Chapter 11

“Morning, Betty, are you feeling any better this morning?”

“Yeah, knowing that you really care about me as a person helps a lot. The way my parents and friends treated me is going to bother me for some time to come. I’ll get over it, but it will take time.”

“That’s good ... at least, the getting better part is. Rita, Cindy, and Carol should be back tonight, unless they comm and extend their visit for another day.

“I think we should plan on getting back to Vora tomorrow or at the latest the day after that. Sereine and I need to make sure we are ready for our meeting. Once that’s done, I think we should go back to Earth. I want to present my credentials, so I can proceed with everything else that I need to do.”

“All right, Master, did you have any plans for today?”

“No, I haven’t made any yet. Since you know more about Slave World than I do, I was planning on asking you what might be interesting for us to do.”

“Well, we are very close to a very good water park, and to one of the best zoos on Slave World. The water park is always great fun, and the zoo has both local and imported animals. Would you be interested in having fun on the water slides, visiting the zoo, or something else?”

“Let’s talk about it over breakfast.”

We made breakfast a leisurely event this morning. We didn’t have to be anywhere, so we ordered the specialty of the house, which took a bit longer to prepare than a standard breakfast.

“Both things would be fun, and I don’t have a strong desire for one over the other. Which would you prefer to do, Betty?”

Betty smiled, “The zoo sounds like fun. I haven’t been to a zoo in years.”

The transit tube got us to the zoo in Billby by ten-thirty, and we started through the exhibits. I had seen pictures at the D-Hopping University of some of the animals we saw at the zoo for they were discussed in my class on recognition of dangerous animals. I had been taught a bit about those animals, and encountered a few of them while hopping. I don’t recall my parents ever taking us to a zoo, so this was the first time I actually saw most of the animals.

Several times, I felt a sense of familiarity as we walked through the exhibits. It reminded me of the feeling of someone examining my mind that I had when I met Coral at Sereine’s apartment.

“Excuse me, Betty. I want to check on something at that Visitor’s Kiosk.”

Betty waited for me while I went to the kiosk. When I found a terminal, I entered ‘Bushbie,’ to see if the zoo had a Bushbie exhibit. It didn’t, so I must have been imagining the sensation. However, as we walked around, the sensation kept coming back. It always returned when we were in the northeast quadrant of the zoo.

The next time we passed through that area, the sensation returned very strongly. I looked around for a zoo employee.

“Excuse me, Miss. This may seem odd, but an acquaintance of mine has a pet Bushbie that I was recently introduced to, and I keep getting a sensation similar to the one I experienced when she introduced us. Are there any Bushbies here at the zoo?”

“The zoo doesn’t have a Bushbie Exhibit, but we are temporarily housing a Bushbie until a home can be found for it. Unfortunately, the Bushbie seems to be very depressed and lonely. Our head keeper is concerned that it is morning its dead owner and may die before a new home can be found. Did it feel like the Bushbie was trying to communicate with you?”

“I’m not sure what communicating with a Bushbie feels like. It sort of felt like someone going through my mind.”

“Can you stay here for a few minutes? I’m going to comm the head keeper, so he can talk with you.”

Five minutes later, a middle-aged man came rushing toward us. “Are you the one our Bushbie is linking with?”

“I suppose so, but it doesn’t feel like a link to me.”

“No, it wouldn’t at this stage, but this is the first time that I know of that he has reached out to someone. Bushbies have many personality traits that are close to those of humans. Right now, he is depressed and he needs a friend to help him get past the grief of losing his owner.

“If you have the time, could you spend a few minutes near his pen? I think it will be helpful for him. I certainly don’t want him dying on us, and it seems as if his health is declining.”

“Yeah, I can spend a bit of time with him, if you think it will help cheer him up.”

We were led into one of the “Employee Only’ areas and our guide, who said to call him Tom, took us into a small building. As we walked, Tom told us about the Bushbie’s history and that they were having difficulty placing him in a suitable setting. We must have been close to the Bushbie for the sense of someone in my head was very strong.

Tom opened a door to one of the rooms in the building so we could see the Bushbie through the bars of a cell door. Tom said, “Don’t get too close to the bars in the cell door for Sto here can reach through them if he wants to, and he might hurt you.”

Turning to the Bushbie, Tom said, “Sto, this is Mister Doug Smith. Doug, this is Sto. I have a few things to do, so I will leave the two of you to get acquainted.”

