Iris was still queasy and tired from crying earlier, and exhaustion was slowly seeping in from this whole ordeal. She grabbed a set of lightweight pajamas from her dresser and slipped away to the bathroom to change.

“Feel free to have a look around,” she instructed. “I'll be right with you.” Iris left Zayzann alone, and he remained calmly situated in the room. He seemed content to stay there, so long as he could hear her speaking or moving.

Iris sloughed off the remains of her day by changing into pajamas, brushing her teeth, and washing her face. She reached for the face towel on the towel bar but found that it was missing. She retraced the action of putting the face towel out this morning. How very odd. She could have sworn that there was a towel there. Iris had been noticing more things like this happening for the last few months but blamed it on overtiredness.

Meanwhile, Zayzann busied himself by examining things in the bedroom. He had a boundless curiosity and pawed at objects all around him. He was particularly interested in “books” and “lamp.” The dowdy nightstand table lamp emitted a warm glow, which compelled Zayzann to touch it. He recoiled sharply after being bested by the hot bulb.

Iris snickered at him upon returning. He reminded her of an inquisitive tabby she once knew, although Zayzann was magnitudes larger and significantly more intelligent. He only needed to be told about something once and was proving to be an excellent learner.

Iris sat comfortably on her side of the bed in a half-lotus position. Zayzann tried to copy this pose but couldn't get his legs to bend all the way into position and huffed. His facial crest feathers perked up, and the down around his neck ruffled.

“Hey, it's okay. I'll bet there's a lot of things you can do that I can't,” Iris soothed. “Just make yourself comfortable. There, that's it.”

“All right, so let's get a few things straight about the bed here. This is my side,” Iris gestured. “You stay on this side and go to sleep. I'll keep an eye on you until you fall asleep, okay?”

Zayzann beamed back at Iris. She wasn't sure why, but he seemed happier after she told him the rules. He reclined on the mattress, stretched his limbs out a bit, and folded a wing over his body for warmth. True to her word, Iris watched as he slowly drifted off to sleep. She followed shortly afterward.

Her dreams were fraught this evening. The avian host she had joined on her journey to the alien planet was frantically searching around the village for someone but was having no luck locating them. She screeched and brayed to anyone who would listen and was eventually shamed into silence by the massive village leader. Her foolish calls could draw predators here, and she knew better than to behave this way. The creature slinked away, crouched low to the ground, and clasped their arms around their legs. Her breathing labored as she lamented the loss of whomever she was looking for.

Iris could hear the familiar pangs of loneliness from this alien being. The valley winds picked up and cut deeply and coldly through feathers and flesh. The crouching woman paused their outright sobbing and retreated to a quaint lean-to, huddling against the hide wall for warmth. A roundish heap of feathers and fluff lined the center of the hut, forming what looked like a nest. She crawled aimlessly to the hollow within and curled her limbs and wings close to her body.

Iris had never visited this harsh planet during the night. The ceaseless winds carried wispy sounds from the valley and cliffs surrounding the village. The calls of beasts, hunters and opportunists echoed on the same wicked winds. The host clutched their ears fearfully and trembled from a spiteful combination of terror and cold.

After what felt like an eternity, an older female creature with grayish feathers and dark wing tips entered the dwelling and found the quaking occupant. She circled the nest before curling up beside the inhabitant. Their combined body heat calmed the relentless shaking, and the pair dropped off to sleep. Iris wondered what kind of relationship these two might have. Perhaps they were family, or friends, or more…

The bedroom warmed with their combined body heat, waking Zayzann first. He rose sometime in the full-dark of the night, overheated and on edge from whatever dream he was having. Zayzann could hear Iris’s soft, easy breathing on her side of the bed, and he leaned over to check on her. She did not stir.

He smiled warmly at his new watch-mate and was grateful that she had so readily accepted him. On Zhalterra, a watch-mate was chosen with particular care, as it was a great responsibility to protect their partner in the night. He hadn't had a decent watch-mate for many years, due exclusively to his highly selective tastes. And here was this small human woman, ready to take him in after saving his life...

Suddenly, tiny tink of glass on glass came from somewhere in the kitchen. Zayzann's ears pricked sharply at the subtle noise. His x-shaped pupils dilated to wide circles that let in more light, just as a second tink of glass sounded. He rose silently and towered over the mattress.

Zayzann padded quietly to the bedroom entrance and tugged the faintly squeaky wooden door open. He crept slowly and stealthily to the source of the sounds. Zayzann clamped his wings together, drawing them as close to his tense body as possible. His head bobbed forwards as he hunched and walked in a fully alert attack posture.

