FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

For the most part, life on the ship was good. I had asked Ro'in about everything, but his answers were pretty sketchy. Apparently, a scouting ship of theirs had found our planet, but had been completely appalled at the way we were treating it. They had suggested that they destroy it, but their council, the rulers of their people, had first suggested that they scout us out more.

Mostly they found that it was only out of ignorance, or an inability to do anything else that we were destroying the planet, so they decided to intervene. They represented themselves to the highest authorities on the planet, and put their plan onto the table.

Their plan was as following: we know how to fix your planet, and we're willing to do it. In return, since our species is much more advanced than yours, but much smaller, we would help them settle other planets in the galaxy. Unfortunately, humans have a deep-seated instinct to DOMINATE everything, so they would find those special few who had over ridden that instinct, and take them.

Not many were chosen, my father was only chosen in the first place to accompany ME. According to many of their reports, I was one of the least violent people in the society, but had serious stability problems. The reason I had been chosen to go first was because they had programmed the teleporter with set of equations that were supposed to unlock the doors I had stuffed my emotions behind. It didn't work out the way they wanted, and I had been changed on a fundamental scale, but no one knew WHAT had changed.

Once the selected were loaded up onto the ships, they were carted out to different planets with the other species, and began to settle those. They hoped that our two species would grow closer together, and would hopefully interbreed, giving humans abilities that they had, and them abilities that humans had.

I was currently on the ship Prometheus. At least, that was as close as the English translation got. I was supposed to begin classes today that would teach me about their math's, and sciences, and languages. Primarily their culture. There was going to be a couple more humans their too, but I felt absolutely no need to converse with them

I was supposed to follow the green line on the wall from my rooms, but somewhere along the way when I hadn't been paying attention I had wandered off of the path. I was just starting to worry when I turned a corner and saw a wall at the far end with a green line. The only question was, was it my green line, or another humans?

I really didn't care at that moment, because I was about to be late, so I ran along the green line until I came to the end. The door at the end was just closing behind someone, and that someone had a tail, so I suspected that he was our teacher. I rushed forwards and squeezed by the door before it closed.

Unfortunately, I was met by a sight I did not enjoy in the lease.

Micheal.

"How the hell did you get chosen?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

"I could ask the same thing four eyes. What's up with the sunglasses? Their isn't even any sun on this ship." He retorted hotly.

I reached my hand up quickly, just remembering that I had worn sunglasses because my eyes had started bothering me.

Instead of responding again, I just walked quickly to the farthest desk from Michael, and sat down heavily, not even looking back at him.

Through this entire ordeal, the teacher, a lithe snow tiger, had been watching me closely.

"Mr. Aaron, there is no... sunglasses allowed in the classroom at this time. They are an impediment to the teaching environment, and you won't be able to see the video we are putting on clearly." He said slowly, as if he wasn't sure of his words.

In response, I reached up, and slowly pulled the glasses off, folding them and gently setting them onto the table. When I looked back up, the snow tiger jumped back and stared at my eyes in surprise.

"Oh...oh my. I can see why you put those on in the first place now Mr. Aaron."

Heat rushed into my cheeks, and my eyes flared a brilliant green for a brief moment before I got control over my embarrassment again. The door opened again, and for a brief moment nobody entered, before the wolf who said I had smelled like oranges walked into the room. He was so large that he had to duck his head to fir through the door, even if it was built for people of their size.

He only briefly glanced over the entire room, but it felt like he looked at me for an eternity.

"I am Tiril, and will be your main teacher for the day. This is Seril, he will be my assistant." With that, he pressed his han-paw into a panel at the side of the room, and the lights shut off. There was only three sources of light in the room, technically six. My eyes, Seril's eyes, and Tiril's eyes. Seril's were a blue with scarlet veins flowing through, and Tiril's was the same color as before, but seemingly brighter in the darkness.

"Today, we will be discussing our cultures. The first thing I would like to address is money. The largest difference between our two cultures monatery values is the fact that we don't use money. We believe that money is selfish, and all things should be shared equally, except for mates and children. If you want something, simply ask for it, and if the current owner has no need or want of it, they will give it to you. If you do not give a possession to someone else when they ask, than you are expected to give a VALID reason for it."

"That's stupid. If someone else wants something of mine, they should have to pay for it. It's mine after all, and I don't want to just give it away," Michael suddenly shouted from the back of the room, "and why are the light's off?"

