#conservationverse

The air was charged with the collected excitement of everyone, and the entire staff of the factory were near silent as they all waited, doing their jobs as required, but none wanting to be there anymore. In all honesty, today was one of the two easiest days in the factory, merely because the vast majority of the machines had been shut down in anticipation of the week of the summer solstice.

Some off-worlders would be brought in to do maintenance in their absence while the staff enjoyed a week of state mandated down time.

"Three... Two... One..." Fince mumbled to herself until a high-pitched klaxon wailed across the factory. It was echoed by other alarms and other klaxons in neighbouring manufacturers and workhouses. What followed was a collective roar that came from the throats of every taurian in the continent all bellowing in excitement over the beginning of the summer solstice. Fince bellowed her own lowing into the chorus, one of many, and many as one.

A week of merriment and partying had begun and no one wanted to be in the factory a second longer!

Fince had deliberately left any belongings she normally brought at home today, as she had no intention of making the journey to the locker rooms before leaving. She joined the throng of thousands of fellow taurians as they raced toward the metro, which would race them into the city proper.

Once more, Fince was glad to not have to go and shower first. She might not be at her finest, but being a camera monitor to watch for dangers meant she was not sweaty or covered in any foul smelling particles like some.

The metro was crammed, but thanks to her forward planning, she'd got there as part of the initial wave and secured a spot on the tram before the crush. Granted by the time the doors closed she was pressed up against the glass of the far side, cheek and chest pressed up as the crush of bodies forced themselves on as tight as possible. There was no such thing as 'personal space' this evening.

A few minutes of high-speed rail and the pressure eased as the crowd disembarked, all of the workers whooping and cheering onto the platform, matched by those already there, already drunk and cheering with them.

The capital city, Cherinbelt, was a typical taurian city and had many advertisements and bright lights, but tonight the adverts were removed and were replaced with messages from their leaders, congratulating the workers on their efforts and declaring a city-wide party had commenced.

The hologram emitters created small ribbons of tape to fall from the sky, landing into the crowds below. Fince reached up and admired how her hand blocked the light, the tape seemingly melting into the leather pads of her hands.

A trio of male voices called out with compliments and teasing words. The crowd of women looked to the side where a series of three males were shouting that the bar they were standing above had just opened before throwing out large circular loops of sewn flowers that looped and hooked on and around the various crowd's horns. Each of the males had a different coloured flower making up their ring of flowers, one being blue, one being red and the final being yellow.

Those who had the male's flowers land on their horn were grabbed by the surrounding crowd and forcefully dragged toward the bar where the female who had received a ring of flowers could exchange them for a drink as tradition demanded. Fince grinned at the whole show, until a ring of yellow flowers landed on her own still growing horns and large, strong hands grabbed the front of her work overalls and began roughly dragging her back towards the bar while the male with yellow flowers briefly gave him a wink, and lifted her head sash for a split second, stunning Fince into submission.

The original tradition was that males who wished to express their interest in a partner would gift the female with a crown of flowers, signalling to others that the female was being courted without the need for the male to say anything that might bring their honour into question. Granted, over time, the various businesses perverted the meaning behind the crowns where in the modern era, the crowns were merely a desire item because they smelt of a male's scent and they could be exchanged at the bar where they would be broken and binned by the tenders so the crown could not be used twice.

For one of the first times in her life, Fince became a minor celebrity at the bar, as one of the very few to receive a crown, the punters each asked her for the crown or offered her something in exchange. Not willing to give away such an item, she exchanged it at the bar and was handed a large flagon of something blue and frothy.

The jostling and body shoving at the bar meant Fince spilt a portion of her drink so moving away she down half of it so the rambunctious crowd wouldn't waste her very first solstice drink.

She stepped from the bar and to the side where the sea of taurians marching back and forth would not crash into her and she could enjoy her drink properly.

Fince was a young taurian. She readily admitted she was lucky in life. She had a good job, had her health and had strong horns, albeit they were still growing. She'd marked herself with semi-permanent ink at the very base of one of her horns and over the course of the last month, a sliver of new horn had moved the ink along the length, leaving a gap between the mark and her scalp.

