A collab done with  endevorer

I looked outside. This was a dry world, hot and inhospitable, and yet here we were, so far from any of the homes we knew, for more than a few reasons. Tablet in hand, I turned away from the window and to one of the reasons, a man in a chair. He sat there, and though inside was cool and comfortable, his face was flushed, and a few beads of sweat dripped down his forehead. He stared at me with eyes that hadn’t seen adequate amounts of sleep for days, his square jaw set in a perpetual grimace. I smiled down at him and took my seat across from him, tapping the tablet prior to speaking.

“So,” I began. “How are you feeling?”

“Hot,” he said, wiping away some sweat. “Very, very hot.”

“Mmm,” I murmured, momentarily glancing down at the tablet. “I mean, how do you feel? I can see your temperature is elevated, but only you can tell me what you feel.”

The man’s grimace deepened, and he glared at me. He didn’t look so handsome when he was angry.

“I want to talk with a real person,” he said.

I tilted my head. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean I want to talk with a real person!”

“But I am real.”

“No,” he said with a shake of his head. “You’re not. Real people don’t talk like that. Real people don’t…”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t do what you did to me!” he shouted, clenching at the chair.

“Ah!” I said. “And what did we do?”

“I…” the man’s gaze fell away from me and into uncertainty. He shook his head. “I don’t know. I remember...remember a room and...I don’t know, but I’m so hot…”

“And I apologize for that,” I said, leaning forward. “You should be more comfortable soon enough; it will just take some time.”

He nodded and looked a little relieved, though fatigue had crept into his face. He glanced up to me, and there was a question in his eyes.

“Yes?” I asked.

“Can you tell me what you did?”

“Ah,” I said, sitting back. “Not yet, not quite, at least not until you tell us what you did.”

“What I did?” he repeated, his brow furrowing.

“Yes. How you came here, how you found out. What did you do?”

The man grimaced for a second, as if it pained from thinking too hard.

“I… don’t know. Find out what?”

I said in a firm tone. “You know very well.”

“... I… I was… looking for something. … t-told….” he stuttered. “Told that there was something of...value...worth? There was something special at...at wherever I went or so they said…”

“By who?”

“...don’t know or recall.. Just, you know, hear stuff on the net...” He smiled. “Space is so big…”

I sighed and wrote that in the notes. Possibly no point in attempting to force out any more information out from him; the subject hardly seemed capable of recalling any details past a certain point, and that capacity would diminish from here on out, reducing success even further and risking subject viability.

“Very well. Do you know where you are?”

“I’m...I’m…” He shook his head. “No. Where am I?”

He looked around as if there might be answers in his environment, but it was specially crafted to be sterile and comfortable, not educational. Not yet...

I smiled and answered with a question of my own: “How did you get here?”

“... My ship…” he slurred. He grabbed his head as if a sudden stab of pain struck him, and yelped. “Aah…”

“It’s gone,” I said. I didn’t really need to explain beyond that. He probably had a vague idea; he still had enough of his faculties to reason it out.

“Sunk… blew up.. .crashed…?” he muttered through the possibilities.

“You tell me,” I said with a smile.

“... Engine blew up on atmospheric entrance? No…” He shook his head. “After the jump? The engine... like… like… it just… imploded...”

“And then what happened next?”

“I...uh, I crashed.” His face went flush, and he looked away.

“You seem embarrassed,” I noted. “Why?”

He looked back at me, his jaw set and determined.

“I’m the best damned pilot there is...I mean, I think I am.” The certainty drained from his eyes. He wiped at his forehead. “It’s so hard to think, it’s so hot. I’m so hot. Do you...do you have any water?”

“Of course.” I reached behind me out of his sight, and my hand returned, holding a glass. I held it forward, and he took it, drinking thirstily the second he had a solid grip. I sat back and watched him drain the glass, conducting a routine scan as he did so. He was mostly typical for a human: in his late twenties, male, with a wiry frame and shortly shaved hair that fit his story of being some sort of pilot. He wore the outfit we had found him in, a stretchy suit capable of self cleansing and mostly form fitting. If not for what had happened, he would have registered as a perfectly health specimen in my scan. However, there were already traces of otherness compromising the integrity of his DNA, which was now manifesting as his slightly elevated temperature.

“Do you desire more?” I said, smiling softly as he nodded. “A dispenser is in your lodgings just behind you. It should provide you with an ample diet as well.”

“Thanks…” he muttered as he took a sip. He closed his eyes, and for a minute or so they remained closed. Then they opened up again and he looked around wildly.

“I’m here,” he said. “I’m still here.”

“Yes,” I said. “Where else would you be?”

“I don’t know…” he murmured. “I mean…”

“Say it,” I said. “I’m here to help.”

He nodded, and his eyelids drooped.

“I...I felt like I was flying. Not in my ship, but actually flying as if...as if I had wings.” He smiled and looked at me. “That’s silly, isn’t it?”

“Not at all. It’s common to dream of flying. Maybe you miss your ship?”

“Yeah,” he said, nodding. “Yeah…”

He yawned and rubbed at tired eyes. I noticed his skin was still flush, but he had ceased sweating. He continued to rub at his eyes for a few moments more, and when he had stopped he looked to me barely able to keep his eyelids from drooping completely shut. Still, I was able to see a portion of his eyes under them. They were different, and not just in the emotion they expressed. His blue irises now had flecks of gold in them, and his pupils had thinned, if only slightly.

“Am I drugged?” he said in slurred speech. He opened his mouth, licking at his dry lips. As he reached for the half full glass, I saw that his teeth were thinner, sharper. I quickly noted it down, wondering why the process was already so rapidly affecting him. Perhaps he had the disposition of susceptibility? Or did it have something to do with what he had already been exposed to prior to arriving here?

“No,” I said as he gulped down the water. “You’re just fatigued.”

“Fatigued…” He put the glass down and sat back in his chair. “Maybe I am just tired.”

“Is that what you feel? Exhausted?”

He nodded and closed his eyes.

“I think...I think I’m going to sleep. I’m too tired to talk. I need to...I need to sleep. Maybe if I do, I can wake up.”

“Wake up from what?”

“Hmph,” he grunted, shifting around in his chair to make himself more comfortable. As he did so, he winced and scratched at his neck. I leaned forward and saw a silvery white patch of something that certainly wasn’t skin just below his Adam’s Apple. He idly gave the spot a few more scritches before folding his arm with the other across his chest. I sighed.

“Are you done?”

