Chapter IV: Hospitality

After a delightful luncheon of roasted venison, the two broke camp and began once again on their trek, the looming trees dancing in the swaying breeze. They took their time, climbing down small ledges and up on steep knolls. Then after four hours of marching, the two made it to a welcome sight of a sturdy, rustic cabin. It had the traditional log by log structure, stone chimney and metal roofing, perfect for the life of an outdoor’s man...or woman for that matter. It had close by a barn, a smokehouse, as such to supply their needs.
Night looked longingly, tiredly at its doors as she placed the meat into a meat locker in the barn and soon after headed toward the door of the cabin where Omega followed after. Inside were the sounds of a small metal fan that swiveled back and forth through what appeared to be the kitchen. The floors were of hardwood oak, the kitchen appliances however had a more modern design such as a dual door refrigerator, dish washer, and a glass top convection oven and cook stove. At the table watching TV was an elderly human male, balding with the exception for the graying sides, a middle age spread around his abdomen that protruded prominently showing that he was a man who lived off the fat of the land. He watched as he sat as the news broadcast televised an event. There were two correspondents, a human female with red hair and appeared to be fairly young, early thirties wearing a coat of decent fashion. Beside her was a male anthro cheetah in anchorman attire, he appeared to be at his prime with amber eyes and his sleek orange-and-black stripped tail swaying in a calm contentment. The female human anchor was leading in the report.
“...and it’s this year we’re remembering the Anthropomorphist march at Washington D.C. forty- five years ago today and as we can see the crowds are staggering as re-enactments of that march has been taking place. It takes place this time each year in remembrance to the segregation between humans and anthros. And if I’ve got this right, this year you’ve become a spokesman for this year, right Carson?”
The cheetah nodded and brought the microphone to his muzzle.
“That’s right, Carrol, I’ll be up at the podium this afternoon to recognize surviving members that will give their firsthand accounts on that day in time to bring back remeberance to our older viewers while educating our younger viewers on both our history and current issues of racism and it’s impact on both sides of the community. We’ll have more on that later on today and now Francis to the weather...”
The old man sat watching while smoking his cigarette when he noticed Night appearing into the corridor, along with a stranger, someone he’d never seen before.
“Well, good to see you made it back, ma’s fix’n up some pie. Did’ja catch anything? He asked when he happened to notice the strange creature behind her “Who’s the scrawny fella with ya?”
Night looked to him with flabbergasted embarrassment.
“Please papa, don’t call him that! This is my friend!”
A short, corpulent woman over by the stove turned to gaze up upon Night whom took her lovingly by her hands smiled warmly, reminiscent of a tender loving of a grandmother.
“Welcome back dear, and don’t worry about a thing, he’s in good hands here...” She turned to Omega and smiled at him with an endearing glance, giving him the impression of what having a grandmother would be like. “...we’ll put some meat on your bones, won’t we sweetheart?”
Omega said nothing but gave her a genuine looking smile of warmth and friendliness.
The man put out his cigarette and looked toward Omega whom opened his eyes to see his tail.
“Helen quick, get the fire extinguisher, damn boy’s pants are on fire!!”
The woman looked toward Omega whom with shock noticed and rushed toward the fire extinguisher.
“Wait, it’s not...” Omega tried to explain but was clearly ignored in the commotion to which Night swiftly got in-between her surrogate grandmother and grandfather and opened her wings to get their attention.
“What the hell are you doing girl?! Get out of the way, can’t you see that boy and the house is gonna burn?!” yelled the man
“That’s not fire...that’s his tail!” She retorted and spun the man around to show that Omega was not burning in the black flame and neither was anything else for that matter. She even went toward Omega and placed her hand into his flickering tail to show it was not burning. “See? It’s not fire.”
The two looked at Omega for a second and approached him as both curiously began to look Omega over to which Omega did not move, allowing them to get closer and study him. Both of which found him unlike anything they’d ever seen before.
“You sure know how to pick ‘em. What’s your name son?”

