Ant and Four

Ant and Four Chapter 15

This is a story about two boys growing up in the galaxy, in a distant future. Neither of them is human.

It is not an erotic tale, but one of friendship and love. The story contains no AI-generated material.

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Thoughts and comments? Write to me at winterimage(at)hotmail(dot)com.   **

Ant and Four 15 - The Wolf and the Galaxy

**

by Winter

The trail ended at a cliff wall. At its top, maybe seven metres up, was a sign to indicate where it recommenced. Ant smiled to himself; this was more to his liking. Trekking through the forest was fun enough, but he enjoyed the extra challenges. One of the reasons he had chosen the red trail when they set out yesterday. There were boulders strewn all along the base of the wall, some on top of one another. They all looked steady and sturdy, so he jumped up on one of lower ones.

He hadn't really thought he would need to fall back on his mountaineering lessons during this walk, and now his tail wagged. Scraping his foot claws along the side of the next boulder, he soon found purchase, reached with his hands to the top of it and pulled himself up. From behind he heard Zea's voice, but he couldn't really make out her words. He gave the slightest of snorts; she could at least wait until she caught up before she started talking again. Glancing back briefly, he could see a wisp of black hair and a glimpse of a bright red t-shirt and dark brown skin, through the trees where the trail made a bend.

The next couple of smaller boulders were easy. He cleared them in two steps. Now, only the top of the wall remained. Too tall for even Ant to reach. His claws itched. Time to climb. Maybe three-and-a-half more metres, and even though it was mostly earth there were bits of rock protruding. And here and there he could see roots stick out. Almost like the hand- and footholds of an indoor climbing wall.

Images flashed before his mind's eye before he could stop them. Caleb, patiently explaining where to place his feet and how to pull with his fingers. Caleb, grinning and clapping his hands as Ant made it to the top of the wall. Caleb, lying half-pinned underneath a rubble of concrete, his eyes forever closed...

No! Not that memory. Not that...

Gritting his teeth to stay in the present, Ant grabbed one of the largest roots and pulled. It moved slightly, and a little bit of dirt came loose and rained down right next to him. Finding a piece of rock with his foot, he pulled himself up. No problems yet. The next root came right out, and he had to wave his arm for balance. The fall wasn't long, but it would be hard. At the last second, he got hold of more rock, which held. He felt around with his free foot and found purchase with his claws on the wall. One more yank, and he was within reach of the top.

"Ant, what are you doing?"

"Climbing." He gritted his teeth. What a question. "Come on, it's almost too easy."

"You're supposed to go round, you know. Didn't you see the sign?"

"I did." He nodded up. "Where the trail goes on."

"There's a sign down here," Zea sighed, "and it tells you where to go."

"You go around. I'm almost up."

"You're gonna fall. I can't carry you back if you break your leg."

Ant snorted, which was a mistake. More dirt came loose, and got in his nose and his eyes. He sneezed, and had to really cling. When his vision finally cleared, he had to bite back a laugh. For his mind's eye, he visualised the slender girl, trying to drag him all the way back to the wilderness centre on her own. She almost reached his shoulder, so she was pretty tall for a human female, but she didn't have much muscle mass. It would take days. Shifting focus to the task at hand, he reached for another root, and pulled himself up until he found foothold. After that, all he had to do was lay his arm over the top of the wall, and heave himself up.

"How's that?" he said as he turned around and looked down. Zea stood with her hands on her hips, frowning in that curious way humans did when they twitched their tiny eyebrows. "Come on up, it was easy."

"For you, maybe, claw boy." She huffed. "I'm going round. Don't run off again."

"I didn't run off," Ant muttered to himself as he patted the trail sign, then sat down on a patch of soft grass to wait. "I just walk. Up to you to keep pace."

He tried. He really tried to wait for her. But when his nose picked up a faint trace of salt water, Ant was up on his feet before he knew it. The path ahead went through a grove of trees, then round a bend and up a slight incline. Ant's legs pumped, and by the time he reached the crest he was breathing heavily.

It was worth it. So worth it. The mountain fell away abruptly as if it had been cut off, leaving a drop of at least two hundred metres of bare rock. More than enough to trigger Ant's fear of heights. So he stayed clear of the edge, and instead just stared out over the ocean. Ahead, all the way to the horizon, nothing but clear blue sky and darker blue water. He would never get tired of views like this. Far off he could see a boat, and even though there was no way anybody on board could see him, he waved.

Without thinking, he pulled out his datapad and clicked it on, but immediately wished he hadn't. The background image on the screen was the same it had been for months, since he hadn't had the heart to change it. There he was, laughing toward the camera, his eyes closed and his face fur rustled by a sudden gust of wind. And next to him, eyes wide and mouth gaping open as he tried to save his brand new hat from being blown away, was Four.

It hurt to see him. It still hurt.

Ant's mood soured instantly, but he took a couple of pictures, making sure he caught the setting sun as it reflected in a myriad glittering pieces on the waves. To whom he would show them, he didn't know. He sat down, rummaged through his backpack until he found a cheese salad sandwich, unwrapped it and began to eat. His appetite was gone, and even the sharp dressing tasted bland. Once he had finished it, he lay down on his back and stared up at the sky. To the east it had begun to darken, and pretty soon the stars would come out. On Seaport, night fell quickly. Of course, some stars were already visible. He was still pretty close to the galaxy's centre, after all. But soon, all the night sky's beauty would be out in full.

Was he out there, somewhere, still searching for kids he could rescue?

But no. More than half a year had passed since Ant and Four parted ways, and in all that time, Ant's datapad calls had gone unanswered. His friend Julio on Land's End checked in regularly, but hadn't seen hide nor hair of the Fourtitude. There was no way the little ferry could have survived the radiation from the black hole.

Four was dead.

And it hurt. Ant assumed the pain would never quite go away. His heart still twinged whenever he thought about his mother, who had died back in the Belt when he was still a pup. He even grieved, to some extent, when he thought about his father, who had died about a week after Ant's birth. Not so much for the wolf himself, as for the lost opportunities. What would it have been like to know him?

To think about Four was... it was agony.

* * * * * *

It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to be together. Even after he became self-aware enough to develop a personality, Four had chosen to remain with Ant. Or rather, he let Ant remain with him. Because he still was the ferry, the Fourtitude. No, Ant corrected himself. He wasn't. He had been. A sigh escaped him where he lay, still staring up at the soon-to-be nighttime sky.

