FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Aw, yes! I knew it!"

Russ' suspicions had been confirmed. Upon entering the spacecraft, he had been directed toward a room clearly designed for only one person to stay in. Naturally, it was a very small room. It contained only a bed, a dresser, and a small desk with a chair, all carefully arranged so that the occupant could get around in the tiny room without being cramped.

Russ dropped his backpack onto the bed and surveyed the room again. The voyage back to the Solarian galaxy was going to take a couple days, possibly more if they needed to stop for any reason. It would probably be a good idea to start organizing his belongings.

While he was getting his room set up, he spotted a small device on top of the dresser. It looked like a simple slab of glass, about nine by six inches around, framed by shiny silver metal. Realizing what it was, Russ grabbed it. After some inspection, he found the tiny power button on the top right corner. He pressed it and the screen lit up while still maintaining its opacity. He was then presented with the TriNexus logo: a triangle flanked by majestic wings, an abstract wolf's head centered inside the triangle. Outside the triangle's three points were three small symbols that stood for the areas on which TriNexus placed the most emphasis: a spoked cog wheel for engineering, a rocket ship for spacecraft piloting, and an atom for technology.

The logo remained on the screen for another moment, and then disappeared to be replaced by the tablet's home screen. A swipe to the right brought him to a display of the many applications the device housed, including games and messaging apps.

Having only gotten to use one of these tablets occasionally at home, the husky was quite pleased with the privilege of having personalized technology. The only personal device he had besides the tablet was a phone that was only capable of calling and texting. His parents were rather strict on the amount of gaming that he did, but that never seemed to bother him; he had plenty of other things to do in his spare time.

Satisfied with his find, the husky turned it off and began digging in his backpack. While he had all this free time, he may as well pass some of it before lunch.

........................

A couple hours later, Russ heard a knock at the door.

"Hey, it's Arc!"

Russ looked up from the small engineering project that he had been working on. In his free time, he liked to experiment with his own creations; it was part of what had made him such an accomplished engineer. He had long ago discovered that one learns more when they are actively involved in their career field, so he began creating his own gadgets. Some of his projects actually ended up being used often in his house, such as an automatic soap dispenser in the bathroom and an autonomous vacuum cleaner that he used to get some cleaning done while busy with something else. Both of these things already existed, of course, but it certainly did save money, which his parents were grateful for.

The husky got up and pushed the button on the wall that opened the door. Standing in the hall was Arc, his white fur appearing a little unkempt.

"Hey, dude," the white wolf greeted. Despite his appearance, he seemed exceptionally chipper. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, it's no problem." Russ retreated back to his desk, allowing his friend to step inside and close the door behind him. "I'm guessing you took a nap?"

Arc's ears flicked in surprise. "You're right, I did. How'd you know?"

"You've got bed fur, man."

"Oh, no, is it that bad?" The wolf began the process of licking his paw and attempting to smooth down the bits of fur that stuck out awkwardly. It worked to an extent, but he still looked like he had just rolled out of bed.

"You'll be fine," Russ insisted. He picked up a small screwdriver and started fiddling with his project. "It's nothing a quick shower can't fix."

"It's kind of late for a shower though," Arc responded, still trying to straighten his fur. "I just want to look presentable, that's all."

Russ snorted. "That's funny coming from you. You're the guy who used to go to school in his pajamas because you said you wanted to 'sleep in.'"

The wolf's head jerked up in surprise, ears pinned back. "Aw, come on, man! That was like five years ago! I was in middle school then!"

"Exactly. In middle school! And any decent fur knows not to go out in fucking pajamas! Like seriously, who does that?!" The husky exclaimed, now laughing too hard to focus.

Arc shook his head and went back to grooming himself. "Whatever, dude, don't knock it till you try it."

Russ chuckled. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind." He turned his attention back to his work. After a few moments, he realized that he could still hear the wolf moving around. A quick glance showed that Arc was still fussing over his fur.

"Dude, you are the gayest straight person I know."

Arc looked bewildered. "What, just because I want to look nice?"

