About Home

The sound of clicking claws and hooves against the stone floor echoed off the cave walls as Lyra and Almond navigated through the tunnels. Almond’s claws dragged across the rocks, sometimes gliding across the walls instead to feel the moss growing on it in an attempt to track the direction of the way to the surface. The two had been talking for a while, their voices echoing.

“I still don’t get it… How do you live in a spaceship port? That doesn’t sound very comfortable…” The fox turned their head to the cat, head tilted with a look of confusion.

“Port Borealis is more than just a small port or shipyard.” Lyra answered. “It’s massive and there’s all kinds of utilities and areas around. Places to live, shops, parks, schools, libraries, offices, hospitals, and so much more. It’s pretty much like a little planet.”

“Then why don’t you all just stick on a planet? Don’t you want to see the sky? The stars?” Almond asked with curiosity.

“You can see the stars from the observatories. Besides, some Spacecats do stick to planets and only come to the Port for travel or work. I myself used to live on Space Planet before I became a staff member there.”

“...You know, you never told me what job you do. If this Port is so important to Spacecats, you must do serious work if you fly out to other planets.” 

“Ah…” Lyra’s ears drooped. “I’m a rather new member of the staff… they needed another astronomer, so I put my hat into the ring… and I just so happened to be picked, I guess…”

“So you study other planets?” Almond stopped walking for a moment to listen.

“That’s part of it, but I also look out for other things in the universe like stars, nebulas, comets, asteroids, and other stuff like that. Before I came to Awan in search of that distress sign, I had just finished doing a routine check of another planet to make sure it's not showing any unusual activity that could foretell a disaster.”

Almond’s ears perked up. “You can really do all that?”

“Yeah… I always had an interest in the stars, but when Moonbeam made a call that they were hiring a new astronomer, I busted my tail to study and prove I was capable of doing it as a job. I’m honestly surprised I was picked…” Especially after that disaster I caused… Lyra kept that last line in her head. She didn’t want to explain how she managed to turn a bowl of fruit punch into a borderline acidic sludge.

Almond picked up on the self-doubt ridden in her voice. “That does sound really important… and if this ‘Moonbeam’ cat trusted you with the role, doesn’t that mean she trusts you enough for it?”

“I guess so… still, there has to be someone that can probably do a better job than I could…”

“There’s no way you can know that. Don’t be so hard on yourself.” The Clayfox spoke with sympathy and encouragement.

Lyra blinked. She wasn’t entirely convinced in their belief in her. “...What if I told you I broke protocol by coming here alone? We’re not supposed to come to Awan without Moonbeam’s permission, and I couldn’t get a hold of her before I touched down.”

“Well…” Almond droned. “Maybe you shouldn’t have done that…” Not knowing what to say in reply, they turned back around and continued forward, beckoning Lyra with a flick of their tail.

Lyra nodded solemnly as they continued to walk. Almond silently pointed in a direction when they came to a fork in the road, looking back to see if the Spacecat was following their lead. After a few moments, the conversation continued.

“Lyra, I have another question… it’s not about the Port, though. This one’s more for you specifically.” Almond inquired.

“Hm?” Her head tilted to the side. “...Sure, you can ask me anything.”

There was a heavy pause in the air. “Do you ever… miss your home? Space Planet, I mean…”

Lyra froze. She had a feeling she knew why they were asking. It was the type of question that needed a careful response. Pausing for a moment to think about what to say, she answered a moment later.

“Honestly, yes… I came from a pretty small town with pretty much everyone knowing everyone else, even when we had a growth in new residents after the Sodacats, Guppymanders, and Cirrocanius started moving in. It’s hard not being around people I’d spent basically my entire life growing up with…”

Almond seemed to falter slightly, taking in her words. Lyra noticed and continued her speech.

“...but I don’t regret accepting my new role on Port Borealis. It’s allowed me to meet tons of new people, and make plenty of new friends. Plus, I can always go visit my old home from time to time, and everyone is always glad to see me when I do. So the short of it: yes, of course I miss Starville, but I wouldn’t change anything about my life.”

Almond’s ears raised back up, and a soft smile appeared on their face, their worries washing away.

“...That’s nice.” They said softly. “Honestly, I can’t wait to see the Port now.”

Lyra chuckled. “Good. I promise you’ll like it. Don’t forget, if anyone gives you trouble or you start to feel overwhelmed, just let me or another staff member know.”

