FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"What a lame name," said the equine investigator as he passed an open office door and observed the nameplate and the occupant within.

"What is?" asked the other agent walking alongside his superior.

"His name - Fox."

"Well sir, he is a vulpine by birth."

"I'm not stupid newbie! I know what he is. I just can't believe his parents were so lame brained as to name him for what he was."

Agent Smolder heard the conversation and joined in from behind his desk.

"Right, Agent Morrison. So you of all people should feel lucky. If that were the case with your mother she would have named you Jackass!"

There would have been a fight right then and there had not the chief stepped out of the stairwell and made his way towards them. The two agents moved quickly along, not wishing to get a reprimand for aggravating one of their coworkers.

Smolder saw him as he entered and grinned. "You know, I think that I will call you Skinner from now on..."

There was an exasperated sigh. "Why?"

"Well, just now you could have skinned the hide off of Morrison for being himself and no one would have thought the lesser of you."

"Fox, you're as much to blame as they are. If you didn't insist on dwelling on these irregular cases, the rest of us might respect you a little more."

"I happen to like what I do. And each and every one of them is a legitimate case file. The department wouldn't have reports in them if there wasn't some sort of evidence to support what is inside."

"But there is a reason those cases are filed away; no one wants to know about them."

"Hey! The truth is out there man, and I intend to uncover it whenever I can."

"You are such a nut case Smolder. I had high hopes for you when you started, and look at you now. An office in the basement and the laughing stock of the bureau."

"That may be, but when you put my number of solved cases against anybody else's, mine is the highest here!"

"True. But like I said, nobody cares."

The chief turned to leave.

"Well, I for one care."

The chief turned back. "I know Smolder. But that isn't going to get you a promotion."

"I don't want a promotion. I like what I do just fine."

"Good thing. But I don't think it's fair to drag down your partner with you."

"Dana? I think she finds this as interesting as I do."

"Keep deluding yourself Fox. Personally, it's the only way I can get to sleep at night. I have to think it's what works for you too."

"That and vodka."

"Goodbye Fox. Oh, and do me a favor."

"What?"

"Don't tell me what your next case is going to be. I don't want to know."

"Your loss!"

The office was soon silent except for the click of a typewriter, a holdover from Smolder's early days in the bureau. He did some of his reports on it, for outside of the paper, there was no record of the investigation. He could edit it as he wished at a later date and enter it in the computer as he saw fit. Some of his cases had been pretty wild, and the honest facts would have been too much for some folks to handle.

A voice cut through the clicking and clacking.

"So, what is it now? Serial seal rapist? Sideshow sex tape? Alien anal probing?"

"Very funny Sully. I'll have you know that the sex tape was the real thing."

"Yes, and you only verified its veracity by engaging in a little titillating experimentation yourself."

"So I'm dedicated to my job, nothing more."

"Nothing more?! I'll have you know I read the staff psychologist's report. I don't think your interest in this particular material is simply dutiful attendance to your job. You have a deeply rooted fascination with all that is sexually outré."

"So, is that all bad?"

She sighed. "That remains to be seen."

"Yes it does. I was going through the most recent case files and I've found a few that may prove interesting."

"Only a few? I'm ashamed of you Smolder."

"Always a skeptic, aren't you?"

"It's my job. I'm the yang to your yin."

"So I'm the one with the dark side, is it? OK, I'll go along with that. So what do you wish to shed light on this time?"

"Something real would be preferable."

"Real? They're all real."

"Then maybe I should say that something with a little evidence to back it up might be nice."

"Evidence? You want evidence? Like what? Police reports? Eye witness accounts? Photographs?"

"Photographs might be nice."

"Pics or it didn't happen? Sullly, you are the most skeptical critic I know."

"Smolder, photographic evidence is a far cry from eye witness reports. You know quite well that the mind is given to flights of fancy."

"Yes, and of course, no one out there has any knowledge of how to use photo manipulation software either."

"That is always a possibility, but I know that the forensics lab can distinguish a fake from an authentic original."

"Then your faith in modern technology is as misplaced as is my quest for the unknown, the weird and the downright scintillatingly exotic."

"To each their own Fox. So what has suckered you in this time? I can see it in your eyes that you have something intriguing."

"Funny you should mention sucker."

"Why? Do you have something fishy in your reports?"

"Oh, I think it's something that'll tickle your fancy."

