FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It was called a burn-run. Lt. Terrel Gains had heard of these in his countless hours of flight training, but now here it was, no longer a drill, the real thing, no longer a simulation.

He couldn't take off the sim-goggles and hop out of the jumper seat and start over again. There was no longer a digital holo-screen image; it was all real.

His ship was about to hit the atmosphere, burn up and fly apart. Any denizens of the blue planet below him would see a terrific lightshow spread for miles, as the K1-50 exploded. With luck he would feel no pain. Perhaps just an intense heat, and then the coldness of death.

Terrel shut his eyes and waited for impact as the cruiser approached the strange world. The retros would kick in automatically below the 5,000 meter deck, but that would never be enough to slow his descent.

Unless...

The wolf opened his eyes, fumbling for the controls to his right. If he could somehow guide the ship - there was a large body of water looming up from the clouds. Certainly the ship was capable of sustaining a crash landing there. Terrel couldn't swim, but he also couldn't survive a direct hit into the ground, nor the subsequent explosion.

"I guess I learn to swim," he muttered, and squeezed his eyes shut as his strong hand reached out to shove the control stick as far to the left as it could. The K1-50 bucked, and as the force of the retros blasted forward, pitching Terrel to the floor of the compartment, the crusier reared and fell into the water on its side. The front shield shattered immediately, sending warm, crystal water into the front hold.

Terrel panicked, and tried to scramble out the escape hatch, only to realize it was already underwater.

"Oh no..."

He could feel the cruiser descending, pulling him down with it. He fought to keep his head above the rapidly rising water, his air pocket quickly vanishing. In a moment he would be trapped inside this watery room. He would have enough air in his lungs to sustain him perhaps a few seconds, his lungs would tighten, burn and finally give out. As he breathed, the warm water would course down his throat, filling his lungs. He would drown.

He took a few stale breaths and dipped his head underwater, wildly looking around, trying to find a way out. The console computer was gone, and that meant the controls for the hatches most certainly were. But manually-

He pushed himself back up to the surface, slamming his head hard against the ceiling, causing him to gasp in alarm. The compartment was nearly filled. Frantically, he took several deep breaths, realizing this was it. As the waters closed completely over his head, urgency settled in.

He had to get out now!

He sank down to the floor, feeling around the side of the cruiser for the manual switches that would open the hatch. His lips tightened, and a few bubbles leaked from between them as he fought to hold his breath. His digits closed around one of the metal arms, and he grunted and pulled with all his might. There was a hollow thunk, and then the hatch began to slide open.

Terrel could feel his lungs burning in pain, his body tightening. Panic was setting in. "No!" he told himself fiercely, "Calm down! If you panic now, you fail the simulation!" He braced himself against the compartment door, his hands trying to force the hatch open quicker. With a last heave, his remaining air left him in a stream of bubbles, and there was nothing left to hold.

Desperately he squirmed through the open hatchway, and clawed madly, blindly upwards. The cruiser continued to descend, completely filled with water, drowned. It sank as slowly as a feather, and rested against the bottom far below with a light crunching sound.

Terrel had no time to worry about that now. The surface loomed not far above him, and he stroked hard. "Air! Come on!" he screamed silently, and then his arms went akimbo and he shot past the surface, gasping, coughing, spitting out water again and again.

He barely had time to take a breath before he sank underwater again. His limbs were useless in the water. How much he wished he had learned the water training exercises before accepting the mission! He tried again to claw his way to the top, kicking hard, and surfaced again. The image of his cruiser sinking into the depths filled him with terror. He did not want to die like that. Not on this planet.

He sank again, and somehow managed to kick forward instead of up, bringing him at least a little closer to shore not far away. He found that as he kicked, his arms could adjust and move at the same time, and soon he was doing a weak but passable stroke through the water. He quickly blew out bubbles and surfaced again, gasping. His boots touched bottom! He could stand!

Terrel gave a little cry of surprise and waded, struggled, from the water's grip, pitching forward into the sand and breathing heavily. It felt so good to be on dry land. As he lay there, he lifted his head up from the sand to view his surroundings. It appeared to be a small island, with lots of palm trees, and foliage curiously like that of his homeworld. The trees stretched deeper into the distance, overlooking a golden field of some form of plantlife. Well, after he rested he would explore. He was going to be here a while.

Good thing for that beacon probe he had set out into orbit before the crash.

He started to rise from the sand - and then a large tentacle erupted from the surface and coiled around his legs. "What-" The tentacle gave a strong yank, pulling him back into the water and away from shore.

