Welcome to Ikaria

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

A rather quickly-done story (only two hours), meant to flesh out a few details of a fictional planet I considered basing some other stories around. I still might use it in writing again sometime, but this is the only story I'm posting now that includes it. Not much more to say about this one either.

---

My name is Frederick, but everyone just calls me Fred. I'm one of the few thousand humans living in the Alcadia system, and I love it here. Since there are so few humans spread out on several planets, it can sometimes be months between times I see another person of my species. I have several close friends, but none of them are human. For that matter, after that one day a few months ago, none of them are anywhere near my size.

Let me back up a little. Back in 2033, a new planetary system was discovered around a blue star named Alcadia. It was immediately found to have at least six planets that might be inhabitable by people. However, trying to send a person 36 light-years through space was a dangerous proposition; and the voices of the few people willing to take the risk were drowned out by the cries of hundreds of special interest groups.

So, in a sort of compromise, scientists genetically engineered a group of beings they collectively called the genian - genetically improved animals. They drew from dozens of species of mammals, birds, and reptiles, forming anthro and taur versions of them. To further the chance of survival in an unfamiliar environment, they used some creatures from mythology, such as dragons, and revived a few successful species from Earth's own past, like the raptor. Their genetic code was slightly unstable, allowing them to adapt readily to their surroundings when the time came.

Despite all the variations involved and countless things that could have gone wrong, all the genian began to work together. Even animals that were once enemies were seen working on projects together; they all knew their lives depended on the survival of the others. Genian proved very skilled at working through logic problems, occasionally finding a solution that the very scientists that developed them had overlooked. In 2051, eighteen years after the star's discovery, the first group of about 300 were sent to settle a world in the Alcadia system.

Nobody heard anything from the settlers for nearly two years. But, on one day that will live on forever, the transmitters were finally assembled and a greeting was sent back to Earth. The genian were not merely surviving, they were thriving in the new environment. Humans immediately named the world Elysium - a place of ideal happiness. And, for them, it was. Pollution and global warming were taking an incredible toll on Earth, and here was a new world, just as their own planet had been thousands of years ago.

When humans came to colonize the world, bringing their technologies with them, the genian objected. Elysium was their homeworld, and they didn't want to see it destroyed by pollution as Earth had been. Tensions built up over nearly a decade, even as more ships of human and genian arrived, and a war eventually broke out. Mercifully, no nuclear weapons were used, but thousands of humans and genian died. Ultimately, the genian won, declaring their independence from Earth, much as the United States did in 1776.

Utterly disgraced that they were defeated by their own creation, most of the humans left on their own after the war's end. The genian had never asked any humans to leave, but only to respect the planet and use less polluting technologies. Less than 500 humans stayed, and all were either environmentalists, people who had fallen in love with a genian, or those who had nowhere on Earth to return to. I was in that third group. Despite having dreams and aspirations, life on that dying world had gone nowhere, and going back just didn't feel right. It was like some invisible force was holding me here, telling me that this was better than what I had.

Those that stayed were sent to schools. The children were placed in the equivalent grade; adults were given a year-long course in the differences between Elysium and Earth. I had just completed high school when I came here, and passed the adult course with flying colors. The history of the young species was interesting enough, but I was driven more by the fact I would be living with the genian, not humans. I rarely found a true friend with the people on Earth, or even the humans here, but there wasn't a genian that I wanted to get away from.

People - human and genian - did everything they could to help one another. Everyone was offered the same decisions and opportunities, with no discrimination. Talent was more important than species, and the humans found a place in society. Elysium was living up to its name, and populations grew as people became increasingly comfortable with the world. I also helped where I could, but I looked for as many reasons to work with genian instead of humans as I could. I felt, and still feel, more comfortable with them than I do among my own species.

After a few years, the genian decided to colonize the rest of the system, to prevent any overburdening of a planet. There would only be a few small towns in one or two places on each world, not the sprawling, planet-wide disasters of Earth's cities. Most of the humans decided to stay on Elysium, happy with their current lives. For me, helping to colonize a new world seemed an easy decision, especially since I would work closely with dozens of genian colonists.