He had stayed on Land's End, even long after everyone else gave up hope. Julio, a mechanic who owned his own repairs shop in Cliff Edge, had taken him in. Given him a job, since Ant's knack for building things translated well into repairing them when they broke down. Also, he had given Ant a camping bed in the back of the shop to sleep on, since Ant had been so out of it that he hadn't even mustered enough self-preservation to get a hotel room.

Because even way back then, just after Four had left, really, Ant had known that his friend wasn't coming back. He had seen first hand what havoc radiation could wreak. The radioactivity in his own body, from basically growing up in a mine, had been enough to fry little electronics like datapads or handheld games. He had even made his crewmates on the Morning Calm sick, albeit mildly so. And Four had gone into close contact with one of the most potent radiation sources in existence.

Ant had made a life for himself in Cliff Edge, the small wild west-inspired town that mostly lived on tourism. People came from all over to visit the last habitable planet. And whenever their vehicles or their electronics or whatever broke, Ant had helped Julio fix them. All the while hoping against hope for a sign, any sign, that Four was still alive. That he would come back.

Until a couple of months ago. Ant had turned fifteen, according to the standard way of measuring years. He had lost count of what his age would have been back in the Belt. Five, maybe, or five-and-one-fifth. It didn't matter. He didn't live there anymore, and he had no plans to go back. There had been a small party, with a sticky sweet cake and sparkly drinks that tickled Ant's nose. The friends he had made during his stay were there. Julio, of course, and Martha who ran the book store that doubled as café. She had made the cake. The stable hands from the horse farm, who had been sad to hear about Four, were there, as well as the always cowboy-dressed Teak, who owned the museum and the observatory.

But there had been an empty space in the gathering. A void that should have been filled with a friendly smile, a chirpy voice, a blonde mop of hair with a purple lock. Four's absence had been so tangible that Ant had barely made it through the whole ordeal. Once everyone had gone home, he told Julio that he was going to leave, that he had to get out. Basically, that he needed to move away from the memories.

So he packed his few belongings in his backpack, trotted over to the spaceport, and hitched a ride with a delivery freighter. Skipping from planet to planet had kept his mind occupied, kept him from sinking back into painful memories. Kept his sanity. But maybe he had stayed here on Seaport for too long. Hiking the mountain trails had been fun. So had learning about local wildlife from the forest rangers, while he worked at their lodge.

But now as he lay there in the grass, while dusk shooed away the day, waiting for Zea to catch up again, he found that he wanted to go. His life had slowed down to a point where memories of Four snuck into his thoughts more and more often. He drew in a breath, held it, and let out a long and deep sigh. Four, had he been there, would have sat down beside him and taken his hand, waiting for him to say something. Or, just to keep him company. Ant missed their silences. The way they could interact without words. Humans talked too much. They never read body language, at least not his, and they couldn't sense when someone needed to be alone. Someone, in this case, being Ant.

It wasn't to be.

* * * * * *

He heard her long before he could see her. Ant's sensitive wolf ears twitched as they picked up the sound of boots against a gravelled path, the rustle of clothes, and slightly laboured breathing as she made her way to the peak of the hillock. For a second he pondered closing his eyes, pretending he was asleep, but instead he sat up. He didn't want to be rude. Zea was a nice person; it wasn't her fault that he was in a snarky mood.

They had met when Ant first arrived at the wilderness centre. Her initial reaction was to let out a squeal and hide behind her ranger uncle, but over the next couple of days she began to seek him out. She showed Ant around, and fascinated him with tales of growing up on a world so lush with forests. In return, his stories about mining seemed beyond dull. For some reason, he held back telling her about his travels with Four. That part of his life felt too raw. Too recent.

Too private.

The two of them went on trails, whenever Zea's school and work schedules allowed. She was a few years older than him, and she was studying to become a wildlife preservation officer. One who would help protect this world from exploiters, poachers, all kinds of wrongdoers. Sometimes Ant helped her work in the orchards and the vegetable patches, even tend the livestock and the horses that the centre kept, Usually, he stayed well back and watched as she went inside the beasts' pens and saw to them. Not that he was scared, he just wasn't sure which creatures would eat him and which would merely trample him. He was happy to work around large animals, as long as he was way out of their reach.

Zea came into view just as the sun's last rays disappeared below the horizon. Without saying anything, she sat down beside Ant. They remained silent for a few minutes, then she elbowed him on the arm. Exaggerating the force of the blow, Ant allowed himself to fall over, and rolled away from her. She sighed, then laughed.

"What am I to do with you?"

"You could give me food," Ant grinned. "I really like those chocolatey things they sell in the shop, the ones that aren't real chocolate."

"Those are dog treats."

"So? They're yummy."

"You're such a goof sometimes."

"Sorry I ran off again." Ant sat up, looked through his backpack, then handed Zea a bottle of water. "I didn't mean to, but I could smell the sea and I got excited."

"You can smell it from way back there?"

"Mhm." Ant nodded. "And I just wanted to see it."

"It is beautiful." She turned to Ant and smiled, then leaned closer to him. "I don't often come here anymore, 'cause it takes three days to trek, and I need to find someone to go with."

"It's worth it. You missed a beautiful sunset, though."

"That's okay, I've seen it." Ant nearly jumped when Zea put a hand on his chest, rubbing it gently. When she spoke again, it was in a whisper. "This place is really secluded. Nobody for miles and miles."

She leaned even closer, and this time Ant shifted his position, away from her. When she followed, his ears flicked and his upper lip twitched slightly. To another wolf, it would have been a clear signal to back off, but Zea didn't seem to notice. Instead, she leaned in to kiss him. Ant's eyes went wide, and he leapt to his feet. Losing her balance, Zea fell face first on the grassy ground. When she looked up, there was annoyance in her eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"What are you doing?"

"I thought..." She sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees. "I thought you wanted to. Wasn't that why you invited me to go with you?"

"You asked to come."

"I like you, Ant." She got to her feet, and took a tentative step towards him. He stayed where he was, but his ears flicked again. "You're the most interesting person I've met in years."

"I like you too, Zea." Ant stepped back. "But not... not in that way."

"Why not?"

"I don't know..."

But he did know. The answer filled his eyes in the brief moment it took him to blink. Blue eyes, blonde hair. A gentle smile. A small hand holding his. Fingers, touching the scar on his chest. Ant mentally shrugged, and his vision cleared. Instead he saw Zea's dark brown eyes catching the light of the stars. As humans went, she was pretty. But to kiss her, and have her touch him...? No. He shook his head.

"I can't."

"Ant, please."

"No."