This time he didn’t even give me a response. So, I waited and watched, and when he began to softly snore, I placed my tablet to the side and stood. I reached back and brought forth a blanket that I gingerly placed over him.

“Good night,” I said. “May you soar in your sleep.”

I saw a slight smile come over his face just as I withdrew.

=====

“Hey!” he said. I had returned, and he was in the chair again, the blanket thrown off to the side on the floor. He had obviously found some food, for his previously pristine clothing had a couple crumbs on it here and there. I took my seat across from him and tapped my tablet.

“Hello,” I said, starting with a smile. “Are you well today?”

“What the hell is going on?” he shouted. “Am I getting some kind of skin infection?”

“Pardon?” I said, as I began making notes and looking over what the latest scan told me about the man. He had certainly progressed, but I didn’t understand why his anxiety levels had risen. After all, he had more than enough sleep and he was obviously well fed.

“My skin… Look!” said the man. He raised his hands towards me. There were several patches on his fingers and palms where he had been scratching away at for some time, causing his skin to peel in an odd way. Where his flesh should have been was this silvery white coat that hid just underneath. “Explain?”

“Your skin has begun the process of replacing itself,” I said flatly. “It isn’t normal, per se, but mass shedding is a reaction some have, especially when the new layer is much healthier than the upper layer.”

“It itches!” complained the man. “And it gets worse the more I scratch.”

“Then don’t scratch.”

“That’s like asking a thirsty man not to drink.” He looked around. “Speaking about drinking, do you have anything to drink?”

“Of course, there’s plenty of water--”

“Water. Water?” The man laughed. “I don’t want water. I need some alcohol, some of the strong stuff. Or stims. Yeah, you got any stims? I bet my memory would be a lot better if I got my fix.”


While the prospect was interesting, I didn’t want anything to make my patient even more uncomfortable with the process. I shook my head.

“Of course not. I am here to help you, and stimulants and depressants certainly wouldn’t. I need you stable from start to finish.”

“Stable?” The man laughed again, and I noted it, slightly worried. “Why? Because of what you did with me?”

I kept my expression blank.

“I remember yesterday, you know, and I think I remember that room better.”

“What room?”

“THE room. The one where you and your friends took me and injected me to start stuff like...like…” He held up his hands and shook some shedding skin off, exposing the silvery white scales beneath. “Like this!”

“Most interesting,” I said, adding to my notes. Perhaps his consciousness was making up details, no doubt tied towards today. “But there is no room, was no room. Yes, me and my friends recovered you after your crash, but this is the only room we have taken you to. As for what’s happening, why, it’s natural.”

“Natural?” The man sneered, then winced. He scratched long and deep at his left arm and let out a sigh of relief as a long stretch of skin fell away. Then he twitched and growled, both hands scratching incessantly at his shoulders.

“Perhaps some lotion is in order,” I said and reached back, bringing out a bottle. I motioned, and the man held out his hand as I poured a mote of the lotion onto it. The man sighed and dabbed some onto his skin, coating himself in a very faint covering of cream. He scratched himself as he did, peeling off more skin to reveal silvery skin.

“This hurts. Why is this happening?”

“It’s preferable to a sunburn. The ambient solar radiation here was causing your skin to rapidly tan and boil.”

“This hurts as bad as any sunburn,” said the man. He then brought his hand into his hair and began to swipe away at it, the itch having spread there. But instead of satiating himself, he caught several strands of hair and pulled it easily from his head. He then violently began to rub at it, and I saw what was happening there.

“Horns,” I said, writing that down. That rather unexpected. The man was growing a few stumps of hard, bony horns.

“This permanent?” The man asked. His tone was getting more annoyed, his voice cracking just a bit as his throat constrained.

“No, I don’t think you’ll have those for very long.” I said. I then decided that maybe he should have some form of pain medication, something to dull things over for a while. It didn’t need to be much, just enough to suppress a toothache, given that he was going to be having quite a bit of that tomorrow. I reached back and brought forward a capsule with four pills within. I popped the cap and took one out.

“Here,” I said, holding it out to him. “This will help with the pain. Take it with water.”

He took it and swallowed it down with a gulp from his glass.

“Thanks…” he said, scratching the back of his head. “It’s not stims, but it will do.” He looked at the bottle. “Can I get the rest?”

I withdrew the bottle and shook my head.

“No. One is enough for now.”

“Geez. What are you, my mom?”

He laughed.

“No. A mother would know her child’s name. I’m your…” I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter but what is your name?” I asked. It might not matter a few days from now, but for posterity, it did well to make note of who came here for the records.

“They called me Pine...doesn’t have anything to do with my flying but I liked to climb trees when I was a kid.” He looked to the window and the endless dunes of sand outside it. “Doesn’t look like there’s any trees here... Where… where am I anyways? Can’t I leave? Don’t you have a shuttle? Something? I have credit, I swear I can pay for whatever transportation you have.” He laughed and it sounded surprisingly childish. “Hell, give me a junker. I can fly anything.”

“There’s nothing currently. I apologize, but we both will have to wait a few more days before we can be taken somehow more hospitable.” I showed him towards one of the windows. The arid desert before us didn’t look any more hospitable now. “This planet isn’t quite suitable for human life. Whole universe really, but you already knew that.”

He scratched himself. This time he was starting to look tired and weary, likely something internal was draining his strength, and, of course, it was.

“Well, if it’s a few days… what am I supposed to even do?”

“What you currently are doing: getting your rest, and speaking to me.”

He rolled his eyes.

“Getting my rest?” He said, then yawned. “Fine, maybe I am a little tired but I’m also restless.” He looked down at his scaly skin. “And what is this about?”

“Your skin can’t handle the radiation, as I said. I assure you, it’ll make more sense to you later.”

It was a little lie, but the truth would hurt more at the moment.

“Radiation? Then what’s this? Seems like I’m mutating already.”

“Not mutation, adjustment.”

“Adjustment to what? It’s like I’m...it’s like I’m…” he yawned, his mouth opening wide. I saw his teeth and tongue, and they were different now. His teeth were even slimmer and sharper; more fit for processing meat than vegetable matter, and his tongue was thinner and forked at the end. He tried to blink his tiredness away, and I saw his eyes were now almost completely gold and his pupils reptilian slits. I wondered if he had noticed he was seeing things differently now. I wanted to ask, but he spoke before I could.

“I am tired. Maybe I do need my rest.” He smiled. “That’s some good advice, mom.”

“I’m not your mother,” I said.

“Well whatever. I told you my name, now you tell me yours. Otherwise—“ he paused as his voice cracked. He frowned and scratched at his nearly completely scale covered throat. “Otherwise I’m going to keep calling you mom.”