"Help!" He screamed as water splashed into his throat. "Someone help me!" He felt his body being pulled farther out. The bottom dropped below him and panic filled him again as the tentacle began pulling him down. He took a deep breath and lowered his head down in the water, mmmphing and grunting against the strong grip around his legs. He continued to struggle, holding his breath, as the tentacles began pulling him deeper and deeper into the lagoon. He cried out in some pain, his air leaving him, and bent down again, fighting to hold his breath while trying to claw at the tentacle.

But the fight was leaving his body, his struggles were getting weaker. He looked up at the surface dizzying high above him and he lost consciousness, his head lolling forward on his chest as he let the deep, black waters take him. Before his senses left him entirely, he felt another tug on his body, trying to pull him another way, and decided he was probably being fought over for food.

So this is how I die, his last thought was, before that too drifted into a hazy blackness.

**

Terrel opened his eyes slowly, rolled over weakly on his side, coughing, and vomited water onto the sand. He was dimly aware of strange warmth near him. He struggled to lift his head, and he felt it pound like a hammer. He seemed to be in a large cave, but apparently not far from shore - he could still hear the gentle lapping of the waters. He moaned and lay back down again, too weak to move for the moment. A shadow above him drew his attention to the flames, and a figure walked past him, sitting down across from him and the fire.

Terrel caught a glimpse of long dark hair and glowing green eyes boring into him as the figure lifted something and began to eat. "Um...H-hello?" He coughed the words out, and sat up, holding his head as he waited for the nausea to pass. He yelped as his tail got too close to the fire, and he quickly shied away, beating the singed fur with a hand. The figure before him watched as it ate, its eyes never wavering.

Terrel tried again. "Hello? Um..can you... understand me?"

The figure blinked, and the eyes seemed to lose their intensity. A few clicks and chitters emerged from its hidden mouth.

"Did...did you save me? I mean... because if you did, I want to... to thank you..." He got up slowly, crawling over closer to the flames. His eyes widened and he felt his mouth go dry.

Sitting there before him was the most beautiful creature he has ever seen.

An otteress, he observed admiringly. He had heard the stories from his friends at the academy. They were ferocious, wild sea beasts that would sooner attack you than look at you. They were primitive, unintelligent, unable to hold a thought for longer than a breath. They were to be feared, and never to be trusted. Terrel had heard them all, but had never seen one until now.

She had the longest, darkest hair, flowing freely over her shoulders, where the tips touched the sand. She was nude from the waist up, but her hair was more than apt cover for her full breasts. Around her flaring hips, Terrel could see that she wore a tightly fitting loincloth. Her legs were crossed in front of her, long, shapely and powerful, covered with the same deep brown fur that protected her whole body. Her sea-eyes blinked as he gazed upon her, and Terrel saw fear in them.

"No..please... don't be afraid of me..." Terrel quickly put out an empty hand, hoping the strange girl understood his intentions.

The otteress leaned forward in the sand cautiously and sniffed his hand slowly, nuzzling the fingers and short claw tips. Terrel tried his best not to shiver in delight at the touch of her inspections. Finally, apparently satisfied, she sat back on her legs again, eating.

"What is your name, little one?"

She continued eating as if she had not heard.

Terrel sighed, "Oh perfect..." He stood up from the floor of the cavern and walked towards the opening. The otteress watched him curiously before going back to eating her food.

The wolf stepped from the cavern and looked around. The island was apparently larger than his instruments had reported back on board. The lagoon was perhaps fifty yards wide and stretching for many more yards in either direction. A towering row of cliffs soared majestically over the entire island. He winced inwardly, imagining his K1-50 slamming dead-on into one of those rocky structures instead of the water. The cavern itself was dug into one of the mountains surrounding the island, but Terrel could see a path leading inbetween, out towards a beautiful green and gold field beyond.

He started to explore when a touch on his back spun him around. The otteress stepped away a little, holding something like a rock in her paws. "What, were you going to hit me or something?" the wolf snarled.

The girl stepped forward again, holding out the hollowed out rock, which contained a piece of fish. "Oh...I'm..I'm sorry," Terrel blushed and took the rock-bowl gently. "Look, I'm just a bit panicked, okay? I mean, my ship... everything I own is deep-sixed and.. I've got no way to link to anyone, and..." His words trailed off as the lovely otteress continued to stand before him expectantly.

