Nathanial

As I padded down the steps to Geoff's basement, I couldn't stop thinking about how much my life had changed. Within a year I had started at a new high school, made some of the best friends in the world, gotten half of my parents back, and developed as a being beyond anyone's expectations, especially my own. 

And then there was Geoff. As I looked over at him descending the stairs beside me, I decided that he was the second best thing that had ever happened to me. The best, of course, was my father deciding to come back and actually be a dad for the first time I could remember.

When we reached the teleporter, Conor reprised what he'd said the last time we'd discussed my working on it: “Remember, Nathanial, this is completely optional. You only have to do this if you're up to it."

I assured him that I was up to it, and began. The extra signature was there like last time and I started trying to find what it was specifically connected to.

“These threads look a little tighter than normal," I said to myself, "but I think I can trace them."

I began “looking" at each individual thread, to see how it related to the others. They were more complicated than they looked at first, with twists and turns and overlapping signals. But soon I had made good progress, tracing a good number of them and mentally discarding several dead ends. I'd just begun to think I had an answer for Conor when the teleporter suddenly became active.

Peter

Alliance hangar science lab, Saskatchewan, Canada

I set an intermix ratio of 200 to 1 and asked Petra to give me nine percent power. The injector assembly hummed as the high-power particle streams went to the simulated engines. 

“…completely optional. You only have to do this if you're up to it."

“These threads look a little tighter than normal but I think…"

I looked askance at the display. It showed 90 seconds into the two minute test. I tweaked the calibration and kept an eye on the monitors. The remainder of the test was normal. I ran it a couple more times with the same parameters and got satisfactory results.

I'd worked my way up to a simulated 10,000c when the voices came back. 

“Please identify yourself"

“Who in the hells is that?!"

I shut down the test and ran a full diagnostic. Then I ran the test twice at the previous level. It was satisfactory this time. I set it up for 10,000 again and made some adjustments, then activated the test.

My lab went dark and light at the same time and when I could see again I got the impression that I wasn't in Saskatchewan anymore.

Nathanial

I withdrew back to myself right away. I turned to Conor, but before I could say anything, the teleporter surged and a figure appeared. Conor and Geoff stared at the apparition with concern and confusion, respectively. I pushed my senses out again, lightly probing the being, and felt no hostility. 

“Who in the hells is that?!" asked Conor.

“What in the hells is that?!" asked Geoff.

“It's a human, Geoff," I told him.

“Oh. Right. I knew that." 

Peter

My first wild thought was that the ACWs were joking with me, but I instantly discarded it. Although the three beings I saw resembled some of the quantum androids I had created to be staff for Alliance Castle, they were not synthetic life forms. I could…tell.

The large blue-grey wolf seemed to be in charge. He half-glanced at the…Akita?…Shiba?…Asian dog…beside him. 

The orange and white dog said, “I don't detect any hostility from him."

“My name is Conor McDougal," the wolf said. With a hand—paw—he indicated the all white wolf and orange dog beside him. “My son, Geoff, and his friend Nathanial."

“Pleased to meet you. My name is Peter Icefield. I would love to get to know you better, but first, how in the world did I get here? Oh, and where is 'here,' anyway? All I know is this doesn't feel like Saskatchewan."

I looked around and saw that I'd materialized on some sort of small raised platform. I stepped off it as Nathanial said, “You're in Halifax, or, an alternate Halifax I should say, because there are no humans in our world. Oh, and as for how you got here, my best guess is that Conor's teleporter pulled you in for some reason."

“Okay, I'll buy that. Um, how do you know what a human is, if we don't exist here?"

“They're…you are…fantasy-type characters that appear in cartoons and other entertainment media."

“And this entire planet is populated by beings like you? Are there…quadrupedal versions?"

“Yes, there are. Some of us keep them for pets. The herbivores we use for food, or to ride on…" He trailed off, looking at the teleporter and getting nervous.

The air above the teleporter glowed purple for a moment, and a being appeared. It looked familiar somehow, then I recognized it. 

My new friends didn't.

“Who in the hells is that?!" asked Geoff.

“What in the hells is that?!" asked Conor.

The being on the teleporter was bipedal, vaguely canid, a head shorter than me at 1.5 meters, solid black, and, save for a knife belt with shoulder strap, furclad.

“I think I know who that is, but let me confirm it." I turned to her and said, “Please identify yourself."