I smiled and considered. A shortened version of my full name came quick enough.

“Lysra,” I said. “I am Lysra.”

“Huh,” he said, sitting back in his chair. He stared at me with a slight smile on his face.

“You approve?”

“Yeah,” he said. “It fits.”

“How so?”

“Well…” His gaze drifted past me. “It sounds so similar to other names I know but it’s not the same. Just like you.”

I stayed silent.

“I mean…” He laughed. “You’re not really human, are you?”

“Why do you say that?”

I was genuinely curious. What I seemed was a recreation of something pulled from trillions of samples. That it was inaccurate was interesting, if a little disconcerting.

“It’s just that...no.” He shook his head and laughed again in that same childlike way, hardly noticing as tufts of his hair fell out.

“No what?”

“It sounds silly.”

“Nothing is silly to me.”

“It was a dream. No, THE dream. I was flying again.”

I smiled. “And how was it?”

“Nice…” he murmured, wincing and wiggling around in his chair a little bit, in particular rubbing his back against the chair. “Agh, so itchy and my shoulders blades are so...tight?”

I watched as he reached back and touched them, before raising his arms and stretching them out.

“Sorry,” he apologized with a smile. “Seems like my dreams made me sore. Anyways, I was flying and it was nice...not just nice, natural. But, that wasn’t the only thing.”

“What was it?” I asked.

“There was something else with me. Or…” he hesitated. “Maybe it was someone else. It was above me, with me, close to me but I couldn’t quite see it. Whatever it was, it was bigger than me but I didn’t feel frightened. I felt...well, it made me feel safe.”

“Hmm…” I murmured, taking this down. “And why was that?”

“I don’t know…” he frowned. “Something about how it beat its wings, how it stayed so close and yet let me fly free. I tried to flap like it but…” he glanced away sheepishly. “I wasn’t as good as it as flying, which is weird because...it’s my dream, right? Shouldn’t I be good at flying?”

“Uncertainty is everywhere,” I said. “Even in our dreams.”

Pine opened his mouth to say more, barely stifling a yawn. “Space and stars, I’m so tired but I feel like all I’ve been doing is sleeping. It’s like I’ve done nothing since the crash.”

I looked over his already altered form and then the latest scan. He was wrong, even if he didn’t understand.

“I...I think I’m going to go to sleep.” He looked to me. “It’s been nice talking. Sorry about my outburst earlier, it’s just that…” his gaze swept over his scaly arms. “Should I be worried?”

“Only if you want to be.”

He laughed again, choking out a cough midway through.

“Ugh,” he said. “S-sorry…” he frowned and rubbed at his throat. “What’s with my voice?”

“Thirsty?” I asked, holding out a glass.

He smiled and took it, quickly drinking down its contents. He wiped away white wisps on the fringe of his upper lips.

“Thanks,” he said, then looked down at the glass. “What was that? Milk?”

I nodded.

“Heh. Maybe I was wrong about you, Lysra.”

I smiled. “How so?”

“Maybe you’re more human than I thought.”

My smile widened, if only slightly. I took this down and looked to the human that was less so than before.

“Whatever you are, you aren’t so bad.” He opened his mouth, and this time he actually yawned. “Alright, alright, I have to sleep.” He stood and winced. “Ugh, my toes too. Definitely not wearing my shoes to bed tonight.” He turned, then looked over his shoulder. “Good night, Lysra. Or day or evening or whatever. You’re not tucking me in this time.”

“It seems not,” I replied. “Rest well.”

He walked away and collapsed into his cot without taking off his shoes or even bothering to wrap himself in any sort of covering. I noted it and then took a few more observations for posterity. When I had finished, I stood and intended to leave, but instead turned to look back at Pine, who was already asleep. Walking perfectly silently, I took the blanket he had discarded earlier and brought it over to where he lay. I paused and considered what to do next, taking his words into account. Still, I couldn’t help myself, and I did what he said I wouldn’t.

“Rest well, Pine,” I whispered. “Fly long and strong.”

Again, I saw a small smile as I withdrew, as if he had heard me, but how could he have? He was deep in sleep, and I was already gone.


======

When Pine greeted me the next day, I hardly recognized him as the man we’d recovered from the crash in sight or sound. It didn’t help that he didn’t greet me, per se, because he didn’t want anything to do with me in the first place.

“Go away,” he said, his voice higher though still male. It simply lacked the deeper tone adults possessed.

I said nothing, simply standing still and looking him over. The scales that had been supplanting his skin and hair had completely subsumed it, leaving him covered in a smooth silvery white hide. His horns had indeed diminished into two diminutive nubs, but his skull had completely reshaped, the scales stretched over his serpentine snout with frills where his ears had been. There were surprisingly even more drastic changes in that he was not only shorter, but smaller. He had lost most of his muscle so that his jumpsuit hung loosely on his thin frame, but this wasn’t a product of his starvation.

“I said go away,” he snarled, a slight puff of smoke rising from his nostrils. He folded his shorter arms against his much less broad chest and flicked out his forked tongue, looking up at me with yellow eyes, slit like the reptile he resembled. When I didn’t meet them, he huffed and something clacked against the floor. I looked down and saw he had talons on his feet, and his hands were similarly clawed.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“What’s wrong?” he said, trying and failing to imitate my voice, but perhaps that was the intent. He snarled when he repeated it, curling his snout to show sharpened teeth. “What’s wrong?”

“Yes.”

“I’m small! I’m shorter than you and—“ he motioned to his mouth. “Do you hear this voice? I sound like a kid!”

“No, you sound more like an adolescent I’d say.”

“‘Adolescent’. Urgh!” He curled his clawed hands into fists. “And my face? What’s up with it? I can see it in front of me, my nose or snout or whatever. Why am I some sort of snake...lizard...whatever this thing is! And my skin…” he scratched at one of his arms. “It’s scales! And it wasn’t clean either. They sort of...oozed something as they formed.”

“It’s only natural.”

“Only…” he muttered. He opened his mouth to say more, but his anger got the better of him. Instead of speaking, he roared, a shrill cry that sounded more sad than intimidating. “I hate you!”

“Oh,” I said, taking this extreme reaction down. “You do?”

“Yes,” He said with a sniffle. “You act all nice and stuff but you did this to me! I shouldn’t be some...some scaly freak!”

