The Human Pet

Chapter 14

Warnings: idk man their whole view of humans is primative

"Now. Since it's the first day back, you guys don't have to worry about homework."

As expected, I get a few cheers. When it settles down I go on.

"However, you will be learning today. Please take notes as you may or may not be tested on this."

As my students shuffle to grab their devices and books, I turn around and press the button to let the screen come down. This takes a few seconds, allowing me to check up on my pet with a glance.

Layla looks okay for the most part. Slightly overwhelmed, but not ready to bolt. She stares at me, as she likely has been for a while now. My smile seemed to put her a bit at ease, though not by much.

I'm sure she jolts when the projector turns on. Humans don't have this kind of technology on their planet, such a strange light must have startled her. But as long as I'm calm, she'll stay calm too. Using my tablet, I swipe to the first slide showing a photo of some humans guarding a cave.

"Like we talked about two weeks ago, humans have a sort of hierarchy. If you look hard enough in your own pets you might see hints of it. However, unlike most earthen animals, human hierarchy does not present itself very well in society. To truly know, we must look to wild humans.

"More often than not the true leader of a human pack is the one who can best care for them. The one who can pass down their skills to their successors and ensure that they can live a comfortable life. Knowing where to find food, knowing which plants are poisonous, how to find water, which terrain is safe to trek across and where to seek shelter. These are all taken into account.

"In some cases a young male will try to scare or fight the pack into submission. And, well, you can guess how well that turns out."

A few laughs are scattered across the room. During the wait for it to die down I see a hand go up.

"Why is it always a male leading the pack? Aren't most of the species on earth female dominant?"

I give a small nod. "They are. You will learn more about this if you ever take a human anatomy class, but humans process information differently between their sex. In this case, sight, males are able to see changes in brightness across a distance better than females can. While females are able to see variations between color better than males, males are better suited for gathering foods. It makes more sense to have a male lead the pack and lead hunts. They'd be able to see danger from further away. That isn't to say that the males dominate in every way, however when we look at pack dynamics in earthen species we tend to focus on the headstrong, and the ability to protect, rather than everyday occurrences."

After making sure there were no more questions, I move on. The slide changes to a bullet filled page, next to it a picture of a wild human with a child.

"While they tend to feel most comfortable in small groups, humans will often form larger packs, only breaking off on their own should they feel safe enough to do so. These packs will often be made up of family members, siblings will stay together to help raise their kids when the males hunt."

A hand raises. "Do the kids get confused on who their actual parents are?"

"I can see why you'd think that, but no. While humans don't have familial scents, the children sleep in the same nests as their parents up until a certain age. Humans have a strong bond with their offspring, so much that they will often leap into danger if it meant that their child would get away safely. This is also a trait that can be seen in captive humans, though I don't condone trying this with your own pets. It causes unnecessary stress and you might just lose a hand."

I look pointedly at a few students, getting a bit of a chuckle from the class.

I'm able to get through the next few slides without interruption. Going over a few more bits of human growth then circling back to early human development. How human offspring aren't fully developed when they are born, how important it was to engage them so they could develop their motor and cognitive skills (they'd learn about that in a more advanced class), and how they'd eventually grow out of plain toys and need something more engaging.

"So...why is yours holding a toy?"

The question makes me blank for a moment, then I feel puzzled. It must show on my face, because they (somewhat sheepishly) explain.

"I mean, unless she's still young… she looks fully developed to me."

Right, I hadn't gone over this yet. A glance at the clock tells me we have enough time before break, so I set my screen down on my desk.

"What I'm about to do should not be repeated. Ever. It can break the bond you have with your human very easily."

A troubled hush falls over the class, the student who had asked the question now looks concerned and somewhat regretful. Moreso when I walk over to my pet.

Her eyes snap to me, wide and nervous. I try to calm her with a smile, but when I kneel down she tenses more. I take the toy in my hand and pull it towards me. I'm met with a tiny bit of resistance, but she lets go and curls up with a sped up breath. I murmur a small praise, hoping to get across that I wasn't mad as I stand up.

"A human with no control becomes easily stressed. They tend to self destruct, and lash out in different ways." The student looks mortified. "It's okay. Look at the way she draws into herself. This is out of her routine, something she is not familiar with, and I when I take away something familiar, she stresses. I did not give her this toy because she is young. I gave it to her so she feels that she has some control."

My pet is hesitant to take her toy back from me. She only grabs it when I try to nestle it on her knees. Her eyes are still wary. I point to the safe area under my desk. No sooner than I ask if she'd like to go does she practically bolt and cram herself under it. I take my seat, reaching a hand down her pet Layla's soft mane. Hopefully a soothing hand would help calm her.

"Well then. Let's take a 15 minute break. Those who remain are free to ask any questions, though I won't be bothering my pet anymore."