Humans are the only known creatures to create mutually beneficial bonds with other organisms larger than bacterium. The parallel evolution of humans and canines is a situation completely unique to humans. Some scientists suggest that it came from the need to survive on such a hostile world, while the lay person might suggest that humans are too clueless to know when something is inadvisable or, for that matter, impossible.

Krill had never seen the captain skip before, not that he wasn't the skipping type, but because that sort of action proved to be more difficult to coordinate with his prosthetic leg. Despite that fact, Captain Vir made a big show of skipping into the bridge grinning hugely despite nearly tripping over the last stair.

"I got my approval." He chanted continuing his skip around the room as Krill watched in bemused entertainment. For all their predatory nature, humans proved themselves to be some of the most unintimidating creatures in the galaxy. One minute they could be trying to kill you and the next minute they would be trying to cuddle you.

Perhaps, if it had still been his first transfer aboard the human ship, Krill would have seen the ridiculous display as a demonstration of the captain's athletic ability as some sort of dominance ritual. That, and the wide grin that split his face showing a row of strong white teeth, might have served to Scare Krill away. But six months was sufficient to know that this was an almost overenthusiastic demonstration of happiness.

It wasn't likely to be showing dominance to anyone.

For some reason, not many grown humans of the male gender took to skipping.

Upon hearing the captain's chanting, the rest of the crew began to mummer some whooped in that way humans do to show support for members of their packs.

Krill looked on in confusion, "Approval for what?"

Captain Vir paused his frolicking long enough to look at Krill and grin, "It's a surprise. You'll love it."

Krill had a feeling that might have been a bit of an exaggeration. Usually when humans said things like that it turned out to be either something very dangerous, weird, or stupid. Yes, that even applied to things like cake. The humans hadn't been wrong that he would like it, until he learned that some humans consumed so much of it that they caused their hearts to fail.

Humans can become addicted to anything. Guess that's the consequence of having natural drugs, Dopamine, injected into your blood stream at the slightest provocation for pleasure.

"We will be stopping off at substation Gamma to pick up the package." Captain Vir finished plopping into his seat grin still plastered across his face.

Didn't take them long to make it to the substation. Sitting on the bridge, Krill used one of the Hull cameras to examine the small space station marveling at the massive see-through dome that looked inwards on the flourishing human city. Not every human enjoyed spending days and days locked aboard the ship, and just like humans, when they didn't like something, they fixed it.

From what he knew, the massive station was equipped with climate control and artificial atmosphere to allow those inside the illusion of being back on earth.

For this reason, it was one of the only stations in the quadrant that could sustain human livestock.

The idea was astounding to Krill, the idea that humans had harnessed the power of nature herself controlling entire herds of animals and harvesting them for their byproducts despite those animals being larger, stronger, and potentially more durable than their human counterparts.

On Krill's home planet, they took pains to avoid influence form the wild. Walls were built to block themselves off from larger, more dangerous creatures, not that the creatures were particularly dangerous when compared to animals that naturally inhabited the human planet of Earth. In all his life, Krill had never actually SEEN a non-sentient being close up: Sentient by the definition that they had a complex linguistic system that could convey abstract ideas.

Eyes wide with wonder, Krill watched as a large heard of earth animals were funneled towards a smaller enclosure. The animals could easily have outweighed the humans by four or five times, but somehow the humans managed to control their eventual destination.

From this distance, it was hard to see the beasts, but still Krill was enthralled.

The ship banked lightly and the engines cut off as smaller, auxiliary ships moved outwards slowly maneuvering the larger ship into position on the docks.

Once control of the ship had been taken over, Captain Vir bolted from his seat racing down the hall and towards the docking bay. Krill followed more slowly reaching the docking bay just as the ramp was beginning to open.

Captain Vir waited at the top of the ramp shifting form one foot to the other in that way humans have when they are excited.

Krill paused a few feet away watching as the system slowly lowered the ramp into place.

As the ship let off its last hydraulic hiss, Krill had just enough time to let off a terrified trill as the ravening predator rushed up the ramp straight towards them.

If Krill had thought human predatory features were exaggerated, than this was beyond compare enough to have him locked in place in pure terror.

The creature ran on all fours, powerful muscles rolling up its furry body as it charged moving faster than any human. Each toe was topped by a long, black claw. As with all predators, the eyes faced straight forwards with wide dark pupils. The massive ears protruded from the apex of the head pointed up and forward.

Sharp glittering teeth almost half an inch long dripped with saliva as the ravening beast charged them throat expressing a guttural trill at a disturbingly high pitch as it ran. Krill staggered back as the creature was upon them launching itself from the ground and straight towards the Captain's neck.

Krill was on his back.

