FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Did we win?" Wren asked, sinking into the captain's chair. He closed his eyes and stretched his limbs, making frustrated chitter-noises.

"Well." An uncertain pause. "There's no easy answer to that ... "

"Didn't think so," he sighed, quietly.

"We inflicted heavy losses on their fleet, but we lost some ships, too," Rella said, from tactical, wiping a paw across her brow. She was sweaty, grimy. It was, what, five in the morning? Six? They'd literally been fighting all night. The lights were only half-working on the bridge, and the random flickering was driving her nuts. "The rogues really did their job. I had my doubts, but ... " A quick glance to Barrow and the others. They were all seated around Ops, eating and drinking, regaining their energy. "The Queen's unaccounted for, from what I can tell," the squirrel continued. "The remaining wasp ships have scattered. The Arctic foxes are giving chase, but wasps aren't known for 'giving up.' They could come back for suicide strikes. I'm maintaining yellow alert."

"Do the bats have any idea where the Queen went? Did we destroy her ship?"

Rella glanced at Barrow, again, raising her brow.

"Mm? Oh, she's still alive," the periwinkle bat insisted. "But definitely injured. Or at least weakened. I don't sense her 'telepathic net' controlling the drones anymore." Which was why the rogues could afford to ease up and take a much-needed break.

"So, her ship got away, or it crashed somewhere," Wren said, obviously. "Which is it?"

Rella thought for a moment. "I saw a few ships crashing on the viewer. Mostly on the moons."

"Me, too ... "

"Everyone's too busy licking their wounds to go investigate." She paused, confidently. "Guess we'll have to do it ourselves, huh?" Though Juneau would probably scold them for overtaxing the limping engines.

"Suppose we could," Wren said, liking his mate's ambition. Her confidence. He'd always liked that about her. "Where's Field?" He wanted the mouse's opinion on this. "He took Adelaide down to sickbay but hasn't been back ... "

"They're probably fucking," Barrow quipped.

Wren gave the blue bat a look.

"What?"

"I'll see if I can track them down," Rella promised, tapping at her controls.

"Ketchy, I want a full damage report. Inside and out."

"Already working on it," the other squirrel said. She was getting reports from every station on the ship. And it looked like the subspace interference was starting to clear, as well. They'd soon be getting distress calls, new orders, and various updates. It took a quick mind to sort through all that.

"Wren," Rella went, voice tensing up.

He looked over his shoulder at her.

"Field and Adelaide aren't on the ship."

"What?" His eyes widened.

"They were in a section with a hull breach ... "

The captain's blood turned cold, whiskers twitching. "Did they suffocate? Did ... did they get sucked into space?"

"I don't think so." A head-shake. "There's an escape pod missing. And everyone else is accounted for. They must have boarded it. But it probably auto-launched on them."

A huge sigh of relief. Which turned right back to anxiety. "Escape pods are only half the size of shuttle-pods. They could be anywhere out there." Assuming the pod hadn't been destroyed in any crossfire. But let's not assume that, Wren. Think good thoughts. "Begin a full search. Look for their ion trail." He glanced at the main viewer. "Wherever they are, I'm sure they'll need our help ... "

"Surely, someone saw us go down," Adelaide said, looking out the forward window-shield.

"With all the ships and debris, not to mention jamming signals and general interference, we may have been a lot harder to notice," Field reasoned, quietly. The mouse was leaning back in the pilot's chair, whiskers twitching. Things had been going fairly well when they'd been jettisoned from the ship, but for all they knew, Luminous had been destroyed and the wasps had turned the tide and won the battle, and the furry species could be on the verge of a centuries-long enslavement! It was hard not to think about.

The pink-furred bat squinted, looking harder at their new environment. It was sparse and windswept. A few patches of coniferous trees. A towering mountain range in the distance, hills a lot closer, with all of it half-hidden by a veil of swirling white. "Even the snow rabbit moons are snowy." But at least it had an atmosphere. Even if it was an inhospitable one. "Do we have winter gear?"

"No. A shuttle-pod would've." Escape pods weren't meant for landing on surfaces. Just floating long enough to be rescued, like lifeboats in space.

"Hmm ... well, guess we can't go out, then." Not that she'd wanted to. She brushed a wing at him, teasingly. "You'd definitely need a tail-sock."

He bit his lower lip to keep from smiling. "Maybe ... "

"And ear mittens," she added, teasingly. "Don't want you catching frostbite. Of course, after you put them on, you'd look so cute in them, I'd want to take them off. Unwrap you like a present."

"At least we'd be keeping warm," he told her. "Either way ... "

"Oh, of course," she promised, sultrily. She was in heat, and they both knew it. Mated, in love, and trapped in a tight space together with the temperature lowering? "Can I sit on your lap?"

"Mm-hmm."