He handed her a file folder. She took it and opened it, flipping through the meager pages until she came to several blurry photographs.

"What's this?"

"What say you and I go find out?"

[Three Days Later, 3:41PM.]

The drab sedan pulled into a small coastal town whose weathered old sign declared it to be Shin Nihon. It was an odd name for the region where it was located, but even more unusual was the odd lettering under it. Sully looked at it closely before squinting harder without being able to discern what it said. Smolder looked at her with a smile on his face.

"What's the matter Dana? Don't read Nipponese?"

"Nipponese? There's no such language."

"You'd know it better as Japanese. Just do us both a favor and don't use that term while were here."

"Why not?"

He sighed. "Because they don't like it."

"Who are they?"

"The residents of this town, though if you use the term in front of any kitsune they will likely shun you. Right now we are on their turf and as such, we must try to respect their ways."

"Shin Nihon?"

"It means New Japan in our vernacular."

"So these are immigrants? Smolder, what do these people have to do with those photographs?"

"That's what we're here to find out."

"But if they're so likely to shun us, who reported this case in the first place?"

"Tourists."

"Here? This hardly seems to place for a vacation."

"It's not. There are only two ways of reaching it; by the road we came in on and by sea. So occasionally a yacht or sailboat will reach the quiet cove right below where we are sitting."

Dana looked through the trees to the blue expanse of water below. She could see a lone boat on the water, an older style fishing vessel neatly painted despite its age. Outside of that, this place seemed as normal as any she had visited. In fact, it seemed a little more normal than a lot of places her partner had dragged her to in the past. There was a nice ocean breeze blowing off the coast, bringing with it the light scent of evergreens and flowers.

Fox put the car in gear and drove down the rough road to the village below. From all appearances it had started out as a typical fishing village perhaps a hundred years ago, but it had been taken over by these kitsune at some point, and they had altered it to suit their tastes and style. She had to admit, the closer they got to it, that it did have a certain élan and charm that made it a quaintly appealing setting. It was mildly idiosyncratic when one considered where it was, for it was as if time passed by this single location to allow it to remain pristine for eternity.

Their approach was noted immediately, for visitors of any sort were few and far between. The stares were a mix of mild curiosity and open resentment at the unforeseen visitation. One of the villagers, a grizzled old dog wearing a traditional outfit came forward and motioned for the window to be wound down. Smolder complied.

"Have you turned yourselves around? Are you lost?"

"No. This is where we want to be."

"I would say you are wrong. This is not where you want to be."

"My name is Fox Smolder. This is my partner Dana Sully. We're from the Federal Bureau of Investigation."

"That means nothing to us. What would the big government want down here in a small fishing village?"

"If you don't mind, we'd like to discuss it with you if there is someplace we can talk."

"If it will allow you to leave us all the sooner, then park your vehicle and go to the blue building over there."

He pointed to a structure that sat on the boulder-strewn shoreline, partially anchored to the rocky ground and partly jutting over the water supported by massive, barnacle encrusted timbers. There wasn't much in the way of parking in the community, as it seemed that no one had a car to park. He maneuvered to an open space in front of one of the docks and awaited the small knot of folks who had followed them. They walked into the building in single file, the last person holding the door open for the two agents. They were led to what turned out to be the council chambers, and two chairs were provided for them.

"Now what is this about?"

"The agency got word of an unusual sighting in this vicinity."

"Sighting? Of what?"

"A large sea creature."

"Son, this is the sea. We make our living off of it. We see all kinds of creatures. If you have a sighting of something unusual, why not send your scientific teams instead of two policemen."

Dana cleared her throat. "We're not policemen. We're investigators. No one is under arrest or even under any suspicion at the moment. But we have photographs that need an explanation."

There was a murmur that swept the room. "Photographs of what?"

Smolder pulled out the clearest of them. "Something akin to a squid or octopus. "

The elder took it and stared at the image. "You are correct. This is probably either tako or ika. But it still doesn't explain why you are here. Surely you can't think that such creatures are not found in our nets from time to time."

"Sir, with all due respect, this creature was reportedly larger than the boat it attacked."

"Boats can be small, and squid grow very large. You still haven't gone far enough to explain your interest."

Smolder pulled out another picture and handed it over. The elder looked at it and blanched. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I wish I knew sir, and it's the reason we're here. Once we can determine if this was either an elaborate prank or something more sinister, we will be going. But until then, I expect your full cooperation in this matter."

