FSE

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The dirt road (if you could call such a narrow path a road) curved sharply one last time. The white Jeep Cherokee skidded to a stop, sending chert and dust out in every direction.

"We're here!" Jasper announced as he pressed down on the clutch pedal and wiggled the gear stick, backing his jeep into the shadow cast by the willow trees.

"And just in time, too," a brown Rhodesian Ridgeback dog smirked at the iguana in the driver's seat. "It's almost dark, and we've still got to set up the tent and start a fire."

"That," the otter in the back seat spoke up in a high-pitched voice, "and I've got to pee!"

"Shouldn't have chugged all of those energy drinks, Alvie," Maddox, the Ridgeback, grinned again. The thump from his out-of-style high tops echoed through the valley as he stomped out of the passenger's side.

"I knew there wouldn't be another gas station before we got to the camp site," Alvie quickly scurried out the back door. "Besides," he went behind a tree to take care of business. "we're going to be up all night!" The otter practically sang the last few words.

The iguana yanked their equipment out of the back of the vehicle, plopping it onto the grass. "You sure you're up for it, otter?" Jasper inquired, looking again at the fading sunlight. "You've been working non-stop lately. You even answered my call yesterday as if I were one of your customers."

"Thank you for calling Monotaur Distributions; this is Alvarado, how may I direct your call?" Maddox mocked. "Yeah Alvarado, you up for this?"

"Cut me some slack, dog," Alvie grinned, kicking off his sandals and spreading his toes through the dirt. "I'm ready. Bring on Mother Nature!"

"Bring on the night is more like it," Jasper sighed, setting up some rocks in a wide circle for their fire. "I think this is the latest we've ever gotten here."

"I still can't believe that we've been coming to this spot, every year on the same weekend, for ten years now," Alvie pulled out the tent poles and chuckled. "Been the only regular thing in my life since high school."

"Another thing we can always count on," a smile spread across Jasper's green, scaly face, "is that Maddox knows where to find the best firewood."

"Lazy reptile," the dog joked. "Fine, I'll go save us from hypothermia. Maddox, the fire-bringer, shall return!" He scampered off into the woods, his tail wagging as he padded off.

Jasper and Alvie continued setting up the tent in silence, enjoying the peace and quiet out in the middle of nowhere. As they finished up; the sounds of insects chirping and buzzing increased, providing just the right amount of background noise.

"How are you holding up?" the otter tossed his pack into the completed tent and zipped it up. "You know, since they let you go?"

"I loved that job," Jasper's shoulders drooped as he set up a few canvas chairs. "But, sometimes you just have to move on."

"Yeah," Alvie consoled, smiling and patting the iguana on the back.

"I'm almost thirty. I'm too old to go back to working at a grocery store," the reptile snickered. "But, the hours are good. And it gives me time to go back to college."

"How are ya liking classes this semester?" the otter swung his heavy tail over and around the chair's frame to sit down.

"Well, I'm a little rusty," Jasper admitted. "But I think that all-in-all I'll end up liking them."

"Going back was probably the best decision you could have made," Alvie popped open another canned drink.

"I think so," the iguana's cheeks drew up into a smile.

The shadows cast by the trees became longer as the sun set and they swayed in the evening wind. A brisk breeze blew past the jeep and across Jasper's calves. He shivered, folding his arms in front of himself.

"That dog better get back here with some wood soon," the iguana snorted. "I didn't bring any long pants, and without a fire it's gonna be too cold for shorts."

"We should go find him," Alvie climbed out of his seat. "I've got to pee again anyway."

"Maybe you should see a doctor about that..." Jasper poked his friend in the ribcage.

"Hush, you," the otter giggled and tugged open the tent flap, reaching inside, "or I won't let you borrow this." He held up a pair of hooded sweatshirts and offered one to Jasper.

"My savior," the iguana drew his clasped fingers up to his chest and did a little curtsey.

"I always bring extras," Alvie dove into his hoodie in one smooth motion, "because I know you two never remember to."

"Good call," Jasper complimented, pulling his sweatshirt over his head, then sliding his arms through the sleeves. "Now, let's go find Maddox."

By now, only a small sliver of orange sunlight clung to the top of the distant mountains. The duo clicked on their flashlights and took off in the direction of the dog.

"Hey Ridgeback!" the otter called out, cupping his paws over his snout. "Be a good boy and bring back that firewood."

"Yeah," the iguana joined in, laughing. "Here boy! Here boy!"

