Cuddlefish - 10. 10

An English Setter padded along the stiff, partially wet sand in an almost regal manner as he approached the hooded Sepida on the beach. His fur was mostly white with brown spots that ran down the upper part of his body. The patterns nearly looked like freckles along his face when the Setter looked straight ahead. His left ear was completely brown, and his eyes were a golden brown that was a shade lighter than the brown on his fur.

Louie was strong. He was a protector. Zane adopted Louie, then Little Salty Pup. Salty Pup was nice to lick because he was, well, salty. Yum. Louie had to hold himself back from giving the little one tongue baths. Louie would steal licks whenever he could, though, now that Little Salty Pup didn't make scared noises every time Louie stole a taste. Salty Pup was scared of everything. He knew Little Salty Pup wasn't really a pup, just a runt. Not like Zane. Zane was a big strong leader. Salty Pup was little and obviously much, much smaller than Louie. Louie was big and strong like his leader. Even though Salty Pup wasn't a pup, Louie was careful of him like one. Zane was careful, too, but definitely didn't treat Pup like a pup.

Salty Pup had definitely reached maturity and seemed to always be in heat.

Poor thing.

Louie heard Salty Pup's mating calls regularly. He peeked in sometimes to make sure Zane and Salty Pup were okay and would end up simply cocking his head to the side and staring in confusion. They would never be able to make puppies doing it like that.

Maybe Salty Pup was a young adult and would learn how to do it eventually? Louie had tried to demonstrate to Salty Pup how it was done one day with Louie's favorite Big Snuggle Bear. Louie was sure the poor pup was learning something with how big Pup's eyes got. But then Zane told Louie "No!" very loudly. Maybe Zane likes how Pup does it, even if it is strange?

Every day, Louie laid down outside and guarded Zane and Salty Pup while they slept. They were his people, and he loved them.

Louie looked over at Salty Pup, who was sitting obediently, so Louie was close enough to watch over him. Louie sat, tail swishing the sand, thinking. Zane was a Bringer of Yummies. Louie sometimes caught or found things to eat. Sometimes he barfed them up later, but that was okay. Louie hadn't seen Little Salty Pup find any of his own food. That was concerning. Salty Pup was small, but matured, and should be able to hunt.

Movement caught Louie's eyes, and Louie knew what he needed to do.

While Pipolphi wiggled his toes as the edge of the water flowed over them, he caught sight of Zane's pet hopping into the water and swimming around. Though he was still learning about dogs in general and their habits, this was the first time that he saw just how much Louie seemed to enjoy the water. How curious that a terrestrial carnivore such as Louie seemed to enjoy water just as much as his own kind. The creature was amazing, all muscles and long legs and soft fur. Pip had to admit that, when he could get his courage up, Louie was amazing to pet. Even if the big, white, pointy teeth were a bit terrifying.

Louie suddenly bounded over to Pip, sending the little Sepida's heart into his throat. Pipolphi forced himself to stay still as the powerful carnivore barreled at him. Louie skidded to a stop a few feet away, tail waving like a damp flag. The beast's eyes were sparkling, and Louie was fairly vibrating with excited joy.

{"Y-yes, Louie?"} Pip said politely.

The dog bounced a step closer and spat something on the sand between them. Louie had held it very, very carefully in his mouth to keep from getting pinched. He'd had no desire to end up with a sore lip or tongue.

Pip peered at the small, shelled, crawling thing on the sand. It looked so much like some of the shelled, bottom-dwelling animals that could be found on the Sepida's home world's beaches or ocean floor. It made Pipolphi smile brilliantly, warming his hearts. Even so far from home, things weren't so different on this strange, unfamiliar planet. There were commonalities to be found if one looked deep enough.

Even though Pip and Zane were so different, so alien to each other, there was so much common ground.

Like love. Love was universal.

{"I think I've misjudged you, Louie,"} Pip mused aloud as the beast nosed the little crab. {"How did you know just what I didn't know I needed? Thank you, friend."}

Louie promptly forgot the crab as Pip leaned over to hug the wet, sand-covered dog. The crab took the opportunity to beat a hasty retreat into the lapping waves.

Salty Pup's happiness made Louie happy. If the Pup had trouble hunting, then he'd eagerly continue to feed him himself.

In the distance, a sheen rolled over what appeared to be the invisible outline of the ship. Pip's eyes widened as he turned his gaze towards it. Once again, a rolling band of light slid over the outline of the ship. Pip jumped up and bolted toward the ship. A message. Someone had sent a message. It could be nothing. It might be some automated message about avoiding some star system that had become dangerous to civilians, something from his parents checking in on him, or even a wrong number.

