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Tohru the Muntjac

Through a slight haze, I opened my eyes, still a bit unaccustomed to the morning light. The spectrum of this white glow was different, not quite the same as the one on Ares.

The delicate touch of fur against my fingertips reminded me of the details from last night. The memory made my cheeks flush with heat. I rolled over and wrapped my arms around Jack’s firm, muscular body, burying my face into the sleek, black fur.

His massive, sharp white fangs, warm and damp nose, and that agile, fiery pink tongue... God, the feeling of my wildest fantasies coming true was beyond incredible. I couldn’t help but smile as I gently stroked the soft fur on his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his breathing.

His eyes, deep brown, looked oddly unfocused, yet there was a certain gentle glow in them. Just like the man himself—so... tender. Even though I personally prefer things a bit more... rough, I couldn’t find anything to complain about right now.

I never expected Jack to be this forward. When I helped him onto the bed, he leaned in and kissed me. Turns out he really is the type to order a Long Island Iced Tea on the first meeting—maybe that’s some kind of Lunar custom? But after we left the bar, the wildness that followed hinted that Jack was a completely different kind of wolf than he first appeared.

As my thoughts began to drift towards the replica in the downstairs studio and that poem with questionable meter, I felt Jack stir beside me. He was waking up. I stifled a grin, already contemplating how to greet him.

The light filtering through the window cast a unique bright pattern on the woven carpet. I think... I could get used to mornings like this.

Wingless the Dragon

"Good morning." Serene’s quiet voice came from behind as she wrapped her arms around me, resting her head on my shoulder.

"Good morning." I set down my tea and turned to plant a kiss on her cheek.

"Any leads?" she asked, glancing over at the menu options on the food synthesizer.

"If we're talking about the most powerful psychics... there are two equally strong signals, both in the city." I expanded my consciousness again, following the pulse of everything around me as I'd been trained to do. "I'm not sure which one it is, or how friendly they might be—or what they think of our mission." At least one of them had already sensed my probing waves, but there hadn't been any response. Darkfang had never said that the judges had no bias or how fair they'd be. I touched the transparent crystal in the pocket on my chest.

"Would we be faster if we split up?" Serene suggested. "They’ve got Ahuna omelets. Wonder how that tastes."

"It’s an efficient plan, but we’re in unfamiliar territory. There’s some risk in going solo." I couldn’t help but laugh at her reaction as I weighed the pros and cons of splitting up. From my psychic training, I knew all dragons were at least Epsilon-class psychics. If got close enough, we’d be able to sense the ripples of other psychic’s consciousness circle. But how close depended a lot on our individual sensitivity and the strength of the other psychic.

"Maybe we could ask for help from our own kind," Serene suggested, cutting into the golden dish that had just been synthesized and placing a piece on a round white plate. "I’m pretty sure Lunar residents have no idea what an Ahuna omelet is." She gave a playful hum and stuck out her tongue, finally offering her review.

"The reputation of outliers doesn’t seem too good around here," I said. I’d heard they referred to rogue dragons as "pirates." "Things are only going to get more tense from here. Keeping a low profile might be the wiser choice." Darkfang’s lessons echoed in my mind as I gestured toward the location of the spaceport. I could just make out the massive flagship of the Canid Empire, and though invisible to the naked eye, I was sure the escort fleet was standing guard nearby.

"We’ll figure it out," Serene said, hugging me tighter, her wings folding around me like a protective shield.

"Of course." I replied softly, turning my gaze outside toward the city of Mare Nectaris. After all, the fate of every living being in the sol was at stake. There was no option but to give it everything we had.

The dome's artificial sunlight, simulating morning, felt different from what I was used to. But that didn’t stop Serene and me from taking a moment to appreciate the unfamiliar scene. I really should’ve brought my camera, though the built-in lens on the terminal would probably suffice.

Still, all these plans could wait. Preventing the entire star system from spiraling into the worst possible future had to take priority. I believed that, once this was over, we’d have plenty of time to admire this world. The thought brought an involuntary smile to my face—what could be more challenging than this?

Golden light flickered, and we basked in the warmth, feeling the gentle breeze generated by the heating system sweep around us.

Dahl the Cheetah

The light from the dome above was a little harsh, casting uneven shadows between the uniform buildings. There was a certain beauty in the vAliety within the standardization, the contrast of light and shadow within the same tones. I had to admit—it was... beautiful.

"Someone had a lot of fun last night," he said, turning to me, his red eyes reflecting the morning light. Ali leaned against the railing, his hands clasped together, his long tail swaying slowly, though I wasn’t sure what he was looking at.

I shrugged, not offering a reply. Drawing attention hadn’t been my intention, but the moment of feeling completely unrestrained... it made me let my guard down.

"As it turns out, we were wrong—the strongest one isn’t with the black wolf," Ali continued, turning back to watch the early risers trickling into the streets below, moving steadily along the fast tracks toward their destinations. "It looks like he's able to hide himself in ways we still don't understand."