The group I was in was sent to Ikaria, a world smaller than Earth with only one landmass: a large continent in its Northern hemisphere, nearly extending from the equator to the north pole. Ikaria was the closest planet to Alcadia that a group was being sent to, but climate scans showed temperatures only 20 degrees warmer than Elysium, a big, but tolerable change. During the trip, I talked a little with some of the others that I would be working with, but I had always been the quiet type.

I was friendly to everyone, but one genian truly caught my eye. His name was Thrax, and he was one of the anthrodragons. Thrax stood every inch of eight feet tall, if he wasn't more than that, and his scales shined a brilliant, sapphire blue in the spaceship's light. His eyes were solid black, yet they seemed very expressive as they looked over his muzzle. For all my time spent looking at him, I never had the nerve to say more than a meek hello on one occasion, which he returned with a friendly handshake.

We landed on the southern end of the continent, about eight miles inland from the vast ocean that covered 80% of Ikaria's surface. A few provisions were brought along from Elysium, but we were to make a self-supporting city. All the supplies we needed to build the town were ready, and work progressed quickly. The houses were small, but comfortable enough for two, maybe three people. I, somehow, ended up as part of Thrax's team.

Days passed quickly, and we were out of the shuttle and into homes as they were completed. It took less than a month for our crew of 65 to have homes, but we were building to support at least 500, to allow people from Elysium to move here. Gradually, I overcame some of my fears, talking more to Thrax when there was time for conversation. "He... hello?" I stuttered nervously one day after work was done, silently cursing myself for acting like such a fool. He wasn't going to bite, so why did I have to worry about anything?

"Hi Fred. You've been working hard, I see," Thrax said, chuckling at a spot of grease on my chest. Clothing was considered optional everywhere in the system, and usually was only worn when the weather warranted it. With the warm climate on Ikaria, I was just in a thin pair of shorts, and I was heavily dressed compared to everyone else. "So what've you been doing?"

Blushingly, I answered, "Nothing, really... and you?"

"Same here, nothing to do after work," Thrax said, shaking his head, "Maybe you could come over for dinner tomorrow night?"

I shouted a "Yes!" before even thinking about it, eliciting another soft laugh from Thrax. He might have wondered why I was so eager to have dinner, especially since he was half-jokingly called the worst cook in the galaxy - on Earth or the Alcadia system. After giving me directions to his house and telling me what time he'd have the food ready, we both returned to our homes for the night.

Sleeping, as fast as my mind was racing, was an impossibility. I thought of a million different things to say, and wondered what Thrax might say back to me. Would he live up to his billing as a miserable cook? Would he even want to talk to me after dinner? Might I... no, that was hoping for far too much. It was just a dinner, I reminded myself, nothing more.

But overnight, sometime in those pre-dawn hours, it happened. Every scientist in the system has researched the incident, but there hasn't been a conclusive answer to what it was. The best explanation was a large electromagnetic storm coming from Alcadia, but dozens of different possibilities have been brought forth. Personally, I don't care what it was or how it happened, but that cosmic event changed my life forever.

I still recall that flash of light, coming through the darkness. It wasn't white, black, or any one color, but somehow appeared to be all the shades of the rainbow at once. The next thing I knew, the morning sun was coming through my window, but everything else seemed entirely wrong. In that blink of an eye, either I had shrunk, or everything had grown. I later learned that things had grown, but for that moment, I felt like I was less than two inches tall inside my own home.

Panicking, I ran outside, only to find the same thing as I had inside, everything was larger than it was last night. The genian were still working, apparently oblivious to what had happened. I heard a few talking about a short-circuit in all the communications equipment, but none seemed concerned that the lone human on the planet had vanished without a trace. A raptor's paw came down in front of me as I looked around for some explanation, giving me the scare of a lifetime.

Every scale on its sole was clearer than I thought possible as it landed just a few feet in front of me. The odor of its sweat mixed with the small cloud of dirt that was kicked up, filling my nostrils with the scent. The raptor walked on, oblivious to my presence, talking with the fox-taur next to him. Dashing to the side of the street, to keep my chances of being crushed to a minimum, I continued on, looking around constantly.