She did so, uniformed rump nestling against his groin, and her short, little rudder-tail jutting along his belly. "How long will this thing have power?"

"The pod?" A lazy hug, resting his nose against her neck. "Not much longer, I'd think." A few hours? "The communications array is already down. So are the engines." They had life support, and that was about it. But, again, they'd been lucky to survive the descent. With a minimum of bumps and bruises, too. It had been a pretty violent crash. Field had managed to keep the pod on its belly for most of the skid, but it rolled once or twice at the end, thankfully ending right side up.

"This is the second moon, right? How many moons do the snow rabbits have?" she asked.

"Two or three?"

"You think we'd know." A sheepish chitter. "We really ought to. We've been here for, what, half a year? Eight months?" Or was it longer than that? Outside of Luminous, it was like a second home.

"Maybe I'll remember when I'm not so tipsy on you."

She smiled widely, nosing his forehead.

"Life before you feels like an eon ago, though," he continued, seriously. "I almost can't remember things before you, before Luminous. I feel so different, now. Changed so much."

Her wingtip moved over his heart.

In turn, he traced her wing-arm with his fingers. The strut-like bones, the fuzzy, champagne-colored fur, the membranes. They were so velvety. When held up to light, they seemed to glow. When wrapped around him, they were so protective. There was something so metaphorical about wings. They owned the air.

Just like her intensifying scent, which filled the pod like an elixir of allspice. Warm, dizzying, so enticing it made Field breathe deeper just to get more of it, and the more he got, the more it affected him. Neither of them needed further incentive to breed. They were so madly, deeply in love. The normal amount of pleasure would've sufficed. But nature was meticulous and took no chances.

Adelaide shifted her body, grinding against him.

He began grinding back.

Feeling a hot flash, the bat exhaled and arched her spine, breasts pushing out. "It's like there's a tempest raging inside me." She panted. "I feel like I'm going to come apart ... "

"Is there lightning in this tempest?" Field whispered back, mouthing her neck-fur, wetting whole patches before nibbling on her jaw-line.

She lifted her chin and nodded hazily. "Lots of it. I think you might get struck ... "

"I guess my tail is sorta like a lightning rod," he allowed, playfully, a paw bringing her face back down so he could kiss the corner of her lips. Her fangs were jutting out, and he licked at them.

"Mm-h ... " She licked at him, too, their tongues touching. "I can't smell my own pheromones. What's it like?" Her wings wrapped around him, possessively.

A heavy sigh, nestling into her grasp. "It's like being wafted a potent, searing promise, or sent into a head-rush of insanity." He began peppering her entire face with little bucktoothed mouse-kisses, thoughts certifiably lurid as his paws strayed all over her feminine, pink-furred body. Warm, hot body. Winged body. Was there anything better than a female bat?

"Field ... "

"Mm-h?" His paws were under her clothing, lifting her shirt and exposing her bra.

"I need you. Please," she panted, deliriously, voice breaking with emotion. "Now ... " She craved sex like sugar, like a drug. It was literally the only thing that could satisfy her.

"I'm here," he promised, raising his own arms. His shirt up, off, and tossed. "I'm ... mm-h, here, darling ... " The staccato words eventually stopped. Actions took over. He frantically wriggled out of the rest of his clothes. Breathlessly, within seconds, they were both down to their underwear, and he was peeling hers down with his buckteeth, eyes glancing up at her supple, cotton candy breasts, which were freed and jiggling slightly, thank God. Once her panties were off, he slid back up and sculpted them into many shapes with his paws. He wanted to nurse from them. From her tits.

The bat could sense this, telepathically, but decided it could wait. In spite of her confessed impatience. She switched her 'side saddle' posture into an outright cowgirl straddle of the mouse's hips. Face to face, both of them in the fur, her shockingly long, insect-catching tongue forking its way into his hot, waiting mouth.

The kiss was sublime. Their lips burning, eyes closed, as if the light produced from this would blind them. He suckled on her tongue, a paw tweaking her nipples, feeling her saliva trickling down his throat. He swallowed, helplessly. His mouse-hood was achingly erect. Dribbling, too. And she, herself, was incredibly wet, rubbing at her clitoris with her elongated thumb.

Field, twisting away from the kiss, reeled and regained his breath, gently nudging her wingtip away from her precious pearl. She didn't need to do that herself. He could help ...

"You wanna eat me, mousey, go ahead," she huffed, reading his thoughts, glancing hungrily at his cock. How could she not?

Field's ears burned with arousal, with both pride and pleasure, at where she was looking, and what she was undoubtedly thinking. "I'll do whatever you want," he breathed, submissively.

"Mm. Such a good boy." Her fangs grazed his whiskers, gratefully. "Enjoy your appetizer. I'm saving your cock for the main course." She wagged her thumb-tip over his smooth, glistening glans. "Now, hurry up ... "

"Y-yes ... " He nodded, breathlessly, grabbing her hips and lifting her off his lap. No more waiting.

