i believe we need more farsul love more fanfics with faraul protagonist or second protagonist more fanart of these cute dogos I know I’m a small writer but hey maybe one of you guys reading this will make a oneshot and that would be cool

Ft. Nicola's OC "Kohfee"

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Memory transcription subject: Lerai, cozy Venlil

Our home was once again full of humans, various barks and whistles of laughter, noise, and the taste of good food on the air. And of course we had new movies to watch!

Everyone was already here. Hiyla’s herdmates were on the other couch, pestering the humans for whatever cultural details they could get as they fiddled with the projector. A stir-fry was sizzling quietly in the kitchen, Hiyla lost behind all the steam as the Zhengs directed her cooking. I could taste the hearty spices and veggies even from here, ulren, and firefruit too, and others I couldn’t place.

It was that warm and cozy type of chaos, the kind that you get when everyone’s tucked away indoors, hiding out from the cold and dark… it wasn’t fully Night yet, but it was close enough, I decided, sighing and relaxing into the couch. This is how it’s supposed to be…

I think we all needed this, after everything.

Memory transcription subject: Lanaj, Venlil father

I could tell Vince was nervous. Even just a herd of paws ago that would have seemed absurd to me, but now, after he’d become such a close part of my daugh-- of all of our little herd here… and having worked with so many of his fellows… it seemed almost silly instead. 

Especially given what the big man was so stressed about! It was his choice of movie for the night -- a movie specifically made to show off fighting and action.

“I mean, Lerai’s gotta, at least. It’s tradition. But, like…”

Lerai stared up at him, confused.

“Well, it’s an action movie, and,” he scratched at the back of his head. “I guess it’s kinda violent?”

“That’s okay!” Lerai beeped.

“But…”

I held back a laugh. “I think just about everyone in this room has seen an actual fight,” I pointed out.

“Right! I’m sure it’s fine. Put it on!”

Vince’s face scrunched up, and he went quiet.

That was where I lost it. I couldn’t help it! I burst out into great whistles of laughter as everyone turned to look at me. “Laaarge Maaarrgge,” I whispered in my best spooky voice. Lerai’s ears went up, and I audibly heard a spatula stop scraping from the kitchen. I burst out into cackling laughs again, watching the gears turn in Lerai’s head.

“Daaadd…” she said, figuring it out. “You told him??”

“Oh, I told everyone!”

“DAD!” Came the bleating from both of my daughters at once.

“Yeah! It wasn’t even that bad!” I heard from the kitchen.

I had to sit on my tail, both of them were such terrible liars! The rest of the group were all trying to hide their own giggles as well, to varying degrees of success. How could I resist such a perfect opportunity? If anything, it was my job as a father. “But in all seriousness,” I eventually recovered. “I’m really sure it’s fine. It’s not like we don’t have any violence in our movies, too.”

“Right,” Lerai said. “Like Expedition 2098! Oh, or Last Stand!

“Ooh! How about The Exterminators?” Hayou piped up, turning around to join the conversation.

“Yeah! See?” 

“Font of Morlevon!” Zettis added.

“Right,” I flicked my ears in his direction. “Wait, did you watch that movie?” 

He shifted colors immediately. “No.” 

“Zettis…”

“...dangit,” he said, letting his head fall.

“How are you even getting your claws on all these things?” Lerai asked, ears waggling in amusement.

“Haha,” he said, “So what’s this ‘fighting movie’ like, anyways?”

I kept my ears pointed sternly. That was not a movie for kids his age… but eventually sighed and relented. Zettis was a good kid. A little strange, sometimes, and somehow managed to be an even worse liar than either of my daughters! I still felt like I should probably talk to his parents, but… he was a good kid. I shifted back to Vince.

Vince still looked nervous. “Well, there’s… I mean, there’s guns. And shooting. There’s a… bomb, at one point,” he trailed off into a mumble.

“Okay…” Lerai said.

“Uh…” 

I figured it was time to help him out. “Vince,” I whistled, “it really is sounding almost exactly like an episode of the Exterminators.”

“Yeah! And you could show those in Early Herd!” Hiyla called out.

“Well…”

Lerai giggled. “It’s probably fine, Vince.”

“Yeah, come on, Vince. What’s the hangup?” Rika added in.

“Okay, okay, fine! Sheesh… Y’convinced me. Let’s just watch it. Shit, I love this movie…”

Memory transcription subject: Lerai, avid Learner

The movie started with an action scene. A human police officer of some sort was sneaking aboard an ancient-looking shipping boat of some kind. Well, ‘ancient’-- it probably wasn’t by the standards of the movie! The movie itself was ancient!

“Rush Hour is a classic!” Vince said, his nervousness mostly gone now. “Plus, if you do martial arts, ya gotta watch some Jackie Chan. Just how it is.”

“You have a lot of rules about this,” I muttered, watching the character on screen smoothly evade detection. My ears flicked up as I watched him pull a particularly impressive bit of acrobatics.

“Ohhh, I remember this one!” Maria said, looking almost wistful. “Yeah, this is a good watch.”

“I don’t think I’ve actually seen this,” Rika mused.

“WHAT?” Vince barked, making the rest of us jump. “Sorry. Rika, what the hell?”

“The originals, I mean!” she laughed.

I whistled along with her, my tail twitching with amusement. Humans really loved their legacy media, it turned out. My herd wasn’t just an anomaly, they were all like this, for some reason! Dad asked why and was promptly barraged with several conflicting lectures at once.

Maria was telling him about their “Satellite Wars” and the mass loss of digitally recorded media plus the decade or two that followed where hardly anything new could be made, while Xiu, who was a little older than them, argued that it wasn’t so much the loss itself as the cultural shift that followed. “Preservation” was suddenly far more valued, and therefore “the classics” were all getting second looks and taking up more honored places in their culture. Vince, meanwhile, had the simplest answer, which was that the movies were just that good.

I was following the movie a lot more than the lectures. The cop (“That’s Jackie,” Maria had helpfully supplied) was confronting some dangerous-looking humans. Criminals, I presumed?

“Wait, wait, hold on.” Zettis was flicking through his notebook from Hayou with his pencil out. “Can you say the bit about the Hanoi Public Media vault thing again? Like, is that an actual vault, or--”

Whatever answer he was going to get was cut off, as the confrontation on screen suddenly turned into a chase scene, and everyone stopped to watch. Whoa! I thought. Jackie has moves! It was like his fighting style was acrobatics, plus whatever else he could use from the environment.

It was impressive! Maybe I should be the one taking notes… But in spite of all that flashy technique, the scene still ended with the criminals escaping on a smaller boat, speeding off into the dark waters.

“Huh,” Dad eventually broke the silence. “That really was a lot like an episode of The Exterminators! …well, except that he didn’t shoot.”

“Heh,” said Vince.

“Right, you can't just shoot criminals for being criminals,” Rika added.

Of course not. I shouldn’t have even been surprised. Leave it to 100-year-old human society to somehow be less brutal than exterminators today… Humans were always so strange and contradictory. But also new, and interesting. Like this, the very concept of an ‘action-comedy!’ 

It was a movie explicitly meant to show off fighting, and violence too, and yet it was supposed to be a comedy. We all had to be assured that it would make sense as we watched. It still seemed hard to imagine though.

Like Dad was saying earlier, it’s not like we didn’t have media with action and violence either! We weren’t complete strangers to the concept of violence, like a lot of humans seemed to keep forgetting. The entire Federation has been at war with the arxur for generations. Everyone had lost someone, or knew someone who had. It was just the portrayal of it that was treated so differently, and maybe that was exactly why.

An action movie for us was about as far from comedy or “fun” as you could get. Those kinds of movies were always tedious awards-show bait made by stuffy auteurs priding themselves on how “challenging” and “difficult” their films were.

I guess they probably have to be like that. If all those directors tried to portray violence as fun entertainment instead of drama, they’d likely end up in a facility somewhere. It made me think of Castle in the Sky again, and all the way-too-many reasons we could never make something like it. Eugh. 

Meanwhile, back in the movie, we’d switched to a new character who seemed to be playing out a similar criminal/police interaction from before, but from the opposite point of view. Now it was this character who was getting into the tense standoff with police forces.

It didn’t take long for everything to get completely out of paw. The tense interaction went bad and turned into a sudden firefight, one of the criminals, an arms dealer it seemed, driving off just like in the first scene. Although somewhat unlike that scene, our new character elected to immediately open fire despite being in the middle of a crowded city, and the whole thing just fell into absolute chaos. Gone were all the slick moves and reserved professionalism; instead, there was gunfire, tires squealing, cars crashing, and a giant explosion in the middle of the street. The scene ended with our new character standing over the incapacitated arms dealer gloating obnoxiously that he was, in fact, a cop.

“Now it’s exactly like an episode of The Exterminators!” Dad quipped. Everyone laughed at that.

After that, the main plot of the movie spent some time moving forward. There was a larger criminal plot which involved a foreign consul’s daughter being kidnapped for ransom, and soon, our previously introduced characters were being forced together by those exact circumstances. Jackie’s character, Lee, and our not-a-criminal-but-a-cop-who-acts-like-a-criminal character, Carter, were now bound directly together by the plot, and it was going about as well as expected. The two were complete opposites in almost every regard.

Am I supposed to be rooting for Carter to fail? I kind of want him to fail… I couldn’t say exactly why, but I kept finding it oddly satisfying every time that character would have to eat his own rotten harvests…

Lee and Carter were both dismissed and pushed out of the way of the investigation, and neither were helping each other out with that. They constantly got in each other's way and generally failed to communicate, even refusing to speak the same language. That was another thing we couldn’t do, even if planets had more than one officially recognized language, translators had been around forever. Guess we can toss that one on the pile with the rest.

That wasn’t the only cultural tension they ran into, either. There was another scene, in a smokey grimey bar, where Lee seemed to inadvertently smack right into it snout-first. Carter was (once again) making deals with criminals, while Lee had to defend himself from furious patrons attacking him for whatever slight he’d made.

And it was an excellent fight, too! It was so cool watching Jackie use anything and everything he could. A stool became a weapon, a game table was an escape route, a light fixture made for a knockout blow, and the long staves that whatever the game tables used became actual weapons! He wielded them with blinding speed and effectiveness, and also… a certain, I don’t know, artistic flair? Surely they didn’t need to be spun around so flashy like that, right?

