Lynn reference by @SpaceHyena

Hop, skip, and a rocky flop ch3: The longest hourGable wasn't a bad companion, to say the least. We often did chore rotations together, so we had plenty of time to get to know each other. Ze were from the southern continent, having come up to my town to see a concert. Zir plans kinda blew up. Literally. Sometimes ze wondered if any of the band members made it. Like me, ze decided not to look at the population list. We were bunking in one of the smaller quarters, sharing it with six others, though half of us had to sleep on the floor. It was cramped, but noone could help it. Not really. There was just more moorn'tal than there were beds. Over the next six months, Actias got a bit better at giving us the daily news. Mostly new hatchlings. A few deaths...mostly elders that had already been at death's door to begin with. Sometimes there was news about an interesting cosmic event we were passing by. But, Actias still hadn't quite mastered the skill of letting people down easily. I was tending to a squash of squishbeans when the ship was shaken...something hit us. The alarm blared and I gathered them up into a sack that used to hold feed. Whatever was going on, it was making my fur stand up. I ducked into a closet, hoping that would offer me safety. I was wrong. I curled around the sack of beans as best as possible as the ship began shaking violently. I could hear the crunch of metal and sizzling as the ship broke. I reached out aa leg to grab a rail as my closet became exposed to the air. Fire licked up my body and I watched helplessly as my fur burned away. A spark hit my ear, as I used my hands to try to drag myself back inside. It felt like year passed. Left hand, right hand, foot. It took all my strength to get to the door. And more to open it. Luckily, the hall turned and hadn't been sliced open...yet. I dragged myself down it, seeking another room to hide in. Preferably far from thee closet. Lethargy hit my body...crawling was becoming too much. But I had to continue on. i had to. The hall seemed to lengthen as I went onward. The sounds of screaming could be heard. The calls of terrified Bokkin rang in my ears. The squishbeans in my sack wiggled, trying to get out. And me? I was vaguely aware that I was still on fire. I hoped that I could put it out soon, as I made my way into another closet. A bucket of dirty water had been left in it. Probably from someone doing janitorial duty. It was mostly dumped onto the floor. And clearly had been used to mop up after a hatchling. I didn't care. I rolled in the puddle and dumped the rest of it on myself. Leaning my head back, I passed out. I found myself drifting in and out of wakefulness. The only constant was a great pain in my skin and searing heat. One of the times I woke, I heard voices. "The idiot gave themselves an infection." It sounded like whomever it was was mad. At who? "Well, yeah, I wouldn't reccomend using mop water to put out a fire. But, they'll live." It was another voice. I barely tried to open my eyes before passing out again. I didn't know how much time passed before I was able to be awake more than a few seconds. When I woke, I was covered head to toe in bandages. I was in one of the large quarters, which looked to be retrofited into an infirmery. Nurses and doctors were rushing between others who ranged from slightly cooked to being wrapped in so many bandages they were practically mummies. One of the nurses, heavy-built and with pink fur, stepped over to me. "How many fingers am I holding up?" "Three?" I rasped. Speaking hurt. "Good, good. I'm Cassidy...I'll be your nurse today." They started changing my bandages. "You're very lucky...we almost lost you a few times. What were you thinking?" I realised they were the one that called me an idiot. "I wasn't." I stated. "Not unless you count 'fire bad'." They chuckled. "Humor...I like it." My thoughts turned to my sack. "Hey, uh...did the beans make it?" They nodded. "Thanks to you, they came out barely even squashed." I winced as they applied a cream to my tail. "Hold still...this is to make sure the skin heals well." "I'm glad they're okay...I think their pen got ripped out." I winced again. "What happened?" "The programmers are still trying to get Actias back online, but we've crashlanded." They were making sure my tail was coated. "The atmosphere is safe. But you're to stay on the ship until you're healed. I would say the sme for the rest of the injured, but there's so many. I was lucky...I was towards the front in the top deck." I nodded. "I was in the lower decks." "A lot here were found there." There was a commotion at the other end of the room. I could only hear a croaked 'eggs' and the sound of someone being made to lie down. I tried to sit up to check it out, only to be forced to lie back down. "It's just a nursery attendant. They saved a lot of lives...a few parents have been dying to thank them." "Burns?" They nodded. "About as bad as yours."