She said, “My name is Senior Fleet Admiral Aurora Sitka," to all of us in general, then fixed her gaze on me and said, “Is that how you imagined our first meeting would go?"

I looked back at her and said, “Um, yes?"

She smirked. “What comes next?"

“You come over here and hug me."

Sitka stepped forward and we embraced. When we separated, Conor looked at me sideways and said, “What was that about?"

“Admiral Sitka is one of the characters from a book I'm writing. I believe that she, like the others, actually exists somewhere in the universe. I imagined that if we ever actually met, I would ask her to identify herself, and she would give the response that she did." I paused and glanced at Sitka. “She apparently knows this."

Conor interrupted me. “We'll do introductions in a moment, but for now, come away from the teleporter." He led us to a basement rec room. “There are also a couple of other people you should meet. Dirk! Faelen! Come on down here!"

Seconds later, two more wolves—no, it's Wolves, they capitalize it—came down the stairs. They moved fast, but with great situational awareness. The two tone grey one stopped beside Conor and the smoky one beside Geoff.

Conor gestured to them in turn. “My bodyguard, Dirk O'Conall, and Dirk's son, Faelen, who's Geoff's bodyguard. Guys, this is Admiral Sitka, and Peter Icefield. They're from—another universe, I guess—and were pulled over here by the teleporter."

Nathanial looked nervous again. I was not the only one who noticed it.

Admiral Sitka turned to him and said, “I assure you this was not your fault." To Conor she said, “If we could finish the introductions, we need to talk…all of us."

Nathanial did the honors, and it seemed to cheer him up. “Admiral, you've met Dirk and Faelen. This is Conor McDougal, Dirk's employer, and Geoff, Conor's son." He indicated each with a paw as he spoke. “My name is Nathanial Marks." 

I shook everyone's paw but Sitka put her nose up near everyone's and sniffed instead.

Dirk asked Conor, “Is the teleporter under control again?"

“Honestly? I don't know."

“Ask the admiral," I suggested. “In my stories, she's something called a master, and has great power and knowledge."

Conor's muzzle quirked, and he looked at Nathanial. “Can we trust the powerful and knowledgeable admiral?"

“I think so. I've been detecting only good vibes from her, even more so than from Peter."

Conor gestured for us to sit, and asked Dirk and Faelen to bring refreshments.

“So," he said once we were all settled, “She's actually a character you're writing?"

“Yes. One of my favorites, actually. I must see about giving her more pages."

“And is everyone furclad in her universe?"

I gestured to Sitka and she answered Conor's question. “Many of us are, but usually when we're off duty. We're supposed to wear uniforms on duty for identification of rank and department."

“So you were off duty when the teleporter pulled you in?"

“Actually, yes. And, Nathanial, don't look like that. I said it wasn't your fault and I meant it. I was off duty, but this is actually the only uniform I ever wear. My rank insignia is here." She pointed to her shoulder strap, where there were six silver dots arranged in the shape of an arrow. “I think they let me get away with being furclad on duty because I'm a feral."

Geoff looked confused. “You run around on all fours?"

Sitka smiled. “Sometimes. But that isn't why I'm a feral. My pack abandoned advanced technology centuries ago. The only things we kept were comms to call for help in medical emergencies and genetic switches to turn our fertility on and off at will. Our choice to rely almost totally on nature and our wits is what makes us feral, not being quadrupedal."

Dirk and Faelen came back down with tea and a variety of small cakes. They served everyone, then went and got chairs, sat down, and served themselves.

Nathanial had a question. “You said you were a Senior Fleet Admiral. What is that, exactly?"

Sitka nodded to me. “Peter's just about got our command structure figured out for his story. I'll let him explain."

I was surprised, but turnabout is fair play. “She's basically their Chief of Naval Operations. You'll understand a bit better if I explain their Naval command structure. 

“Everyone knows what a captain is; it's the officer in command of a specific ship. A commodore is the senior captain in a group, or is in charge of a small fleet. He's basically a one star admiral. Then there's two-star, three-star, and four-star admirals; they have various responsibilities. 

“Five-star admirals are far more rare. There are six of them—one for each sextant of the Republic. (It's in space, by the way, so it's 3D.) A five-star admiral is also called a Fleet Admiral.

“The person who coordinates the six Fleet Admirals is a Senior Fleet Admiral. There's only one of those, and she's it," I said, putting my hand on Sitka's shoulder.

"So, you're...the commander of a space fleet?"