I leaned against the railing too, gently resting beside him.

"If this plan moves forward, that guy is going to be a critical factor," Ali’s tone turned cold, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Even if it was just for a brief moment, the power he showed… it’s overwhelming."

I nodded but didn’t respond directly. I’d noticed that powerful presence as well. I’d encountered it once before in a state of consciousness drifting, but I never thought I’d feel it again here on the Lunar. Still, that wasn’t the source of the unease I felt right now.

These days on the Lunar, walking alongside these... betrayers, sitting at the same table as them—it stirred something different within me. I thought I could always tell the difference between the pulse of a carnivore and herbivore until I realized that every individual's pulse is unique.

"...But it’s not just him," Ali continued, his whiskers twitching slightly. "There are at least two other presences in Mare Nectaris as strong as us. That’s something we didn’t account for." He tapped his nails on the railing to emphasize his point. When Ali was anxious, the frequency of his tail swishing would increase, and now it was moving so fast that I could barely keep up with it. "There’s no way this is a coincidence. There has to be some reason they all decided to come to the Lunar at this particular time." His nails scraped against the railing, producing a sharp metallic sound. "We need to confirm their intentions before taking the next step. Are they friends..." His nails dragged along the metal again. "...or foes?"

I scratched at the fur beneath my collar, trying to suppress the growing unease. Even though I didn’t like how things were developing, if I had to choose—no matter how many times—I would always choose Ali. But I felt that I needed to find the time to talk to him properly—if he’d be willing to listen—before we reached the point of no return.

"The point of no return, huh?" He flashed me a broad smile. "I’m looking forward to seeing it, you know, that planetary ring around Gaia." His red eyes, at times, made me just a little uneasy. I wasn’t sure if it was just my imagination or simply my own worry—that the Ali I knew was disappearing. "Do you think they'll name the ring after us?"

I still didn’t give him a clear response. I just stayed quietly by his side. I figured that was all I could do. Not for some grand prophecy, not for some lofty ideal, and certainly not for debts or grudges I didn’t even know how to count or whom to settle with—but for the one last thing I had left: the promise we made to never be apart.

Jack the Wolf

Damn—

What the…

No way.

Was it an illusion?

This can’t be happening…

“Good morning,” he said lazily, his nose nudging my ear, making it perk up instantly.

From the voice, I recognized it was Tohru—the muntjac, a descendant of the Nara family, and a postdoctoral researcher in the history department at Valles Marineris University, Federation of Ares. I could no longer deny reality. I’d heard before that if you try hard enough, or are shameless enough, you can create your own alternate facts. Guess I wasn’t trying hard enough.

“Good morning,” I replied, attempting to sound as formal as possible.

My senses hadn’t fully returned, and I couldn’t gauge Tohru’s mood from the atmosphere. The musky scent grew stronger as the muntjac rubbed against me, causing my fur to stand on end as a shiver of tingling spread across my skin.

“We were supposed to head to the Mare Tranquillitatis today, right? Won’t this make us miss our schedule?” He traced lazy circles on my chest with his finger, the gentle touch sending heat rushing to my ears.

“Uh…” I forced my brain to function, suppressing the urge to bolt to the other side of the room. Trying to sound calm, I gave a response. “We can take the direct train from the underground station. It’s about a thirty-minute ride. No problem.”

“Oh, that’s good,” he said with a smile, then started tickling my stomach. The sudden sensation made my left leg twitch uncontrollably, and I had to force myself not to arch my back. Please stop! No more touching! “I was a bit worried you’d want me to 'experience' more of the moon’s culture.”

“I thought you liked experiencing local cultures firsthand,” I blurted out, desperately trying to recall anything Tohru had mentioned in his messages while silently praying that my vague response would give me enough clues to understand what was happening.

What had I done after we left the bar? Surely, I didn’t spray graffiti at the security office, right? What happened in between, and how did we end up waking up in the same bed? Logically, this must mean we... fell asleep together. Fantastic.

“Not that kind of experience,” he said softly, playfully scratching my ear. The muntjac seemed to find my constantly twitching ear highly entertaining, having a blast with it.

I swallowed every growl that threatened to escape, and instead, they morphed into a strange sound halfway between a groan and a whimper. That probably made the situation even more misunderstood.

“As much as I’m enjoying our snuggly morning, my bladder’s about to explode, so I’ll have to excuse myself,” Tohru said before giving my ear one last nudge with his nose and getting out of bed. His decisive footsteps clearly knew where the bathroom was, and I had no desire to know why.

Once I heard the sliding door close, I sat up in bed. In the few seconds of numbness where I couldn’t move, I understood something about why people cover their faces to express emotions.

Grabbing a pillow, I pressed it tightly against my face, burying my nose into it, and let out a long, muffled scream. At least I was grateful I couldn’t see how this situation had become a disaster worthy of being written into the history of the Lunar.