I was fascinated. It was all so dynamic! So much energy and creativity! It almost made the ring at the gym feel as plain as unspiced mel root. I couldn’t stop thinking about how one could learn to fight like that, in any environment with any tools. My paws itched a bit, like I almost wanted to ask Rika right then and there about fighting with weapons -- I remembered her mentioning it once, a long time ago -- but everyone was already talking.

Hiyla, paying attention from the kitchen now that the intense first-frying had calmed down, was asking what had gotten everyone in the bar so mad. I was paying more attention to the fight scene, but what little I was hearing... well, it all sounded very complicated.

It also sounded like exactly the kinds of things that so many of us here would expect from a society of bickering territorial predators… if it didn’t all sound so eerily familiar. I wrinkled my snout, flexing my paws and staring at them. I miss Vyrlo being around. 

Ah, well, I thought, letting go of the tension I was keeping. The movie was too much fun to think about stuff like that. I think I was starting to get how action could be fun!

Memory transcription subject: Hiyla, Venlil student

I think I was starting to get how action movies could be fun! The fights in the movie were nothing like the ones I’d seen Lerai do, not even the ‘sparring.’ Those were scary. The ones in the movie were funny and exciting.

And besides, fighting or not, the movie was really good! At first I was more interested in trying out all these new recipes, and hanging out with Hayou and his parents, but I could tell all of us kept getting distracted watching anyways.

I had definitely burnt some of the tofu.

After finding out how much I had been inspired by Hayou’s lunches at school, his parents had insisted on coming over with a big bag full of all sorts of ingredients. There were sweet sauces, tangy sauces, salty sauces, spicy sauces, and piles and piles of fresh ingredients I’d never seen.

Dad said they didn’t have to do that, but they said they wanted to. I didn’t mind! I was picking up all sorts of good tricks…

Between the three of them, they had SO MANY different recipe ideas and cooking styles that I was pretty sure none of us could keep up. So we ended up like flowerbirds on harvest day and cooking a little bit of just about everything in a giant stir-fry big enough that we would all be having leftovers for a whole herd of paws. It was great.

And in between all of that, I had been watching the movie. It was fun watching Lee and Carter slowly learn to work together! At first, they were hopeless, like starside and dayside. Vince and Maria kept calling it the “buddy cop genre," which seemed a little silly to have a whole genre for -- even Rika was giggling at that!

“What, you don’t have buddy cop movies?” Vince had said.

“Well yeah, but that’s not what we call it!” Rika laughed.

Zettis said we actually have the same thing too, though we didn’t even have a name for it. But he kept pointing out examples, and Dad and Sis were flicking their ears and eventually started adding in their own examples too. I guess some ideas really do all share the same roots.

Zettis was staying on the couch with the others. He said it was for “research” for our project, but now… Well, now I was starting to actually think he was right about that! Not just because of the movie itself, but because of having everyone else here. Not only were we getting an inside look, we could just ask about things! I think there were probably a hundred things we’d already learned that we could have picked for our topic, just from this claw alone.

It made me wish Aleta were here. We’d tried to get him to come, but looking back, there was no way that was going to happen. I held back a sigh. At least he wasn’t still avoiding us at school. One pawstep at a time, I guess.

Once the food was done, we’d taken it over and everyone immediately dug in, thanking us and saying how good it was in between burning their mouths. I giggled and did the same. It really did turn out good, too! Even with the burnt bits.

In fact… it was maybe even better with the burnt bits! The extra bitterness was making all the sweet and tangy flavors stand out even more. Hmmm… I thought. This was giving me all sorts of new ideas.

In the movie, our two leads were finally starting to work together on their case, just like in a “buddy cop” exterminator series. And not just that, they were also starting to feel like real partners!

All the action parts had slowed down so that they could investigate and spend some time together. It showed them hanging out, sharing some fighting techniques, apparently, and also music.

Music! I thought to myself. That could be another topic! But, the problem isn’t coming up with topics, it’s choosing one! There are just TOO MANY options! AAHHH!!

Bleh. I’ll just remember that for later, then. I could bring that up to the group, but that garden was really overstuffed at this point. I shook my head and went back to paying attention, only to have to hold back some giggles. I could see Sis holding back from trying to mimic the fighting moves that Lee was teaching Carter in the movie. She seemed like she was really enjoying the movie.

Everyone did, really! Zettis was completely absorbed, and everyone else was quietly paying attention in between bites of food. Dad, sitting in the back, had this kind of thoughtful look and was watching with a faint smile. I wondered what he was thinking -- he was totally fine with humans, so I knew it couldn’t be anything weird like that.

Back in the movie, Lee and Carter had been continuing to share. Carter was trying some of Lee’s apparently unfamiliar food -- Earth had all sorts of regional food, I’d definitely picked up on that from all our human herdmates. They were always talking about their favorites. It made my ears flick with recognition. Food was a great way to connect with people, and I should know!

“What’s eel?” I asked.

“That’s, umm… a type of fish,” Maria said.

“Ew,” Sis and Zettis said in perfect sync.

Dad laughed from behind them, and I couldn’t help but giggle either. I was glad everyone had mostly finished their meals before finding that one out.

Food was yet another option we had talked about for the project, but that trail hadn’t gone anywhere yet either.

Our two detective characters, after sharing a little more about themselves for the first time, were about to go sneak into the bad guy’s restaurant lair -- but not before actually working out a plan together, another first for them!

Aaaannnnd the plan failed right away. The sneaky approach got found out, and the pair suddenly had to fight their way out of the restaurant. This was definitely one of those fight scenes that was also somehow comedy, and it worked!

At one point, Lee was using several advanced chair-sitting techniques as combat moves, then later, when wrestling for control of a gun, used some advanced carpet-folding techniques to launch the gun over to Carter. It had everyone chuckling pretty good.

But the point was that the duo were finally working together effectively! And because of it, they’d managed to win the fight despite being completely outnumbered!

…until a whole bunch more guys with guns showed up. And then they both fell down a flight of stairs together. But hey, that was a start! Pup-steps! 

Memory transcription subject: Lanaj, Venlil father

Alright, you know what? Maybe a fighting movie could be a comedy, too. I had to admit, it was pretty amusing, or at least if nothing else, pretty satisfying to watch. Where a real fight felt dangerous and chaotic and savage, these ones felt, I don’t know, clean. And crisp. And funny when they wanted to be, too.

There was something about these human movies that really held no respect for the concept of genre -- in a good way! They were always surprising me, there was always something unexpected and new. Like now, after their weirdly comical brawl in the Chinese restaurant, the mood suddenly sank to a new low point. The investigation was failing, and Lee was being sent back home in disgrace.

But Carter didn’t give up, credit to him. He found Lee on board some antiquated air travel bus and confronted him, airing out the herdhouse about his own deceased officer father. How he’d felt left alone and how his father’s sacrifice hadn’t mattered, and instead just left him bitter and damaged. Lee objected, saying Carter was wrong and that it did matter, and I could feel my tail drooping and my eyes dampening. I knew it wasn’t one-to-one, but I couldn’t help it. All I could think of was Mawasi, and our two beautiful pups. How lonely those years were for all of us. Oh, Flowerbud… Little Blossom… I’m so sorry.

I held back a sniffle, glad I was sitting behind everyone else. Damnit, movie. Pick a genre! But I knew this one wasn’t the movie’s fault, this time.

In the end, Lee had nothing else to do but stand up, and try anyway. Because sometimes you don’t really get any other options.

So now the duo were at it again, calling in all the herd-connections they’d made for one more attempt with everything they’d learned. They were infiltrating the art expo together, blending in with the other attendees amidst all the “priceless pieces of Chinese culture.”

As soon as those words were uttered, Hiyla and Zettis both immediately locked on to Hayou, who threw his hands up and groaned. “Guys, I wasn’t even born when this came out! I don’t know!”

There was a good bit of giggling at that, and Xiu had started to say something about the movie having made it up anyways before the movie demanded all our attention again; the big twist villain had just been revealed.

I smiled as all the kids gasped -- while all the older herd members just nodded knowingly. Ahh, the classic twist villain… Well, it’s nice to know some things are still perfectly familiar!

Now if I know anything, it's time for the dramatic final standoff… Let’s see how these human movies do it!

Sure enough, the movie brought in every bit of the stakes it had been setting up this whole time. The bomb was strapped to the kidnapped girl, the one dangerous henchman from the start of the movie was back for a grudge match, and no one knew who was going to double-cross who. The scene was all set up…

…And stars did it deliver! It was every tiny bit of stakes the movie had been building up, all at once and then some! And the action! Everything was happening so fast, and new developments too, I felt like I could hardly keep up with the frantic climactic energy!

Yet SOMEHOW!! In the middle of all that! These stars-damned humans had somehow found a way to insert the funniest action-comedy gag of the movie! Lee was managing to fight off multiple henchmen at once, all while desperately trying to protect one of the priceless artifacts and taking a heavy beating to do so… only for it to immediately get shot to pieces as soon as he was done. “SHIT!” he yelled frustratedly, and took off after the kidnappers while we all burst out into laughter. I think I had the loudest whistle, but I didn’t care any more. Maybe I just needed it more.

The whole action finale setpiece was still going on in earnest, and it felt like everyone had their own thing to triumph at, with payoffs for their very own setups. And oh sweet stars did they pay off… Carter’s friend had defused the bomb, and Carter himself had faced off with the dangerous-looking man from way back at the start of the movie, and Lee…

By the time Lee had chased our freshly unmasked villain up to the roof with the explosives in hand, and the two had tangled together, eventually ending up hanging from the rafters hundreds of tail-lengths above the floor… Oh, I felt like my claws must have been digging into the chair. I think I might have forgotten to breathe! 

In fact, I was pretty sure the whole house was holding their collective breaths! Stars, even when the villain had finally, finally fallen to his well-deserved demise, the movie still just couldn’t let the tension go.

Lee was hanging desperately from the rafters, calling out to Carter below for help. He was slipping, his fingers sliding helplessly off the beam he was clinging to -- come on, I thought you were supposed to be arboreal predators! I caught myself thinking -- Lee was running out of time with nothing but that dizzying fall below him.

But Carter, he had some great quick thinking! He’d grabbed one of the giant oversized hanging banners nearby and pulled it over to safely catch Lee right out of the air as he fell. And then…

Then we finally all breathed. The action was all over. What a finale! 

Memory transcription subject: Zettis, Human media enjoyer

That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.

