Breathing hurts, my eyes hurt, and my heart aches. Stars, why do I have to be here right now?

The room was dark, dreary, and much too cold. A door opens, and a thin human man in fatigues walks in, sitting down in front of me.

“Halna, was it? I’m Corporal Hughes, of the Special Air Service. I’ll be conducting your debriefing regarding your extended reconnaissance, and subsequent stranding on exoplanet ARA-129470043, or Cocytus, as it has come to be known.” A smile crosses the wiry, grey-eyed man’s face. “How have you been handling life back on Earth?”

My tail was limp, my ears hanging against my head, as I stared back at Corporal Hughes. As his expression softened, his smile falling into a pitiful frown, I knew that my own expression must have been distressing. I tried to mimic a smile, as my dry eyes forced another stream of tears down my snout. “It’s been…fine. Everyone has been helping me get by, but…it’s been keeping me awake.”

Corporal Hughes mumbles something into his lapel microphone and returns his attention to me with an all-too-human stare. “I understand the distress, and I’m sorry, but I need you to be strong for me here. We need to know what happened on Cocytus, so I need you to tell me everything you can remember—every detail, as far back as you can go.”

His eyes snap to the only door into the room, where another man comes in with a tray. He places it in front of us, salutes, and walks out of the room. “Take anything you want, there’s always more.” 

Grabbing some fruit and a glass of water, I steady my shaking and take a deep breath.

“Alright, I won’t put this off any longer.”

==========

Standardized human time: May 17th, 2136

==========

“It’s been a wonderful paw, hasn’t it?” Cevra said, glancing back. Solgalick’s light was just barely obscured by the canopy we were sitting under. My friend turned back to me. “Hasn’t it, Halna?”

Cevra was one of two people who tolerated my presence. He listened to me, hung out whenever I needed company, and dropped everything if I needed help. He was a wonderful colleague and an even more wonderful friend.

“It has. I…didn’t think I would be able to get out of bed this paw. Thanks for inviting me out,” I said gratefully.

Cevra sipped his drink before leaning back, his tail wagging behind him. “Ah, you know me, Hal. I wouldn’t have let you down. And besides, I love it when we can just relax together.” Leaning in, he looks behind him before returning his gaze to me. “Say, how long do you think it’ll be before we get certified?”

A whistle escapes me as I look down into the swirling liquid. “With how much the board likes me? You may get certified in a paw or two, but I doubt I’ll ever get approved. Those speh-heads would much rather see me in a facility…I guess they think I’d eat the patients.”

I bleated as he grabbed my paw from across the table. 

“Hal, you’re getting certified. Remember the promise we made?”

“Y-yes, I do. But w-why d-”

“You and I, when we were pups, promised that we would both become doctors. We went to university together, became nurses together, and will become doctors together. If you don’t get approved, consider my application denied as well.” 

“Wuh…no, you can’t! You’ve spent so long working towards this…I’m not worth giving that up…”

The grip on my paw tightened as his ears flicked a “no”.

 “Halna, how long have we been friends? How much have I already given up by being your friend? Being around you paints me as tainted. People have offered to ‘save me’ from you too many times to count.” Cevra had told me this before, while we were drinking. What I was dreading, however, was the follow-up comments. “I don’t care, though. You’re my closest friend. The one person I can share anything with. I wouldn’t trade this for anything…even my dream.”

“Cevra…”

“And besides, I’ve got more than one dream.” The look he gave me pulled blood to my snout almost magnetically. Averting my eyes from my friend, I examined our surroundings. The park we were in was bustling with families, all of which were staring at the two of us. Once in a while, one of the pups would wave. At least the little ones don’t seem to think I’m a monster. Despite the wonderful weather, I had this odd, uneasy feeling as I looked over the swathe of parkgoers. The feeling only worsened when several of them became enthralled with something above us.

What the…

I instinctively reached for my pad on my belt, which was buzzing like the world was ending. This proved useless, though, when the sirens began screaming. I was up in a second, with Cevra only slightly behind me. For all of the negatives my accursed body brought, my ability to keep my head was always a blessing.

Having studied the maps of Celgel religiously, I followed the route to the bunker instinctively. Flashes lit up the sky in my periphery, but I willed myself to ignore them. Getting Cevra to the bunker was priority number one. My stomachs began to turn as I felt the rumbling of the oncoming stampede. A sprained ankle and we die, either by gray or by trampling.

