PART 1- ONE WEEK ON LATIA

CHAPTER 1

  Kelsen covered his eyes and moaned as the ship began its landing sequence. “This is a terrible idea. I can’t believe you talked me into this.” The gray wolf shuddered in fright and anxiety.

  “Relax, Kel,” said Niko, the brown mouse seated across from him. He’d said it a thousand times already, and expected to have to keep saying it. “Breathe slowly. In and out. You agreed because this is a great idea. Besides, it’s way too late to back out now.” While Kelsen kept his eyes covered, Niko was staring out the window, marveling at everything outside. At how big it all was. “This is gonna be awesome.”

  The two of them had just arrived on Latia after a few days in transit from their home planet, Moccs. Travel between the two was still quite rare, for one painfully obvious reason: certain differences in planet size, density, and oxygen levels had caused evolution on both to result in Latians being nearly ten times the size of their Moccan counterparts, despite their aesthetic and biological similarities, which still baffled all scientists researching the matter; there was ongoing debate about whether it was scientific impossibility or inevitability.

  Trade between the two had actually taken off spectacularly, as Latians were able to offer huge amounts of raw resources and materials and Moccans had advanced medicine and technology. They’d achieved almost frightening commercial synergy; it was a shame that they weren’t quite there socially yet. Unsurprisingly, both due to their size and their lagging behind in spacefaring technology, Latians were completely unable to travel to Moccs, while Moccans were generally afraid to journey to Latia, fearing for their safety. For now, they’d managed to establish internet access between the planets, but even that was only mildly successful; outside of anonymous communication and a few outliers, most people decided to stick to speaking with people their own size.

  Kelsen and Niko, however, were such outliers. Or at least Niko was. When he was a child and Latia was first discovered by Moccan explorers, he’d been ecstatic, and since then had always wanted to meet a Latian face to face. Two years prior, when Moccan technical engineers had successfully connected the fledgling Latian internet to Moccs’ own, he’d immediately scoured it for Latians willing to connect. As of now, he actually had more and closer friends that were Latians than he had Moccan friends.

  Kelsen, on the other hand, despite being Niko’s best friend since childhood, was terrified. Of Latians especially, yes, but also in general. He had a severe anxiety disorder, and was prone to anxiety attacks, which were worse in unfamiliar environments or with strangers. Latians were so different that, at first, giving any serious thought to meeting one had caused him to hyperventilate...until three months ago, when he had found out that his long-distance girlfriend of one year, a white and tan husky named Ralia, was, in fact, a Latian. That had caused him some serious strife, but it was also a driving factor for him coming to Latia.

  A few days after he had found out and was no longer freaking out about it, Niko had a proposal for him: in a few months, they’d be on break from university. Prior to the recent and admittedly gargantuan revelation, Kelsen had constantly talked about traveling to meet Ralia—who had heretofore been vague about where she lived—and had brought up the possibility of going to see her over the summer more than once. With Niko tagging along, of course. Niko had been providing Kelsen with an anchor and comfort in new and strange places for over a decade now, and had also been curious to meet the woman who Kelsen had warmed up to so quickly and completely. Plus, he’d wanted to see the sights. This, he’d argued, wouldn’t be that different. They’d still be traveling to a strange place together, and they’d still be seeing Ralia. A few details would just be...different.

  On hearing this proposal, Kelsen had shut himself in his room and listened to his favorite playlist on repeat for a few hours to calm down before simply saying no, no way, no how, not ever. It had taken another week of cajoling and bringing up the suggestion to Ralia, who was all for it, to get Kelsen to actually consider it, and another three to gradually change his mind. Niko was careful not to bully his best friend into caving; he wanted this to be what Kelsen wanted. And, after they’d talked about it at length with each other and with Ralia, Kelsen had decided that it was.

  For the moment, anyway. Every time his anxiety spiked, he started stressing over the decision again, until either Niko or Ralia calmed him. Like now. “I mean it. It’s going to be great. You’re finally going to get to meet Ralia in person, and I’m—oh, shit!”