Other genian walked by, none of them aware of me, hiding in the shadows. I walked on, staying as far out of the street as I could, catching the glimpse of the occasional paw coming down closer than I would have liked. It was getting late now; too late to go home, at the least. Aimlessly, though, I continued on, hoping for something to happen. What, I wasn't sure, but something, a nagging in the back of my mind, told me to keep walking.

And, a few streets later, I saw Thrax. Though I had certainly spent a fair share of time looking at him longingly when we were the same size, it was entirely different seeing him so much larger. He had to be over 400 feet tall, and was completely oblivious that I was watching him. Seeing him like this was both beautiful and terrifying at once; a clash of emotion that left me standing motionless where I was. Even from down here, I noticed a slightly sad look on his face as the sun was going down, and I wondered if it was for me, and my strange disappearance.

"I wonder where Fred went..." he said suddenly, with an almost longing tone in his voice. He did miss me, even if only a little! I wiped a tear from my eye, knowing that if nobody else cared where I was, Thrax did. That same moment, I knew that I would have to, somehow, talk to him. But how do you talk to somebody about 70 times your own size?

The others changed the subject quickly, disinterested by the escapades of a human. I was fairly weak physically (even for a human), which didn't make me very popular, but I still tried to help where I could. Thrax usually came to help me when I saw I needed it, and he was strong as any two others in our group combined. Looking up now at the dragon as he towered over me, I remembered the directions to his house, doubting he'd be expecting me, especially at such a small size.

Fortunately, I was able to get there before Thrax, and I waited outside the door for him to come home. It was completely dark when he finally arrived, and I could barely make out even his gigantic shadow in the darkness. He opened the door with a sigh, and I felt sorry myself, that this night had turned out so strangely. The door was open barely long enough for me to dash in behind him, leaving me in the entranceway to a house that was enormous beyond description.

Tiredly, Thrax began making dinner, undoubtedly the same dish he had planned for us tonight. I couldn't tell what he was preparing, but a mild aroma filled the house, dispelling the rumors of his poor cooking. After a short while, he sat down to eat it, looking across the table at someone who wasn't there - me. Again letting out a sad sigh, he began eating, still glancing to where I would have sat.

I would have to do something soon if I was going to do anything at all. There was nothing I could use to climb up onto the table, but there had to be some way of attracting his attention. I looked under the table at his feet, their three-toed forms clearly visible through the shadows. He didn't strike me as the ticklish type, but I was out of ideas, and wasn't thinking entirely clearly. I knew he missed me, and I didn't want him to feel like this any longer.

Running over before I could change my mind, I dashed beneath his feet, looking up at the blue-scaled surface over my head. I extended a hand up to rub it, smiling softly as I felt its warmth. More vigorously, I used my other hand as well now, giving a soft massage to Thrax. As he shifted, I realized too late how dangerous this idea was; I could be crushed without him knowing I was ever there. His foot pressed into me, forcing me onto my back.

Helpless, I pounded against his foot, in a last, desperate attempt to get him to notice me. I don't know how he connected my weak struggles with the idea of something under his foot other than a bug, but he pulled his foot away and looked carefully down at the floor, gawking in disbelief at me. My mind blanked immediately as I saw his titanic face mere feet from my face, knowing that he could end my life in an instant if I wasn't careful. "Th... Th... Thrax?" I stuttered, feeling my face pale.

I was relieved as Thrax replied, "F... Fred?" He was confused as I was, and just as nervous. Thinking quickly, he lowered his voice, trying not to hurt my delicate ears. "Oh my... I didn't just... are you okay?"

"I'm fine. You have nice feet," I said, that last part slipping out before I could stop it. Immediately, I realized how senseless that must have sounded, and my mind was racing for something else to say, but words wouldn't come.

Thrax, though, just smiled, in the same way he often did when talking to me, that I had never paid notice to before. He didn't seem to mind that remark I made at all. "And you... are hungry tonight? Dinner's ready, you know." He extended a hand to me, giving me an elevator-like ride up to the table, and the food. I climbed in, feeling the scales caress my skin as I made myself comfortable. He had made something that looked like chicken, or whatever they called that bird on this world.

