449 Three Alarms

~ LHARS ~

When the Gateway opened before him, Lhars sighed with relief.

Once again he stood in an archway, the light of the Gateway's guidance flashing and pulsing around him. But he left one foot in the Gateway itself as he leaned out.

He was back in that sterile, human habitation that he remembered from his life as a cub. And he was once again grateful that he hadn't had to live there as an adult. The smell alone…

At first he thought the room was empty. He saw only the couches, chairs, a television on the wall, and that wide, low coffee table between the seats. But as he leaned further out, the females appeared, one by one, staring at him, bleary-eyed, their faces puffy. They'd obviously been asleep.

"Are you ready?" he whispered?

They stared at him, different faces peering around two doors at the end of the room.