The Human Pet

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 

            Dominic woke the next morning and was relieved to find his little Zia still safely in his arms. Her little body was surprisingly warm and comforting against his bare chest and wrapped safely in his arms. He carefully untangled himself from her and changed into some casual pants and a dark red T-shirt. He quickly used the bathroom and then went downstairs into the kitchen to start his own breakfast. He got some of the food that Zia had eaten the day before out and put it into a bowl for her.

            After everything was set up and ready, he returned upstairs to where Zia was still fast asleep in his bed. She looked so tiny curled up under the big fluffy comforter in his huge bed. He wanted her to be able to get her rest, but he also knew he couldn’t leave her at his house alone while he wasn’t there. He pulled the covers back and picked her up out of the bed. She stirred in his arms, blinking slowly a few times before attempting to focus her dazed eyes on his.

            “Good morning, Zia.” He said softly to her.

            “Good mooing, Dominic.” She tried to mimic him, but didn’t quite get the pronunciation right, distorting the words. He chuckled at her attempt, but said, “Good girl, Zia,” so she wouldn’t think she had done something wrong. He found he liked when she talked to him, despite how few words she knew. He carried her into the bathroom and set her on the toilet. Just like last time, she shooed him away with hand gestures, and then scurried past him to wash her hands. He rewarded her by petting her lightly on her sleep mussed hair, before taking her hand and leading her downstairs.

            Once in the kitchen, he lifted her into her chair and strapped her in, with very little fight put up by her, much to his relief. He decided to give her a chance to eat on her own, thinking it would be easier for both of them if she could feed herself without throwing a fuss. He set up the tray table on her chair and locked it in place, and set one piece of food on the tray. He figured this way if she decided to throw a fit, there was only one piece for her to throw at him.

            He sat at the head of the table and started eating his breakfast. When she just sat watching him rather than start on her own breakfast, he realized his mistake. He had left her hands strapped down. She couldn’t reach for the food even if he wanted to. He quickly corrected his mistake, murmuring, “I’m sorry, Zia, I’m sorry baby,” and petting her head soothingly. After releasing one of her hands, he picked up the piece of food from her tray and held it in front of her, saying, “Food.”

            He hoped if she could understand the word then she would be able to ask for food if she was hungry. And with the small amount that she ate the night before, he wouldn’t be surprised if she was starving. He handed her the tan munchy and she ate it with a grimace on her face. He set a few more on her tray and then sat down to finish his own breakfast.

            He watched her as he ate his own breakfast, but instead of eating her munchies, she just glanced back and forth between him and his meal. A few moments later, she pointed at his bowl and said, “Dominic food.”

            He was surprised that she could understand and put words together, so it took him a few seconds to reply. “Yes, Dominic’s food.”

            “Dominic’s food.” She mimicked, surprising him again by using the possessive. She picked up a munchy and held it out to him, saying “Zia food.”

            “Zia’s food.” He corrected her.

            She then pointed her finger at his meal once again, but this time said, “Zia’s food.”

            “No. Dominic’s food.”

            “No. Zia’s food.” She was staring intently at him, as if she were trying to communicate something of grave importance to him. He had no idea what she was trying to say with her limited vocabulary, so he went back to eating his breakfast.

            “Dominic!” She shouted, trying to get his attention. When he looked up at her, she pointed to his food again and said, “Zia’s food.” She looked at him with pleading eyes. He racked his brain for what she could be trying to say because he didn’t want her to get discouraged and stop trying to communicate with him. And this seemed really important to her. The only thing he could think of was that she wanted his food. He didn’t really know anything about the dietary needs of humans, but he figured that giving her a tiny bit wouldn’t hurt her, and then he could figure out if he had interpreted her stunted language with any success.

            He held out a small spoonful of his breakfast to her, and she leaned forward to eat it off the spoon. She chewed thoughtfully, looking contemplative, and then swallowed. She smiled at him and said, “Good girl, Dominic.” She looked proud of herself, and he didn’t want to ruin her joy, but he couldn’t have her going around calling him a girl. So he corrected her saying, “Thank you, Dominic.”

            She frowned for a moment and then looked back up at him and attempted, “Fank oo, Dominic.” He fed her two more small spoonfuls and then finished his breakfast, figuring that he shouldn’t spoil her and that she probably needed the dietary helpings in the human munchies.

            He washed his dishes out in the sink and set them to dry before turning back to her. She had eaten the few pieces he had set on her tray, so he poured a few more pieces in front of her. While she sat in her chair, safely secured and strapped down, he retrieved the things he had bought her from the front hallway. He fished the leash out of a bag and then got the collar that would go around her wrist.

            By this time, she had stopped eating, so he dumped the leftover munchies from her tray into the trash and helped her out of her chair. He slid the collar over her hand, tightened it onto her wrist, and clipped the leash on. He grabbed the small human toothbrush out of a bag and pulled her after him up the stairs and into the bathroom. He brushed his own teeth and then hers, before checking the clock. He was relieved to find that they were ahead of schedule.

            In the car on the way to the superstore, Zia once again looked scared out of her mind. When the car parked and they had to cross the street, she latched onto his arm tightly, not releasing her hold until they had made it safely across.

            He grabbed a cart before heading into the store. When he saw how crowded it was inside, he took Zia’s little hand and held it between his much larger hand and the cart, ensuring she wouldn’t get lost or pulled away in the crowd. There were a few other humans walking around with their owners, and he noticed Zia waving and smiling shyly at the other females, most of who waved back. However, whenever they passed a human male, Zia seemed to shy away, keeping her gaze in the opposite direction, and moving as close to him as possible. Dominic noticed some of the males staring at her with lustful leering eyes, while others seemed to almost pity her. He wasn’t sure what to make of these strange human interactions.

            When he finally made it to the checkout counter with enough food for the party and for the following week, the man at the counter commented on Zia’s soft silky hair. When he asked if he could pet her, Dominic wasn’t sure how to turn him away, but immediately wished he had when Zia cringed away and he saw her blinking quickly with watery tear-filled eyes. After that, he hurried with his groceries and his little Zia to get her out of the store and the curious eyes as quickly as he could. When he got to his car, he strapped her into her seat where others wouldn’t be staring at her as he put his bags into the trunk of the car.