Chapter 3

Ecrou led us to a strange room with a bed and a weird-shaped device with running water. I placed Mirage's limp body on the bed and started cleaning her blood-stained face with a wet cloth. Grandpa had warned her countless times not to push herself too hard. Most of the time, it wasn’t dangerous, but even so… I put my hand on her forehead. She was cold to the touch, and even though Ecrou kept reassuring me she would be fine, I worried about her more than I would ever admit.

I lay down next to her and wrapped my arms around her to keep her warm. Grandpa always scolded us for arguing with each other, and she always hissed at me for no reason and teased me for not having fur. Tears filled my eyes. But now it was only the two of us. Our town was burning and Grandpa… I sniffled and pulled the blanket over us. As long as she was okay, I would never tell her that her tail looked dirty and she could hiss at me as much as she wanted…

She was still sleeping when I woke up, wrapped around me as she used to when we were kids. Ecrou was curled up on her shoulder, and for a moment, everything felt good until I remembered what had happened. Grandpa… Was he okay? I still remembered the day he’d given Ecrou to us. We were supposed to take care of him together, but we just kept fighting over him.

Take care of each other…. Grandpa’s parting words floated to mind, bringing tears to my eyes. I will, Grandpa, I promise. I will take care of everyone. I paused. Athena… I pulled the blanket to the side. She got hurt during our escape. I should check on her.

“Stay with her”, I whispered to the sleeping Ecrou as I quietly climbed out of bed.

I walked back to the room with the flashing boxes, but to my disappointment, it was empty when I arrived.

“Athena?” I called hesitantly.

“How can I help you?”

Her voice rang in the air, but she was nowhere to be seen.

“Are…are you okay?”

The strange window in front of me lit up with sigils I couldn’t understand.

“FTL drive stable, core output 85%. Structural damage contained. Expected loss of speed 38% during sub FTL travel. Reduction to manoeuvrability during atmospheric entry –17.85..."

She paused.

“Shall I explain it in simpler terms?”

"Yes…"

“Our travel will be slower, and we need to be careful during landing if the weather conditions are unfavourable."

“But what about you? Are you okay?”

“All core systems fully operational."

I sighed. She was so different from Ecrou. I knew that not all constructs were like him, and Grandpa had made him to be our friend, but still… I had seen other ones too, the big ones who carried heavy loads, and they weren’t like her.

“Can I see you again?”

Without a word, she took shape next to me. I tried not to stare at her, but she looked…. She looked just like I imagined I would when I grew up. It didn’t look so bad… Even if she didn’t have fur or a tail.

I heard footsteps, and I turned to see Mirage enter with Ecrou on her shoulder. She frowned as she saw Athena, and before I could stop her, she flicked her tail at her neck, hoping Athena would be ticklish there just as I was. It passed right through her, and I got so surprised I forgot to hiss at her. Mirage seemed as stunned as I was, and she stared at Athena, then glanced around before hesitantly asking.

“When will we arrive?”

“48 minutes according to universal time, 1 hour according to the rotation of your planet."

We were almost there. It had gone faster than I’d expected. I was so happy that Athena helped us and that we would soon be able to return home and help Grandpa and our town. I turned to Mirage, but she looked away when our eyes met.

“Is everything okay?”

“I am fine."

She frowned. She only acted this way when she was upset about something. Was she angry because I’d left her alone in the room? But how could I have known she would wake up when I was gone?

“I’m sorry”, I murmured, hoping she would accept it.

“I said I’m fine!” she hissed.

I fell quiet. I knew it was pointless to speak with her when she was like this. At least she seemed to be feeling better. I sat down on one of the seats, and Ecrou leapt up onto the box in front of the window.

“We made it, we made it!” he chirped. “Grandpa would be proud."

He began to dance and sing, bouncing from box to box until we were both laughing. We had made it. I wondered what this world would be like. Would everyone really look like me? But then… I paused. Why hadn’t anyone come looking for me if we could come here so easily? I sniffled quietly. Mirage must have heard it because she said,

“It will be okay…”

I nodded.

“Grandpa is fine,” I said. “He is the greatest WindSinger in the West."

I looked at her and saw her ears drop as she walked over to me and squeezed herself next to me.

“He is…” I murmured to myself, really wanting to believe it.

He’d been my grandpa ever since he found me on the shore of the lake, just as he was Mirage’s grandpa ever since the traders left her in our town after finding her in the burnt village further north.

“Exiting FTL in minus… We will arrive in 10 minutes," Athena announced calmly.

I glanced at Mirage sitting down in her seat. I would go home… Would they be happy to see me? I hadn’t thought about how they would react. What if they asked me to stay with them? But I belonged with Grandpa and Mirage. They cared about me but… I sniffled, and Mirage put her arm around me.

“I am sorry I said your tail looks dirty,” I whispered, burying my face in her fur.