A strange scent lingered all around him, something like stormy air just before a lightning strike.

Someone is here...

His lips pulled back into a menacing snarl, exposing a set of fearsome, gnashing, serrated teeth. From deep in his throat came a low, angry growl that resonated in the hollow emptiness of the modest kitchen. A stiff breeze came slicing in through the open window.

Crouched on the linoleum floor crept a silent, darkened figure. They were picking something up off the floor and slinking towards the window. The soft tap-tap-tap of brutal claws tugged at the floor sheet. The silhouetted figure bolted upright at the sound, and Zayzann lunged ferociously at the intruder, missing by a hair's width with his claws.

Zayzann barked a chillingly reptilian call at the intruder and lashed out again with claws and talons. The intruder proved frustratingly fast, expertly ducking, and dodging his strikes. They dropped to the floor and swung a long, spindly leg at Zayzann's shins at speed, bashing into him.

The hit crackled like an aluminum bat to his exposed legs. Zayzann pitched forward and cried out again, in a pained, beastly snarl. The spritely intruder jumped backwards to the windowsill and tried to get out of Zayzann's striking distance. His claws were no joke and could easily rend flesh in an instant. If only he could land a blow...

“What's going on out here?” Iris asked, as she lumbered into the kitchen while yawning. “You okay?”

Darkness still had its grasp on the apartment, and Iris groped for the light switch on the wall. Zayzann jittered at her sudden appearance, breaking contact with the intruder. Taking the blessed opportunity to escape, the intruder leaned backwards out the window and dove straight down from two stories to the pavement below.

The kitchen light flickered on and Zayzann shielded his eyes from the burst of light. Iris leaned on the wall by the light switch, with knitted brows.

“Are you all right?” Iris asked. “Something bothering you?”

“No. I hard some thing,” Zayzann offered. His eyes relaxed as they acclimated to the sudden change of brightness. “There is no thing here.”

To be fair, this wasn't a lie outright. The intruder had vanished. He stole a glance outside when Iris closed the window to confirm it. He winced at the prospect of worrying Iris with the truth. Would she be able to get back to sleep knowing that there was an invader in the apartment?

“Kin I halve water?” he asked, deflecting his eyes to the floor. He bit his lip and tried to ignore the stinging pain in his legs. “Pleece?”

“Of course! Sorry, I didn't think of it earlier.” Iris reached for a glass on the high shelf of the enclosed cupboard. “I bet you're hungry, too.” She rummaged around in the refrigerator and produced a small armful of options for him.

“How about this? Anything here look good?” She carefully laid out the cache of food on her scuffed laminate dining table. “It's not much, but I can pick up something from the store for you after work tomorrow. Or, today, I guess.” She looked up at the clock on the wall and sighed at the lateness of the hour.

Zayzann craned at the food, sniffing at each offering. Most of the items had an unnatural, foreign smell that he avoided. He silently scoffed at each, until he found foods he could recognize, fish and eggs.

The salmon filet stood no chance at all against this seasoned hunter. He grasped the fish and rasped at it with his barbed tongue. Iris sat down and watched him eat, propping herself up with her leaning arm. As fascinating as this scene was, she yawned and began to drift off to sleep, still propped up at the table.

“Thenk you,” Zayzann whispered at the drowsing woman.

Zayzann licked up the last of the fish just before Iris face-planted into the table. He jolted to catch her before she landed. She mumbled incoherently as he cradled her up in his arms. Zayzann limped softly so as not to wake her and stepped on something flat on the linoleum.

On the ground was a strip of papery linen, artfully decorated with green Earth words and imagery on it. He balanced the sleeping Iris in one arm, bent mechanically, and scooped up the bill. Zayzann dutifully carried both to the bedroom with a pained limp and laid Iris on the bed.

Time crept by uneventfully for his silent vigil. Zayzann prowled the apartment at intervals, stopping to read or examine objects he discovered. He practiced and repeated everything he could find to distract from the discomfort from the stranger’s strike.

“Is this right? Is this how you say it?” The words were coming easier to him now but were still imprecise on occasion. Zayzann crumpled his nose and the blue-black crest of long dorsal feathers rose when he flustered.

Just before the sun threatened to rise, he lingered by the open balcony door, looked out at the alien skyscape, and stared off in the distance. His dry eyes glistened after a period of prolonged stargazing, and he traced to unfamiliar star pathways with an outstretched hand.

The city began coming to life at dawn, and increasing incessant noises drove Zayzann back inside the apartment. A gentle vibrating alarm was coming from the bedroom. He perked up as Iris made sounds of wakefulness.