The concept that she still had some mass left to grow out pleased her, as she wasn't much more or less than the average and these days horns were all that mattered to most. Just because she had read up on the old ways and knew what 'proper' etiquette was, did not mean she was more desirable anymore. At one point in the past, a female with an understanding of male etiquette would have made her more desirable as a suitor than those without.

Sighing at the loss of something she couldn't describe, Fince downed her drink and put the glass on the floor, pressed against the wall before rejoining the throng of people.

It was the same on every Taurian planet and station. Twice a year, on the week of both the winter and summer solstice, it was a planet and station-wide party where both males and females removed their social taboos and put them to the side. It was the two times a year where every male would pair up with at least one other taurian and become one.

In the modern era it was a competition of the women to bed a male and prove they were 'real' women, desirable by men. Anyone who didn't lose their virginity on their first solstice was considered a lesser woman.

Still, trying to chat up a male in one of these bars was going to be impossible. Ignoring the males automatically were granted access to the VIP sections where they had the pick of the crowd, Fince just simply didn't stand out enough.

But she knew something the vast majority didn't.

The town hall was a governmental building which had a selection of rides and stalls outside. Fince ignored it for the most part, realistically it was just a large pop-up entertainment zone for those too young for the city proper while their parents enjoyed themselves. It wasn't somewhere to find a suitor.

Fince marched up the wide marble steps that led to the grand hall and quietly stepped inside. Classic music played and soothed Fince's ringing ears from the deafening noise of the city outside. As she closed the door behind her however, all that remained was the music, that and the dancers.

In the centre of the hall were a series of dancers, a male and a female, dancing in unison as they spun and twirled around one another. The females led and the males followed.

Fince's heart sank to her hooves. They had already begun and the few males that were here had already picked their partners. Their fine gowns and hidden faces were immaculate, not to mention the females wore resplendent finery that made Fince's work clothes appear as if she were a mere janitor.

The sigh that shook her was felt from her horns to the tip of her tail. It was her fault; she went into the bar and lost time when she should have run here.

"It's most impressive, isn't it." Mused a quiet voice to her left. Fince flinched and looked down, seeing a covered male in a full-length gown, matching gloves and a wide brimmed hard, with a veil that hung down as if weighed.

"Sir, apologies for my lack of manners. You are right, they do look wonderful." Fince replied, quickly bowing at the hip in a perfectly practiced formal bow. The covered figure plucked the dress on either side and curtsied. If Fince wanted to commit a grand social faux pas, she might point out that the curtsy was sloppy, instead she chose to revel in the fact she was talking to a male who hadn't been taken yet!

"I must admit, I'm not... versed in the various steps of the dance. When that became known I was passed over." Admitted the male, his voice odd but lovely to listen to.

"Well... back when the tradition began, there was no dance and while the various great composers and performers named the music and mapped the common steps, the original reason for the dance was to see if a pair were compatible."

"Oh? How so? I know frightfully little about the history of it all."

"That's quite common these days, but it was a, um, special interest of mine." Admitted Fince, regretting it immediately. She was meant to be describing her greatest achievements to the male, proving she was strong and fit. Picking a fight with someone and locking horns to prove her worth.

Yet... the conversation... felt... nice?

"Please go on, I'm genuinely interested, but shall we get a drink while you explain?" Asked the male lightly. Fince's head swam but she nodded and extended the crook of her elbow, which the veiled male grasped lightly and allowed himself to be led by her. She felt lightheaded, what a wonder?! What a dream!

The male's silk gloves brushed against the flesh of Fine's hands, it was real silk. *Real* silk. Was this male a noble? Some hidden gem, not taking part in the finer dances that were held in the high spires?

"So, originally, two suitors would dance together and see if they worked well together. Accidently striking each other in the shin, for example..." A lyrical laugh from beneath the opaque veil.

"Would be undesirable I would guess!"

Fince grinned stupidly at the male's laugh before remembering herself and asking the barman for two drinks, wincing at the price. Still, one sip confirmed it was real alcohol, not the synthahol of the city bars. The male merely stirred his, not revealing his face to drink just yet.

"So what if I didn't have a coordinated bone in my body?" Asked the veil.