"Oh, you want me to try your fish, I see..." Terrel nodded, taking a taste and licking his fingers. Preferably he liked his fish cooked but- "Mmmm...not bad, not bad at all." He gave her his most pleasant smile and was very pleased to see her smile back. "My compliments to the chef," Terrel mock bowed and returned the bowl to the otteress.

She chittered and tugged gently on his hand again, leading him back to the cavern. "What now? Dessert?"

Amused, Terrell followed her back inside, where she had spread out a long section of cloth over the cavern floor. She smiled and pointed to the makeshift blanket, indicating sleep. "Oh...I see, time for bed, huh? Explore tomorrow?" Terrel lay down where he was shown, pulling off his boots and shirt. The otteress watched him get comfortable, and then lie down on the other side of the fire, churrring peacefully.

"You poor girl," Terrel said softly, "You're probably all alone here, huh? Never seen anyone, probably starving for companionship." He got up and cautiously placed his cloth beside hers, closer to the fire. The otteress watched him lie back down, and then slowly snuggled against him, pressing her body softly to his. Terrel gulped a few times, feeling the girl's soft fur so much more wanting than the flames of the fire. A tender nuzzling followed as each explored one another through scent, and then they lie together the rest of the night.

**

The daylight spilling into the cavern awoke Terrel and he turned beside him to find the otteress gone. Putting on his boots again he ventured out of the cavern, looking for his new friend. The sound of bubbles lifting from the lagoon drew his attention and he carefully made his way over to the shore, remembering all too clearly his recent tangle with the tentacled beast - whatever it had been.

He looked down into the water, watching as the rocky shelf of the shore line dropped into undeterminable depth within a few feet of the shallows. As he continued to watch, the shimmering figure of the otteress could be seen, diving downwards. He smiled and watched the lithe form glide across the shelf and farther below, as if perfectly at home in the waters. He again cursed himself for never learning to swim at the academy.

He watched for some time, admiring her movements, and wondered how long she could possibly stay underwater. He realized now and again as the otteress swam, she would expel bubbles back to the surface, perhaps, he reckoned, to hold off the need to breathe for a while longer. He watched, fascinated, as the otteress paused at a section of reef, using her strong legs to hug around a large rock as she scratched at an opening with her claws. Within seconds, she had cleanly caught a large striped fish that poked its head at her scratchings. She expelled a quick burst of air again and pushed off the rock with her feet, stroking slowly back to the surface.

The otteress gasped as her head popped from the water, and seemed to notice the wolf for the first time. She smiled warmly at him, holding up her catch and chittering.

"I see that," Terrel returned the smile and clapped his hands. "That was very beautiful. I wish I could swim too." He watched her swim to shore and climb up the shelf to the shallows, standing there dripping wet and semi-naked, her tanned breasts and stomach fur taking on a sheen as fresh water dribbled down her body and into the tight sarong.

Terrel tried very hard not to look for too long.

She dropped the fish to the sand and then took Terrel's paw, pulling him towards the water. "Nono, please," the wolf squirmed and shook his paw free, "I'm...not a good swimmer. I barely paddle if that." He immediately was sorry when he saw the hurt look in her eyes, and reached for her hand again, pointing to the shallows. "I'll stay here and watch you swim." The otteress seemed to understand and churrred, diving back into the clear waters. Terrel smiled, sat down on the shelf of the lagoon and watched the lovely girl continue to fish.

They ate breakfast in silence, each in their own thoughts. The wolf once tried to show the otteress how to cook the fish over a fire, but as she tried to duplicate him, her fingers were burned. She had given a whimper of pain, and Terrel was quick to massage her stinging hand.

Now as they sat before the fire he noticed the otteress seemed somber. He wondered if the fire might have frightened her too much.

After eating, Terrel decided to do more exploring and, after some hesitations, persuaded the girl to join him. They walked along the shore for as far as the lagoon stretched, opening up to an endless expanse of azure sea. Then Terrel pointed to the place in the rocks where he had seen fields.

"What's back there? Can you show me?"

The otteress seemed to sigh, her eyes blinking several times.

"I just want to look around, ok? Come on, show me..."

The girl took his hand slowly, and led him to the opening in the rocks. Terrel watched the whole world seem to light up as a million colors met his eyes at once. The fields were spectacular - the late-morning sun had turned the island into a tropical forest somehow. Gold and green fields stretched out far into the distance and Terrel was once again awed by the size of the island. He noticed a large field to his right, with strange markings in the ground, and walked towards it. The otteress chittered what sounded like a warning, and tried to grip tightly to his hand to pull him away.

