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This was it. Wednesday. His last day at Westborrow High.

Russ had been looking forward to this day for months. The morning crowd in the halls today was lethargic as ever, yet people were still talking about this and that. It was the middle of the week, so the students were still effectively in "Monday-mode," only dreading the day ahead of them. Russ, however, was in "Friday-mode," eager to get out of school so that he could finally prepare for his departure.

Things during the last couple days had been brighter as well. Following Russ' prank, most of the school seemed to take a liking to the blue husky. People were talking to him more and seemed to hold a new respect for him. Rod had been absent the day after, and he didn't appear to be attending today either. Not that Russ could blame him. The laxatives Russ had used in his prank had been the kind that stays in the system a couple days after ingestion, so Rod was likely still dealing with the aftereffects. Either that or he was too much of a coward to show his face.

The jocks that usually bullied him left him alone now that their leader was out of the picture. That didn't mean that they respected him though. Rather, they seemed to truly hate him now, shooting him dirty looks in the halls when they passed. Even Tyler had reverted to his cold and reclusive self at home.

Russ didn't care. He just laughed it off with Scott whenever the subject was brought up. Speaking of Scott...

"Hey, dude," the bear said as they stood by their lockers. "You up for another gaming night on Friday?"

The question made his heart drop. He very much wanted to spend another night of gaming with Scott. But he couldn't. He wouldn't even be on the planet after tonight.

"I'd really like to," Russ replied sadly. "But I can't. I've got stuff to do this weekend."

"Aw," Scott said dejected. "Well, maybe next week then?"

"Yeah," the husky replied, his ears down. "Sure."

"You okay?"

"Yup, I'm fine."

"Okay, well see you at lunch!" Scott gave small wave and went off to class.

Russ was left at his locker feeling suddenly depressed. He was about to leave the one friend he had made since he started school, never to see him again. He had to ask himself again: was he really ready to do this?

The bell signaling the start of class brought him out of his thoughts. Russ glumly gathered his things and started walking.

I have to do it, he decided. I didn't build a freakin' spaceship for nothing.

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

Russ came back home that day after stopping by the junkyard to test his ship one last time. Everything seemed fully functional and ready to go. He was now prepared to leave at any time. He didn't need to leave until about midnight though, so now he just had to wait.

Before he could go upstairs, he was stopped by Abigail in the kitchen.

"Russ? May I speak with you a minute?"

Her tone was more parental than conversational like it usually was when talking to him. Russ went to the kitchen to find her preparing something for dinner.

"Yes?"

When she turned her gaze on him, it was stern, but not to the caliber of when he had been caught fighting with Tyler. This was more of a concerned parent's stare, one that demanded attention but let him know that she cared.

"I heard from a parent today that you pulled a stunt at school this week involving ghost peppers," Abigail said as she chopped some onions. "Would you like to tell me what that was about?"

Not really. "That was just a harmless prank. I didn't mean anything by it."

"Are you sure? Because from what I understand about ghost peppers, they can actually hurt you." She gathered the chopped onions and placed them into a bowl.

Russ really did not want to have this conversation. "It was harmless. Rod will be fine. He'll just be out of commission for a while. I'm sure he'll be back at school tomorrow."

Abigail raised an eyebrow. "Rod? As in Roderick Black, Tyler's friend? Are you two fighting again?"

For god's sake, woman, let it go! "No, we're fine. Like I said, it was just a harmless prank."

The she-wolf seemed to pick up on the note of aggression in the husky's voice, but said nothing about it. "I sure hope so. After all, Tyler's got pretty good chance at a football scholarship and I wouldn't want one of his teammates being the cause of him losing it."

Russ didn't say anything in response. He hadn't known about the football scholarship, but if Tyler was really that good, then one disgruntled teammate shouldn't be a problem.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Tyler's not in any trouble."

Abigail nodded, seemingly satisfied. "I'm glad. Now go on up and get your homework done. I'll call you when dinner's ready."

Thank you. "Okay, I'll keep an ear out!"

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

Late at night, Russ stood next to his bed packing his book bag again. The house was deadly silent as everyone else had gone to bed. Most of his school supplies had been dumped on the bed while he replaced them with stacks of notes. Russ paced around the room gathering his things. He was determined to make sure he had everything he needed while also giddy about what he was about to do.

This was it. It was finally happening. This was the night he had been looking forward to for weeks - months, really. He was finally going home.

As he gathered some more papers, Russ glanced at his alarm clock. It was now exactly midnight. He needed to get going. The husky promptly straightened his notes, grabbed his spare laptop, put them both into the bag, and zipped it up. He gave the room a parting glance before turning out the light. Now shrouded in darkness with nothing but moonlight as his guide, Russ positioned an ear against the door, listening for any movement in the hall. Satisfied when he was met with silence, he slowly inched his door open and exited the room.

Russ crept down the stairs, careful not to make too much noise. Before reaching the door, he detoured to the coffee table where Bryan's laptop sat. It was password protected, but that did not deter him. Russ had carefully studied Bryan's keystrokes over his shoulder when he wasn't looking, and he had memorized the password to the system.