"We have nothing to hide. You may stay as long as you wish, but we have limited accommodations for guests. The same goes for food. You will eat what we eat, or you may drive to the next town for your meals. I don't wish to seem ungracious, but we did not ask you here, and thus I see no reason we should be put out of our way making accommodations for you."

The villagers got up and as before, left in single file, leaving the two agents alone.

"That was a little weird."

"Not really," said Fox. "We are interlopers here. And they do seem to be what they say they are."

"So then why stay?"

"Because they're hiding something. That photo really got him worked up."

"It is a little disturbing."

"The victim survived unharmed. Traumatized, but physically intact. The elder wasn't alarmed by what's depicted in it as much as the creature that was partially captured on film."

"Again, he said that such creatures are normal fauna of the ocean. I can't dispute that fact."

"I don't either. But this one is far different than your run of the mill calamari Dana."

"Fine. So where do we start?"

Fox was staring across the room at a framed picture on the wall, partially obscured from view by a curtain. Without a word he got up and walked over to where it hung. It was secured behind glass, and so as he traced the artistic lines on the old paper he had no fear of smudging or damaging it. Dana came over and stood by him, her brows knit as she surveyed the dramatic artwork.

"Octopus?"

"Maybe. It seems a little too friendly for most peoples' tastes. No, I don't think so. I would say Umi no kaij?."

"How do you know so much Japan... errr, Nipponese?"

"Because I always research a case before I investigate. Didn't they teach you anything in school?"

"So what does that mean?"

"It means that this drawing is of a sea monster."

"Like the Kraken?"

"Well, the Kraken is from a different mythos, but yes, essentially they might be declared the same thing."

"Tell me you're not thinking that this drawing represents the creature you're looking for."

"Come on Dana! The rendering gives us a scale to work with and this thing is much smaller, but there are similarities."

"Smolder, every society has its monsters. This is just something they brought over with them when they came to this country. I'll bet there are a dozen similar images throughout the village."

Fox stiffened a little. "You know, you might be right on the money with that one."

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning we have a lot of investigating to do."

They searched for anyone who was willing to rent out rooms, but found only a lone house with a single room available. Fox took it before his partner could complain. It wasn't like they hadn't shared a bed in the past, even if it was against department policy. But she was always trying to be on the up and up, even when it was obvious that half the department was guilty of some infraction or another.

They carried up their bags and stuffed them in a corner. Smolder went to the window, which looked out over the cove. The waters were serene, broken only by the breeze whipping up little crests upon the surface. Something however didn't seem right. There was something out of place or missing. But the hell if he could put a paw on what it was.

Dana looked around their confined space and sighed.

"Fox, this had better be over in a few days. I have little intention of submitting myself to your kinks just because we're stuck sleeping in the same bed."

"I'll take the chair, if it'll make you happy. I'm not here to get a piece of ass you know. I can always talk you into that without going to such extremes."

"Fine. As long as we're on the same page."

"Sure, whatever. Hey, look out here and tell me what you see."

She came to the window and pulled aside the blinds. After a few minutes of scanning the scene below, she came to her conclusion.

"Nothing much."

"Precisely. It's a little too empty out there."

"So what's missing?"

"Birds."

"Birds? There are plenty of birds in the trees. You can hear them sing."

"Not those birds. Gulls. Pelicans. Heck, there should be something out there. I haven't seen a cormorant, a petrel or anything remotely ocean going."

"So maybe they aren't hanging around here right now."

"In a fishing village? Come with me."

They walked outside and onto the street. Fox took them down to the water's edge and then along the docks until they came to the southern arm of land that made up the edge of the cove.

"Did you see what I saw?"

"I guess not. I didn't see anything."

"Right. You often have to make your way carefully so as to not slip. There aren't any bird droppings. The rocks and pilings should be covered in them. There isn't a white stain anywhere."

"OK, so no birds. I don't see the connection."

"I'm not sure I do either. But I have a suspicion."

"Do tell."

"Not right now. I want to see what else is out of place around here."

They walked back into the village, searching every house and yard for clues. Dana began to notice a few things that kept repeating themselves from place to place. Fox noticed it too.

"Not a lot of variety in the gardens, is there?"