Within seconds, they were horizontal on the cramped, carpeted floor. Adelaide on her back, legs in the air, Field on his belly between them. His arms hooking around her thighs, and, oh, Lord, he immediately feasted on her pouty, fertile sex, her delectable flower. She was as juicy and sweet as a ripe watermelon, only pinker. He peppered her petals with kisses, even sucked on her loin-fur before licking through her opening, lapping up the nectar inside.

He playfully feigned ignorance of her clitoris long enough for her to squirm with impatience, only to give in, inching upward, dancing his tongue around her nub in lazy, luscious circles. Edging around it. Teasing. Blowing breaths upon it. He wanted to make her cry out his name.

"Field!"

He smiled when she did. His lips, in an instant, covered her clit, suckling upon it. Gently, reverently, like it was a precious bud, a gem, his modest tongue tapping against it.

The bat moaned, loudly.

While he audibly suckled, the mouse also slipped two honey-furred fingers into her vagina just in time to feel it clamp down, tightly. He squeaked! He'd meant for his fingers to play around for a few minutes, to give her some dual stimulation before she came. But he'd mistimed it. She was already there. She normally lasted a little longer. He supposed this meant either he'd done an incredible job with his muzzle, or that she wanted him so badly it couldn't be stemmed. Either way, it was a compliment. My mere presence is setting her off. God, I want her even more ...

She echo-burst, repeatedly, grabbing at him. Tongue, lips, fingers. Those things weren't enough. They were just build-up. She appreciated it, of course, and it'd felt good, but she was ready for the main course, the main event. She wanted him. Completely. Insatiable.

Field crawled up her body, into a simple missionary position. He didn't wait. He couldn't, even if he'd tried. Poking, prodding his rock-hard penis, pushing it into her, into a place better than heaven. His sensitive flesh was immediately marinated. Moist and sopping like a jungle, hot like a furnace. Coating him, completely, from all sides, all around. Embedded in literal bliss. The mouse's face scrunched up in a silly, sexual way. "Ah-h ... ah ... "

They were made into one, now, arching in rhythm. Pink and gold. Warm and rising. This was love. And, as if to emphasize it, he pulled back. And thrust forward. The first hump. Which led to a second, a third, the motion repeating it until it became incessant, until his hips were a blur, his golden, furry balls swelling tightly as he rutted her like a beast, his prehensile, ropy tail whipping though the air above them.

The escape pod began rocking, and unbeknownst to them, fogging up, too. The windows were no longer clear. The environmental controls had, indeed, gone offline just a few minutes ago, but the two lovers were producing enough body heat to keep the air warm.

The bat wrapped her carnation wing-arms around him, letting the thumbed tips drift to that pert, golden rump of his, grabbing, groping. Pulling him closer, deeper. What a fine ass! And wriggly, too ...

He liked this, raising that backside right into her winged touch, letting her have a feel before plunging forward yet again.

With the pod's lights now offline, the only light was exterior, reflecting off the cloudy, snowy vista. Her head rolled aside, sharp fangs glinting in that cool, silvery light. Fangs that began dripping a milky fluid. She was going to bite him.

Field kissed her neck, nibbling on her pulse with his buckteeth. And then backed off so she could do the same to him, her tongue covered in saliva. It temporarily contained a numbing enzyme. She licked her chosen spot, and then opened wide, fangs sinking into fur. Then flesh. Then right into his neck. It was an expert bite. And it happened so fast, without ceremony or delay.

The mouse twitched as his neck muscles were pierced, her mating milk entering his bloodstream. Within ten seconds, it had passed through his brain, his heart, doing a full circle of his body. A flood of memories, thoughts, and sensations followed. Everything she felt. Everything she was. He was, too. They were telepathically and physically joined. Because of the intensity involved, because he wasn't a fellow bat, and because it limited their physical positions, it wasn't something they did every time they had sex. But, when they did do it, there was nothing to rival its intimacy.

Swirling in undiluted pools of each other's thoughts and emotions, they continued to breed, feeling each other's physical sensations on top of their own, absorbing everything. Nothing escaped the gravity of their love.

Adelaide's blunt-clawed toes curled, delightedly, the heels of her bare foot-paws dragging up the backs of Field's toned legs. Her wings hugged him, tightly. Even with her fangs in her mate's golden-furred neck, she began to gasp. He was grinding his hips, now, without pulling back. Just close, intimate humping, making his thick pubic fur rub against her sensitive clit. His smooth, thick glans battering at her deepest reaches. She soon went over the edge, and this orgasm eclipsed the earlier one by leaps and bounds. Her loins went into severe, almost violent spasms, rippling, shaking, her cervix dipping down involuntarily. She would've echo-burst, again, but his neck was in the way. She could only moan.

