The Human Pet: A Sci-Fi Romance

Part 10

Her wide eyes are locked on the wonderful snack I prepared for her. She doesn't look like she's hungry, though; she's looking at the snack as if it might bite her or something.

What am I doing wrong? Maybe her snack needs to move more? I shake the snack and step closer to her, but she takes a step back. I take another step toward her, and once again, she takes another step away from me. Is this another one of her games?

Frustrated, I drop the snack back into the bowl. Eating is natural, so why won't my pet eat? I scoop my pet into my arms and carry her to the wall unit where the feeding section from Your Human and You is still displayed. I show her the image of a human eating from a bowl. Does she understand what I'm trying to get her to do? The vet already said she was malnourished and that I need to feed her several times a day. If she won't eat a simple treat...

She still shows no sign of cooperating when I bring her back to her bowl. I grab her collar and press my hand against the back of her neck; this usually calms most pets and gets them to comply. She still won't eat.

I want her to do this on her own. If not, the next step will be to do what the vet explained, which is to force her jaw open, stuff the treat into her mouth, and hold her mouth shut.

I try to entice her to eat first. I grip her jaw tight and move her head toward the bowl. Maybe if she gets a good glimpse of her treat's eyes, she will see how fresh it looks, and her hunger instinct will take over.

She blinks rapidly a few times, and it looks like there is water in her eyes that overflows and runs down her face. She's alright, I remind myself. The vet had told me they were tears, perfectly natural for her kind. She's doing that shaky thing again and suddenly–

I don't care what the vet said, eating food for nourishment should not cause my pet so much distress, so I release her.

She darts back underneath the bed.

I sit in my work chair. I haven't even had my pet for that long and already, I'm a failure. Why can't I get a malnourished pet to eat one simple meal?

What can I do? The Your Human and You document is still open on my wall unit, and I can't help feeling as if it is mocking me. I don't have any other resources, so I reread the section about feeding humans. This time, something new catches my attention, which is the details about what goes in the bowl.

The Hydra Veterinarian Unit does not recommend giving your human scourge food, as humans have different nutritional needs.

The Hydra Veterinarian Unit recommends feeding humans Wellness Pet Pellets for Humans, as manufactured and distributed by the company Halazone. These pellets have been formulated for optimal nutrition. Vets recommend filling the human's pet bowl with these pellets 3-5 times a day.

All scourges know the company Halazone; they make everything easy and convenient. We can order nearly anything from any corner of the galaxy and Halazone will deliver the desired product to our door. Halazone delivers my snacks and sustenance, so it is only natural that the company will provide for my new pet, too.

"Zone," I tell my wall unit (some of us scourges affectionately refer to Halazone as the Zone or the Zon).

"How can Halazone help you today?" says the husky, familiar voice of the Zon from my wall unit.

Calmness washes over me when I hear the voice of the Zon. The Zon has always been good to me, solving all my problems, and now the benevolent company will help with my malnourished pet.

"I need to feed my pet," I say.

"Here is the page to make your food selection," replies the Zon, and hundreds of available food choices appear on my wall unit. "We've helpfully added your previous order to your basket."