The general's ship appeared over the village. Troops emerged from its deck. And the general.

He was taller than any man, with a slender body. His skin was a shade of charcoal, his hair silver and soft as silk, his long tail the color of liquid metal. When he looked at Nika for the first time, his pupils dilated.

He stepped out in front of the squad and walked only toward her, ignoring all the stares from the villagers.

"You." His voice was soft, deep, stirring the air. "What's your name?"

"Nika," she replied cautiously, taking a step back.

He took a step closer.

"You will be my… beloved. I will take you to my ship. I will give you everything."

"No." Nika pushed him away firmly. "I don't know you. I will not go."

No anger appeared on the general's face. Only pain. So pure, so deep that several of the soldiers flinched, as if they knew rejection was a tragedy for their kind. "Are you rejecting me…?" he whispered.

"Yes."

The silence grew heavy, trembling. Finally, the general turned his head toward the village elders.

"Then your village will have to harvest ten times more grain than usual. You will atone for my loss."

Nika opened her mouth.

"It's unfair! They have nothing to do with—"

"This is punishment for taking you away from me," he interrupted, looking away as if he could no longer look at her because it hurt. "I'll fly away. But I'll return."

The ship rose and disappeared into the upper layers of the clouds.

The general spent a whole month obsessively preparing. He moaned softly, like a dog longing for food and unable to eat. He rebuilt the ship: he made a soft, warm room for her, chose fresh wall colors, searched the planets for fluffy animals that could comfort her. He even found maids, young beings from different planets, to be her friends so she wouldn't feel lonely.

After thirty days, the robots arrived at the village. They didn't say a word—they grabbed Nika gently, harmlessly, but firmly. They carried her out of the house, into a transport pod, and lifted her up until she was aboard a massive ship.

The doors slid open.

And behind them stood the general.

He looked… different. Fresh.

"Nika…" he said, the silver in his eyes trembling. "You've come back."

"I haven't. You took me," she replied sharply.

But he only smiled softly.

"Come. I'll show you… everything I've gathered for you."

He led her through the corridors. Gifts were everywhere: soft, fluffy creatures in cages.

Nika looked at the small fur balls that huddled in a corner, frightened. "They're scared," she said softly. "I feel sorry for them."

The general stopped, his tail drooping.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered, and slowly, carefully, as if touching something sacred, he embraced her from behind. "I didn't want you to be sad."

He rested his forehead on her shoulder.

A purr, low and warm, filled the air.

"My species only loves once," he said softly. "Males belong to their first love... forever. And I... I belong to you, Niko."

"You can rule me..."

And she stood before the bright, alien creatures, and he held her from behind, devoted to her with all his rare, enamored kind, as if the world existed solely for her to be here—in his arms."

He placed his hands on her shoulders and began to rub them gently.

"I missed you."