Gemini trembled, the chill of fear taking a bite out of the relentless heat, though she cocked her head in confusion as something revealed itself from the brush.
A cat.
Well, what appeared to be an alien version of a cat. It was bright blue, with dark, beady eyes, and overly large, triangular ears, a glowing white orb in the center of its chest. It was slightly larger than theaverage house cat on Earth, but padded over with the same delicate grace.
Strange, but what happened next surprised her most of all.
“Hello,” the cat said, and Gemini’s eyes widened with shock.
CHAPTER 2
APODIS
“Can we return home?”
Apodis shook his head, his eyes on the orb in the sky as it glowed red, lighting the forest floor. He lay in the lush moss, hands propped behind his neck, turning to glance at Zenith with a smirk.
“We haven’t been here long,” he said, eyeing the caerulian who was sitting next to him.
Zenith glared, his dark eyes narrowed and his mouth curled into a frown. His electric blue fur bristled, triangular ears flattened to the back of his head, and his nose turned up to the stars.
“I am unsure why we are out here in the first place.”
The caerulian was grumpy, that much was clear, and Apodis tried to resist a chuckle, lest he feel the wrath of those claws. He reached up, scratchingunder Zenith’s chin, the effect immediate as the caerulian started to purr reluctantly.
“We’re watching the stars, Z.”
After decades spent mapping them from his apartment in Aerumi, it was different to actuallyseethem, feel their light shining down on him as they lit his forest in an ambient glow. Well, nothisforest, but the forest in which he resided—his state-of-the-art cabin providing the perfect retirement pad.
Breathing the fresh air and feeling the wind on his skin made it clear he’d made the correct decision.
He’d worked hard and saved up, forgoing anything beyond the bare essentials to retire early. Oh, his coworkers used to make fun of him for never taking time off, but he was the one savoring his newfound freedom in the peace and quiet of Lumeris.
He still took odd jobs here and there, a telescope and quantum scanner occupying the back room of his cabin, which allowed him to detect cosmic anomalies and provide safe travel routes for enterprising Oslieths who didn’t want to use one of the big companies.
“Stars are stars, Apodis. You will never find a mate out here.”
Apodis groaned, placing his hand back under his head, much to the consternation of the caerulian.
For a creature who had no romantic or sexual interest in others, Zenith certainly seemed to care alot about Apodis’ love life. Apodis had come to terms with the fact that he would never have a mate, and he was fine with that. He’d had his fun in his youth, experienced his fair share of ruts with a partner or a group, and now he had Z. The day he’d adopted the caerulian as a youngling was one of the happiest memories of his life. They’d been together every day since then, and that was all he needed.
Though he felt the biological urge to procreate as much as any alpha, the logical part of his brain knew that parenthood—beyond attending to Z, who mostly took care of himself—was not for him. He valued his freedom above all; the serenity of his solitary life calmed his ever-racing mind. It’s why he had avoided serious relationships for so long, knowing how deeply the reproductive imperative ran in the blood of his people.
A childfree alpha was a deal breaker for most Oslieths, and at some point, he had stopped trying. And now, he waslongpast his prime.
The orb on Zenith’s chest dimmed, making his disapproval known.
“You bring us to this wasteland, and for what? To spend all day outdoors? Innature. My fur has never been dirtier.”
Oh, the caerulian certainly could be dramatic. Apodis supposed he could understand some of Zenith’s trepidation. He had never known anything other than their tiny apartment, so the breeze and thedirt and the plants were new to him. Trees replaced skyscrapers, and stars replaced city lights, a big change for such a little creature.
They were new to Apodis too, to be honest, though he had transitioned easier than Zenith had, reveling in the lazy days spent foraging and cooking and mapping the stars to his heart’s content. What else could an Oslieth possibly need?
If a part of him felt like there was something missing, it was easy enough to ignore with the misty sunshine and the wildflowers and the great storms which rumbled the walls of his cabin.
“Your fur looks fine, Z,” he said with a smile, but Zenith just gave him a disconcerted huff.
“It is absolutelyuncivilizedout here. An alpha?—”
