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A shirt sleeve slid easily across the screen, obscuring the view. Agni wiped the robot's lenses before setting it on the floor, after making sure there was no dirt on it.

-So, according to the devices, it's below forty degrees Celsius outside. Get your jumpsuits ready, and grab your bags. I think we'll find something interesting outside.

-You liar - Tifa jokingly shoved Agni in the shoulder - you sent us records where the temperature was over twenty, or even thirty. I expected we were flying to explore some kind of resort. Tall grass, soft light from the sun... Better than our vacation spots.

-Well, I like it... -Numan stood by the porthole, watching the dancing swirls of snow that flew across the steppe - It reminds me of home...

-Yes, the weather conditions are quite different from what I read... Although, it's been a while, such changes are entirely possible - Agni took off his goggles and put them away in his bag. Pressing a button on the wall, he opened the equipment cabinet. Inside hung two jumpsuits, with cybernetic helmets neatly placed underneath - Okay, time to go out. Numan, Tifa, get your uniforms.

The girl, who had already managed to put on her red jumpsuit, was adjusting her helmet. Numan pulled his dark uniform set out of the closet, leaving only Agni's clothes inside. While the scientist was putting on the jumpsuit, a conversation started between him and Tifa.

-...No, look, you'll need to speak a voice command to turn on the heating. Manually, you can only adjust its size, visors and modifications. For example, in my helmet, the visors always have a slight zoom so I don't have to wear goggles with them.

-Ah yes, I see... - Tifa finally put on her helmet, hiding her fiery-ginger hair under the cold red metal - but how can I see the list of commands?

-You just ask to see the list, and then you choose what you need - Agni also put on the helmet, concealing his body behind the snow-white uniform - or you can do it through the screen on your wrist.

Tifa read the various functions on the touchscreen for a while before activating the heating coils and breathing a sigh of relief. Numan, previously standing out of view of the camera, approached the group.

-We're not even out yet, and you're turning up the heat. You should be saving your battery.

-In fact, I'd advise you to do the same. We don't have a whole lot of medicine on the ship, and ordering the Coalition to deliver it wouldn't be the best solution. After all, we're just a research team. But either way, it's up to you. Time to go.

Meeting together, they approached the metal doors of the airlock. A robot ran up to the group, stopping under their feet. The heavy shutters parted to the sides, allowing passage to the second pair of doors. A sign above the exit glowed: "Scanning in progress." A few minutes later, an electronic voice sounded in the cabin.

-Biological life detected outside. The creatures are not listed in the database. It is recommended to activate the ship's defensive mode.

-Well, now we know there's life left after all - Tifa grinned as she simultaneously sent a command to the gate - Besides, they can't do anything to us if they don't even have time to run up. Yes, Numan?

-Let's not touch the fauna unnecessarily, shall we? We were sent here to explore, not to destroy - The shutters slowly parted, revealing a view of the planet. Agni exhaled in surprise, stepping outside. The robot followed him, outpacing Numan and Tifa.

Before them laid ruined, snow-covered remains. Houses that had once provided shelter for humans were now devastated. Long roots intertwined among the rubble, leading to the center of the city. Around them looped paths of fresh, small footprints. The roots themselves grew progressively thicker until they finally reached a massive tree. The wide trunk went dozens of meters upward, and its long branches intertwined above their heads. It seemed as if, in some places, they had formed platforms on which one could walk.

-Mother of God... - Numan tried to see the top, covering his eyes from the sun breaking through the clouds - now I see why the autopilot took so long looping around....

-All right, let's send out the drones, let them make a rough map of the area for now - Agni leaned over the robot, tilting the panel on its back. A couple of seconds later, buzzing drones appeared in the view, flying off to explore the remains of an old civilization - we'll have data soon, and now we can go explore the area near the ship.

The company walked through the abandoned streets, looking around mesmerized. A short distance behind them a robot followed, whose tentacles slid easily through the snow, passing over pieces of metal or rocks.

-Look! - Tifa stopped, pointing her finger forward. Down the street, a white, small animal sat near a tree root. Its long ears twitched lightly, listening to the sounds around it. It flinched every now and then, chewing on something in front of it.

-Quiet... I think it's eating something... We'll have to record it for the report - the electronics in Agni's helmet beeped softly, and then he began to whisper something, zooming in on the visors.

-There's a lot of them around here. Look at this - the robot reacted to Numan's voice and turned towards him. The man was sitting near the root of a tree, pointing at it with his hand. Numerous teeth marks were visible on its rough bark.

-Indeed... - Agni walked over to the man, sitting down on the snow beside him. The visors on the scientist's helmet focused by themselves, and then another beep was heard in the helmet.