  Kelsen immediately grabbed his seat’s armrests tight, his eyes flying open. “What?! What is it?!”

  “No, it’s okay, I just—I forgot to tell you something.” Niko saw Kelsen’s eyes darting back and forth, and knew he might just push him into an anxiety attack if he wasn’t careful. “No, really, it’s okay!” He reached out and put his hand on Kelsen’s. “Kel, it’s not something you need to worry about. There’s just another person waiting to meet us at the starport besides Ralia.”

  Kelsen breathed somewhat harshly. “Who?”

  “A, uh, a friend. A gaming buddy of mine. You remember Pakos, right? You played a few missions with us a few weeks ago.”

  Kelsen finally started to settle down, though not completely. “The wolf who kept cutting me up when we were on the same team?”

  Niko laughed. “Yeah, him. I swear he’s not always that bad.”

  “It seemed more like it was on purpose.”

  “He’s just got a weird sense of humor. If you tell him to knock it off, he’ll stop.”

  Rocking back and forth, Kelsen gave a short whine. “I don’t know about meeting a Latian in person if they’ve got a ‘weird sense of humor’.”

  “He’s fine, really.” Niko settled back in his seat. “Just a bit of a jokester, but I promise he won’t be a jerk or anything…oh, shoot, I should send Ralia a text so she knows too.”

  “How...how’s that going to work? With us meeting Ralia and staying with her?” As usual, Kelsen wanted to know any and all specifics he could. It helped him deal with his anxiety. Niko felt awful for not mentioning this sooner and stressing his friend out, though to be fair, he’d only solidified plans with Pakos two days ago.

  “He’s gonna meet us at the starport and say hi, and then...I dunno, tag along with us sometimes when we go out. That’s okay, right?”

  Staring at the ground, Kelsen huffed, “I guess.”

  “If it’s going to be an issue, I can talk to him about not coming.”

  “It’s fine.”

  It really didn’t sound fine. “Kel, I want this trip to be fun for you. If having him along too is too much, you can say so. I won’t mind, and neither will he.”

  Kelsen crossed his arms. “I want you to have fun too. It’s really fine. I’m not upset about it. The anxiety is. I’ll...deal with it.”

  Niko gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. “We’ll deal with it. Right?”

  “Right.”

  Niko leaned back and looked around. The other passengers—all four of them—didn’t generally seem perturbed by Niko’s outburst or Kelsen’s demeanor, though one old bear did give them the evil eye. Niko just ignored her.

  “All passengers: landing is complete and the port is ready for us. Prepare to disembark in the next five minutes. Your attendant will escort you off shortly. Local time is 14:43, or 1:43 PM, Thursday afternoon.” Obviously, Latians wouldn’t call it Thursday, but they did have a seven-day week, just like Moccs, so the parallel was easy. More difficult was the 26-hour day.

  “According to my phone, back in Salica it’s 4:39 P.M. on Sunday,” Niko said. “Let the weirdness begin!” He and Kelsen looked at each other. Niko was grinning, but Kelsen just looked like he was going to be sick.

...

  Fifteen minutes later, they’d gotten their luggage and were passing through the Moccan starport. It was really just a handful of launch and landing pads arranged outside a central complex with a single baggage return and four shops—three restaurants of varying quality and one clothing store. Not much, but better than nothing, and a good start for the bustling starport this would hopefully be someday. They had plans to eat with Ralia, but Niko was starving now, so they stopped for a quick sandwich and fries before heading to the exit. On the walk, they marveled at how light everything felt here on Latia—a much less dense planet than Moccs, with lighter gravity. It wasn’t quite like walking on either of their moons, but there was an extra bounce to their step, and they could jump a little higher and lift a little more. Testing these effects would have drawn looks on Moccs, but here, the traveling Moccans just grinned at their antics or began testing the effects themselves. Niko silently gave thanks that their messing about seemed to raise Kelsen’s spirits, as they were about to dive deep into potentially frightening territory.