"According to tradition, you would find an equally uncoordinated woman that would match your style. Or one that could compensate for you, but I doubt that sir, I have to be a gentlewoman and correct your besmirching of your honour."

The male tilted his head, the hat tilting at an angle before the shoulders beneath the dress sagged.

"I will come clean to you as you are too kind for me to take advantage and steal your attention away. I am not what I seem." Admitted the male, Fince's heart sinking once more. The male's hand came up, sweeping half of the veil from the male's face, revealing; a flat, furless face, peeking out from beneath the traditional male dress.

"You're a human?!" Spluttered Fince before wincing and lowering his voice. It was only a second later before noting the sash, covering the human's forehead, despite the known lack of human horns.

"I wanted to experience your culture. I begged my guardian to let me experience it and here I am. No one else knows who or what I am and with this being where the 'traditional' taurians court one another, I'm as safe as I can be. If not ignored by those who don't want to dance with a lead foot." Explained the human, bringing up his drink and daintily sipping from him and pulling a face as the strong drink burnt a line down his throat.

Fince was stunned, but... she liked... how he looked. It was odd; he was nothing like a male of her kind and yet... all too similar.

"I wouldn't mind... showing you the dance, if you like?"

"They've already begun I'm afraid."

"The dance isn't traditionally done in a line like they're doing it. It's meant to be done anywhere. A forest. A storeroom. A bedroom. Anywhere two potential l-lovers might want to see if they would be... compatible."

A pause before the now once again veiled human put his drink onto a window ledge.

"How do we dance?" He demanded in a calm, soothing tone. Fince put her drink next to his and stepped in front of the male and held up her hand, palm vertical.

"First, we press our hands together."

"Like this?"

"Yeah, then... I step to your side... and you step to mine... good, now... we listen to the music and guess."

A few minutes later and Fince acted without thought, taking the secret human's hand, and spinning him in a twirl before he 'fell' into the waiting arm of Fince who caught her partner as the music faltered and fell away. The two were breathing heavily, the veiling having fallen away, with the human staring fiercely up at the equally excited taurian.

A few metres away, the bartender glanced at the other male who was watching the pair with interest.

"So, you're meant to protect him?"

"Yes." Replied the guardian taurian, an older male who had already done this 'song and dance'.

"Shouldn't you be protecting him? His honour?"

"Oh, get that broom out of your rear. The young man needs a good lady and I don't think an army of myself could stop that woman now." The guardian lifted the drink they'd been nursing and cheered the unknowing couple. "Here's to the new couple. This ought to make my job more entertaining."

She glanced down at herself, tilting her head to cast a critical eye over the smartest shirt she now owned. She'd never used an iron before, but the real, naturally grown material she now wore marked her as someone of at least some note and required it to be crease free. It had cost her the vast majority of her last pay packet, but even she, a luddite in the ways of finery, felt like she belonged while wearing it.

At least a little bit.

She was here because supposedly, a human lived in one of the buildings that overlooked the square Fince was now standing in the very centre of. There was at least one human on this planet that Fince knew for certain and with the rarity that was humanity, the idea that another human might be here was simply too far-fetched.

The taurian looked for the blue outfit the human had worn the night before, the distinctive wide brimmed hat that had concealed his face. At the memory of the human's face, Fince's heart stuttered, and her breath became shaky. Would he wear the same thing? It looked expensive, so he might not be able to afford...? No. As a human, money would be easy for him to get a hold of, he wouldn't be in the same outfit. Don't be stupid. 

Her shoulders heaved as she sighed in frustration. Why was she so obsessed?

Last night, the opening night of the solstice, had been incredible, but when the ending bells rang out for the first night, the human male's protector had materialised, given Fince a strange look and whisked him away, out of each other's arms and around a corner. 'The look' hadn't been disapproving, the elder male hadn't given her a dismissive snort, nor had the elder lifted his snout to indicate Fince was not worthy...

But...

What did a steady gaze mean? He neither ignored, nor shunned her? The loudest part of her mind gave any number of excuses while a tiny voice suggested it meant something positive. The taurian had resolved to ask her brother, next time he called. He knew all about the subtle things in high society unlike her. 