Field squeaked wildly, her feminine pleasure zipping into his masculine brain, as if her tunnel had nerves in his own body. He felt it. Hers. Around him. From two perspectives. It was too much. Oh, Lord, way too much! His wet, throbbing penis jumped once. Jumped again. Dry twitches, at first. He gasped and cried out as the third twitch finally brought a punch-drunk orgasm with full, creamy ejaculation, mouse semen shooting out in quick, rifle-like fashion, point-blank into her waiting womb. "Oh-h ... oh!" His whiskers stiffened, tingling to their tips. He panted between moans. "Oh-h ... "

Fangs still in his neck, the bat gurgled and arched, sighing wondrously. His release. She felt his beautiful organ twitching and jumping inside her, experienced it with him on every level, and, oh, it was glorious. His seed doused her fire, at least temporarily. It was everything she needed. It was perfect.

Trembling uncontrollably, Field felt it taper off. His orgasm. The frantic feelings. All of it. He began to calm down, reaching between them and fondling his mate's breast, the one above her heart, before simply hugging her tightly and not letting go.

She kept her wing-arms around his back, cradling his head. Eventually, she pulled out of his neck, her fangs glistening with various fluids. She licked them clean.

He pulled out of her, too, his mouse-hood just as wet, only with very different fluids, still half-erect but getting limper, and he nuzzled at her shoulder before laying his head there. "That was incredible." A squeaky sigh. "I love you so much, Adelaide," he breathed.

"I love you, too, Field." She paused, letting the declaration fill the air. "Now, rest up. You're gonna need it." Her heat had only just begun. The winds of desire would rage again, and soon.

The mouse, still hugging his batty wife, closed his eyes. Rest came so easily when you felt like this. If only he could feel like this all the time!

"I just wanna go to bed," Wren muttered. He was back at tactical with Rella. The lights had stopped flickering. Repairs were underway.

"Tell me about it."

The male squirrel combed his fingers through his mate's tail, squinting over at Barrow and the other rogues. "You don't look as tired as you should," he accused, grumpily.

"I'm just that cool," the blue bat replied, lightly. "Fruit?" he offered, holding out an apple. A big one. Red and yellow swirls.

"Sure."

The bat winged it to him.

Wren caught it and immediately took a bite.

Ketchy, from comm, said, "Sir, you're not gonna believe this ... "

"Try me." Another crunch, sweet-tart juice dribbling off his whisker-tips.

"Snow rabbit long-distance listening stations are getting reports that Federation ships have begun attacking wasp strongholds in their space."

Rella's tactical mind was already at work. She crossed her arms and nodded. "They saw what the wasps did to the Arctic foxes. They're launching a preemptive strike of their own. That's only to our benefit, I guess."

"Yes. And how convenient that it comes right after we weakened the wasps' main fleet for them," Wren said, darkly. He'd once been a staunch supporter of the Federation and the ideals it stood for. Not anymore. Not after the predators had ousted the prey from shared power and exiled him and Luminous' crew. "They probably only signed a non-aggression pact to conserve themselves. Wait for all the other governments to suffer huge losses and bloody the wasps just a bit, then hope they could finish them off, themselves, and step into the resulting power vacuum."

"That's a little cynical, isn't it? Maybe the prey regained control," Rella suggested. Her own tone, though, indicated she didn't believe that. She took her mate's apple and had a bite, herself, chewing for a moment before saying, "What's important is that the wasps are almost done. Their Queen is missing. They have no neutrality partners anymore. They've been arrogant at every turn. Underestimated us. And even wounded, the High Command is more than a match for the Federation should they choose to be stupid."

"Yeah." It wasn't that the Federation overly concerned him at this point. It was just that he was tired of subterfuge. "One conflict at a time." He really wasn't in the mood to talk about the political situation or the statistical probabilities surrounding it. That was for Admiral Flint and the rest of the High Command high-ups to figure out. His first duty was to his ship and crew. "Anything else, Ketchy?"

"Admiral Flint's orders are to help our fellow ships, but otherwise stay put in case the wasps come back. But if they don't, I assume we'll be allowed to disband."

"Mm." A tired nod, rubbing his eyes. "Just find Field and Adelaide."

"They're out there," Barrow confirmed, saying of Adelaide, "I wasn't paying particular attention to her after she left the bridge, but I would've known if she'd been harmed. I would've felt it."

Wren fought a smile as Rella tried to give him a finished apple core. He declined.

"I have more," Barrow offered.

"I think I'm okay for now," the captain replied. He was still hungry, actually. But he didn't want to gorge on apples. It was hard to figure Barrow out. The rogues were a bit like genies in a bottle. They'd been uncorked, powers and all. They seemed so at ease using them to such extremes. When the war was over, would they ease back? Where would they go? What would they do?