Nathanial began looking overawed and Sitka noticed. She stood up and said, “Oh, come here." Nathanial got up and walked over to Sitka, who wrapped him in a hug. A few seconds later, he reciprocated, now apparently nervous because he was hugging a furclad stranger instead of because she was the commander of a space fleet. Sitka loosened her grip and moved back enough to grasp his shoulders. “If you stay in your circle of friends, you will meet high ranking people. That's a given. You need to remember that under the rank, they are still people, and that's what's most important." Sitka released Nathanial and he went to sit back down between Conor and Geoff.

“Admiral, I have a question," I said when Sitka had sat back down beside me. She looked at me as if she knew what I was going to ask. “The others? Do you…know of them, and, if so, how are they?"

Sitka smiled, and the room seemed to get a little brighter. “If you're referring to the other 'characters' that you have written about, I know all of them and more. They are all doing very well."

“And…Kisara? How is she?"

Sitka smiled fondly. “She is living life to the fullest. In fact, she has gotten more out of life than I would have thought possible."

“Tell her…I'm proud of her…please."

“At the very next opportunity," Sitka promised.

Our hosts looked sidelong at us, knowing they had missed something and trying to figure out whether they wanted to be brought up to speed.

Geoff broke the silence. “Um, what was that about?"

I thought a moment, deciding how to respond.

“You don't have to answer if you don't want," said Conor, and he shot a look at Geoff.

“It's fine, I'm just deciding what to say. I…believe in reincarnation and I believe that Kisara and I knew each other in a past life. My first two novels are based on this premise. She was one of the first characters I wrote about in my story and the one with whom I still empathize most. In the story, she tells the character who is her mate that she's proud of him when he makes a breakthrough in his career. I decided that if I ever got the opportunity, I would tell her the same thing."

Our hosts seemed to accept this. I reached for another cake and then glanced at Sitka. If I hadn't seen how fast she jumped up, I wouldn't have believed it. Her conversational attitude was gone; she was all business, and looking straight at Nathanial. No sooner had I registered this than Dirk and Faelen were up, too. Conor sat ramrod straight and snapped, “What's happening?!"

Before anyone could reply, Nathanial levitated off the sofa and flew across the room to hover near the other end.

An instant later, he was replaced by the devil himself.

The monster spoke in a deep voice that just felt evil. “All of you will become my slaves, and this time there will be no one to stop—" The creature fell silent when it noticed Admiral Sitka. It blinked twice, and in a far less confident voice said, “In the name of all that's unholy, what are you doing here?" and vanished.

Nathanial slumped, semiconscious, and Geoff ran to him and wrapped him in a hug. 

Nathanial looked up from Geoff's embrace. His eyes first latched onto Geoff's and he gave a look that said, “I'll be okay soon." Then he sought out Geoff's father. 

“Conor," he said in a voice that was weak but certain, “I think we'd better get someone else to look at the teleporter."

“Agreed."

Next, Conor narrowed his eyes at Sitka.

“Admiral, would you mind explaining why a Balor demon knows you?"

“If you'll also listen to why it ran away at the mere sight of me, I wouldn't mind in the slightest."

Nathanial

Geoff held me, and licked one of my ears. Conor asked Admiral Sitka a question, but I had trouble paying attention to their exchange. 

Someone called Liam to check us all for Demon taint—and to check my general condition for the billionth time, I supposed. Some distant, objective part of my mind suggested that Liam would be intrigued by the admiral.

After a while I noted that conversations were winding down. Admiral Sitka turned her attention to me and somehow I knew that she was making sure I was all right. 

I felt compelled to ask her a question. 

“What's happening to me, Admiral? I know that my life has changed for the better in many ways, and I'm very glad for it. But stuff like this keeps happening, and I'm afraid I'll lose all that, either because I can't always control myself, or because I'll actually…hurt someone." Geoff held me tighter at that, like he knew I was going to say “kill someone" and changed it at the last second. “I…I'm…scared. No one knows what's happening, not really. I want…need…to know if everything's going to be all right."

Admiral Sitka's eyes met mine and it seemed like she was looking directly into my soul. I felt plugged into exquisite power, vast wisdom, and absolute kindness.

“You are growing as a being, Nathanial. Everybody is, but sometimes a whole lot of growth occurs rapidly. That's what's happening in your case. As for the troubles you're having with it, remember that you're not alone anymore. You have your family, and your friends. Our hosts, and the one who is coming over here, are some of the best people you could have around you at this time in your life. You couldn't have picked a better team to help with this. I couldn't have picked a better team. Never mind all the new things that you can do and will be able to do; your best trick was summoning all these people to you."