"Because you spend so much time trying to look nice."

"You can take a page out of my book."

"Fuck you."

"You wish."

It was this kind of banter that Russ had missed. During their time at the TriNexus camp, they had both been so busy and then so tired at the end of the day that they did not have much time to relax together. Sure, they were able to spend the night out with some friends on occasion, but most of their time was spent on camp activities.

Arc settled down on his bed, sinking down a little into the neatly dressed mattress.

"So what's that?"

Russ was confused for a moment before realizing what his friend was referring to.

"Oh! I'm building a robot! Not as complex as the repair bot, but this one can move and at least pick things up. I had to use wheels for this one, though, because I could find anything else to use for legs."

The husky scooted over to show his friend what he was working on. On his workspace was a small robot only about half a foot in height. The thing stood on four small wheels and appear to be made up of scraps of metal. Two lenses were mounted on two metal cubes and served as the robot's eyes. It did not look neat or polished in the least, but somehow Russ had managed to form it into something functional.

"Nice," Arc said, leaning forward to observe his friend's handiwork. "How long did it take you to build that?"

Russ shrugged. "A couple weeks. Although I didn't get a chance to work on it during camp. And it's still a work in progress, of course." He slid the robot toward him and opened a panel on its back, fiddling with the wires inside. "The hardest part is the coding. I've tried to program it with speech capabilities, but it's still got a few bugs."

Russ closed the panel and screwed it shut. He then grabbed a small microphone from his toolkit and tossed it to his friend. "Here, say something."

The white wolf glanced at the microphone in his paw, contemplating. Then he raised the device to his muzzle and enunciated, "Hello, my name is Arc."

"Hello, my name is Arc."

The wolf jumped when the robotic voice emanated from the husky's creation. The thing had just repeated his own words back to him!

"Cool, huh?" The husky took the microphone back from his friend, admiring the robot with pride. "Like I said, it's a work in progress, but I think it's coming out pretty well."

Raising the microphone to his own muzzle he said, "I am a husky."

"I like dick."

Both furs froze, neither quite sure they believed what they had just heard. Russ, eyes wide in shock, tried again.

"I am...not a wolf?"

"I like dick."

Arc howled out in laughter while the husky's ears pinned back in embarrassment. Russ was completely bewildered as to why the robot was acting like this. It had never done this before!

"Oh, that is gold!" Arc huffed out in between gasps for air. His eyes were wet from how much he had been laughing. "Say something else!"

Spotting an opportunity for payback, Russ recited into the microphone, "Arc is an asshole."

"I lick your asshole."

Arc's laughter grew even louder as he fell backward on the bed wheezing for air. Russ gave the robot an annoyed glare before powering it off. He waited patiently for his friend to stop laughing so hysterically, which took a good while. It was a good minute before the wolf sat back up on the bed, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Are you done?" Russ asked sternly.

"Oh, come on, it was funny!"

"It was funny once," said Russ. He studied the robot on the desk inquisitively. "I don't get it. It's never done this before."

"It knows you, man," Arc chuckled, still not having recovered from his fit of hysterics. "You can't blame it for saying what it wants!"

"Sure I can. It wasn't programmed to do that." He grabbed the robot, considered fixing the code right now, but decided against it. He could do that once he had landed and gone home. For now, he grabbed his screwdriver and began disassembling one of its wheel-legs, deciding to repair some mechanical issues in the meantime. "I'll be fixing that shortly."

"Oh, don't be such a sourpuss. But fine, I'll change the subject." The wolf straightened on the bed, watching the husky work. "So, what happens now that camp is over?"

Discarding his screwdriver for a miniature wrench, Russ shrugged. "There's not much we can do, is there? Although I guess school starts in a couple weeks."

"Only a couple? Jeez, time flies quickly."

"I know, right? Camp actually seemed to drag on and on forever. But once it's over, the break's nearly over already."

Arc nodded in agreement, fingers drumming softly on the mattress. "So what classes are you taking this year?"

