Pets in Space: Cats, Dogs, and Other Worldly Creatures

by S. E. Smith

  The door of the education building opened and Simone stepped out into the evening sunlight. Faster than a kagi shot from the barrel of a telum, Ranger took off across the wide field toward her, and Buck galloped in from where he’d been grazing. Good, the animals would keep her distracted for a few more moments while he tried to collect his wits and slow his racing heartbeat.

  She patted Buck’s neck and said something to the horse that he couldn’t make out over the distance. Then she started across the field toward him. This was it; there was no turning back now. He reached down to snag a length of wild grass and set to shredding it with practiced and methodical deliberation. Using the brim of his cowboy hat to shield his face had been a stellar idea, as had been wearing jeans and the long-sleeved plaid shirt. If she figured out too soon who it was sitting on her fence, she’d probably make an abrupt direction change and return to her cube without giving him a chance to speak.

  Ranger barked, and the swish of Simone’s footsteps in through the grass slowed. She must see him now, a trespassing stranger. Why hadn’t he heard the soft shoosh of her telum being removed from its holster?

  The gangly young canine tore around the fence twice before taking off back down the hill. Now Simone was alone, without even the protection of her dog. And still she hadn’t armed herself. Enough was enough. “You should have your telum out by now.”

  “Say what?” She sounded bewildered by his suggestion.

  He set his face in a glower and pushed the brim of his hat up with one finger to meet her wide gaze. “A woman alone approaching a strange man in the wilderness of this planet should have her gun trained on him.”

  A split-second later, he stared at the business end of her weapon. He had goaded her, and now could easily end up with a kagi in his gut. But at least she was finally looking out for herself. “I didn’t get that weapon for you to wear as a decoration, Simone.”

  “Son of a bitch.”

  The kagi punctured a hole through the rusted can nailed to the post next to him. She had chosen not to use him as a target, thank the Mother. Keeping his face a passive mask was at odds with the relief surging through him. “That’s my girl.”

  “That could have been your head, dumbass, and I am not your girl.”

  Well, that much was certainly true. Keeping his mouth shut until the weapon was safely stowed seemed like an incredibly practical idea at the moment.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” she all but snarled the words. Aggression was her defense mechanism to hide her vulnerability. She was hurting because of him, which meant that on some level she still cared. If only this was as simple as reaching for her, cradling her in his arms to erase her pain.

  His gaze followed her telum until it was holstered, then he spread his hands and allowed his grin to widen, just a little. “I was in the solar system and thought I’d stop in to see an old friend.”

  “And maybe get a little whoopee while you’re here, I bet?”

  He gave his shoulders a casual shrug.

  “Go to hell.” She turned and stalked down the hill in the direction of her cube.

  Damn. But she wasn’t getting away that easily. Terrians had a saying, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. It actually had very little to do with Rome, and everything to do with adjusting to the foreign land you were in. He’d managed to make that adjustment once before, and he would do so again. Especially since he planned to live the rest of his life in Simone’s “Rome”, if all went well.

  He jumped off the fence rail to follow, matching her pace and keeping the distance between them respectful but consistent. This was not going the way he’d imagined at all, but he wasn’t giving up.

  She whirled around to face him, her lip curled. “I thought Matiran men weren’t allowed to pursue women.”

  A sarcastic laugh threatened to ruin any chance he had with her, so he pushed it back down into the darkest depths of himself. Hopefully it would stay there. “Since when did we ever observe Matiran protocol, Simone?” That wasn’t much better than just outright laughing. He was blowing it, big time.

  Her lips parted, and her eyes took on a far-away look of recollection. Which encounter was she recalling? The time in the network of caves behind the horses stable at Camp One, or the day he’d dispatched the Anferthian patrol who were taking her back to the slave ship?