I looked at Admiral Sitka in shock. Before I could say anything, she continued.

“Don't worry, it's not wrong. They all did the same thing and you happened to be one of the best people to help them through various stages of their lives. Everyone has that power: to summon the most relevant people, events, and circumstances at any given time. If you give your attention to anything, it should be this: no matter what happens, it will somehow turn out okay, or somehow something good will come of it. The most powerful tool in the Universe is remembering that whenever you have a problem, a solution will present itself. The hardest thing you have to do is look for it."

Part of me processed what Admiral Sitka had said, while another part processed the admiral herself. She looked like nobody I'd ever seen before. Her body was like a miniaturized Bear's, including relatively short legs and plantigrade hindpaws. Her head was kind of like a Wolf's but the muzzle was a bit too short. She had a tail like a Wolf's but in proportion to her body. Despite her unusual appearance, she still looked well-designed, and everything seemed correctly proportioned. Speaking of “everything", she lacked the breasts a Fur woman would have, though she seemed to have under her chest and belly fur a set of teats that a feral would possess. And once when she shifted position I noticed what looked like what I saw on a feral bitch several years ago.

And she was black. I don't know exactly what genetics she had, but her pigmentation was such that every part of her that could have color did, and it was all the same. Her fur was black. Her eyes were black. Her paws and claws were black. Her whiskers, tongue, lips, and the inside of her mouth was black. I was certain that every square centimeter of skin on her body was black. The only part of her that wasn't black was her fangs.

Liam arrived a few minutes later and came downstairs. He checked everyone for Demon taint, starting with me and finishing with Peter and Admiral Sitka. Faelen did introductions while he worked on each of them. While he was checking the admiral, he seemed to become more and more…distracted. 

When he was finished, he said, “Admiral, your chi pattern is one of the most unique I have ever encountered. May I examine it more closely?"

“Of course, sensei. Please do."

Liam continued examining Admiral Sitka, placing his paws briefly on various parts of her body.

“You detected the Demon before anyone else? And it departed in haste the moment it saw you? Most intriguing. And your chi is so coherent, so refined. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were… But that's not…"

Admiral Sitka locked her eyes on Liam's like she had on mine and he came completely unglued.

“By all the gods above and below! The legends are true! What an honor!"

He clasped the admiral's paw in both of his and knelt before her.

Everyone stared slack-jawed for a few seconds before Faelen asked, “What's going on?"

Admiral Sitka was the next to speak. “Sensei, get up, please. I think everyone is waiting for an explanation."

Liam jumped to his hindpaws and looked around. He shook himself and made a visible attempt to calm down. When he spoke he sounded almost composed, but I could detect an undercurrent of exhilaration. “People, today I have been blessed beyond my wildest imaginings. I have met someone who is legendary, almost mythical, even among my kind. Admiral Sitka is a being that we call “One Who Knows."

“What is that?" Dirk asked.

“A good way to explain it is… It's been said that mortal beings are derived from pure positive energy. Well, a being like Admiral Sitka is, we believe, the most pure and positive collection of energy that can remain in the physical realm." Liam made a small gasp as he had another brainwave. “Oh! Admiral, would it be possible for you to meet my colleagues? They would be most honored."

“I'm sorry, sensei. Much as I would like to meet them, the Universe has noticed that we are displaced, and will pull us back to our own reality before long." Sitka said. 

Liam looked really disappointed. This whole “One Who Knows" thing was affecting him more than he wanted to show.

“I can do almost as well for you, though," the admiral said, “if you will promise me something, sensei."

“Anything," Liam said, bowing his head. Then he had a question. “Why are you calling me 'sensei'? You are so much more advanced than I am."

“That's part of what I want to talk to you about. You don't like it when others revere you, correct? You would much prefer that they would treat you as a 'normal' being, still with respect, of course?"

“Yes."

“I ask that you extend me the same courtesy. Whatever else we may be, we are both beings, and, when it comes down to it, that is all that matters."

“Yes, Admiral, of course. …Thank you."

Admiral Sitka smiled. “Now, I am unable to meet your colleagues, but I can still introduce myself to them." She looked at Conor and said, “Do you have a small river stone?"

There was a bowl of rocks on the coffee table, and Conor gave her one.