Cevra, keeping pace the best he could, couldn’t keep his eyes off the oncoming horde. Terrified bleats and screams nearly overpowered the sirens, as our fellow prey’s instincts sent them rushing for the relative safety of the bunker. Stomping on the near-corpse of your neighbour was preferable to becoming cattle, at least in their eyes.

Gradually, we were absorbed into the herd, still leading the pack. The gleaming suits of exterminators, who just the other paw had threatened to torch me, were interspersed with the rest of the rabble. Determined to keep Cevra safe, I did everything I could to keep us from the center.

As we made it to the edge, a particular scream registered differently. A scream I heard almost every day I went into work. I glanced back into the packed herd. “Cevra, keep running, I need to do something.” He gave me a brief but frantic look, flicked an ear, and continued on his way.

Getting low, I weaved my way through the wave of bodies to the best of my ability. Eventually, the golden fur of Galri appeared, cowering below the paw falls of everyone above her. Reaching her, I turned my back to the oncoming wall and crouched down. “Galri, get up, you have to go!”

“H-Halna?” Given the circumstances, I was happy knowing that the terror in her eyes wasn’t caused by me this time.

“Up!” Grabbing her under the shoulders, I heaved her onto her paws. Like Cevra, I guided her to the edge of the pack. “Good luck, Galri, stay safe!”

“Y-you as well H-Halna!”

Back across the stampede I went, thanking my body for its sturdiness, and trying to find Cevra. His grey fur would have been hard to spot, if not for the black stripe running up his back. Scanning the runners, there was no sign of him.

Where are you, Cev, you couldn’t have gotten far!

Hundreds of venlil rushed by, intermixed with a sparse few other species. Some collapsing, some shoving. My lungs were aching, and all I could taste was blood, but I had to push on. Dozens of grey venlil ran past, but none had his stripe. 

None but one. A crumpled body, stained a deep orange, lay beneath the stampede. A grey body, with a black stripe along its back. My ability to keep my head was gone in a second, as I barrelled through the crowd. Reaching him in what felt like claws, I collapsed by his side. Luckily, he was still on the edge of the herd, so my frame being added to the obstruction kept us mostly safe. 

Stars, no… Saying Cevra’s body was broken would be an understatement. It didn’t take a doctor, or a nurse for that matter, to see the problems. His left leg was bent the wrong way, and he was bleeding heavily both from the claw marks covering his body, and his mouth. I watched as his chest rose and fell, straining with every breath, wracking my brain on what to do. What do I do? He won’t make it to the bunker…

“G…go…Hal…” he croaked.

All I could do was stare. He…wants me to go? No, brahk that.

“I won’t. Remember that old bunker near our old houses? Hold on, Cev.” Steeling myself, I picked him up as gently as I could. The only time my curse is helpful is at the end, huh? Stars, it would probably be funny under different circumstances. A groan emanated from the broken thing in my arms as I began my Eastward sprint.

I’m sorry, Cev, I know it hurts, but you’ll be fine. I promise…

I knew this route even better than the one to the main shelter, given I’d travelled it hundreds of times as a kid. An old bunker could be found in the neighbourhood we both grew up in, it had been abandoned for ages, but I hoped it would shelter us enough against any arxur incursion. My body was overheating, the blood drenching my fur not helping, but I pushed on.

By the time we reached our destination, both of our bodies were at their limits. I could hardly breathe, and Cevra was fading in my arms, no matter how much I tried to convince myself he wasn’t. Throughout our run, he had tried to talk to me, but the sound of my heart pounding drowned it out. 

Stepping over the threshold, I put him down and pulled the door closed. Leaning against it, I collapsed to my knees, panting. Every breath ripped through me, the air in the bunker feeling stagnant. Pain consumed my legs and chest, but I gritted my teeth and crawled towards Cevra.

“Cev…are you awake?” I asked quietly.

He took in a soft breath. A gentle breath. “Y…yeah…” He tilted his head towards me, and there was a dimness in his eyes. Like a light had gone out. “Why…Hal…? Why did you…save me…?”