Omega looked at him and smiled.
“My name is Omega...and I am a...”
Night interrupted with a motion with a kill motion for him to not reveal his identity.
“...I’m an exchange student, a pleasure to meet you both.”
The two stood agape for a minute or two, trying to allow for their minds to grasp what their ears received.
“Oh, what parts?” asked the man.
“He’s from up north!” Night said abruptly.
“Yeah, where parts, you a Canadian, boy??” the old man asked.
“You could say that, yes I am.” Omega said trying to sound convincing, if north meant up, then that could be along the same gist more or less.
“Ah, and it’s a lovely place this time of year. What brought you over to our neck of the woods?” asked the woman named Helen.
Omega smiled and looked up at Night who looked down on her little spaceman.
“To visit an old friend...Night and I’ve known each other a long time ago, we go way back.” said Omega.
Night only smiled back as she ruffled the Lhi’aan’s hair teasingly to which he could only chuckle at her silly antics. The two humans looked at the two, noticing there was a connection.
“So the two of you...know each other?” asked Helen.
“Oh yes...” Replied Night who broke into a sad smile, reminiscing of that time in her life and how it changed because of Omega. “...I know you remember ten years ago when the beast was rampaging everything and then one day it suddenly stopped. As you know that was me, but what you don’t know...” she looked back to Omega. “...is that he was the one who stopped it...he saved me. He was the only one to ever help me. Not that I’m saying that you two haven’t helped, you’ve been so kind to me and I thank you, but he was the one that set me free from the Beast.
The two elderly humans only looked to her, not exactly understanding what happened.
“Let me clarify, you see, he has a major in advanced psychology and so after a series of treatments, he found a way to put the Beast into permanent remission. He stayed with me for about a month later and then he left, he had to return home. This was about two months before I found you two. And in that time, you may have noticed that when I went out sometimes at night to go hunting, I was really searching for him, especially on the anniversary he appeared to me. Well last night he came while I was hunting, oh and speaking of which I got the Phantom hide bounty so that was a bonus! But yeah, now that he’s here, he’ll be here to stay...”
Harold suddenly opened his eyes in excitement.
“Well if that ain’t the best news, say where’d ya put that old rascal?”
She didn’t answer, she was nervous when she realized that she’d been hasty in her assumption as she turned to Omega with a anxious, longing look, hoping he’d stay.
“...you will stay this time won’t you?”
Omega looked down in what could be his version of a sigh...
“You and I both know that can’t happen...this was just a visit.”
Utter disappointment filled her face...she knew it was too good to be true despite her strongest yearnings that he’d stay with her.
“But can’t you see that I need you more?! After ten years, after ten damn years I’ve waited and you’re just going to leave me again?! Do I have to wait ten more or should I just give up?!” She roared with tears gushing from her eyes.
“I’m so sorry, but I don’t belong here, you of all people know that...there’s nothing more I can really do...unless...”
Night sniffled and looked to him with grief. “Unless what?”
“Unless...”
Night looked to Omega, wondering what he was thinking and then with a gesture, Omega held out his hand to her.
“Night...come with me, travel with me, there are a lot of people out there who need help...just like you.”
Night looked to him for a moment, gingerly reaching toward his hand but then withdrew as she looked back at the Travers who stood silent, unable to grasp the commotion, and then looked back to Omega with hesitation.
“Omega...I...I-I don’t know, this is going too fast...I.”
Omega smiled at her and nodded. “I can wait another forty-eight hours, let you decide. I’ll stay here, in my ship. Please, talk it over, sleep on it, take your time, I’ll be ready for your answer.” Then abruptly he went out the door toward his ship to where he looked down on her grandparents who were silent, stunned and scared.
Harold looked at the door, then back to Night, indignant to the changes that were happening so fast.
“I have no idea what’s going on here but if there’s one thing I know, you ain’t going with some duded up doctor, ‘specially since you hardly even know the boy! For all you know, he’s probably some pervert who’ll take advantage of you?! Said papa.
“He’s not like that Papa, I know how he thinks...he’s not like that!”
“Harold please!” insisted Helen.
“Don’t be gett’n into this Helen, if little miss Know-It-All thinks he knows her so well, then speak for herself!” retorted the papa revealed to be Harold.
Night glances at them sheepishly as she clears her throat. “He’s more of the traditional sort, he won’t engage with a woman until marriage.
Harold looked at her in completely appalled in what she said.
“Yeah, and I bet he’s gonna ask you to marry him on the first chance he gets. He’s no good for ya. What you need a real man, someone who’ll provide for ya! Not some bookworm shrimp.”
“So you’re going to treat him like they did me, I’m old enough to choose my own path. You treat me as if I was just some orphan you felt you had to take responsibility of!” Shouted Night in tears.
“Now that’s not fair, you know that’s not true! I understand you, it’s why you wanna go with a punk like him is what I don’t get!” Harold replied snidely.
Night looked to Harold then to Helen.
“Because I’m tired of being looked at and told I’m a monster. I’m tired of the world looking at me like I’m going to change at any time. I only have a few friends here...but he’s offering me a clean slate where nobody will know me and nobody will judge me.” Night said at last revealing her true intent.

“Sweetheart, Look I’m sorry I yelled at ya, but I mean what few friends you have accept ya the way you are. I mean you have the folks back at the hunting association who really, truly care for ya eh? Now let’s try to look past all that. Besides, you never know, maybe the people are worse than they are here.” Said Harold holding her hand.

