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Prologue

The year is 2042 in a world that mimics our own, the only difference being that humans are non-existent. Serving the role of humans are intelligent humanoid animals of many different species. One such animal being Connor, a 28 year old brown bear from California. Connor has just completed his training to become an astronaut, something he had been striving for since he was young. Space travel has become easier and more advanced over the years making trips to space common among the richer in society. Connor was lucky enough to go on one of those trips when he was younger, which fueled his passion to discover the mysteries of space. Now, he is being launched to the International Space Station for the first time. While the station had become outdated it was still put to good use by the governments of the world. Connor arrives and meets with all the fellow astronauts he would become familiar with over the next few years. He was hopeful that this would mark the real beginning of his life.

Chapter 1

It's been a few months since I arrived at the International Space Station, and I'm beginning to fall into a rhythm. I work in harmony with my fellow astronauts, and the problems we encounter are few and far between.

However, one day I'm jolted awake as my whole body shakes. If it weren't for the straps holding me in place, I would have gone flying into the wall. A harsh beeping fills my sleeping chamber, along with a flashing red light.

I quickly start fiddling with the buckles to escape from my soft prison. I swipe my suit off the wall and do my best to slide it on quickly. Luckily they're not as bulky as they were 20 years ago. I struggle to fit the suit over my plump form and stubby tail, but eventually, it all comes together. I desperately open the door to the rest of the station. I don't see anyone, but I think I heard some muffled yelling before, so everyone has probably already made it to their respective "lifeboats". I swiftly float through the station, propelling my body as I pull against the handrails along the walls. After what feels like too long, I finally make it to my escape pod.

A large window in the circular pod reveals the Earth's surface far beneath me. I don't have time to admire the view as I pull myself into the bulky chair in the center of the pod. As I buckle to the chair, I glance up to see the other lifeboats returning their passengers to the safety of the Earth. In front of the chair is a small panel of buttons where I slam my fist on the eject button. A robotic voice sounds inside the pod.

Ejecting lifeboat in T-minus five seconds.

Five...

This is it. I'm gonna be alright.

Four...

Unless something hits the station again.

Three...

Crap, why did I have to jinx it.

Two...

No, that's not gonna happen.

One...

Probably.

"Ejec-" the voice is cut off as I get whiplash from the whole pod swinging suddenly. The Earth is replaced by the emptiness of space as a large object hits the station. Despite the interruption, I feel my body pushed into the chair as the pod detaches from the station and launches into space. If that wasn't bad enough, the pod shakes and lights flicker as it hits some of the station's debris on the way out. I'm shocked into silence as I can't believe what's happening.

All evidence of the station and Earth start to disappear as I hurtle into space. I need to make some effort to turn around, even if it seems useless. I frantically start pushing buttons on the pad, trying to turn around, but each press is met with a flashing error or simply no response. I think the hit on the way out busted the thrusters...

perfect.

As I don't have much else to do now, I slump back into my seat in defeat. How is this even happening in the first place? We should have detected any object with a trajectory to hit the ship long before it collided. Now I'm not sure if I'll ever know...

As I go farther and farther, I blankly stare into space. More distant stars appear, I must be moving incredibly fast. Maybe I'll circle around the universe and hit Earth. At least I'm not leaving too much behind. I haven't been very close to my family in a long time. I have, well...had, a few friends. Although I never really felt that close with any one of them. I'm sure they're all missing me, but I don't know if I can say the same. I'd always hoped that going into space would be the start of a new, better life. I was definitely wrong about that.

I'm not sure how long it's been. It was already hard to tell on the space station, and being in the middle of nowhere doesn't make it any easier. I look around the pod where I'll be spending the rest of my days. It's not much, but hey, it has a nice view.

There are some emergency supplies stored in here, nothing that will get me back to Earth but enough to keep me alive for a little longer. I think it's pointless to even try to survive at this point. Despite that, part of me still has hope. Hope for what exactly, I don't know. But if there's the slightest chance I can survive this, I should take it.

...

I'm sleeping more and more now. My oxygen is running out. And my food. Despite my self-consciousness about my weight, it's keeping me alive. At this point, there's almost nothing outside the window anymore. The lights in the pod are turned off as I huddle under a crinkly metallic space blanket. If I am going to die soon, hopefully I won't be conscious when it happens.

I start to think, considering that's all I can do at this point. My life has been pointless. I spent my entire life trying to go to space. To the point where I didn't focus on anything else. I didn't even date anyone. I always told myself I was too busy, that I just didn't have the time. But after all that studying and training, all I have to show for it is dying in the middle of nowhere having accomplished nothing in the end.