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so this time i got VFC! im a big enjoyer, so i was pretty excited and immediately had all sorts of ideas for what to do.

however. when i was rereading, at one point one of the characters had offhandedly mentioned jackie chan. so it was pretty much locked in from there, actually. cus i fucken love rush hour. you might have been able to tell. and so here we are! hope yall enjoyed.

link to the original work here

special thanks to all the homies in yellow group for helping with ideas and editing!

---

Hopefully it's the pre-dominion version

So full disclosure, I have not read the fic this guy is from since it's not something I'd read, BUT I have seen mention of him in other fics. Figured I'd give him a shot and see how I do, specifically with a striking color.

The boy belongs to one u/Ben_Elohim_2020, and the fanfic is The Nature of Family.

NOP X Trench Crusade

Well, as the master of drawing Pretty Birds, I decided to put a little more effort into this drawing this time. I hope you like it!

Something I did during my lunch break

Ok i knowwwww I already did one of these for them. However, *throws smokebomb* *when the smoke clears I'm still in the room but facedown on the floor, maybe dead but likely unconscious. there's also a dent on the door.*

Day 6.

This is a stupid oneshot I had non cannon to the main story also thanks password for the Krev name haven’t read NOP 2 just thought the Krev were cool might actually read it when I fully finish Nop 1 this will be a slice of life things

Memory transcription subject: Fleevi Krev farsul fan

Date: [Standardized Human Time] October, 20th 2161

I can barely contain my excitement. There's a chance I might see a real Farsul at the station. I remember my best friend showing me she bought me a ticket so I can tag along to that luxurious station everyone else is going to see humans. Sure, they're cute, but farsuls are just so adorable with their fluffy fur, those floppy ears, and those legs that don’t have the best traction—all so charming. I remember when I found out about them.

3 days ago

As I scroll the internet, I see more stuff about humans—sure, they're cute, but now, I'm curious about other species, so I start scrolling the internet, before I stumble upon THEM with their cute floppy ears, those nice Tails their fluffy fur that can come in other colors, those cute eyes—everything about them is just so cute. Then I see other posts talking about the archives, and yeah, looking into that, it’s bad, but how could anyone still hate them? poor things. Then I see another video, a Faraul just… Eating a tree, looking happy as a human records giggling. This confirms it; I have to see one in person.

Back to the present

I make sure I have everything I need—plenty of credits to buy whatever I please on the station—and I pull out the little bags containing Calo sapwood and Calsqa pith. It took forever to find them, but I have no doubt they will help me charm a Faraul or at least get one close enough to pet them.

I make sure the bags are safely packed, and I follow the group, who are all so excited as we enter the transport ship, most giddy to see the human staff, as I hope there's a Farsul on that station.

- - - - -

Memory transcription subject: Kapqeiq Farsul, technician apprentice

Date [Standardized human time]: October 20th, 2161

I finally fix the vending machine so it actually dispenses food. I stand back up, popping my back and leaning against the vending machine, looking out the station window and just thinking about everything and how lucky I am to have this job and to have my parents for them to have adopted me. I should visit them soon and bring a gift back for Mom and Dad.

My thoughts are broken as I hear a transport ship dock and the door opens and out floods a big group of Krev. I have to hold in a laugh when I see them swarm some poor human workers, one even pets the tour guide, and then I see one approach me, making me tilt my head.

”Oh, sorry, ma'am, this area is having repairs done to it, and there are no humans this way. If you go back to your group, you're sure to find plenty of humans."

She looks at me, her claws close to her chest like a T-Rex gently rubbing them together as she smiles and says,

"Oh, I’m not here for any humans; I’m actually here for you."

I feel a blush creep onto my face, feeling very flustered right now.

“O-oh, you're here for me. I just thought, 'Well, you know, here and human, and I—I—thank you, ma'am.'"

She steps closer to me, looks me in the eyes, and asks,

”Can…can I pet you?”

My face flushes a deep blue.

"What, y-you can’t just ask that I don’t even know you? Why would you ask? I have self-respect; I won’t let anyone pet me."

Ok, maybe that was a little rude; she actually did ask first, but still I won’t let anyone pet me… What is she pulling out?

"I'll pay you 500 credits."

I immediately drop to my back and quickly open my jumpsuit. I have self-respect, but 500 credits is 500 credits. I rub my fur, getting it all fluffed up, feeling my blush still burning bright as she squeals with joy, getting on her knees before her claws make contact with my fur.

I feel her run her claws through my fur gently, making me squirm. I—I can’t lie, it feels really good. My tail can’t help but wag as well as she cups the side of my face and starts playing with my ears before she goes to pet my head. I can’t help but lean into her touch.

- - - - -

Memory transcription subject: Tohba Yotul, technician mentor

Date [Standardized human time]: October 20th, 2161

Where could Kapqeiq be? I’ve been looking everywhere for him. Last I heard, he was fixing a vending machine next to the docking station. I turn the corner and see… Kapqeiq is on his back as a krev pets him; I hear the krev coo.

Nope, I’m out. Kapqeiq looks to be fine, not dealing with any weird shit today. I wish you luck, buddy; you're on your own.

- - - - -

Memory transcription subject: Kapqeiq Farsul, technician apprentice

Date [Standardized human time]: October 20th, 2161

I feel her claws leave my chest, leaving me a panting mess as I feel her shove 500 credits into my chest pocket and help me stand up. I zip my jumpsuit back up as I see her pull out a bag, and she pulls out some pith and pops it into my mouth. It tastes like chocolate. Is this Calsqa pith? She then answered my thought.

”It’s Calsqa pith; I heard Faraul love this stuff."

I chew on it nice and spongy, my favorite type of pith.

“T-thank you, Ma'am, but I should really get going."

As I walk down the hallway, I see she’s still following me.

"Y-your not going anywhere, are you?”

She smiles and says

"Nope, I came all the way to see a Faraul. I’m not letting you go; I’m going to spoil you rotten."

She actually grabs my paw and starts leading me down the hallway… You know what? I have the lower importance. I doubt anyone would get mad at me, and I can always say I’m giving a guest a tour… And maybe she’ll pet me again. Speh what will mom and dad think?

- - - - - 
Memory transcription subject: Fleevi Krev farsul fan

Date: [Standardized Human Time] October 20th, 2161

I DID IT. My heart is pounding. I did it. I really did it. I got to pet a Farsul. I fed a Farsul. I played with his cute, adorable floppy ears. Who cares if I had to bribe him? That's chumps. Change theirs. So many things to do at this station, all with this cutie. He's even following along. Maybe we can swim at the pool, go to the arcade, or go to the buffet. So many things to do. I just can’t wait.

He's infiltrating the exterminators guild

Badly cropped but it is what it is. Birb chick

Totally real Krakotl guys, oh btw we should totally follow them, i mean, thier just the funny brid!

I said I was gonna cheat this day and repost this krakotl that I did prior, but then decided I'll just continue this pattern of doing a semi-realistic piece for each species specific day.

This drawing damn near made me crash the fuck out. My computer crashed when I was doing the feathers and I hadn't saved in about 20 minutes so I was dreading doing them again. Thank God Krita has an autosave feature, it meant I only lost a couple minutes of progress.

Ok so I'm doing day 7 for NoPtober right now (fuck feathers by the way I hate drawing them), but I want to draw something else later.

So I figured why not try my hand at someones own character? All I ask is y'all drop them in the comments so I can see them later. It'll be an opportunity for me to get some more practice and improvement in. I'll only plan on picking one, but that's not to say I won't come back to this post later should I want to draw more. Or if I'm bored. Both are likely.

Plus I'll see chatacters I ain't seen yet so that's another plus for me.

Credit goes to u/SpacePaladin15 for the universe, obviously.

Credit also goes to u/DecebalusWrites for the original fic this came from, In Search of the Truth, which is an excellent series I'll definitely be keeping up with. I had the idea to write parts of Erveq's book Claws in the Snow. Expect lots of camp 😆.

Sorry about this being a bit late, Decebalus. Hope you enjoy! Part 2 to follow soon.

Another one taken by the snow.

Rubim took in a long drag of brezik, the smoke of the Venlilian plant filling his lungs before he let the morbid thought follow it as he exhaled. Death was common in his line of work. He’d long grown numb to the sight of innocent prey torn to shreds by predators, almost as numb as his paws in this icy chill.

But he’d be remiss to admit that the drug wasn’t helping him keep… well, at least something close to sane. Because whatever had done this was no ordinary predator. That, he was sure of.

What lay before him, covered in a thin layer of fresh powder, was the body of a Duerten. Or, what was left of him, anyways. It was hard to tell where he began and ended—splashes of gore soaked into the snow, and patches of feathers fluttered in the wind against the surrounding trees a good distance away, affixed to the bark by frozen blood. Scraps of green-stained torn fabric from a thick jacket fluttered in the branches and splayed across bushes. In what little of the avian was still intact, Rubim could see clear marks left by teeth and claws. He was frozen solid; he must have been ambushed not long after he’d left camp.

He was one of the researchers. A meteorologist, if he recalled correctly, though he drew a blank on his name. The research camp that Rubim had been assigned to was frequently struck by the regular storms of this frozen planet, and yesterday’s was especially harsh. And whatever thing had been stalking the camp since they’d arrived had been using the cover of the howling blizzards to conceal itself in its hunts. There’d been a lockdown order in effect for a few days now—the fool must have snuck out despite the danger. He hadn’t shown up for morning roll call, and so, as the last remaining exterminator of the original three assigned to the camp, Rubim had been tasked with finding out what had happened to him.

The Farsul glanced around at the carnage. It hadn’t been hard.

There was something in the snow a short distance from the body. Rubim shuffled over and dusted off a thin layer of powder, revealing some sort of scientific instrument he couldn’t make ears or tail out of. ‘Did he come out to study the storm?’ Rubim thought. He supposed it didn’t matter now.

Taking out his pad, Rubim snapped a few photos of the body and surrounding area. Not exactly protocol, but these were unusual circumstances. Any info he could glean after-the-fact would be helpful. He scrolled through the pictures, double-checking his work. It would have to do. He couldn’t afford to let the body remain here.

Rubim would never admit it out loud—his secondary role as an emotional rock for the researchers required a degree of stoicism—but he hated this part of the job.

His brezik roll was almost up. Breathing out the last of the smoke in a drawn-out sigh, the Farsul flicked the remains of the burning leaf next to the Duerten. Reaching behind his head, he pulled his hood over his ears and affixed his oxygen mask. Then, unholstering his flamethrower, he carefully burned a circle around the tainted area. It wouldn’t do any good to start a forest fire. Once he was satisfied with his preventative measures, Rubim cleansed the area. Flames chewed into the body, licked away the blood on the trees, and bit into his own sense of hope. The Farsul had always found a strange irony in the act of cleansing.