It could be Tilly…or Tilly's mom wondering where Pip was when they'd found his best friend's dead body, wondering why Pipolphi hadn't been there to protect him like Tilbei had protected Pip so many times.

"Zay!" the Sepida shouted, his skin wavering between bright pink and sickly gray, needing his lover with him right then but unwilling to take the time to detour to the little house.

Both Zane and Louie immediately rushed to Pip's side upon hearing his distress. The English Setter gave a concerned bark, and Zane was breathing heavily by the time he reached the Sepida. The human immediately looked the petite alien over.

"Is everything ok? Did you get stung by a jellyfish?" Zane asked in one rushed breath.

"Call," Pip told him quickly, opening the hatch to his ship and rushing inside with Zane and Louie on his heels. "I got a call. Leave a message at the tone. Scared. Scared for Tilly." The Sepida hurried onto the small bridge and sat at the controls, pulling up the message.

{"Incoming message from Inture Relay, Section 5,"} the computer relayed. {"Apparent distortion,"} it warned before playing the message. {"Pip...Tilly! I got...Hunnars. Don't...port."} Static followed for several seconds. {"Message...no...okay!"}

{Not okay!?} Pip gasped, the pink and grey hues interchanging rapidly across his skin. He turned towards his gentle giant, tears brimming in his eyes as he tugged on the hem of Zane's shirt. "Zay! Tilly not okay! This is madness!" He tried to explain.

"Something's wrong with your friend?" Zane concluded. "Then you have to go to her! Need me to come with you to help?"

"Stay with me? Save Tilly from Hunnars?" Pip said hopefully. "Come to kick some bad guy ass?"

Zane gave the Sepida a firm nod. "Of course I'll come with you. We'll save your friend." He agreed. Movement near their legs alerted him to Louie. "Is it possible to bring Louie with us, too?"

As much as the gymnast loved the English Setter that he had raised since he was a puppy, he'd rather that the canine be safe. He also knew a few trustworthy students of his that could take care of Louie if it was necessary to leave him behind. Would they even be able to find food for him in space?

"Yes, Louie can come. Of course." Pip blinked. He'd just assumed Louie would come, too. Which was terrible of him. What if Louie had friends he would miss? Zane had said Louie was adopted and the alien had gathered such things meant that Louie had no biological family and Zane was the dog's family, now. Pipolphi hadn't heard anything about the canine having an occupation besides as a companion or perhaps guard for Zane. Pip had seen Louie patrolling the area around the house and keeping a protective eye on Zane and even Pipolphi. The Sepida felt a pang in his hearts, realizing he'd miss Louie if they left the beast behind. Pip turned an uncertain orange as he crouched in front of Louie. "Want to come, Louie? You have things that make you stay? Would be honored if Louie can come with us. Don't know when come back. Understand if Louie has to stay. Big decision. You need time to think about it?"

Louie didn't know what was going on. But, he felt the tension and concern from Salty Pup. To try to dispel some of that concern, he began to lick the Sepida's face.

The canine would do everything he could to protect the little one. The Pup should not be afraid.

"Well, I guess that answers that," Zane responded with a chuckle. "Louie doesn't seem to want to part with you, either, Pip."

The Sepida was overcome with relief that he wouldn't have to say goodbye to the strangely endearing beast and that Zane and Louie wouldn't be parted because of Pip. Pipolphi flung his arms around Louie, who was still damp and sandy but Pip didn't care. The Sepida's skin showed his happy relief, the orange replaced by starbursts of white and green flashing across Pip's skin like fireworks in the sky.

"Go soon?" Pip asked, looking up at Zane. "Get your things, make arrangements, go save the day?"

"Got it!" Zane responded as he rushed out of the ship and began to pack. He began with food, both for himself and for Louie. He figured that if Pip were fine eating certain foods on Earth, then both he and Louie would surely find something that they could safely eat in space.

For the time being, however, the human brought as much imperishable food as he could find for their journey. In the case of clothing, he only brought along everything that was fairly new. The shoes and some of his coats were of a decent enough quality to last for a good few years. His final bags were packed with general toiletries like razors, a toothbrush, shaving cream, and Louie's shampoo. He almost forgot to bring along Louie's favorite bear, but the Setter began to drag it along himself as if he knew that they were going someplace far.

It was amazing how fast two people could stuff bags and pack when it was an emergency. Barely an hour later, the three of them were set and ready for take-off. The only time concession they'd made was for Zane to give Louie a quick bath. Having a dirty dog with them in close quarters for however long space travel to their destination took seemed like something to avoid. While Zane took Louie to clean up, Pip checked on the state of the ship. All important systems were repaired. There were still some minor things that were being repaired, but nothing that would keep them out of the sky.

Zane then approached Pip with a freshly groomed Louie. "Are we ready?"