"Just for tonight." She moved closer again, and this time Ant gave a visible snarl. "It... it doesn't have to mean anything more. We'll head back tomorrow, nobody needs to know."

"No!"

Ant turned around, and ran. His keen eyes could see almost perfectly well in the starlight, but he knew hers could not. At first, he had only meant to go a few metres away, to show his displeasure, but when she started calling after him, he kept on running.

He followed the edge on the cliff, at a safe distance, down towards the sea shore. It was a long way, but soon he stood with sand between his toes. The smell of salt almost deafened his nose. He sat down; the sand was still warm from the day's sun, even though a breeze came with cooler air. Glad that he had held on to his backpack, Ant opened a bottle of orange juice and took a sip. Tangy sweetness sizzled on his tongue.

Why did things have to be so complicated?

It was supposed to be a trek. Nothing more and nothing less. He had half a mind to keep going. Run and run. Maybe become a wild animal and live out his days in the Seaport forests. Or he'd walk until he came to some place where he could catch a lift off-world. He had pretty much all his belongings with him. His fur brush was back at the lodge, along with a change or two of clothes, but he could get new ones. It might be worth it, just to get away from... what?

Zea wasn't to blame. Ant hadn't lied when he said he liked her. But why did she have to misread him so completely? What kind of signals had he sent out? It was so confusing. He grabbed a fistful of sand and flung it at the sea. It blew right back at him, and he ended up coughing and sputtering. The sting in his eyes partly cleared his mind, and he realised that he had overreacted. As soon as the sun rose, he would trudge back up to where he had left Zea, to apologise. He couldn't leave her behind anyway, not on a red trail. The centre had clear rules; no solo hikes on red or black trails.

He lay down with a sigh. Up above, a twinkling light slowly crossed the canopy of stars. Someone going to the spaceport? Feeling a bit silly, he waved one foot at the ship. It was too far away for him to see if it were a liner, a transport, or a lugger. Or just someone's private space yacht. Ant took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. His mind was set. He would give Zea the night to cool off, then he would go back to the centre with her. After that, it was time to move on.

He closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

* * * * * *

From the look of the stars, no more than a couple of hours had passed when Ant woke up. He groaned, rolled over to lie on his side, and tried to go back to sleep. It was no use. His body was tired after a full day's hike, but his mind wouldn't quiet down. He regretted his actions. A better way to deal with things would have been to stay and talk it out with Zea, to tell her why he couldn't be with her. Not in the way she wanted.

But how could he explain something even he didn't fully know?

Running had been a poor solution, though, and it would most likely make the trek back awkward. He sighed, trying to piece together an apology in his head. Then, he heard the sound of the waves lapping against the beach. To his left and right, they crashed onto rock with an angry noise, but right where he was, they sounded gentle. Friendly. Inviting. And they were much nearer now than they had been, as if they were seeking him out. The thought was alluring. Ant stood up and threw off his shirt and his shorts. And before he could really think about it, he ran out into the sea. When the water became too deep, he dived into it and started swimming.

He had become a pretty good swimmer. A couple of times, he had even swum in oceans like this one. During the day, granted, and with plenty of people and even lifeguards around. But it was the same, wasn't it? Further out, the water got colder, and as soon as his fur soaked through he felt the chill right against his skin. It was fun, though, and the exertion helped clear his mind. At least somewhat. He still felt a bit angry with Zea, but he also felt sorry for running away from her.

When he stopped swimming and turned around, he was surprised to find that the beach was really far away. Surely he hadn't swum that fast? While he trod water, he could see the small dot that was his backpack shrink even further. And, move to his right. What was going on? When it dawned upon him, his eyes widened and he shivered with more than cold. He was caught in a current.

Immediately, he started to swim, his strokes clumsy at first because he was beginning to panic. Then he forced himself to concentrate, and lengthened them. Still, the backpack was faster than him. Minutes passed, until he couldn't see the beach at all. Only rock. Hard, unyielding rock jutting out of the sea and up toward the sky. Somewhere up there Zea was probably sleeping now. Ant considered calling out, but her ears were human. She couldn't possibly hear him, especially not over the crashing waves. Realising that he was in danger now, and that this would be a stupid way to die, he gave up on the beach and started swimming towards the nearest land. The current dragged him along, and he hoped that by the time he got closer to shore there would be another beach. Or at least something that wasn't hard enough to smash a little wolf to bits.

It was slow going. Every time he thought he had made progress, he had to rest and got pulled back out. When did the tide turn? What if it had been high tide when he set out, and the ebb would last for hours? He tried to think, but couldn't remember if he had seen any tidemarks. His arms were already aching. He wouldn't last much longer.

That was when he heard a new sound; a kind of sloshing, almost slurping noise that raised his hackles. The largest of Seaport's moons, probably the same one that was causing this damning tide, had come up while he was struggling, and in its light he saw a spot on the sea surface that was frothing. Churning. And he was being dragged towards it. A word entered his tired mind, a word he remembered from an adventure book he had once read. And the thought chilled him to the bone.

Riptide.

In a full-blown panic now, Ant thrashed about, splashing more than swimming, trying as best he could to get away from that deadly convergence of currents. It was no use. An undertow had him now, pulling him along by the legs. When he reached the angry water he tried to fight it, and in doing so lost control of his bearings. Tumbling over, his mouth and nose filled with water. As he started coughing, he forgot to swim. All he had time for was one breath, filling his lungs one last time.

And he went under.

* * * * * *

It was dark. Dark and cold. Cold and wet. Wet and lonely. Ant lost all sense of direction as he was spun around, tossed and turned over and over by the currents. Then, all of a sudden, it stopped. As if someone had flicked a switch, the water was calm. He hung there, dazed, unable to tell up from down and right from left. His chest ached, and his head was dizzy. He couldn't even tell if his eyes were open or shut. When he tried to blink, all that happened was that salt water stung his eyeballs.

Spots of colour began to form, just ahead of him yet at the same time endlessly distant. They swirled, shapeless and vague, for what seemed like forever, until they began to take shape.

Four.

It was Four, right there in front of him. Blonde hair floated around his head like a halo, blue eyes met his. Four. A part of Ant's mind knew it was a mirage, a vision conjured up by his dying brain. But he looked so real. So solid. His lips moved, but Ant could hear no sound. As loud as the surface had been, down here the sea was silent as the grave.

A small hand reached out, and Ant was aching to take it. To touch his dearest friend, one more time. To give up his last breath just to say sorry. Sorry for abandoning him. Sorry for not going with him. Sorry for not dying by his side. He could do that now, though. Sink to the bottom in Four's kind arms. Comforted by his unending love.