  Those sexy dark eyes blinked, and she straightened. The moment lost in a memory was over. A harrumph sound accompanied the nasty scowl she gave him, then she continued her march toward her door. Good thing he had done that work on the ID reader. With the lock engaged, it would slow her down enough that maybe he’d have time to come up with something convincing to say. Or something witty. No, probably not. There was that little problem of him not being a conversationalist.

  Her hand reached out, her fingers curling around the door handle. It didn’t succumb to the pressure she exerted. She wiggled it again.

  Time to fess up. “Your ID reader works again.”

  Narrowed eyes shot unspoken accusations at him. “How did you know it was broken?” The same eyes widened with comprehension. Things were about get worse. “You’ve been stalking me?”

  “Surveilling is a much nicer word.” And more appropriate. However, judging by the flush rising on her cheeks, that was nowhere near the right thing to say.

  “How long?” she asked through her barred teeth.

  Ska. It could be that not coming directly to her door when he’d arrived had been a miscalculation. She would kill him for this. “Long enough to learn your routine.” Did she really just growl?

  “I don’t have enough food for the both of us.”

  That was better than her describing how she intended to gut him and feed his entrails to the coyotes. “I’d be happy if you would just lock your door while you’re out.”

  “Yeah, against whom, exactly?” She swung her arms out as if he had failed to notice the lack of humanity living nearby. The absence had both relieved and grated on him all week, not that she would know. And maybe it wasn’t others she needed to worry about.

  Simone’s eyes widened at whatever expression had just crossed his face, then she turned away and smacked the ID reader. Holy Mother, she was abusive of that little piece of technology.

  She disappeared inside the cube, but didn’t close the door. Interesting. That was as good as an invitation, and besides, he wanted to see her face when she walked into her kitchen. He removed the hat and stepped in behind her.

  “Where’d you get those? Hawai’i?” She pointed at the hibiscus flowers on the tiny kitchen table.

  “Yes.”

  The look on her face was priceless. She wore incredulous well. He held her gaze as he hung his hat on a hook, then swung the door shut.

  Uncertainty, and something softer, flashed in her deep brown eyes. “You’re impossible.”

  That was an undebatable statement of fact. Almost a compliment. “So are you. Sit down.”

  “I need to feed Buck and Ranger.”

  “The animals have been cared for.” If that had been her last-ditch escape effort, she hadn’t put much heart into it. If she really wanted him gone, she’d be kicking his sorry blue ass back outside already. “Sit. Your dinner’s ready.”

  He shoved his hands into the thermo-gloves and opened the oven door. The peppery aroma of the meaty meal enveloped him, and he inhaled deep through his nose. Behind him, a chair scraped across the floor. Good, she was hungry enough not to argue. He moved the cooking pot to the table. “This is a Matiran dish, and yes, I did bring it all the way from Matir.” Dipping a spoon into the stew-like dish, he gave it a stir. A fresh tantalizing wave of spicy deliciousness wafted up on the steam, much like Terrian beef, but richer. “The meat is from a native animal you’ve never heard of, and bears no resemblance or relationship to koalas. It’s not even remotely cute.”

  Trox maximus were downright ugly and damn vicious, especially if their dens were disturbed. Trox-in-a-pot was the only civil way to encounter the
beasts. He lowered himself into the remaining chair. Simone raised the morsel on her fork to her mouth and slipped it between her full lips—lips he had missed kissing for far too long because of his stupidity.

  “This is good, Graig. Really good,” she said, a touch of wonder in her voice.

  Another small victory. He gave her a smile, and turned his focus to his own meal. A peaceful silence descended over them, comfortable and familiar. This was how he’d imagined spending his life, right here, with this woman at his side. But small talk and one well-made meal weren’t going to be enough to convince her.

  She set her fork on her plate. “Why did you come here, Graig? Honestly.”

  And there it was, the question he had longed for and feared all at once. Honesty. That’s what she wanted to hear, so that’s what he’d give her. To do less would be insulting. He leaned forward and met her gaze.