"Oh, the usual." Russ carefully detached a nut from the assembly before elaborating. "Just general engineering classes this year. Advanced Cryptography, Trig II, Molecular Physics, nothing special."

Arc gave a small nod again, this time in approval. He had taken some similar classes for piloting the previous year. "You joining any clubs?"

"I'm not sure, yet," the husky responded. He finished repairing the robot's leg and gave it a small tug to make sure it was fastened securely. "It depends on whether I have the time or not. We have college next year after all."

"Ah, that's right! Kinda creeps up on you, doesn't it?" The wolf fiddled with the fabric of the sheets as he pondered. "Do have any colleges in mind?"

Russ shrugged again, searching for a tool in his kit. "Not really. To be honest, I really haven't given it much thought. I mean, Stratus University isn't a bad option, and I wouldn't mind going to Nova, despite having just been there for a month. It's right next to a TriNexus base, too." That thought sparked another idea. "And I've got that internship to think about as well..."

Arc didn't seem to have anything to say to that statement; he only sat still on the bed, watching the husky work on his project. His tail flopped lazily on the mattress while he observed his friend. His expression was one of indifference, but behind his seemingly nonchalant demeanor, there was a hint of envy in those golden eyes.

It was the husky who broke the silence. "What time is it?"

Arc glanced at his watch. "About noon. Why?

"When does the dining hall close?"

The wolf thought for a moment. "I think it closes at about fourteen hours. I was actually thinking about going for lunch right about now. Wanna come?"

Russ shook his head. "Nah, I'm going to stay working on this for now. I'll join you later."

"Alright, see you in a bit, dude." Arc stood up and prepared to leave. Before he left the room, he stopped with the door open and said, "Hey, Rusty?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you say, 'I don't take it from behind?'"

"Get out."

The wolf's howling laughter echoed through the halls.

.........................

The dining hall was a large brightly lit room near the top floor of the ship. The organization of the place was quite simple: rows of tables lined the expanse of the room at which several furs sat chatting casually. Occasionally one of the younger furs would get too rowdy and one of the cafeteria staff would have to come reprimand him. A line of furs stretched along the wall closest to the entrance, leading toward the kitchen where the food was served.

Near the end of the line, a blue husky waited patiently, quietly examining the crowd. He observed the antics of the rowdier bunch, fondly reminiscing of an incident during the trip to camp when some of the kids had decided to start a food fight with his group of friends. As a result, the kids involved were kicked out of the cafeteria, including himself. They had gone hungry without lunch that day, but it was a good memory nonetheless.

Russ spotted some familiar furs waving at him from the crowd, including Krendor and Sera, to which he waved back. By the time he reached the kitchen, he had not yet spotted Arc, but that was okay. Maybe the wolf had finished early.

In the kitchen, Russ greeted the personnel behind the counter and began selecting his food. On the serving dishes were what appeared to be colored cubes of some solid substance. The Solarians and races they were affiliated with had nothing in the way of cultured food. Instead, they ate cubes of concentrated nutrients that were processed and then infused with other substances to imitate five basic flavors: sweet, sour, salty, spicy, and savory. Just five of these for a meal were adequately filling and, when eaten in certain combinations throughout the day, were scientifically proven to provide perfect nutrition for the body.

Russ selected one of each flavor and proceed out the other doorway, where a large water jug sat. He procured himself a cup of water and turned to face the dining area. He took some time searching for Arc before he eventually spotted him waving his paw in the air, beckoning the husky towards his table. Russ happily made his way over and set down his tray.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing much," said Arc happily. He only had two cubes left on his tray, having started eating earlier. "I was just telling the guys about your robot!"

Sitting near him were three other teens that had gone to TriNexus with them. The first was an average sized coyote named Norran. He had thick fur that alternated in waves of red and orange that had earned him the nickname of 'Stripes' within their circle. The coyote was a bit of a nerd and was always a part of the more academically centered clubs at their school. He had been in the IT division at Career Camp.