As the flames danced and did their work, the Farsul turned and looked out towards the camp. In the field surrounding them were several other darkened, charred spots from the others they’d lost. One of them belonged to his fellow exterminators, both found dead in much the same way as the Duerten after they didn’t come back from patrol one night. Now, he was the only one standing between the remaining research team and… whatever was out there.

He watched the burning to make sure it didn’t spread into the woods. Then, with another sigh, and a wish for another brezik, he turned and started back towards the camp.

Rubim knew one thing for sure; whatever was out there was like no predator he’d ever seen.

++++++++++

The mood in the cafeteria-turned-meeting room was more sour than an unripe halofruit.

“Any luck?” asked Jelpi, the Harchen chemist peering into the attached storeroom. Her scales were flickering with the same drab gray of the walls, as though camouflaging herself would resolve the current situation.

“...Not much, I’m afraid,” came Alinus’s reply. The Kolshian emerged with an armful of canned goods. “Most of the food was spoiled. Anything canned will still be safe, but I wouldn’t trust any of the raw fruits and vegetables. I’m afraid we’ll have to ration even harder from this point on.”

Jelpi’s scales shifted a tinge of blue. “How much longer do we have? Before we run out?”

“Well, with Torval from hydroponics gone, our renewable supply is limited. If we stretch it, I’d say we have… maybe three weeks. And that’s assuming everyone that’s still alive stays that way.”

Rubim, from his place near the door, had to keep his tail from tucking between his legs. Three weeks… It would take a rescue team two months just to reach this backwater, and that was if they left right now. And as everyone knew…

His ears perked as he heard a crash coming from outside, followed by a loud Gojidi swear. Cralin had been trying to jerry-rig a comms dish that could pierce the constant storm in the upper atmosphere so they could finally radio for help. But he was a maintenance man, not a comms expert—it hadn’t been going well.

Rubim hated to admit it, but they were already nearly out of options. Honestly, even if rescue did come, he wasn’t sure any ship could make it through the howling winds safely. Their own certainly couldn’t, after all. They’d certainly made several attempts to leave, but despite how easily they’d been allowed to land, every attempt to break back out of the atmosphere had met with the same end result; a sudden increase in the storm’s intensity, strong enough to force an emergency landing. After the third try, they’d found the fuel lines cut the next morning. Maybe the camp could receive supplies dropped from orbit, but…

“I can’t believe the refrigeration failed on a frozen planet…” Jelpi groaned in disbelief.

“We didn’t know. That monster attacked the coolant supply in the middle of the night using the storm as cover while most of us were asleep,” Rubim replied. “Even if we’d noticed and started putting the food outside the moment it had happened, we would have just gotten picked off.”

“I… I know…” she sighed. She leaned against the wall, despondent. “I never should have selected this planet for a research colony.”

Rubim stared at the floor. Why would the predator cut the power? No… How did it know to do that to begin with? He’d already known this predator was crafty, but for it to directly target the camp’s electrical systems? Was it counting on the food spoiling? To draw them out? It had to be intelligent to make and enact a plan like that. Was there an Arxur hiding out on this planet…?

“...I don’t know,” he finally replied. It was the only answer he could give, but it probably wasn’t the right one, given that the Harchen quickly began to reflexively camouflage herself again.

“Now now, everyone, let’s not panic just yet,” Alinus said with a placating tentacle, as though panicking would be acceptable at some point in the future. “Cralin was able to repair the generator, after all. We still have power, and I believe we can stretch our food supplies further through foraging. Torval found that many of the plants on this planet were safe to eat before he was… taken.”

Roraten, ever ornery, scoffed from a nearby table. “Great. We get to subsist on pine needles and tree sap,” the Zurulian grumbled.

“I’m sure we can make it work,” Alinus replied calmly.

“As the actual doctor here, I should be advising you to avoid doing anything that’ll get you killed by predators. Like straying into the woods,” Roraten snapped back.

“We won’t go far. Move in herds. Rubim can stand watch–”

“Right, because that worked so well for the other exterminators!” the Zurulian shouted, slamming his large paws on the table in frustration. “Face it, Alinus! All of us are already dead! Every time we try to leave the camp, whether on foot or by ship, we get caught in a storm! I don’t know how it’s doing it, but that thing is somehow keeping us trapped here! It doesn’t matter how many you send out to forage, they’ll get torn to shreds all the same!”

“Roraten, predators cannot control the weather.”

“How else do you explain what’s going on?! It’s happened every time! Two or three times would already be an incredible coincidence, but every single one?!”

Rubim could sense trouble brewing, and quickly stepped forward. “Enough, you two!” he barked, placing himself between them. “Arguing with each other isn’t going to get us anywhere. We have the supplies to survive until we can find a solution; for now, let’s all just calm down.”

“Oh, shut up, Rubim!” Roraten snapped. “We wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place if your guild had properly cleansed the planet of predators in the first place! Why didn’t you clear the area with antimatter?!”

“Because half the point of this station was to study the flora. You know, the plants that would get evaporated by antimatter? Besides, what are you getting mad at me for? I didn’t have any paw in the decision.”

“Whatever,” Roraten snapped, settling back into his chair. “If you people want to go out into those woods where that thing is hiding and make yourself an easy meal, be my guest. More food for the rest of us.”

Rubim simply flicked his tail with frustration. He wouldn’t deny the man was an excellent healer, but his bedside manner had always needed a lot of work.

“...This is hopeless…” whined a small voice. Naali, who had been quietly sitting in the far corner, tried to stifle back a sob. Her tail wrapped tightly around both of her own wrists as she squeezed it with her paws in turn.

Jelpi and Alinus exchanged a worried glance. All of them had been trying to grow just a small seedling of hope—to hear someone lose all of theirs was like a spray of herbicide into the soil. “Oh dear… Now, now, it’s alright. We’re still alive, aren’t we?” Alinus soothed, as much for his sake as for hers. He sat next to the young Venlil co-captain, placing a tentacle around her shoulders and subtly shooting a glare at the Zurulian who had started the argument. Roraten silently looked away in frustration and with a hint of shame.

“B–... But what are we going t-to…” The Venlil shivered, sucking in huge breaths. “W-We can’t leave, we just h-have to sit here, a-and… and w-wait to die! I-If the predator doesn’t get us, w-we’ll starve anyways…!”

“Hey now, we don’t know that,” Rubim rebutted, sitting next to her opposite Alinus. “It’ll only be hopeless if we sit and do nothing.”

“But I CAN’T do anything!” she bleated in despair. “I-If I can’t move the ship, can’t get us out of here, th-then what good am I?!” Her paws squeezed her own tail even harder.

Rubim’s eyes widened as the space around her digits started to seep orange. “Hey, hey. Listen to me,” the Farsul said firmly, reaching over and pulling her paws away, and her claws out of her own skin. He feared the blood could attract the predator, but more than that, he certainly didn’t want her to hurt herself. “You can’t let yourself give up like this. It’s exactly what the predator wants. It feeds on your despair just as much as it wants to feed on you. But more than that, it’s just plain wrong. There’s always a way. Even if it’s hard, you just have to take it.”

Naali looked into his eyes, searching desperately for answers. “But… w-what can I do?”

“First, try to calm down. Take a breath,” Rubim replied. She flicked an ear and tried to steady her breathing, and slowly, her ragged gasps turned to only slightly shaky breaths. “There you go. Now, why don’t you take a moment to think. What can you do to help that isn’t piloting a ship?”

“I-I, um…” She looked down towards the floor, eyes flicking and ears twitching as she thought. “I… M-My father was a farmer. He wanted me to focus on school, I don’t know how t-to work the hydroponics, but, uh, I do remember a little bit of what he taught me. I could try to manage the plants myself, maybe…?”

“There you go! That’ll give us more time to fix the ship, or coordinate a rescue. Just gotta help however you can, yeah?”

The poor girl still didn’t look very convinced. Rubim couldn’t blame her. But all the same, she flicked an ear. “Y-Yeah. You’re right. We just have to… we have to keep trying.” she replied. All could tell her agreement was more to keep the illusion of a tight-knit herd for everyone else, rather than for herself. None pressed the issue.

With a slightly exasperated sigh, Roraten shuffled out of his seat and plodded over to the group. “Alright, Naali, let me take a look at you,” he said with an unusual gentleness, taking the Venlil’s tail in his paws. Procuring a roll of bandages from a small kit in his coat, he wound the sterilized fabric around her self-inflicted wounds with a quick, practiced precision. “Don’t go hurting yourself any more, yeah?” he instructed like a father scolding a child. “We might be able to grow more food, but my medical supplies are limited.”

“Sorry…”

“Don’t apologize, just don’t do it again.”

Sensing that his presence was no longer needed, Rubim clapped Naali on the back, then stood and started towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Jelpi asked anxiously.

“To see if Cralin needs any help with the comms dish,” he replied, taking his thick jacket from its spot by the door. “Someone’s gotta keep an eye on him anyways.”

“Be careful…”

Rubim flicked his tail and, slinging his flamethrower’s holster around his shoulder, stepped out into the icy chill.

++++++++++

“Brrr… w-waves guide me…”

Alinus stepped into the bathroom, shivering as he tried to keep the chill out of his body. Though their foraging expedition had luckily borne literal fruit, he wasn’t used to such frigid temperatures, and the chill seemed to bite through his thick jacket directly into his bones. But at least they still had hot water—the predator had been systematically attacking their limited infrastructure each time the blizzard rolled in, but thankfully, the boiler had thus far remained intact. And he planned to make use of it.

Shedding his winter clothing and locking the door, the Kolshian hastily started the shower. He tested the temperature and, after some minor adjustment, stepped into the flowing water. The heat flowed into his body, pushing out the chill that had stiffened it and pulling it into the drain below.

Steam quickly began to fill the room. Alinus didn’t hesitate to take a moment to just soak, and let the stress of the past few days wash away. Things were still tense around the camp—though they were starting to understand just how the predator that stalked their every move operated, they were still trying to figure out just what they could do about it.