"You saw that as well? I could blame it on climate, but there are a lot of things that grow around here that are distinctly missing, as if they were weeded out."

"Garlic is easy to grow, but I doubt they would use this much in their cooking. And those other plants, some of them are moderately toxic."

"Yeah, a strange mixture to have in one's garden. But did you notice the evergreens?"

"Not really."

"There isn't a single native conifer or evergreen shrub in the lot. Everything here is all Japanese Yew. It's nice to look at, but it's also fairly toxic."

"Are you saying that the villagers have been poisoning the birds?"

"No. I don't think that's the case at all."

"Then what?"

"Remember the photograph."

"It's hard to forget it."

"Then think on it. I haven't put two and two together yet, but then something still doesn't add up in all of this."

They had come to a common dock, and Fox stepped out onto it and made his way to one of the boats. He stepped gingerly into it, feeling it shift under his weight. It smelled of fish and ocean spray, and somewhere in the air there was the scent of something else. He searched around for a moment but found nothing interesting. Then, on a whim, he got down and looked under the seat. There was a burlap bag tied to a length of heavy cord. He pulled it out, smelled it, and noticed the weight before putting it back.

"What did you find?"

"Who the hell knows?"

He got out and checked the other boats. Each had a similar device. He held one up for her to see.

"What is it?"

Fox shook his head. "I can't say. A fish attractant? A talisman? I don't know enough about these people to make a good guess."

"Open one up."

But he tossed it back into the boat and walked swiftly back to the end of the dock. "Maybe later. We're being watched at the moment."

She turned to see an idle fisherman staring in their direction.

"Well, you are trespassing on their boats."

"We're investigating. Trespassing is all part and partial to what we do."

They returned to their room, changed into something more akin to the present weather and went out again. This time they were intercepted by a young man.

"I hear you are looking for something. Something that does not belong here."

Fox smiled. "All I need to do is look in the mirror to find that. What have the rest of the locals told you?"

"Nothing much. They say you should leave."

"I get the feeling we're not wanted. The problem with such a reception is that it implies that there is something to find."

"There might be, but you would not like it if you found it."

"You seem pretty sure of that. Why?"

"Because I know it to be true. Some things are better left alone."

Dana snorted. "Not with Smolder they're not."

"Just take my warning. If you look, you will find. If you find, you will have to deal with what you uncover. Facts alone are not worth that which you seek."

"I'll be the judge of that."

"One cannot blame me for trying. Do not look for help among the rest. What you think you seek is all too real. We know it for what it is. We do not antagonize it, nor do we try to appease it. But we will do what is necessary to protect it."

"Protect it? From what?"

"From stupid people such as yourself. What is your saying? Fools rush in where wise men fear to tread?"

"Now, you see, you've gone and made me even more curious!"

The young kitsune turned, shook his head in resignation and walked away.

Dana put a paw on her partner's shoulder.

"Maybe we should go. If these people aren't coming to any harm, then maybe there isn't anything here to worry about."

"You so easily dismiss the case that brought us here."

"A fluke, nothing more."

"A fluke? No I think you mean to say tentacle."

"You know what I mean Smolder. It was just a freak happenstance."

"Freakish maybe. I think that these people are keeping a deep dark secret. You know how I am with secrets."

She cracked her neck to ease the tension building up in her shoulders.

"Yes I do. So what's next?"

"Tonight we take a boat out over the cove and see what there is to see."

"At night? There'll be nothing to see. It'll be complete dark."

"We have headlamps. How much more do we need to see?"

Dana made a face. "I'd like to be able to see where I'm going for one. And if there is something out there, it'd be nice to know well in advance of meeting it."

"Are you chicken?"

"No. I'm just a bit less insane than you are."

"A lot of fun that ends up being. Take risks, make mistakes, and find glorious new things just waiting to be discovered."

"Some of which may end up killing us."

"You only live once Sully. Why waste it?"

That night they made their way down to the dock and climbed into one of the small row boats. Nothing here had any motors in it, so they were stuck using their own power to get around the cove. They set out, unclear as to where they were going to find whatever it was they were going to find. The water beneath the surface was deep and dark and now, with the sun having set, rather forbidding.

They paddled around for an hour or more without encountering anything. The waters were eerily quiet, preternaturally so. There wasn't even a sound coming from the village, where only a few twinkling lights could be seen. It was as if the world had abandoned them to their folly.