The second addition to their group was a bull named Tyrion, or Tyr for short. He was about Russ' height, but considerably larger and bulkier. The bull's fur appeared purely black to a casual onlooker, but anyone who got to see him from behind without a shirt on could see two neon green lines that ran down his back and stopped at his waist. Tyr could often be found lifting weights or doing some sort of exercise as it was a hobby of his. Like Russ, he was an aspiring engineer, but he wanted to specialize in passenger cars.

The final person in their friend circle was Silva, another husky. He was about the same size as Russ, but had more of a runner's build due to having been part of the school track team since freshman year. Silva's fur was also thick and monochrome; it was a shiny silver (so original, right?) that covered his entire body. This gave him more of a wolf-like appearance that was betrayed by the curl of his fluffy tail. He was also openly gay, something that he and Russ were able to bond over. In addition to running, Silva studied spacecraft aviation alongside Arc.

Russ rolled his eyes, cutting off a slice of a sour cube with his fork. "Well, I'm glad you found it so funny."

"Oh, admit it, it's hilarious!" Tyr exclaimed grinning. "A robot saying that sort of thing is hysterical!"

The blue husky chewed and swallowed before responding. "The thing hates me, I swear. With Arc, it was just fine." He began cutting up some more food. "But I will admit, it was kind of funny."

"You're telling me? A gay robot that turns everything you say into something sexual is comedy gold," said Silva, tail wagging. "But while we're on the subject." He scooted closer. "Have you asked him out yet?"

Russ sighed. He knew what the silver husky was referring to. His friends had been pestering him about it for the entire month they were abroad.

"No, not yet," Russ said. "I never got a chance to. Kuri's always with his friends so I could never catch him alone." Immediately after he said it, the husky remembered his conversation with the tiger at the airport. His ears went down as he realized he had missed his chance.

"Then you have to make him talk to you alone! Be confident!" Silva said as he chewed. "Take it from me. Everyone already knows you're gay, so that's not a problem. What's keeping you?"

"I don't know, I..." Russ was grasping for words. This subject didn't usually bother him, but they didn't often talk about his relationship status often with so many people around. "He's just not my type, I guess."

"Bull. Shit!" Tyr asserted through a mouthful of food. "I know for a fact that he is very much your type. He's a bodybuilder like me! He's big, and we all know you're into that. Hell, I've even caught you sneaking a peek at me sometimes." In an act of cockiness, the bull raised his right arm and gave it a good flex. He chuckled as he caught both huskies admiring the thick bulge of his bicep before he lowered it down.

Russ had to shake his head to distract himself from the display of muscle. "Yes, he's hot, but that's not what I meant." He finished one piece of food and started on the next one, savory this time. "I meant that Kuri and I are just two very different people. He's this really popular jock and I'm...I'm just this ultra super nerd who fixes things for a living and thinks math counts as a hobby."

"Hey!" Norran protested.

"Sorry," said Russ, attempting to calm down a little. He wasn't sure why this was so hard for him to talk about with a level head. Maybe it was the fact that they were in public. Or perhaps it was simply the possibility that Kuri might say no if - or when - he did ask him out. Either way, it didn't matter. "Besides, he's probably straight anyway."

"Well, you don't know that for sure. Just ask him, dude." Silva reassured him. The group of furs could usually trust the silver husky when it came to any kind of dating advice. "And be quick about it, before I start trying to set you up with Arc again."

Arc lifted both his paws up in surrender. "Woah, dude, keep me out of this!"

"I'm just trying to give some helpful dating advice!"

"I don't think pushing me into Arc and knocking us both over counts as a 'date.'" Russ countered, holding his paws up in air quotes. "And please remind me what any of this has to do with Kuri?"

"Hey, all I'm saying is you'd better make a move before I do. I mean, have you seen his ass?" Silva's eyes become unfocused as if recalling a distant memory. His tail was wagging furiously behind him, and he had a predatory smile on his face as he licked his lips. "I know I want me a piece of that action."

"You all are hopeless; you know that?" Norran said rolling his eyes. He then addressed Russ directly. "In all seriousness though, worrying about all these 'what-ifs' won't get you anywhere. Just bite the bullet and ask him out. Worst case scenario: he's straight, he says no, and you both move on with your lives."