"What? Don't worry, I just want to have a look at the ground here..." He walked over to the field, leaving the distraught girl by the rock opening. As he got closer, he noticed many more markings dug into the ground. They appeared to be evenly stretched apart, forming a string, a pattern of some kind. Strange runes and symbols were bored into each marking, and beside them a small clump of withered, long-dead flowers had been placed.

Realization hit Terrel and he startled, pulling away and falling over onto his back. The girl rushed over, kneeling beside him, her eyes very sad.

"Oh...I'm so sorry," Terrel whispered, touching her head softly, earning a weak churring from her. "This is where all of your people are?" The otteress looked into his eyes, and wet tears began trickling down her smooth furred face. "No, please.. don't cry, it's okay...shhhh..." He put his arms around her and hugged tightly. They stayed like that for some time.

And then Terrel noticed one spot in the ground with no marking, nor flowers.

It was an empty grave.

Terrel's own eyes filled with tears as he looked at the girl, and then at the unmarked ground. "Oh my God," he swallowed hard, trying to nuzzle her as she continued to sob quietly. "It's...it's yours, isn't it? You're going to die...? But what...what happened?!"

The otteress looked up at his face, her eyes glistening, and chittered softly before leaning against him, allowing him to hold her for a while.

**

He said nothing to her for some time as they lie together in the darkness. So many questions he had, and he doubted they could be answered. How he wished for the comm-translator, safely latched away inside his ship, now settled on the sandy bottom of the lagoon.

He rolled over onto his side, touching the otteress' hand softly. Her remarkable green eyes opened and she turned to face him, churring questioningly. "Look...I..." Terrel grasped her hand in his, and was pleased when she squeezed it. "There must be something I can do. Oh dammit, why can't you understand me?" Thinking quickly, he sat up and kneeled beside her, using a stone to etch at the hard ground of the cave. The otteress watched him draw, curious. Before long, a picture, or what he hoped passed for a picture, of his ship was done. "I come from here." He said to the girl, and tapped on the drawing.

The otteress tilted her head and then looked at him, spreading her arms out to signify flight.

"Yes! Fly! Yes, I was flying! You saw me crash? I mean... did you see me...um..." He made a fist and brought it down onto the drawing, making a sound. "Did you see me?" He pointed to himself then at the drawing again.

She made another gesture similar to his, her arms spread wide, then dropping them to the ground.

"Yes! Okay, look..." He was excited now; at last a way to communicate with this lovely creature! "Okay, tell me what happened to you. Here, take this and show me..." He drew a crude sketch of one of the gravesite's runes he had seen, and pointed to it. "Show me..." He placed the rock into the girl's hand, and indicated for her to draw too. She hesitated for a moment, looking down at the rune, then churred sadly, giving the rock back to him.

"No, please, I understand that you're alone here. What.killed your people? What made them die? Look, how did they die? Watch." In desperation, he fell down next to her on his back, playing dead. The otteress' eyes opened wide, and she gave a sharp cry, quickly backing away from him.

"No, look, I'm not dead!" Terrel quickly sat up again. She returned slowly to him again, unsure, and reached a hand out to touch his head. After a moment, relief seemed to wash over her and she went to his arms, hugging him.

Terrel understood a little more now. "You thought I was sick, a fever of some kind..." he whispered, nuzzling the girl, listening to her quietly churr and chitter. "Is that...what killed your people?" He slowly extricated himself from the girl's arms and took her hands into his, facing her. "Listen to me, I know you can't understand me...but I can help you... I.. I think I can save you...I'm sure I can..."

He touched her head gently and felt for the first time the beginnings of her own fever. "We have to get to my ship...We have to get...here. In my ship..." He tapped to the drawing again, "In there. I have... many things." He started to draw shapes next to the ship, then used an arrow to join them. "Inside..." He made swimming motions with his arms, and pointed to the ship again. "I may be able to help you...okay? Can we get here?" The otteress looked at the drawing curiously, and then back to him. "Oh, it doesn't matter right now. We'll go in the morning, okay?"

**

Morning came with Terrel kneeling beside the otteress as she lie by the fire. He had seen enough sickness at the Academy to realize she was much worse then last night. Her churrs, usually soft and musical, were now painful wheezes, along with a shortness of breath. A touch against her muzzle indicated just how serious her fever had become. He had to hurry.