"Sir," Ketchy said, more timidly than before.

"Mm?"

"If it's not too much to ask, I was wondering if I could go to sickbay." She wasn't sick, of course. But she hadn't seen or heard from Kody since the battle started. She just wanted to know her mate was alright.

"Half an hour. No longer," Wren said.

Ketchy nodded and quickly scampered to the lift.

Rella nudged Wren in the shoulder and pointed to the helm. "Isn't that the cutest thing you ever saw?"

Chester had fallen asleep, nose in the air, whiskers twitching.

Wren smiled and admitted, after a moment of thought, "It's cute. But I've seen cuter."

"You talking about me or Field?" she asked, smartly. She knew him too well. Anything mousey always went back to Field.

"That depends ... "

"On?"

"Whether you're gonna punch me if I don't say it's you."

"I don't have the energy to punch you." She chuckled, and then added, more seriously, "But you're gonna have to sleep soon. Why not take a nap? Your ready room is right there. I'll wake you as soon as anything comes up."

"You should sleep first."

"You know I'm not going to."

"Well, I don't fancy sleeping without you," the captain admitted. "So, I guess I'm not, either."

Rella was touched by that, and reached a paw to cup the other squirrel's cheek. "I'd kiss you right now if I felt clean enough to do so."

"Later, then?"

"Later."

"I'll hold you to that."

"I know you will ... "

After making love again, the exhausted mouse and bat fell asleep on the floor of the pod. Hours passed, unaware, until they were jarred awake by a sudden clanging of metal, as well as a nippy rush of dry, cold air. Someone was opening the pod's entrance hatch from the outside! And not just someone ...

"Oh, my," the lead fox said, of the hot, muggy conditions in the pod, and the heavy scent of sex. His black nose sniffed powerfully. "Someone's been busy."

"What ... " A groggy, shivery squeak, only half-comprehending the situation. "She's my mate," Field said, reaching for his uniform-shirt to cover his loins. He was too tired and aroused to feel his normal level of prey anxiety. He felt strangely bolder. Though not a fighter, if they tried to touch Adelaide ...

"Don't worry, mouse. I don't fuck every female in heat I come across." Only some. He'd never done a bat. It was tempting. He stepped back to control himself, clearing his throat. "Not all foxes behave as the snow rabbits would have you believe. We saw your pod go down. We came to rescue you."

"We?" Adelaide asked with a yawn, covering her breasts with her wings. Her legs were together, too, keeping everything private just out of sight.

"Me and a few of my fellow foxes. We're in a refugee settlement on the moon, here."

Field blinked, vision coming into focus. There were more of them out in the snow. He waved to them, shyly. They nodded back.

"Well, come in or stay out, but shut the door either way," Adelaide demanded.

The mouse shiver-chattered in agreement. "Y-yeah ... "

"This will only take a moment." He was speaking to Field, now. "If you and your batty beauty would care to get dressed, we'll take you back to the settlement. We've not the most luxurious of accommodations, but we can find space for you until you can arrange transport."

"Ural, we can't go directly back," one of the other foxes insisted. "Another ship crashed. The larger one."

"Right ... but it looked like a wasp vessel. We'd need a whole party of hunters to board it."

"By the time we assemble such a party, they may evacuate it. Or use their transporters to beam into our settlement and cause chaos."

"Hmm." True enough. "What say you, prey?" he asked. "Willing to pay the wasps a little visit on the way back?"

"I don't think we really have a choice. We either go with you or stay in this pod until we suffocate or freeze," Field said, logically.

"One additional problem, though," the fox added. "You smell far too distracting. Both of you. You'll have to wash. There's some hot springs near here, in some caves. You'll bathe." It wasn't a request. "Unless you want to share your mate, after all."

"I don't!" Field insisted, immediately.

"Shame." A wink.

"But I can't go into the cold," the mouse continued, both flustered and worried, now. "My ears and tail ... " They had no fur. They were just flesh. They'd get frostbitten quickly.

"We brought extra hats and coats. We'll cover you with something."

"Leave the winter gear in here, and we'll be out in a few minutes," Adelaide insisted. She'd gone quiet to let Field defend her, but she had no intention of letting him be pushed around by predators.

Ural looked to her. "You in charge here?" he asked, teasingly.

"Field outranks me."

"Ah, but you're out of uniform. In the fur." He squinted, trying to gage her character. "I'd be willing to bet you outrank him when you're naked."

Field blushed hard, ears turning rosy-pink as he stammered squeakily.

Adelaide, meanwhile, just matched the fox's stare.

"But I digress." Ural turned and waved his paw, bushy tail swishing, and the other foxes handed him some winter attire. "I don't have an actual 'tail-sock' or 'ear-mittens' for you, mouse. You'll just have to stuff your appendages under a hat and coat, even if it feels uncomfortable. As for you, dear bat ... " He glanced at Adelaide. She was attractive. Unique, too. "Well, I don't know how you fit those wing-arms into anything. You'll have to make do, as well. Figures I rescue two furs who can't wear normal winter clothes."