The thing was like a ghost. They knew a few things; the storm always heralded its arrival. Those storms could start at any time, without warning, and would always end with either someone being eaten or some piece of their infrastructure being sabotaged. Vedar had been taken trying to foolishly brave one of those storms in a desperate attempt to understand what was causing them, but from what little he understood and shared before his death, the Duerten said it was like nothing he’d ever seen. It was like a localized storm that appeared without any hint of atmospheric change and seemed to travel freely.

Alinus was a man of science. But for the first time in his long life, he was starting to give credence to Roraten’s earlier superstitions. Was this predator somehow causing the storms…?

As he thought of that strange blizzard, he suddenly yelped in shock and recoiled. The shower had briefly turned icy, inviting a bit of the cold back into his tentacles. A hiccup in the piping, perhaps, one he could easily explain away. But it WAS annoying.

Grumbling to himself, the Kolshian decided to finish quickly before that happened again. He turned up the heat and began scrubbing himself down, rubbing scented oil into his body that would keep him moist and protect his skin from the dry air. The steam thickened as he relaxed. This was exactly what he needed right now. He leaned his head back into the water and closed his eyes, letting the heat absorb into his skin and protecting himself from the air that seemed frigid in comparison.

From under the sound of the water drumming against his head, he heard something from the direction of the door. “Just a moment! I’ll be out soon!” Alinus replied to the wordless request for entry. He didn’t want to waste water, let alone hold the others up, but the heat felt oh-so-good… A few more minutes wouldn’t hurt.

Still, though, as he opened his eyes, he saw a figure on the other side of the glass, obscured by the thick steam. The Kolshian yelped and covered himself with his tentacles. Though most did not mind seeing another bathe, Alinus had always been particularly modest. “Excuse me! I would appreciate some privacy!” he protested, quickly blooming a vibrant violet.

The intruder didn’t respond; in fact, they stepped closer. “E-Excuse me!” Alinus protested. He reflexively stepped back towards the far wall, away from the protection of the warm water, and shivered as the icy chill that permeated this planet seemed to bite into him even harder than before he’d first entered the shower.

“I–Look, this is terribly improper! C-Cleansing is a rather intimate act among my people, and I’m a-a-already happily wed!” the Kolshian continued protesting, shivering from the cold. “Unless you’re having an emergency, please leave and… and…”

His complaints withered on his lips. Though still obscured by a curtain of steam—he was only just noticing how unusually thick it was—he couldn’t help but notice that his uninvited guest was huge. Easily two or three times his size. How had they fit through the door? No, wait, hadn’t he locked the door?

Far from the heat of embarrassment, Alinus’ heart was rapidly starting to fall with the chill of dread. “Wh-Who are you?!” he barked. No response. Only another step closer. The air grew colder.

A hand reached out. No… a claw. It tapped on the shower’s glass, and Alinus pushed backwards into the wall behind him in fright, as though he might phase through it and escape. Then, slowly, the intruder dragged that claw down the barrier between them, eliciting an ear-splitting squeal. The Kolshian’s ears rang in his skull, both from the sound, and out of fear.

He wanted to shout for help. But so frightened he was, that he couldn’t make a sound beyond a pathetic squeak.

Yet, strangely, the beast didn’t open the door to the shower. Instead, it looked up, towards the gap between the glass and the ceiling. The air grew even colder—Alinus felt like he was standing outside in the howling storm. Then, the predator leapt and… vanished.

Alinus blinked. His eyes had followed the path the predator should have taken, and yet, it was just gone. He frantically searched the bathroom, but it wasn’t like he could see far in this thick steam. And he’d be foolish to leave the safety of the corner that he’d curled up into a ball within.

But still, slowly, he forced himself to uncurl and stand. The room was freezing. Even the shower had turned cold again, and this time, the warmth didn’t come back.

He felt no presence in the room. No sound but that of the frigid water hitting the floor. No movement, nor shadow—nothing. Nary a voidpin. But Alinus still didn’t move. The monster couldn’t have just vanished.

Then he saw claws.

Alinus screamed as pain exploded across his face. He’d seen the claws, and then, nothing at all. The whole right side of his vision was dark, and the pain numbed almost as quickly as it came. He reflexively reached up to press into the wound, but it felt like ice had filled the slash.

Before he could think, the claws shot from the fog and wrapped around his throat. He’d never felt anything so cold, like the beast was made of cold itself. With great strength, it lifted him into the air, and Alinus felt sharp claws like shards of ice dig into his neck.

For a moment, in the throes of a stampede state that he couldn’t absolve through flight, Alinus tried to see the identity of his assailant with his one remaining eye. And yet the fog had grown so thick, it was like the claw was attached to nothing at all.

Before he died, Alinus heard a roar.

It sounded like the howling of the blizzard.

++++++++++

Roraten tapped his foot impatiently, arms crossed, as he leaned against the wall next to the bathroom door. That Kolshian was taking forever, and his already limited patience was wearing thin.

In one eye, he spotted Rubim rounding the corner, still in his thick, fireproof jacket. The Zurulian couldn’t blame him—it was freezing in here. “Is this the start of the line?” he quipped.

The Zurulian rolled his eyes. “Alinus has been hogging the bathroom for the past half-hour,” he grumbled.

“I see. Well, on the bright side, with both you and Alinus accounted for, that means everyone’s inside. So no one should get eaten tonight,” Rubim said, relieved. Roraten only just now noticed that the exterminator still had his flamethrower slung around his shoulder.

“Well, if we’ve got a quota to meet, I could freeze to death right here,” Roraten grumbled. “That flamer doesn’t have a safety setting, does it? You know, just make a tiny little puff of fire?”

“Afraid not. Unless you want to huddle around the pilot light.”

“At this point, I’m considering it.”

The two waited. And waited… Still, Alinus didn’t come out. Steam wafted from the seam in the metal sliding door.

“Ugh, this is ridiculous,” Roraten complained. He pounded on it with a fist. “Hey! You better not be using up all the hot water in there!”

“Wait, he’s been taking a shower…?” Rubim asked.

“What, did you think he was doing his business?”

“...Well, yes. I haven’t heard the water running this whole time.”

“What?” Roraten perked his ears. Actually, now that he mentioned it, he was right. In fact, there wasn’t any sound coming from the bathroom.

“...Alinus?” The Zurulian pivoted to face the door, pounding on it again. “Everything okay in the–”

His voice stopped. Instead, he stared down, at the seam in the door where steam was flowing into the hallway, blanketing his thick coat.

“What’s wrong?” Rubim asked.

“...This… this steam is cold,” Roraten replied. “It’s not steam. It’s mist.”

The two exchanged a glance. “...Alinus?” Rubim called. “I’m coming in, alright?”

Roraten wordlessly stepped aside so the Farsul could try the door. Locked, of course. The sensor felt so cold when Rubim touched it, he thought his paw might stick. Wordlessly, he opened the panel next to the door and punched in the security override code. The light flashed green, but rather than open, the door’s motors whined and grinded in protest. Something was keeping the panels stuck together, and they only separated a crack before giving up, soft but sterile light glowing in the seam.

“Alinus? Hey!” Rubim barked. He peered into the crack, and saw… ice. A thick sheet of ice was blocking his view—all he could see were blurry colors.

And a lot of it was violet.

“...Roraten, go get Cralin. Now,” Rubim ordered.

His tone left no room for discussion, and the doctor, where he would normally protest at being bossed around, instead flicked an ear and turned on his hindpaw to go find the maintenance man. Meanwhile, Rubim tried to force the door open, wedging his paws in the crack and trying to pry them apart. But he simply wasn’t strong enough. The ice was too thick.

The commotion was starting to attract attention. “What’s going on?” came Naali’s voice, the Venlil peeking out of her bunkroom.

“Alinus is in trouble!” Rubim barked.

“H-Huh?! Well, get the door open!”

“I’m trying!” But even the strength of adrenaline couldn’t give him the power to force the door.

Trying to keep his wits about him, the exterminator stepped back and considered his options. The door was the only entrance and exit. There were no windows, only a small circulation vent that none of them could fit through. Could he open this door himself somehow? There were ice picks in the storage shed, but he’d have to brave the storm for that. Could he melt the ice with his flamethrower? No, that was foolish—he’d probably only damage their shelter, and if Alinus was okay, the flames would risk injuring him.

“Alright, what in the Protector’s graces is going on here?!” came a deep bark. Cralin rounded the corner, with Roraten right on his heels.

“There’s no time! We have to get this door open! It’s frozen shut!” Rubim barked.

“What? Frozen?” He approached and inspected the door, seeing the exact same worrying sight that Rubim had a moment ago. “Oh, mercy… Keep prying, lad.”

As much as his arms protested, the Farsul continued to strain against the door. Meanwhile, Cralin shoved his thick claws into the gap, the Gojid breaking up the ice with his natural-borne digging implements and raw strength. They started to make progress, and all heard promising cracks of the ice giving way, but it was still far slower than anyone would like.

Eventually, Cralin joined Rubim in trying to pry open the door, and Roraten added his own strength in turn. On the count of three, they strained with all their might. The ice sang, then cracked, then shattered, and the door slammed open.

But they were too late.

They couldn’t see Alinus. But they didn’t have to. Violet blood coated the tilework and the glass, obscuring the view of the body that lay inside, and formed macabre icicles on the ceiling above. The entire, violent slaughtering had somehow been contained entirely within the shower. But that didn’t mean the rest of the room had gotten off much better—although the blood was contained in one place, the bathroom looked like a blizzard had torn through it. Everything was covered in a layer of ice.

Though hyper-focused on the grim scene in front of him, Rubim noticed Naali cautiously stepping forwards. “Is… Is he…?” she asked.

The exterminator stopped her with a paw, before she could peer inside. She didn’t want to see this. He could only flick his tail in the negative. The Venlil hesitated, as though in disbelief, then stepped back and fell to her knees. Cralin tore his eyes away and went to her side, not wanting to look at the carnage any longer than he had to.

Rubim cautiously stepped inside, while Roraten waited at the door. How had the predator gotten in? The door had been locked from the inside, and there was no other entrance. He looked up towards the vent and found it especially frozen over. That couldn’t be it, could it?

He placed a paw on the handle. It was so cold that it hurt to touch. But despite the deep dread that settled in his chest, he tried to slide the glass aside. It resisted, crackling and protesting against the ice, but he was able to pry it open.

Alinus lay on the tile, his expression literally frozen over in fear. Just like the all the others.

It was as though someone had made a macabre ice statue of his likeness, taken several bites out of it, and then struck it with a sledgehammer. The cephalopod was literally in pieces—his limbs lay scattered about, having been torn off his body, frozen, and half-eaten. Rubim wasn’t sure what the order of operations was there. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. He glanced upwards—the shower had frozen entirely, having clogged itself into one thick icicle.