Russ had to admit that he was right. He was worrying too much and it was causing him to start thinking irrationally. He just needed to muster up the courage to talk to the tiger so his mind could be put at ease.

"Alright, I'm gonna do it," the husky vowed. "Hold me to it: the next time I get a chance, I'm going to ask out Kuri Sonas."

His declaration was met with reassuring pats and words of affirmation from his friends. The display of encouragement made his heart melt a little. The husky felt lucky to have such loyal and supportive friends in his life.

"Alright, let's shift to a happier note," Arc announced. "What classes are you all taking this year?"

As the conversation shifted to their studies, Russ couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude toward Arc. While they had been plenty supportive, he was glad not to be the center of attention. He joined in the conversation cheerfully as he finished his meal.

.............................

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. After lunch, they had all gone to Norran's room to play games on their tablets and even hosted a small competition (Norran won, as he was the type of person who seemed inherently good at all videogames). Then, after dinner and a little time spent working on his robot, Russ decided to retire for the night.

He put on his issued sleepwear - a simple white linen shirt and pair of pants - and slipped under the soft sheets of the bed. Staring at the ceiling, the husky began to reflect upon the last couple of days. He had just finished at the prestigious TriNexus Career Camp, earning one of the three special awards they granted, a great accomplishment in itself. He had been noticed by the Director of TriNexus himself, who gave him a job offer on the spot. Just today, he had told his friends that he would ask out his crush the next chance he got.

Blushing at that last thought, Russ rolled over and closed his eyes.

The day could not have been better.

.............................

Russ woke in the middle of the night feeling strange. He didn't feel sick or anything; he had a feeling that something wasn't quite right. The husky rolled over and reached toward his tablet, pressing the power button. The screen lit up and read "3:27." What could possibly have woken him this late in the night?

Russ swung his legs over the side of the bed and rested his paws on the floor. He blinked a few times to get his eyes to adjust to the dark. It wasn't often that he woke up randomly in the middle of the night; he usually slept quite soundly. He couldn't sense the cause of the disturbance within the room, yet he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong.

He jumped as a loud thump sounded from the room adjacent to his. Russ strained his ears for anything else out of the ordinary, but all he got was silence. The husky held his face in his paws and willed himself to calm down. He was overreacting. It was probably just someone who had fallen out of bed or something, that's all.

Then he saw it. A dark shadow under his door was moving slowly past in the hall. He couldn't tell who - or what - it was, but it moved with slow, deliberate steps as if trying to avoid detection.

It stopped in front of his door.

The husky froze as well, his eyes trained on the mysterious entity outside his room. Was someone trying to spy on him? Who would have reason to do something like that? Was one of his friends playing a prank on him? His thoughts were interrupted by a low growling sound coming from the shadow. The deep baritone of the noise caused chills to run down his spine. Oddly, the growl did not sound like that of a canine. The tone had another unusual quality to it that he could not quite place.

Now shaking violently and heart pounding in his chest, Russ stared at the shadow in fear, not daring to make a sound. After a few moments that felt like minutes, the growling stopped and the shadow disappeared from sight.

Russ waited a few moments to make sure that it was truly gone before letting out a shaky breath. Whatever that thing was, it shouldn't be here; nothing was making sense. Was he dreaming? To make sure, he pinched himself hard on the arm a few times. Nope, definitely not dreaming.

The husky started again when he heard the faintest whisper from outside the door. "Russ, open the door."

The voice was too quiet for him to recognize, so Russ stayed put. He didn't trust anyone to enter his room right now.

"Russ, it's your father. Please let me in, and quickly."

Except him. Russ hastily - but quietly - padded to the door and pressed the button to open it. He winced as it slid open with a loud whooshing noise. The husky stumbled back as Krendor bolted into the room frantically and quickly closing the door behind him. His father appeared frazzled. His eyes were wide and crazed, his fur was a mess sticking out in odd directions, and his white sleepwear was heavily stained with sweat. He held a simple phaser gun, a small silver handgun that easily fit into his large paws.

