FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The dog followed the cat for some time. He didn't know where the alley tabby was going, but he hoped it was to food. He hadn't eaten in what seemed like an eternity.

They walked to an old, broken building. The cat jumped nimbly into a shattered window while the dog looked around. He snorted his frustration when he couldn't find an opening.

The tabby cat peered out from the broken window and meowed. This caught the dog's attention. The two looked at each other for a moment. The cat nodded and turned back into the window.

This time, the dog followed. He carefully picked his way through broken wood and rusty metal. Water dripped into puddles along the broken tile flooring.

They entered a chamber that seemed to have escaped the horrors of the outside world. In this chamber was a wide assortment of stray cats and dogs, along with two humans.

The dog looked on curiously. His stomach rumbled from hunger. The cat had joined him this time and was contently purring.

A large German Shepherd approached the duo. This female looked as if she once belonged to a wealthy family. It was possible she was once a show dog. She looked down at the mangy dog and his feline friend.

"Welcome to the only sanctuary left in England. Everything else has been destroyed," the shepherd said, her voice deep and baritone.

The dog looked at the female with interest. It wasn't common for dogs to talk. Especially in the presense of humans. That thought in mind, he looked again at the two humans.

They were scrawny things, these humans. Both were female and neither looked the least bit appetizing. Their hair and skin was so dirty, you couldn't tell their race or heritage. The dog shook his head at their state.

The shepherd turned her head in the same direction. She sighed. "This was all we found of our human companions. Everyone else has died."

The dog approached the humans tentively. He bent low to the ground and pressed his nose into one of the female's hands. The young girl smiled and let him sniff her.

He looked back at her and licked her face. "What is your name?" he asked softly.

The girl stared at him. It was obvious she couldn't believe he could talk. So, the dog asked again, this time with a much more calmer voice.

"Rebecca," she stammered out.

The dog nodded. He turned to the shepherd and the mixture of dogs and cats around. "There has to be a way to check other places. I know England is not the only place in the world. We should get a full report of the outcome of the rest of the world. This girl, Rebecca, may be able to help us."

The shepherd approached him. "What is your name, dog?"

"Sparky."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

East Coast, America, 9113

Sparky growled his discomfort as he fixed the human child some food. It had been two months since they got the girl and now he was stuck taking care of her. As he fixed the food, he remembered why he didn't want a human.

When he was a pup, Sparky had gotten a human boy for his birthday. He was so excited, but his parents told him that he would have to take care of the boy. And he did. Little did he know the amount of work involved in such a process.

Humans needed a special diet. And being ominvores, they needed a special mixture of vegatables and meats. And everything had to be cooked. Humans did not do well on raw meat.

And humans were curious. You had to keep them occupied. Give them new challenges. And plenty of books and learning materials. If you didn't constantly teach them new things, they grew up to be duds and horrible.

And they needed to bathe at least every other day, if not every day. More than two days without a bath and they reeked.

Sparky's children had been very enthusiastic about having a new pet. The family had gone to the pet shop where the children racked up Sparky's credit card to $300 on supplies for the small human.

The dog sighed as he placed the food on the floor and called to the human. The girl ran into the kitchen and sat on the floor. She picked up the plate, spoon, and fork, and hungrily gobbled up the chicken and rice meal Sparky had fixed.

Indeed, this human did not belong to Junior and Snook. No, this girl belonged to Sparky. After only one week of having the human, the pups had lost interest. And instead of getting rid of the girl, Selna had told Sparky to take care of it.

The dog sat at the table with his breakfast and opened the morning newspaper. He lazily read through the stock exchange and sports information. "So, more felines are rebelling," he said, as he read the headlines.

He looked at the small girl. After a good bath and brushing, the girl's blonde hair began to shine. She was a cute little girl, even if she lacked fur. She had green eyes and slightly tanned skin.

She looked up from her plate and smiled childishly at the dog. Sparky returned the smile. "My boss would get a kick out of you. He would be so happy to see the little human girl that I rescued from getting put to sleep. He's a human rights activist himself. A large lion with a huge mane," he said.

The girl's eyes widened as he told her about his boss. Then she giggled. "Lions are pretty," she said.

Sparky nodded and gestured to the girl. The little girl leaped from the floor and skipped to the dog. The dog scooped the small child into his lap. "Yes, lions are pretty. But they can be a nuisance as well."

"What's a nuisance?" the little girl asked.

"Well, Ash, a nuisance is when someone or something becomes very annoying. Sometimes to the point where you want to get rid of them," Sparky explained.

The child pouted. "Am I a nuisance?"

Sparky laughed and ran his paw through her hair. "What would ever make you believe that?" he asked.

"That's what Junior called me," she said, tears glistening in her eyes.