The fox nodded and the pair continued forward. Their conversation had died down for now. After a bit more climbing, digging and crawling, Almond turned to speak.

“...I think we’re almost at the surface. Just be careful of loose dirt. It’d be better for both of us if I didn’t need to dig you out of holes.”

“Yeah…” The cat’s ears drooped, remembering the initial incident that got her trapped in the tunnels in the first place.

The sounds of their feet clicking against the stone floor soon dulled, as more and more of it became dirt instead. Almond was now focused on the ground, stepping carefully and patting the dirt to make sure it was stable. Occasionally, they had to make a twisty maneuver to avoid unstable areas, with Lyra mirroring them to the best of her ability. The exactness of her imitation was up for debate, the Clayfox being a lot more graceful than her. As the pair turned a corner, a bright light became visible at the end of their path and a cold breeze washed over them.

“Is that… an exit?” Lyra questioned.

“Yes, that should be the outside. Hopefully, it’s the one you parked your ship at.” 

“Only one way to find out. Let’s go.” 

They continued with haste, the air getting colder as they got closer to the brightness. Lyra squinted against it, having to get used to that level of light again. As she did, she realized there was something right outside the cave covered in a layer of snow. Even with its surface caked in a blanket of frost, its form was a dead giveaway to what it was.

“My ship!” She exclaimed with such energy she physically jumped. Without waiting, she started running to it, leaving Almond in the dust. “C’mon! Let’s get inside!”

“Hey, wait up!” Almond retorted, quickly catching up to Lyra once they registered what was going on.

The two burst out of the mouth of the cave, quickly getting blindsided by extreme cold, but at the very least there wasn’t any snow falling right now. Almond took one step in the snow before they sank completely in it, squeaking as they fell. However, they quickly recovered and jumped onto Lyra’s back who either didn’t notice or simply chose not to protest. She ran up the collapsing stairs to the ship's door, and with a twist of its special handle it opened vertically. She quickly rushed inside and turned on her heels so she could close the door and retract the stairs. The door closed with a hiss, providing a tight seal to protect them from the elements and provide some warmth. Lyra sighed and sank to the floor in an attempt to catch her breath. Almond climbed off her back and started looking around the new area.

“Heh… there…” Lyra panted.

“Your ship is so cool… and cozy looking.” Almond was in awe, this whole environment was brand new to them.

“Ah… technically it’s not mine. It’s a standard staff ship. There’s plenty of cooler ships than this.”

“Still, this is so… wow…” They started wandering around, looking at all the features the ship provided. It’s clear they were fighting the urge to touch some mystery buttons.

“Ok… get comfortable.” Lyra got up from the floor, taking a deep breath. “The ship needs some time to warm up and defrost before we can take off. Then, it’s a bit of a long journey…”

“Alright.” Almond walked over to one of the passenger seats, having to hop to get on it. Even though they were half the size of the seat, they clipped on the seatbelt and sank into the back. Lyra couldn’t help but giggle at the sight.

“I’ll make sure I drive extra smoothly and carefully. Just sit back and rest, this should be a relaxing flight.” 

Now that they were settled, Lyra started up the ship, its engine revving into a constant and low hum. She sat down in the driver’s seat and buckled in, watching out the window as the heat of the ship began to melt the snow blocking the windshield.

“I’ll make sure I drive extra smoothly and carefully. Just sit back and rest, this should be a relaxing flight.”  She turned back to face Almond while speaking, who responded with a silent nod.

Finally… I can’t wait to be back… after all I’ve been through, this will probably be the most relaxing drive I’ll ever take.

Though, as she turned back to face the proper direction, there was a series of pop-up notifications on the display in front of her that flashed intensely.

“47 MISSED CALLS FROM MOONBEAM”

“99+ MISSED CALLS FROM HALCYON”

“78 NEW MESSAGES FROM MOONBEAM”

“99+ NEW MESSAGES FROM HALCYON”

“1 NEW MESSAGE FROM TEMPEST”

“EMERGENCY MODE ACTIVATED”

Lyra’s jaw dropped at the numbers she was seeing. Her thoughts began to run rapidly. She couldn’t even picture how worried everyone back at Port Borealis was. Looks like she has another mess to sort out…

Err… Maybe not so relaxing, actually… sigh…