Hop, skip, and a rocky flop Ch1: The rumblings of a future no more I never thought I'd see the day where I had to leave home. Honestly, I never thought I would have seen my planet eaten by bugs of all things. But I certainly wasn't one to think about the future. Time's always been a bit fucky, so why bother? That fateful day started like any other...I was making breakfast. My parents had already left on a trip, so I was left home alone. Which wasn't the best idea, but who was I to complain? "...Shit." The first cupboard I opened was empty. No spices. No mushrooms. And definitely no cooking oil. And the second was empty. And the third. And... "SQUAAAAAAAA!!!!" The creature bounced off my face, taking off running as fat as it could...clutching the last chunk of mushroom in my apartment. "DAMMIT!!!!" I dropped to all fours, digging my claws in as I chased it down. Of all the times a pest had to get in, it had to be when I was trying to cook. And worse off? The thing was more flexible and mobile, honed by generations of running away from beings like myself. As it should...it was simply trying to survive. It just imply evolved on the wrong planet. Luckily for it and unluckily for me, I smashed my face into a wall and it squeezed into a crack. I rubbed my muzzle, feeling that a couple teeth had been knocked out of place. Damn...that's going to take some time to regrow. And on the other side, I could hear another chase as my neighbors took on the hunt. Well, it's not my problem. What is my problem, though, was the lack of breakfast. I had made the decision that I had wanted a place on the lower part of the complex. I never cared much for heights and I hated having to climb over and around doors just to get home. It was simply the nature of my kind to stack homes upon homes. It was more cozy, more packed. Unfortunately it meant that every single apartment complex looked like the ugliest, most unstable piece of shit architecture imaginable. How they stayed standing was beyond me. I slipped into a jacket and waterproof booties. Sure, I have fur, but that doesn't mean I like being wet. A cactus creature stared at me from in a corner and I ignored it...it probably wasn't real and I didn't have the time to deal with it. Well, looks like I'm dropping by the pharmacy today. When was the last time I took my medicine? well, at least the cactus was...nevermind, it split in half. Time to go. I don't want to risk chancing it being real. I squinted as I stepped out into the rain. Strange...the sky usually isn't that color. I looked towards the horizon. A great ship had finished building about...two weeks ago? Three? I honestly have no clue. I just knew it was built for an emergency. No matter...I had food to buy and medicine to get before the hallucinations got any worse. The problem was making my way to the market through the bokkin herds being lead to the ship. Huh...was something going on? Come to think of it, outside of my neighbors, I haven't seen much of anyone today. My curiosity aside, I found myself caught in the herds. "Hey! watch it!" I didn't see the voice's owner as I tried to get myself loose as a cow decided to eat my jacket. A tug, and I found myself tripping into a leg. I clung to it for dear life as the herd rumbled onward. "Sorry!" Oh, what god did I piss off this morning? "Pffff....idiot." The voice was off to my left. Though, all I could see was bokkin hide. Lots of smelly, dirty bokkin hide. So I still had no idea who the hell was talking to me. "Well, you might as well come along. The world's ending anyhow." What? This guy must have had too much to drink or something....there's no way the world is ending! It couldn't be! Could it? I yelped as one of the bokkin nipped my tail. Good gods, these things are ornery. And seemed like their handler was as well. Unfortunately...shortly after alarms began to blare. Trouble...of the utmost worst kind. I've only heard them once before in my life, when a large asteroid nearly hit the planet. And I knew those alarms meant business because of it. What could be happening? Another asteroid? Solar flare? Was our star beginning the last stages of its life? I didn't know. I didn't know if I wanted to know. Everything started happening fast. People rushed towards the great ship, seeking....what exactly? After a few minutes of struggling, I managed to mount my steed. Now that I could see the crowd rather than simply hear it. A few grizzled muzzles told me that old folk were involved. Oh, this is bad. The elders never left the planet. never. And...were those eggs being carried in? This was definitely no senior field trip. I could see at least twelve carts full of eggs in addition to a few parents carrying their own. If both the old and the very young are being evacuated...it had to be the worst. My steed sneezed a we made it towards one of the back hatches. Looks like i would have to get off soon...I would rather not be trapped with the smelly things. Now...how to? Well, I suppose it's simple...I may hate heights, but if I have to climb, I will. As the herd entered, I reached for the wall, only losing my grip slightly before scrambling along the wall and onto the ceiling. Perfect. Now, to find the door. Which turned out harder than it seemed, seeing as this was designed with climbing in mind. Eventually I found it on the north-most end of the room, set slightly higher than a bokkin can comfortable step. Now, to get to somewhere with a window. Which was easier than it looked, the crowd considered. Most were more concerned with getting the eggs and elderly settled in, rather than finding out what was going on. Thankfully I found a closet to observe from. A bucket stuck to my foot as I stretched to look out the window. The crowd were starting to thin out...most had already boarded or decided they were staying. The last to board was wheelchair bound and ferrying a few stray eggs. Once they were aboard, the ship lurched and I felt my stomach drop as the ground fell away. My whole life was here...and I was leaving it without so much as packing. Was this a drill? I hoped so. It was not a drill. As the ship broke the atmosphere, I caught a glimpse of a mass approaching the planet. It didn't look like much, I had to admit. But it had already reached the moon...and as I looked onward, the moon seemed to have been absorbed. And the planet was next. The mass seemed to ignore the atmosphere as it moved forward, its surface seeming to flow and pulse like it was alive. But it couldn't be. It looked like it was made of rock. I couldn't get a closer look as the ship's sails unfurled and we took a solar leap out of our home system.