I curl into a small ball of anger and despair. With no one around to see, I cry. Until my tears eventually lull me to sleep.

...

Suddenly I hear breaking glass and creaking metal. I'm once again thrown around by some collision. I slam into something hard, jolting me awake. A sudden coldness takes over my form, and adrenaline surges through me to dull the pain. I open my eyes to see what happened, but all I can see is a blur of white and red as my eyes start to burn. I flail around, attempting to stabilize myself but reach nothing.

I realize that my boiling eyes means I came in contact with the vacuum of space. It will only take about a minute before I'm dead by asphyxiation.

I was hoping my death would be less painful. Maybe this is better than starving.

I continue to struggle but it seems hopeless.

My thoughts drift away, as my anatomy shuts down.

...

I begin to notice a pain in my left arm and head. Great, now I have to deal with even more pain. Although, shouldn't I be dead? I don't know how long it's been but there's no way it's still been less than a minute.

As my feeling returns, I become aware of my body, and everything is different. Instead of the frigid space surrounding me, I enjoy a warm weight gently holding me down.

I nonchalantly yawn as if I had awakened from a long nap and not a near-death experience. Seeing as I'm not dead, I can only assume that must have been just a horrible nightmare, the ones that end right as you die. But when I open my eyes, I'm not in the pod. It looks like I'm still in the space station in bed.

My eyes start to dart around to examine my surroundings, but it's difficult with all the lights off. My only source of light is a dimly lit screen installed in the wall to the right of the bed. The room I'm in has white walls with various panels and pipes, but it's much cleaner than I remember. Other than my crowded corner the room is completely empty.

But wait, I can't be in the space station, there's gravity. I look to the screen for answers. The screen reminds me of a heart monitor; for some reason, I am struggling to recognize any of the numbers or words. Maybe I'm in some foreign hospital.

I look in the opposite direction and see vaguely familiar medical devices on a long smooth counter extending from the wall. Above the counter is an equally long glass window spanning the left wall. I also see a similar bed on the opposite side of the room mirroring my own. Although that one doesn't look as used and has no blankets. Everything seems very clean and sterile. Maybe I crashed when I was returning to earth? That must have been one of the longest and most vivid dreams I've ever had.

Still laying in the bed I call out.

"Hello?...Doctor? Nurse? Is anyone around?"

No response, that's not too bad, at least I'm comfortable. The bed feels extremely comfy and expensive, almost like memory foam but with better support. The weight that has been holding me down is multiple weighted, puffy blankets. And I'm resting my head on a soft rectangular pillow. It all reminds me of a warm pleasant hug.

The only sense of discomfort is my left arm and head, where I feel a dull pain. As more of my senses activate, I begin to feel extremely hungry. How long have I been asleep? I feel confident enough that I can move, so I decide it's about time to look for answers.

I tussle for a moment to get the heavy blankets off me to stand up. Once I toss them to the side, I suddenly feel very self-conscious when I see I am fully naked beside my boxers. I don't like having my fluffy belly rolls on display, so I quickly look around to find out what happened to my clothes and suit. I think I see a mound of clothes by the foot of my bed.

As I try to stand up, my legs buckle beneath me and combined with my decent weight, I get pulled directly to the floor. Luckily, I managed to break the fall with my arm. Unfortunately, it happened to be my injured arm. With the wind knocked out of me, the only reaction I manage to mutter out is,

"...ow..."

I slump lower into the floor, my face smushed on the ground with my butt slightly raised in the air. For a moment, I consider staying here as the cold metal floor is kinda comforting. Are hospital floors usually made of metal? As I ponder my own question, I start to drift off. That's when a flashing orange light snaps me back into focus. Now's not the time to fall asleep!

I use my good arm to steady myself on the bed as I once again rise to my feet, this time waiting for my legs to adjust to having weight put on them. I'm starting to think I haven't stood in days, or maybe I'm more out of shape than I thought.

I scan the room to see if I find the reason for the light that now occasionally illuminates the room. But as I look around, I recognize more and more that this "hospital" room doesn't look quite right. The material and design of the wall reminds me more of something akin to a sci-fi movie. Strangely enough, there also didn't seem to be any obvious exits.

I freeze when I finally notice what's outside the large window. I couldn't see through from the angle I was before. When I look out the window, the only thing I see is a swirling mess of stars. No other buildings or even the ground in sight.

I need to slow down before I freak out. This was probably just some screen showing images of space. Maybe they thought it would be funny to put the astronaut in the kids' space-themed room, right?