“You’re not a freak. True, you’re not purely one thing or another but-“

“But—“ Pine began, his voice cracking. “But what? Explain this!” He turned around and showed the small tail that poked out of his pants. Impressively, he managed to make it wiggle. “I have a tail and...ungh…” he flexed his shoulder blades. “If I’m not crazy, I think I have wings growing in.” He turned back to face me and raised his arms. “Wings!”

“Don’t you want to fly?” I asked, both because I was curious and also to calm him. It worked somewhat, as shown by him lowering his arms and instead placing them on his hips.

“Sort of but…” he snarled. “But I really want to know what’s happening to me and no skirting around the issue this time! I deserve an explanation!”

“Ah,” I said, taking a seat. “You do.”

“Yeah,” He said.

“Sit,” I said, motioning to the chair.

“No thanks, Lysra.”

“Suit yourself.”

I leaned back, getting comfortable and crossing my legs. The whole time, he stared at me with fire in his eyes, but there was something beneath too. I smiled at him and saw some of that fire fade away.

“Well?” he grunted.

“You came here, right?”

He nodded.

“But do you know where here is?”

He shook his head.

“And did you ever consider the consequences of coming here?”

“I…” he tilted his head. “I guess not?” He scowled. “Is that what this is then? Punishment?”

“No, nothing of the sort. Merely a consequence. If you weren’t experiencing what are you are now, then…” I shrugged. “Then you would have already been dead.”

“Oh.” He said, and his voice was small. He looked down at the ground and clicked his talons against the floor nervously.

“You didn’t just come to another place. You came to another space.”

“Another space?”

“Yes, do you understand?”

He squinted his eyes, then shook his head.

“Not really.” He pouted. “I thought you were going to explain it.”

“I did my best.”

‘For now’, was what I left unsaid. He would figure it out.

“Hmph,” He said, and his voice sounded higher still. He noticed. “My voice!” He looked down at his hands and let out a squeak. “My hands! I think I’m still shrinking!”

“Is that why you’re really upset?”

“Yeah!” He said, then shook his head. “I mean, no.” His small shoulders slumped. “It felt weird waking up so small, so...young but that’s all I’ve been doing.”

“Being young?”

“No,” he huffed and there was less smoke from his snout this time. “Wait, was that a joke?”

I nodded, and he laughed.

“I didn’t know you did those.” He frowned and looked up at me with remorseful eyes. “I’m sorry, Lysra. I don’t hate you. I’ve just…” He swallowed, and his shorter tail swished uncertainly behind him. “I’ve just been bored. All I’ve been doing is sleeping and waking up, waking up and sleeping.”

“And dreaming?”

He nodded, and his eyes went distant, his smile wide.

“I fly in those dreams but…” he looked over his shoulders to his back. “I can’t fly here.”

Not yet, I wanted to say, but remained silent for a moment. Then an idea came to mind.

“Perhaps I should get you some toys,” I offered. He was clearly starting to get bored, and the shelter only provided a minimum bit of entertainment. “It should be easy enough to fabricate a few.”

“I’m not a kid!” Pine complained. “Just because I am shorter, doesn’t mean you can treat me like one!” His now yellow eyes narrowed in a glare. He obviously didn’t like being… belittled.

I grinned. He was rather resistant at this stage, but I imagined this would break up sooner rather than later. Much, much sooner.

“Well, I could load up some interactive games, or just some videos. A few are in the computer.”

“Oh?” Pine said, his interest piqued. Space travelers often were used to the idea of entertainment being in digital formats, since there was often plenty of times where one would fly in a straight line with no interuptions.“What do you have?”

“Just some sims, a number of different genres,” I offered. “Nothing much.”

“Hm. I like sims.”

“Excellent.” I then tapped a button on a table, and the room filled itself up with blocks.

“Blocks?”

I took one of the blocks and placed it on the table. It reshaped itself into a miniature skyscraper.

“Holograms.” I then began cycling through different display settings and decorations. “All the fun without the mess.”

“Cool,” Pine said. He took a pile of the blocks and stacked them up to form a small city on the table, a large tower in the center formed out of a multitude. He ran out of holographic materials quite quickly, but then he learned he could purchase more blocks after making a construction office to assemble more of them. It was one of those city builder games after all, and constant expansion and growth was needed. Meanwhile, the game generated tiny holographic specks of people to make the imaginary world seem alive and to add more complexity. For some reason, he picked a medieval theme, something rather nostalgic to me. Buildings were made of stone and wood, and people were various peasants and craftsmen and traders with the occasional knights and fantastic creature sprinkled in.

“So… whatcha building?” I asked.

“I want to add this wizard tower, but all of the resources are getting backed up because of upkeep! And then the haulers are blocked because the walls are shutdown, but the walls can’t get fixed because the masons can’t produce stone because the workers can’t go to the walls,” he said, his tone an octave higher. Pine had spent hours building his city, but the game’s difficulty was ramping up. It now encompassed the whole table. He had started to try to add more ‘land mass’, though that growth was relatively unsuccessful, stunted and resource intensive.

“Do you need some help?”

“No! I can handle it myself!” Pine said back, but he was clearly heading to some sort of failure state. The fictional kingdom then was embroiled into civil war of some sort once the political subgame had activated, and suddenly, Pine’s efforts to try to stabilize the realm were even less effective. The complexity piled and piled, and nothing was done to correct the realm’s growing problems.

I decided to intervene, largely to offset the difficulty the game had been grown to; that was largely my fault, so it was only fair I made things easier, more enjoyable. I secretly worked some tricks and made the game just that much simpler. Logistics and transportation was now suddenly done by tireless magic carpets, making resource bottlenecks a thing of the past. Some loyalists managed to win key battles and thoroughly rid themselves of their enemies, making the political game less faction heavy. Perhaps most blatantly, I made the cost of everything that much more bearable.

Pine didn’t seem to notice at first. He clearly liked the reduced workload of managing his fictional kingdom, but a few more hours later, he realized that the game was getting too easy.

“Hey! It’s been ages since i had any disasters! What did you do?” he said. Pine had shrunk that much shorter, his shoulders thinner, though not by that much.

I grinned. “I might have disabled disasters remotely. But to be fair, you probably wouldn’t have advanced through the last last few eras without that.”

“But it’s too easy!”

“And earlier it was too hard.” I checked the time on my tablet. “It’s also getting late. Shouldn’t you get dinner or go to bed real soon?”

“Just… let me set up the new Academy. And only if you don’t mess with me.”

Pine’s stomach growled.

“I dunno. It sounds like you’re getting hungry!”

“Gah, fine. Whatever. I was getting bored anyways!” he yawned.

I shrugged and shut the game off, all that Pine built disappearing in a matter of moments.