The food was welcome, I hadn't eaten anything since last night, and my cooking wasn't much better than the jokes about Thrax's. And, after two bites, I realized how much of a joke what I heard was. It wasn't a 5-star meal, but it was far better than my attempts at making dinner usually came out. Thrax was watching me eat, like I was some new kind of creature - I was, in a sense. To him, I was just an inch tall, sitting on his table, sharing dinner with him.

"What under the stars happened to you anyway?" Thrax asked, after I had finished gorging on the mountain of food in front of me. It was the biggest meal I had in a long time, and I thanked him for it before I told him what I remembered. The brilliant light, the late awakening, and how I saw everything was so much larger once I slid out of bed. He was amazed at the retelling, although he was also unable to think of an explanation. "Weird..." he said, "Never heard of anything like that before..."

"I haven't either, but it happened," I answered, "Not that anything can be done about it now, I guess." And, really thinking about it, I wasn't sure if I even wanted something to be done. I was too small to be really helpful building, but there had to be something I could do to make up for that. "I was wondering... did you really just want me to come over for dinner?"

Again, Thrax laughed, that same intoxicating chuckle that he used so often, "So I'm not good at hiding secrets. I thought... well... maybe... but you're so small now... I couldn't..." For once, he was at a loss for words, but I had the idea.

"I don't mind... that is... if you still want to..." I said, smiling back at Thrax. It seemed like we both knew what we wanted, but were trying futilely to talk ourselves out of it. Several awkward moments later, we both gave up talking, Thrax shaking his head at this decidedly unusual situation. He picked me up again, carrying me over to his bed along the wall, thinking for a moment.

"Are... you sure?" Thrax asked, more with anticipation than worry I'd say no. I took one more look over his form as he sat on the bedside, noticing that his cock was already starting to poke out of his sheath. Instead of answering him with words, I carefully walked across his leg and began rubbing his member, sending a shiver through the giant dragon. His soft growls of pleasure encouraged me, as I kept my balance between his leg and cock as it slid forth.

That same feeling of discovering a terrifying beauty coursing through my body as I felt my own penis coming to attention, almost as quickly as Thrax's was. I crawled out onto his cock as soon as I could, sliding down to its tip, getting soaked in precum from head to toe. It was coming out in waves, each one nearly knocking me off the end of Thrax's penis as I rubbed every inch of it I could get a hand on from here.

Our combined scents filled the air, completing the mood we felt. His warmth added to my own, now that we both were at full arousal. I still remember feeling that cock, nearly 10 times as long as I was tall, pulse beneath me, growing warmer with each passing moment. Without a second thought, I pressed my face into his slit, taking in a mouthful of his juices. My senses were overloaded; I felt like pure energy, bringing this titan closer to orgasm. His growls were becoming terse roars as his breathing quickened. I came to my own peak first, moaning softly as I left a small spot of white on Thrax's penis, barely noticeable against the tower of blue.

Just moments later, Thrax peaked as well, letting loose a roar that would have split the heavens. Untold gallons of his hot seed spilled forth in a tidal wave, knocking to the floor below, somehow unhurt. I drank what I could, filling myself beyond any reasonable capacity. The flow continued for nearly half a minute before subsiding, Thrax leaning over the edge of the bed to look down at my sorry shape, lost in an ocean of white.

"That... was wonderful..." he said between gasps, recovering from his massive orgasm. He pulled me free from the mess, letting me lay in his hand. I was soaked, and exhausted; and I couldn't have been happier. Something drew me toward Thrax, it always had, but that feeling was stronger now that he was a giant. Deep inside, I knew that I wasn't just delusional from the great flash, there was something closer, more personal than that.

I answered, "Yes..." before falling asleep in his hand. I'd never slept better, and I'd never been this close to another living being - regardless of species. On that rare night, I was able to remember my dreams past dawn, dreams about Thrax and me, together. I awoke to find myself on the floor, apparently dropped sometime over night. I spent a moment wondering how I survived such a long drop when Thrax woke up, sitting on the side of his bed, mumbling incoherently to himself.