  Thankfully, they’d already completed all the—lengthy and tedious—paperwork required, so they wouldn’t have to visit the embassy next door; they could simply have their passports checked and leave to the other neighboring building, which was meant for Latians to meet Moccan friends and colleagues arriving from Moccs.

  To get there, they had to ride an elevator up, so they’d be roughly at shoulder height of the Latians. They shared the carriage with a raccoon in a fresh suit and weathered briefcase, who looked at his phone absentmindedly the whole way up, and a snow leopard in casual wear who, judging by his rapid breathing, was about as nervous as Kelsen. Niko gave him a smile and a thumbs up, and he returned a shaky one of his own. As they exited and the raccoon marched off, Niko nodded at the snow leopard. “It’s just fine to be nervous. I’m pretty nervous too. But it’s gonna be fine. Latians are awesome people!”

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  The snow leopard did seem slightly relieved. “You’ve been here before?”

  “Nope! See ya!” Niko gave him a wave and grabbed Kelsen’s arm, lightly pulling him along towards a large sign marking the ‘Pick Up Zone’.

  Kelsen, meanwhile, was taking in their surroundings, and trying not to faint. They had entered a huge room, one of truly epic proportions; the ceiling had to be at least one hundred feet high, about sixty feet above their heads at the moment, and it was thousands of feet wide. It looked like a cross between a lounge and an airport terminal; there were a dozen and a half Latians around the place, most seated, while one or two leaned against the wall and a few—staff—walked briskly by. Another staff member, a hyena, waited for them at the edge of what was basically a long, tall counter. As they approached, he boomed something out in one of Latia’s many languages.

  Niko and Kelsen immediately put their paws over their ears, dropping their bags in the process. It was loud—too loud. Niko worried their eardrums might burst. For his part, the hyena winced, and tapped his ear with an inquisitive look. “Damn it all,” said Niko, a little too loudly. “Earplugz. We forgot to use the Earplugz.” Earplugz were a handy invention meant specifically for travel to Latia; not only did they muffle the Latians’ voices, but they translated their speech into a variety of Moccan languages, including Niko and Kelsen’s own. Niko took his out and put them on, turning them on and making sure they were working correctly, before making sure Kelsen had done the same. Then, he turned to the hyena. “Sorry about that. We forgot our Earplugz.”

  The hyena simply shook his massive head, giving Niko an amused, almost-but-not-quite-mocking smile, and tapped next to his mouth.

  “Mother...our Micz too.” Micz were the sister device to Earplugz, meant to boost Moccan voices and translate them into a language the Latians could understand. There were only a few programmed currently, but enough that Moccans could generally get by, provided they remembered to wear them.

  After getting them set up and troubleshooting the correct language settings, Niko and Kelsen were finally able to speak to the hyena on normal terms. Well, more normal. “It’s all right, it happens all the time,” he said with a bit of a laugh. “I’m just sorry I nearly killed your ears. Maybe we should put up a sign, huh?”

  Niko laughed with him, and even Kelsen managed a brief, if unsteadily, smile. “Honestly, not a bad idea. One right next to the elevators. Would probably do people like us a world of good.”

  “I’ll bring it up at the next staff meeting,” the hyena said with a wink. “Anyway, I was asking for your passports. Soon as I see them and get one last bit of paperwork squared away, you’re free and clear.” He guided them to a Moccan-sized terminal and directed them to scan their passports with it. After checking a screen of his own, he nodded in satisfaction. “All good! Welcome to Latia, and please enjoy your stay!”

  “Thanks so much!” Niko said, and Kelsen nodded along. Giving the friendly man a wave, they headed down the counter, towards the actual pickup area. Niko was glad that the first Latian they met had been so warm and friendly, the damage to their ears notwithstanding; hopefully, it would put Kelsen at ease.

  “He was nice,” he said, glancing over at his friend.

  “Yeah,” Kelsen agreed. His breathing was only slightly faster than normal, which Niko considered a win considering how new and intimidating everything here would be for him. “Hey, I think I see her...”