Pine then went over to a food dispenser and pulled out a brick. Spacers were often used to eating blocks of hardened nutrient sludge, I wasn’t a fan, but I understood the necessity. It perhaps wasn’t the most appetizing looking thing in the world, but it tasted decent with a good flavor seasoning. With the essential nutrients tailored to the consumer, it was a practical way to eat, albeit rather boring.

“Perhaps when the shuttle arrives, I can offer you something real. Would you like that?”

“Yeah… I guess I would…” he said with a shrug of his shoulders, the top portion of outfit almost slipping down. He growled.

“Gah, I hate getting...smaller. My sleeves are getting caught everywhere!”

His outfit, which fit him well as an adult, was starting to get rather cumbersome on his body. Now that his Adam’s apple had receded and his face was starting to have small outbreaks of youthful freckles, it no longer suited him.

“I can get something for you.”

I reached back and brought out an outfit not so unlike the one he already wore in that it was capable of self maintenance and was a blueish black in coloration. Unlike his current outfit, it had a few silver stars scattered amongst its surface, the ability to adjust itself including a place for his tail and it was smaller. Much smaller.

He looked at it and shook his head.

“No way!” He said. “It’s too small!”

I tilted my head. “Is it? It’s one size fits all.”

He grumbled and snatched it from me. I looked away as he undressed and fit himself in his suit. I only looked back when I heard a satisfied hiss from him. He sat on the ground, leaning forward on his hands.

“Comfortable?” I asked.

“Yeah!” He said, his eyes alight. “So comfy! I could fall asleep in just this! And it doesn’t smell like spacer!”

He attempted to stand and only succeeded in falling forward back on his hands. He growled and looked back, his tail waving.

“What the-?” He shook his head and looked to me. “Feels like my bones just cracked!” He shivered. “Alright. One, two, one, two, three—“

He managed to get to his feet, but he still wobbled unsteadily on them.

“Eugh,” he murmured with a slight hiss. “I feel so off and so small, so—“ he yawned, his draconic muzzle opening wide as he rubbed at his eyes. “Tired.”

He stumbled towards his bed, almost falling over after his first few steps. Concerned, I rushed over to his side but he pushed me away.

Or at least tried to.

“Go away,” he hissed. “I don’t need you to tuck me in! And I mean it, mom!”

I blinked. “Mom?”

“I meant Lysra. Yeah, your name! You know what I meant!”

Somehow, he managed to pull himself into his cot. He squirmed around a little as he gathered the blankets around him, pulling the coverings completely over himself. He tossed and turned around a little more until all I could see of him was a bit of his snout poking out of the blanket.

“I’m sleeping,” he announced.

“You are?” I asked.

“Yeah, and that means you can go away now.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded beneath the blankets.

“Yeah. I’ve had enough momming today.”

I smiled. “Still upset about the game?”

“NO! No…” he sighed. “Maybe. I just don’t like being so small…”

“Being small isn’t so bad…” I murmured.

“No?” He said, peeking his head out of his cover.

“No,” I said, smiling down at him. “It means you have plenty of room to grow.”

“Huh…” he considered this and for a time there was silence. Then he shrugged and flicked out his tongue at me. “Goodnight, Lysra! See you tomorrow! Do you think the shuttle will be here then?”

“Maybe,” I said.

“I hope so, but…” he yawned. “I’ll worry that later. I’m so sleepy!”

At this he curled up, turning his head away and closing his eyes. I looked down at his still form for a moment and then departed, though not without mentally wishing him well. I had very much wanted to correct his covers so that he would be most comfortable, but I also wanted to respect his wishes. I didn’t have to tuck him in, not really. He would have sweet dreams either which way.

I was sure he would dream of flying.

======

I noticed stirring Pine on my heart rate monitor, his heart pounding wildly on digital screens. I rushed towards him and found him shaking violently and hissing words in his sleep. He was clearly having a nightmare.

I shook him awake. “Pine. Pine. Wake up.”

Pine’s eyes fluttered briefly, before he arose.

“Lysra…. “ he muttered, his eyes red from irritation, as tears streamed down his face.

“You were having a bad dream.”

“Oh…” he said.

“What was it about?”

“I was flying at first but…” he shuddered. “It was different. I didn’t have my wings and outside...outside was all dark. I was flying so fast! Too fast. And...and…”

He whimpered.

“Yes?” I said.

“It was almost like I was falling but I was flying but I was falling and…” he shook his head and looked up at me pleadingly. “It didn’t make any sense. I was so scared! I thought I would crash.” His gaze lowered. “I think I did crash…”

I nodded. “You did. Don’t you remember?”

He whimpered again and hugged his blankets tight. Then his yellow eyes widened, and he sat up, or tried to sit up at least. Instead, he flailed around with his blankets and ended up lying down facing me in a tangle of his blankets. He continued to struggle until I spoke.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He looked up at me with those wide eyes.

“I’m so small!” he said, his voice shrill and panicked. “And I...I can’t stand!”

“Of course you can.”

He shook his head. “Nuh-uh!”

I smiled softly, then leaned down and scooped up Pine. He was so surprised that he didn’t even struggle as I carried him out of the bed, before kneeling down and gently laying him on the floor. He had shrunk significantly since last night to an age far predating his adolescent years, but a regression in age wasn’t the only thing that had happened. Any remaining human aspects of his stance and structure had withered away, leaving him much more...feral, or at least that’s how Pine seemed to see it as. Since placing him down, he had went back to looking at himself, and it was now that he noticed the extent of his overnight changes.

“Hey!” he cried out. “I’m so small! You’re so big, Lyssie! And…” he flailed about. “I still can’t stand!”

“Yes, you can,” I said in my most reassuring tone. It was bad enough Pine had had a nightmare; I did not want to add alteration anxiety next. “Place your talons firmly on the ground and try all your legs at once. And stop waving your tail! Let it be, it knows what to do.”

Pine did as was told and found it surprisingly easy to move his legs in the correct sequence.

“This is weird…”

“You’ll get used to it. I promise.”

He looked over himself, then lifted one of his clawed feet off the ground. He wobbled and barely kept himself upright by immediately dropping his raised foot. Even then, he shook a little, until he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and looked down at himself.

“I guess…” He said, then looked up at me. “But how am I going to be able to fly now?”

I smiled. “Maybe you should have something to take your mind off things. How about something to play with?”

I reached back and pressed something. Immediately, soft plush toys fell from the ceiling and onto the floor surrounding Pine. Most of them were made of advanced cloth and polymers, made tough and rigid, yet surprisingly soft.

