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The idea, like all the best and worst ideas, came from Jiwoong. The cat-hybrid had been lounging on a bale of hay, cleaning a paw with fastidious care before casually remarking, “You know, the humans have it all wrong. The moon isn’t a rock. It’s a giant, perfectly aged wheel of Gouda.”
Mootthew stopped mid-chew on his cud. “The moon…is cheese?”
“Swear on my nine lives,” Jiwoong purred, his eyes slitting with amusement. “I’ve been to the places where the humans build their giant telescopes. They look at it and whisper, ‘cheese’.”
“I must reclaim it. It’s a matter of bovine rights,” Mootthew announced, his eyes sparkling and his hooves planted firmly on an upturned bucket. “Plus…wouldn’t it make a great gift?”
“For Taerae? Pawsitively.” Jiwoong laughed, “Puppies love cheese.”
And that was all it took for Moothew to start planning.
✩₊˚.⋆☾𓃔☽⋆⁺₊✧
“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Hanbin watched in trepidation as his bovine best friend hammered together a number of old baking trays–remnants from that time the farmer’s wife wanted to start an online baking business–into vague wing shapes. The rooster-hybrid poked the repurposed feeding trough (the cockpit?) and frowned when one of the screws holding it intact unscrewed itself. “Don’t you remember the boat you built to sail back to Canada? It exploded when it touched water!”
“Hanbin-hyung, trust me! This time I’m doing it with purely altruistic intentions…so it’ll totally work!” Moothew declared.
“Chirp, chirp, chirp!” Yujin, the oldest of Hanbin’s kids, helpfully added. The little chick was hard at work, decorating the scrap metal with tiny talon prints.
“Yujinnie is right, Hanbin-ah.” Hao clucked as he gently guided Yujin’s younger siblings through sorting out the mess of miscellaneous parts on the barn floor. “If you insist on being a downer, at least complain while you work, mm?”
Hao turned to face his mate fully and pouted. “Your hen and chicks are toiling away to help a charming, young cow bring his dreams to life and all you’re doing is pacing and crowing? How cruel!” Hao picked up a few babies, who happily nuzzled his fluffy chest feathers. “Kids, boo your father. Boooo…”
Hanbin sighed with a lovestruck smile and picked up a screwdriver.
✩₊˚.⋆☾𓃔☽⋆⁺₊✧
“Moothew-ah, what have you been doing in this old barn?” Came a deep, melodically harmonious voice from the barn entrance.
Moothew jumped and threw a tarp on his secret project. He turned around and had to pause before answering to swallow his saliva. Taerae stood at the entrance with his tail wagging slightly and his head tilted in that adorable way dogs do.
“It’s a surprise.” Moothew giggled. “But I hate keeping secrets from you, so here!” He whipped off the tarp. “It’s a rocket ship!”
“OMG!” Taerae gasped, his fluffy ears stood up in shock. “I heard rumours but…wait. Does this mean you’re actually going to try and steal the moon?!”
“Eh?” Moothew blinked blankly. “I was just planning on planting a flag before returning and confessing…but if you want me to, I can totally do it!”
Taerae burst out laughing. “You don’t have to do that! Honestly…you don’t have to do anything fancy to confess...” Taerae shyly covered his face with his paws, “I already know your feelings and…I like you too!”
But the cow-hybrid heard none of it as he had already run off, mumbling all the way about needing more spoons.
✩₊˚.⋆☾𓃔☽⋆⁺₊✧
The night of the launch, the entire farm gathered in a nearby field to watch.
“Do you think he’ll actually make it?” Whispered one of the sheep-hybrids.
“Nah, I think it won’t even take off.” Answered another.
“This is a waste of time…” Grumbled another as others started voicing their doubts too.
“Is that my TV satellite dish?!” The farmer sputtered.
Taerae growled. “Don’t be so negative. Moothew put a lot of work into this.”
“Yeah, what sort of example are you showing the children, if you can’t even support a fellow hybrid in achieving his dreams?” Hao clucked and rubbed the head of one of the chicks in his arms, “Isn’t that right, kids?”
The dozens of agreeing chirps easily silenced any negative talk from the adult hybrids.
A several yards away, Moothew was securing his fishbowl helmet before climbing into the cockpit. He gave Hanbin, who was standing nearby with a lightstick, a thumbs up.
“Stay safe, Seokmae.” The rooster-hybrid wished him luck before flapping away to safety. Hanbin settled in a nearby tree where Jiwoong was waiting with a light of his own. The two hybrids turned on their lights to signal that the launch was starting.
The gathered crowd enthusiastically began the countdown.
“Ten…Nine…Eight…”
Moothew took a deep breath and turned some dials.
“Seven…Six…Five…Four…”
Moothew flipped the lid on a big, red button with the word ‘launch’ written on it in sharpie.
“Three…Two…One!”
Moothew pressed the button.
…
…
…
A voice muttered from the crowd “Is that al–”
Suddenly, the rocket shuddered and with a cloud of smoke, shot into the sky!
It was not a smooth journey. Moothew almost hit a flock of geese. But he kept going, powered by a fuel no scientist could ever replicate: the stubborn, charming love of a cow on a mission.
And then, the rocket bumped gently against the lunar surface. Moothew climbed out, his hooves sinking slightly into the soft, crumbly, unmistakably cheesy ground.
“Mmm…the moon is a lot bigger than I expected…”
✩₊˚.⋆☾𓃔☽⋆⁺₊✧
A few hours later, Moothew’s rocket exploded as it crashed into the farm pond.
“Mootthew!” Taerae was the first to arrive to help Moothew out of the wreckage. “You’re okay!”
Moothew blushed and held out the moon cheese. “A piece of the moon…because you are my moon, Taerae! I really like you!”
Taerae gently accepted the cheese, cradling it to his chest. “Oh, Moothew… you silly cow. I like you too.”
Moothew gave himself a high five to celebrate.