-Should we try to approach it? - The robot turned back to Tifa, bringing the unknown animal back into view. A green square appeared on the recording, circling it -Besides, it wouldn't hurt for us to catch it.

-Okay, it's worth a shot. I'll go alone; try to sneak up on it while it's eating.

Step by step Agni approached the animal, treading slowly through the deep snow. Each action he took was accompanied by a quiet crunching sound beneath his feet. Suddenly the creature stopped moving, lifting its head upward. It became visible that on its forehead was a second pair of ears, rounded and small. Twisting its head, it scurried away, hiding in the rubble of the building. Sighing frustratedly, Agni looked at the quietly buzzing drones returning to the robot.

-They scared it off! - Agni returned to the group, sitting down in front of the robot - at least we now have a rough map of the place....

The scientist activated the signal transmission through his visor, then stepped away from the robot. Image projections appeared on the team's windows, and a three-dimensional model of the area appeared in the lower left corner of the recording.

-Wow, it is huge... - Agni shifted his view on the projections, moving the map around. Numerous ruined houses covered in snow, whose debris served as support for tree roots. Human buildings and the spawn of nature, they existed in a kind of symbiosis, helping each other to exist. The massive vines supported the concrete structures while they protected them from the wind.

-Look, I think there's some kind of nest over that way - Tifa pointed at a hole dug near a tree trunk. There were long tunnels leaving the main cavity, looping in the roots far enough that they disappeared from radar.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

-I suggest we go investigate - Numan turned his head toward the intersection where the creature had been before -perhaps that's where these hares live.

For the next hour the group walked through the snowy town, occasionally exchanging a few words. Numan kept his right hand on his hip pocket, as if preparing to get something out quickly. From time to time the camera circled around its axis, taking panoramic pictures and putting them on the map. Soon they turned onto a main street leading to a tree trunk. On one of the roots sat an animal looking straight at the humans.

-Let's keep walking... We're something new to them, maybe they'll run up to see us themselves. The main thing is not to make any sudden movements... - Agni slowed down, gesturing to the campaign to go slower too. Another animal jumped out of the ravine, watching the guests warily.

-Four eyes, long teeth, two pairs of ears... Amazing. They've evolved so similarly to our animals, but so much better- Agni sent the image from the visor to the robot's database. In addition to the unusual ear arrangement, two pairs of eyes were visible, one of which was on the sides of the head, giving the animal a wide view - let's get closer.

-Wait - Tifa stopped, looking at the animals sitting ahead -If they have such well-developed eyes and ears, doesn't that mean something was seriously hunting them all this time?

-Yes, why would hares have such good senses? Maybe we should be beckoning them to us instead of going straight to their nest?

-You're exaggerating - Agni turned to Numan and Tifa who were standing behind him - If there were predators here, they would have escaped by now. They are like nature's scouts and we are their guests. If there was danger here, they would have let us know.

-We don't know what predators live here. To avoid wolves, hares have long ears and fast legs. But that's not always enough. These animals have got a lot more than that, which means they're not being hunted by ordinary wolves.

One of the animals turned its head sharply to the side and froze. Its ears twitched and turned in various directions. Suddenly it squealed and dashed into the hole. Its kin also began to run away, but not all of them made it. A bone spike flew out of the window of the devastated house, easily piercing the prey's body. Its base was sheathed in muscle, leading back to the window.

-God... - Agni began shuddering, taking a small step back.

A predator jumped out of the window, landing easily on its six paws. It slowly approached its prey, crushing it with its foot. The muscles tightened and the spike popped out of the corpse, hiding the pink flesh under the fur of its tail. The animal began to tear the corpse with its claws, eating the soft meat.

-Numan, draw your weapon! - Tifa grabbed the dazed Agni by the arm, pulling him back - Let's get out of here!

Hearing the shout, the predator shifted its gaze to the humans, lifting its head up. The fur around its mouth was red, and blood dripped from its chin, staining the snow beneath its paws. The animal began to slowly approach them, baring its teeth and swiping the tip of its tail from side to side.

-Don't turn your back...don't run... slowly back away - Numan put his left arm back out as if to cover Agni and Tifa. His right hand was hidden in his hip pocket - we can only run if it runs first. Right now, we should just walk.

The men were retreating back the path they had trodden. The animal kept pace, sweeping the snow under its paws, erasing human footprints. Its pupils narrowed on its target, and its tail movements became slower, more precise. It seemed to be preparing to attack.

-RUN! - Numan grabbed a sleek tube from his pocket, which instantly grew longer in his hand Tifa punched Agni in the shoulder, which finally brought him out of his daze and they rushed to run, disappearing from the footage.