She reached to her waist, where most people have a cell phone, but the admiral had a small leather satchel. She pulled out a piece of paper and something to write with. She drew two symbols and passed the paper and rock to me. “Nathanial, would you inscribe these symbols on the stone, the way they're drawn here, please?"

“Ah, yes, Admiral," I said. I thought for a moment, then used Dark energy to etch the stone and Light energy to highlight the marks. I passed it and the paper back to Admiral Sitka. She cupped the stone between her palms and concentrated for a few moments, then gave the stone to Liam. “Sensei, this will give your colleagues a brief introduction and explanation of my being and nature."

For a second Liam's face lit up like a pup's at his birthday party, but he composed himself and gave her a Kung Fu bow instead and said, “Thank you."

My curiosity was piqued. “Admiral, um, I think I know what you did to the rock, but, if I could ask, what were the symbols you had me carve on it?"

“Oh, yes, Nathanial, those were my initials in our language."

“OK, ah, thanks."

“Now," Admiral Sitka addressed the room in general, “before Peter and I are drawn back to where we came from, I believe we have time for one more thing. I invite each of you to ask me a question, and I will answer it to the best of my ability. It can be on any subject, and if somebody else asks your question, go ahead and think of another one."

Peter

After Geoff ran to Nathanial, Conor asked Sitka about the demon.

While she explained to him how it got here, and how the chances of that spontaneously reoccurring were vanishingly small, I tried to get a handle on the new experience I'd been having…well, other than meeting a house full of talking animals.

Ever since I'd gotten to this Nova Scotia, I'd had information fast-tracked into my mind, like how these beings called their upper extremities 'paws' and their lower extremities 'hindpaws'. Whenever I'd wondered about something or assumed something incorrect, the relevant information was beamed into my brain. Certain it wasn't simply due to the amount of furry fiction I'd read—and written—in my world, I decided to go ahead and ask about it.

Where is this information coming from, and why is it flowing so freely now?

You have a direct line to the Universe, came the reply.

What do you mean, I said.

Well, you've actually always had a direct line to the Universe, but it's been strengthened by your visit here and the new things you are seeing.

So, I get a stronger signal because I'm really paying attention?

That and the fact that you're really growing as a being right now.

Um, okay, thank you

You're quite welcome.

Admiral Sitka had finished talking with Liam and invited each of us to ask her a question.

“Sensei, why don't you go first. In case you are wondering, Peter knows you're an Ancient One. Oh, and he also knows that Nathanial is a Mage and you Wolves are all Spirits."

Liam glanced at me, then back to Sitka, and spoke.

“Is it possible to be truly, consistently happy as an Ancient One, and if so, how?"

Sitka said, “What do you think?"

Liam thought a moment. “Until recently, I would have been highly doubtful. However, recent events have led me to question much of what I previously believed. Until a short time ago I would have expressed great doubt if asked, but now…" He glanced at Nathanial. “Now I believe that not only is anything possible, but that it is merely a matter of one's focus and circumstances."

“Well said, sensei." Sitka smiled, showing her fangs, the only parts of her that weren't black. “I've found, as you probably have, that the key to finding an answer is usually a relevant question. Let me tell you just a bit about what's happened over my lifetimes.

“I don't remember a lot of the beginning. I think it's been so integrated that it's just a part of who I am. The more lives I had, the more they would fade into the background and offer me advice, help, and even warnings as if they were a sort of metaphysical guidance system.

“The more times I lived, the  more diverse my being became, but at the same time, I kept becoming more…me, if that makes any sense.

“The way I picture it now, my soul is a vast community, with everyone doing what they can to help each other and even interacting with and learning from each other, with no conscious effort from me."

This description struck a nerve in Liam, and as he processed it, his eyes got misty and a single tear rolled down his cheek.

“Would you like a hug, sensei?" Sitka asked.

“Yes, Admiral," he said, in a voice split between longing and joy. “Please, yes."

Sitka wrapped her arms around him and they simply held each other for a time. When Liam finally let go, she moved back, keeping her paws on his shoulders and said, “Not only can you have this, you will have it. These friends are the best thing that's happened to you in any lifetime. They love you and they will help you. Listen to them."

Liam looked back at her and smiled through his tears; he appeared most grateful.

“Thank you, Admiral."

Sitka smiled at Liam. She stepped back, dropped her paws, and turned to the tall, white Wolf.

“Now, Geoff, you have a question."

