There was a small, human child staring at them. The small child shuffled closer then said, in a soft voice, "your fur looks soft. May I touch you? I washed my hands."
The child's hands were still slightly damp. -- Anon Guest
Humans are deadly, they leave a trail of blood in pursuit of conquest. Humans are insane, but there is method in their madness. They want to pet, tame, or ride any creature that they find. And if all else is unavailable, they would like to try eating it. Humans are also relentless. Once they have a goal to accomplish, very little will stop them.
With all that in mind, it's still wise to indulge a Human spawnling.
Humans are friendly towards those who are, in turn, friendly to their spawnlings. It is a decidedly good thing to have friendly Humans on their side. "Thank you for cleaning your hands," said Hoyt, reaching over her plate to get an extra napkin. "Please dry them before touching anybody."
"...'kay," said the child. "T'ank you." They didn't so much as actively dry their hands as repeatedly mash their fingers into the cellulose sheet. Nevertheless, it did the job, and no more lingering moisture remained on those stocky and small fingers. They even held those hands up for inspection.
Most cogniscent species in the Alliance had fur, feathers, or scales. Humans were among the few who had smoother skin. They almost immediately used it to reach out and pet everything alive. A characteristic that this child also inherited.
"Very good work, thank you," said Hoyt. She lowered an arm for easy reach. "You may touch now."
Human children in the Alliance learned extra rules. Some of their earliest concepts are "gentle" and "careful". Their parental figures spend many patient hours helping those children exercise those concepts. This little one was very careful and gentle with Hoyt's fur, watching to make sure they didn't cause any hurt.
Hoyt looked up to find an associated and supervising Human parental. They exchanged nods of understanding.
Thank you for trusting me, it said. Thank you for this experience.
[Photo by bao sabrina on Unsplash]
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