Like only a human could, the captain had caught the beast around the middle staggering back under the force of the blow. Prosthetic leg caught on a rivet, and he went down to the floor as the animal lunged for his face.

Krill let off another high trill of terror as the monster pinned the captain to the ground sharp fangs glittering as he attacked the captain's exposed face.

And that's when Krill heard it.

Laughter.

The captain was laughing.

He stopped panicking just long enough to sit up and look over confusedly trying to figure out what was going on. Captain Vir lay on his back throat exposed to the predator that stood atop his chest head down. But instead of the terrible mutilating bites that Krill had expected, he was stunned to see that the animal was LICKING him large pink tongue running over the man's face from forehead to chin with a frantic repetition.

The high pitched keening still rose from the animal's throat as it desperately tried to slobber on every exposed surface of the captain's skin.

Its tail waved spastically back and forth.

The captain laughed again, "Stop... stop.... Quit it you big lug." Despite his protests, the man made no move to fight the animal off instead choosing to pull it closer running his hands through the creature's fur.

Krill stayed frozen in shock as the predator allowed the captain access to his neck eventually rolling over to expose his soft underbelly to the man who proceeded to rub the soft fur there talking to the animal the entire time as the high pitched keening switched to a low rumbling.

This creature was capable of ripping the man in half, and yet here he was cuddling with it like it was his pillow.

Captain Vir looked up at Krill a grin splitting his slobber-covered face.

"Krill, I'd like you to meet Waffles, my dog."

Krill blinked in confusion. First of all, he was pretty sure waffles were a type of cake that humans liked to eat, and this didn't look like a cake, second of all the captain was hugging an Apex predator even allowing the thing to lick his face, and third of all HIS dog."

The "dog" pushed its way into a sitting position, and the captain wrapped an arm around it's back like he would to another human. The animal turned his head and rested it's snout on the man's chest looking up at him with a sort of primitive admiration.

Krill stared on in silence.

Captain Vir grinned rubbing the dog's large ears, "Man's best friend."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Krill asked in confusion

Captain Vir shrugged, "A primitive human once bonded a wolf, and instead of killing him it must have seen something useful in us because, after thousands of years, they are still with us. Nothing will ever love you as much as a dog does."

As if in agreement, the dog waved its tail and scooted closer acting as if the human was a member of its own species.

The captain motioned Krill closer, "Come on, come meet her."

Krill very much did not like that idea, but he knew form experience you could easily offend a human by not taking their word for something, so slowly, he scooted closer breath held.

The dog turned its head wet nose twitching eyes locked on to krill. He froze in place feeling as if he was going to drop dead from fright.

The animal gave a low rumble.

The captain nudged it in the ribs "Be nice, he's a friend."

Lowering its head in compliance, the animal stretched its neck forward still sniffing. The captain kept one hand on the creature's back as it took a tentative step forward. Krill began to feel sick as the animal ran its snout up and won his body slowly circling him body moving predatorily as it did so.

After a few minutes the animal took a seat next to Krill and allowed its tongue to loll from its mouth. Its body moved in quick motions as it panted. Krill vaguely wondered if the animal was hyperventilating.

The captain grinned, "Awesome, go on, you can pet her now."

Krill very much did NOT want to pet it, but found the human's encouraging smile to be too much. He didn't want to disappoint the captain, so tentatively, he reached out a hand and slowly ran it down the animal's soft fur, not totally the same to human hair.

The animal beat it's tail once turning its snout towards Krill.

He froze hand still in the animal's Fur.

The dog contemplated him for a long moment with its large dark eyes before tentatively licking krill's hand. Its tongue was warm and wet. Krill tried not to think about how he might have tasted to the creature.

This was truly freaky

What Krill saw over the next few days, he would never have believed if he hadn't seen it?

He saw the man cuddle with the dog. They slept together dog's head and front paws resting on the man's chest reproachfully eyeing anyone who seemed willing to disturb the man's slumber. She did the same thing if the man was sitting, making a point to lay as close to him as possible. If she couldn't be on his lap than she would be at his feet.

She begged for food and played with him content to chase the same ball for hours and hours if given the chance. At any moment she could have killed him, tore his trachea from his throat, but instead she followed at his heels obedient to almost every whim.

Turns out the creature had a vastly superior sense of smell to anything Krill had ever seen. It could track missing objects simply by using the particles the object left behind in the air. It could run faster than the humans, had fur to keep itself warm, and come to learn, the animals were often used to chase down and attack criminals on the command of human police forces, so Krill wasn't wrong in supposing the creature could easily kill them.

If it wasn't for he humans superior cortical structure, and the use of opposable thumbs, they would have never had a chance against these creatures in a wild setting.

But as is known humans don't care what you think is possible, and if they want to cuddle with apex predators and survive, they will, and there is nothing you can do to stop them