In Alien Hands: Meeting Merle

Normal - Merle

It had been 17 days since Grene left for our family home. Holli and I had made great progress in the time since I got her. She hadn't been perfect (She is only human, after all), and neither had I, but that was always how the best friendships worked out. 

The bond between a dog-man and his human had always been regarded on my planet as the utmost closest relationship you could have. Siblings, spouses, even parent and child paled in comparison to the grip the human-dogman bond held on our society. 

That's why I was so lucky. To be born into a family that could afford to get humans-let alone travel off-planet to find one that had been born on their home planet-was an absolute luxury. My mother had raised me to appreciate my privilege, and she succeeded. 

It wasn't all fun and games, though. Befriending a human is so difficult and scary, even more so for the human more than the dog-man. Holli had been torn away from everything she had and knew, thrown into a cage in that pet store, and then plopped into my home. Everything had changed for both of us, but I had my family and preparations on my side. We went through test after test, lesson after lesson, and it culminated to something so simple it was silly. 

"I don't get it." I sat in my bed, late at night. Holli had long since fallen asleep, but i still spoke with a hushed voice so as not to wake her in the other room. I was cross-legged, the comforter to my bed bunched up at the end. "It's so easy." 

"That's the point, Merle. If you have bonded with her enough, there will be no doubt. She won't falter. If she fails this, we know you have to stay there longer." My father said, sitting on his favorite swing. I could see Lyndsey in the back, chasing Ried with what appeared to be a long, foam stick. It was bright and sunny out, not nearly the same as the sky outside my own window. 

"So, when she passes, we arrange the tickets?" I rubbed my muzzle. This was a silly test. 

"Yes, son. It's tradition." My father hung up the phone without much else in the way of conversation. 

We had too many traditions in my family. 

I slowly stepped off my bed. It was important not to wake Holli while I set things up. I always greeted her in the mornings. It was important for her to know I was there to take care of her. 

Humans take care of dogs on their home planet. Not dog-men, of course. Dogs are these primitive, four-legged creatures that bear a striking resemblance to my people. Humans raise them as companions, considering them their best friends. While dogs typically have their needs met by humans, human lives on earth were similar to dog-men. 

To my knowledge, humans on earth are largely miserable. They work jobs more menial than any dog-man would be expected to work. They slave away for hours each day just to feed themselves. It was hard not to feel generous taking them away from all of that, but my family had always been cognizant of how hard it was on them. 

I slowly opened the bathroom door. This house was brand-new, but you never know when hinges will decide to creak. I slipped inside and flicked the light switch on. Tomorrow would be about the details. 

The next morning, I woke up at the same time I usually did. That is, right before Holli woke up. I didn't have an alarm, but the sounds of her shifting in her sleep as she slowly woke up was enough to bring myself to wakefulness before she had a chance to get out of the room. 

Normally, I would get up and grab her clothes for the day from my dresser, ready to put on after using the bathroom. While she was in there, I'd dress myself and we would go from there. I'd carefully crafted our morning routine to be the same each day. 

This was not a normal morning. I stayed still in my bed, letting my human figure things out for herself. It was entirely up to her to find me, and it would tell my family and myself everything we needed to know. 

She sat up in her bed. She was so small and light that I wouldn't have heard a single thing if I were human. Their hearing is so poor. 

She might go down stairs to hunt down a chair. I hoped she wouldn't do that. The house is safe, but it would be harder to hear her. If she decided to leave the house after going down the stairs we would both have a bad day. I had made sure to leave the front door unlocked, but if she stepped outside, a silent alarm would alert me. I just didn't want the stress of waiting to hear that alarm go off. 

Humans don't realize how much noise they make. Most of them aren't loud, especially when they are alone, but it was like you could hear their brains working. I could hear Holli's even, steady breath stop when she stepped into the hallway. Under her breath, she made a sort of "huh" sound, and shortly after I heard her footsteps towards the bathroom. 

The ideal response to this test was to find a way to get into my room. It wasn't a test of trust, though in the worst case it could be. Holli was meant to prove that she cared. I was breaking the routine and I wouldn't be responding until she came into the room. 

If she didn't care about me, she might try to leave. If she understood why that as a bad idea, she might just sit and wait. It all came down to how long she waited. If I never came out, would she be worried? Would she check on me, do things on her own? 

To my mild dismay, she shuffled back into her room and plopped back on the bed. This wasn't necessarily a bad sign. I hadn't been missing for long. The easiest way to get back to the routine was to go to bed and hope I was sleeping in. 

It took her thirty minutes to get back up. She ended up outside my door, and the waiver to her breathing was even more obvious now. Holli was worried and anxious. 

My ears almost rang when I heard the knocking, I had been listening for her so intently. Still, I couldn't respond. Knocking and calling out wasn't enough. 

I was grinning when I heard her reach up for the knob, trying to twist it. Nothing came that easy.  She shuffled off to the bathroom and open that cabinet. Perfect, as I had expected. 

The stool thudded against the door and almost immediately she tried to open the door. It was still tough for her. Our door knobs were not easy for humans to use. She would have to use all of her-

Weight. Holli swung the door open, taking herself with it. She had landed on her face in the time it took me to sit upright off the bed. She didn't fall far, but any fall wouldn't feel great. 

I have to admit it, I laughed. It was like watching a cartoon character doing slapstick. She was clearly unharmed while I helped her to her feet, if not absolutely flabbergasted. 

She passed. 

I send a text message to my family while I collected the confused Holli's clothes from my dresser. Her eyes were wide. I'd forgotten that she had never been in my room before. I patted her head while dropping the small pile of clean clothes into her hand. I could see the relief on her face. 

While Holli and I dressed separately, I received a barrage of celebration texts from my family. 

It was time. 



(A/N)

Heyy! I am so happy with the welcome back I've received. Due to consistency concerns, I think Meeting Merle will be wrapping up soon. Holli and Merle will continue to receive stories and updates, but I would rather focus on their relationship post-bonding. There is more space for adventure and world building outside of this one house. I hope everyone is okay with that! Let me know if you have concerns or questions!