She and the alien male had danced well into the night and even she had to admit that they had danced so well together. The solstice dances had 'official' steps nowadays, yet when the pair had simply let their bodies move, away from the dance floor near the refreshments… oh how they had flowed.

Fince wasn't a poet, or anything fancy like that, but there was no other word to describe it. The human had surprised her with his own moves, made by an alien world far from here, and yet? Fince had reacted with her own movements, merely reacting, not thinking. It was as if the human had blown away cobwebs and smoke that cluttered Fince's mind and they had just... clicked.

Now though? Like an addict waiting for her next fix, Fince was left desperate to just see him once more. That's all she wanted, to see him. By her mother's horns, why was she so itchy!?

The horned taurian ran a smoothing hand along the length of her face, over the top of her head and scratched an itch at the back of her skull, before realising her mistake and quickly rubbing the fur across her muzzle back down flat. Worrying that she had messed up her appearance, her hooves 'clopped' against the marble tiles of the square as she raced towards the reflecting pond to review how she'd messed up her hair style.

She'd spent at least an hour going over every inch of her fur to try and get it as best she could so if she ran into him again, she'd look a sight better than work overalls. She'd even approached one of the male taurians who lived in the same complex to ask for help. At first, he'd quite rightly assumed she was there to ask after him, but had immediately perked up when Fince had explained she wanted tips on how to impress a man.

The rippling reflection looked back up at Fince, the waters mutating her into something any male would be embarrassed to stand beside. She closed her eyes, turned around and sat on the concrete bench that ringed the pond. Opening them, she looked again at the various visitors.

A well-dressed couple walked by, a resplendent male with his face exposed. Not who Fince was looking for, dismissing the objectively handsome male in an instant. A group of three taurians, all facing away, distance made them possibly short enough but horns were visible. Certainly not. Next, a veiled figure in pink satin drew Fince's eye, before she saw a hoof beneath the dress as the male ascended the nearby stairs and lifted the material to prevent him from stepping on the hem.

Curse it!

Fince felt a wave of defeat wash over her. This was foolish. It was the action of a young girl, besotted with the first male she encountered. With a self-admonishing snort, she accused herself that she was about one mental step away from declaring she would marry him as the young often did before they discovered their place in the world. Her shoulders slouched as her place in the world was once more settled across her back like a lead cloak and reminded her of what came from dreaming too big.

There was no reason Fince thought the human would be here today. To be in the same park this morning, after a late night of dancing. Males were more delicate than them, they needed more time to recover. Maybe she should stay here until the evening, so in case he appeared throughout the day and-

No!

She snorted again, balling her fists. This was madness! She didn't even know his name and he never learnt hers, so why would he even remember her? There was nothing other than one mumbled rumour the human even lived nearby! To say he was even within a physical mile of where she was sat was at best a wild guess. He could be busy, he could be-

"May I sit down?" Asked a gentle voice, if not slightly out of breath, the clicking of their approaching hooves on marble ensured Fince this newcomer was too, not who she wished to see.

"Oh course, please excuse me." Fince replied, standing with a flinch and starting a bow at the shrouded individual.

"Oh please don't leave, do you know how hard it is to run in heels? Now *that's* something I never thought I'd say." Came the voice of the concealed taurian, small discs of silver catching the light and flashing Fince. The taurian looked up at the voice, frozen in a half-bow as the speaker gripped his dress, and displayed an intricately woven shoe that raised the wearer up on a single column, mimicking a taurian hoof, despite the alien foot held within the footwear.

No taurian would lift his skirt to a random stranger...

Fince pulled a muscle in her neck with the sheer speed and force of her looking up at the still concealed face. The gloved hand that reached up, delicately pulled the material to one side and the human's grinning face was revealed for her and her alone. He gave her a wink that immediately caused the inside of her ears to burn a deep, deep red as the material was let drop back down, the tiny disks tinkling as it concealed the human's face once more.

"Would you sit with me please? I've been reading etiquette books all morning and apparently a male sat alone is a male with undefended honour. Would you defend me for a bit?" Asked the man, who sat on the concrete bench before gently patting the space directly beside him.