"Just get out," Adelaide said, impatiently. She was tired of having to cover her intimate parts.

"Right." A smirk. She'd make a good vixen with an attitude like that. "Don't dawdle," he added, seriously. "Five minutes." He stepped back and shut the door behind him.

Field took his paw away from his genitals.

Adelaide unfurled her wing-arms, sitting up. "Well, I guess we've been rescued."

"Yeah, but not by Luminous." His whiskers twitched.

"The Arctic foxes are allies, now. We'll be fine. We'll get in touch with the snow rabbits when we reach the foxes' settlement, and they'll contact Luminous for us."

"Yeah ... " The mouse twitched, getting dressed, pulling on all the clothing he could find. "You're still in heat." It wasn't a question.

"I'm not even through the first day," she said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry this all happened, Adelaide. I just ... I wish I could take you somewhere private and just stay there and ... "

" ... hurry up!" Ural shouted, from outside.

" ... you silly," Field finished, hotly, having uttered a rare curse. He was normally so polite.

Adelaide gave her mate a toothy smile. "Help me get my clothes on?"

Field did so, a little reluctantly. And when done, they exited the lifeless, battered pod and left it behind, joining the band of foxes on their way to the nearby caves, leaving foot-paw prints in the snow.

"Never seen me after surgery before?" Kody realized.

"Just, uh ... no, actually." Come to think of it. "Guess not." Everything she'd seen him do, doctor-wise, had been clean and orderly with high-tech tools. The rabbit currently had blood on his gloved paws and forearms. Ketchy looked away and took a deep breath.

"You're not gonna pass out, are you?"

She shook her head.

"Hard to get out of white fur, but it'll clean up."

"So, you're done? I don't want to interrupt ... "

"You're not." He hopped aside, going to wash up in the back of sickbay.

Ketchy timidly followed, self-consciously smoothing at her uniform and eying his fluffy bobtail, asking, "Did you, uh ... " She didn't know how to say it. " ... you lose anyone?"

A hesitation. "No. A few are in critical condition, but I think they'll make it." No elaboration on that. "Seems the ship held up pretty well compared to most, from what I hear." As usual during a battle, most of the major injuries came from security and engineering, and members of both departments always had a lot of pertinent information to spill.

"Yeah, Luminous is a tough nut to crack."

"Nut. I see you what you did, there," he told the squirrel.

She smiled faintly, stretching tensely, her big, bushy tail whisking about.

"What's wrong ... "

"Nothing. Same thing that's wrong with everyone. It's been a long night. Or morning. But at least I'm not unconscious on a bio-bed."

"Doesn't mean you can't be stressed out, or that you don't have the right to vent about it."

"It feels selfish to complain, anymore," she whispered, eventually telling him, "I was worried about you."

Soaping up his paws, he gave her one of his winning smiles. "I was worried about you, too."

"Yeah?"

"Course." He discarded his gloves. Then, with his elbows, he pulled the sink back an inch, and water began pouring from a slot at the top. "How long you got?" he asked as he washed himself clean.

"Um, captain gave me half an hour. Probably twenty minutes, now."

"Well, I'd normally sex you up ... "

She bit her lip, eyes darting.

" ... but probably shouldn't do that, now."

"No," she agreed, reluctantly. "Considering how tired we are, you'd probably fall asleep after, anyway."

"Do I do that?" he teased, his tongue peeking out.

"Now and then."

A laugh. "Well, I'm sure I could give you a medical reason." Some studies claimed that males lost energy after sex while females gained it. But, as always, individuals varied.

"And I wouldn't be able to dispute it, cause you're such a charmer," she told him, lightly.

Turning the sink off, he dried his paws and forearms with a towel and turned to kiss her doubly. Cheek and chin. "Well, even charmers can be charmed."

Ketchy blushed beneath her plain-brown pelt. "Mm ... "

"Yes?" the rabbit whispered, taking a paw and tracing her cocked, angular ears.

"I'm not at charming as you."

"Nonsense," he muttered, still playing with her ears. "You know, you gotta be careful with these."

"Why?" she whispered, shyly.

"Oh, I don't know. You got that earpiece in all the time, listening to signals and such. You might get tinnitus."

"What's that?" Her eyes widened a bit.

His paw slid down the back of her head, fingers playing with her nape-fur. His voice was gentle. "Exposure to loud, close sounds over time, resulting in a faint ringing when you should hear silence."

"In my line of work, silence is the last thing you want to hear." It wasn't exactly an answer. Maybe there was residual ringing in her ears, sometimes. But she spent so much time listening to signals that she was used to it.