Geoff scratched the back of his neck and scuffed a hindpaw on the floor. “I…tend to flee impulsively when I get…scared. This poses risks to a number of people who are significant to me. What's the best way to deal with that?"

“I like that you've identified the problem and defined it so well. What solutions have you come up with?"

Geoff flipped an ear back and ran his claws up and down it. “Well…I know it's a problem, but I—when something happens, I just react."

“You're getting better, though."

Both his ears swiveled back and drooped a bit. “Yeah, but mostly it's because one or more of my friends is there to threaten my life if I do something stupid."

“You forgot your Da's bodyguard," smiled Dirk.

“Yeah," said Geoff, “but you should know that I include you in 'friends'—if that's all right, Dirk."

“Not a problem, Pup."

“So, you've identified the problem and have a plan for when it occurs," Sitka said, “even if that plan is having others intervene to stop you running away." She winked at Geoff. “Any viable plan will do to start. So you've identified the problem and have a plan that works for now. What would be the next step?"

Geoff's ears flipped forward and he perked up. “Look for ways to improve the plan, and keep trying to think for even just a moment when a situation comes up?"

“You've got it!"

“Okay, Admiral, thank you very much!"

She smiled and turned to Geoff's smoky bodyguard. “Faelen, what's your problem?"

“Liam and I have become bonded in such a way that my life span may be much shorter than expected for my kind. How…should we deal with that?"

“How long do you have?"

“Approximately a century," Liam said. “Though I am an Ancient One, I have the body of a Fur. A hundred years is the longest it is reasonably expected to last."

“And Spirits typically live about three times longer." Faelen clarified.

“I see," said Sitka. She stepped up to Faelen and held a paw up to his chest, then did the same for Liam. She thought a moment and said, “I can see what has happened. Your…essence has comingled in a profound way, and the situation is currently as you say." She fixed her eyes on Faelen. “Remember, however, that we are dealing with energy, which always responds to…suggestions." She looked at Liam, then back at Faelen. “You've seen more impossible things lately that you would have believed just a short time earlier," she said, and glanced at Nathanial, then Geoff, then Liam, and back to Faelen. “Believe me, there are always…possibilities."

Faelen smiled at Sitka. “Thank you, Admiral."

She smiled and shifted her attention to the orange and white Asian Dog.

Akita

Thank you.

“Nathanial, go ahead and ask your question."

“How do I get the best relationship with my brothers and my father?"

“Well, how do you think you should go about that?"

“I've been trying to spend lots of time with both my brothers, alone and together, but it's been kinda difficult with everything that's been happening. I've also been spending time with Dad, and he's been spending time with them too. We're all gonna try to keep doing that."

“Sounds like a plan. And what is something each of you would like to do with your father?"

“Well, Micah, that's the youngest, would probably like doing almost anything. Nicholas would like to go hiking, and I…well, we went to another city once for awhile. I guess I'd want him to take me somewhere he likes and show me around."

“And do you think those goals are possible to achieve?"

“Yes, absolutely. We just need time."

“Then focus on that. Bonding with your family mostly, then some of the things you just mentioned, and watch for them and other opportunities."

“Thank you."

“Dirk, what's your question?"

“I am responsible for the safety and well-being of one of the most valuable members of my Clan. How best can I serve and protect him?"

“Well, that would be up to you, Dirk, I…trust your judgement. But since you so deeply want an answer, let's talk about situational awareness. That's the core skill of your job, right?"

“Yeah, Admiral, It is."

“Go ahead and define it for us, please."

“It's paying attention to your surroundings and updating your plan in real time."

“Correct. And I'm sure you are usually doing that to the best of your ability when you are on duty."

“And when I'm off, too, at least when I'm around Conor or detect something relevant to him. Of course, I'm using and tweaking my situational awareness whenever I'm awake. Sometimes in my dreams, too," he admitted, flicking an ear back.

“So you are asking if there is a specific thing you should do, in addition to using situational awareness, to serve Conor."

“Yes."

“I think you're probably already doing this, too, but be thinking about helping him to find and realize the best future, not only for himself, but for the Clan, too."

“Thank you, Admiral."

“You're quite welcome."

She turned to the big blue Wolf.

“Conor, you're next."

“You've spoken a little bit to my question already, but I'd like you to expand on it. Challenging times are ahead for my Clan, and likely other Clans. I have given much thought to what part to play in this, of course, but what advice do you have?"

