friends when they just needed to talk.

"And you also know that Molly and I wouldn't mind helping you out, given your situation at home." Will was always very reassuring to Ty, since Ty had a rough patch with his family at home. Ty was essentially putting himself through college, with the help of scholarships and school loans. He managed to secure a full scholarship at Sycamore University, but that didn't mean they'd cover his books, food, cell phone bills, car payments, rent, or any of those other adult-like responsibilities. Still, given the opportunity to move out, he left without any hesitation.

"I appreciate your concern Will, but I'll be fine. I manage to pay my bills and still eat. Thanks though." Ty responded. "So, why are you up? It's not like you to be up past 11 p.m."

"Well, its only 10:37 p.m., it's a Thursday night, so no class for me tomorrow. I can be a night-owl sometimes." Will chuckled. "Besides, I wanted to make sure you were alright. Normally, you're hanging out with Molly and me, watching TV."

"I'm fine, let me just finish this and I'll be with you guys in a little bit, k?"

"Ok, but I'm not saving the last few slices of pizza that we just ordered." Ty's ears perked up and he glanced at his laptop and sighed.

"Damn you for knowing my weakness."

"Yeah, especially when it has pepperoni and sausage, no innuendo intended."

"Oh, ha-ha, very funny. You came up with a half-assed gay joke, you should become a comedian."

"Wow, snarky and sarcastic; you're the epitome of a sassy gay."

The apartment itself was nice and spacious; three bedrooms, a smaller kitchen, but just enough for the three of them to use, an open living room and two patios on either side, with one connecting two rooms to the outside. Inside the living room, the TV lay on top of a chestnut entertainment system with all kinds of Will's game consoles, movies, photo albums, memorabilia and momentos. Opposite of the TV was a dark blue sectional sofa and a matching armchair and ottoman, and in the middle was a chestnut coffee table to tie the room together. Ty had a lot of say in what came into the apartment and what aesthetic should be achieved, considering that Will wanted all black and Molly could care less. Ultimately, everyone felt very comfortable in the arrangement and even agreed to let Ty decorate all their rooms.

Molly was lying down comfortably on the couch, and then sat up as she saw Ty and Will walk in and shut the screen door.

"Hey guys, finished doing the nasty so soon?" purred the cheetah as she winked at the two of them. Ty wrapped his arms around Will as the bear tensed up at his sudden embrace.

"What can I say? We couldn't stop." He replied sarcastically and with a tinge of enticement. Will just groaned and broke free of the hold and plopped on the couch, causing Molly to scoot over to the other side.

"Look at you, papa bear." She teased some more as Will just tuned them out and flipped through the channels. "Hey Ty, there's a little gift on the kitchen table, why don't you bring it over here and check it out?" Ty looked curiously at the both of them, trying to remember if he'd forgotten of an important date. It couldn't have been his birthday; it was nowhere near Christmas, no special occasion he could rack up. He walked over to the kitchen and on the table sat a rectangular shaped box wrapped in gift paper. He grabbed it and walked back to the living room and plopped it on the coffee table, and sat there wondering what it was. Will muted the TV and sat up and Molly grinned.

"What is it?" Ty asked reluctantly, afraid of forgetting such a special occasion and also afraid of anything that was going to pop out and scare him to death. It wasn't too far from Halloween and his friends weren't any better than to prank people, especially Molly.

"Well, it's nothing too special, honestly. Will and I wanted to give you a little something. Think of it as a token of our gratitude for you." She said emphatically and smiled genuinely. Molly was beautiful inside and out, charismatic, kind hearted, a true friend and giver. She was quite popular in high school not just because she was in sports, involved in clubs, and her good grades, but because she was genuine and down to earth. Her friends would worship her as if she was a goddess, her teachers loved her, her parents donned her with love and kindness, but she still struggled to find herself. Aside from all the accolades, she still wasn't content with herself, wondering why she didn't love herself when everyone else did, but that all changed later when she became really good friends with Ty.

"You guys, you didn't have to get me anything!" Ty said with a huge grin.

"We insist. Today is special because it's the first day we both met you." Molly replied. Ty looked up in amazement and with a look of disappointment. His ears sunk as his gaze fell to the floor in shame for not remembering one of his most special days.

"Come on, don't be upset." Will assured Ty. "We know you've been busy with everything. That's why we wanted to keep it a secret. We weren't expecting you to get us anything. This was all for you!" Ty looked up and saw the both of them smiling, or at least Will's attempt of a grin.

"Thanks you guys. You mean the world to me and I can't say that enough times."

"We know, we know! Just open it already!" Molly exclaimed! Ty ripped the giftwrapping paper apart to reveal a regular box. When he opened it, foam peanuts were stacked to the brim and he searched through them to pull out an album and another small box. He inspected the album carefully, feeling the leather binding on the spine, the scent of fresh paper wafting into his nose, smooth to the touch. He opened it to see pictures of him and his friends and dates and quotes. As he flipped through the pages, he stopped not too far from the front to find them blank and with a note that said 'New memories awaiting!' in one of the photo holders. He felt tears welling up in his eyes and he couldn't stop smiling and giggling, the rustling leaves and whistling air breaking the silence in the background. He put the album down and opened the small box to reveal a piece of paper. As he unraveled the paper, something fell to the floor and he picked it up to see a silver chain with a pendant with silver knots. He looked at the pendant intently and tried to recognize the origin, but to no avail.

"Read the paper." Grinned Molly. He reached for the paper and inside was a handwritten letter with two different fonts, one from Molly and the other from Will.

'Hey Ty, I wanted to take the chance to say how much you mean to me. You made me realize what true friendship is and gave me the chance to express myself and not be intimated or afraid of being rejected or judged. It took a lot for me to open up, but so did you. I can't remember a time when I felt as happy or loved as I do now, and you're the cause of it all. Thank you, Ty. You know I'm always there for you. Will.' Ty's tears broke the barrier midway into the letter and his face was flushing from emotions. He couldn't stop smiling, and felt so overwhelmed with emotions that he nearly ran away from embarrassment. He continued on to read Molly's portion.

'Ty, you have made such a presence in my life. Before I met you, I struggled to find myself and really didn't feel happy with anything in life, even though I was pretty blessed to have such wonderful and supportive friends and family. Still, I felt empty and nothing filled my void, until you came along. You showed me to appreciate the little things in life; whether it was taking a walk and hearing all the sounds of nature, or enjoying silence and looking more into myself. You are so different from anyone I've ever met and I can't believe how honored I am to have you in my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Love, Molly. P.S., the necklace is a Celtic Friendship Knot, which means that the three of us will be friends for eternity and no matter what, will always find our way to each other.' At that moment he put the paper away and dried his tears with is shirt and looked up to see his friends smiling at him and he continued to cry as he embraced the two of them so firmly and lovingly.

"Thank you guys, so much. I don't know how I can ever repay you."

"You don't have to, you're already our friend." murmured Will. Molly awed at his remark, which caused him to blush, but Ty wouldn't let go. He cherished this moment as much as he could.