Pine looked at each of the toys with suspicion. “... You can’t expect me to… play with such… baby toys. I mean, it’s embarrassing.”

“Is it really?” I suggested as I picked up one of the toy vehicles.

“Yes…” he said, though I could see him hesitate a bit as I brought the toy into his view.

His eyes tracked it as I moved it back and forth. And then I threw it at him.

Pine’s instincts took over and he lunged for it, snatching the plush toy in his jaws as he began to thrash it back and forth.

He stopped when he realized what he had done. “... I didn’t do it!”

“Do what?” I laughed.

He dropped the plush and backed up. He stared at it intensely and growled. Smiling, I reached for another toy, this one looking like a rocket. I held it up.

“Oh, Pineeee…” I called. The near whelpling looked up, and his eyes widened, while his tail wagged excitedly behind him. I threw the rocket, and he leapt up and caught it in his jaws. He landed on all fours, hissing and growling. This time he played with the toy a little longer than the last, before releasing it from his jaw and patting it away with his foretalons. Afterwards, he looked up at me expectantly.

“What is it?” I asked. “I thought these toys were for babies.”

“They are!” Pine said, his gaze wandering away from mine. “But…”

“But what?”

He looked back to me and looked adorably sheepish.

“It was fun, fine. And…” He tapped his claws on the ground. “Being on all fours feels almost...uh…”

“Natural?” I suggested.

“Yes!” he nodded happily, his tongue flicking in and out. His eyes widened further. “Whoa!” He lifted one claw to his mouth. “Did I just do that? It was like I was like...sniffing the air or something? But with my tongue!”

I nodded and knelt down, picking up a toy that should seem familiar to Pine. I held it out to him and his jaw dropped.

“No way!” he whispered. “That’s...uh...that’s…”

“You know it?”

He nodded again, though his movements were slower and unsure. He squinted his eyes at it as he tilted his head.

“It’s my star...no...spaceship?” He padded forward, his tail waving warily. “It was a...it had a long name with lots of letters and...numbers?” He reached out, and I let him take it with his talons. He rotated it around, marveling at its shape.

“It’s so small!” he said, then blinked. He laughed.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“It’s small, like me! And it’s a toy.” He frowned and looked up to me. “But I’m not a toy.”

“No,” I said. “Of course not. You’re a precious person. Now, that ship…” I nodded towards the toy he held. “What do you want to do with it?”

“Uhh…” He let the toy drop and stared down at it inquisitively. “I dunno. It makes me want to fly but…”

“But what?”

He looked over himself and his underdeveloped wings. He flapped them gently.

“I can’t fly.”

“No,” I said. “Not now. Not yet. But that’s ok, right?”

“Yeah,” he said, still staring at the spaceship. “I can wait a bit because…”

“Because what?” I asked, grabbing at the spaceship. He growled and pounced upon it, batting my hand away.

“Fly later!” he mumbled with the spaceship in his mouth. “Play now!”

I smiled and watched as he played around with the spaceship. I couldn’t imagine the whelp in front of me piloting any sort of spaceship now. Though I did regret that it had to be this way, perhaps a fresh start wasn’t the worst for Pine. He certainly had fun as he spent the rest of the day in pure play, getting used to his quadrupedal gait while he stacked blocks or batted around his stuffed toys, even as his form shrank smaller and smaller. By the time he had tired himself out, he barely had the beginnings of wings and his horns were two little stubs upon a more squished in snout. His voice had become just a bit higher and now had even more of a hiss to it. It was when he had gathered a pile of his softer toys and collapsed on top of them that I knew it was time for bed.

“Are you tired there?” I asked.

“Nuh-uh!” he said, quickly crawling out of the pile and looking up defiantly at me. “I’m just…”

He yawned a long yawn that caused him to open his mouth wide and show me that his teeth were far less sharp. After the yawn, he slammed his snout his and shook his head.

“Oh?” I said. “And what was that?”

“It means I’m sleepy,” Pine huffed. “Not tired!”

“Aren’t they the same thing? Or near enough?”

Pine squinted as he considered this hard and long, which at his current attention span was about a second.

“I guess? I don’t want to sleep but I--” He yawned, then looked up at me defensively. “Just a little tired, that’s it!”

“Tired enough to sleep?” I laughed.

“Fine,” he pouted. “I guess I’ll sleep if I have to.”

He scampered off to his cot and tried to climb up. It was too high up for him, however. He looked over to me.

“Uh, Lyssie?” he said. “Can you help?”

“Sure,” I said. “Only if you promise to let me tuck you in.”

“Tuck me in? I’m not a kid!”

I glanced pointedly at the toys scattered around the room.

“I was just havin’ fun!”

I smiled and made my way over to him. He was still pouting as I scooped him up, but did seem a little happier as I placed him on the bed. He waddled around on it for a time, circling around and around before settling down somewhere in the middle of the coverings. He curled up quite cutely in a comfortable manner.

“Thanks, Lyssie,” he said.

“You’re welcome, Pine. I suppose this is good night.”

I began to walk away.

“Wait!” he yelped.

I turned. He stared up at me, his yellow eyes huge.

“Don’t leave...yet.” He shuddered and whimpered. “Those dreams last night were so scawy!” He curled up tighter. “Would you...would you tuck me in?”

“Of course. I can do better.”

“Better?”

“Yes,” I said. “How would you like a bedtime story?”

He nodded. “Pwease!” He frowned. “Pwease...pwease...pwease?”

“You only had to say it once,” I said with a laugh, reaching back.

“Nah, my voice it’s so...oooh!”

Pine stared with barely bated excitement at the book I held in my hands. On the cover was a sleek rocket and a young looking dragon riding it, his eyes alight as he barely held on with his talons, one of his forelegs reaching up to hold onto the goggles on his head as he and the rocket rode off into the night.

“Whoa!” Pine said, then squinted his eyes at the title on the cover. “Uh, what’s that say?”

“Arize’s Quiet Night,” I said.

Pine giggled.

“What’s so funny?”

“That doesn’t look quiet,” he said. “That looks fun!”

“It’s just a dream for him. A fun dream. Don’t you want fun dreams?”

“Yes, yes!”

“Then settle down and I’ll read. Wait…”

I placed the book down and spent some time tucking Pine in, bundling him up in the coverings.

“Good?”

He nodded, and I picked the book back up. I opened it up, and once again he squinted at the writing within.

“I can’t wead it…” he murmured. “Shouldn’t I be able to wead?”

“It’s like flying,” I said. “Not now, not yet. Is that alright?”