I take a few steady steps closer, reach over the counter, and press my paw on the glass. Instead of feeling the usual warm heat of a TV screen, I only feel a sharp cold. I tap on the glass, only for it to make a hollow-sounding knock.

The reality of the situation quickly dawns on me. That felt and sounded exactly the same as the windows on the space station. I wasn't sure how but I really was still in space. But there was gravity, it's not possible for me to be in space. Unless...wait a minute.

This is a spaceship, an _alien _spaceship. Some advanced alien spaceship with gravity just like in the movies. Now, as the gears finally start turning in my head, it all begins to make sense. I'm horrified and maybe a bit too excited at the same time. I always kinda hoped that by becoming an astronaut, I might be able to meet an alien.

No Connor! I bump a fist to my forehead to punish myself. I need to stay focused and rational. The situation has suddenly become much more grave. I have no idea what these aliens look like or what they want. My habitable sleeping arrangement gives me hope that I won't be killed by them at the very least. But there are hundreds of bad things that could happen to me that start to swarm my mind.

What if they wanted to eat me, or sell me, or experiment on me! Had I been found by the space cops, or some space pirates? I have to get control of the situation and find out what the _hell _is going on.

Firstly, what's up with that blinking orange light? I locate the source of it near the ceiling on the wall in the corner. A small, flat, circular light. It sits between two other lights that are red and white. Just staring at it from the ground isn't helping much to figure out what it means so I leave it alone for now.

I look around to see where the aliens might come from. Although there is no normal door with a knob or handle, I do see a section of wall on the opposite side from the window with a vague rectangle shape. If I had to guess, it was probably a sliding door.

I look around for some semblance of a weapon. The counter has some weird devices but none of them are particularly sharp or heavy. There aren't many other options in the room besides what looks like some sort of metal end table next to the bed with one leg that stretches into 3 wheels at the base. I guess that it could be an effective weapon for bashing an alien's skull or whatever they have. I transfer the items off the end table to the adjacent counter and lift it. It's surprisingly light, so I can hold it with just my one good hand.

I position myself next to what I think is the door and prepare to attack anything that comes through. That's when the orange light stops blinking and I get nervous. Is that good? I wait a while to see if anything changes.

Nothing.

Everything's fine I guess?

I can't sit here expecting them to come to me. I think about making some noise to lure an alien. But that's when I notice that the door is tall. In fact, everything in this room is larger than I would normally expect, including the height of the ceiling and the size of my bed. I'm beginning to feel like a cub again.

This is a _bad _sign.

That means whatever runs this ship is probably massive compared to me. I think I need to come up with a new strategy. Attacking head-on might not work...

What if I pretend to be asleep again? Maybe I could trick them and get the upper hand. Well I don't have many options, so that will have to do.

I set everything back the way I remember it and then climb back into the bed. I guess now I have to use my bare paws (heh, _bear _paws) to attack them. I regret trimming and dulling my claws so often. I never thought I would actually need them to defend myself. Although, I don't want to kill the alien, I just want to knock them out or something, so I can tie them up and maybe ask some questions. It might be best then if I don't use a sharp weapon.

I'm almost tempted to fall asleep, but the adrenaline of preparing myself to attack keeps me awake. As I wait, I remember my clothes on the floor. Damn it, I got so distracted with the window I forgot. There's no way I'm ruining my plan just to get my clothes. Although it is tempting...

Then I hear footsteps coming from outside the door and squash that idea. The footsteps sound heavy and hard as they clank against the metal ground. I can deduce quickly that the alien seems to walk on two legs. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. I picture one of those classic smooth-skinned aliens with big heads. Whatever it is, it's quickly approaching, so it's too late to change plans now. I'm beginning to doubt again whether I had fully thought this out.

I lay flat on my back, close my eyes tight, and clench my fist under the blankets ready to swing when the time is right. I try to slow down my breathing as I hear a small mechanical clicking and feel the air shift as I assume the door slides open. I hear a few quick footsteps before suddenly everything goes quiet.

I can feel their presence right above me. I hear the subtle rustling of their clothes and the muffled sound of breathing. The silence is painful and I can't handle not knowing what's right above me. I try to sneakily peek open one of my eyes so that I can see them.

What I see looking down at me is chilling. A large creature staring at me with large black eyes and a face covered in short white fur behind a glass helmet similar to mine. Their face is underlit by small lights inside their space suit which also reveals two large comb-like antennae tucked to the sides of their round head.

