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Standing arms crossed behind his back, the captain waits under the cold light of the infirmary. “How's the little one, not wounded ?”
The spaceship's doctor holds the alien rodent in both hands, looking at the creature's every angle. “It's fine, miraculously.” He lowers it towards the table. The animal seems to hesitate a moment before moving. “Eh captain, you know I'm not a veterinarian, right ?” He jokingly adds.
“Of course, I'm not going to take more of your time.” Maximilian extends his fingertip towards the animal, which sniffs it before snuggling up. “To be honest, it's not something I often do during our expeditions, but this small one, it needed someone.”
The doctor keeps his silence, enjoying being the witness of the captain's less professional side. That short examination done and having some free time ahead of him, Maximilian left the room with the little animal in his arms to retire to his quarters. Since the animal still seems a bit fearful, he very gently closes the door behind him so as not to alert it. After changing out of his spacesuit, Maximilian comes to the mirror in his cramped bathroom and places the animal on the edge of the sink, it looks around curiously. After all, this is the first time he finds himself inside a spaceship and in contact with the offspring of the Protoculture. In front of the mirror he holds his chin, turns his head and caresses his skin with his thumb. He lets out a small sigh of relief, luckily their ship is already on its way back, because he didn't bring anything to properly shave with. The animal observes him and questions himself, also trying to look directly at the mirror hanging on the wall.
“Are you concerned about your appearance ?” He smiles at it, leaning forward with hands on his knees. “Well, it’s bath time for you !”
Having no basin at hand, he waits for the sink to fill with water, neither too hot nor too cold. The small animal touches the surface with its paw and squeaks. “Ah c'mon, it's always relaxing to take a bath !” He plunges the hand in it and clenches his teeth before removing it. “Oops, colder than it should…Well, we can't have luxury on such a little ship. Sorry.”
He takes the tiny alien in his hands and lightly immerses it in water, then begins to wet its fur. “You will get used to the temperature, let's wash you quickly !”
But it shivers slightly and shakes itself, splashing drops onto Maximilian's glasses. His vision obstructed, he grasps the arm of his glasses between two fingers and removes them from his ears to place them on the edge of the sink. His eyes widened at the sight, without the fur sticking to its body, the animal really is thin !
“It's like a rat…A space rat…” He mumbles, surprised and amused.
A floral scent quickly fills the small bathroom, and despite its annoyance – and admittedly, a slight urge to bite – the animal allows itself to be soaped up. “Don't you feel a little bit better now ?” He rinses the little one with clear water, slightly warmer. “There, all clean !”
Maximilian let the sink drain and take a towel to place his tiny protégé. Very gently, very softly, he rubs its fur and little head to help it dry. And poof ! It regains its original appearance, a real ball of fur.
The strange animal stares at Maximilian for a moment with an indescribable expression before turning its back on him. Grumpy. “Hmm…Not in the mood to get your hair brushed. It's alright, I already bothered you too much.”
This new world is immense, and each of its elements seems titanic. As if crushed by an invisible weight, the little creature makes itself even smaller than it is, without noticing Maximilian preparing a pillow on the bed so it could rest. Sad, it slowly finds comfort by placing paws on the pillow. It knows that it's safe, but is that enough ? It would seem that there is still a long way to go before finding true serenity…
“My name is Max, what should be yours ?” The man whispers, sitting on the edge of the bed. He crosses his arms, going through many ideas starting with a certain letter.
But as he thinks, the animal begins to doze off and closes its eyes.
“Ah, but I know someone who could make the perfect choice.” He laughs softly for a moment. “I have an idea that will make you smile again, little one.”
Palm onto the blanket, he lifts himself silently after seeing how tired the animal is. Not long after walking past the bathroom’s door, his guest can hear running water. It opens an eye and looks around. The blanket and the mattress underneath are soft, but not as soft as the pillow. Walking around, something catches its eyes : a little box, half opened.
Hair down to the shoulders, Max reappears after leaving the ball of fur alone for long minutes. Not seeing it on the pillow, he looks around for where it hides and is then drawn by small, high pitched snores coming from the bedside table. Not believing it at first, the captain puts the glasses back on his nose to be assured of the amusing situation. After nibbling on the biscuits in the box, the animal is dozing off in the crumbs it left behind.
“Are you sure this is good for you ?” He completely removes the lid and gently puts it down. “But well, you seem to like that...”
The little one stirs in the box and crumbs cling to its fur. Its thin tail swings for a moment, sweeping behind it.
“These biscuits are Mylene's favorites.” By gently poking its head, Max convinces the animal to rest somewhere else. It squints, stretches and, peeved, hops up to the pillow. “She is my youngest daughter.”
The street is already a familiar sight and, the door that follows, a welcoming one. Today, rain was scheduled to fall in City 7, the last heavy drops hitting Max's shoulders with their weight. It smells like Earth. The father is eager to find the warmth of home with a new little one, comfortably settled in the inside pocket of his coat. He readjusts his collar and stands straight.
“We are home, it's time to introduce yourself to the family !” And with those words, the melody of a doorbell starts ringing.