  Niko looked up, following Kelsen’s gaze. Another Latian had just entered the room—a familiar-looking white and tan husky. She looked around for a moment before spotting them, and gave a short wave. “Yep, I’d say that’s her.”

  Ralia hurried over, and before long, despite the counter they stood on, towered over them. “Hey! Kel, Niko, you made it! Welcome to Latia!”

  “Glad to be here!” Niko called. “And great to finally meet you in person.” He glanced over at Kelsen. The wolf seemed to have frozen up, staring at the ground. “It is great, isn’t it, Kel?”

  “Nnnnnn.” Kelsen trembled almost imperceptibly.

  To her credit, Ralia seemed to grasp the situation immediately. She crouched down just a bit, to make herself smaller, and took a step away. “It’s okay, Kel. Take your time.”

  Niko put a hand on Kelsen’s shoulder. “Remember, this isn’t a stranger, Kel. It’s Rails. Just last week the two of you were singing that stupid song about doves together and driving me insane. Remember?”

  Kelsen’s mouth twitched. After a moment, he looked up, but didn’t meet Ralia’s eyes. “It’s just hard. My head knows you’re the same person, but my heart is trying to beat itself out of my chest.”

  If his words hurt her, she didn’t show it. “I get it. It’s totally fine. Take it as slow as you need to. We’ve got plenty of time for you to get acclimated before I ask for a kiss.” She stuck her tongue out at him.

  That brought a ghost of a smile to his lips, and a blush to his cheeks. He met her gaze for a brief moment before looking down again. “Ha-ha, very funny.”

  “Oh, I will get some quality physical contact from you sooner or later. When you’re ready.” She reached down to pick something up. “Speaking of, we didn’t end up discussing it before you got here, but how would you prefer to travel? The city has been talking about adding, like, walkways or underground passages or something for Moccans to get around, but we’re still a ways off from that happening.”

  Kelsen shifted from one foot to the other, and Niko shrugged. “So? What are our options?”

  “Well...” She lifted a somewhat absurd-looking contraption up onto the counter. “Some Moccans like to ride around in these. They’re like...handheld taxis. And they’re made so you can fasten a seatbelt to them in the car, and stuff like that.” The object before them was about ten feet by ten feet, and had plastic seats inside with straps attached to the top. It looked less like a taxi and more like a takeout box.

  “Sure looks comfy,” said Niko sarcastically. “Anything else?”

  “Um.” Ralia looked away, seeming somewhat embarrassed. “Well, I’ve seen other Latians just sort of...carrying Moccans around with them. With their paws.” She plucked at her shirt, which had two breast pockets and another two sewn on around the midriff. “And I wore something with extra pockets sewn on, in case you wanted to give that a try. Otherwise...sorry, but there just aren’t a lot of Moccan options on Latia yet, unless you want to walk and pray nothing happens.”

  Kelsen stared at the box, and Niko voiced his thoughts. “That thing doesn’t exactly look comfortable. And it seems like it would be hard to talk...I wouldn’t mind giving riding in your pocket a try, if that’s all right with you. Kel?”

  “I don’t really...like...any of those...” he muttered.

  Niko patted him on the shoulder. “Sorry, man. But you’re going to have to pick one. How about you ride with me? That way we’ll both be close by, just in case, and Rails’ paws will be free.”

  “...Okay, I guess.”

  “Cool.” Niko looked up at Ralia and gave her a thumbs up. “Ready when you are.”

  “All right!” She stepped back up to the counter, setting the Moccan ‘taxi’ back where she’d taken it from. “All aboard!” And with that, she reached down towards the two of them.

  Niko felt a surge of excitement with just a tinge of fear—the kind that made him feel good, made him feel alive. It was this feeling he’d been pursuing since his first dreams of coming to Latia. This Latian, this staggeringly enormous person, was about to pick him up like he was a child. Or, more accurately, a toy. His safety was almost completely and quite literally in her paws...and he knew that, as a close friend, he would be completely safe with her. It was something he’d never really be able to feel on or about Moccs.