No.

It began as a prickle in the back of Ant's mind. Don't take that hand. Fight! That is not Four. Don't give up. But the lure was strong. Despite being underwater, tears were rolling down Four's cheeks. He looked so sad. Was that the way he had looked when the Fourtitude sped away from Land's End. Ant wanted nothing more than to take him in his arms, kiss away those tears and hold him forever.

No!

Stronger now. The voice sent a tremor through Ant, and the image in front of him blurred. Vanished. Not again. He couldn't lose Four again. He realised that his lungs were screaming at him for air. His end was seconds away. All he could manage was a dog paddle, but it would have to do. But wait, he was going into darkness! That was the wrong way. He had to go up. Casting about, turning his head this way and that, he finally saw a faint glitter in the direction he had perceived as down. Using the last of his strength, he paddled towards it. And broke the surface.

Sweet, sweet air!

The riptide lay behind him. In his panic, it had practically swallowed him, and then it had spat him out. Ahead he could see a rocky beach. Not as smooth as the one he had left behind, but better than a vertical cliff. Ant kept paddling, kicking hard with his legs to try and shake off the undertow. And at last, he made it. Reluctantly, the sea let go its prey, and he floated in calm, wonderfully calm water. It seemed to take forever, but in the end he did reach the shore. He crawled up onto a flat, smooth rock, and threw up half a lungful of sea water.

Then he collapsed, and went straight to sleep.

* * * * * *

The sun was rising when Ant woke up. His body felt as if he had gone five sparring rounds with Knife, no rest in between. His eyes were sore, his mouth tasted of salt and his nose smelled nothing but, and his fur was sticky. And, he realised with a shudder, he was butt naked. He stared along the shore, and saw that there was no way past the cliffs. All that was left, was up. Sighing, he got to his feet and started walking.

Dawn had become morning, when he recognised the grassy incline. He'd had to backtrack twice, and once he had to climb up a giant boulder before he found the right direction. But now he could hear the familiar rustling of fabric. The familiar sound of a human, breathing. Zea looked up from where she sat on her sleeping bag, huddled in front of a heater. Her mouth fell open when she saw him, but his mind was too exhausted to care. Much.

"Ant!" Her voice was barely a whisper, more of a hiss. He must look a mess. She ran up to him, and hugged him tightly. "Where did you go? What happened to you?"

"Long story," he managed to croak out. "I lost my clothes."

"I can see that. Come on."

She took his hand and led him over to her camp site. Then she found a towel in her backpack, and wrapped it around him. With a sigh of relief, he sat down next to the heater, holding out his hands to borrow its warmth. He gratefully accepted a bottle of water, and took several deep gulps from it. During his swim, he had probably swallowed a lot of sea water, and thanks to his love for seafaring adventure stories, he knew that he needed to hydrate. He also knew not to rush it, or everything might come right back up.

Zea rubbed his shoulders and his back through the towel, and it felt so good. Blood flowed through his muscles, and even though they protested, Ant knew that it was a good ache. Once he was mostly dry and fairly warm, he took the towel from her and draped it over his lap. She smirked, and he gave a half-shrug. Rummaging through her backpack again, she fished out a half-filled packet of hazelnut cookies, and handed it to him. He picked one up, and nibbled at it while she sat down on the other side of the heater. Above its yellow-orange glow, her dark eyes shone with concern.

"What happened to you? Tell me everything."

"Well," he began, his voice surprising him by being almost steady. "A long, long time ago, energy suddenly expanded, creating both time and space. After it began to cool down, it started to come together and gain mass and... ouch!"

"Dork." She had thrown an empty sandwich container at him. Ant grinned, rubbing his chest where it had hit. "You know I meant last night. Or this morning. Or whatever."

"I went for a swim. Middle of the night." He sighed, felling foolish. "Didn't know the tide was going out."

Zea gasped, but she didn't look angry. Or even berating. She looked horrified, and as he told the story of his misadventure, he saw tears in her eyes. When he reached the part with the riptide, she ran over to him and threw her arms around him.

"You could have died," she whimpered. "Some people say riptides can't pull you under, but at the same time, if you do go under they will hold you down. And the currents around here are vicious, didn't you know that?"

"No."

"Flood swim, ebb sunbathe. That's the rule."

"I didn't know it was ebb." She leaned back, and he gave her a lopsided grin. "Hopefully I know better now."

"I'm so glad you're alive." She smiled, but it faded quickly. "I'm also mad that you left me last night."

"I know." He sighed. "It was rude, and I'm sorry."

"Why did you run?"

"Because I got scared." Ant looked down at the sandwich container, which still sat on his lap. Curious, he opened it and sniffed. Did she have cinnamon rolls? Without sharing? When he spoke, his voice fell to a whisper. "I couldn't... I couldn't do what you wanted me to do. I can't be what you want me to be."

"Because I'm a human?"

"No, because..." He swallowed. "All I could think of... was Four."

"Four?"

"I saw him. Down in the water, after the riptide. Which did pull me under, by the way, no matter what people say. I saw Four, just as clearly as I see you now." Ant's voice hitched. "And he... and he wanted me to stay... to stay with him, in the sea."

"He was your... friend?" He nodded. "And he drowned?"

"No. He died in space. A few months ago. But somehow, I still saw him."

"They say when you see your dead in the water, you're about to join them."

"I almost did. He always said I'm stubborn, and I was. Too stubborn to die."

They sat in silence for a while. Ant ate another cookie, and washed it down with water. Both seemed lost in their own thoughts. Ant tried to rid his mind of the image of Four, floating down there in the dark, but it came back every time he closed his eyes. Every time he blinked. So he tried not to, giving in only when his eyes began to dry. Instead he watched Zea, as she made them a late breakfast. The top of the cube-shaped heater was just large enough for a small teapot, and soon she had two steaming mugs ready. Ant wasn't a fan of hot drinks, but today he needed it. The tea was herbal, and surprisingly sweet, and it warmed him from within. She gave him a sandwich, and he opened it to see what was inside.

"It's just mushrooms."

Ant smiled. He liked mushrooms. These were the same small, orange trumpets he had seen before, inside the forest. They had been pan-fried in some kind of spiced oil, and then left to cool until they almost congealed. He found it very, very yummy, and ate the whole thing before Zea was even two bites into hers. When he glanced her way with a tiny bit of a pout, he found her smiling. She waved her sandwich at him.

"Trade you what's left, for the rest of the cookies."

He smiled, and licked his lips.