Pip nodded as he urged the human to sit beside him. "I am one with the Force. The Force is with me," he muttered to himself as if in encouragement. The Sepida took a deep breath and nodded decisively. He could do this. They could do this. With Zane with him, Pip thought he could do almost anything. Tilly would be alright; he had to be. Pipolphi tapped a screen causing a small jump seat to pop out from the wall next to the console. "Buckle up, Louie. It's gonna be a bumpy ride."

Well, not really. Maybe it would rumble a bit exiting the atmosphere and jumping closer to the space port. The shock absorbers were excellent, and the report had said they were completely repaired. Just in case, though, it was better for Louie and Zane to be prepared for the possibility.

Zane waste no time in settling Louie down, as well. He gave the Setter a scratch behind the ears. "Just hang tight, Louie. Think of this as a crazy car ride," he commented.

Pipolphi entered the necessary commands to get them safely on their way. While the ship hummed around them, Pip pulled up the call number that had sent the message from Tilbei. The Sepida debated a moment before activating the number. If there was any chance Tilly might get the message, Pip had to try. He just would keep it simple, so if the Hunnars intercepted it, it wouldn't be likely to cause problems for his friend.

{"We're coming to the port for you."} Pip said, voice trembling with worry. {"Whatever it takes, we'll find you and get you, I promise. Just hold on a little longer. Love you."}

The message was sent.

Pip sat back in his chair, suddenly tired and heart sick. A big warm hand reached out and took his just as the ship shivered a bit as it pushed through the atmosphere. Zane looked at the Sepida with concern and something like devotion in his eyes. Pipolphi tried to look at his human objectively for a moment. That man was muscled, broad-shouldered, and ridiculously tall. Intelligence radiated from his slate gray eyes. Louie barked once, excited with whatever it was that they were doing as long as they were doing it together and he was likely to be fed later. Pip's gaze went to Louie, a big, powerful, sharp-toothed, carnivorous predator.

Pip nodded and sat up straight and sure, the uncertain orange of his skin morphing into a determined ruby red. The little alien squeezed Zane's hand in his. They could do this. They would. They'd get to the space port, sneak into an armed ship, and rescue the Nubra.

{"Just hold on a little longer, Tilly, "} Pip said with determination. {"We'll find you on that Hunnar ship and get you loose. We're coming."}

::::::::

Tilbei woke up to the most wonderful warmth of Jasper draped over him. For a brief second his deep peach-hued eyes widened as his mind brought up memories of the two of them on the Hunnar ship and then the Viceroy's ship. When his gaze refocused, he let out a sigh of relief. That's right, the two of them were finally safe in his dome home. When his heart settled back down, he found himself wondering how slow Jasper's heartbeat was.

In a dreadful moment in the past, he recalled having to protect Pipolphi from a Hasserack. The Sepida had clung to him for dear life, and Tilly had been able to feel the rapid heartbeat of not one, but two hearts. Both Sepida and Nubra were quite different physically, but they thrived in the same waters.

What would Tilly have to do to make sure that his Jasper thrived? He had a feeling that he'd do anything for the mixed Polkin. He wanted nothing more than to keep him safe and to protect him.

{"Would you let me love you?"} He whispered softly in the language of the people in the waters. The Nubra reached down to gently pet the long, fluffy tail that had somehow curled around them both. {"Would you trust that I would follow you anywhere you want to go?"}

"Hmmmnn," Jasper murmured, snuggling sleepily against the Nubra. "Tilly? Whassat?" He blinked slowly. "It was pretty. Almost like singing. Was it a poem?"

The Nubra smiled, nuzzling one of Jasper's lavender ears. "I was just talking to myself," He responded softly. "Wondering if you'd allow me to be by your side no matter where you go…"

"If you want to come, I'd like that," Jas said dreamily, then blushed. "I mean, come with me if I go somewhere. Not come, come. Well, unless you would like to, you know, come. I'm fine with that too." Jasper squeaked and hid his face in the soft fur of his tail. "I shouldn't be allowed to talk when I'm sleepy," came the hybrid's muffled words.

The grin on the Nubra's face widened. "You have no idea how happy that makes me," he admitted as he gently moved the tail aside to kiss the half-polkin's cheek and chin. He had meant to merely express his affection, but as he was starting to realize, his body seemed to enjoy the proximity to Jasper a little too much. The orange spots on his body began to glow in embarrassment as two of his members became aroused. "Although, maybe you shouldn't have phrased it that way…" he confessed when his hips began to subconsciously grind down against Jas.

"Why not?" Jasper asked, making a small, happy noise as he pressed up to feel the man against him. It always seemed to take quite a while for the half-Polkin to wake up and his brain was still a bit fuzzy. Jas rubbed his hands over Tilbei's skin, marveling at how firm the Nubra's muscles were but with the skin such a silky soft texture. It was delicious to touch. Now that Jas was not only sleepy but also aroused, he couldn't see anything that could be wrong with the situation.