“I…” He scrunched his little snout up. “I guess so?”

“Plus, if you could read, you wouldn’t need me!”

“Nuh-uh!” Pine giggled. “I do need you, Lyssie!” His eyes widened. “You wouldn’t leave me alone even if I could wead, wight?”

“Of course not,” I said. “I’m here for you, Pine, here for you always. Now…”

I opened the book and held up the pages for Pine to see the pictures. He leaned forward, mesmerized by the colorful drawings within.

“It was a normal night for Arize…” I began.

“Awize?” he said. “I like that name.” He pouted. “Mine is so...weird! I’m not a twee!”

I smiled. “And so you aren’t. Now, no more interruptions.”

“None? That’s not fair!”

“Fine, some but you want to be read to, right?”

He nodded.

“Then listen. It was a normal night for Arize, until…”

I read through the book, Pine listening intently for the most part about a young dragon and his adventures through dreamspace, though he did interrupt me a few times with exclamations and a couple questions about rockets and spaces that I answered and sensed he vaguely understood. Near the end of the story, I noticed that he hadn’t made a peep for a while. I looked down and found Pine fast asleep, a smile across his snout. I closed the book and put it back before lowering my head and giving the sleeping whelp a quick kiss.

“Lift your wings,” I murmured. “And arise.”

As I left him, I heard him purr, contentedly asleep and dreaming well.

=======

I snuck up on Pine early in the morning.

He was the floor, his belly pressed up against this stuffed rocket ship, now far larger than him. He didn’t seem to mind this change. He must have liked it, since he kept trying to chew at it with his tiny teeth. He looked so darling, I had to admit. Just a babe.

The little whelpling’s silvery scales were fresh and bright, newly made and soft to the touch. Pine still had his snout, but it had shrunk again, becoming a cute nub, his teeth dulled to the barest of points. He was rather underdeveloped now, his wings shrunk to the point of near nonexistence. His jumpsuit, once needing to stretch to fit him, looked almost loose on his tiny frame, but still covered his body. His horns had melded back into his skull, as I promised him when he first got them. But the most notable thing was his eyes, which were so bright and full of wonder. He no longer saw the world as he once did; everything was new and exciting again. He raised up his head as he noticed me nearing, maybe my shadow alerted him. Pine gave a pleased sounding bark and wagged his tail at the sight of me, happy to find me.

“Alright, I’m here!” I said, coming into view.

“You’re not!” The little whelp wagged his tail with glee. He could still talk, but his voice was so high and shrill, it was practically a screech.

I grinned. “Oh, so you’ve figured it out?”

Pine slowly padded off into the wall and tapped one of the panels and let out a gurgling noise that had to be laughter. The wall fell inward and collapsed, transforming into curtains and revealing a secret room in the dome. He dashed right in and found a white pod.

I smiled and looked down at the little one. He was so bright and eager as he tried to breach it, to open its contents. I imagined he already figured it out, likely once he could start to smell me.

“Alright, you got me good. Yes, yes, that’s me.”

Pine yipped in glee. “Ya! Das right!”

I disappeared from the room; the projection I had created served its purpose and was no longer necessary. The pod unfolded itself and I stepped out, revealing my true self. I was… far larger than Pine. Even if he was still an adult, he would have been small enough for me to comfortably carry. I was a silver dragoness, proud and regal.

Pine was certainly pleased.

“Lysra!” he barked as he climbed up my leg. He was clearly eager to meet another of his new kind.

“I’m not your mother, dear!” I said as I patted the little one on the head.

Pine whimpered in dissatisfaction. Maybe a few days ago, the idea was a joke, but now, well, he was completely different. I bent down and gave the whelp a lick.

“Oh, maybe I can be convinced otherwise.”

Pine gave me a quizzical look.

I smiled. “In any case, you’ll have some more growing down to do,” I said. “Just like a few days ago.”

“Yah!” Pine let out a laugh. “I keep shwinking!”

He wasn’t bothered by the idea, not any more. The change in perspective no longer made him see that as such a loss. He likely already knew because he was so much brighter and more attentive than he used to be, but the young tend to be very mentally agile, especially young dragons. Perhaps he was smarter now, albeit less educated. Whatever the case, he had so much potential.

“That you are little one, do you know why?”

Pine thought about it for a moment. “Cuz, humans ain’t allowed here?”

“Very good,” I said. “This… dimension doesn’t allow your sort of life; if you had remained as you were, you would have been...rejected. You actually might have burned away days ago if it weren’t for the shelter. But as a result of our protection, you became one of us. Unfortunately, time is different for our kind and that means...well, a few decades might mean being an adult for a human, but that doesn’t amount to much for us; you are essentially going to the appropriate development stage for your age as determined by your new species. Your kind commonly crashes here, since there’s a rift so nearby...why, you weren’t the only to land within this timeframe. You’ll see the others on the shuttle along with their new parents.” I smiled down at him. “I wasn’t just waiting here for you either, you know. I was matched with you because apparently I would be the best as your caretaker among those available. Me, the psychologist! But I see they were right and it’s worked out. Anyways, that’s beside the point. Do you understand now why you are what you are?”

Pine tilted his head. “... Uh, I guess I got it maybe?” he said with a shrug. “But dats fine, I guess.”

This change was what was also affecting his psychology. It’s what had gradually stopped making him see himself as he once was, and instead had realigned his self image to suit what he would be. It was the best given the options I had at my disposal. I smiled. He didn’t have much time before the process was complete.

“But don’t worry. Time will pass by faster than you think. Especially once you get a nice school to handle your early education.”

“Aw!” he said. Pine definitely sounded like a child who didn’t like his schooling. “Do I have ta?”

“Yes,” I said. “Especially if you want to go in any piloting or flying class.”

Pine pouted a juvenile pout, like any child who was being told he wasn’t getting what he wanted.

“Can’t I do without?”

“Good flying is more complicated than you’d think,” I defended myself. But I didn’t keep the little one in a foul mood for long. I leapt forward and gently patted his sides, tickling the child with my massive grasp.

Pine giggled and fell on his feet, turning on his belly as he fell.

“I think we’ll need a new name for you now.”

“Name?” Pine blabbered, his voice structure’s deterioration was worsening, though still there. Soon, very soon, he would lose the capacity to speak properly. “Why?”

“You’re not a tree, are you?” I asked.

He gurgled and shook his head.

“Well, if I’m to be your mother, I’ll call you…” I thought back. Naming was so hard, but luckily there was always a name lurking in the back of both our minds. “How does Arize sound? Do you like it, Arize?”