"Well Smolder, it looks like this was a wild goose chase. Whatever was captured on that film must live in deep waters, far deeper than the water in this minor cove."

"Yeah, maybe you're right. If there was something here, I think that anyone living here would be in for a rough time."

"And yet they seem to know of something. Why would they protect it?"

"Who knows?"

"I say we go back and see what they will tell us."

"A waste of time. Except for that young fellow, no one will tell us anything. I think they hope we'll get frustrated and just leave, or else whatever this thing is will rise up and destroy us..."

Not sooner than he had uttered those fateful words then their world turned upside down. One second the boat was lightly rocking on the water and the next it was ten feet in the air. Dana let out a scream that was cut short when a tentacle the thickness of a man's leg grabbed her around her waist. Fox was nearly as panicked as she was, but his cry was cut off as a similar appendage caught him across the face. It nearly knocked the light from his forehead, but by some miracle it remained fixed. So had Dana's he was able to determine from the wildly spinning beam of light that came from her direction.

The erratic flashes cast their light upon row after row of writhing, eel like tentacles that continued to boil out of the water like worms during a rainstorm. There were large ones and small ones, suckered ones and glassy smooth ones. It was difficult to believe that they were all from the same creature.

Fox was concerned with his life, more so now than at any other time during it. So he was rather surprised when he felt his clothing coming undone. Apparently this creature had a distinct distaste for clothing. The question was why.

Dana was losing hers as well, leastwise from the snatches of things that could be seen in the near dark. Then again, he was pretty certain that it was a shoe that hit him in the face. It didn't feel like one of his either.

His mind was racing, and a small voice in there told him he had finally come to the end of the line. A fox simply didn't walk away after an experience like this. Somewhere down the road he had crossed the border between reality and the supernatural, and he was now deep in the latter's territory. It was too bad he had dragged Sully along with him.

It was also too bad they were about to become fish food.

Or food for whatever this thing was.

The tentacles were wrapping themselves around his extremities, holding him tight in their iron grip. Getting pulled apart wasn't in his top methods of dying, but at least it wouldn't be boring. His eyes went wide as one of the tentacles wound around his leg and stroked his sheath. He was prepared to take it as an inadvertent action until it continued unabated. The probing tip at his anus was certainly not there by accident either.

Neither was it mere chance when that questing appendage forced its way inside. He had done some kinky things in his day but this was beyond anything he had contemplated as being possible. He would have yelled but that tentacle on his face was trying to ram itself down his throat. It was a good thing they were all slimy or the penetration would have been exquisitely painful. As it was, it was queerly pleasant...

Dana wasn't doing any better, and one might even say she was in a worse predicament. This thing, whatever it was, had quickly stripped her of her clothing and sent it scattering across the water. It might have a taste for fur and flesh, but apparently not for cotton and polyester. Even her pantyhose were torn off as if mere tissue paper.

To an observer on the shoreline there wasn't much to see outside of the furtive flashes of light from their headlamps as they were brandished like cutlasses in some nightmarish hallucination. Even the noise was barely discernible, seeing as neither of them could scream, and the major portion of the thing wielding this massive array of tentacles remained below the surface of the water. Outside of some minor splashing, there was little noise to carry back to the shore.

The tentacle that had prodded curiously at his cock loosened for a moment, moving and shifting until its tip was tight against his. His eyes widened in contemplation of the writhing appendage forcing its way into his urethra. He wasn't sure his body had that much flexibility to it.

His relief was immense as the thing began to invert upon itself, slipping over his shaft like a well tailored sleeve. In no time it had engulfed his now stiffly erect cock. A pulsation ran through the thing, massaging his knot in a manner he thought not possible, and sadly, not reproducible under any known means. If not for still fearing for his life, he would have succumbed immediately to pleasurable euphoria. As it was, his mind was wildly reeling under the unimaginable assault.

Just what the hell was this thing?

Dana was in a similar state of disbelief, and of course, disrobing. She was presently suspended spread eagle over the murky waters of the cove, held firmly (but not uncomfortable) by her wrists and ankles. A separate tentacle was snaking its way up each limb, stopping at the juncture of her wide open legs. Her tail was thrashing about, the only part of her that was free to move at the moment.

A slippery, rubbery tip penetrated her front with the ease of a hot knife slicing through butter. The peculiar feeling wasn't particularly uncomfortable or disquieting except for the fact of what was inducing it. The whole idea of being raped by something as outrageous as this was mind-numbingly improbable. There was simply no way of grasping the concept.