The pain I was feeling was quickly replaced with anger. “Because you’re my friend! And I…I…Gah!” Slamming my paw against the solid floor of our tomb, I ignore my cracking bones. “You’re all I have, Cevra! You’re all I’ve had since I was a pup! My parents barely cared I was there! The teachers would have rather I was dead! You…I…You give me a reason to live! To get up, and walk into that prison of a hospital! I go, because I know I’ll get to see you…”

Tears were flowing freely as I sat there, defeated. But then the gentle touch of a tail wrapped around my wrist and pulled me back into the world of the living.

My friend, my…love, looks up at me from the ground. He braces himself, allowing me to finally see the extent of his injuries. Bright white bone was poking through his chest, each breath tearing the wounds just a little more. It made me sick seeing him like that, but he just stared up at me, resolute. “Hal, you know I'm done for as well as I do. Every…breath hurts…and I’m seeing stars.” He coughs, spattering my legs with some blood. “Listen, though, Hal. You’ll be fine. “

Unable to stop myself, I brayed in frustration and terror. “No, I won’t! Even if the arxur don’t eat me, or put me on a farm, or just let me rot, I won’t! It’s not even the arxur I’m scared of, it’s our own people!” I was so exhausted I could barely manage to cry. The few whimpers that escaped me resounded off the barren walls of the bunker. “They hate me, Cevra. They’re probably hoping I get taken by some arxur, and honestly? That might be the best optio-”

“Shut up, Halna.” Cevra stared up at me, the light returning to his eyes. Oh no. “That will never be the best option. You’re strong, smart, beautiful, and a million other things I don’t have the time to list. I wish I didn’t have to frame it like this, but I know you. If you aren’t gonna live for yourself, Hal, live for me. Chase our dream for me, since I won’t be able to anymore…” Letting himself relax, Cevra stared up at the ceiling. His eyes seemed to dart around, following things that weren’t there.

I crawled over to his side, burying my snout in the fluff around his neck. 

“I love you, Cevra…please don’t leave.”

“Heh…we’ve spent how many of our off paws together, and now’s the first time you say you love me?” His warm, blue eyes met mine, losing their luster for the final time. “I love you too, Hal…”

And just like that… Cevra left me, kneeling in a puddle of blood, too tired to cry.

Worst of all, he left me alone.

 Attempting to stand, my legs give out under me. Falling against the opposing wall, I could hardly take my eyes off the Cevra. Despite his end, he looked peaceful. I stared at his body for what felt like eons, until my eyes were too sore to keep open. Closing them, I lost consciousness.

==========

“Stars…”

I was shaken awake by a firm paw and opened my eyes to a lit flamethrower in my face. Looking up into the exterminator’s mask, I could see my orange-stained snout. “Explain yourself,” my reflection barked.

“I thought I recognized the body…Halna, what happened?” Gunt walked over to me with more conviction than I had ever seen from him. He was carrying a medical bag and had his full coat on.

“Be careful sir, she’s dangerous. Look at her snout!” Despite the mask, I could tell the exterminator was aghast when Gunt pushed past him.

“There were no bite wounds on the body, and I know her well enough to be certain she wouldn’t harm Cevra.” The doctor crouched next to me, placing a paw on my shoulder. “Please, Halna. Tell me what happened.”

“We were at a restaurant when the sirens went off…we got caught in the stampede, and I lost sight of Cevra for a bit to help Galri, the radiologist. When I got back to him, he had…” While I sobbed, Gunt rubbed my shoulder.

“Alright. Why did you end up here?” he asked softly.

“Sir, you believe that story? Predators like her are always trying to spread their deceit.”

Gunt gave the pyro a pointed look. “If you aren’t going to be of any help, I’ll ask you to kindly brahk off.”

“Well, silly me for trying to keep you from getting eaten.” The exterminator was left grumbling as he walked out of the bunker.

I took a deep breath to steady myself before continuing. “I panicked. Cevra and I used to hang out here since we grew up down the road. I carried him all the way, and then…watched him die. I couldn’t do anything, I was too exhausted.”

I winced as he lightly touched my paw. “And the broken paw?”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“I punched the ground after we made it in here.” His ears briefly pinned back, but he quickly regained composure. “I guess you’ll just put me away. Might as well grab that ash-breather again so he can lock me up.”