"Russ," Krendor panted, trembling. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Russ stammered, bewildered as to why his father was acting this way. "Dad, w-what's going on? Where's Mom?"

A momentary cast of sadness overtook Krendor's expression before he answered. "She's safe," he muttered, his voice breaking a little. He took a deep shaky breath before continuing. "There's no time to explain. Russ we need to get to the escape pods. Do you understand?"

The young husky wasted no time in responding. "Yes!"

"Good. Try not to make any noise and follow me," his father said holding a finger to his lips. He crept over the door and waited, listening for any unwanted company. After he was sure they were safe, he motioned for Russ to follow and opened the door.

Russ quietly followed, still barefoot and in his sleepwear, slightly cold through the thin fabric. However, he quickly forgot his discomfort when he stepped out into the hallway and was met with a pungent odor that made him want to vomit. It took the husky a moment to realize that the sickening smell was that of blood.

"Dad," he whispered, fighting hard not to cough. "What -"

Krendor spun around and gave him a stern silent glare, signaling for him to be quiet. Russ shut his muzzle and complied, still shaking. He could only hope that the terrible bloody smell wasn't coming from any of the passengers. His fears were confirmed however when they passed by the room next to his and he caught a glimpse of a furry arm lying on the floor surrounded by a puddle of blood. There were bloody footprints scattered around the corpse, as if someone had walked through the crimson mess repeatedly.

This only proved to worsen the husky's nerves as they navigated through the ship, creeping through the labyrinth of hallways. On several occasions, Russ thought he could hear something moving behind him, but he never saw anything when he looked. Krendor kept peeking around corners whenever they needed to turn, and rightly so; the taller wolf once looked around a corner and immediately lurched back, flattening himself against the wall and reaching out to hold Russ' muzzle shut.

Russ was startled by his reaction, but soon understood the reason behind it. He pressed himself against the wall next to his father, not bothering to loosen Krendor's hold on his muzzle. Around the corner, he could hear that low growling again, and it was getting closer. Whatever the thing was, it had seen them, or at least caught a glimpse. Russ shut his eyes and trembled, willing the creature to go away. He barely felt Krendor's reassuring squeeze on his muzzle. The growling intensified as the creature drew closer to them, now only a few feet away from where they stood. In his right paw, Krendor's grip on the phaser intensified.

Then a loud animalistic hiss sounded through the hall, and the growling stopped. Their stalker halted its advance and began running the other way, heavy footfalls echoing loudly. Both wolves exhaled in relief. Russ finally opened his eyes to see his father staring back at him in concern. He mouthed "Are you okay," to which his son responded with a shaky nod. Krendor took one more peek around the corner; seeming satisfied, he gestured for Russ to follow him again and continued moving.

Russ reluctantly followed, sometimes catching glimpses of more mangled bodies and bloody corpses. He dearly hoped that his friends had not fallen to the strange monsters; he didn't know what he would do if he learned that Arc or one of the others were killed.

They finally reached the large double doors that led to the escape pods. Instead of opening the door, Krendor peered through the strip of glass that allowed sight into the room. Russ stood on the tip of his toes to do the same, and was astonished at what he saw.

Wandering around the escape pod bay were tall reptilian creatures standing at an average of eight feet. Muscles bulged beneath shiny green scales and their chests and stomachs were a creamier tan color. Their sentient yellow eyes and razor-sharp teeth and claws made them all the more menacing. Some stood on two legs while others crept on all fours.

There was no way they were getting through to the pods without being spotted.

"Damnit," Krendor muttered. "That's our only way out...unless..."

Krendor's gaze shifted toward the back of the room, where the wall was replaced by a large window that revealed the abyss of outer space surrounding. In the distance, illuminated by the light of a nearby sun, was a small, lone blue planet; an azure marble swept with white that stood out against the inky black abyss that was deep space. One could hear the gears turning in his head as a realization dawned in his eyes.