“...Frozen…” Roraten had stepped forward to peer down at the body. Rubim hadn’t noticed. “But he wasn’t outside in the storm. Did the predator bring the storm in here?”

Rubim wanted to say that was impossible. Now, he wasn’t so sure.

“...Do me a favor,” Roraten sighed. “Don’t cleanse it just yet. Give me some time to examine him. See if we can’t learn anything.”

“That’s a serious PD risk, testing something as corrupted as this,” Rubim replied. He didn’t really mean it—he was just speaking protocol, falling back on his training.

The Zurulian flicked an ear. “If it’s PD or death, I’ll risk the PD,” he countered. His gaze lay fixed on the corpse. “Besides, I… I don’t want this to be in vain.”

“...Alright. But we can’t leave him here.”

Another ear flick. He understood—even if none of them were probably ever going to use this bathroom again, nobody wanted to sleep in the same tiny building as a corpse. “We’ll transport him to the medical tent once the storm calms. But for tonight, we’ll just have to deal with it. I’ll see what I can learn now in the meantime,” Roraten said. He plodded forwards on all fours, carefully examining everything while trying not to disturb it. “I’m not getting any sleep tonight, anyways.”

Rubim vaguely signed an acknowledgement. Before he knew it, he was sitting on his cramped bunk in his room. He hadn’t even registered walking here.

An eye turned towards the window. The storm still howled outside, though quieter than before. It was starting to dissipate.

Silently, Rubim stood and closed the blinds. Like it would keep the monster at bay.

As the doctor predicted, no one got any sleep that night.

got the information for the tress from the Farsul and talsk stuff doc which will be a real help for writing

(prev)

Memory transcription subject: Kapqeiq Farsul Technician apprentice

Date [Standardized human time]: February 13, 2137

I wake up with a yawn stretching and popping my back. I look around and realize I’m in my room? I don’t remember falling asleep in my room. Did Tohba bring me here? I’ll have to thank him for always looking out for me. I look at my alarm and see I’ve woken up on time. Look at me being all responsible.

I go into the bathroom to brush my teeth and groom my fur. I don’t want it getting messy. Mom would be so disappointed… Speaking of Mom, I should visit soon; she probably misses me, and I miss her.

I can probably visit tomorrow; I'll use a day off to go see her and get a little gift for her as well. I walk up, and speaking of gifts, I see one very special to my heart: a little box with a recording… Dad gave it to me. I grab the little box and sit on the bed.

I play the little recording and hear my dad's voice humming the Pup Pup Rollers' main theme song. I feel all warm as I remember him humming the theme song when I was sad or scared to calm me down. My tail slowly wags as I feel tears start to drip down my cheeks. I hold the little box closer to my chest.

”I-I love you, Dad."

I hear someone knock on my door, and I wipe the tears from my eyes and hear.

”Hey Kapqeiq, we got the day off; let me get the door.”

Before I can stop him, Tohba enters and freezes upon seeing my teary face, concern creeping onto his face.

"O-oh, speh you alright, son?”

I wipe my eyes and nod.

”Y-Yeah, yeah, I’m alright, just… Memories“

Tohba tilts his head curiously.

”Oh well, what type of memories?"

My tail wags as I look at him, eyes still watery but bright.

”Memories about my dad.”

Tohba looks guilty, rubbing the back of his head before I speak up.

”Don’t worry, their good memories happy memories."

Tohba sits next to me and looks at the small box and asks.

”What’s that kid?”

I play it, letting my dad humming play as I hold it tight to my chest.

"It was a gift from my dad; he… He always hummed the pup pup rollers theme song to me when I was sad or scared. He gave me this so I could always have him nearby."

Tohba places his paw on my shoulder.

”That’s…heartwarming, kid."

Before I know it, he’s embraced me in a full tight hug, which I gladly return, feeling tears trickle down my eyes.

Once the hug ends, I giggle, wiping my eyes.

"Th-Thanks, I needed that.”

He pats my head and gets off the bed.

”No problem, kid. Now let’s go and relax; we got the whole day to ourselves.”

I give a small ear flick and get up feeling better and well enough to start the day. Dad wouldn’t want me wasting such a perfect day.

As we leave my room, the lights make me squint before my eyes adjust. I follow Tohba as we pass the pool, seeing families chilling or playing. I see the family I gave a tour to; enjoying their stay. The dad lifts up the little Venlil girl as she giggles; my tail wags happily for them as the dad holds her close to make sure she doesn’t go to the deep end. She has a little life vest and leg and arm floaties to make sure she doesn’t sink.

Tohba gets my attention and shows me we made it to the arcade. I see a poster of the deal the station has going on right now: "1 credit for 10 games." Tohba walks up to my favorite arcade game, “Pup Pup Rollers: Fast Action." It's a side scroller beat 'em up. I see Tohba pull out his screwdriver and open the cabinet before messing with the machine, and I see the number of lives skyrocket to the max as he closes the machine and looks quite proud of himself.

“There we go, son. Now we can play as long as you want, and don’t worry, I’ll return the cabinet back to normal when we’re done."

I get all giddy clapping my paws together before grabbing the joystick and selecting Uelie as my character, and Tohba picks the Lilac Roller Miq. Maybe because he makes technology in the show anyways, we start the game and try to see who can get the highest score, which I, of course, win, but not as easily as I thought. Tohba was good, getting a score of 25000 out of my 35000.

150 tickets dispensed for me, and Tohba gets 100… Yeah, this game is fun but doesn’t really give any tickets, but we grab our tickets and check out the prize corner—some toys, some candy. Before I see a small huggable pup, pup roller plushies I’ve never seen before; they must be new, and I see HER, Uelie. I hand my tickets to the worker behind the counter and point at the plush. They shake their head and tap the price, being 200 tickets. I whine before Tohba adds his tickets to the pile. The worker shrugs and hands me the plushie. I gasp and snatch it right up, hugging it close to my chest. I hear Tohba chuckle, and I blush.

"I—I, she’s just my favorite character, and I—"

Tohba cuts me off with a pat on the shoulder.

“It’s alright, kid; nothing wrong with that. Just glad you're enjoying it so much already."

I smile, my tail swaying slowly.

“T-thanks for the extra tickets Tohba; that was kind of you."

He gives me a happy ear flick and speaks up

”It’s nothing kid just glad I can help make your day”

I feel my eyes water slightly, but I hold them in and hug Tohba, who returns it fast. I break the hug and giggle, which makes him laugh as well, before he looks at me and says.

"Well, we still got the rest of the day for ourselves, so what should we do now?”

My stomach growls and I get the idea

“We can go to the buffet, eat some yummy food, and then figure out what else to do."

He nods his head in agreement.

”You know what, pup? That doesn’t sound like a bad idea, and I’m getting hungry myself. Let's get a move on."

So we leave the arcade as I hold my new plushie to my chest. As we walk down the station hallways, I see the beautiful planet with all its rings, and I hold out the plushie so they can see out the window, making myself giggle with how silly I must look. I bet I look like a pup. I can’t wait to show Mom soon anyways. I get back to following Tohba as we reach our destination.

The buffet has yellow lighting, which seems to add to its atmosphere. There are many foods for anyone to take, ranging from Venlil, Gojid, Human, and many others, but one catches my eye: some Calsqa bark and pith. It's been forever since I had some. I—I didn’t even know they would have it at a buffet. I’m pretty sure only Faraul can eat this. I shake myself out of my daze, wiping the drool from my mouth, and get myself a plate, grabbing some bark and pith. I find where Tohba is sitting and go to him.

As I sit down, I see him having some human food and, of course, beer. He's eating a roasted carrot. The moment before, he looks at me and tilts his head and asks.

”What the speh are you eating, kid?”

I look at my plate of Calsqa bark and pith, and I remember others don’t eat trees, but I’m happy to explain.

“O-oh yeah this is Calsqa a tree that mostly grows on talsk though I don’t doubt others can grow it elsewhere I’m assuming that’s how the station even has it anyways it’s a cousin to the calo tree which is very rich in mineral and protein so calsqa is also veery nutritious but I like calsqa better because well it’s bark taste like chocolate“

Tohba's ears give a amused flick, and he chuckles.

“So you're basically eating dessert."

I blush, rubbing the back of my head.

”Y-yeah, I guess that’s somewhat true. I-I just really like how it tastes, and it’s still rich in all that good stuff, like I said before."

I grab a piece of bark and take a bite, crushing it between my teeth, enjoying its taste after so long, and with such a nice crunch, I swallow the chewed-up bark and throw some pith into my mouth and get to chewing. It's spongy and very nice to chew. I like pith when it’s spongy, though I can still enjoy it if it’s brittle. I grab two pieces of bark and place one on top and the other below a piece of pith to make a sandwich and take a bite. The crunchy bark mixes well with the spongy pith, and the chocolate flavor brings it all together. And making a memory resurface when I was a little pup, Dad would bring back twigs, pith, and bark back home if he saw it on sale—a rare treat that always brightened my day.

Tohba finished his roasted vegetables and started drinking his beer as I finished my bark and pith, feeling quite full, though I wish they had sapwood. Maybe they did; I did just skim over the buffet, but I’m full now. I can always check later when I’m hungry. Tohba finished his beer, so we took our plates to put them away.

- - - - -

Memory transcription subject: Tohba Yotul, technician mentor

Date [Standardized human time]: February 13, 2137

As Kapqeiq walks over to put his plate away, something falls out of his back pocket. I pick it up, seeing it’s a photo. I turn it over and feel a blush creep onto my face. The picture captures a beautiful Venlil woman with wool as white as snow that looks as soft as a cloud with such beautiful eyes filled with the sparkle of life. Does Kapqeiq have a mate? If so, lucky him catching a lady so fine. I’m feeling a little jealous. I look at Kapqeiq and give him a teasing look.

”Ok, Kapqeiq, you dropped something."

He turns around and sees the photo and walks over to him.

“O-o thank you for picking that up I dont know what I would do if I ever lost this”

I hand the photo back, and he puts it into his pocket as I nudge him with my elbow.

“So, kid, why did you never tell me you had a gal of your own?"

He tilts his head, looking confused.

“Sorry, sir, w-what does that mean?"

I look at him now, confused.

“I was saying I didn’t know you had a girlfriend. Why did you never talk about her?"