  Kelsen, on the other hand, flinched and took a step back, perhaps involuntarily. Ralia froze mid-reach, perceptive as ever to his needs. “Here, how about this? I’ll just set my paw down, and you can climb on, at your own pace.”

  “I’ll help you,” Niko immediately chimed in.

  It took some doing, but eventually Kelsen let Niko lead him over to Ralia’s settled paw. Getting him on was another story. It seemed even touching her filled him with fear...or was it something else? Kelsen was Niko’s best friend, and he could usually read his moods. Whatever this was, it wasn’t exactly fear, but he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what it was. A mystery for another time, he decided. After spending some time with his paw on hers, Kelsen finally seemed to acclimate to the situation, and let Niko boost him up onto her pad. He jumped up behind him, only to look back at their luggage, realizing it would be difficult to carry like this. “Uh, Rails, can you?...”

  “Of course. I’ll stick them in one of my extra pockets.” Of course she would. At her size, carrying around their luggage was easy. Trivial. Carefully, gently, she lifted her paw up to her breast pocket, and opened it with her free paw. The two of them had to more or less slide in. Niko knew that if anything went wrong, she’d catch them; Kelsen held his breath and closed his eyes until his feet were secure, at which point he grabbed the lining and held on for dear life.

  As Ralia reached for their luggage, someone behind her coughed, clearly seeking attention. When she turned—turning the Moccans’ view along with hers—a black Latian wolf came into view, grinning almost sarcastically. “Hey there. If you’re Ralia, this must be Niko and Kensen.”

  Niko grinned and waved. “Hey, look who it is! Guys, this is Pakos. And it’s Kelsen, not Kensen.”

  “Right, of course.”

  Kelsen shrugged, though he didn’t seem up to looking Pakos in the eye. “’Sfine.”

  “Uh oh! He doesn’t look so good,” Pakos chuckled. “Need some air, little guy?”

  Kelsen responded by crouching lower in Ralia’s pocket, so only his ears were visible. “Maybe give him a minute,” Niko suggested. “He gets a bit anxious around strangers and stuff, and Latia is pretty damn strange.”

  “Aw, but he knows me! We play Devil Hunters all the time!”

  Niko put a hand to his hip. “Pakos, seriously.”

  “Sorry, sorry. Whatever.” Pakos extended a paw to Ralia. “Pakos! Don’t think we’ve ever met before.”

  She took it with a warm smile. “No, I don’t think so. Big city and all that.”

  “Oh, not just that. I’m properly from Bonaco, but I’m here in Teromod for a couple reasons—one of which is to meet up with Niko.”

  “That’s cool! I have a friend in Bonaco I visit sometimes. It’s a nice place.” Glancing down at the two Moccans in her pocket, Ralia asked, “So, where to now? Do you want to get your stuff settled at my place, grab a bite to eat, or what? I’m down for whatever you two—er, three—want to do!”

  Before Niko or Kelsen could respond, Pakos chimed in. “Oh, we should totally go downtown! It’s not too far, and we can show them the twin statues. And then the old district is pretty to look at, especially if you’ve never been. And then the park, the museum...lots of stuff!”

  Niko couldn’t help but laugh at Pakos’ eagerness. “I’d love to sightsee a bit! Kelsen, that okay with you?”

  The wolf slowly rose back to a standing position beside Niko. “S-sure, yeah,” he said. “Let’s see some things. For a little while. But then can we go back to Ralia’s place?”

  “Of course!” both Niko and Ralia said at the same time. Ralia continued. “If it ever gets to be too much for you, let us know, and we’ll take a break or call it for the time being and head back.”

  “Sounds...okay.”

  “Great!” Niko leaned forward, one paw grabbing onto the pocket’s edge for stability. “Onward! I want to see some really cool stuff! And if you don’t actually know the history of what we see, make it up! I must be entertained!”

  Ralia and Pakos both laughed at his antics, and Kelsen gave a slight grin. And with that, they were off.