Still listening for any movement upstairs, Russ sat down on the couch and opened the laptop. He typed in the password and after gaining access, opened up a text document. He had contemplated and memorized every word of his message beforehand. Without hesitation, he put his paws over the keyboard and started to type:

To the Mooneys,

Thank you for everything you have done for me thus far. I cannot fully express how grateful I am for providing me a place to stay and a good education. However, it has come time for me to return to where I came from. Please do not waste your precious time or money looking for me, as I will be long gone by the time you read this.

_ Bryan, as you are likely the one to be reading this first, I will begin by addressing you directly. You have been so kind and supportive of me these last few months, and for that I am grateful. I can proudly say that I have come to respect you both as a friend and father-figure. You have helped raise a truly wonderful family. I also heard you talking the other day about a possible promotion at work. I hope you get it; you really deserve it._

_ Abigail, you have made my dilemma so much easier by being as caring and supportive as you have been. I can't tell you anything about my conflict, but I can tell you that you have made it better. From your kind words, to your actions of generosity and love, to your awesome cooking - seriously, your olive chicken is to die for - you gave me more while I was here than I could ever ask for. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't seen me crying on your lawn and decided to offer a helping paw. Thank you._

_ Tyler and I may not get along perfectly, but I can see within him qualities of a great fur. Please don't be too hard on him. He really is a good kid; he's just misguided by the influence of his friends. Hanging around with the wrong bunch at school will do that. For context, ask him what really happened that night we both went out with his buddies. His answer will surprise you. If it doesn't, keep asking._

_ You're probably panicking right now. I get it. But please don't. As I said, I'm already far, far away by this point so trying to find me is pointless. You won't find me anywhere. Just forget me and move on. I wish you the best in your future endeavors. I hope Bryan gets his promotion and that Tyler gets that football scholarship. Both of you have earned them._

_ I hope you can forgive me for any trouble I've caused within your household._

_ Best wishes,_

_ Russ_

Russ finished the letter with a tear in his eye. As much as he wanted to stay - and he really did - he knew he couldn't, and writing that letter had done nothing to help matters. Nevertheless, he had friends and family waiting for him.

Russ froze as he heard the floor creak upstairs. He thought he could hear someone walking around, but listening harder for a few moments, all he heard was silence. Not wanting to take the chance of getting caught, he shut the laptop and grabbed his bag. The husky carefully opened the front door so as not to make any noise, and silently slipped outside.

Russ became overcome with a strange loneliness as he walked alone in the dark. The roads were almost empty at this time of night, with a single car passing by occasionally. Once out of the housing development, the city was still relatively noisy, but noticeably more calm than in the daytime. At one point, he thought he heard footsteps following behind him, but when he checked, he didn't see anyone. The husky shook his head and began making his way out of the city again. He must be getting paranoid.

Back across the junkyard he went. He didn't need to sneak around this time because it was dark and no one was onsite. Russ used his flashlight to find his way across the site and to the opposite fence. He had to climb over it this time since it was locked for the night. Just a short walk into the forest area found his custom built spaceship, just as he had left it.

He got in and hooked up his laptop like before. Just a few taps had the ship roaring to life. The interior lights blinked on and the underside of the vehicle glowed a fluorescent purple around the magnets that had been attached there. The lights illuminated the surrounding grassy area with a dull glow.

"Hoooly shit!"

Russ' heart skipped a beat at the interruption. It turned out he hadn't been paranoid at all; someone had indeed followed him! He scrambled out of the car to find Tyler Mooney at the edge of the small clearing, staring at the ship in awe. The wolf was wearing an old t-shirt with some sweatpants. It appeared he had not bothered to get properly dressed before following the husky out of the house.

"What are you doing here?!" Russ said frantically. "Go back home!"

Tyler said nothing, only stood frozen in place, eyes wide and unmoving.

"Hey!" He snapped again, waving his arms to get the wolf's attention. "You! Go away!"

Tyler blinked and seemed to finally notice him. After a moment of speechlessness, he muttered in a shaky voice, "You weren't kidding..."

Russ dropped his arms and stared back in confusion. "What?"

"About being from space," the wolf responded with a little more confidence. "Having a ship and all that."

"Well, yeah...I wouldn't actually lie about that...hang on," Russ paused in realization. "I never told you about being from space! How do you know about that?"

"I heard Mom and Dad talking," said Tyler. "I just didn't believe you were...I thought you were just a -" He stopped abruptly and looked down with his ears flattened.

Russ stood staring in anticipation. "Just a what?"

Tyler looked back up, but did not seem to want to answer. He stood with his paws in his pockets and muzzle slightly agape, completely silent.

The husky's face contorted with anger. "You thought I was just some mega nerd who didn't know any better? Is that it?"

Tyler only gulped silently. There was an odd expression on the wolf's face, one that almost seemed to be...genuine regret...

"Fuck you." Russ turned back toward the car. He was preparing to enter when he was interrupted by another exclamation from the wolf.

"Wait!"

The husky spun around to see Tyler holding something in his paw.

"What do I do with this?" Upon closer inspection, he recognized it as the communicator device Krendor had used to send his message. The watch's black screen glinted a little as it reflected the dim moonlight.

