[Pup]

  She had no idea what these people wanted and she didn't really care.

  Moose had given her a task. That was all that mattered.

  All she needed to do was to get these people to let them dock and trade whatever Moose wanted to trade and she could tell Moose she did her job. To that end, she simply said and did the same things as last time. It was good enough for that security person, so it should be just fine.

  Then she would get her pets.

  "Do you have anything to declare?"

  "Um, no."

  Not to these people. They didn't need to know what she wanted to declare to Moose.

  Her ears flipped back at a sharp noise and she felt a rough hand on her shoulder.

  "Yes we do! We have a high-end shuttle for docking. Orphan cargo, ten pallets. Base trade goods. Five persons, preferred clearance for two. Docking can be negotiated later."

  She bounced on the balls of her feet back towards where Moose had sat back down and could feel a low growl working its way up her throat.

  That was her job!

  She was supposed to get pets, not this intruder!

  The emotions swirling in her chest were so intense and contradictory that the only reason she wasn't acting was because she wanted to do everything at once.

  "Right... Who am I speaking to and why wasn't that the first answer?"

  "I'm sorry. I have no idea how my daughter got access to the comms. I didn't notice until I didn't receive any replies to my queries."

  Her tail bristled further. She wasn't his daughter. Her faceless owner had taken so long to show up that she didn't care about them anymore! This intruder couldn't just come in here and say she belonged to him! She was Moose's!

  "That means I have to start all over again. Do you know how many resources you have just wasted not controlling your offspring? I will be submitting a fine for this breach of protocol."

  "Of course. I understand completely."

  She was about to lunge at the intruder and shout her disagreement when she felt something grab her tail and her legs melt. She turned around to see Moose watching everything. Kitty was crouched on the floor, having moved from sitting on Moose. She didn't look pleased.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "Small thing games, not here."

  She felt a stab of betrayal. She hadn't done anything wrong! It was this intruder who was causing problems. She had done her job! She was that close to getting a pat from Moose!

  She could feel wetness gather in her eyes as she realized she had probably lost her chance.

  The anger and loss swirled in her chest, overpowering everything else.

  He didn't belong in this place. It wasn't his.

  "Yes, that all sounds correct. I am glad that most things can be kept. She really doesn't mean any harm."

  She glared at him. At the lies falling from his mouth. She wanted to make sure Moose knew it wasn't true, but he couldn't understand what was being said any more than he could understand her. That was a small relief at least. Moose couldn't fall for it.

  "What were you thinking, lying to them? We could have all be arrested!"

  The intruder had turned to her. Had started to accuse her. She had seen it before. Seen the slaves throw each other into the jaws of a punishment they didn't want to take. Even if she had tried to stay out of it, the other slaves had always tried to use her as a scapegoat. Most of the time it backfired, her work more closely monitored. Sometimes it didn't.

  She wouldn't just stand by this time.

  She got back into a proper crouch and her legs tensed as she prepared to teach this intruder what she thought of his presence. As she sprang through the air, she felt a strange sensation. It ended with a brief sense of vertigo and a thump.

  *"Kitty."*

  Her ears flipped back again as she felt the word boom through her. The feeling of a steel band around her waist and the heat pouring onto her back help to inform her of her new location. The rumbling coming from behind her enough to rattle her fur and set her limbs tingling.

  She had somehow ended on Moose's lap.

  She didn't know whether to be shocked, unhappy, exhilarated, or brain-meltingly comfortable.

  So she settled on everything for the moment.

  Kitty would speak up when Moose was done talking anyways.

  "Only words. Moose say."

  The short message from Kitty seemed to utterly confuse the intruder, but she understood. She had lost her place at the radio, she had to win this battle with words. She saw the value in that. If only grudgingly.

  The intruder sighed.

  "Look, I don't know who taught you to talk to a station operator, but you can't just say no like that."

  She could feel the growl start low in her throat again.

  'What could this intruder possibly know about me! I'm doing what Moose wants!'

  "No one taught me anything. I'm doing my job and speaking to them. They don't need to know what I want. Only that Moose wants to dock! That's it!"

  She could feel a snarl on her face.

  "Wait, how did you dock last time if no one taught you?! Do you know anything about the proper use of this radio?"

  "No."

  It was hard to keep it there. More something she thought she should have than what she actually felt.

  "Do you know anything about docking this ship?!"

  "No."

  Moose's warmth was making her flush and burning out the unpleasant feelings.

  "Do you know anything about properly flying any ship!?!"

  "No."

  She did her best. She knew she needed to be angry. That she needed to hate this intrusion into her space.

  "If you don't know anything than why are you opera--. Never mind. What did you even do before then? Surely you have some skill that translates to this?"

  "Slave."

  Her mind was having trouble focusing on the intruder's words. She understood why Kitty sat here all the time. The soothing heat seemed to massage thoughts right out of her mind.

  "You're a slave!? What happened to your collar? How did you even get here?"

  "Shush. Small things loud. Quiet words."

  'Mmm, Kitty can handle it I guess. She can be useful in getting rid of intruders.'

  The warmth really was too much to resist.