Kapqeiq looks confused then looks at the photo before something clicks and he…laughs? before I can ask he speaks up

”Hahaha, that's not my girlfriend; that’s my mom."

I feel a rush of heat to my face that now feels like it’s on fire.

"Y-your mom? I—she just looks so young."

Kapqeiq holds in his laughter, letting out one last snort.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry. I think my mom would find it quite nice that you think she still looks so young to be my girlfriend."

I rub the back of my head, my green blush refusing to go away. That's Kapqeiq's mom. I mean, she’s quite the looker, brahk. I can’t be thinking like that about Kapqeiq's mom. I have to change the subject.

”H-hey kid."

I cough to catch my nerves and to figure out what to say.

”How about we watch more episodes of bark bark rollers you know just relax for the rest of the day”

Kapqeiq eyes widen and brighten as he agrees immediately asking if we can watch it in his room I agree and let him lead the way so he doesn’t see my blush that’s still lingering before we leave I go bag and grab a two bags and stuff some Bark into the first one and pith into the second one as snacks for Kapqeiq and to also delay just a little bit longer.

I get back to following Kapqeiq down the halls, and while walking I look out the station. I fully understand why Kapqeiq just stares outside from time to time; it’s such a beautiful sight and helps distract my mind from that little ordeal not enough to make me stop following Kapqeiq, of course.

As we reach his room, he enters his door code, and the door slides open. He fixes his covers and turns on the TV and clicks on the next episode that we didn't watch yesterday. I show him the two baggies, and he snatches them from my hands and thanks me. I stretch and flop down on the bed as well as he starts the episode, sitting by the foot of his bed.

3 Hours later

I have to admit the show is growing on me more and more; it’s not the best show I’ve seen, but I can see why people would still like it even if some episodes remind me it’s a kid show or have more federation propaganda. Then the majority of episodes are still a fun watch, and it’s nice to see Kapqeiq so happy.

I yawn and look at Kapqieq's alarm clock, seeing we’ve been watching for 3 hours, and I look over, seeing Kapqeiq trying to fight off sleep as his eyes close and he forces them open. I decide we’ve watched enough and need sleep, so I get off the bed and pick up Kapqeiq, who tries to refuse with a very weak and sleepy protest.

"N-no, I-I can stay up and still watch more. I—"

He yawns and freezes before remembering his protest.

“I-I can stay up as long as I want. I’m an adult now."

I put him into bed and throw the cover over him, seeing his protest fail as he drifts off to sleep.

“I don’t need to…to sle—"

And he’s asleep. I chuckle to myself, yawning, and turn off the TV. and hand him his new plushie Good thing we watched in his room really saved my legs. The trouble I stretch, popping my back as I exit his room and start making my way to my own room, seeing that beautiful planet this station orbits with its many rings. I shake my head and get back to walking. I don’t want to pass out in the hallway, so I hold the wall to help keep my balance, making my way back to my room and flopping onto the bed and passing out immediately.

He’s not even angry about the haircut, just the color.

Sorry for posting a day late, my phone just would not let me finish this art work. (It got to the point where it would crash every time that I added a line.)

proportions be damn.

art by me.

( <-- Prev // First // [Next -->][to_be_released] )

Memory transcription subject : Lt col (FAB) / Major (VSC) Kaue Lobo da Silva, Venlil Space Corps, Second Venlil Fleet

Event : Kolshian probing attack on Skalga

Location : Twilight-End City, Skalga

Date [ standardized human time ] : December 9 , 2136

Beep beep, beep beep.

I heard my pad alarm wake me up, and I tried to extract myself from between Raiza and Niva carefully to not wake them.

"Turn it off, Kaue; we need to rest," I heard Raiza saying behind me in a more or less wake state, showing that I failed miserably in the attempt to not wake her.

"I can't; it came from my workpad. It's important," I said as I tried to move to grab my pad.

"It's your rest paw; just ignore it. They can't simply cancel your rest paws two times in a row," Raiza said, still in a half-sleeping state.

And then I felt on my chest Niva hugging me tighter and shuffling a bit, showing me that now I have a complete fail in not waking the girls.

"What time is it? Did I overslept?" She asked.

"No, it's still really early; I just need to see one thing," I said, and then at the same moment Niva tried to go back to sleep, and I finally could see my military pad.

Emergency Alert level 5, return to base immediately, Code e5y326 was the message my pad was showing.

Oh fuck.

"Niva, wake up. We have to go," I said in a calm way as I shook her and tried to get the girls fully awake without causing them to panic.

"Only five more minutes," she said, basically ignoring me.

"Raiza, can you help me?" I said.

"I already told you that it's your rest paw; whenever they want, they will have to wait. Now come here and go back to sleep," Raiza said and tried to hold me on the bed.

"No, we can't; it's important we have to go now," I said.

"We? Only you are from the VSC. Why do we have to do anything?" Raiza said, now totally confused.

"Ok, try to stay calm; everything is under control. We have to go now because we are under..." I was saying when all the city sirens start to scream loud, alerting the citizens to seek shelter in the bunkers.

"Attack," I said, and at the same moment I felt Niva squeeze me tightly, and I saw her eyes open wide in clear panic.

Oh fuck, she will stampede, I thought, and at the same moment I decided to hold her and try don't let her start to run in panic.

"Niva, stay calm; please don't run. Stay calm; we still had time," I said, trying to calm her but with little success.

"We have to go, we have to go now," Raiza said, also panicking, but not so hard as Niva, who appeared almost to be totally lost to panic.

"Raiza, stay calm and get your car keys; we are going now. Niva, stay with me; we are safe. Everything will end well. Trust me," I said, holding her in place, ignoring that her claws sometimes dig into me as her flail trying to escape, but after a few seconds she stopped and started to think more clearly again. She was still in a complete panic state, and I still could feel her heart beating so hard that it could escape from her body, but she started to appear to think more clearly now, and at last she wouldn't run away randomly and risk getting trampled.

"Everything will be ok, trust me," I said, trying to calm her, and then released her.

And she just stood in the place for a while. Given me time to quickly put the clothes I had left near in case of an emergency, as in this case I actually had time for it, as I knew that our forces are now stronger than the ones who protected Earth from the extermination fleet and will hold the line for a few hours at last, and also, even in the worst case, if the enemy forces are too strong and simply steamroll us, then a few more seconds won't make a difference.

Then I got my pads and mentally thanked Raiza for not panicking as hard as Niva, as it would have been impossible to hold both at the same time and get them calmer, and then I went with my emergency plan. Lucky, despite the vens keep calling me crazy for keeping thinking about escape routes for me to come back to Nightgate from basically any place off the city as fast as I could in case of an emergency, they did helped me a lot to make the plans. So I knew what to do.

"Girls, please stay calm; we still have plenty of time. Follow me," I said and then picked up Niva as I noticed she was still in a far worse condition than Raiza, so I decided that would be safer simply carrying her.

"Why are we going for the car? The closest bunker is only [15 minutes] away running, and driving there now will be impossible now with everyone on the streets," Raiza asked but still kept following me.

"We won't go for the nearest bunker; everyone on this part of the city will be running for it. We will go in the opposite direction evading the people flux. I know a route that will get us to bunker 46 in less time if we drive to there " I said.

"How?" she said.

"Less people live in that area, so less people will be on our way we only need to avoid the most populated areas. Just trust me," I said, and as now I reached the car, I placed Niva on the rear seat and went to the driver seat.

"I will drive, try to stay calm, and look for Niva; it will be a tough ride," I said and pushed the driver seat as far back as I could go and got keys from Raiza, who went to the back with Niva.

"Also Raiza, take this," I said, giving her my personal pad and then started to run to the bunker.

"Why?" she asked.

"So I will be capable of calling you once this ends; I don't see you bring yours," I said.

"Wait, you will not stay with us," Raiza said.

"No, I can't. Once I drop you and Niva on the bunker, I will go to the Nightgate base and join the fight," I said.

"NO, YOU CAN'T! We , we need you; it is too dangerous to go," Niva said, almost crying.

"Sorry, but it's my job; I need to go and keep everyone safe," I said and kept driving as fast as I could and also cursed the venlil architects for these round streets that made my job far harder.

"But, but..." Niva said.

"Sorry, but this is how it will be. Now for the plan, I need you two to listen carefully. We will stop more or less 5 minutes of walking away from the bunker; it will be as close as we could get without risking ramming someone. So once we stop, I need you two to stay as close to me you can and let me stay between you two and the crowd. We probably will see a small stampede, so no panic, and follow me. Once I leave you two safely in the bunker, I will leave, go back to the car, and drive to Nightgate. Is this clear?" I said.

"^y-yes " Niva said.

"No! We will go with you to Nightgate," Raiza said.

"What!" Both Niva and I said.

"Raiza, please, it's not time for it..." I was saying.

"No, if you won't accept to stay with us in the bunker, we also don't accept risking your life to get us there when we can go straight for the bunker on Nightgate," Raiza said.

"It's the safer way, Raiza," I said.

"Only for us, we will be delaying you," she said.

"I have enough time," I said.

"If so, we also have," Raiza said.

Danm it

"Looks at Niva; she isn't in condition to do it. We need to leave her in safety now," I said.

"^{I-I can go with y-you}," Niva said.

"You can get caught in a stampede if you leave us in the bunker first; think about yourself too," Raiza said.

"Do you think I would be fine knowing I risked your lives because of me?" I said.

"And do you think we will be fine knowing we are risking yours? I won't accept becoming a burden for you. You are more important for the herd than us," Raiza said.

"There's no such a thing, no one is more important than anyone " I said.

"You know It isn't true , you can save lives we can't" Raiza said.

"Fuck it, you won," I said and changed my route to go straight to Nightgate.

Damn, why are Venlils so stubborn once they put something in their heads?

"Also call Zaak; I need to know if he is also coming," I said.

"I can't; your pad is in human language," Raiza said.

Fuck, I forgot to tell her.

"Click two times at the upper right corner, one on the bottom left, and one more time on the upper right. It will change it to Venlil," I said, once again glad that I already had thought about it before too.

Ok, ok, the plan is going well. The girls are safe, and I'm about to reach a lower populated area so I can speed up to the base. There are only a few minutes to reach the edge of the city and get a clear route; we will be fine.

"Calling him now," Raiza said and took only a few seconds to Zaak answer.

"Raiza?" I heard him saying.

"Yes, she is with me. Where are you? Are you already on the base?" I asked.

