Joy coughed from the dust swirling in the air. The faint light from the window was slowly fading. She turned, still hearing Jeremy endlessly kick and bang at the jammed door with no progress yet. She felt trapped in a box like last night; with nothing to predict and nothing to foresee.
"Jeremy, when to you think we're gonna get out?" she asked.
"Joy, quit asking me things like that! The answer will always be 'I don't know'! You're the predictor - you should know."
Joy turned and curled up beside the window in an uncomfortable position. She had gotten plenty of rest before and since they crashed. She lifted her head and growled with frustration that the time was slowly passing instead of zooming through.
Then she heard it.
It was a very mild sound at first, but it gradually grew louder and louder. It was a snarling, crashing, biting, and scratching sound. Joy shivered with fear, but other than that, she didn't make a move. Jeremy, too, was frozen to spot.
"Joy . . .? Are you still . . . there?" he breathed.
"Jeremy . . . yes . . . and that's not me!" she cried quietly.
Joy heard a crash and a squeak. The door was hanging open, rusty and worn. A clunk sounded as it simply fell to the ground and bounced away from the impact. Mist swirled inside the pod, it being white and cold.
"I'll go out first," Jeremy murmured, and hesitantly stepped out. Joy bit her lip as she felt overwhelming terror.
It was silent for a few moments. Joy didn't know what she would do or how she would feel if she ever lost Jeremy, her beloved brother. She restlessly paced the pod, but then she paused to find a metal rod that could possibly help Jeremy - that is, if he ever came back. She looked under the white couches and around all of the mechanism, but still no luck.
As Joy hopelessly searched at the same time as feeling dread, she spotted a white clump of fur. It was hooked onto a cord that had barbs on it; she was clueless as to why. She tried to pick it from the barbs as craftily and quickly as she could, as to not get poked by the barbs.
Joy stroked the fur, reminding her of the soft pelt of her Persian-Himalayan Chocolate Color-Point cat. She looked around. Why would white fur be hooked to the barbs? It wasn't there before; she was sure of it. She shrugged and stuck it into her pocket, then plopped onto the couch once more. She hung her head and craned it to her left. And then she saw it.
It was a beautiful pure white fox with gentle icy blue eyes. The eyes were ominous and queer, as if it were two round blocks of icy moons. It took a step towards her. Joy held out her hand, muttering to herself that she was crazy. The fox stepped forward once more and sniffed her hand. She nearly flinched, but she tried her best to control not to. The fox then stretched his neck to look at her.
"Hi," he growled. Joy stumbled and he jumped away, "Careful! Haven't you ever heard an animal speak? My goodness, newcomer. You nearly made my heart skip a beat!"
Just then, at the worst of all times, Jeremy stepped in. He opened his mouth, about to say something, when the fox asked, "Who's this?"
"Loudmouth . . ." Joy muttered. Jeremy was standing there in shock.
"Yeah, about that . . ." Joy tucked her hands behind her back, "I don't know how he talks, but he does. And I sorta . . . like him."
"You're going to bring him with us?" Jeremy's eyes widened.
"Why not?"
"Joy! You're nuts! We don't know where we are or what's going on, we don't know how to get back, we're stranded on this forsaken planet. And what's next?! A talking fox? Great. That's just what we need right now; another being to take care of." Jeremy sighed miserably.
"Excuse me for interrupting, oh king of whatever, but what are you talking about?" the fox looked from Joy to Jeremy.
Joy sighed and collapsed back on the couch, gesturing for the fox to come sit next to her. The time passed by as they told the fox what happened. The fox responded by nodding, grunting, and hanging his head.
"And finally, we're here. With you." Joy ended the tale.
"Hmm . . . very interesting. I have interest in your quest. Might I join in?" the fox asked politely.
"This isn't fun! And you'll only cause trouble!" Jeremy exclaimed.
"Oh, come on, Jeremy. He wants to help us, and that's what we need right now!" Joy insisted.
"By the way, I do live on this planet. And I believe I can help," the fox smirked. Joy's eyes sparkled as he turned to the fox. Jeremy grunted.
"Fine, then. We leave at dawn; if this planet even has a dawn!"