* * * * * *

Ant tried to get comfortable, but it wasn't easy. Zea's sleeping bag was too warm, and it was too noisy. Every time he so much as stirred, it crackled and rustled. In the end he decided to skip sleep, and sat up. Zea had been gone for almost an hour, and he supposed she would be back soon. Too soon for any decent nap.

She had been nice enough to go and get his stuff from the beach, while he rested and kept on drinking water. Speaking of which, he suddenly realised that all that liquid eventually had to go somewhere. A quick dash into the trees later, he sat down on top of the sleeping bag, and picked up the heater.

Its shape reminded him of the Fourtitude, but he pushed away any sombre thoughts. Instead he turned it over in his hands. It was almost small enough to fit in his palm, and had no discernable features except for two buttons, a green one for on and a red one for off, and a dial to set the level of heat. Plus, on the underside, a hatch to access the battery. Ant assumed it worked by running electricity through some kind of radiator, but he didn't have any tools to pry it open with. Besides, he wasn't sure he could put it back together in the right way. Maybe if he could get his hands on a defunct one, he could break it apart and see what made it tick. Or rather, heat. He smiled. That was a project for another time.

He sat it down just as Zea came into view, carrying his backpack. She waved at him, and he waved back. When she reached him he stood up, and she handed him his shirt and shorts. He saw her gaze move down, then back up again, but he couldn't muster even a little bit of embarrassment. If there were anything she hadn't seen that morning, he didn't care if she saw it now. Their eyes met, and he cocked his head, smirking. Her face turned darker. Pouting, she lightly punched his shoulder, making him chuckle. He turned away and put on his shirt. His shorts stuck on his clammy leg fur, and while he struggled to pull them up he could all but feel her eyes on him.

So what? She had been more kind and forgiving than he deserved. If she wanted to peek at his bare butt, then... well, it was a fair enough reward. When he was dressed, he turned around, only to face the flash from his datapad. He frowned, and put his hands on his hips.

"Don't look at me like that." She smiled teasingly. "I was a good girl, I waited until you were decent."

He held out his hand and she gave him the pad. But not before looking at the main screen. Their eyes met, and she raised an eyebrow. He merely nodded. And with that, the playful mood was gone. Ant busied himself with yet another drink of water, hoping that Zea wouldn't say anything. A vain hope, as it turned out.

"Please, tell me about him." Her voice was soft, but it still cut through him. "Tell me about Four."

Ant said nothing. Instead he sat down, and patted the grass next to him. She joined him, and thankfully gave him all the time he needed to gather his jumbled thoughts. Where to begin? He drew in a breath, sighed it back out, then tried again.

"It was a time when I was feeling low, and lonely, and I had no idea what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go. That's when I met him. He was... he was my friend. My best ever friend. And I loved him more than I ever realised." His words faltered, and he let out something that was half whimper, half sob. "Until it was too late."

The afternoon waned. Evening came and went. Stars filled the sky while Ant told his tale, from the day he stepped aboard a friendly ferry on a hospital station, to the moment when the Fourtitude left him behind. Left him to go on an impossible quest. A suicide run. And for the life of him, Ant couldn't figure out why. When he started talking, he had tears running down his cheeks, and occasionally he had to pause to cry for a little while on Zea's shoulder. But as time went on, as he regaled them both with tales of his and Four's antics, his mood began to shift. Tears gave way to laughter. Grief gave way to joy; the joy of having met Four in the first place. To have been with him through his transformation from vehicle to person. From a set of programs to gloriously, vibrantly alive, but for a lack of flesh and blood.

It was almost cathartic. Ant had pushed his sorrow away, buried it deep inside, but with it went all the happy moments. All the laughter and the jokes, all their travels and the countless hours they had spent making toys. Or just... been together. Now he could feel, overshadowing the sadness, the joy of having known Four. Of having been his friend.

"You really, really loved him." Zea was crying now. "It's so sweet. And so tragic. And so... sweet."

"Yes," Ant whispered. "I did love him. I do love him. But I never truly told him. I thought I had time to figure things out. I thought we had forever."

"I'm sorry, Ant. So sorry for your loss." She put her hands on his shoulders and held him at arm's length, looking right into his eyes. "But thanks for telling me. It's like I know you now, a lot better that I did."

"Thank you. For listening. It was... It felt good to talk about it. About him."

They hugged. A long, tight embrace. Ant felt her tremble, and he let out a deep sigh, that had been a long time coming. When they finally let go, Ant kissed her. It was a brief kiss. A chaste kiss. Far from what she had wanted last night, but perfect for then and there. When he leaned back, they were smiling. They both knew. They would never be lovers, but their friendship was set in stone.

* * * * * *

They were chatting amicably as they entered the forest again, following the back half of the red trail. The tension that had been between them was gone, and Ant felt as if a thundercloud had evaporated without leaving so much as a drop of rain behind. The sun had yet to part with the horizon, and around them the trees sang with birds. Knowing that they would pass several clean streams along the way, Zea had let him use a whole bottle of water to wash as much sea salt out of his face and head fur as he could. It made him feel a lot better, even if he did long for his fur brush.

He had used her towel again, and rather than pack it away wet, he tucked the short end of it under the back neckline of his shirt, wearing it like a cape to let it air dry. While they walked down the hillock, Zea couldn't look at him without bursting into laughter.

"If I had a marker pen, I'd write a W on your shirt," she giggled. "Wolfman, the mighty hero, ready to spring into action and save the day."

"Would you be the damsel in distress, then?" he quipped. "Always in need of rescue."

And so they kept up. Music, films, books. They covered every topic they could think of. Ant talked about toys. Zea talked about forest care. He showed her his New Mérida passport which, even though it wasn't entirely legit, in his eyes made him a proper citizen. She showed him the necklace she wore, which her grandfather had given her when she turned ten. The piece of volcanic rock set in it came from Callisto, she told him, the only world in the Sol system that wasn't completely off limits.

"Are there still wolfs on Earth?" he asked as he breathlessly stared at the primal artefact. "Real wild wolfs?"

"I don't know. The clouds completely hide the surface, grandfather said, and nobody's allowed to land. Or even send down camera probes." She borrowed his datapad and found a picture of a pure white orb. "It says here, long-range scans show that life has begun to spread again. So, maybe..."

As the morning dwindled, they stopped for a quick lunch. Ant was glad for the break. He was sore from his nightly swim, and it seemed that no matter how much water he drank, he was still thirsty. After eating, they dozed through the midday heat. Ant put on his sunglasses, but he took off his shirt. Zea did the same. Drinking sunlight, she called it, explaining that sun on skin was vital for humans. But too much could be even worse than too little. Ant didn't fully understand. He had read the anatomy books Knife showed him, but he was always more interested in what people did and why, than in how they functioned. And he definitely wasn't interested in learning about pressure points and soft spots, in order to make smoother kills.

