Jack, the Earth fan's Arc

Chapter 1 of 3

Jack crouched behind a dumpster and thanked the stars no human had looked down yet. On their home world, the colony elders laughed at Jack's hobby: cataloging strange Earth foods worth smuggling home. Now Jack was here, nose twitching at a hundred new smells. One problem. Jack was a cat. An alien cat with six whiskers and a tail. Humans did not let cats taste their food. They shooed cats away. A food cart sat across the open square. Steam rose from folded shells packed with seasoned meat and bright toppings. Jack's mouth watered. The cart owner slid one to a customer, called it a taco, and took a coin. Jack crept closer, low to the ground. The owner spotted the movement and clapped twice. "Shoo! Go on!" Jack bolted back behind the dumpster, heart pounding. No food. Worse, now the owner watched the alley. Jack needed a plan. A cat could not buy a taco. But a cat could be adopted. Humans fed pets. Jack had seen it in the colony's old broadcasts. If Jack looked harmless and sweet, a human might carry Jack right to the food. Jack studied the square and found a better target. A woman sat on a bench beside a potted plant in a wheeled crate. The plant was strange even to Jack. Curling green stems held round fruits shaped like little pizzas, and small petal-faces peeked out like playful pets. The woman stroked one petal-face and smiled. She loved cute things. Perfect. Jack padded out, slow and soft. Jack sat, blinked twice, and gave the smallest, friendliest meow. The woman turned. Her eyes went wide. "Oh, aren't you darling?" She did not scream. She did not shoo. She reached down and scratched behind Jack's ears. Jack pressed close and purred, hiding the sixth whisker against her sleeve. "You hungry, sweet thing?" the woman asked. She broke a round pizza-fruit from the plant and held it out. Jack sniffed. Warm bread, melted cheese, a tang of tomato. Jack ate. The taste burst across Jack's tongue, unlike anything on the colony. Jack chewed slowly, memorizing every note. Catalog entry one. The woman laughed and fed Jack another bite. Then her thumb found the sixth whisker. She paused. Her smile stiffened. "What... what are you?" She leaned down and peered close at Jack's face, at the two extra whiskers no Earth cat owned. Her hand drew back. Jack froze with cheese still on their chin. The disguise had worked and failed at once. Jack had the first food logged. But now a human knew Jack was not a cat. The woman opened her mouth, half to call someone, half to ask again. Jack had to decide in one breath: run, or trust the first human who had ever fed them.