Russ frowned. "Where did you find that?"

"It was on the dresser."

His anger at the wolf intensified at the statement. "You were poking around in my room?!"

_ _ The wolf growled. "It's not your room!"

"Well, not anymore it's not. I'm leaving!" Russ got back into the driver's seat. "Just keep it! The battery's dead anyway."

"Wait!" Tyler shouted again. He came forward a few steps. "What should I tell Mom and Dad?"

Russ thought for a moment. Bryan would no doubt see the note he had left on the computer; that note had everything the husky wanted to say. But it couldn't hurt to leave them one last little tidbit, something Tyler could tell them himself. He turned his head to face the wolf.

"Tell them I went home."

Without another word, Russ shut the door and activated the seal to make it airtight. He grabbed his laptop and prepared to lift off. Before he did, he looked out the window one last time. Tyler still stood outside, looking guilty with his ears down and paws in his pockets. Russ shook his head and turned back to the screen. He didn't have time to deal with Tyler right now. He needed to leave before it was too late.

The vehicle began to rattle louder as it rose off the ground. Tyler stepped back and stared up in amazement as the ship easily ascended over the treetops and into the open air. Before long, the ship was only a speck of light in the night sky.

Higher and higher he went, soon rising above the clouds. With one hand on the keyboard, Russ carefully steered the vehicle straight up. He started to feel rather cold, and he realized that he had no source of heating! His heart began to pound knowing that he needed to find his father's ship quickly. If he took too long, he may very well freeze to death!

Before long, he had risen above the atmosphere, surrounded by the familiar abyss of outer space. A strange weightlessness overcame him and the cables and laptop inside the car began to float. It seemed he had forgotten an artificial gravity system. And it had gotten much colder, too. Things were getting worse by the second.

Brushing a cable from his face, Russ grabbed the computer began tapping away, opening another program. This program would compile a distress signal that would be broadcasted at the click of a button. Just a few keystrokes later, Russ pressed enter and sent out the signal.

Now begins the waiting game.

Russ tapped a few more buttons and brought up a radar grid. From here, he would be able to spot any other spacecraft in his vicinity. For now, he sat back and let his mind wander. What was Tyler doing at this very moment? Probably celebrating back at home, the jerk. Russ thought back to Tyler's expression when he had left. Had he actually regretted the way he had been treating the husky? Russ instantly banished the thought. Tyler was an egotistical asshole; that was all there was to it.

Then he saw it: a single green dot on the radar grid, moving his way. Russ peered out the window and spotted it immediately. It was a large Solarian carrier ship, a Class B! Excitedly, the husky undid his seatbelt and pressed his face against the window, watching the ship approach. He couldn't believe it! They had found him; he was going home!

But wait. It was moving past him now; they were flying right over him! Panicked, Russ began shouting and waving his arms.

"No, wait! It's me! I'm right here!"

Of course they couldn't hear him. Russ frantically grabbed the laptop and began compiling another signal to deploy. Fingers flying madly across the keyboard, he pressed enter and triggered another broadcast. The ship still kept moving in the other direction.

"No! Please! Over here!"

It was no use. He was stuck alone in outer space with no one to rescue him. It was cold, he had no food or water, and he had only a very limited supply of oxygen. Quickly losing hope, he compiled yet another signal and sent it off. The husky had no choice but to watch his only salvation drift away.

Defeated, Russ collapsed back into his seat - or he tried to. He couldn't move. His body seemed frozen in place. Was he freezing to death? No, that wasn't how it worked. It was cold, but it wasn't quite that cold just yet. What was happening? There was a strange glow creeping in on his peripheral vision. Russ tried to cry out, but he couldn't do that either. The glow intensified until it nearly blinded him. His body seemed to become more heavy and then...

His knees found hard floor and he fell on all fours. The blinding glow was gone, but he was now in a brightly lit room with comparatively warm air conditioning. He had landed on an elevated platform in an area of the wall shaped in a semicircle.

"Is he alright?"

"I don't know, I'll check."

There was suddenly a pair of paws helping him to his feet. Russ looked up to see a male cheetah peering at him in concern.

"Are you okay?"

The husky glanced around and realized what had happened. They had just beamed him onto the ship. They had seen him after all!

"Yeah, I'm great! Thank you!" Russ excitedly hugged the cheetah tightly.

The cheetah chuckled nervously. "No problem, hehe."

"Russ?"

His ears perked at the familiar voice. Russ turned to see Krendor Talvek standing in the doorway. The older husky stared in adoration before holding out his arms.

"Dad!" Russ bounded down the short set of stairs and across the room, before leaping into his father's arms. Father and son held each other tightly, reveling in their long overdue reunion.

"Oh son, I'm so glad you're safe!" Krendor uttered, shedding tears of joy. He held his son at arm's length, paws on his shoulders. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine! I'm great!" Russ responded, also in tears.

"Thank the stars!" Krendor pulled him into a hug again. "I'm so sorry, Russ. I am never letting you out of my sight again, you hear? Never!"

Russ gave an elated chuckled in his father's loving embrace. "Don't worry, Dad. I'm not going anywhere."