Speechless, Fince sat as requested, giving the male respectful space, yet the human immediately shuffled closer, breaching an unknown number of protocols and social rules.

"I spent all morning watching the people tidy up after last night out here." Explained the male as if discussing the weather. "A few hours later, I look up from a stuffy tomb about which leg of a krad to eat first during a meal and who do I see in my tiny world?" He asked, the hidden face turning to peer at Fince. Even hidden, she could feel his eyes watching hers, freezing her in place.

She wanted this! She'd have given her left horn to have sat down and talked with him. Ask him a hundred questions and tell him everything he made her feel just by being there.

Yet, now he was there, like a dream or fevered hallucination? Her throat had become dry, and she felt a stutter on her lips, waiting for her to speak so it could make a fool of her. She pulled her lips tight and cleared her throat.

"Uh, who?" She asked, voice strained. The veiled male gently bumped her arm and gave a warm, bubbling laugh that felt like wriggling, clawless fingers in her stomach.

"You! I'd recognise your horns anywhere. I still struggle with faces, but the horns help massively."

Fince raised a fist to her mouth and quietly coughed into it. It was all she could do to stop herself from practically leaping off the bench and bellowing to the sparse crowds that the human male recognised *her*, he recognised *her* by ***her horns***!! She wanted to punch the air, but instead settled for quietly vibrating, not to mention trying and failing to keep the massive grin off her features.

Fince turned back and addressed the veil directly.

"M-my horns?" Fince blinked, noticing the sunlight hitting the bench behind the male, revealing the human's features beneath if she focused. A gloved hand gestured to Fince's forehead.

"Yeah, the little white tips and you've got three ridges on your left... my left, while two on the other. Everyone else just all look the same." Shrugged the male, a very female movement as he turned away and seemingly gazed out at the other visitors. Fince was still reeling from being told her lopsided horns were desirable, or at least a boon rather than a hindrance?!

"I have to admit, I'm glad I saw you. I needed a break." He admitted his voice dropping into a relaxed, husky murmur, physically relaxing as Fince followed his gaze across the square.

Did the day feel... brighter? It was as if her brother had taken up his old paintbrush and had dropped more watercolour into the world all of a sudden. Fince let out a pent up breath in one steady stream, the tension in her shoulders bleeding away before she turned back to him, finding her voice once more.

"But why? I would have thought a human such as yourself would have whatever entertainment they desired?" She asked, considering that should a human ask of the government, the taurian government would immediately agree to almost anything. Everyone knew whoever could seduce a human into their territory gained more political powers and bolstered their own borders. What madwoman would attack a border world with a human on the planet? The battlefield of public opinion would be lost in an instant.

"Well... You're half right. Problem was I mentioned I wanted to see the taurian culture properly. I'm from a bit of a mixed family and my parents always wanted me to know what my history was. Personally, I've always found culture shocks to be quite interesting, but whenever you ask any of the other races about taurians, they just say you 'don't have a culture' or you 'sold it'." Explained the young man, briefly touching Fince's arm with the side of his own.

"I can't say they're wrong." Fince admitted, thinking back to the rings of flowers from the night before. What used to be a male empowerment tradition, allowing them to make the first move, was now perverted into a commercial action to drag punters into a bar with the plan on blinding them with males and booze. She was lucky to know more of tradition than most thanks to her family paying for her brother to go to etiquette school. She'd always listened with rapt attention when he periodically returned and relayed the information. Each time he came back, he held himself in a new way, refining who he was until it was as if he was a totally different person.

"But you're steeped in culture." The human pointed out, dragging Fince back to the present. "These shoes? I asked the master about them; it started when taurians hadn't even left their original planet yet. That was like... two thousand years ago. There are entire libraries of instructions for a male to handle and react to literally every conceivable situation." Again, it was true, depending on the part of society a male taurian wanted to be part of, they stayed in education until they were masters of their craft.

The few that completed all there was to know were creatures beyond a mere taurian. They could dance, sing, and act. They could engage in sword play, were fine marksmen and knew taurian histories to the point that certain generals were known to keep companion males who they could discuss active warzone strategy with.

But how does one explain that politely?