"In your culture, that is acceptable, but in ours it is considered extremely rude. If you are not willing to accept this, then we will send you home. We are still in range of teleporting you to your planet."

"Why would I wanna go back to that hell-hole It's filled with retard and idiots who won't fight for anything. In fact... one of those idiots is sitting in the front of the room, isn't that right Mr. Aaron?" Michael said with a sneer in his voice.

'What does he mean by that Mr. Aaron? You won't fight?" Tiril asked me.

"Uh.... N-no sir. I'm pacifist. I don't believe fighting will solve very much of any problem." I responded, stuttering despite my best intentions.

"See everyone, he's just some gutless yellow belly. Coward, wimp, idi-"

'THAT IS ENOUGH!" Tiril shouted from the darkness in the opposite side of the room, very near to Michael.

"Michael, listen around you for a second... notice how nobody else is laughing? Want to know why? Everybody here, except for you, me, and Seril, is a pacifist.You think it's funny?! Funny that they don't believe in violence? Well, you know what I think is funny?"

The door slid open with Seril next to it.

"I think it's funny how the door is open, but you still haven't left yet. Good bye. Come back when you have proper respect for everybody here."

Michaels face was beet red, and looked about ready to explode, but he got up, and nearly ran out of the class. The door closed silently behind him.

"Now that the trouble maker is gone, let us continue with the lesson."

-

After the culture class, we had science, and then math, and then language. After Science we ate a meal, and then had an hour long break. I stayed in the classroom and read some of their translated literature on my desktop console, which we had been taught how to use at the end of culture class. Math was a breeze, and language was surprisingly easy, but I thought that the day ended to soon. I had excelled wonderfully in science and math, surprising even Tiril and Seril, which surprised me. You never expect someone like Tiril to look surprised.

We weren't supposed t show up again for a few days, so I had a lot of time to myself. They still gave out homework, and it was quite a bit, but all of it was easy. After I had finished with it, I decided that I should unpack what I had, seeing as I hadn't even touched my bags except to get clothes to wear out of them. I had a few books. And a few knickknacks, but the first thing that caught my attention was a light mahogany box. I didn't remember putting that in there.

I pulled it out, and flipped the latch on the front, slowly lifting the lid. On the inside was a folded piece of paper.

It read:

Dear Aaron,

Your mother and I were absolutely ecstatic when you were born, our first baby boy, and you were so beautiful too. We both loved you with all of our hearts, and only wanted the best for you. When your mother died... I lost touch with the world. You needed help even more than I did, but I ignored you, and left you to wallow in your misery on your own. You turned out to be smart, and handsome, but I felt terrible for never being there for you, so I decided t give you a new home.

They told me several years ago that I had cancer. It was just an added strain to my already overloaded can old back. I looked at you then, and saw a sad little boy, who could barely hold himself up. You came home everyday, did your homework, ate your food, and reread a book that your mother had left behind. And yes, I knew about those times you snuck out of your window and ran off. I was curious, so I followed you one time, and was surprised where you went.

Your mothers grave. I hadn't visited it even once since your mother had been put there, but you had visited it multiple times, and every time you cried, and put a flower on it. I never cried once after she died, but after I saw you there, kneeling in the moonlight over your mothers grave with silver tears flowing down your face, I ran home and cried myself.

They told me that you had been chosen to go on this trip, and I was sad at first. They told me I could go with you, but would most likely not be able to survive, because of my advanced case of cancer, but I went anyways. For you.

In this box, is the last thing of your mother's I owned. She told me to give it to you when you were ready. Take god care of it, it's been passed down through almost 10 generations of your family, and is very rare.

_ Love_

_ Derek Herren, your father._

I sat there for a long time, re-reading the letter over and over, and when a spot of water appeared on the paper, I realized I was crying. I put my head between my knees and wrapped my arms around myself, and sobbed. He really had cared; he had cared so much he took on all that extra weight just to protect me.

I don't know how long I sat there crying, but when I finished, I picked myself up, and took the box into my hands again. The latch had reclosed, so I flipped it open again, and lifted the lid. Sitting there, nestled in a beautiful snow white cloth, was a gold linked necklace with a beautiful, fragile looking, green diamond tiger hanging off of the end. I remembered the necklace. My mother had worn it all the time, and it was an extremely rare piece, passed won throughout her entire family, mother to daughter, mother to daughter. This was the first time a boy had inherited it, at least under my knowledge.

The chain slipped through my fingers like water, and was strangely warm.

I picked lifted it high, and put it over my head.