"I want to keep you healthy ... "

"I know. Thank you." She twitched awkwardly, though. "Can we go into your office or something?" It had a window and no real door to speak of, but at least it would offer a semblance of privacy.

He nodded, nudging her ahead of him.

When they both got there, she sat in his chair, swiveling it to the left, then the right. Then left again.

Kody nonchalantly leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms. "What's wrong, baby?"

"Nothing." Always so hesitant.

"Out with it," he insisted, firmly.

"I'm just scared," she blurted. "I know it looks like we won, but ... you know, at what cost? And it's never over, anyway. There's always new threats, new problems, new tensions. That's just how life is. And ... " He's going to think I'm having a nervous breakdown.

He padded toward her, motioning for her to get up.

She did so.

He took the seat and pulled her down onto his lap. "Try not to think too much."

"I can't help it. It's a rodent thing," she said.

"I know." Field was the same way. It could be cute, sometimes. But it could also be self-destructive. "I'm just trying to help."

Her turn to say, "I know ... " She closed her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder. "When I first came aboard, I thought you were cocky. But now I see your confidence is genuine. And it's one of your best features. I think I was just jealous ... until I got to know you better."

"Who's being a charmer, now?" Kody asked her, warmly.

"I'm being a flatterer," she corrected.

"Oh. Right." The rabbit chuckled. "There's a difference?"

"Mm-hmm." Her eyes opened and drifted upward. "Speaking of ears ... "

"Yes?" They twiddled, for show.

"I've never really, uh ... I mean, I've not spent much time with them, have I?" Touching, nibbling, whatever. "They're so distinct." There were only a handful of common species with truly noticeable ears. Rabbits, mouses, et cetera. "Are they sensitive?"

"You'll have to experiment and find out."

"Just might." The squirrel smiled and flushed, glancing out the office window at all the patients on the bio-beds. Her smile immediately faded. She only knew two of them, and they were only loose acquaintances. "I'm not really close to anyone on the ship but you," she realized, not for the first time. "And maybe some of the other senior officers." Mostly because she worked with them, and not because they hung out after hours.

"Not everyone is a social butterfly. Nothing wrong with that."

"You're one, though." She paused, adding, "You've even seen everyone on the ship naked." And had sex with a whole paw-ful. Wren, Field, Assumpta, Dotna, and herself. And maybe more? Which both intrigued her and made her jealous as the same time. It was an odd mix of feelings.

"Heh. Guess I have." As the ship's doctor, he gave the whole crew a monthly physical. And you normally had to get undressed for that. Denali, the medic, gave Kody his physical, since it was against regulations to give one to yourself, lest you fudge the results. He chuckled again, hugging her close. "Hadn't thought of it before." He began to nibble on her neck. "But if you want to know who has the biggest cock, I can't tell you. Doctor/patient confidentiality. Besides, it's hard to tell. Some have sheaths." Some didn't. It was complicated.

"I didn't want to know."

"Uh-huh."

"Kody ... " She elbowed him, trying not to smile. "So, you look at the males ... "

"I'm bi."

"I know. Just find it funny." She was straight, herself.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I, uh ... just do." She tugged at his uniform-shirt. "Do you look at the females, too?"

"Maybe." He grinned. "What if I do?"

"I'll have to dissuade you. When's my physical, again?"

"Anytime you want. Every day. Mm-h ... " He sucked on her cheek, and then heard a beeping, glancing out at the bio-beds. "Damn. I gotta check on that," he said, seriously.

"Of course." She got up, immediately. Figured that the moment she started to relax, things would constrict again. Just her luck. "I should get back to the bridge, myself. They'll need me to listen for more things ... "

Hopping out of his office, Kody said, "I'll see you later." And then added, looking o'er his shoulder, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Ketchy whispered, leaving quickly. Before she saw his paws covered with blood again.

"Almost there," Ural assured, looking at a paw-held scanner. The sky was grey and heavy, now, and the cold wind was whipping at his white-furred face, but he paid it no heed. Other than frowning slightly. "There's a storm coming."

"You mean this isn't a storm?" Adelaide complained.

"I'm talking about an actual blizzard. But I think we'll beat it." He pocketed the scanner. "So," he asked, rubbing his black-padded paws together. "Have you two been mated long?"

"Us?" Field asked, innocently. "A while now, yeah."

"Figured as much. You seem like a long-term pair," the fox remarked. "How'd you end up on this charming little moon, here? Was your ship destroyed?"

"I don't think so," Field said, quietly, feeling the cold in spite of being bundled up. His tail was tucked under his shirt and coat, and his ears were squashed under two woolen hats. But he was feeling his extremities start to ache, nonetheless. He hugged himself and squeaked. He hoped they reached the caves soon.