"You gone to fetch the stick, did ya boy?" Alvie whistled into the darkness.

Their flashlights cast the only light around them. Fallen branches and twigs snapped and cracked as their pace picked up, trying to outrun the approaching coldness.

"Maddox!" Jasper hooted. "Get your tail back to camp before we freeze! You're..." he halted in his tracks. "Whoa..."

"What is it, Jasper?" the otter noticed the iguana's sudden stop and wondered aloud.

"Did you see that, Alvie?" Jasper breathed out quietly and pointed toward a break in the trees.

"See what, Jasper?" the mustelid's gaze drifted in the direction of his friend's finger.

"A light," the iguana whispered as his lips tensed and his eyes squinted, "coming from the lake."

"You mean like a flashlight?" Alvie considered. "Maybe it was Maddox..."

"It wasn't a flashlight," Jasper interrupted. "It was too bright. And a blue-ish, yellow-ish color..."

"Blue-yellow?" Alvie panned his flashlight along the ground as he started toward the path to the lake. "You mean, like, green?"

"No, not green," the reptile took a few steps forward, himself. "Like blue and yellow. But at the same time. I don't know..."

"Sounds like green to me, Jasper," Alvie squeaked, before snapping his head upward to the top of the tree line. "Ohh!"

"There!" the iguana gasped. "Did you see..."

"Yeah," the otter panted a response. "Do you think it's Maddox?"

"I dunno..." Jasper replied. "But something tells me he's not far from whatever's making those lights."

Alvie and Jasper brushed away some low hanging vines as they continued down the overgrown trail. The blue-yellow signal continued as they trekked towards it, pulsating briefly at what seemed like regular intervals. A firefly blinked a response to the bright glow, before flitting off behind a rock.

"What the..." the otter gulped as the trees thinned at the edge of the woods. He hugged the thick oak tree and quickly took cover behind it.

"Alvie, what's the..." Jasper stopped short as he caught up. His long tail dragged against a nearby thorn bush, but his eyes locked onto what was ahead of him. The iguana's expression tightened. He followed what would have been their route down the hill to the still, silent lake. Taking a cue from his friend's worried face, Jasper darted to another nearby tree and sat behind it.

Each flash of yellow and blue light reflected off of the calm water and back to its source. A shiny, smooth... something... perched at the bank, near the lifeguard's tower. It stood just a bit taller than any tree in the woods. It never moved, and if it weren't for the colored flashed, they probably wouldn't have even noticed it. There was no moon out tonight, and the lake was otherwise black as ink.

"How did we not see that?" Alvie quietly chattered to Jasper, trying to move as little as possible. "It's freaking huge!"

"It's a new moon," the iguana explained, "and the camp site is in the most wooded part of the whole forest."

"We're not going to go down there," the otter quaked, pausing, "are we?"

"I think that thing," Jasper inhaled deeply, "whatever it is... I think it has Maddox."

"Right..." Alvie barely creaked out, before clearing his throat and returning his voice to normal. "Right."

"No lights," the reptile clicked off his lantern and ordered. "We don't know what it is yet. We need to be sneaky."

A blue and yellow flicker made the two friends jump.

"I'm scared, Jas," Alvie pushed the button on his own flashlight.

"Me too," the iguana conceded. He stood up, hugging the end of his tail like a security blanket. They made their way down the slight incline, staying close to the woods, and headed toward the big metal... thing.

"Hey," the otter pointed to his feet. "Take off your shoes. Less noise."

"Got'cha," Jasper agreed and slid off his sneakers.

Toe claws dug into the cool sand with each step. Their attention never strayed far from the giant structure that loomed no more than fifty yards ahead. There were no seams in its construction. No squared edges, either. It was all rounded and unfamiliar looking.

The wind stopped. The only movement now was their own, stalking closer and closer to the unidentified object.

"Alvie, is that..." Jasper's voice came out quiet, almost unnoticeable. He let his tail swing back behind himself and hurried behind an old rotten stump. The iguana craned his neck to get a better look. "It's Maddox!"

The otter hushed the reptile with his finger and slid behind the trunk, himself. His whiskers twitched nervously as he spotted the dog, staring straight up at the metallic structure. He stood rigid and motionless, except for the heaving of his chest as he breathed.

The blue and yellow glow glimmered once more, and Alvie and Jasper shielded their eyes with their paws.

"Holy!" the iguana began to yelp, before his companion clamped his snout shut.

