In Alien Hands: Meeting Merle

Day 3, Psyched out -Merle

Holli played happily for the hour leading up to the Psychologist arriving. That changed the moment she knocked. Holli immediately hid, hiding from the apparent danger. I knew getting her was a post cause at this point, so I just opened the door and let the visitor in.

She introduced herself as Scarrlett. She had been explained the situation at the office and already had a game plan.

"We'll just see how she reacts towards strangers. I should be able to tell what's going on by her reaction to me. Where is she?" She said, taking off her coat and looking around. I directed her to where Holli was hiding. We walked over together, Scarrlett staying behind me and observing.

Holli wasn't having it. She kept eyeing my guest, shaking her head and crossing her arms. She was remarkably tame for only being with me for three days, but this was too much for her. It was clear she wasn't going to come when I called her. She seemed upset when I told Scarrlett this, crying and shrinking further into the corner.

"I'll just assess her here." Scarrlett compromised. The assessment was essentially her doing the same thing I had done earlier in the day, but she would be able to gauge her response better. I had honestly expected Holli to react similarly to how she had with me, so I was shocked to see her panic and bolt.

Holli hadn't been much of a runner the past few days. She'd mostly opted to cower and hyperventilate. You can imagine my surprise, then, when she got up and ran out the back door. I didn't follow, knowing she'd be more scared with me chasing her.

The food arrived immediately after she ran out back. Scarrlett and I made casual conversation while I took the meal inside, we'd discuss Holli after she was in bed for the night.

I found Holli cowering behind the bushes. It was easy enough to find her, humans have a strong scent. The guest stayed far away, so as to avoid Holli being intimidated by her again. She came to me this time, albeit cautiously. I took her inside to show her the food, which she seemed excited about.

The meal was pleasant, Scarrlett observed Holli's behavior to try and get a sense of her personality. Holli ate well, happily eating the fast food I had ordered. She seemed a tad scared of the doctor still, but tolerated her presence the rest of the night.

Dinner had been late, so it was time for her to go to bed. With my human falling asleep in the other room, Scarrlett and I sat in the living room to discuss what was wrong with Holli.

"What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing. No psychological illnesses, at least that I can see. "

"Then why did she react that way with me today?" I asked

" She is an unusual case. She wants to like it here. " She explained. I must 've still looked as confused as I was, because she continued. "There are several potential reasons for this overly tame behavior. One is that she was abused at the pet shop. Did you find any bruises or cuts on her?"

I shook my head no. She was filthy, but well fed, not a mark on her.

"The second is a previous owner. Based on her paper work, that isn't the case. The third is the most common, which I'm sure you're frightened of. As you know, some humans can be attracted to their owners. This isn't the case here." That was a relief. I wasn't sure how I'd deal with it if Holli was attracted to me. Humans are animals to the dog-men, it'd be bestiality to mate with one. Holli was cute like a child to me, that's the last thing on my mind when I see her.

"The last one is the one I believe is the cause of all this panic." She continued, "I believe she is just a human with high empathy. These individuals tend to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, unless they've been hurt or scared by them. You've done nothing to hurt her, so she is progressing faster than most humans. She's letting you pet her because she wants to be happy here, with you. She isn't tame, so she's still scared. She probably ran and hid from me because she doesn't know me and isn't socialized."

I felt like a ton of bricks were taken off my shoulders. Nothing was wrong with Holli. I hadn't hurt her, she hadn't been hurt by someone else. It was a matter of an unusual personality type.

"Just get her socialized. If the only interaction with strangers she gets ends up with something bad happening to her, she'll only be more fearful of strangers. she'll continue to bond with you, but she won't improve with the strangers." She explained. I nodded, said my goodbyes, and waved her out the door.

Published 11/19/18