  “All my life, every time I’ve done anything, it’s been well thought out. Something I am good at, and something that makes me happy, or at least satisfied. After leaving you out there at the fence, it took me two months, and a sound thrashing from Alex, to figure out that I was no longer happy. It took five months more to secure my early discharge from the Guardians.”

  The corners of her mouth pulled down in a frown. “That’s seven months, space cowboy. You’ve been gone for eight.”

  His heart stuttered. She’d used the nickname she’d given him while they were still back in Camp One. That must be a good sign, right? Time to drop the stoic mask he usually presented to the world and allow her to see the regret he had hidden all these months, and the love for her that he still carried in his heart. “I spent most of the last month on Matir with my family. I was there to say good-bye.” And to hunt down a wild trox maximus for this dinner.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t plan to go back.” Especially since it would likely mean leaving her behind. She’d made it abundantly clear her place was here helping her people recover. “I made a poorly-thought-out choice eight months ago because it seemed like the right thing to do. I enjoyed being a Guardian and in charge of security, and was damn good at it. There was no reason why I shouldn’t continue on that path. It’s the most miserable I’ve been.

  “Simone, never in my life have I been happier than when we were together. Everything I have ever had or done pales compared to the time I spent with you. I don’t expect that you’ll take me back, certainly not easily, but I had to at least let you know how it’s been for me. And how sorry I am for tearing us apart.” He took in a deep breath and held her gaze. “I love you, and that will never change. However, if you want me to go, I’ll go.” It would kill him, but there was nothing in this universe he wouldn’t do for her, even to his own detriment.

  She didn’t move except to blink. The old Terr clock on the wall ticked off the seconds. For the first time ever, he couldn’t decipher what she might be thinking.

  Finally, she stood, stacked their dishes and carried them to the sink. “You know, I’ve never heard you say that much at once, ever.” She kept her back to him as she spoke, a sign she wasn’t receptive to his words. This didn’t bode well.

  “Do you need time to think?” It was a weak attempt on his part to extend what appeared to be their final moments.

  She nodded, still not turning to meet his gaze. “Meet me at the fence in one hour.”

  If that’s what she needed, then so be it. He rose from the chair, gathered his belongings then stepped out into the last vestiges of twilight.

  The Terrian moon wasn’t quite as full as it had been three nights ago, but there was a stark beauty to its clear white glow. Strange in an alien sort of way, compared to Matir’s two moons, one of which gave off a golden shimmer and the other a pink. Even so, this was a view he’d give anything to have for life.

  He glanced at Simone’s cube. One Terr hour was almost passed and the light from the kitchen window still spilled onto the flower bed below. What if she didn’t come out? What if she decided to lock her door and crawl into her bed alone?

  Another Terr minute passed. A deep aching pit opened in the vicinity of his heart. How long after the allotted hour should he give her? Fifteen minutes? Thirty? Another hour? Or maybe he should just walk now?

  The glorious sound of her cube door opening reached his ears. His heart rate ramped up. She was coming, but what would she say? What was her decision? He tried to swallow, but his mouth seemed unusually dry. The moonlight shone on her white blouse, and he could just make out the sway of her jean-clad hips.

  She stopped a short distance away, her hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket. If only he could see her eyes.

  “It gets pretty dull around here. If you stayed, what would you do?” she asked, softly.

  Thank the Mother, this was a question he’d anticipated and was prepared to answer. Her asking questions must be a good sign, but there were no guarantees. “You still need green-houses for your work. As I recall, you wanted to make your home self-sustaining by planting and raising your own food. I can make that happen.” That, and so much more, like the student dorm, a chicken coop, and maybe even a pen for some of those mildly annoying yet extremely useful Terrian creatures called goats. But, once built, he would need other things to do. Long-term commitments. “I’ve also been told I’m a fairly decent self-defense magister. It would be a good way to give back to the people who have given me so much.” Add a training cube to the mental list of projects.