"Men, such as yourself, are... important. We may have forgotten the importance of certain traditions of the past, but we should support or males to better themselves." Fince explained concisely. A gloved hand came up to point at Fince, a rude gesture, but the taurian merely enjoyed the relaxed nature of the movement. It occurred to her that he wore gloves and the ancient boots to hide his nature as a human, a negative no doubt in the circles he was about to submerge himself in.

"But that right there, that's culture. Granted, I haven't quite got the hang of it yet. My guardian has said this morning that he's 'fast tracking' my training thanks to something that's popped up."

"Like what?"

"That, I don't know. He's being coy about it. But these dangly things..." The head jiggled, jingling the tiny disks. "...aren't meant to touch when I move. I've been told that if they make a noise, it is a 'failure against my dignity as males should be able to choose to be seen or heard'." Quoted the human, his mischievous grin barely visible beneath the material of his veil.

"At least your parents will be proud you have made it into an etiquette school? Not everyone who applies gets a place?"

"Ah, I'd like to think they'd be proud, but they didn't make it. I was at school when-"

"There you are." Came a new voice, interrupting the young man.

The pair of them looked up at the newcomer. The unveiled face of the older male from the night before approaching. As he moved, the dress that surrounded him didn't so much as ripple or react, not even as he ascended the stairs. It was as if the taurian floated along the ground on some unseen platform.

He too, wore a wide brimmed hat, but the concealing material was absent, although the tiny golden disks on strings hung there, unmoving and not making a sound as the male approached.

"Master Lesinro, as fate would have it, I ran into our friend from last night. A pleasant coincidence, wouldn't you say?" The young male explained, seemingly forgetting that he had apparently run to catch Fince before she left.

She decided to keep this to herself for the time being.

"Mm, fate, how queer." Replied Master Lesinro as he turned his head like a turret and focused on Fince, who immediately stood and bowed deeply until her back was almost horizontal.

"Sir." Fince began, but whatever words she was about to speak were lost.

"Do not bow so deeply, you are submitting too much, and you would then need to claw that back in certain circles. Respect stops at forty-five degrees, and grovelling begins afterwards." Toned the male with a teacher's voice that had Vince back in school in an instant. She straightened, then adjusted, following the instructions as best she could.

"Good. If 'fate'..." The teacher mocked. "Is so intent on you two mysteriously bumping into one another, I feel it would be best not to undersell yourself. As for you, you've had your rest, time for a test, I believe a tea setting might be in order."

"But it's so lovely out, wouldn't it be nice to have lunch-"

"Tomorrow, yes. You may have your lunch out here, but for now we work. Come along." Demanded the aged teacher and guardian. Wait... Lunch? Tomorrow? The human was going to be here tomorrow Fince realised with excitement!

Stunned into silence, Fince watched the pair turn away before a question bubbled to the front of her befuddled mind.

"W-whats your name?" Fince called, breaching any number of manners or social ques and for a taurian would demand they ignore the madwoman bawling in the centre of town.

The veiled human however turned to look over his shoulder and the cloth mask replied.

"Beau! Beau Chen!" Called the humans voice once more. He was immediately righted by the elder, a strong looking arm, at least for a male, looping into the crook of Beau's arm and dragging him forward.

Fince stood here, watching them leave until the crowds swallowed them both.

Now the humans were seemingly desperate to get killed as the predator was a gigantic beast, the human barely came up to the top of its leg, its shoulders and back were only just reachable to the shorter human and even to the avian Guelex,  they barely reached its head. The poor avian was currently displaying his stress via extending his plumage to its maximum.

“He’s fine, see; he likes me!” The human shouted back, turning her head towards Faa breifly. The giant predator continued to lick and slather over the human’s ear instead of her face directly.

“It. Is. Tasting. You!!” He tried to penetrate the human’s exceptionally thick skull, but to no avail. The human turned back, reengaging her scratches to the sides of the monster’s face while using a strange voice, one reminiscent of the way one would speak to a young hatchling.

“Oooh, you’re just a big ‘ol space puppy aren’t you? Who’s a big space puppy? Who's a big scary six legged space puppy!?”