“You’re not being locked up, Halna. You do a good job, and I have yet to see any evidence of predator disease. You may scare me, but that’s due to you weighing about twice as much as me.” He retracted his paw and stood up, wiping the blood on his coat.  “I’ll organize the collection of Cevra’s body and an actual memorial for him. I’m not letting him get burned, given there were no predators involved. Are you able to stand?”

Rising, I give an affirmative flick. “What should I do, sir?”

“What do you mean?”

“About…work. If I just sit at home with my thoughts…”

He looked away, before letting out a whistling sigh. “I’ll call you next paw. You need at least one to rest, understand?”

“Yes, sir. And…thank you.”

“Thank me for what?” Gunt turned slightly to look at me.

“For finding me…I thought I was going to die as well.”

“Well, it’s quite simple to follow a tracker.”

I stared at him. “A…tracker?”

“Yes, on your holopad? The one I can only assume you turned on?”

“I…never turned on a tracker. I passed out after Cevra died.” My mind was chewing through all of the potential explanations. Surely I just turned it on and don’t remember.

“Well, however it ended up turning on, it was on. We should get you home. It’d be best to not stay in here for much longer.”

“Alright…” I began to follow him out of the bunker, taking one final glance at my fallen love.

Did he just blink?

==========

Standardized human time: May 19th, 2136

==========

The aftermath of the raid hit us hard. We were packed with trampling victims and several nerve gas cases. I had just finished my fourth catheter change in a row when it began to feel like I was being watched.

“Stand down, predator.” Glancing back at the gleaming bastard I could see his baton drawn. “I’ve received some very troubling reports from this poor lady, and I think you need to come down for a test.”

Galri stood behind the exterminator, a blank look on her smug face as she pecked away at her holopad. Turning fully to face him, I slowly began to inch away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir.”

“Typical. She says you attacked her during the stampede, obviously filled with bloodlust and the need to feed. Adding that onto the mysterious death of your coworker, it looks to me like we have a real predator on our paws.” Despite the helmet, I could feel the smug look emanating from the silver-suited bastard.

I locked eyes with Galri, who beeped and retreated behind the bigger male. “I did what? I saved her!”

“Enough out of your mouth, predator. Submit or I’m gonna have to do this the hard way.” The baton sparked to life as he pointed it at me. The sounds of crackling electricity filled the mostly silent hall.

Instinctively, I began to back away. I can’t fight back. Even if that wasn’t the worst possible option, my paw is too brahked for there to be a chance. Shrinking back even more, I examined my two accusers. Galri, you petty bitch. I should have left you to get crushed. Celgel would have been a better place.

“What are you doing? Get her! She’s a danger to the patients!” Galri shouted, prompting a number of my other colleagues to poke their heads out from inside patient’s rooms. “You know our deal, go!”

It didn’t seem to take much to get the [EX SLUR] to start the chase. Quick on my feet, I turned to run down the hall, mind set on finding a place to hide. Sprinting past more coworkers, I could hear my pursuer yelling something about seeking shelter.

Where do I go, where do I go? They’ll all snitch…brahk!

Coming up to a bend, my paws slide out from under me causing me to crash into the wall. Wordlessly I jump back onto my paws, recognizing what wing I’ve ended up in. One final burst of speed gets me to Gunt’s office door. “Gunt, please open the door!” There is a faint shuffling in the office, before the door slides open.

“What could possibly be so import-”

I shove Gunt out of the way and slam the door shut, locking it. “Galri called a brahking exterminator! She told him I tried to kill her!” Gunt’s ears pinned back in fear as loud bangs resounded from the one thing separating myself and that pyro.

“By order of the Exterminator’s Guild, you are going to open this door! Hiding a predator disease suspect is liable to hold up as proof of your own taint!” A few more loud knocks ring out before an uneasy silence falls in the office. The only distinguishable sound is that of the exterminator’s ragged breathing.

Gunt walks towards the door, briefly glancing back at me. “If I let you in, this will be carried out civilly. Understand?”

A harrumph comes from behind the divider. “Fine. Open it.”

Gunt slides the door open, as the silver-clad loser pushes his way in. Brushing himself off, he addresses the exterminator. “Now, what in the stars’ name happened?” I couldn’t help but stare at the still-charged baton.

“Halna has been accused of attacking one of your nurses, shortly before the death of Cevra. Galri, her accuser, has plenty of wounds to back that story up,”said the exterminator.