Sparky pulled her closer and did his best to calm her. "You are far from a nuisance. Junior just doesn't like the idea of having to take care of you. Not that he does anyway. Don't worry. I'll talk to him," he said.

The girl nodded. "Master? Can I meet your boss?" she asked.

Sparky thought about it for a moment. "Well, every year he has this special deal where we can bring our pets with us. And it's coming up. So, yes, if you would like, I can bring you."

The girl squealed.

Surprised by the new sound, the dog looked at Ashleigh. His ears perked up and he cocked his head. the child giggled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The lion gazed at the girl with interest. He paced around her.

Ashleigh was frightened. She hadn't realized just how big Sparky's boss was. Not to mention, she hadn't really seen other animals aside from the dogs at home. This was definantly not a dog.

As Kelai reached out to pet Ashleigh, the frightened child ran behind Sparky. The lion and the dog laughed.

Sparky bent down and picked the girl up. "There's nothing to be scared of," he said to her soothingly. "Mister Kelai here is really nice. He just wants to look at you."

Ashleigh had buried her face in Sparky's fur. She peeked out a little as Kelai petted her hair.

"If you would like, you can call me Lyciun," the lion told the girl.

Holding tight to Sparky's fur, the girl looked up. This lion was really big and frightening looking.

Kelai gave up and went back to his desk. "You should take her to the human park. Get her used to other animals and other humans. Keeping her in one place all the time is not good," the lion said as he sat in his chair.

Sparky raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me how to train my human?"

The lion shook his head. "No. I'm trying to give you advice. She terrified of any other animal that is not you or a member of your family. Not to mention the humans. She won't even go near them."

Sparky sighed. "I know. I just don't ever have the time."

He sat in a chair and placed Ashleigh on the floor.

"You should make time, Sewell. She's just a child, so she can still learn to be around others. If you don't train her early, you'll have a hard time with her later in life. Trust me. I've got five of them at home," Kelai explained.

"That doesn't surprise me. Felines are known to have many humans as pets," Sparky said.

Kelai shook his head again. "And one day other animals will realize that humans are not pets. They should be treated like any other being."

Sparky sighed. This was a neverending battle. "As long as I'm paying and having to take care of her, Ashleigh is my pet. I don't appreciate you saying differently in front of her. Haven't you heard of what humans do to animals who give them such liberal ideas?"

The lion scoffed, "All of my humans have liberal ideas and they are just fine."

"They haven't figured out they could revolt yet," Sparky said.

"Why would they? What would be the point? Humans know that the masterminds of this world are the animals. They won't undermind us. They are intelligent creatures," Kelai said.

Sparky rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath, "Next you'll be telling me they have souls."

The canine stood up and called to Ashleigh, who had wondered off to look at the African masks Kelai had mounted on the walls. The girl quickly obeyed and took Sparky's paw into her hand.

Sparky gestured to the small child. "See, Kelai? She is a good child. She does as she is told and she doesn't think anything about it. You start putting ideas in the head of a child like this and soon she'll start rebelling. Remember, I used to own a human before her."

"Yes, Sparky, I remember," the lion sighed. "He was a good lad. It's a shame your parents had to put him down."

Sparky sighed. "In his rebellion, he killed a three-year-old kitten."

"I still think it was an accident," Kelai said.

"Regardless, Lycuin, once a human kills an animal, you have to put them down. They won't hesitate to kill again," Sparky explained.

The dog lead his human out of the office and down to his own, private office.

As Sparky typed on the computer, the child played in a corner with her toys. They left the office building around five o'clock and headed home.

Ashleigh sat in her seat and looked out the window to the passing animals and cars. She sighed, "Master? What happened to the little boy you used to own?"

Sparky kept his eyes on the road as he spoke. "My parents had bought me a little boy for my birthday one year. Course, the boy was about ten years old when I got him. A few years later, Lycuin and I were playing in the front yard when Greg, my boy, dropped a kitten from the treehouse we had. Normally cats land on their feet and are fine, but this kitten was only eight weeks old. Her neck was snapped. Instead of suing us, the kitten's parents demanded that Greg be put to sleep. I haven't had another human since. Until you, that is."

"You knew Mr. Kelai when you were little?" she asked.

Sparky nodded. "We were classmates and good friends growing up. Little did I know I would ever wind up working for him."

Ashleigh smiled and nodded her content. She turned back to the window.

They pulled into the drive to see Selna greeting them on the porch. As they climbed out of the car, the female canine smiled to them. "Supper is ready," she said.

Sparky nodded and took Ashleigh's hand. Together they walked into the house and went to their supper. Ashleigh sat on the floor and contently ate her meal of green beans and smoked sausage.