For a second, I almost think the creature's face looked kinda cute despite the circumstances. But before the creature can catch me staring, I quickly glue my eyes shut. Shortly after, I hear the creature shift and start to walk away. I guess this is my best chance. I open my eyes again and see the creature walking towards the door. I was unfortunately right, whatever this thing is, they're definitely tall and even worse extremely built. I look them over to find some sort of weak spot.

The most notable feature was the fact they have two smaller, extra arms coming out of their torso. They're wearing some sort of tight, black space suit with a glass half-dome helmet. I carefully crawl to the edge of the bed. As I get closer I finally find some leverage I can use. On their back I see the outline of wings tucked into their suit. I haven't met too many people with wings but I do know that they can be sensitive. The alien is halfway to the door, about seven feet away.

I take my chance, building up all my energy into a roar and lunging at the creature. With all my force I land on their lower back hanging onto them like a tree. I tug at their wings and with my weight it's enough to make them lose their balance. Their arms start to frantically move to catch themselves as we head towards the floor. With a loud thud, we both hit the ground.

We're now laying on our sides with me still gripping their wings. Before they can process what's going on, I roll the alien onto their front and put myself on top. I grab two of their wrists in each paw and do my best to pin them to the ground. Moving my head close to theirs I snarl, doing my best to be intimidating. They squirm and then turn their head towards me.

I'm prepared for an attack, to fight for my life. But while I expected to see some angry creature snarling back at me, all I see are wide, pleading eyes. Its antennae shivering in what I assume is fear. The poor alien looks terrified, and for a moment, I feel bad and look away. They stop struggling despite the fact they could probably toss me across the room. My heavy panting becomes the only sound in the dark.

I calm down as I realize I had somehow already won. They appear to have surrendered. Well, I got control of the situation like I wanted. I guess now is the time to ask questions. I turn my head back to face them.

"Who are you?!" I yell at the creature. The alien squeezes its eyes closed for a moment, preparing for me to hit them. I ask again with more anger, but this time they just stare at me confused. Its face, despite being foreign to me, seems to show emotion very clearly.

I suddenly realize something painfully obvious, this alien has no idea what I'm saying and I bet if they did speak I wouldn't understand them either. I really didn't think this through, and now I'm lost on what to do. I can't sit on them forever.

Well, it seems like I can overpower or scare them again if it comes to it. So I guess I'm just going to have to trust they won't kill me the moment I let them go. They might have some way to communicate with me if I just give them a chance.

This is probably a dumb idea, but I carefully lift my weight from their body and allow them to get up. I prepare to pounce again if they try anything, but I'm starting to feel as if the alien is as afraid of me as I am of them. As I get off all fours and back onto my legs, they lift themselves off the floor to stand at their full height. This time, I truly get a perspective of the difference in size between us. While I am a decent height at almost six feet, this lean creature is easily a foot taller than me.

The alien, still looking frightened, backs up towards the door. I think they might be trying to make a run for it, but I'm quickly proven wrong when they simply use one of their hands to swipe a panel next to the door. The room slowly brightens as light appears from the edges of the ceiling until the space is completely lit. With less dramatic lighting, the atmosphere in the area becomes much more uplifting.

The alien steps back towards me with more confidence. But as they get closer, my anxiety comes back as they tower above me. They discern my intimidation at their height, so they kneel down to meet me at eye level. The dynamic shift has helped improve my mood, but I'm still tense. Feeling as though at any moment things could go wrong.

As we gaze into each other's eyes I can still see some fear. But beneath that there also seems to be worry. Well, not just worry for their own safety, but for mine too. The creature breaks eye contact and begins scanning over my body. I suddenly remember that all I have to cover myself is my boxers.

I've never been comfortable with other people looking at my body, let alone an alien. I do my best to cover up my chest with my arms to little effect. My face burns under my fur with embarrassment. I can't bring myself to look directly at them.

Suddenly, they lift one of their four arms and I automatically flinch in response. The alien flinches as well, probably expecting me to lunge at them again. After an awkward pause, we both seem to loosen up. They deliberately choreograph their movements as if not to scare me and gently grab my injured arm. Their gloved hand feels warm and slightly rough. They slowly twist to examine it, and I feel a pain shoot up my arm. I must have hurt it again in the tussle. They take note of my pained reaction.

While holding my arm in place, one of their other arms reaches the nearby counter and pushes one of the many panels on its side like a button. The panel releases from the side and slides out like a drawer. They pull what looks like bandages from the drawer and start to wrap them around my injured arm. My arm feels compressed but also supported as the bandages tighten around it. Once the alien is done with their work, I feel slightly better and less tense.