The newly renamed Arize let out a laugh as I resumed the tickle attacks. He said he was fine with it yesterday, so it was a good idea to start calling him that now that he was nearing the beginning.

Arize rolled over and on his legs, he tried to scurry away and run from my assault, but something changed then and there. Arize’s legs lost their strength and became stubs; it was natural for dragons to go on all fours, but as Arize stepped forward, his belly sunk lower onto the ground as he lost the ability to support his own body. He was far too young now to be entirely self mobile.

The loss of independence might have scared anyone else, but to young Arize, it was an invitation for an intervention. I leaned over to the whelp and gave him a lick.

“Well, looks like you’ll be relying on me to move you around for a few years… at least a decade really.”

Arize laughed, almost proud of himself. “Me baby!”

“Yes you are,” I said, giving him a nuzzle. “And it seems you are fine with that, no?”

Arize looked deep into my eyes, staring with me with a look that only grew more innocent with each passing moment. I knew what was going on his head was now coming to its conclusion. He opened his mouth and out game a string of random syllables and words that had no meaning.

“Ba! Guh! Ra!” Arize said cheerily as he threw his limbs in every direction.

“Ah, looks like you can’t talk anymore,” I said.

Arize looked at me strangely and it took me a second to realize that he didn’t understand what I said.

“And I guess that means you don’t have language anymore. Don’t worry, that means it’ll be even easier for you to pick up your new first language rather than have to learn it through what you knew before.”

Arize’s tail wagged. He didn’t understand my words, but my tone held enough meaning for now. He had forgotten language and sentence structure completely, becoming like a babe that had been thrust into a new world, which incidentally, he was. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially since now the little one would have room to relearn things more relevant to him, without as many awkward reminders or bad habits he would need to unlearn… since he already unlearned most everything. Plus, it also meant I could actually talk to him in Draconic. Granted, I did wonder what kinds of things he might recall once he’s had a few decades to develop.

I licked Arize on the cheek, speaking to him in my native tongue. “Alright, little one, time for us to leave… once our shuttle arrives.”

The shelter, now having served its purpose, collapsed around us, exposing us to the elements of a world not fit to support human life; we weren’t human, so it wasn’t a problem. The shelter’s contents formed into a puddle at my feet, and then, a floating sphere, one larger than little Arize, but easy enough for me to pocket.

Arize blinked a few times and babbled a cheer. “Ma!”

The sight of that wonder had to have been impressive for his young mind.

The environment was dry and hot, and would have burned many other life forms, but my little one and I were built for places such as this. It was actually quite soothing to be honest, but this barren expanse was not really suitable to raising a child… especially since I would need to process all of Arize’s data, but I was fine with that.

Arize was having none of it, though. While he had been amazed by his environment at first, he had quickly grown bored of his relatively sterile surroundings. He nipped at me, so I gently scooped him up and held him.

“Impatient, aren’t you?” I asked. “I’m going to have to keep my eye on you. You’re going to be flying before I know it. Why don’t I start teaching you now?” I pointed to the sky with a claw. “Look up there! See the sky?”

Arize gurgled happily and stared up with wide yellow eyes. Gently, I whispered to him about the sky, the thermals and wind, how to soar and glide and fly through skies alien and familiar, dangerous and calm. I only stopped when Arize let out a little shriek, his tail waving as he stared at something descending from the sky.

The shuttle came, a smooth crystalline shaped craft that was far larger than the shelter we left; it had to be, since it was made for my kind. It landed with far more grace than anything its size should have, but levitation drives with self piloting tended not to worry as much about inertia. Its door opened, and a boarding ramp appeared.

I turned to little Arize and licked the babe again, sending him into a flurry of childlike laughs.

I picked up Arize in my mouth and carried him inside by his back. He seemed oddly amused by the whole experience, and it was the first of many such treatments he would get. I set aside in the play area inside the shuttle, dropping the baby dragon behind some secure force fields alongside his favorite toy, the plush rocket ship he was so fond of earlier. Arize crawled over to the rocket ship and sunk his undeveloped teeth into it, getting slobber all over the place. While the crew prepared for lift off, Arize happily chewed on his rocket, sucking on it as a tyke his age should. I watched. He was so far from the grown man that he had been, but he honestly might not want to go back if he even had the option.

Other little dragons inside the ship took notice of this newcomer. Each was once an adult human like Arize was, but had been changed by their stay here. The oldest of which was a small degree larger and older, having been old enough to have retired before and now only barely amounted to being a toddler

The other younglings turned towards Arize as he entered, each showing a piqued interest in the newcomer. There had to be a dozen of them, each a different color. Bright eyes and wagging tails and confused expressions indicated there was a level of… acknowledgement between them all. Perhaps they knew each other in a previous life, or maybe it was something more mundane?

Whatever the case, the young ones all shambled close together to form a knot of yips, slobber, and dull bites.

But then I heard Arize’s stomach growl and then the babe began to let out a cry as one of his most important needs was left unmet. Despite getting so small, he had quite the appetite.

I simply accepted my duty and chewed on some meat, breaking it down into a soft and palpable slurry. Arize was far too young to chew his own food. I bent over my charge and slowly dropped chunks of the soft meat into his gullet, as any mother should. He greedily accepted his meal, no longer being old enough to understand embarrassment...or so I thought. For a moment he ceased chewing and looked to me with concern. I saw an inkling of understand in his eyes and there was a little fear there too.

Then the shuttle lifted off, barely making a noise as it did. I gave Arize a loving lick.

“No need to worry,” I said, then nodded towards one of the window’s shuttles. “Come.”

I walked off towards it and Arize followed, if a little hesitantly. I tapped the window with my tail and stared out at the atmosphere of planet that we had moments ago been on.

“Look,” I said. “See those skies?”

Arize nodded.

“It might seem like you lost so much, and it might seem so far off, but…” I gave him another lick. “I promise you will fly those skies and many more. Many, many more, and I will be proud of you because of it. You have so much ahead of you and have really only left a little behind.” I chuckled. “I’m almost envious of you, little one, but I should raise you first, huh?”

I looked into Arize’s eyes and that fear was gone, along with that almost adult understanding. He stared with true childlike wonder out into those distant skies, and then out at space as we pulled away. When the planet was but a mere speck, he hissed and gave me a nuzzle. He bounced off and grabbed his rocketship, trotting over to me before plunking down at my side. He curled up and closed his eyes.

As we moved farther and farther away from the old and towards the new, Arize slept and dreamt, dreams I had no doubt were of flying.