The creature collapsed to the ground and rolled onto its back partially, the human, not using this opportunity to flee, instead moved to rake her hands through the fluff that made up the creature’s belly. The set of hind legs began to kick in time to her attention.

Faa felt like he was going to moult at this rate.

“Human Abigail?!” Faa no longer cared for the Human Abigail who had the good sense not to climb on top of the predators. Human Max however, had appeared behind where Human Abigail was currently face deep into the belly of the beast, riding atop a different member of the behemoth’s pack.

“It’s like riding a horse! Only not really and completely different!” Human Max shouted from its back, his legs and stomach were completely obscured by the deep pelt of the creature. He reached down to scratch behind a massive ear, causing the creature to tilt its head and take several sideway steps in that direction.

“See! They’re good boys! It’s been years since I rode!”

“They- They’re not ‘good boys’! They’re dangerous!”

A large branch came flying from behind an ancient tree that had been growing on the ice planet for centuries. Moments later two more of the creatures came bursting from the undergrowth before growling and pulling at either end of the tree branch, fighting amongst themselves. Human Sarah appeared, pushing through the snow that reached her chest.

“Guys, they know ‘fetch’!”

“Awesome!” “Cool!” The group shouted.

Faa simply put a taloned hand on his face and shook his head. If Faa got eaten because of these Apes, he’s going to have words with the God of Challenges. 

This wasn’t fair.

“Faa, look, we can make it all the way back to the ship before nightfall if we take the Good Boys.”

Faa opened one eye at Human Abigail without removing his hand, Human Abigail was currently laying against the creature’s stomach on her back. She looked cosy and warm, ignoring the giant megafauna that was her ‘bed’.

“By riding them?”

“By riding them. We’ll have to give them treats though...”

The creature she was laying against, flinched, and sent her stumbling. It brought its muzzle all the way round towards Human Abigail and began to press it into her at different locations while the giant bellows of its lungs worked to sniff at her vigorously. The others that were in ear shot also took notice, as if understanding her meaning, if not her words. Human Abigail had the good sense to back up from the trio of predators that approached a few steps before falling over backwards into the snow bank.

Faa looked on in horror as he assumed the creatures began to eat Human Abigail, he didn’t even want to say ‘I told you so’, but before he could shout, run or even grumble, Human Abigail’s laughter broke out from below the muzzles that were pressing him into the snow.

“Stop it! Argh! I don’t have any on me ya daft things! Stop licking me! Let's go back and you can come with us! Pleh! Urgh! It got in my mouth! No!”

No, that was a lie he realised.

Many years before, an older lady once stopped him to compliment him on a jovial Christmas jumper he'd worn. She said she liked it and that he was handsome in it too. He vividly remembered having a great day that day, despite having to deal with a queue of irate customers throughout the afternoon.

That compliment had kept the man sated for years!

As a man, Paul had never really understood the frustrations of women when they bemoaned the fact that they received compliments and manners from random strangers every day. The man would always hasten to add that he understood them from a logical point of view, but there was always a part of him that had wanted a taste of that life for a while.

Sure, maybe getting them every day might have gotten old, but after over a decade of surviving off one compliment? The man didn't *understand* the frustration. The isolation had to be worse right?

That was until the Earth was destroyed and Paul ended up like a few of his fellow humans, lost amongst the stars as a human, alone in the void.

At first, Paul thrived. He'd lived alone for seven years and with his friends moving away, getting families, or just losing touch; there had been times in his life where he'd gone whole weeks without saying a single word out loud.

After that initial period of learning the ropes, figuring out where he could get a job, food, even the stuff that wasn't quite 'legal' like a drink, Paul settled into what he expected would be a quiet life.

Only, every time he spent time out in public, like when he went to sit in the tiny bar that would serve him under the counter, it wasn't that quiet.

"I just love your fur; can I touch it?" Asked the bull-like alien as they had already begun reaching out and touching thick leather pads to the crop of hair atop Paul's head. The man shoved the alien's wrist away from him.

"No, thank you." He grunted, still hunched at the bar, uncomfortable about the two aliens that stood either side of him. Both were, alien, they had the heads of bulls but bodies that he would have given his left arm for back home. But regardless of their physical attraction, this was week three of not being able to have a single moment's peace outside of his own quarters.