His father's eyes were suddenly filled with tears. He spun around and pulled his son into a bone crushing hug, squeezing the air from his lungs. He held the embrace for a good half-minute before pulling back, the younger husky gasping for air. Krendor now crouched and placed his paws on Russ' shoulders, tears still streaming down his face.

"Russ," he whispered, staring into his son's eyes. "Right now, I need you to do exactly what I say without question. Can you do that for me?"

Russ didn't know how to react. He wasn't sure what had his father so upset, but whatever it was, it was no small deal. He would do anything, at this point, to escape this nightmare. "Y-Yes, of course!"

"Good." Krendor squeezed his shoulder before straightening. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Follow me."

And so he did. They went back the way they came and then headed off in a new direction, closer to the main body of the ship. Luckily, they did not run into another one of those creatures, although they occasionally heard a reptilian hissing noise somewhere else in the ship. They eventually arrived at a door labeled "Captain's Quarters." Krendor hastily entered a four-digit passcode into the console and the doors slid open. Russ wondered how he knew the code to the captain's room, but he kept his muzzle shut.

The captain's quarters were much larger than any of the guest rooms on the ship. This room included a medium sized table, a couch with a miniature television, and a window that provided a view of the outside. Creeping slowly around the couch was -

"Dad!"

PEW! PEW!

Krendor had fired two well aimed shots at the sneaky reptile, both of them hitting it square in the chest. The creature collapsed to the floor and lay still. His father sped past it and began fiddling with something on the opposite wall. Russ carefully walked around the downed creature; as he did, he found another bloody corpse on the floor next to the reptile. It was the captain; he laid still with blood staining his fur, and it looked as if something had taken several large bites out of his abdomen.

The sight made his stomach roil again, and Russ turned away and did his best to ignore it. By this time, Krendor had put a passcode into another console and unlock a set of small doors labeled "Emergency Exit." Inside was a small egg-shaped spacecraft with a single frontal window; everything else on the craft was covered in metal painted white.

It was an escape pod.

"The captain's emergency escape pod," Krendor muttered. He took a deep breath and said, "Get in."

"...what?"

"Get in!"

Startled by his father's frustrated tone, the husky complied. He entered the pod through the sliding door on the side and climbed into the seat. Wait a minute... There was only one seat! Russ suddenly realized what was happening and tried to scramble back out, but was blocked by Krendor.

"Russ, sit down," said Krendor sternly, tears filling his eyes again.

"No! I'm not leaving you! You have to get out, too!" Russ was starting to cry now as well. He desperately struggled as his father forced him back into the seat and reached for the controls, hastily punching in coordinates. "Please don't do this!"

"Russ, son, listen to me." Krendor took his son's tearful face into his paws and locked eyes with him. "You are going to be just fine. You are smart. You are brave. You are strong. Be strong for me. You can do that, can't you?"

"DON'T LEAVE ME!" Russ cried as his father drew the seat belt across his torso and into the buckle, securing him in place. "I WANT TO STAY WITH YOU!"

Krendor took out what looked like a thick black wristwatch with a pitch black digital screen and fastened it onto Russ' wrist. "Keep this with you. And keep it charged if you can." He then gave him a kiss on the forehead and hugged him tight. Russ eagerly hugged him back. Both huskies shared their last embrace while weeping quietly over the loss of the other.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

More of those creatures were just outside, trying to get in. Krendor tightened his embrace for a moment, as if shielding his son from the horrors that lurked behind that door, and whispered, "Just follow your heart. I love you, son."

Krendor's paw slammed against a large red button, initiating the launch sequence.

"Launching in 10...9...8..."

Russ eyes widened as Krendor retreated out of the pod and the door automatically slid shut. He felt the aircraft hum to life, all of the buttons illuminating the small space in a dazzling display.

"Dad! No! Please don't leave me! Dad!"

"7...6...5...4..."

The double doors burst open to reveal what had to be five or six of those monstrous reptile creatures, all spotting Krendor immediately. There was no way he could take them all at once!

"Dad! Please!"

"3...2...1..."

"DAD!"

