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Chapter Four:

Journey

Jim and Vera spent another hour cuddling in bed before he got up to take a bath. Vera opted to cook a simple breakfast for both of them while he was cleaning up. The fire had been rebuilt, the fennec's clothes sat folded near by, and Vera was now in her clothes as per Jim's orders. She stirred the pot of stew from the night before as the heat returned it to what it had been the night before. The fennec hummed a tune as he washed a few feet away. Vera stood and smiled as she looked toward the bathing fennec.

"The food should be ready by the time you get out, Master. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Jim turned his head to face her with a nod.

"Is it still snowing outside?"

"I'll go check."

He nodded and watched her go into the other room to collect a light bow with a quiver of arrows and a wooden staff. He wrinkled his brow as she walked back through the room to exit the cave. She most likely used them to hunt when the weather cooperated with her. Taking them with her when she left the cave must have been a habit she formed in order to keep safe. Since they were this far in the middle of a frozen wasteland, Jim couldn't really blame her. He'd caught himself wishing he had something to use for self defense when he was wandering alone for the first week. He relaxed in the water, letting his head fall back against the rock slowly. The boulders in the pool weren't uncomfortable to his surprise. The rounded edges and semi smooth surface of the rocks were easy on the body as long as you didn't fall in. His eyes closed and he let his breath out slowly. He mentally kicked himself for not trying out the pools in the other caves along the way. This was just what he needed to soothe his aching muscles and weather beaten body. A dull rumbling caught his ears and broke his thoughts. He sat up quickly and looked toward the exit of the cave trying to figure out what was making the noise. His first thought was there was an avalanche in the area, but as the sound got louder, so too did the whine of a turbine engine. He climbed out of the water just as a thud entered through the cave. He wrapped a towel around himself and rushed toward the opening of the cave, his fur still dripping from the hot water of the bath. Vera was at the entrance heading his way when he entered the hallway. The plane left with a roar just as the two met.

"What was that?"

"A supply jet from the Citadel. It usually shows up once a month to drop off a crate of supplies before collecting it again the next day. It already came a few days ago though."

"Did it leave another crate?"

The vixen shook her head.

"No, it left a truck."

He stared at her for a moment before heading toward the end of the cave. He skidded to an unsteady stop just outside and looked at what the plane had left. His fur left steam from the hot water as he stood staring at the black mass of metal. Sure enough, the vixen had not lied to him. Sitting before him was a good sized all weather truck outfitted with huge snow tires on each of the four silver rims. It resembled a cargo van thanks to the large box on the back. The roof held a set of spare tires strapped to a rack. A large array of lights were mounted to the front part of the roof rack with even more on a huge bumper. Part of the bumper was angled forward and extended four or so feet from it. A winch system with thick cable on the spool was mounted in between the lights. Vera moved up behind him and gazed at the metal beast in awe.

"It's huge!"

Jim nodded. It wasn't an incredibly large vehicle, but it was certainly too wide to use on paved streets. He realized this must have been the first time she had seen one of these in person. She at least knew what to call it, so she must have an understanding of most things.

"Vera, do you have anything here you want to keep?" He started back toward the living area of the cave at a fast walk. The vixen turned and jogged briefly to catch up with him.

"Why, Master?"

"I've just been given a way home and I intend to make use of it. I did say I would be your master now, didn't I? You did want to come with me, didn't you?" He smiled at her before he picked up to a jogging pace. "We can use that truck to get to the spaceport. We can catch a shuttle from there to get back to my home... unless I've been pronounced dead or something."

Vera's ears stood as she ran to catch up. A smile formed on her muzzle as she ran past him, clearly in a hurry to head to her new home.

"I just need to grab a few things if it's okay with you, Master."

"Yeah, go ahead. I need to dry off and get dressed while you do that."

She beat him to the end of the hall and turned toward her bed to collect some things she had hidden underneath. Jim dried off quickly before dressing himself in the dried clothes Vera had folded and left by the fire. By the time he finished dressing and putting out the fire, Vera had returned to his side with a small bag full of her things in one hand and a large handgun in the other. He gawked at the gun as soon as he saw it.

"Where did that come from?!" He held out his hand and motioned for her to give him the gun. She handed the large weapon over and lowered her ears.

"I was given that when I was put here four years ago. The Master gave it to me to use to protect myself if I needed it. He told me not to let anyone see it or hold it... but you're my master now. It's your gun." She looked at the cave floor as Jim ejected the clip to look at the bullets. "I've only had to use it once."

He looked over the weapon as she shifted nervously in place. He had a collection of guns at home, but none of them resembled this one. It was huge and colored a dull black. Despite its size, whatever it was made of kept the weight down to a reasonable level. The most shocking part about the gun was the bullet type. The clip could hold up to eight fifty caliber hollow point rounds. He returned the clip to the gun and pulled the top back to chamber a round before clicking the safety on. He passed the gun back to the girl and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. You won't have to shoot me, alright?" He chuckled and led her toward the entrance. Before they left, he grabbed the pot of food. It was a good stew and he wasn't going to let it go to waste. They might need it on the drive to the spaceport.

"Who's the Master you mentioned earlier?"

"The Master is the one in charge of everything here. He oversees absolutely everything that goes on. He's the one you want to tell about keeping me when we get to the Citadel."

Once outside, Jim walked to the back of the truck and opened the doors. The two of them stared at the sight within the back of the vehicle. It was stocked with everything for a long trip through the mountains. On either side of the truck was a set of storage compartments filled with winter survival gear, food, tools, and spare parts. The isle in between was large enough to double as a sleeping space at night. Jim climbed in with the pot of food followed by Vera. She closed the doors behind her to keep out the cold. Each of the doors on the compartments was clearly labeled. Power outlets sat near the floor on the wall in between the box and the cab. There was a scoped laser rifle on mounts attached above the small door leading to the driver and passenger seats. He placed the pot in a secure spot before opening the small door to the cab. Vera placed her bag in an empty bin and followed him through the door again closing it behind her. The cab contained a pair of worn synthetic leather seats, a pair of drink holders, a navigational computer, and several information touchscreens. The word 'Cougar' was proudly emblazoned in red in the center of the dash. The steering wheel held a chrome emblem, the manufacturer's logo. Jim sat in the driver's seat and started looking for the ignition. As if on cue, the wide panel in front of him lit up with a welcome message. Soon after that, the whine of a Lightning built engine powering up could be heard. The displays lit up as other systems activated following the engine's start up. Heat soon started flowing from the vents in the dash prompting the fennec to shout in joy. The navigation system already had a route to the Citadel plotted. The trip would take three days assuming no hang ups. Vera looked around the truck's cab as Jim got up to head to the back.

"I'm going to put on some heavier clothes. Did you see a bin with extra clothes for you?"

Vera nodded and followed him through the small door. Her extra height forced her to nearly crawl to get through.

"Yes, Master. Should I put on something heavier?"

"It wouldn't hurt. Keep that pistol with you too. I want you to be safe in case something happens."

She nodded and dressed in the thicker clothes she found in a bin. Vera took the full suit out and put it on. If Jim wanted her safe, that was how she was going to dress, even if her fur was plenty for a few hours in the cold. Jim had his own suit on by the time she finished with hers and headed back to the seats up front. He was anxious to start moving. Vera bid her old home of four years farewell from the back windows before heading up to the front. She placed the pistol on the dash and took a seat. In three days, she would be living in an actual home with her master. Her future seemed as bright as the sun lit snow all around them on the mountain. Jim hit the throttle and the truck responded by lurching forward. There was no slipping that could be felt as the truck picked up speed. Their journey home had just begun.