Carefully he took the otteress' hand, helping her up from the ground. She winced in pain as she got slowly to her feet and faced him, churring weakly.

"I know, honey," Terrel whispered and touched muzzles with her.

He led her out of the cavern and to the edge of the lagoon, pausing to remove his shirt and trousers. He sighed and looked out over the expanse of the water. Where could the ship be? He had no idea where he had crashed and sank, and there was no telling how deep the waters could be here. He was a poor swimmer as it was; searching along the bottom of the lagoon, trying to hold his breath, did not appeal to him.

He turned and faced the girl again. "I..I need your help," he took her hand gently and squeezed it. "I don't know where my ship is. Have you seen it down there before?" He spread his arms in a symbol of flight, and then pointed to the lagoon. The otteress tilted her head, blinking curiously.

Terrel lowered his arms again and sighed. "Oh, how can I make you understand..." He looked out at the water again, then at her. Without saying another word, he made his way over to the edge and dove into the crystal waters. Quickly he pushed back up and took a big gulp of air, paddling furiously with his arms. Relief washed over him as the otteress appeared next to him, treading water and watching him struggle.

Terrel put his hand out to the girl and she took it, the trace of a smile on her tired face. The wolf began to breathe in and out slowly, holding the girl's hand for support. After a last shaky breath, Terrel plunged downwards, followed by the otteress. Terrel pulled back a bit, and grabbed tightly around the girl's feet, letting her guide him down deeper.

The pressure of the water as they glided down made his ears ring, and he shook his head, his cheeks puffed nearly twice their size as he kept a firm hold of the girl. The otteress used her upper body and arms, undulating and swirling through the water like a dancer as they finally reached the bottom. The girl started to race back to the top but Terrel held firm, keeping them on the bottom as he surveyed around them. The otteress let go of the wolf, a puzzled bubbly churr coming from her mouth, and watched him go through the motions as before, arms spread out, then falling down.

Terrel needed air. He quickly motioned, pointing to his mouth, and pushed off the bottom, struggling to get to the surface. The girl swam slowly beside him, watching him as he arose before taking his hands and pulling him faster up for air. At least she understood his limits, he thought to himself, and gasped as the surface rose up to meet him. He coughed a bit of water and whirled around, looking for the otteress. She was there, a few feet from him, treading water and churrring.

"The ship," Terrel coughed again, and pointed down, "Take me there..." The girl swam to him, slipping her arms around his waist and looking at him.

"Please.. I can help you! Medicine! I can save you! Dammit, won't you understand?"

He pushed away from her, using a hand and waving it around in the air. "I crashed in here, ok? I.." He brought his hand down hard into the water, splashing them. "I FELL... out of the sky, and CRASHED... do you understand? I sank.. you saved me... PLEASE!" He paddled back and hugged around her tightly, "Please.. help me.. save you."

The girl hugged back, nuzzling his neck closely, then leaned away, taking his hand. She swam out a little ways into the lagoon, and Terrel followed. They stopped in the center of the waters and she looked deeply into his eyes, churrring, the sound little more than a whisper now. Then she arched her body and glided powerfully downwards, dragging the startled wolf in tow.

He'd hardly had time to get a breath; already his lungs were hurting and the deeper they descended the more fear he had of losing his grip on the graceful otteress, becoming lost so many feet below the water. Struggling against the pressure, fighting the urge to breathe and drown.

The girl had paused several feet down, along a large shelf of rocks embedded in a great section of reefs. Curious fish swam around them, and Terrel forgot about his breath, lost in the beauty around them. Then the otteress squeezed his hand and was off again, pulling him deeper and deeper. His mouth loosened and precious bubbles escaped his lips as the pressure squeezed tightly around his body. His head started to pound along with his heart and he shuddered as the waters grew colder and darker. He closed his eyes tightly, not wanting to see how deep they were.

And then he felt something warm, soft, feather light touch his mouth. His lips parted instinctively, and it took him a moment to realize the otteress was kissing him. He opened his eyes, staring into the beautiful deep green eyes of the girl as she continued to kiss. Terrel felt fresh air being guided to his lungs and knew then what the girl was doing. He put his paws around her back and held her against him, enjoying the underwater breath, filling his lungs.

She pushed away from him, taking his hands again and churrring deeply, then slowly guided him onwards again. A few more feet down and Terrel could make out the bottom of the lagoon, covered in rocks and sand. The girl swam along the bottom, kicking her legs, and pointed in front of them. Terrel followed her hand, and couldn't believe it. The metallic hull of the K1-50 appeared from the depths, shimmering.