Russ' vision was filled with darkness accompanied by a loud roar as the pod shot down a narrow tunnel. Then the roar faded and the pod was ejected out into space. Russ cried out and slammed his paws against the glass repeatedly as the large ship rapidly grew smaller in his vision. Once the ship was no more than a barely visible speck amongst the stars, the husky just sat back and cried. And cried and cried and cried. They were gone. All his friends and family, who he loved dearly...they were all gone.

Sometime after the ejection, the pod had rotated so that he was facing his destination. It was the blue planet from before, except now he was close enough to see great masses of land separated by large bodies of water. A bright blue button blinked at him from the top display that read "Combustion Shield." He impulsively slammed the button with a paw and a bluish glow appeared around the pod itself. Not long after, the pod burst into flame as it sped toward the planet's surface, but Russ and everything inside the structure remained unharmed.

Muzzle still damp from drying tears, Russ began to panic from the trauma of the moment. He held on tight to the armrests as the pod trembled violently, the deep blue of the mystery planet looming ever closer with each passing second. Then his vision was flooded with light and he had to blink a few times. The pod plummeted through thick fluffy clouds and continued hurtling downward at a great speed. He could see the shimmering surface of water drawing nearer and nearer.

Another button lit up reading "Impact Reduction." He pushed it and the glow around the pod grew brighter. Russ tensed as he braced for impact...

The pod had gradually decelerated in its trajectory and thus softened the inevitable collision by a considerable amount. However, that did not make the crash any less jarring. The pod gave a great lurch when it hit the ware surface, but the seat belt held fast and kept the husky in place. It remained submerged for a moment before floating to the top. The pod abruptly shut off, leaving Russ in silence.

Panting a little and heart pounding, Russ unfastened the seat belt and stumbled out of his chair. He had to crouch a little because the top of the capsule was rather low. The husky lost his balance a few times as the pod rotated in response to his weight, but he eventually managed to get a good grip of the door handle and slide it open.

When the husky emerged from the opening, he took a deep breath, drinking in the fresh air. It tasted of salt and a cool sea breeze gently rustled his fur. It appeared he had crash-landed in the middle of a bay, but not too far from shore. Russ shielded his eyes from the blinding sun as he peered into the distance. Straight ahead, he could see land. If he had to estimate, he'd say it was about a half-mile away.

Russ felt cold water gathering at his feet and he looked down. Water was beginning to rush into the pod and cause it to sink.

Guess it's time to start swimming.

With that, he braced himself and dove into the water. Russ wasn't the best swimmer, but he wasn't a bad one either. He took long, powerful strokes and did his best not to swallow any water. He didn't look back or try to stop and take a break at any point. Don't think, just keep going.

When he did reach land, he slowly staggered the short distance to the shoreline and collapsed on the damp sand. Russ was exhausted; he had never swum that long a distance in such a short time. The husky simply lay there while he caught his breath, staring up at the clear blue sky. As Russ gazed at the clouds, he wondered what had happened to his friends. Some of the escape pods had been missing; he could only hope that they had made it out okay. It wouldn't make much of a difference for him though, since it wasn't likely that he would ever see them again.

Shivering from his soaking wet fur and the persistent breeze, Russ managed to stand up and take off his shirt in an effort to lessen the problem. Some sand had gotten underneath the shirt and clung to his fur. He brushed off the loose sand and surveyed his surroundings. It seemed he had arrived at a secluded beach, large rocks scattered across the ground and a large cliff-like structure leading to higher ground. Eyeing the cliff carefully, it didn't appear to be very tall; maybe thirty feet at the most. It looked suitable for climbing.

Russ approached the rock wall and got a good grip on a solid chuck that protruded farther up. He then hoisted himself up off the ground and found two decent footholds. He repeated the process, slowly advancing upward and willing himself not to look down.

He only got about ten feet up when he heard a sudden metallic grinding noise at the top of the cliff. Startled, the husky lost his grip on the rock wall and dropped downward flailing wildly. His footpaws slammed into the ground and he fell on his back. He felt a sharp pain in the back of his head as it collided with a rock.

That was the last thing he remembered.