"Good morning," I said, marveling at his beautiful blue form again. He didn't hear me, and he stood up on the side of his bed, stepping on me. But I wasn't crushed like I should have been, I was flattened to the curves of his sole. The scent of his foot was attractive, in its own way, as I felt the scales rub without care over me. I was stuck to him for a few steps, feeling the weight press down, then subside, before dropping off onto the floor again.

That light did more than just increase the size of every non-human on the planet, but it gave some magical powers to the genian. Apparently, Thrax could do anything to me without causing injury, or I would just be a red stain on his carpet right now. The smell of morning coffee being brewed interrupted my internal debate on the topic, reminding me to tell Thrax.

In a twilight between waking and sleeping, Thrax sat down at his table again, drinking the coffee quickly. Using my same tactic as the night before, I laid down under his foot, pounding on it hard as a human's body would allow. That helped to wake him up, and he looked down at me again. "We really should stop meeting like this," he said, snickering as he pulled me into easier listening range.

"Thrax, you remember that light flash I mentioned, right?" I asked.

Still not quite awake, he replied, "Uh-huh... so?"

"I think it did more than just make me smaller. I think there was some magic." I said. Of course, once I learned things were just the opposite - that the world had grown, and I hadn't shrunk - I realized that Thrax had the ability, not me. But, no matter who had the gift, it gave me a few ideas.

"Magic?" he asked, confused.

Blushing a little, I told him why I assumed that. "While you were waking up this morning, you stepped on me." Thrax looked horrified at what he did, and I continued hastily, before he would start apologizing. "It didn't hurt at all. I just flattened out, and felt your weight on top of me."

"It didn't hurt?" Thrax said, "But... weird!"

Laughing, I wondered if Thrax thought an inch tall human was weird too, or normal compared to everything else that was happening. "Either way, can I ask you to... do something?"

Thrax nodded, "Like what, Fred?"

I thought carefully for a moment, trying to think of how to best use this newfound 'power'. "I... liked that feeling of you walking on me this morning. Could you do it again? Maybe I could stay under your foot all day?" I suggested, hoping that Thrax wouldn't think I'd lost my mind.

He stole my technique of doing without saying, placing me on the ground and lowering his foot on top of my body. He rubbed it back and forth a few times to get comfortable with my feeling beneath, and made sure I was stuck. I was laying on my back, face pressed into his big toe, with no room at all to spare. The last rational part of my mind screamed that I had to be insane for doing this, but that thought was quickly silenced as Thrax walked through town, starting on his work.

Rhythmically, his foot would come up and down, pressing and releasing thousands of tons from me. It was indescribable, the feelings I experienced beneath his enormous paw. I climaxed several times throughout the day, becoming more aroused at each step until the sun came down. At home, Thrax peeled me off his foot, noticing the evidence of how much I enjoyed the ride. "Did your idea work?" he asked playfully, and I could only nod in reply. I was too tired to say anything, but he smiled anyway.

After dinner, Thrax took me to his bed again, and I offered no complaints. This time, he rubbed me across his member, knowing I could take it. We both came at the same time, and I laid in his hand as he let his jets of seed rush over me. I had heard from my few friends on Earth what their girl- and boyfriends were like, but this outdid everything they told me. I knew, in that moment, that this was more than just a friend, I wanted to be with Thrax forever.

So, now, we are together, every moment of every day. I've gone back to working with Thrax during the day, easily doing some of the detail work even the best-sighted of genian would find a challenge. Explaining what happened wasn't important; most of the genian really didn't care. Eventually, others discovered they had magical powers of their own. Many could change their height, some could change species, still others had learned magic that would have fit in with medieval sorcery. Thrax's only gift proved to be his inability to harm me, but that was enough to make us both happy.

We've been declared a mated pair, a pair that loves life together, the closest thing to marriage genian observe. Looking back, I feel sorry for other humans, the ones who wanted to stay on Earth or Elysium. They've never seen anything like this, a paradise that I never could have dreamed of just one year ago. Ikaria has gotten back to normal, but I know I'll never go back to the way I was, lonely, without anyone to call a friend. Because, now, I have much more. Thrax is a part of me, I am a part of him, and we are a pair that will never be separated. For, it is when two different people meet that the truest of love can grow.