The Outer Moon (A Sapphic Sci Fi Adventure)

Chapter 23

               ["Would you like some food?"] Bree asked the new visitor. ["We can share!"] She was beaming at the little fox and looked like she wanted to grab him for a hug.

["Oh! Yes!"] The little fox was dressed in some some shorts and a tunic made from a woven fabric with bold red and blue colors and wooden buttons that already intrigued everyone. His face was open and expressive, and he was obviously excited about the food. To everyone's surprise, his fur wasn't the russet that they'd expected, but a deep brown with splotches of white instead.

With a grin, Miles handed a plate of food over to Bree, who quickly picked up a piece of the meat on a ceramic fork and handed it over to the little fox. ["Here you go!"] Bree took a bite too, so the fox could see that there was no foul play, and she quickly hummed happily at the flavor. ["Thank you, Uncle Miles!"]

The eyes of the fox went wide, and he popped the nugget of meat into his mouth without a second thought. Moments later, he was laying on his back, chewing contentedly and letting out little yips of happiness. ["That is so good! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"]

Bree and Rosie let out little giggles, while all the adults watched. Lena could see a few other heads peeking from above the wall but didn't make any fuss about it. Perhaps they were just letting this first little guy be the bold test subject for their first contact with their alien neighbors? Or was he the little town's rebel?

["My name is Bree, and this is my friend Rosie. What's your name?"]

["I'm Kajna."] He picked his head up, sniffing as though hoping that there was more food, and Miles handed him a little more. Kajna looked wary, probably because of Miles' size, but then his belly took over his thinking, and he grabbed the other bite of food.

["Do you have friends too?"] Rosie asked as she ate a little of the meat too. Lena slowly got more out for Miles to cook, as the wall now had over a dozen furry faces watching the scene, and it seemed like they might have to cook up a feast.

["Friends?"] Kajna asked around the meat he was chewing. He looked back over his shoulder, and then waved at everyone there. ["They're too afraid. The ancient pictures in the cave always told us there would be people like you coming from the stars and giving us gifts, but nobody believed it. But I did, so I'm enjoying the gifts!"]

["A cave?"] Lexi asked, catching Kajna's attention. ["That sounds very exciting. Do the ancients live there?"]

Kajna shook his head slowly. ["No, nobody lives there. But we go to pay our respects, since they saved us."]

Having remained quiet so far, Pepper and Vanessa shared a look at that, knowing that they would want to go to that cave sometime. Pepper had a feeling that there may be more to the message than the foxes realized. Why would they expect people like them to come visit their village and have it be a good thing?

["My mommies saved me!"] piped up Bree, as she grabbed the hands of Lexi, Viv, and Emma. ["You must be lucky too!"]

["Will your friends join us?"] Rosie wondered, now that she saw the other foxes looking over the wall. ["We have more food if they want to have some."]

["I'll get them,"] Kajna promised, before turning to yell at the others on the wall. ["Come eat! They're nice, not scary! This food is so good!"] As though his recommendation was a dinner bell, there was soon a throng of the tiny aliens coming over the wall, and the gates were thrown open to allow more of the creatures to come out too.

There was no way they had enough food.

Emma and Miles quickly got out a second grill, and started cooking more of the meat, much to the delight of the foxes, who all started chattering excitedly about the scents that started to permeate the surrounding area.