In Alien Hands: Meeting Merle

The BBQ, Merle

Holli had started getting antsy soon after I moved her over to the grill. She looked around for trouble to get into, and I wasn't going to let that happen after her accident a few minutes earlier. She didn't even notice the toy Grene brought over. In order to distract her, I offered Holli a few particularly chewy pieces of  meat, each one taking her several minutes to get through, despite their small size. 

With the food done, it would only be fifteen minutes before guests started arriving. I gave Holli a sausage, she seemed happy enough to have that for dinner. Grene had completed the pen, complete with toys and a small climbing structure. She had a place to hide and a soft blanket if she chose to sleep.

"What kind of people do ya got coming, Merlin?" Grene implored me.

"A few families. one or two of them have humans, but had them leave their pets at home. I asked them to come first." 

"Good. It'll be less stressful if she meets calm people first, no screaming pups."

We chuckled as Holli finished her food. We knew we'd need to act fast to get her inside the pen. The moment she figured out what we had planned, she'd be gone. It was common for humans to be frightened of cages, especially so soon after capture.

"Holli." I called her over and offered her some more treats, happy to see her oblige... Until she saw the pen. At that point the little human bolted. It wasn't hard to catch her, humans are as slow as they are cute. She struggled for a moment, meekly trying to pull away. As I had hoped, she quickly relaxed and let me carry her to the pen.

Grene was ready to shut the door behind me as soon as I was out of the pen, locking her inside. I felt bad, she'd definitely be angry at me. I set her down, asking her to stay. I knew she wouldn't listen, so we kept her cornered. I promised her the candy, so i put it down where'd she be able to get it, kept clean on a napkin before Grene and I bolted. We got to the door long before she did, Holli didn't have a chance to beat us.

We watched her for a moment to make sure she wasn't too spooked. She definitely looked uncomfortable. Holli kept fidgeting, looking for a way out, locating all possible hiding spots. I quickly realized this may have been a not-so-fantastic idea. I didn't get much time to consider the possibility before the first guest arrived.

He was from a few doors down, a friendly dog-man by the name of Bayge. He had humans of his own, having purchased them from the same store Holli came from. He was kind to holli, although she took some convincing. That candy was beyond addictive it seemed, Holli would come over for them, despite having several already.

When the second group came by, Holli was starting to shut down. She looked stressed, and glances between Grene and I showed we'd both noticed. We started to usher the guests away from her, letting the little human tuck herself under the blanket we provided her.

Of course, the children wanted to see her. We struggled to fight them off, really. Most of the parents understood, thank goodness. Soon, the children went home, having eaten their fill and were ready to sleep.

There were several guests left when Holli woke up. I approached first, making sure she wasn't too stressed. She was tired and wary, but otherwise okay. The last few groups went well, but she was increasingly tired. She took every treat offered, and I was at least relieved to see she wasn't entirely scared, albeit reluctant.

After the last guest shuffled out, it was time to take Holli inside. She hardly put up a protest when I took her to bed, trying to make sure her night was at least peaceful.

Published 2/19/19
Sorry it's shorter than expected!