Late in the afternoon, Ant suddenly froze mid-stride, almost falling over. The two of them had climbed down a steep slope, after which the trail passed through a field of tall grass, and now they were in the forest again. Zea peered at him curiously; she clearly hasn't heard it yet. The sound of hoofbeats. Ant tried to be stoical, but when the beasts came into view he dived into the underbrush. Shaking her head, Zea turned to greet her uncle and aunt.

"Search party, already?" she asked, tongue-in-cheek. "We're not even a day late."

"Not really," her uncle said. "Just out for a ride."

"On the exact same trail we took." She shook her head. "You do know I've been an adult for years now, right?"

"Yeah..." His tone sounded uncomfortable, but Ant couldn't see well enough to read his face. He could read the horse's face, though. Its nostrils were flaring, and it was clearly smelling a morsel of wolf. "But can you blame me? A red trail is a red trail."

"And I know them all back to front, and then back again."

"I know. Sorry." He sighed. "Where's our furry friend?"

"Hiding from the horses, of course."

"I'm not hiding," Ant peered out from behind a shrub, but withdrew as soon as one of the horses took a step towards him. "I just... I thought I smelled mushrooms, and I wanted to catch them."

He huffed as everyone laughed at him. Not for the first time, Ant wished he could drive a motorcar, where he could roll up the windows and be safe from both overlarge animals and sarcastic people. He had seen horses eat grass, and those pellet things Zea fed them, but he was certain that they would expand their diet with him, given half a chance. To be on the safe side, he climbed a tree. About five metres up he found a place where two sturdy branches grew close to one another. A near-perfect mock hammock. He made himself comfortable and crossed his arms over his chest; as long as those things were running loose down there, he was going to mope.

* * * * * *

"Ant! Ant, they're gone now!"

A beetle was crawling along a twig just above his head, pausing now and then to graze on a leaf. It always seemed to eat just a little bit. Was that to keep the leaves alive, so it could come back later for seconds? Ant didn't know what species it was, but when sunlight hit it from the right angle, the dull dark grey shone with blues and greens. It was quite pretty.

"Ant, come down, please!"

What would it be like to be a beetle? It would be a free life. No worries. Just crawl around and munch on leaves. He could do that, if he were small and chitinous. But then, even more creatures would want to eat him. Not just horses, but birds and foxes and snakes and... did squirrels eat beetles? Ant knew they ate seeds and nuts, but... who knew?

"Ant, you're being ridiculous." Sighing, he untangled himself from his treerest, and stood up. Zea was right below him, standing with her arms crossed, barely visible through the leaves. He was sure she couldn't see him. "Yes, the horses are gone, and no, they weren't gonna hurt you. Won't you come down? Pretty please with strawberries and cream?"

Ant's ears perked. Did he hear that right? He leapt, down through the twigs and leaves, until his feet caught the last branch before the ground. Scurrying as far out on it as he could, he stuck his head through the foliage.

"Strawberries?"

"Yes, strawberries." She sounded exasperated, which he counted as a minor win. "You can have strawberries back at the lodge. But only if you come down so we can go."

"No horses?"

"No horses."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Can I think about it?"

"Ant, for..." Ant's ears perked again, and he took notice. He knew some of the swear words Zea used, but several of them were new to him. "I swear, I'll take an axe to that tree..."

Just then, Ant landed right in front of her. She took a step back, stumbled and sat down. Grinning, he reached out and took her hand, helping her up. Without saying anything, she started brushing twigs and leaves out of his fur, and she even found a caterpillar crawling on his shirt. She sat it down on a leaf, and Ant blew it a kiss goodbye.

He didn't know why he was being so silly, but something fundamental had changed inside of him, and it was making him giddy. Still without speaking, he picked up his backpack, and they resumed walking. It was a comfortable silence, the first they had ever had together. In the end, though, after they had gone around a steep drop rather than trying to climb down, he couldn't help but break it.

"I'm sorry for being a pest."

"You weren't being a pest."

"But I was! I was really annoying."

"Ant, stop, you weren't."

"Come on, tell me I was a pest, so I can apologise properly."

"Oh, okay, you were a bit of a pest."

"What?" He clutched one hand over his heart, and slapped the other to his forehead in a dramatic gesture. "How can you say such a thing? Do you know how hurtful that is?"

"I'm sorry, Ant, I didn't mean..."

"No, no, don't think anymore about it. I'm fine."

"But I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's okay."

"No, please, just say I was mean to you, so I can say I'm sorry."

"Well, you were a bit mean."

"What?" It was her turn to overact, and Ant was happy to play along. "How can you call me a meanie, that is so unfair!"

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologise. I just have to live with my pain."

They kept on bickering and trading insults, all the way to the wilderness centre. It was all in jest, and they both knew it. Ant had never had so much fun with a human. Not with anyone, except for Four. And maybe, just maybe, Raeder. The captain of the Morning Calm had a sharp sense of humour, when he chose to use it. When it had been just the two of them, and he didn't have to act the captain, he could relax and be silly with Ant.

He smiled to himself as the lodge came into view. As he said goodbye to Zea and went to his room to shower and then sleep, he found that he really did miss them all. Raeder, of course, but also Tow. The bear of a man, of whom Ant had been scared at first, but who turned out to be as good and kind as he was large. And Knife. Tall, sleek, always ready with a verbal jab or an actual punch. She had liked to tease him about all kinds of things, and she had been ruthless in their sparring matches, claiming that every bruise made him a better fighter. He missed her, too, in a weird way.

As hot water and a mound of soap suds slowly rinsed the salt out of his fur and skin, he tried to think of ways to find them. If not to rejoin the Calm crew, then at least to see how they were. If they were still mad at him for leaving with Four. To hear what they had been up to, and maybe share a story or two of his own, now that he had experienced bits and parts of the galaxy.

But not yet.

He wanted to make his own way. To cut a slice of life for himself. And he really should try to start making money again. Not that he was in dire need, but his account had been at a standstill ever since Land's End. He had worked a little, here and there, bringing in about as much as he spent on food and shelter. Since he was travelling as light as his tiny backpack, he rarely bought anything that had to be hauled around. Whenever he got himself new clothes, he threw away something old and worn. And every time he finished a paper book, he donated it to the nearest charity store.