Gunt looked back at me. “Now, pardon my disrespect, but that is moronic. Firstly, in all of that chaos, why would Halna have finished the job? You can see her, she’s more than tough enough to survive a mild trampling.” I restrain myself from staring daggers into the back of Gunt’s head. “Secondly, why wouldn’t she fight back, if she was a savage predator? Running isn’t very arxur-like.”

The exterminator, despite the expressionless mask, stared back at Gunt as if he insulted his mother. “Are you questioning our judgement?”

Seizing my moment, I interject. “While Galri was convincing him to chase me, she mentioned a deal they had. I don’t know what for, but-”

“Shut your mouth.” The pyro turned his attention to me, raising the baton. I resisted the urge to duck, posturing as if I would take the blow head-on.

“Civilly, sir, or I call the Guild and have you fired. I’m sure the magister would take a complaint against his perfect guild well.” Gunt flicked his gaze back to me. “What were you saying about a deal, Halna?”

“All she mentioned was a ‘deal’. She didn’t specify at all.”

Gunt looked back to the exterminator, his tail swishing ever-so-slightly. “Sir, I know this may sound bad, but I’m inclined to take Halna’s word over Galri’s.” 

“What? You would trust a predator over a herdmate?”

“I would trust a predator over a persistent liar any time. Galri has an extensive reputation for lying to further whatever odd goal she sets herself on. If her goal involves getting this woman, who in my professional opinion obviously doesn’t have predator disease, locked up in a facility she’ll do anything to achieve it.” Gunt takes a step back, wrapping his tail around my wrist, and trying to drape his arm across my shoulders. When this doesn’t work, he concedes to putting his paws behind his back. “Any self-respecting predator would have ripped my throat out the moment I got this close. Now, you’re going to leave my hospital, as I’m not allowing Halna to take a test that will without a doubt be falsified while she is working under me. Have a good rest of your paw.”

The exterminator, staring blankly, turns off his baton. Without a peep, he leaves the office and closes the door behind him. Gunt deflates, collapsing back into his seat. I lean in and give him the tightest hug I can muster. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Off, Halna, can’t breathe.”

“Oh, sorry. You didn’t have to do that much, I just needed him to stop chasing me.”

Gunt looks up at me, adjusting the collar of his coat. “No, I needed to get him to leave you alone. As I said in the bunker, you do a good job and aren’t the monster they think you are. As long as you’re my ward, I’ll do everything in my power to keep you free.” I couldn’t help but cry. Placing a hand on my shoulder, he whistles. “Oh, stop that. I’m just doing my job as the director. Will you be good to get back to work?”

Laughing, I start to leave. “Yes, I think I am. Thank you again.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Stepping out and closing the door, I look off to my left, spotting the architect of my awful day. Galri was standing about ten feet away from the door, leaning against the wall. She looked visibly upset, but I didn’t let it get me down. “Wonderful thanks I got for saving your life. Good to know you should be at the bottom of my priority list next time there’s an emergency,” I spat.

She grumbles, curtly turning and stomping down the hallway, her tail lashing the whole way.

One less problem.

==========

Standardized human time: July 6th, 2136

==========

“I’ve been ordered to let you go.”

The betrayal I felt when Gunt said those words threatened to tear my heart to pieces then and there. I had been called into his office for an important meeting, only to be met by two uniformed exterminators and a very tired director. “B-but…why?”

The exterminator to his left, a stark white male with a burn scar across his right eye, cut Gunt off. “You’ve been causing problems, and the magister doesn’t like problems. Dr. Gunt has been made to see reason.”

Gunt avoids looking at me, the shame on his face hurting me almost as much as the betrayal. “If people hear that we have a predator disease suspect working with their loved ones, there’ll be riots. I…I’m sorry, Halna, there’s nothing I can do.”

The other exterminator, the scrawny little dirtbag that chased me down the hallway, laughs. “Feels like that’s a wrap. Since this isn’t a normal call, we’re gonna let you go home and sulk. I also heard there might be someone else who wants to talk to you. She’s waiting in the locker room. Hop to it, predator, you aren’t allowed on these premises anymore.”

I give Gunt one last look, the hurt in his eyes matching mine, and walk out. Barely paying attention, I find myself in the locker room, staring down Galri. “Ah, good to see you Halna!” Her tail wagged happily, and she had a renewed vigour in her eyes. “Why so glum?”

