How did a hedgehog even get on a space station?
“Hey, it’s me. Where can I get feeder crickets at this time o’ night?”
Rael should have guessed, then, that something was awry. Even for a well-traveled human of her era, Shayde was not overly adventurous when it came to foodstuffs. Insectivorism was definitely not, as she put it, ‘her bag’.
He checked his chrono. “There’s a night market three levels under the bottom of the Elemeno. There’s all sorts of insectivore food.” It was so late, it was early. “And if you don’t mind, I need rest.” He literally poured himself into his heated tank and relaxed.
Another long day in a long line of long days, over. Until tomorrow.
*
Wait. Feeder crickets?
Rael startled into consciousness and poured himself into his clothes for the day. Why the flakk would someone like Shayde want feeder crickets? Something was terribly, ominously wrong.
And knowing Shayde as he unfortunately did, it was overdue to explode.
She was waiting outside his front door.
“No damage?” he asked.
“Na, I didnae happen to anyone. Ye had breakfast?”
“I was going to grab something from Eat Deep Fried Anything.” He stopped to take in the scene. “Shayde, why do you have a basket?”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ve never seen a vet about the place. Do they have a hidin’ spot or is everythin’ upside-down again?”
“Shayde, why is the basket moving?”
“Aw that’s reet, Ye never met Miss Tiggy.”
“Miss… Tiggy…” He shook his head and wove his way around her. “I have paying work to do, Shayde, so either start making sense or come back when you have a linear story.”
“Ah found a puir wee tiggy winkle…” she dug a sphere out of the basket, a sphere that, after a few paces, sprouted a face.
“That’s a hedgehog.”
“Aye.”
“How did a hedgehog get onto the station?”
“That’s part of th’ mystery,” Shayde grinned. “I rescued Miss Tiggy from a gang of Skitties and she needed a quiet place and a feed. And some checkin’ out, ye ken. I’ve been all through the directory, and I cannae find a vet.”
“Vet…” Rael echoed. The word had not turned up in her already confusing lexicon before.
“Veterinarian? An animal doctor?”
“There aren’t any. Medicine sort of merged after the third dozen species that had characteristics and physiognomy similar to another planet’s fauna.”
“Awright then. Miss Tiggy and I are off on an adventure to medical.”
“Don’t blow anything up.”
“You say that like you don’t know me…”
“I say that because I know you.”
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