After the shower, as he was sitting on his bed, purring while he brushed his fur from head to toe, he reached his final decision. The time to leave Seaport, had come. He had enjoyed his stay. Working on and off for the wilderness centre or the lodge had been fun, and he had ended up making a good friend in Zea. He would miss her, but that was part of life. Meet, part, miss. He slept well that night, exhausted from the trek and the swim and the emotional storm.

In the morning, as Zea joined him at the lodge's breakfast buffet, he saw in her eyes that she could tell. She knew that he had made up his mind. They ate in silence, and after they had cleared their table she took his hand and leaned against him.

"You dummy." Her tone was light, but he could hear the underlying emotions. "We were just starting to have fun."

"I'll come back to see you."

"Don't say gold and bring me a pebble." She punched his shoulder. "Wish I didn't have another year of school, I could have come with you."

"No, you couldn't." He stroked her cheek with a finger, just a tear rolled down it. "You love this place, and it loves you."

"Keep your platitudes." She muttered a curse word, which Ant consigned to memory. "But send me a feckin' postcard, will you?"

"Sure." He hugged her. "And you, get good grades, girl. And become the best wild... police... thing, Seaport's ever seen."

"Wildlife preservation officer." She kissed his cheek. "Goof."

"I'm gonna miss you, Zea."

"You too, wolf." She swatted his rump, and he yelped. "Now get going before I make a fool of myself, and cry the whole house down."

Nodding, he turned around and headed back to his room, to pack. Zea didn't make a fool of herself, but he could hear her sniffle just as he left the room. Next he heard a sob, but that one came from him.

* * * * * *

Twenty minutes later he had checked out and paid his bill, and he had made the rounds to say goodbye to everyone. He received a lot of hugs and back pats, even a couple of tears from people he had worked closely with during his stay. Zea's uncle told him not to be a stranger, and made him promise to come back some day. He did, but he was far from sure he would keep that promise.

He didn't see Zea again, even though he searched her two favourite places; the game arcade and, from a safe distance, the stables.

A couple of people offered him a lift to the spaceport, but he declined. He needed time to let his emotions settle, before he joined the throng of arrivals and departures. Walking, he would be there just before lunch, which suited him fine. He could have a bite to eat, if he had the appetite for it, then he would check outgoing flights, to see what caught his fancy.

He did eat a potato salad in a chain restaurant. The nervous energy he usually felt when he was travelling was coming awake, in a good way. On the road again, so to speak. He felt happy as he went to find the departures board, happier than he had in... well, since Four left him. Or he abandoned Four, whichever way he chose to see it. Both statements were true, but neither was the full truth. Even that thought didn't get him down much. He entered the large main hall, and his breath caught. For once, he was the one to do a double take. Could that really have been...

Yes!

Right there, walking past the arrivals gate, was Magnus Larsen. The man who had helped Ant find a robot body for Four. Ant's tail began to wag, and his feet moved before he could even tell them to. He caught up just outside a book store, and tapped the man's shoulder. White teeth shone in a dark face, as immediate recognition dawned in his eyes when he turned around.

"Hey there."

"Hi, Mr Larsen," Ant grinned. "Remember me?"

"I do, actually." His voice was as pleasantly deep as Ant remembered it. Not a growl, but neither the average human male baritone. "But you obviously don't remember me, or you would have known it's Magnus."

"Magnus." Ant's tail wagged again, and the man chuckled. "Can we... do you have time to talk for a little while. Now that I saw you, there's something I'd like to ask about."

"Absolutely. In fact, I have as much time as you need. I am here to see you."

"You are?" Ant's jaw dropped. "But... how could you possibly know..."

"That you're here?" Ant nodded. "Pure chance. I was stopping over at Wilhelmina spaceport, when I heard a couple of guys talk about a strange dog kid hitching a ride to Seaport. Don't give me that look, it was their words. I asked, and from the way they described him, I knew it had to be you."

"So you came to see me?"

"Yes."

"Just like that?"

"Yes. And judging by your being here at the 'port, I guess I was just in time. Where are you going?"

"Dunno yet. I was on my way to buy a ticket when I saw you." Ant grinned again. "It's a small universe."

"No, it isn't." Magnus smiled, and patted Ant's shoulder. "But you, my friend, stand out in it, like a lighthouse at night."

"A what?"

"Look it up. they're not used much anymore, but it's an interesting piece of history." He glanced around. "Where's your electronic friend?"

"He's..." Ant's face fell. He had expected the question, but it still almost floored him. "He's not around anymore."

"Went his own way?"

"No, he's..." Ant swallowed. "He died."

"Oh." It was Magnus's turn to look as if he had been slapped. "I'm so sorry to hear that. The cheerful little fellow. What happened?"

"Can we sit down somewhere?"

"Sure. I see a café over there. Do you like coffee?"

"Apple juice?"

"Apple juice it is. My treat."

* * * * * *

The ice cubes in Ant's glass had long since melted, and Magnus's untouched coffee had developed a skin, by the time Ant finished telling his story. For the second time in less than two days. The man reached across the table and took Ant's hands, and he didn't even try to hide his tears. That, more than anything else, was enough to make Ant's lower lip tremble. But he fought it back. He did not want to cry again. In the last few months, he had cried more than in the rest of his life combined, and it was getting old. They sat in silence, and Ant drew strength from the touch, strength enough to ask what he needed to know.

"Why?"

"Why did he do it?" Ant nodded. "Why did he go someplace he knew he couldn't survive?"

"Yes. It was strange. I never saw him so... adamant. He kept saying he didn't know what to do, or how, but when it came down to it, he just... left." Ant sighed, his shoulders sagging. "And I stepped off the ramp. I really thought that would make him stay, but it didn't. And he never came b-back."

"I wonder..." Magnus leaned back in his chair, took a sip of his coffee, and grimaced. Ant gulped down his juice, even though the melted ice had diluted it. "This is undrinkable. Can I top you up, as well?"

"Yes, please."

"Do you want something to eat? I ate on my way over, but..."

"No thanks. I had lunch just before I found you."

Magnus went over to the counter, and soon returned with fresh drinks. For a while, they stayed on safer topics, chatting about other things that had happened since last time they met. Magnus's niece, it turned out, had started pre-school, and had already made friends with most of the other kids. In turn, Ant talked about making toys, how he had been inspired by the work the two of them had done on Four's body and the Fourtitude itself, and that he had a standing offer to sell his wares in a store on Laya.

"That's great. Do you have anything I can see?"

"No. Everything, my tools and the parts and all, was on the Fourtitude." Ant bit his lower lip. "But I think I wanna start up again."

