FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

With the house rented for the month, and their things unloaded, he parks the cart in the yard and they head off to the shaman. When they walk into the office, they find no one waiting behind the desk.

Puzzled, Nath gently knocks on the door next to the desk.

"Have a seat. I'll be there in a minute," a female voice calls back.

Kef finds some toys to play with while they sit. Teza watches her son for a moment, then asks, "Wonder where her assistant is?"

"Dunno. Niku had said she was coming here to study. Wonder what happened?"

At that moment, the door opens and an otter step out. "Now, how may I help you?"

Teza stands. "I am losing my sight."

The otter walks over and looks into Teza's eyes. "Yep. I see some fogging. Let's get you checked in."

After sitting at the desk, she pulls out a few papers. "When did this start?"

Teza sits opposite her. "About give months ago."

"Were you hurt?"

"No, it's been slowly, but steadily progressing."

"How well can you see right now?"

"In this light, it's not that bad. Just a little foggy. When it's darker, like if the curtains are pulled, or its night, I can't really see much of anything."

The otter makes some more notes, then pulls out an otoscope. She then steps around the desk and uses it to get a better look into Teza's eyes. After a few moments, she slowly returns to her seat.

"What is it?" Nath asks.

"You have cataracts. The shaman won't be able to help you. I can make you some eye drops that will slow the process, but that's about it."

Teza reaches into her satchel and pulls out the bottle that Niku gave her. "Are these what you recommend?"

The otter examines the bottle for a moment, then pops the stopper out and gives it a light sniff. "Yes. Who gave you this?"

"Niku did," Nath states.

She sighs. "I see why she left. She could've replaced the shaman. I can make you some more when you need."

Nath sits next to Teza. "Could we get a bottle now?"

The otter nods. "Sure. Give me a few minutes."

As she leaves the room, he pulls Teza into a hug and softly says, "I see it. Let it out."

She immediately breaks down and starts to cry.

Kef climbs up onto her lap and also hugs her. "We've got you, mom. We've got you."

* * *

Kef sits at the dinner table idly playing with a wood puzzle. "When's mom gonna stop crying?" he softly asks.

Nath quietly sighs and scrapes a few diced veggies into the stew pot. "It may take her a while, son. Finding out that there's nothing that can be done about this is a hard thing to deal with."

The kit puts his head on the table and sighs. "Mom's gonna go blind?"

Nath sets down the knife and sits next to him. "Yeah, in time. The eye drops will slow it down, but not stop it."

He's silent for a moment while he slowly spins a puzzle piece with his finger. "What's a cata...that thing mom has?"

"Cataract. I'm not too sure, but I know it's what making her eyes look foggy. The foggier her eyes look, the harder it is for her to see."

The kit sighs heavily. "Will we catch it?"

Nath can't help but smile a little. "No, we can't catch it." He gives Kef a gentle scrub and goes back to his cooking.

The kit sits there for a moment, then gets up and heads off.

Curious, Nath moves the stew pot from the heat and quietly follows.

Kef stands in the bedroom doorway, watching his mom as she lays in bed. Seeing her open an eyes, he walks into the room and puts her hand on his head.

She smiles despite her feelings. "What are you doing?" she whispers.

"I'm letting you know I'm here. If you won't be able to see me, you'll need to touch me."

Her smile turns real, and she blushes.

He then climbs up on the bed and snuggles into her arms. "Love you mom."

She pulls him closer, hugging him close. "I love you too son."

Having seen this, Nath smiles as he leans against the door frame. Seeing him there, she smiles and motions him over.

He joins them, snuggling up behind her. As he snuggles into her, he whispers, "We love you, and always will."

"I know," she whispers back. "I'm just really scared."

"So are we, love...so are we."

* * *

"Mom! Where's my lunch?"

"It's on the table."

"Oh." Kef sighs. "Thank you."

"Hurry, I hear the school hackney coming."

"I'm hurrying," he mutters. He grabs his satchel and stuffs his lunch in it.

As the hackney stops in front of their house, she opens the door and waves. The blurry, shadowy shape of the driver waves back. That's about all she can see now.

"Come on, their waiting."

"I'm right here mom," he states as he hugs her.

She gives him a quick check, feeling the straightness of his clothes. She then bumps noses with him. "Have a good day."

"I will mom." He then runs out the door and climbs up into the nakku drawn carriage. When he sits, the driver gives the reigns a flip and they head off.

Having been watching silently all morning, Nath gives her a hug. "I told you, you could do it."

She blushes and buries her face in his chest and sighs. "Thank you for believing in me."

He nuzzles into her. "Never doubted you for a moment."