Terrel swam forwards, releasing the girl's hand, and felt along the side of the ship for the doorway. Quickly he ducked inside, pushing at floating debris, and swam to the storage compartments in the rear. The girl followed Terrel to the doorway and watched the wolf move around, lifting containers and boxes out of the way. She ducked inside and swam up behind him, placing her hands around his shoulders and turning him around to face her. The wolf nodded, and pressed his mouth to hers, accepting another burst of air from her lungs. The kiss lingered for a moment as they floated together, holding around one another. Oh wow, Terrel thought to himself, when I get back I'm definitely taking more swimming lessons!

They kissed for a few more seconds and Terrel pulled away, greatly uncomfortable. The girl smiled faintly and watched him, letting tiny bubbles from her nose. Terrel's hand closed around a leather strap and he nearly cried out in triumph as the medical bag slipped free from its compartment.

He turned and hugged the girl tightly, then led her out of the ship. Together they started the slow ascent to the surface. The otteress sped up a bit, obviously low on air herself, and tried to pull Terrel with her. As they glided upwards past the shelf, Terrel again marveled at the luscious beauty under the waters. He gazed down below them as they swam, admiring the sealife, and the stillness of the water, and then his head slammed into the still form of the otteress, lying motionless still several feet from the surface.

No-

Quickly he pulled her into his arms and shot for the top, kicking hard. The surface crashed around his head as he took gasping, coughing breaths, then began to drag the bedraggled otteress with him to the safety of the shore. Badly out of breath, he laid the still girl on the sand and kneeled down next to her, whipping the canvas bag from over his shoulder.

"Come on, hon... oh please, breathe..." He dug his hand into the bag, fumbling around for a small metal box. A push of a button on the side, and it opened to reveal a hollow tube and some tablets. Quickly he tilted her head back, placing the tube into her mouth, then positioned the tablets inside the tube. Another press of a button and the tablets shot down her throat.

That done, Terrel now started a rigorous chest-massage, and tried giving mouth-to-mouth. He lifted his head up a moment to check her heartbeat. It was beating wildly, but she was still not breathing! Frantically he started resuscitations again, thrusting his hand hard against her chest. "Come on!" he wanted to scream at her, "you can do it!"

The girl's eyes flew open and she began to cough hard, spitting and gagging on water. Terrel was pleased to see that the pills had stayed down.

"There you go, just breathe deeply, hon.. you're fine." Terrel shook all over, relief washing over him like a hot shower, and hugged the girl to his chest. Her arms were trembling as she returned the hug and began to churrr softly. "A few minutes... and the fever should be gone... Everything's okay."

The girl just held him, taking deep breaths and whimpering.

**

Terrel walked out of the cavern later that day, dressed again in his uniform. The comm-link inside his utility bag had been water-damaged, but a few quick adjustments and his signal for help had gone through to his station. A rescue ship was due at any time.

He turned back to the otteress standing behind him, "Hey.. you wouldn't want to-"

The girl smiled and shook her head, churring close to the communicator in his ear. "No," a lilting female voice translated, "I belong with my family. They will come for me soon."

Terrel nodded and hugged around her, feeling her warmth once more. "Yeah, I guess I'd get a lot of heat for bringing you back to the barracks."

"Stay with me."

Terrel blushed and closed his eyes, hugging a bit tighter. "I can't. We're still at war."

"And yet you saved me-"

"I know, I know, it's all so crazy, Jenna." He sighed and gently touched muzzles with her. "I'll come back someday when this is all over. I promise."

Jenna smiled, and quickly kissed his lips. "You will always be remembered, Terrel. And be welcome."

They said their goodbyes and Jenna quickly dived down out of sight in the lagoon when the crusier started down from the sky moments later.

"Anyone else?" The Sergeant growled at the wolf as he stepped aboard.

"No, that's it... let's get the hell out of here."

The cruiser lifted back up and Terrel watched out of the tiny window as the otteress surfaced again, watching him go.

Jenna raised a hand to him and he nodded to her, brushing at a tear on his face. Someday, he thought...

**

That night, Jenna's family arrived on the island, expecting to bury their beautiful daughter in the fields beyond.

Instead they found in the cavern a healthy, happy child - and a gift from a friend.

Together they set off for the ocean, heading towards their home in the sea.

Jenna led the way - a small metal box around her neck, fastened with a canvas strap.

Her people would be sick no longer.

END