At that, Night sighed, right now everything was pilling onto her. She needed time to think, or perhaps to escape for a while to put her mind at ease with something familiar.
“I’ll think about it...I think I’ll go to the hunter’s association and teach a course...so that if I go, I can at least say goodbye.” She replied as she left for the door.

Harold looked to Helen.
“She’s right dear, we’ve been trying to protect her from the world but she’s not a little girl anymore. We can’t hold her here forever.” Soothed Helen as Harold sat back down.
“I know, we’re gett’n old, my heart isn’t in the best of shape for hunt’n like we used to, but she’s like a daughter to me...maybe I’ve been trying to replace Ben. He was our only child but I know she didn’t mean to hurt him. Maybe that’s why we took her in, to find some peace. Truth of the matter is, even with her and though I love her, I don’t think I’ve ever really let him go. I guess if I want to let go, I have to let her go too.” Harold said trying to fight back the tears, the memories hurting him all the more in his old age.
Helen sat beside her husband, not saying a word, but held his hand, hoping that when she returned, she’d have made her decision, whatever it may be.
______________________________________________________________________________
Night continued down the pathway, at first thinking of the rigorous twenty miles it would be to Omega’s ship when upon a clearing there it happened, obviously Omega had moved the ship closer. The ship itself was basically a long tube with a domed cockpit viewport with an under section attached with a hatchway that lead into the living quarters below. On the tube was connected two module pods each on one side that were each comprised of an engine, two turrets and a heavy sheet blaster connected by a girder housing which held the modules in place. The lower hatchway was open to which Night stepped in for the first time. Inside she was astounded by the sheer size of the interior. On the outside it looked small but inside it appeared twice as voluminous. It had a table with stools attached to the floor, a cook stove of some kind, storage for supplies (most likely food), a bathroom to which most likely was never used because as Omega emphasized on their differing anatomies, he probably utilized everything he ate and leaving no waste. To the left laid a twin bunk. In the back was a ladder leading to the cockpit to which the hatch was open as she climbed up to see Omega working on something. The cockpit curiously appeared to be the size it appeared on the outside which struck her as odd since the under section from the outside wasn’t no wider from outside. The cockpit had a pilot’s seat and two chairs side by side facing the side viewports to where there was what appeared to be a computer, perhaps a targeting computer because outside she saw in the upper and lower viewports the turrets that was on the pods outside. As she sat down to which Omega looked behind him as if he noticed. She of course knew that he had been aware of her presence for some time now and was only appearing to be busy.

“Ah Night, welcome aboard The Mirage. I’m sure you’ve noticed the living quarters are surprisingly roomy. It’s a thing of beauty, Lhi’aan technology, we can expand dimensional reality, allowing us to expand space where otherwise small area. Without it, well it’d be about like walking into a broom closet, but I digress. I won’t assume that your being here means you’ve made a decision yet.”
Night cleared her throat after gathering her bearings. “Uh...no...not yet. I’m still thinking on it. I decided I’d go by the Hunting association and teach a hunting session, it’s something I do this time of the week and I wondered if you’d like to tag along.”
Omega got up and shrugged. “Well since you offered, then yes why not. This’ll give me a chance to observe your everyday life. Should be interesting.” He said as he lead her toward the hatch where upon she stopped and looked at him face to face smiling in mischievous excitement.
“Oh you won’t be watching, we need someone to practice with, and I need a volunteer to be prey.” she whispered with that face she made when he first saw her.
Omega smiled nervously. “Well...that sounds...interesting.” said Omega followed with a nervous chuckle.
To which she smiled and turning slowly as she climbed down the ladder. Soon after Omega started to climb down until suddenly he was startled as he felt a strong grip on his leg as and forcefully pulled down and onto the metal floor as her wings opened engulfing everything in shadow as she had him clutched powerfully in one paw as she lowered her face toward him, growling with a smile on her face as her hot breath and dripping saliva gusted from her toothy leer onto his face as her face lowered right to his and then wickedly licked his face slowly with her long tongue, almost in an assertive, claiming influence, marking him as her property, then suddenly shake her head as though something she’d awaken from something.
“Night, what are you doing?!” Omega said as he wiped his face off.
Night looked as though she were confused and then somewhat annoyed.
“Hey, if you think you’re trying to get cute, you’re sadly mistaken.”
Omega seemed at a loss for words, after all she was the one acting strange but didn’t want to refute it.
“Anyway if you’ll follow me, we should be there in about thirty minutes. Try to keep up!!” she said which Omega gulped, wondering what this woman would do with him next.