“That's a perfect follow-up to Dirk's question, Conor. As he is using situational awareness with you in particular, I suspect you are using it with regard to the Clan in general. You pay attention to what is going on, and come up with possible courses of action. In addition, you could continually imagine the future you want for the Clan: dynamic, vibrant, strong, cooperative (within itself and with outside entities), prosperous, and adding value to society in general. Your thoughts have power, so you might as well direct them where you would like the future to go."

“Well said, Admiral, thank you."

Sitka inclined her head, and then turned to me.

“And finally, Peter, what's your question?"

“I have decided that my life goal is to have fun growing as a being. How best can I develop a balanced approach to that?"

“You're doing well, but let me give you one slight nudge along the path you're taking. When you encounter a challenge, remember to remember that an answer will present itself. You are doing quite well now, but that would be the one thing I would focus on. Repeat it daily, every time you remember to do so, in fact. Anythingthat you are having a problem with will present an answer as soon as you put your mind in the right place and look at the problem from the angle of 'An answer will present itself.'" 

“Thank you Admiral." I noticed that Sitka had started to fade away; she was…dimmer than she had been earlier.

Sitka said, “It is nearly time for me to go, but first, I have a parting comment for each of you. The theme today has been personal development, so I'd like each of you to ask yourself how you can grow as a person. When you think about it, answers will come to you." She grinned, showing her white fangs against their all-black backdrop. “I guarantee it."

Sitka was really faded now; I could easily see things through her. Her voice was strong as ever, though. “Do you have any final comments, Peter?"

“Yes. I just want you all to remember that you have value and we love you."

“Well said. There is great love here, for all of you. Oh, and Peter, Kisara will have your message soon."

“Thank you, Admiral. It was really good to see you."

“You as well. Goodbye, Peter. Goodbye everyone." She took one last look around the room and we all waved as she smoothly disappeared.

I focused on Nathanial and his friends. “Well, I guess it's my turn next. It was great to meet you, and I wish everyone the best going forward." The room and the people in it began fading away. “Um, 'bye."

I felt myself rushing away from the alternate Halifax and back to my Saskatchewan.

Nathanial

Faelen, Liam and I were doing homework with Geoff in his basement after school. We were learning about tribes in Africa, and the teacher wanted a report on them. With his snout, Faelen gestured at a picture of diminutive black Foxes and said, “Those tribesmen look familiar somehow." They were about 150cm with black fur and precious little clothing.

“Yeah," Geoff said, “I had a dream last night about someone who looked kinda like that except she was from another planet or something." He scratched an ear in embarrassment.

“There was a human, too," Faelen added.

“Yeah!" I said, the whole thing coming back in a rush. “They had us ask them questions."

“Senior Fleet Admiral Sitka," Liam said. “And Peter Icefield. I had the dream too."

“So we all had the dream? Were we all there?" Faelen asked him.

“Yes. So were Conor and Dirk."

“I was trying to work on the teleporter and it kept doing funny things. And there was a Demon…" Geoff put an arm around me and held me close. “I'm really glad it was just a dream."

Liam looked at us and I could tell he didn't agree. “It may have been 'just a dream,' Nathanial, but I am certain it was not unimportant. He met my eyes and I got a feeling of certainty on his part, as well as great interest in all our well-being. “What did you ask Admiral Sitka?"

“I asked her about what's happening to me. She said I'm growing as a being. Other stuff too, but that was the gist of it. And that we should all help each other going forward."

Liam smiled. “Indeed. We all asked Admiral Sitka questions, and she answered them and Peter weighed in, too. Do you each remember what Admiral Sitka said to you?"

We all nodded.

“Good," Liam proclaimed. “It would be best, I think, to keep it in mind."

Peter

I awoke in bed. For a moment I tried to figure out why this was unusual, and remembered that I'd been in the lab. I rolled over, and bumped into Kisara. I checked my body and found that I was Felix, not Peter. I had a coat of fur growing from my skin, I had a furry mate, and I had several functioning transwarp drives. I realized the dream had begun in my past. While I was contemplating the significance of a dream involving Admiral Sitka, Kisara woke up and stretched, pressing against me. I sat up, steered her muzzle in my direction until our eyes met, and told her, “I'm proud of you…"

Thanks for reading.

I'd like your feedback on one matter specifically. Would Conor ask Admiral Sitka (who is furclad) to sit on a towel? If you'd care to vote on that, I'll comply with the consensus. :)