Immune (Alpha, BloodHound & Human romance)

46.

Both Emerick and Meoni sat closeby and watched with fascination and interest as Madeleine's bubbly laughter filled the pod for the thousandth time in the span of few earthian hours, her sky blue eyes still glued to the wide screen and having yet to move from that same position over the bed as she continuously watched short motion pictures of small felines in various situations.

Another one rolled in, displaying a mature-sized domestic feline produce a peculiar set of mating calls as it intently stared at a wall before breaking into an aimless sprint and actually managing to somehow stumble and hurt itself, provoking another fit of high-pitched giggles from Madeleine's part, the corners of her eyes filled with tears again as she hurried to wipe them away.

"These creatures are very confusing. I don't understand. How can this small animal be so agile and yet so...dumb at the same time?" Meoni questioned with curiosity after having watched so many similar videos depicting the animal in question, her dark brows raising as she kept her gaze trained on the screen, albeit interestedly continuing to watch as another film rolled in.

Madeleine's shoulders lightly moved in response, giving out a small shrug as she casually replied, "It's what makes them special,"

"And adorable too," She expressed a discreet smile as she also watched the next video, the sudden appearance of an orange-colored cat on the screen casually making her think about a certain similar one, her mind already transporting her back in time to those deeply-buried memories as she mindlessly started to recount them,

"I never had one as a pet but my neighbour, Andrew did. Back when we were kids. His name was Juno and he was an orange tabby. He loved to take short naps with me during the day. Momma didn't like it because she hated having cat hair in the house but I'd still let him in every now and then. It was our little secret," She lightly giggled with mischief, momentarily feeling like her seven years-old self again as she continued to picture those memories so vividly,

"He'd climb over the old tree next to our house and jump on my windowsill, patiently waiting for me to let him in,"

"I loved drifting away to sleep with him right next to me, making biscuits on my blanket as he purred and purred until he'd fall asleep too,"

"It was my most favourite sound in the world," She lastly added with a small smile and a sigh as she replayed that unforgettable sound forever ingrained into her brain cells, the memory of that sweet vibration providing her a small sense of comfort as she slowly drifted back to reality, her gaze refocusing back on the screen and seeming to be completely oblivious at the fact that her non-human companions were now watching her as if she were the most interesting being they had ever met, both so thoroughly entranced by her little story.

"So, I take they are fantastic companions then. Interesting," Meoni commented with a small nod, keeping her attention trained on Madeleine.

"What about those canine creatures? I have noticed in the movies that humans tend to favor them as companions too. Is this a some sort of customary tradition on your planet? Do we also need to find one for ourselves too once we land?" She questioned with a tilt of her head, earning herself an amused snort from Madeleine.

"No, of course not. It's not mandatory," She explained after a look in Meoni's direction.

"People actually used to adopt them by choice. Back when we could still feed them and..." She abruptly paused, thickly swallowing as she briefly and completely unwillingly remembered exactly what was happening now on Earth to those poor souls that humanity used to call pets, her hands unintentionally clenching at her sides as she fought to bury back down all those horrible images passing before her mind's eyes.