Hop, skip, and a rocky flop ch2: To the starsI stared out of the closet into the vast emptiness. My home...gone. I only hoped my parent had made it. The last letter I got was about him coming home...and I hadn't heard news from him since. I couldn't imagine how he would feel if he made it, too. Would he be just was scared and worried? Did he think I died? i hoped not. I opened the closet door, stepping out. Frightened voices were a steady drone. I watched as a few people shuffle past, some with hatchlings. Few words could be made out. Things that I wondered myself. "Attention!" A voice sounded over...the intercom? I wasn't o sure...it almost sounded like it was coming out of the hip itself. "Attention, everyone!" 'What was that?" A pink-furred individual spoke, looking around. I was glad to know I wasn't hearing anything. "Don't be afraid," The voice said. "You are safe now. Welcome aboard the Anerias. I am Actias, your SNAI. Or Ship's Navigtional Artificial Intellegence." "What happened? What's going on? Where is this?" The speaker was blue-furred, covered in floral markings. "Take us back!" I couldn't see the speaker. "Yeah, we belong back home!" "I understand your fear and confusion. Alm T’ann is unfortunately no more. Our ancient foe has found our home planet...and like any inevitable force of hunger, they consumed it." The voice was a monotone...devoid of all emotion. I suppose it made sense...wouldn't an AI be emotionless? "This ship has been built and I have been created in order to seek a new world to live on in the event of an extinction level event." "Thank you, Actias." Another voice sounded over the intercom. "I'm sorry about that, Actias hasn't learned tact yet." I grabbed the nearest person. "Are you getting any of this?" They shook their head, nearly slapping me with their extremely floppy ears. The new voice continued. "I'm Doctor Eloise. I'm not your captain...in fact, we haven't quite located the captain yet. But, my place here today is to fill you in on what's going on." There was a heavy sigh. "Actias is correct...our plant has been lost. It saddens me to know that we won't be able to go back home. One of my colleagues will be coming by later to get a consensus of who is here. This list will be publicly available, so that any families that were split in the chaos will be reunited." Maybe my parent lived? But...what if he didn't? I couldn't bare the idea of looking at the list and having my fears confirmed. "I'm afraid we no longer have a home to return to. I estimate a good ninety-nine percent of our population has been lost despite our best efforts." Despair leaked into Eloise's voice. "Our plans were to create a whole fleet of ships like the Anerias, stocked with everything we need for the journey." There was a pause as they seemed to choose their next words. "We only managed to build the one...our prototype." Voices raised in panic. Our home? Our species? Gone? What if this was all a cruel trick? "We've managed to get a few thousand of us on board as well as several thousand eggs." This triggered another wave of murmurings. "We have enough food on board to last for at least two years before our Bokkin population is stable enough to feed on. Sadly, our insects proved to be too delicate for the journey." So...what were we eating? Rations? It had to be. I began pushing through the crowd. Maybe I could find my answers elsewhere. "We're at least two thousand light years from our home...we're seeking an uninhabited planet, one with no other sapient life, to settle on. With luck, we will find one before the rations run out." The intercom went silent. Leaving me with so many more questions. Ones I wouldn't have any answer for. "Hey, dude, be careful." It was the blue person from earlier. "You almost stepped on a bean." A...bean? I looked down. A squishbean was rolling around near my feet. "Oh, sorry. Is it yours?" I scooped it up, wary of crushing such a small animal. It had brownish fur with a white face. "Oh, not hardly. I think it's a wild one." They shrugged. "Oh, then I guess we'll have to find it a home." I managed a nervous laugh. This whole evacuation had me on edge. "Unless you think it's got an owner." "I don't think it does." They shrugged. "I'm Gable, by the way. Uh....Zir, Zim if you need to know." Ze seemed more frayed than I felt, zir fur frayed where zir seemed to have picked at it. "I'm Idris." I answered, my brows furrowing with worry for Zim. "He, him, she, her, if you wanted to know." "Nice to meet you, Idris." Ze perked up. "Wanna check out the place? Maybe there's assigned sleeping...but I kinda want to see what we're dealing with." "I'd love to!" Maybe this would distract me from my worries.

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