It's clear to me now that this alien wants to help me. Now that I think about it, if I'm here, that means the crash was real. Then they must have been the one to stop me from dying in the unforgiving vacuum of space. Once I put the pieces together, I feel like an ungrateful idiot. This person has gone out of their way to help me, and I returned the favor by attacking them the first chance I got. While I am thinking, they also wrap the bandages around my head. I'm not bleeding, so these bandages must have another purpose. They definitely seem to be helping with the pain, which has all gone numb.

Seeing that I have calmed down, the alien becomes more confident. Before I know what's happening, they lift me from under my arms like a child. I could tell they were strong, but I wasn't expecting them to be able to carry over 200 pounds like it was nothing. They really must have been going easy on me during that fight. So I accept my fate as they carry me back over to the bed and sit me down. At this point, I'm willing to do whatever this alien wants, as they seem to have my best interest in mind.

Since I'm all taken care of, the alien focuses on themselves. They stretch their arms and check their wings. Based on their reaction, I think they're in bad shape. That guilt seeps back into my mind again. I try to think of something I can do to make up for it. Apparently, I do owe them my life now. But I think I might just mess things up more if I try to help.

My thoughts stop in their tracks when I see them begin to take off their suit. First their antenna springs up when pulling off their helmet and I finally get a good look at their face. Then they gingerly place it on the counter before stripping the top of their suit off. Their fuzzy chest begins to be revealed and I instinctively look away. I realize that I've been staring at them this whole time like a creep.

I look at the wall, trying my best not to be awkward. I feel like I'm in a locker room back in high school. It doesn't help that I'm also mostly naked. Although, I can't help but notice something out of the corner of my eye. A blurry, white, flowing shape coming from the alien. I glance to see what it is.

When I spot it, I can't help but start gazing at them again. Sprouting from the aliens back are insect-like wings that reach down to their hips. They look like white linen curtains with a pattern resembling overlapping spiderwebs. It's mesmerizing. I think I should stop staring, but they don't seem to particularly notice or care. Their wings are layered, widening out at the bottom.

The alien reaches behind themselves to inspect their delicate limbs. The wings unfurl and expand in a similar motion from when they stretched their arms. When they raise them too high, it appears to cause them some discomfort. They retrieve the bandages from one of their smaller hands and crane their head to look back. They extend their arms to cover their wings in bandages. Specifically, the contact point between their back and the appendages. This causes them to puff out their flat chest towards me. Emphasizing their muscular form, even when smoothed by a short layer of fur. Before they turn around and see me gawking, I look away again.

I want to get off the bed and finally get dressed, but I don't feel safe enough to move. Sure I trust this alien, but that doesn't change how tall and intimidating they are. They placed me here, and I want to avoid doing anything to upset them, even if it's something small. I'm probably just going to have to wait for them to leave. If they ever do, that is. I still don't know what this alien plans to do with me.

They finish bandaging themselves and attach the top of their suit back into place. The tension in my body I didn't even realize I had suddenly disperses. I need to stop getting so nervous at every little thing this alien does.

With a moment of silence, I'm able to think more clearly. After everything that has happened, I'm just now reminded by my body that I am extremely hungry. My stomach gurgles out an embarrassing growl. It's probably been days since I have eaten anything or at least that's what it feels like. The alien hears the sound but I'm not sure they know what it means. They give me a curious stare and a slightly cocked head like a dog. Feeling silly, I point to my mouth and mime myself chewing food. The alien studies me, trying their best to understand. I continue miming, this time pretending to drink liquid from an imaginary cup. That seems to do it and their eyes light up when they work out what I mean.

They start to march over to the foot of the bed, but before they can reach it they are interrupted. I detect a rumble that lightly shakes everything around me. The alien notices it too. Suddenly, a flashing orange light catches both of our attention. It's the same one from earlier. Something is definitely wrong as the alien begins to panic. They stop whatever they were doing and run to grab their helmet. After swiftly returning it to their head it pops into place.

They turn to dart out of the room and I move to follow them. I still want to make up for what happened. But before I can stand they forcefully push me back into the bed. They glare at me with a serious expression, one of their hands firmly pressed on my shoulder. I think I get their point and wait while they go to deal with whatever's going on. Once they're sure I'll stay put they run to the door.

They press a spot on the wall near where they turned the lights on earlier. A small blue square lights up under their finger. This causes the door to slide upwards and I get a glimpse at the rest of the ship for the first time. I can make out what looks to be a circular glass hallway. The alien exits and the door shuts before I can take in any more details. I hear the aliens heavy footsteps rapidly clank farther away until I'm left in silence.