Innu-Akku

Having waited for everyone to descend into the crypt and drink from the source, intoxicated by hallucinogens, Buran limped to an inconspicuous hatch and climbed into it. The corridors entwined with wires, concrete stairs, and dark damp passages kept replacing each other. The settlement increasingly resembled a worm-eaten fruit - juicy on the outside but rotten and decayed on the inside. And the people inside it, drinking its last juices, turned out to be like worms.
"So, here's your temple," remarked Esma acerbically, recalling the outsider's association with the observation post.
Slowly, hobbling down the steps and leading the way, the familiar huskily muttered, "Sorry, buddy, for taking so long. Everyone is really looking forward to seeing you."
There was a rumble. Several streaks of dust fell from the ceiling, quite startling. From her chaotic and fast-flowing thoughts, Esma realized that it could have been a simple dumping of waste, or a collapse. Once again, she found herself associating it with Titan and the accident.
With a start and lifting his head, Buran hurried towards the sound as fast as he could. Overcoming his limp, he quickly reached a spacious junction, looking around.
The source of the noise turned out to be a huge, slimy, and foul-smelling lump, thrown from above.
"The filters are acting up again? You're going to run out of drinking water like this! They do say, 'Don't spit in the well,' but here... the cattle's are bathing!" exclaimed the familiar, coming closer.
As soon as he touched the clot, it stirred, gurgled, and began to grow before his eyes. Buran immediately jumped back, holding the satchel to his chest.
Luckily, beneath the layer of dirt and impurities, two girls were hiding. Frightened, they were shocked by the abrupt descent, as indicated by their vacant gaze and rapid breathing.
Fearing the worst, the familiar caught his breath. When it came to children, he wasn't going to be afraid.
Approaching the city girls, the dog wanted to check if everything was okay, when suddenly one of them started to stammer something, frightened by the dark figure. Not a prayer, not an incantation.
Fortunately, neither of the girls suffered any injuries, although the descent was clearly not a pleasant experience.
- Recently I didn't seen your tribe there, - the familiar continued hoarsely, staring and trying to guess the ages of the girls. The older girl seemed to be about fifteen. The younger one was around eight. Based on Esma's doggie assumption, she realized that the children did sometimes venture downstairs, driven by curiosity and the desire to see something forbidden. But apparently, scared by the sounds of the equipment, they ran back.
As it turned out, speaking one's thoughts aloud was not the best idea, and the older girl, upon hearing the unfamiliar speech, suddenly attacked the familiar with her fists.
Having pulled the hood off the stranger, the girl recoiled, squeaking: "Innu-akku."
- You're truth: I am a canine tribe member,- Buran shamefully admitted with mechanical voice. He understood perfectly well that shock, like any coin, had two sides, and after the aggression would come the ebb. The main thing was to weather the adrenaline rush, and then the girl definitely wouldn't cause any trouble.
- I'm not your foe, fair maidens! - the familiar said, holding up his hands and smiling ingratiatingly, thinking to resolve everything peacefully at first. Unfortunately, in vain. With a furious roar, the city girl lunged again.
The girl's blows and lunges turned out to be weak and clumsy. It was not difficult to dodge or block them. Rather, it was even exhilarating, much like movement does to a dog. Diminished frequencies played no small part in this, partly endowing the animal with behaviors, albeit not so strong.
- Catch and eat! - came a playful threat, followed by childish laughter.
But only Buran and Esma saw the playful aspect of what was happening. For the frightened city girl, the dog appeared as a terrifying demon, and she struck with all her might.
In a new lunge, the girl managed to strike Buran in the thigh, causing the dog to grimace and fall to his knees. Triumphant, the teenager snatched the satchel and, extracting its contents, raised the flask above her head.
- Please, fair maiden, do not bring sin upon your soul! - Buran's eyes flashed with so much fear and horror that even Esma panicked. But the girl clearly did not want to tangle with the "demon," and sensing the fear... predictably hurled the flask to the ground, shattering its not-so-sturdy bottom.
Immediately, the air was filled with the sweet scents of rose and some kind of chemical.
The younger girl, who had been watching in fear all this time, grabbed her head, shrieking in pain, and fell into a fit.
Forgetting about the familiar, the older girl rushed to her, embracing her trembling body and beginning to whisper something soothingly.
- What have you done? - Buran choked with horror, settling from dizziness. It made Esma feel dizzy too. The world began to distort again. There was a crackle. Sparks danced in front of their eyes. "Standing proud throughout the years.. As long as there is blood in our veins," - Buran flashed his eyes, horror-stricken to realize that another girl was standing near the grubby city girls, a little seven-year-old in an old-fashioned burgundy coat with a DNA chain emblem.
- Danya, where are we going? - inquired a thin child's voice.
- We'll fly on the spacecraft. Far, far away! Like in a fairy tale, on a sieve, a burka, a magic golden plover, - recognizing the cat familiar Buran in Esma's manner of speaking and speech. Body swapping was always a bureaucratic hassle, but the Martian knew it was possible. Almost all refugee animals first submitted applications to the prefecture for this. Even recalled a neighbor who came to visit her parents, lamenting that her hearing about her body's meeting had been postponed again.