"Quiet!" he screeched in a hushed whisper. He wanted to scream, too, when he saw what Jasper saw.

At first, it was only visible when the colorful light emanated from the polished monolith. But slowly, their eyes adjusted and they were able to make out the creature. Even in the dark.

It stood on two legs, though its front legs nearly dragged the ground. Hunched over, it still had to be at least twelve feet tall; about half as tall as the metal object behind it. There were no discernible features, save for what Jasper and Alvie assumed was its mouth. It gaped widely, looking like the jagged glass of a smashed window. The beast's pitch black skin had a slightly bumpy texture, which reflected the strange beacon with each burst of light. And it stared straight into Maddox's eyes.

"What do we do?" Jasper asked, trembling. He leaned forward, praying his throbbing heart wasn't beating loudly enough to hear.

The monster's maw opened more and more, and he bent down onto his front legs. His mouth hovered just above the Ridgeback's head.

"No!" the otter shouted. "Leave him alone!" He hopped up and began waving his arms.

"Yeah, leave him alone!" the iguana joined in. He slapped his tail against the old stump, making as much noise as he could.

Alvie dashed forward and chunked his flashlight at the feet of the towering figure. It lumbered away from Maddox, toward the structure, and entered it somehow. It looked as though the metal had melted as he touched it, re-forming when he was completely inside. The entire ship began to take a new shape, resembling water cascading down a hill. It flowed into the ground itself, until there was nothing there but Maddox. He glanced over to his friends, his silhouette illuminated by Alvie's flickering lantern.

"Maddie, what the heck was that thing?" Jasper's pulse pounded and his voice came out as a high-pitched shrill.

"That's the reason why we've been coming here for the past ten years," the dog informed the other two. "Well, for the past nine, at least."

"What are you talking about, Maddox?" Alvie panted, trying to calm himself down.

"The first time we came here, when we were in high school," the Ridgeback explained, "I was off getting firewood, and I ran into it."

"It?" Jasper cocked his head. "What is it? Where does it come from?"

"I've heard him say the name of his world so many times," Maddox went on, "but it's nothing that I can pronounce. Just call it Planet X."

"Wait, wait..." Alvie put his paw out in front of himself. "You've spoken to that thing?"

"Like I said," the canine stooped down to pick up his friend's flashlight, "It's the reason that we're here."

"You're going to have to explain..." Jasper drew back a little, hesitant to get too close to where the disappearing monster just was.

"It was sent here a decade ago," Maddox began, "to study the life on Earth. When I came down here to the lake to look for some logs, I heard its voice. He scanned my memories, looking to see if we were a peaceful civilization; or a savage one."

"What did you do?" the iguana questioned, still stunned in disbelief.

"I enjoyed it," Maddox grinned. "I got to see all of the best moments of my life all over again. My little sister being born. My fifth grade teacher. Paying off my car. My first date with a guy. And all my hijinks with you two..."

"He just looked into your head," Alvie narrowed his expression, "and then left? And you came back to camp each time like nothing ever happened?"

"He wanted you guys to find him in your own way," the Rhodesian Ridgeback spoke, laughing just a little. "The first time; he told me that if my memories were of a violent planet, he and his people would return and burn us all into nothingness."

"Oh my..." Jasper started.

"But he loved my memories," Maddox gripped the iguana's shoulder. "He always told me that I had two friends that would do anything for me. That was a trait that his race held in high regard." He smiled warmly and started back toward the woods. "And the last thing that he said to me tonight, as you two were coming to my rescue," he paused and wiped his muzzle with the back of his paw, "was that he was right about you both."

"Maddox..." Alvie breathed out. He waved his flashlight at the ground where the alien's ship had been before pointing it to the path back to camp. "You still have to get the firewood," he chuckled and grinned.

"Me?" the dog yipped playfully, a smile creeping up his cheeks. "I think you two should grab the wood tonight. Don't want me to have any bad memories, you know?"

"Oh, you're such a bad dog," Jasper laughed. "Here, take my light. Alvie and I can share."

"See you back at camp," Maddox waved over his shoulder as he trotted away. His tail wagged happily as he disappeared into the mass of trees. The glow from his flashlight grew more and more faint until it was gone.

The bugs continued their song from earlier, breaking the silence; and the breeze picked back up. Alvie and Jasper gathered firewood quickly, ready to hurry back and start the fire.

Their weekend had just begun.