"If you want, I could get you some more stuff."

"No, it's okay. I can manage."

"I believe you, my friend. If I've learned one thing about you, it's that you're resourceful, and tenacious."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Very." Ant grinned. "Now, about Four..."

"Right. What do you think?"

"Do you remember when I told you about how an intelligent computer's higher functions could break up its core programs?"

"Not really."

"That's the reason why they usually wipe higher memory and learning regularly. To keep them from reprogramming themselves."

"Okay..."

"Four never did that. From what you've told me, I guess he fleshed out instead. So to speak. Built his self on and around his core, rather than tearing it down."

"I kinda understand, but not really."

"The Fourtitude was a hospital vehicle when you met, right?"

"A ferry."

"If you like. He picked up sick people and brought them to the hospital station for care."

"Yes."

"That was his core program. No matter how independent he became, it still lay underneath it all."

"So when he heard about those settlers..."

"He couldn't help needing to help them."

"Especially the kids." Ant could no longer hold his tears back. "Because he was a kid, too. They always loved him, and he adored them."

"We'll never know exactly how his thought process went. But his core told him to gather them up and take them to the hospital. Not even his love for you could override that."

"It must have been unbearable." Ant was crying openly now, and Magnus brought his chair around the table, so he could lay an arm over his shoulders. Between deep sobs, Ant voiced the only thought that floated around inside his mind. "I could have... I should have... gone with him."

"No, Ant." Magnus's voice was soft, but the arm around Ant was strong and solid. "You would have died, too."

"At least... at least he... at least he wouldn't have been... all alone."

None of them spoke for a long time. They stayed where they were, while Ant slowly cried himself out. He needed this, needed to know what really happened. Why Four left him. Now he knew, and the truth was harsh. Hurtful. How had Four felt? Did he even know why he had to leave? Did a part of his mind try to resist, try to stay with Ant? Did he leave Ant behind to spare him? As if from far away, he heard Magnus talk to a concerned waitress, telling her that Ant had recently lost his best friend. This intrusion from reality halted Ant's train of thought, and he began to find his way out of his grief.

When he broke the hug and leaned back, sniffling a little, he saw a slice of cream cake on a saucer next to his juice glass. The simple gesture was touching. He glanced around, and saw the waitress looking his way. Turning slightly pink, she waved, and in return he gave her the warmest smile he could muster. The cake tasted mostly sweet, but with a mildly sharp jam inside. Seeing that Ant was holding together, at least for now, Magnus returned to his side of the table, and took a sip of his coffee. He made a face.

"Cold again."

Ant couldn't help but laugh. He finished his cake and drank his juice, then they stood up. But when Ant reached for his money card, Magnus took his hand gently.

"This is on me."

"I wanted to leave a tip for the nice girl."

"I already did." They left the café, and slowly started walking towards the ticket counters. "I'm sorry it hurts, Ant, talking about Four like that. It can't have been easy to hear."

"It wasn't. But it was still good, in a way. To finally know that... that there was nothing I could have done. It's devastating, but it's also a relief." He turned and met the man's eyes. "Do you know what I mean?"

"Not fully. I liked the little guy, but the closeness you two had... I don't think I even have that with my brother."

"Really?"

"Mhm. I love him, but not the way you loved Four." Ant was surprised to see those dark eyes tear up again. "It speaks volumes of you, Ant, that you helped him find himself, and showed him such love, such devotion. You made a difference, just by being you."

"To quote a friend of mine," Ant said with a wry grin, determined not to break down again, "keep your platitudes."

"Well said," Magnus said with a laugh. Ant chuckled along. "So, where do you want to go?"

They had reached the departures board, and Ant perused the long list of flight numbers, spacecraft names and destinations. Nothing really popped out at him, and he found that he only knew a couple of the planets named. He licked his lips, tasting the sweet of the cake, then he turned to Magnus with a smile.

"Where are you going?"

"Me?"

"Yes. You came here to see me, and you've seen me. So, where will you go next?"

"Well, I was on my way to Three Moon City. Business. Since my little detour is already over, that's where I'm going now."

"I don't see it on the board."

"I'm not flying regular. I've got my own ship." He smiled. "Well, it's my brother's, but he lets me borrow it from time to time."

"For real?" Magnus nodded. "So, any chance a very small wolf could stow away?"

"Where did you see a small wolf?" The man laughed. "You've grown about a foot since last I saw you. But... well, I might be persuaded to let out a seat."

"Great!"

"What do you have to barter with?"

"My fabulous company."

"That, my dear friend, will get you a window seat."

"When do we leave?"

"How about now?"

"Suits me fine." Ant followed Magnus towards a door marked 'private', which he opened with a key card. "What exactly is Three Moon City?"

"Only the largest city in the sector. Did you decide to tag along without knowing where to?"

"I've done that before. Pretty much all the time." Ant bit his lip while they approached a sleek, dark blue spaceship that was even smaller than the Fourtitude. A door opened, and they stepped in. Ant looked around; the interior felt cosy, with a table and a couple of chairs stuck to the floor, and a soft-looking sofa. The small cockpit, to Ant's amusement, looked like the inside of a motorcar. "But..."

"But?"

"I'm not sure I'm ready for a big city. I've been kinda hiding away for a while."

"I guessed. Seaport isn't exactly bursting with activity."

"It's fine for a wolf who wants to brood. I'm ready to get back out there, Magnus, but I don't want to jump into the deep end straight away."

"Understandable. Actually, I think I might know just the place to drop you off. It's only slightly out of my way."

"What's it called?"

"Ahkka. It's got cities, but also smaller towns, including some that keep a kind of medieval air, for the tourists. You know what medieval means?"

"Yeah. We went to a medieval fair once, me and Four. Knights in shining armour and the like."

"Exactly. Though without wars and plagues."

"I've had all my shots."

"Wanna come up and sit with me when we take off?"

"Yeah." Ant climbed into the front passenger seat, while Magnus took the driver's. It even had a steering wheel, though Ant supposed that the dashboard buttons and switches were what really drove the ship. They both put on three-point seatbelts. "Let's go!"

* * * * * *

A few minutes later, they left Seaport's orbit. Ant stared out the side window, at the rapidly shrinking blue-green world. A moment ago, he had been ready to take on the galaxy. Looking forward to his next adventure. Looking forward to get into the toy-making business again, or whatever else he might want to sink his teeth into. But the view of Seaport chased it all away, leaving behind one all-encompassing thought. He pouted.

"I never got my strawberries."