The strange new planet approached fast. I only saw it as a blur of color: pink, green, and blue, all tainted by the blaring red of the cockpit. The ship shook so hard I couldn't make out any discernible features of the terrain. I desperately hoped we would land on something soft.
“Everybody hold on!” I yelled.
The ship entered a freefall; the controls were no longer responsive. I yanked the manual controls, steering the ship as best I could as we plummeted towards the foreign ground.
Gay or not, I just prayed the aliens here weren't hostile.
2Zat'tor
A foul-smellingplume rose from the Sweetfields. The billowing black cloud could only be one thing: smoke.
The acrid scent soured my mood. I was in the middle of gathering herbs, but that would have to wait. I tossed my basket down and sprang into a gallop on all fours—running was much faster on multiple limbs. My long front arms and powerful back legs swallowed up the ground, propelling me towards the source of the smoke.
Fire was the ultimate enemy. It never occurred naturally on Eukaria.
Was it arson? To harm the Sweetfields, our brethren and one of our greatest treasures, was punishable by death. Whoever harmed the plants and creatures there would pay.
I raced over the expanse of rugged moss until the Sweetfields came into view. Their iconic colorful stalks were taller than the largest Maeleon. But a hard lump formed around my heart when I saw the foul blaze with my own eyes.
Who dared do such a horrible thing? What kind of heathen would set innocent plants ablaze?
Fury spurred me onward. It wasn't until I saw the sterile silver mass lying oblong in the field that I realized something was horribly wrong.
I stalled, my body freezing. Light gleamed off its too-smooth sides, and smoke spewed from its vents. The sight of the unnatural thing gave me chills.
Could it be...?
I’d heard stories of space-faring ships before, but I thought they were myths. Legends. Beings from other planets who entered metal deathtraps to explore, or worse, conquer. It sounded like an elaborate tale for entertainment. But my assumptions were wrong. The flaming hull in front of me was real.
As I got closer, the ship's black smoke petered out into hot steam. I hoped there was no more fuel to burn and the craft's dying breaths came soon.
I looked around. Among the wreckage, I saw nobody. Perhaps if there had been creatures inside, they had already perished.
But then I heard a voice, one too soft and wispy to belong to a Maeleon. Those sounds couldn’t come from a hard, scaly maw.
The voice originated from the other side of the ship. I used the crashed heap to my advantage. I kept close to the hull, inwardly sneering at its ugliness, and stalked around the side. Heat still radiated off the metal, hurting the plants beneath it.
“I'm sorry, little siblings,” I murmured. It was too late to save them, but I’d stop the beings from harming any more of our kin.
Two more distinct voices spoke up. Were there three in total?
I was too far away to hear distinct words—and even if I did, I doubted I could understand their language—but I inferred the gist of their conversation from their tone. The first voice appeared to belong to their leader. He spoke in a confident, reassuring way. There was a quality about it that intrigued me.
I angled my ear to hear the other two. One was higher pitched, squawking with fear. The second was deeper, irritated.
We were not a violent species, but if these beings came to Eukaria only to destroy, they would be dealt with accordingly.
My heart picked up speed. What kind of beings would I find on the other side? My feelers tingled, picking up minute vibrations in the air. I sensed frayed nerves and unease from the newcomers.
No longer able to contain my curiosity, I stepped out to face them.
They were... unusual.
The first thing I noticed was their short height. They stood upright on two legs, the same as Maeleons, but the similarities ended there. Strange identical coverings swallowed their bodies so only their heads were exposed. They lacked horns, tails, tentacles, and manes of feelers. Their ears were tiny rounded shells, their faces oddly blunt. Their soft flesh resembled the delicate surface of a newly bloomed petal.
They were small, frail-looking things. Where were their scales? Their bright, flashy colors?
I examined them closer. The three creatures had different facial features, heights, and flesh and fur colors, yet were clearly all the same species.