And yet, here she was dangling over the waters being poked and prodded by the tentacles of some, as of yet unseen oceanic beast.

Fox found his mouth to be temporary free, but instead of screaming for help, which he figured was useless, he called to his partner.

"Dana? Are you alright?"

Her voice came through muffled and tense.

"I can't say. I think I'm being raped by a,a,a...what the hell is this thing?"

"I don't know, but if we get out of this alive, I think I want one!"

"Are you crazy?"

He failed to answer, for he was suddenly overwhelmed with the need to ejaculate. When it had risen, overflowed and then ebbed away, he was able to find the presence of mind to answer her.

"Shit! After what I just felt, you're damn right. Who could be sane after this?"

She was about to answer him when a pulsation began inside her as the tentacle began throbbing in time to her heartbeat. It expanded and contracted, the myriad array of tiny suctions cups caressing her insides like no one had ever done before. Larger suction cups were on her breasts, massaging her nipples in unison. When the one snaking appendage wormed its way into her backside, she was about to declare it all too much, but the hurricane of sensations shut down any thoughts that were forming in her head. Her body went rigid as every affected nerve ending collapsed in a tsunami of pleasure.

Smolder was right. Even if she did die on this night, the experience was well worth it.

The tentacles continued to move about both of them, never letting up in their quest for who knew what. The only thing that soon became clear was that it didn't seem to be interested in eating them. If that had been the case, they would have vanished beneath the waves long before now.

A yell came dimly to Fox's ears, one that could not have come from Dana. He was still moving erratically thought the air, so pinpointing the cry was difficult. He did manage to espy a dim light, like that of a lantern, bobbing quietly on the waves below. Then without warning, the tentacles pulled out of wherever they were and the massive swarm of eel -like things sunk below the surface. He and his partner plummeted to the waters a split second later.

They disappeared below the surface for ten seconds or so before swimming their way back to the air above. The gasp and sputtered for another sixty seconds or so, all the while wondering when that thing was going to return. Dana noted the light approaching and seeing that it was attached to a boat, peered hard into the surrounding darkness to try to catch a glimpse of the one rowing it. When the face came into view, she recognized it as belonging to the young man they had conversed with earlier.

He extended a paw and hauled her in, dipping in on the other side and helping Smolder into the boat. In the next instant he put his back into the oars and made for the docks.

"You are both idiots. Are you happy now?"

Fox was feeling pretty euphoric."Yes actually. Can I go back for another round?"

Dana was feeling it too, but she kept her head about her. "Ignore him please. Just get us back on dry land."

There was only silence until they made it to the docks. The young kitsune tied up his boat and assisted them out of it. He had no clothing to give them, so instead he averted his eyes as he accompanied them to the room. Luckily, no one noted their passage, and once inside, they dried as best they could and dressed in spare clothing. When they were dressed, Smolder headed out the door.

"Where are you going?" Dana asked, concerned he was heading for the water again.

"That picture. The one on the wall. There was more to that than just an artful image." He turned to the young villager. "I'm correct, aren't I?"

"As you say. You should never have come here, but since you know this much, I will tell you more if you promise to drop your case and leave in the morning."

"I'm not leaving until I..."

"Smolder! Trust me. Get the information you're looking for and be glad we can walk away. Whatever this thing is, it's beyond either of us."

"Is it? Is it really Dana?"

"Yes! Now let's go back and look at that drawing one more time and then get a good night's rest."

"Who can sleep after that?"

The young kitsune finally had the courage to ask.

"How was it?"

Fox glared at him.

"Are you telling me you guys don't engage in the services of that leviathan on a regular basis?"

"We do not entice it. We do not abuse it. We watch over it and take care of it. That is all."

They walked to the building they had met the elders in, and Fox, using a flashlight from his baggage, walked over to the artwork and flashed his light upon it.

"So my little friend. Are you telling me that the thing out there in the cove, that monstrous thing is the same thing pictured here?"

"Yes. This drawing was done a very long time ago. It has grown much over the centuries."

Dana was staring at the image of an octopus in amorous entanglement with a kitsune pearl diver.

"There are similarities, but how in the world could a mere octopus grow to such gigantic proportions and gain so many appendages? And I think I can ask unabashedly; why the hell does it act like a trained sex toy?"