“What did you do?”

“What did I do? Why would I tell a filthy brahking predator what I did?”

“Because you’ve been trying to ruin my life for so long, and you finally succeeded. Happy?”

Galri let out a loud, whistling laugh before walking up to me. “I am ecstatic. Your tainted little brain wouldn’t be able to comprehend how good this feels, Halna. Especially after everything you did to me.”

“I did things to you?”

“You took Cevra from me. You knew I wanted him, I would see you glance back at me whenever you two were having a wonderful time together. Taunting me. And then, he dies in your arms, just the two of you.”

I felt like killing her. Like bashing her head into the locker, leaving the room with a new bright orange paint job. “You’re kidding me, right? My best friend, and the love of my life, dies, and you get jealous? You try to ruin my life even more thoroughly than it already is?”

She laughed. The arrogant bitch laughed. “Of course I did! Mine was already ruined by this thieving predator filth stinking up the building named Halna, so why not go all in? I wanted him. I didn’t get him. Now I can never have him. And who was tied up in all of that? You.” She shoves me, knocking me off balance as I’m surprised. I hit the locker, the impact dazing me. “Just end it, filth. Walk off into the woods and let a shadestalker eat you. Go and beg an exterminator to put you out of your misery. You’ve already got all those scars on your thighs, go add some new ones to the collection.”

Staring up at her, I spit. “They’re gonna find out what happened eventually. You get nothing out of this.”

“That’s not true. I get to know that you killed yourself like a coward because of what I did. I’ll go to sleep like a pup while I reminisce on that every paw. So, go off and finish the job, Halna. Then you can join that perverted fuck in whatever afterlife you two get sent to. I’m going to go and talk to my strong, handsome saviour. Good luck, Halna, stay safe.” Her tail brushed me under the chin as she strutted out of the room.

No sound came from my mouth. No tears fell from my eyes. I wandered out of that room, out of the hospital, and eventually into the front door of my house. I hadn’t lived with my parents since I came of age, so the house was empty as I stumbled in. After closing the door, I collapsed. I screamed as loud as I could until I felt my vocal cords get ragged. Nobody came to check on me. To see if I was alright. That was the last straw.

I walked through my home, seeing the filth I had come to live in. The filth I was about to die in. Opening a drawer I had tucked away in the kitchen, I took out a long piece of rope. When I bought it, I asked the shopkeeper for the strongest stuff they had. He told me it wouldn’t break under any strain I could reasonably put it under. I wrapped the rope over itself, working on the knot that was about to be my end. We had learned about them in our history classes. Supposedly, they were used for mooring ships when we still used wind power. Whatever the case, it didn’t matter as long as it would fit around my neck.

“Where am I gonna use this, then?” Scratching slightly at my wrist, the perfect idea came to mind. Grabbing a bag, I stuff the noose in it and begin my hike. Thankfully I lived quite close to the local woods, so it was a short jaunt out to the perfect tree. And the place where Cevra and I first met.

Finding the tree, I did my best to climb it. It was gnarled, so I had plenty of footholds. Getting to the top, I tied the noose onto the tallest branch I could reach and climbed back down. I set down one of the stumps we used to sit on, clambered up on it, put my head through the loop, and stared toward the house. Withdrawing my holopad, I sent a single text.

Tossing it onto the ground, I steadied myself. I never expected a shove from behind. Stumbling forward, the stump tipped over and I began to hang. Not cleanly, like the research had told me.

The rope tightened around my neck with every movement as I grasped at it fruitlessly. Why did you do this? This is the stupidest decision you’ve ever made. Barely getting my fingers between the rope and my neck, I gave myself a little room to breathe. Not nearly enough, though. She wins if you do this. My mind was spinning as I began to get woozy. I wasn’t able to focus, no matter what I tried.

“Cut the rope.”

A voice behind me issued that command. A command I immediately began to follow. Scratching at the loop with my claws, I could feel it tearing little by little.

“C’mon, Hal, do it. Cut the rope.”

The encouragement, even if its context terrified me, was motivating. More and more the rope frayed, and more and more its grip on my throat lessened. 

“That’s it, Hal, do it for me.”