  She stood silent and unmoving, possibly considering his words. But the moment stretched and his palms prickled. The urge to wipe them against his jeans was nearly overwhelming his common sense.

  “You love me?” Her question was so soft he almost missed it.

  “With every fiber of my being, Simone.”

  “What if you discover you’ve made another mistake?”

  It was a fair question, and his answer must convince her to trust him, believe in him. “Mistakes can get a man killed. This one’s been killing me for eight months. I am not making another mistake.”

  “For life?”

  His breath hitched in his chest. Could it be? “For life.”

  “We’re doing it right this time, you know.”

  “Anything less would be unacceptable.” He was going all in and never looking back.

  Her right hand came out of her jacket pocket and she raised it, palm toward him. The Promise of Faith, a Matiran tradition of pressing palms to seal a pledge between a couple to work together toward making their relationship a life commitment. This was what he’d hoped and prayed for, and what he would nurture and grow until the day he died. He mirrored her action with his left hand as she came toward him until her palm pressed against his.

  He allowed his Gift to flow through him until the light of it encompassed his hand. By its glow he could see hope in her eyes…and love. Mother knew he had never stopped loving this woman, even though he’d been too blind to see it for a while.

  “I love you too, Graig.” The huskiness of her whisper touched his heart. Then she was on her toes, offering him the lips he’d longed to kiss earlier. He lifted her up against him, tucking his hands under her bottom as she wrapped her legs around his waist. This woman, this beautiful, sensuous woman, had once again done the unexpected. She’d taken him back, and he’d never give her a reason to regret that decision. She was his life, now and forever.

  Epilogue

  I am the dog, the guardian of this place, and I survey my domain as I lay here in my yard, warming myself in a spot of sunshine. I really love the cold-damp season the best because it rains, and rain is glorious. It makes puddles, and those are my favorite things. Although, it hasn’t rained for almost a week and now all the puddles are gone. Most disappointing. Now I have to figure out what to do for the rest of the day. Buck is always up for a gallop around the field, and racing him is so much fun.

  The sound of the cube door opening catches my attention and I lift my head.

  “Up, Ranger. We have th
ings to do today.”

  Graig! I bound to my feet and dance in light-footed circles around him. I love Graig. We have the most fun days together while Mommy is with the others. And it looks like our first stop today is to check on the feather-balls in the new coop.

  “Looks like the new shock barrier kept the coyotes out of the chicken coop last night.” Graig looks at me and bares his teeth—a smile. His happy look. Sometimes he gives me a treat when I smile back, so I’m good at that now. “Where were you, by the way? Inside being spoiled by Simone, again?”

  I swing my tail from side to side. Silly two-legger. The feather-balls were safe because the yippers didn’t come last night. He has no idea I chased down one of them yesterday just before sundown. Its body is at the farthest edge of the field as a warning to the rest of its pack. Stay away.

  Graig chuckles. “Whatever, girl. C’mon, let’s go for a run, then you can help me survey the area where I plan to build a training cube.”

  Run. I love to run. If we are out in the field I can show him the yipper. Graig turns and jogs toward the trees beyond the hill with the fence he likes to sit on. Bummer. Looks like we’re taking a run through the forest today. I’ll have to show him my first kill later.

  After our run, Graig goes to the barn and gets some short, pointed sticks. He puts one in the ground and walks a little ways in a straight line. Then he pushes another pointed stick in the ground. He does this a few more times, then starts doing some other things that I don’t understand. So, I trot a short distance away and lie down to keep watch. While he does whatever he’s doing, I will guard him because he is the Mommy’s mate, and Mommy is the Alpha.

  When the sun is high above, Graig whistles and we go back to the cube. I wait outside until he comes out again with food and sits on the bench under the tree. We always wait for Mommy to come and eat with us. But, sometimes, if I put my head in his lap and look at him long enough, he gives me my lunch early.

  He scratches just behind my ears with his fingers. “Nice try, Ranger, but we’ll wait for Simone.”