The kitsune looked down at the floor, embarrassed at having to explicate all of this.

"It is difficult to explain. This animal is Akkorokamui. There are legends amongst my people of a pearl diver who married a prince. He set her to recovering a lost pearl of great worth, which the legends say she recovered at the cost of her own life. This is a nice story with a tragic end, but the truth is more intriguing. Her name was Tamatori and she did once find a pearl of great size and value, which was the reason for her marriage to a member of the Fujiwara clan."

"One day, while diving for pearls, she encountered a strange octopus which attached itself around her leg and would not let go. Even when she was in the boat, it refused to leave her. So she made a home for it among the rocks on the shoreline, where she could often be found bathing with it."

He paused to collect himself.

"This lasted for many years, and as the seasons passed, this creature matured and became even larger."

"She became quite fond of it, and it grew quite attached to her. She spent more and more time down by the seashore, and less below it. There were many times she was spied upon, and those who watched her said the creature was capable of making love to her. The women grew jealous of her and told her husband, who did not believe such a thing was possible. He told them to cease in their lies and to bother him no more with such stupidity."

"But their words disquieted his heart and so one day when she went down to the shore, he followed. He watched the octopus come out from its hiding place among the great stones and settle into her lap. I will not say what the legend says he saw, but he became infuriated and pulling out a knife, he sought to kill the creature."

Fox spoke up. "But he killed her instead."

"Yes. The creature sensed what had happened and wrapped its arms around him and dragged him under the sea, where he drowned. After that, it was decided that the beast needed to have protectors, for it had done nothing more than those things it had been taught to do. It looked for other woman to pleasure, for in its own way it derived something from the experience. And over the years, it grew ever larger."

Dana was still feeling tingly all over. "But how did it end up here?"

"Does it matter? We have sworn to protect it, and that is what we do until such time as the creature dies. We chose this place because it was far from our homeland, and far enough away from prying eyes to keep our secret safe."

"So the lady on the yacht?"

"They sailed into our waters and would not leave. She came to no harm."

"But there were photographs."

"Yes, and they are blurry. You may call them a hoax in your report, can you not?"

Dana held up a paw. "Wait a minute. Does this thing attack you in the same way?"

"No. It would not have attacked you either had you dropped your bag over the side."

"Yes, about those bags. What do they contain?"

"Plants. Herbs. A mix of toxins and noxious oils."

"I thought you weren't trying to kill it!"

"We are not. But it is one of the few things that will keep it at bay. It is wise enough to retreat when it senses the bags in the water."

Fox was nodding. "See Dana, I told you there was something odd about the plants growing here. Now it makes sense."

Dana was nodding in agreement, but something else was bothering her.

"What the hell do you feed that thing?"

"We do not feed it. It is more than capable of feeding itself. It catches fish and whatever else comes its way."

Fox was smiling slyly. "Like pelicans and gulls?"

"Yes, it is very fond of birds."

"I told you Dana that there was something weird about there being no seabirds on the water here. I doubt they would ever see a tentacle coming up from below."

She begrudgingly agreed with him. There was little else she could do.

In the morning they departed without saying a word to anyone. Fox pulled the car to the top of the hill and looked down upon the serene waters. A small flock of gulls had gathered there, intend on plucking small fish from the waters. He put the car in park and watched. Sure enough, birds began disappearing from sight.

"Look Dana. It's feeding time."

"Smolder, let's just go. I'll never forget this case, even if I might want to."

"Oh come on Sully! That thing was great in bed!"

"Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't. Either way, I don't wish to ever see it again."

"Have it your way."

He put the car in drive and left the coast for another strange case farther inland.

It was about a month later when Dana went to his apartment to pick him up for work.

"Hi Sully. Give me a moment. I just need to get my files together."

He vanished into his spare room. Dana sat down, but remained sitting for barely a minute. She heard a gurgle of water and turned towards the source of the sound.

"Smolder!"

"What is it?"

"When did you get that thing?" she asked, pointing to the octopus in the aquarium.

"A week ago. Its name is Tamatori."

"Of course it is. Training it are you?"

"Of course not. I got it as a reminder that there are bigger things out there that we do not understand."

"Right. Well, if you have to have someone drive you to the emergency room because of sucker marks on your privates, find someone else to do it."

Fox just grinned.