My claw caught a final strand of fiber, and the rope snapped. I dropped to the ground, my neck feeling like a hot iron was taken to it, but I was alive. Blood was running down my chest, staining my brown fur a sick shade of orange. Consciousness began to leave me as I lay on the ground, a set of paw steps approaching me. As the last ounce of waking I had disappeared, a pair of grey paws stood before me.

==========

Standardized human time: July 29th, 2136

==========

I woke up in a hospital bed, bandages cocooning my neck, my head feeling like someone ran it over with a train. Gunt was sitting in a chair at the end of the bed, reading something on his holopad. Looking up from it, his eyes went wide as he realized I was awake. “Halna, thank the stars! Are you alright?”

“I…I think I am…”

“What happened? I got your text and left for your house as soon as I could, thank the stars for you having enough mental strength to give me a location after, or else I never would have found you.”

Another phantom text? After all that…Stars I tried to kill myself.

“I didn’t text you after the first,” I admitted.  “Someone else must have.”

Gunt stared at me like I was bright blue. “What? If someone else was there, and texted, they would have brought you to the hospital themselves. Should I run another brain scan?”

“No…no…I just…saw some things. And heard and felt them. I’ll sound crazy if I try to explain them. I guess I still owe you, don’t I?”

“You don’t owe me anything, Halna.” The tired-looking director flicked through his holopad, before adjusting his glasses. “There are some things I have to tell you, though. Firstly, you were unconscious for just over two dozen paws. We put you into a coma for your safety. You’re very lucky the damage was repairable, Halna.”

I reached up to rub my neck. “Shame you had to cut my wool.”

“Better losing just that than a full body shave, right?” Pain shot through my back as I tried to laugh. Gunt’s expression remained unchanged. “Your spine was but a dossur’s toe from breaking. Something, or someone, is looking out for you.”

“Yeah…”

“Secondly, there have been some…strange happenings in the past few paws. Do you remember much from your federation history classes? I know you had to take one to get certified to be a nurse.” 

Pushing through the fog that had filled my head, I tried to remember that stars-forsaken course. “Uh…a bit. Why?”

“What do we know about predators?”

Like a light bulb, things started popping into my memory. “Oh, okay. There have been two confirmed sapient predators, those being arxur and…”

“Humans.”

“Yeah, humans. The arxur ripped through Federation space, slaughtering several species, and the humans eradicated themselves. Why are you looking at me like that?”

Gunt sighed and grabbed the controller for the room’s screen. Turning it on, I was met by something I never thought I would see. “Turns out humans didn’t eradicate themselves. They made first contact with us shortly after you were put in your coma. Apparently, they’re here not to eat us…but to make peace.”

I stared up at the light-coloured man on the screen, wearing this odd red pelt and sitting talking to another dark-coloured human. The two of them had their feet in a pool of what I could only assume was water. “What…is this?”

“Human television. It’s an ancient show they called ‘Mr. Roger’s Neighbourhood.’ They’ve taken to showing us the nicer parts of their culture, to ease their integration.” Gunt’s ears pinned back. “Personally, I don’t trust them, but the governor seems quite enamoured, and she hasn’t led us wrong in the past.”

“Wait, integration?”

“They want to join the Federation, or at the very least, be official allies. I don’t know what they’re playing at. Stars, they’ve even floated an exchange program.”

My ears perked up at that. “An exchange program? Like we swap citizens?”

“Heavens, no.” Gunt’s tail lashed against the ground. “That would be a nightmare and a death sentence for the poor venlil who would be exchanged. They’re suggesting text exchanges between randomly assigned pairs of venlil and humans. I suppose they’re trying to fast-track us getting used to them.”

“That sounds fun…” Gunt’s blank expression reminds me he isn’t a telepath. “A-are they taking applicants? Or are the participants randomly chosen?”

“You’re kidding me, right? You want to sign up for that?” Gunt stands, walking over to the side of the bed. “This is suicide, Halna.”

If only he knew. “Tarva hasn’t led us wrong, right? Do you apply, or is it random?”

Gunt stares at me for a moment in contemplation before sighing. “You apply…Halna, you’d better know what you’re doing.”

“I promise I do, Gunt. I also have a notably more empty schedule now. Anything else you need me to know?”

Gunt laughs gently. “Well, since you’re already set, they also pay you a stipend.”

“Really? Brahk, I’m sold!”

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