The tip of Numan's weapon split open, exposing the sharp top. A loud crackle of electricity rippled through the air, causing the creature to freeze. Numan swung his weapon in its direction, sending another wave of loud sound. The predator jumped away from him, growling loudly.

-It's scary, isn't it? Scary as hell, you damn dog... - The creature stepped back, but Numan kept walking toward it, scaring away the unidentified predator with a roar of electricity, just as the first humans scared away the first predators with the heat of a flame.

Suddenly there was an explosion in the air. The animal whipped its head around, searching for the source. The fur on its back stood up and the tip of its tail rose in front of its head. Seizing the opportunity, Numan lunged forward, firing the tip of his weapon into the animal's body. A current rippled through its body, causing muscles to contract. A spike flew out of its tail, narrowly missing Numan, and then the animal fell to its side, twitching convulsively. The tip of the weapon shuddered and went back into place, allowing Numan to fold the device back into a compact form. Throwing one last glance at the animal, he too ran out of the picture.

The robot crawled closer to the creature lying on the ground, taking pictures from all angles. Wide paws with sharp claws, a long and thick tail serving as a quiver for its spike. Jaws with a double row of teeth, as well as small holes under the eyes. An exclamation point flashed on the screen, followed by three dots appearing on the map below. The robot quickly began to glide across the snow toward them, looping between tree roots and large footprints in the snow left earlier.

The marks on the map appeared to be a group walking slowly toward the ship. Numan and Tifa led a limp Agni under their arms. The closer the robot approached, the more clearly their speech could be heard.

-...I told you not to go near them! And you kept saying :"scouts, scouts...". Not only my job is to fix the ship, but now I have to learn lessons in fighting with... I don't even know what to call it. I should get a paycheck for this...

-Numan, calm down. Look at him, he's already been through enough. For the first time in his life he's been so close to danger, he can barely walk.

-He was close to danger? I'm lucky it decided not to blow my head off with its tail!

-I'm sorry... I really didn't think that... that it would... -Agni's voice sounded quiet and suppressed, additionally muffled by the helmet

Numan sighed heavily, after which patted him on the shoulder.

-Okay, the most important thing is that everyone is safe... But you should think next time. You're a scientist after all. You're the one who should be thinking about how to deal with predators, not me. - Numan turned around, glancing at the robot that had returned - But you'll have something else to look at. I'm sure this little guy got some good footage of that beast.

Around their ship, the group found many footprints outlining it in circles. As if awakened, Agni hurried towards them, falling to his knees. The robot sped up as well, getting up close to the scientist.

-Are these... human footprints?

-It can't be - Tifa walked over to Agni, sitting down on the snow with him -humans couldn't survive in these conditions. Besides, look at these footprints, they simply look like human footprints.

-You know, there could very well be someone here... - Numan's voice sounded distant, he wasn't visible on the recording - When I was standing there with the beast, I heard an explosion. That doesn't happen on its own, does it?

After taking a few pictures, the team finally entered the ship, turning on the protective field outside. Now the evening dusk glistened in the blue glow of the force field. Outside, snowflakes were slowly falling, rolling off the protective projection with ease.

-I dug into the records - Agni sat on the floor, warming himself in his jumpsuit - perhaps these animals are the ancestors of the ones we saw - two images appeared on the screen. The first showed a small rodent and the second an animal whose tail was covered with needles. Its front and back pairs of legs were its main support, and the middle pair had long fingers for grasping prey.

-To be honest, I like the new bunnies better - Tifa looked at the images in her helmet - they're fluffier, and smarter.

-Please don't name them like the fauna of our planet... - Agni shook his head and closed the images - we have to come up with names for them ourselves, which will then be confirmed by the superiors.

-Mares - Numan grinned, sitting down in his chair - I think it's a good name.

Tifa chuckled and Agni only sighed, walking over to the robot, opening its back panel again.

-Where's the drone...?

-What do you mean?

-There's one drone missing. I sent them out to do a mapping and one didn't come back.

-So just trace it on the same map, why do you don't think about it - Numan opened the projection and started checking the records of the various devices. When he got to the last one he stopped - there is no way...

The screen showed a huge downward slope starting in a cave. After a series of winding passages, the cave widened, turning into an almost open space. And from the ceiling and walls hung spheres connected by bridges. At this point, the drone's signal cut off.

-So there are still people here... - Tifa moved around the map mesmerized, zooming in on each house

-No, it's not them...can't be them- -Agni lifted the robot in his arms, opening the database. Behind his back was a porthole, and outside, snow was falling silently. In the distance, a silhouette could be seen, like a man who was clad in thick robes.

END OF THE VIDEO.