"We're from the starship Luminous," Adelaide told him, similarly dressed. "During the battle with the wasp fleet, we were trapped by an imminent hull breach. It would've taken too long to get to access tubes, so we hopped into an escape pod. It auto-launched, and got hit from behind or something ... "

" ... and you ended up here." Ural paused, unable to keep from saying, "You'll beg my pardon, but you don't seem like a rogue. I've met a few. You can see it in their eyes."

"I'm not."

"But you've worked with them?"

"Yes."

"Hmm." He considered this, stoically. "And your mouse? The High Command doesn't employ many rodents."

"We're expats from the Federation," Adelaide explained.

"Ah, the Federation! The great failed experiment of bloated bureaucracy and predator/prey intrigue." The fox chuckled. Almost scoffed, really. "The only governments that truly endure are the ones dominated by single species. That's the only way to maintain unity. The Federation was never going to work. Hundreds of species? All with different needs and wants? And, more importantly, different instincts?"

"It was a good idea," Field piped up, defensively.

"In theory. But if wishes were horses, mouse ... "

Field blinked innocently. What did that mean?

"In the end," Ural continued, "it doesn't matter that the Federation held together for a few centuries. It's been retroactively undone. No one trusts them anymore. They've made so many bad decisions the past few years." He sighed. "But you're with the High Command now, as you say, and as much as I've hated them in the past, they've survived wars with my species, the Federation, and hopefully, now, the wasps. They must be doing something right. You're wise to have defected to them. They're about as respectable as prey get."

"I'm surprised to hear you say that," Adelaide told him.

"Well, it doesn't benefit me to hold a grudge at this point, does it?" he countered. "I can't bite the paw that now feeds me ... "

"I guess not."

"Aso, we didn't defect. We were exiled," Field corrected, just so Ural was clear.

"I'm sure there's an interesting story there."

"Sorta," Field admitted.

Ural laughed at the mouse. "It's been a while since I've been around such 'prey-like' prey. I intimidate you with my mere presence, don't I? Too funny. What's your exact species, anyway? Deer? No, they have white fronts. Golden?"

"Leave him alone," Adelaide said, flashing her fangs.

The fox held up his bare paws. "Very well. Just making conversation." He paused. "Harvest? I'm right, aren't I ... "

The other Arctic foxes stayed out of it, talking quietly with each other while their 'leader' chatted with the newcomers. The band of foxes was entirely male, and they all noticed Adelaide's condition. Their stares and side-glance made this clear. This made Field increasingly anxious and paranoid, and he began dividing his attention between watching them and listening to Ural and pining for Adelaide, and ...

" ... we're there!" one of the foxes finally announced, sounding quite relieved. Just because their species developed in the cold didn't mean they enjoyed long exposure to it. Besides, the wind was picking up considerably, and they'd been going against it.

Field blinked, sticking close to his mate as they followed the Arctic foxes into the dim, sprawling caves. Bad memories rushed to the fore. The last time he'd gone underground ...

Adelaide, telepathically sensing Field's concerns, thought-spoke to him: 'We're gonna be fine, darling. I promise. Just stick with me.'

He nodded. The way she said it, it was so easy to believe. So, he chose to believe it. His love wouldn't lie to him. And, together, they descended into warmer air.

Her bloodshot eyes narrowly opened. Fading in and out of consciousness, she was finally able to stay awake, her mind emerging from a fog. She was on the floor, on her side. Still in the brig, of course, or what amounted to a brig on this damned craft. So, it hadn't been a long, bad dream ...

Sighing, she pushed herself to a sit and rubbed her head. It ached. Badly. Her long ears drooped. Every sound made it worse. Thankfully, the familiar 'hum' of the power grid was absent. The force field was down. And from what she could smell, there was no guard anymore. Wasps had an arid, oily scent. It wasn't something you could miss.

Maybe it was a trap. Another one of their games? All these months, they'd been using her to do psychological studies on mammalian behavior. The Queen herself. Learning from her reactions to better instruct her drones. As a tough, independent female, the silver hare hated being at anyone's whim or mercy. Unless she was bested in sparring. Or sex. Outside of that, she held grudges.

Fatigued and malnourished, she stood up, wobbling toward the cell's entrance, panting and leaning against the bulkhead. They'd crashed. She'd bet anything on it. The sound of wind wasn't something you heard in space. And even cut off from outside contact, it'd been clear they'd been involved in a huge battle. Glancing upward, she reckoned they were in a wintry environment, now. If that had been a desert wind, sand would've been pelting the hull. Also, the air was colder than before. She nodded smartly. Yes. The remaining drones had probably retreated to the Queen, tending to her wounds and keeping her warm. Well, screw them.

The silver hare strode into the darkened corridors of the downed wasp ship. She planned on keeping warm, too, with some vigorous paw-to-stinger combat. And after all she'd been through, all the pride she had, she had no intention of losing.