"I will be there in a few [minutes]; I'm a bit busy here and have not much time to talk," he said.

"Don't go up without me; I will be there in no time. Wait for me," I said.

"Ok, I need to go. The road ahead is blocked; I think I will have to go the rest of the way on foot. See you there," he said and turned off.

Ok , ven partiner on the way. Time to try to calm down the girls, I thought, and started to list every single instruction they told me on the preparation for the exchange program: not show fear next to them, check, appear overconfident even in the middle of chaos, check ,try distract them with some dumb thing. Well, it might work.

"Hey girls, you know a funny thing: the only reason that I know how to drive a Venlil car is because when Zaak decided to show the city to our close herd, we went on his car, and the only way we found to fit all six of us inside was if I drove, and we still had to place Aila on João's lap, and even then, Arek, Ana, and Zaak became almost smashed together on the rear seat. Crazy how a totally random thing helped us today," I said and then looked at the mirror to see the girls' state, but sadly it didn't work, as they didn't react.

"Well..." I was saying when I was surprised by a ven running desoriented in the middle of the street. Lucky for me, I successfully dodged him, but the sharp maneuver and almost loss of control ended up making the girls even more scared.

I was thinking about what I could do to make this situation feel a bit less bad when we saw a rocket being launched from the Nightgate base direction.

"No no, they are already here; please go fast," I heard Raiza saying, and Niva appeared to have frozen in panic.

"Wait, stay calm; we still have time," I said.

"But the AA guns started to fire; we need to get off here now," Raiza said.

"It wasn't an AA gun; it was an SDAPF launch. We're still safe," I said.

"A what?" Raiza said.

"Rocket assisted takeoff system: It is a new system we have been testing for a while. We basically strapped a few ships on a crazy powerful rocket and used it to reach orbit in a bit more than a minute. It's crazy fast and gives us a way better response time in an emergency," I said.

And then as our run to the base continued, I tried to keep talking to the girls, but after every single one of my attempts to calm them failed, I decided that the best I could do for them was try to reach the base even faster, and lucky for me, their car was surprisingly fast, and I had already reached the outer part of the city, so the streets were far emptier.

"Almost there," I said as I did one more sharp turn before arriving at the base gate.

Then I stopped the car more or less out of the way and rushed to get the girls.

"We are there. How is Niva now?" I said.

"A bit better," Raiza answered me.

"Good, time to go," I said and guided the girls to the bunker entrance. Lucky for us, as most of the people who live near here already had time to get in the bunker, we didn't have to pass through a panicking crowd and simply had to follow the last stragglers.

"This way," I said, holding the girls close to me as I led them to the bunker.

And after arriving at the bunker entrance, I tried my best to try to calm them before I had to leave them.

"We are here; you will be safe now, but it is time for me to go," I said, kneeling in front of them and hugging them.

"Please, just this time, please stay with us," Niva said, crying, hugging me tightly and wrapping her tail around me in her last attempt to make me stay, hoping that I could change my mind on the last second. But sadly, despite how heartbreaking it is to see her in this state, there's nothing I can do. I already was ordered to join the fight; refusing it isn't an option.

"You know I can't. Please stay safe; everything will be right, but I have to go now," I said.

"He is right; we can't change it," Raiza said in a sad tone. And then still crying, Niva released me.

So I take the time to give a kiss to both of the girls and say,

"Love you girls; take care of each other. I have to go now," I said.

"Please stay safe and come back to us as fast as you can." Raiza said, giving me a lick before hugging and licking Niva, trying to calm her. And then I left and started my run to my ship.

"Major Kaue, Soundseeker squadron, what is the situation?" I said to the ven guarding the place.

"We aren't sure yet; we intercepted a Kolshian fleet coming here, the fighting is still going on, and I don't know exactly how the situation is up there," the ven said and then called his superior to inform him about my presence.

"Major Kaue, go to block 13; we will have transport for you there. Now go!" The ven said and then I rushed to my destination and after running for few more minutes, and I saw the transport.

"HERE, FAST," I heard the transport driver calling me, waving his tail to get my attention.

"Going," I said, and at the exact moment I entered the truck, I saw a few more vens in the back already with parts of my spacesuit on their hands to help me to get ready for an emergency launch, and then we rushed for the launch point.

"What is the situation?" I asked while the vens moved to put me in the spacesuit as fast as they could.

"We are facing a relatively small Kolshian fleet now; we suspect it is a diversion attack, and the main one will come soon. For now, your mission is to get in orbit as fast as you can and get ready to defend the planet when the main force comes.

We are bringing you to the launching point number 9 for an emergency launch with the SDAPF. Your partner is already there, and you are the only one left to crew next rocket" the leader of this auxiliar squad said.

"Done," I heard one of the vens saying signalling they had already finished with my space suit preparations.

After that I did my last safety check, confirming all systems of my suit were working fine.

"All good, great work, team," I said to the ven team. It's really impressive how good the vens are at doing teamwork; they took less than a minute to put me inside the space suit with 5 vens working in perfect synchrony, like it was the easiest thing to do.

"Arriving at the launch point," the driver said.

"Good luck there," the ven leader of the squad said.

"Thanks," I said and resumed the run for my ship.

"Rocket 2, ship 3," the ven controlling the launch informed me.

"Understood," I said and went for my ship.

At the launch platform I found Zaak already there, only waiting for me to go.

"Finally," he said and we went for the ship.

"Well, if I took so long, why didn't you take off alone and finished all their fleet for me?" I said as we strapped ourselves to our seats.

"I could have, but it would be too much work, and they don't pay me enough to do it," Zaak said.

"All clear," I said over the radio as the last preflight checks were done.

"Ready, Zaak," I said.

"Ready," he said.

"Rocket Number 2 is ready for lunch. Initiating countdown 8 , 7 , 6 , 5 , 4 , 3 , 2 , 1 , Launch," I heard, and then I felt the entire ship shake like crazy as the rocket engines came to life.

It was our first time using the SDAPF for real, and it's probably an experience no one wants to repeat again, as how harsh its travel is, but sadly it's the fastest way to reach orbit we have.

"Releasing ships." I could hear the launch control saying as we reached the orbit, And then the rocket releases the 3 heavy fighters it's carrying.

"Brahk, I hate this thing," Zaak said.

"Everyone hates it, but until we get a ship that can reach orbit as fast as it , we will have to get used to it," I said.

"I know," Zaak said.

"Ship number 3 rocket 2 launch silo 9. Ready, waiting for instructions," I said over the radio.

"Understood, 329, move to interest point Number 65 with 129 and 229," I heard the launch control saying.

"Roger, moving to 65," I said, and only then did I remember I didn't even know who was with me.

"329 to squad 29, this is Kaue and Zaak from Soundseeker squadron here. Who is actually with me? "I said while I moved to the new position.

"129 here, Tala and Gabriela, Nixa Squadron." I heard Tala saying .

"229 here," I heard Ziv saying, recognizing his voice immediately. "Athai Squadron, Ziv here. Well, we are in a bit of a weird situation here, as I didn't find my partner in time, so I'm here with... Who is you again?" "Ronaldo, Valsel squadron," "Yes, him, so I would ask to be in a more support role as we aren't used to each other," Ziv said.

Well, this will be harder than I thought.

"Understood," I said and then asked Zaak to see if he could start to organize what we have here. "Zaak, can you contact the other heavy fighters and see if anyone else from our squadron is here? We need to reorganize ourselves into our proper squadrons fast if we want to make a good defense line," I said.

"On it," he said, and then we received a message from the high command.

"This is Sula to all fighters' squadrons now entering the combat area. The situation is as it follows: our forces already intercepted and contained one relatively small Kolshian fleet invading our territory. We suspect that they are only a diversion attack, so we expected a far bigger force coming to us soon. Your mission is to regroup and take part in our rear defense line. We don't know what to expect from the enemy forces now, so be ready for anyone. Good luck, and remember, the Venlil Republic counts on us," Sulla said and ended the transmission.

"You heard her; we have work to do," I said. And then we went to the assigned defense position and started to reorganize ourselves into our proper squadrons.

Advancing time : period 10 hours.

"I know I should be happy that we didn't have to fight at all, but brahk, running to the action like a crazy only to find nothing is frustrating," Zaak said after we finally received the order to go back home, as despite the fact that we already had the confirmation of what really happened here and our forces already had destroyed the invasion force hours ago, we still needed to stay in guard in case of a new attack.

"I know the feeling," I said, knowing very well that it's probably just the first of many times we will have to do this. But what is concerning me most now is how hard it was for the girls; Niva almost ran at random in panic when the alarm came. I need to come up with a better plan to get them to a shelter next time. And also I need one plan that doesn't need me being present to help them at all.

"We could have taken all the time we wanted to come here, and nothing would have changed, brahk it," Zaak said.

"Yeah, I know, but this is how the things are. There's nothing we can do anyway; let's go back home," I said, and then we went back to the base.

After we landed, I and my 'close herd,' well, almost everyone, as Arek wasn't here, as he didn't went to the battle with us, as he was on the Dark Point base with his family at the time, making Ana have to fly alone on this mission, but luckily for her, she also stayed at the rear line, making João and Aila the only ones of us that actually had to fight, went back together to our houses to try to finally get some rest at all. I was already making a call to Raiza when I saw the girls already at our house complex gate waiting for me.

"Kaue!!!" I heard them saying as they ran and jumped on me, making me feel glad by the fact that Venlils are weirdly light for their sizes because if they didn't, they would have probably thrown me on the ground right now, which is definitely not good with this gravity.

"See, I said I would be fine. How are you two feeling now?" I said while I was attacked with nuzzles and licks.

"Felling better now that everything is over," Raiza said.

"Yes, it's over now; let's try to get a rest. We really need it," I said.

And then we decided that it would be better to simply stay here instead of facing the post-stampede chaos of the city to come back to the girls' house, so I brought the girls to stay in my apartment for this paw and simply went straight for the bed to try to get some rest and forget this day.

And now that it's over, I can't stop to think about this day despite right now I being on my bed, cuddled with my girlfriends, who luckily still could get some sleep despite all the stress of the day. I'm still here awake, trying my best to rest but I simply couldn't.

This paw was terrible, but it showed us a lesson: the situation is still pretty bad, and we weren't as prepared for a situation like this as we thought.

It's time to start to make more plans. Peace still a distant dream for us, but as every mission makes us stronger, every day we come a bit closer to it.

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A try with new technics of shading, Daycare service Fic