"Oh come on, I read you love it when someone pets you?" Smarmed the second, quoting some bullshit, pardon the pun, text that Paul himself had read. Apparently, a few of the survivors had let slip that they were touch starved, so now every alien and their mother was quoting this as if gospel.

If Paul ever got his hands on the moron that uttered those...

"Not all humans are the same." He growled back, gripping his drink.

"Well, what if I showed you a gun? You like guns, right?" Offered the first taurian, briefly turning their hip and displaying a holster.

"I repeat, not all humans are the same." Paul was British, he thought guns were a tool and nothing more. No more exciting than a pen or a pair of expensive scissors. More than a handful of Americans made it out and had made a huge scene when they found out guns were illegal to humans. Yet more misinformation chumming the water.

"Aww come on, we're just being friendly. It's okay! I also read that your society said you had to be prudes; it's not true, you can relax." The alien explained as if she wasn't taking a big dump on the entire human civilisation and its history.

Paul sneered at the fact that he mildly agreed. The odd concepts that were considered fact back home were outright frowned on up here. With all the fur and lack of breasts on those without; clothes were almost optional by those not actively working. Granted Paul wasn't a nudist and didn't have the body to want to flaunt it, but it was a breath of fresh air to not be so gummed down with social rules.

"I was relaxed," Paul sniped, but the jab went well over the two female taurian's horns. "I just want a quiet drink." He reiterated, breathing deep and remaining calm. The sluggat barkeep watched him carefully, his eye stalks watching the taurians and the human independently. He was hanging around by the bar's emergency distress button.

"We can drink with you." Offered one of them, Paul didn't even bother looking now, instead attempting to drill a hole in the opposite wall with his eyes.

"I don't want company." He explained clearly.

"Why not?" They prodded.

"Because I said so."

"That ain't a real answer, just let us-"

"Can you actually fuck off?!" Paul snapped, turning his body to the last one to speak. "I don't want company, I don't want a drink from you, I want to be left alone!"

"Alright, fuck us, right? We were being nice and now you're acting like we're attacking you. We're the nice ones, but I guess you'll only learn that when you meet the other kind."

Paul just rolled his eyes as the pair stepped away from the bar and, as one walked past, clipped the leg of the stool Paul was sat on, jangling his already on edge nerves.

They grunted something as they passed that the translators flagged as an insult.

Paul rubbed a hand over his face as he sighed and tried to relax. The sluggat slithered over and asked if he was all right.

"Yeah, I'm... I'm fine." The man replied absently, using a thumb to wick the moisture off the side of his glass.

A drought, versus a flood.

That was how Paul now considered the perspective from before. How he would explain the difference of perspectives to a younger self.

How could the drowning woman understand the dying man in the desert?

It was great to be the centre of attention for a week or two, but the way they got handsy? If he didn't actively stop them, and make it clear he wasn't 'playing hard to get' that they'd start groping him?  The way they didn't give him space or even listen when he said 'no'?

Even when they were weird... and smelt bad... Not all the creatures up here were attractive.

"Fuck." The man drew the word out with a breath he only realised was shaking as his voice shuddered. With a guilty grimace, the man reached into his pocket and retrieved the data slate. He scrolled through the minimal contacts and selected his guardian.

It rang once before being answered by a near frantic voice that was obviously being kept neutral.

"Paul?"

"Hey Shu'ba. I fucked up... Can you... Can you come get me please?" The man asked humbly.

"Is everything alright?!"

"It's fine, nothing's happened, but I'd feel safer if you were near."

"I got your location, I'm two minutes away."

"Thanks, Shu'ba."

"Don't think anything of it."

"I'm sorry."

The voice of the ssypno sighed through the speaker.

"I get it's hard to have a babysitter, but we're here for a reason. It's okay, I'm almost there."

Paul stayed on the line, even though he and the sluggat were the only patrons of the bar, but when the neon green scales of his guardian slithered into the room, a wave of relief washed over him.

Perhaps it was time to stop giving the serpent the slip?

[r/WolvensStories]