Jaxon

Car

     Jaxon woke up in his pen. He pulled himself into his pillow that had been placed in there and looked around. He wished that Mint would leave him a book or something interesting in the pen for when he woke up. There was just a few toys, but none of them looked like anything he wanted to examine just then. Mint was usually in there shortly after he woke up anyway.

     'Guess I'll just work out again til he gets here.' Jaxon got out of the pillow and went to start his planks when Mint showed up out of nowhere and picked him up. Jaxon gave a sigh.

     'Guess I won't work out.' He thought disappointingly.

     Mint said a few things to him as he got him cleaned up. Then Mint changed his clothes and put a coat, socks, and shoes on Jaxon.

     'Are we going somewhere?' Mint hadn't taken Jaxon out of the building since they got there a few days ago.

     Mint got a harness and a leash off the wall and took Jaxon to the front door. He said a few more things before laying Jaxon on the floor and making shushing sounds, like he assumed Jaxon was going to freak out. He slipped the harness over Jaxon's head and secured it onto his shoulders, under his arms, and across his chest.

     Jaxon understood what was going on... but why bother? It wasn't like he was going anywhere. Not like he could get away if he wanted to.

     The leash was clipped onto the back of the harness somewhere and Mint started praising Jaxon. He pulled out one of the sweet treats he gave him when he was trying to teach him his name. Jaxon wasn't about to turn it down.

     Mint picked him back up and set him in the pillow on the couch before disappearing for a bit. Mint finally came back wearing a backpack and picked up Jaxon. He looked around the room and seemed to be talking to himself before walking out the door.

     The door slid to the side open, and Jaxon flinched as the blinding light from the sun hit him in the eyes. As a reflex, he turned away and buried his face into Mint's shirt to escape the light. Mint cooed at him and pet his back.

     'I could just curl up and die right now.' Jaxon's ears were turning red from embarrassment.

     After the first shock from the light, Jaxon blinked a few times and looked around at his surroundings. The building they had just came out of was a square shape. It looked like two boxes stacked on top of each other. The door was a long metal looking slit in the wall. Everything was very flat and smooth, even the windows that seemed to be randomly scattered around the building.

     Jaxon didn't see a handle or hinges on the door, which would make sense the way it opened, just a small blue pad that was also flush with the wall. He figured it was a bio-mechanical lock, or maybe some kind of handprint reader?

     'But if their hand is smooth, what does it scan? DNA maybe? Do they have DNA? Is it different from alien to alien?'

     Mint started walking them down a path and towards the vehicle that had brought them here. Now that Jaxon wasn't in a carrier, he could see the interesting vehicle. It was a soft red color and was smooth on all sides... these aliens had a thing for smooth surfaces.

     It was kind of a long oval shape that went up at the top creating an almost dome effect. There didn't seem to be any doors or windows on the thing.

     Mint walked up to it and placed a card on the side. A hidden door opened up like a hatch on the side he tapped. Jaxon looked inside and wondered how this technology was possible! When it was closed, he didn't even see the line in the metal!

     On the inside was two rows of seating. The back seat was curved to go along with the oval shape. Jaxon couldn't see in the front seat, but it looked like it was a straight line down the middle of the craft. The color inside matched the color outside. Mint tossed the backpack on the floor and sat Jaxon up in the seat. The seats were soft and almost felt like a plastic material. Mint played with what looked like some kind of restraints before giving up and just laying Jaxon flat on the back seat.

     Mint shut the door and Jaxon just lay there looking at the ceiling. He watched the sky and saw some kind of animal fly past them. That's when he noticed something... where was the roof? When he had been outside, it looked like the whole thing was a solid piece. But from this angle, Jaxon saw that the roof and part way down the dome was see through. He could see everything... well, everything that was above them.

     The vehicle slightly moved as Mint got into the front seat. Jaxon wished he was up in the front seat so he could see the controls. What he really wanted to see was the engine. He would give anything to learn about the technology.

     The rhythmic movements of the vehicle and the beautiful sky must have lulled Jaxon to sleep. He was suddenly jerked awake as the vehicle swerved quickly and Mint started yelling. Jaxon slid across the soft backseat and almost went on the floor. He grabbed the seat and held on to whatever his hands could grip. His breathing was quick as he held on for dear life.

     The vehicle shortly after came to a stop and Mint opened the back seat. He quickly scooped up Jaxon and talked soothingly to him. He hugged him and pet his head and back trying to calm him down. Jaxon looked up at Mint's worried face and couldn't help but giggle. It soon turned into a full blow laugh. he wasn't scared, he just was startled a little. He thought it was kinda fun actually. It was the most exciting thing he'd had happen to him in a while.

     "Watch where you're going you ass!" Hace yelled at the jerk in the sports car that ran the down bar, almost crashing into him. He heard a sound in the backseat and looked over his shoulder at Ardent holding onto the seatbelt clip, trying not to fall on the floor. "Shit!"

     Hace quickly pulled into the vet's parking lot and jumped out of the car. He ran to the back and carefully picked up Ardent.

     "I'm sorry buddy. I didn't mean for that to happen. I'll have to get you something to keep you safe. Maybe we'll put the carrier in the back." He hugged onto him and rubbed his mane and back. That's when he heard something. He pulled Ardent away from his chest and saw Ardent giggling at first, then he was in a full laugh. He wasn't scared at all! He looked like he was having fun. Hace just shook his head.

     "Well, I'm glad you found it funny." Hace couldn't help but laugh a bit too.

     Hace grabbed the makeshift diaper bag he'd thrown together from the floor and put it on his shoulders. Then after locking up his car, he carried Ardent into the vet. It was a follow-up visit that he'd set up to have a better look at Ardent's back. He was seriously thinking of taking the vet up on getting that surgery for him. He felt like Ardent needed a chance to walk again.