- And who is goldren plover?
- Golden plover? A pony. Like a magical troika in a fairy tale. It'll leap up and carry us away,- the cat assured, hastily unlocking the electronic locks.
- Can she take us to your fairy tale? I'm afraid of "far far away", - said the yawn girl.
- Sure! We'll fly wherever you want to. But we need to get to the spacecraft, Lana...
As soon as the last indicator beeped and the door opened, a fresh, cool night air greeted them. The city slept, shrouded in layers of gray clouds and electric glow. In the distance, the maglev road hummed, and the banners gleamed with neon. Indistinct calls were heard, inviting people somewhere.
"Naro-Fominsk!"** - Buran's story came to mind.
The familiar quickly pulled out a small plastic spaceship figurine and put it in the girl's pocket.
- We'll ride on this to wondrous realms. Take care of it.
The sleepy girl asked a few more questions, but receiving one-word answers, she fell silent, barely keeping up with the older one.
The thoughts of the guest and Buran intertwined, filled with doubts and bitterness over the decision they were making.
Finally, a question about the color of the passing car and its resemblance to "Madam Zhao's dress" put an end to their doubts.
Picking up the little one, the cat increased his pace, looking for signs of familiarity.
When the yawning girl asked, Buran explained that they needed to hurry, otherwise "bad people" would come soon.
- But if they're so bad, why did you call them? - The question was as complex in the girl's mind as it remained a mystery.
Rocking the baby with a song from the recording, Buran nervously looked around. The agreed-upon place was close, but there was no sign of it to be found. Only when he saw the dim light of the headlights, did he breathe a sigh of relief. They made it!
- She's 'Serralini'*. With these documents and the last name Ibragimov, there shouldn't be any problems. I think you'll easily be able to pass as refugees. Besides, sometimes they sell kids like her as a copy of a deceased child, - he quickly explained how to bypass the scanners at the port and what to do if there was a glitch, handing the sleeping girl to his friend and his wife.
- When you wake up, all of this will be over. There will be loving people next to you. There will be freedom. No one will tell you how to live your life or experiment on you. You're previous life's dream will come true. But forgive me... I won't be there with you. We'll meet in Theotroph, I promise! Remember that and be a good girl, - lingering, he turned around and was about to leave, when the waking Lana in panic grabbed his tail. Her childish face was filled with bitter understanding of what was happening.
Esma heard all of Buran's pain. His regret. But tails are not to be cut in pieces out of pity, are they?
- Fly! - Buran barked, realizing with fear that there was almost no time left to return to the center. - The prefecture and gorgonopsids won't wait!
Breaking free from the child's hands so that Lana almost fell, Buran quickly disappeared into the bushes.
"She will forget," - he convinced himself, pushing away the heavy, intrusive thoughts.
Only when he was far away, the cat allowed himself to turn around, watching the car shining in neon lights and carrying away.
"Danya..." - the conscience spoke in a child's voice.
Another mark adorned the already exhausted mind. The mark of a traitor...
Once the darkness dispersed, Buran sighed intermittently. All this time, his eyes rhythmically flickered as if in communication.
There was no smell anymore. The screams died down. The past was far behind.
"I guess this is not ye olde bread and salt, if she haven't forgotten in eight winters," - Buran hissing whisper, patting his face.
Turning his head, he realized that someone was watching him intently. Not in fear, not deciding how to attack, just observing.
- Oh, don't be tift, fair maidens on me, gray. Don't rush, red ones. I didn't mean to scare you, poor thing, - he didn't want to fight the lame old man. Now Esma noticed many ugly wounds, hastily bound with staples.
- Innu-akku! - slowly approaching, the youngest reached out to Buran's face. Amusingly wiggling his nose, as if sniffing, the girl completely forgot about her fear. In her eyes, there was only curiosity. - Innu-akku feivenger?
- Told you earlier, I am from the canine tribe, - familiar repeated, motionless and examining the dirty but endearing girl. As if there was something familiar in her, but long forgotten and erased from thoughts as if forbidden.
"Marked! They must have escaped from the temple!" As soon as the girl touched the dog's nose, the signs on her palms became visible, dirtied as if through the mud. The silhouette resembling brain arteries surprised Esma, wondering whether these children had met her in the server room.
Noticing that both fugitives were trembling, either from shock or from cold, familiar took off part of his clothes and said:
- Here. Wrap yourselves up, fair maidens. It will be much warmer. You both seem freezing!
As the youngest girl wrapped the cloth around her body, seemingly against their grumbles, like a net from a fairy tale, Buran sighed sadly, again hearing the voice of conscience:
- Follow me. I will lead you away from trouble.

*Serralini - scandalous scientist, who try to provoke GMO
** Naro-Fominsk - real town near Moscow, by Kiev railway direction