Tilbei forced himself to move back just as he felt his third member paying too close attention to the half-Polkin. "I desire nothing more than to be buried inside you once again. However, I'm quite worried about my friend. Is it okay if we check if he replied to the message first?"

Jasper's eyes widened, his sleepiness blowing away like fog in a gale force wind. He sat up suddenly, nearly bonking his forehead against Tilbei's.

"Oh, crap! I'm so sorry! I should have thought of that," Jas said, scrambling out of the pillows he'd nearly buried them in. "Of course you're worried about him, and all I can think about is getting into your pants… I mean, if you ever wore pants. Not that I'm complaining about the lack of pants situation. Fuck. I'm doing it again. Right, shutting up now," Jasper groaned, finding the soft length of deep green fabric Tilbei's mother had given him to use as a cover, though she'd been honestly bewildered why he'd want to do so. The hybrid quickly wrapped the fabric around his waist, adding a few twists and tucks to make it look prettier. When Jas was done, the wrap clung to his hips and ass, tucking just under his tail, then flared a small amount below that to allow for easy movement. The rich emerald shade made Jasper's lilac skin look luminous.

"I may not like clothing, but I have to admit that it looks quite good on you," Tilbei confessed. "Will you come with me to check on the ship?" he invited as he extended his hand for the other man to take.

The two of them then headed towards Tilly's scouting room, which was little more than a flat, round platform that rose upwards like an elevator into a glass dome that provided a 360° view of the shore, the ocean, the sky, and the land mass where the Viceroy's ship was docked. It was immediately apparent that the ship had received a message due to the way that it shifted colors, almost like a color-shifting lamp. The colors shifted from purple to blue to green and back again.

"Pip must have replied!" Tilly gasped. "Let's go, Jasper!" he urged as the two of them went back down and then exited Tilly's personal dome home to rush over to the ship. The Nubra wasted no time in pulling up the message.

{"Incoming message from Rapture Relay, Section 104,"} the computer relayed.

"Section 104? Damn, that's far!" Tilbei murmured aloud before the message was played.

{"We're coming to the port for you."} What was unmistakably Pipolphi's voice rang through. {"Whatever it takes, we'll find you and get you, I promise. Just hold on a little longer. Love you."}

"What!?" Tilly responded with a frown. "They're going to Inture Relay 5? But that's where we left the Hunnars!"

Jasper frowned, noting that the message from Tilbei's friend had piggy-backed on another message. He also noted that it sounded suspiciously like Tilbei's friend had said he loved Bei. Jasper's Bei. The hybrid leaned forward and tapped the console. Tilly's voice came over the speakers, rough with static.

{"Pip…"} the message began, but it was garbled with chunks missing.

"It sounds like what you sent to him got screwed up," Jas said, still frowning.

"Fuck," Tilbei hissed under his breath. "I can't let him go out there by himself! If the Hunnars catch him, they'll milk him for life!" He took hold of both of Jasper's hands. "Jas, do you mind staying here with my mom for a while? I can't ask you to risk your life or be captured again by the Hunnars…"

"If you get to stay by my side, then I get to stay by yours." The half-Polkin looked positively mutinous. He reflexively stomped each of his feet twice. "If you try to leave me with your mom so she can feed me, cuddle me, and be super nice to me I'm going to be so mad at you that I'll...do something that will show my grumpies!" Jasper blinked, his indigo eyes filling with something Tilbei didn't like the look of. Jasper bit his lip before speaking again, his voice soft and uncertain. "Or is it that you want to go without me because he's the one you said you were in love with? And in his message back he said he loves you?" The hybrid backed up, trying to pull his hands from Tilbei's.

Tilbei's peach-hued eyes widened. Before his lover could pull away, he tugged him into his arms. "No, Jasper. That's not it at all," he refuted adamantly. "Yes, I admit that I was once in love with Pip. I'm not going to deny it. But, the love Pip and I share now is purely platonic. He didn't mean love as in the love that you and I share." The Nubra hugged Jasper tightly. "I've felt nothing that compares to the love you and I share. I didn't want to bring you with me because I'm afraid of losing you."

"I'll stick to you like a prickle bur stuck in winter fur," Jas assured. "I won't get in the way, I promise. I'll help. If you go without me I'll worry the whole time, it'll make me get sick, and I'll die." Jasper sank into the Nubra's warm embrace. "I love you. Don't leave me behind."

Tilbei felt his heart clench. "I love you too, Jasper," he confessed. "Then, let's tell my mom before we go, and we'll head out together."