Tom had told me to treat Sto as I would another person. I felt foolish but I started talking with him, “Hello, Sto. Tom tells me that you are not feeling very good and need a friend. It’s sad about you not having a place to live due to your friend’s death. I think everyone should have a place that’s their own, a place where they belong. Tom tells me that he is trying to find you a place like that where you can go live.”

As I was talking, Sto was looking at me intently. When I stopped talking, he walked over to the barred door. Rearing up he placed his front feet on the cross bars and pressed his head to the bars. I had done the head bump ritual with Sereine’s Bushbie, so I knew what was required. I approached the bars and pressed my head against the bars also. We stood like that for a couple of moments, and then pulled back slightly. Sto stared into my eyes and I could sense thoughts forming in my mind. As a thought formed, my mind seemed to convert it into words.

Note: To differentiate between telepathic and vocal conversation, the telepathic communication will be presented using italics.

“I like you, human. I sense you from far away. You good man. You care for Sto. Sto miss old friend. Sto want new friend. Friend like you. Sto sad. No one share with Sto. Sto want have fun. No one care for Sto.”

I felt foolish talking aloud to Sto with Betty standing there, but I said, “I understand, Sto. I know what it means to be alone. No friend nearby to share with and care about. Tom is doing his best to find you a friend or at least a place for you to live. You can make friends there.”

“Not understand. Not talk to all human. Few human hear Sto. Many human not hear Sto. Most not hear Sto. I like Tom. I hear Tom. Tom not hear Sto.”

I was feeling sorry for Sto. I thought of Sereine and Coral. I was thinking that maybe she would be interested in having a second Bushbie to keep Coral company.

“No human. Share not good. Friend and Bushbie bonded. One Bushbie bond, one human. Never two Bushbie. Bushbie not share human.”

It was evident that Sto could read my thoughts. I had never had a pet as a child and wondered what it would be like to have this Bushbie as a companion. How would he be around my women if Bushbies didn’t share their friends? Would he want me as a companion? How would a bond with him affect my life? These and many more questions passed through my mind unbidden.

“Human not understand. Mates different. Not part of bond. You be good bond partner. I think on bond. Mate want go. Mate not hear me. Mate tired waiting. Go with Mate. Come, tomorrow. Bring friend and Bushbie. Sto want meet them. Sto think on bond.”

As we were leaving, we met Tom. “Tom, Sto and I had a good conversation. He wants me to return tomorrow and bring a friend with me. We talked about him coming to live with me, but no decision was made. If he wants to go with me and I agree, how would that be arranged?”

While talking with Sto, I had realized that Sergei was right. Bushbies are sentient beings. A sentient being should not be locked away like an animal. Sto deserved the right to pick a friend that he liked. If the friend also liked Sto, then they should be together for as long as they wanted to remain friends. If Sto wanted to be my friend and live with me, then I would be happy to have him as my friend.

If I understood his comment about thinking about a bond, then he was considering me as his future bond partner. Being his friend was one thing, but did I want to bond with Sto? Doing so would be a major decision. As Sergei said, a bond with Sto would affect my life, but being bonded with a Bushbie also had certain benefits.

“Did Sto actually communicate with you?”

“Yes he did. We talked; well talk is not the right term. Let’s say that he thought things to me and I talked to him. I got the impression that he and I might become friends. If Sto were to want to be with me what would be involved in my adopting him?”

“I thought that the two of you might hit it off,” Tom said. “The deceased owner left some instructions in his will about the adoption of Sto. It’s my understanding that Sto has a series of code words that identify someone as being a suitable owner for him. If Sto wants you as his owner, I can contact the lawyers. The lawyers will pass thoughts to Sto. Sto will give you the code word for each thought, and if the code words match the thoughts, the lawyers give you the paperwork that identifies Sto as your property.”

“That seems odd to me. Sto’s old owner must have really cared for Sto to go to those lengths to ensure that he was with someone who truly cared for him.”

“I know. The lawyer who placed Sto in our care was very particular with us about not releasing Sto into someone’s care without their permission. Exotic pets like Sto don’t normally get the attention that Sto is receiving. They are usually given to us for us to find a new owner. When we do, we just release them into the new owner’s care. These stipulations have made it harder to place Sto with someone.”

“Okay, Tom. Sto asked me to bring a couple of friends with me tomorrow to visit with him. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Sure thing, when you get here, tell the ticket counter agent to call me. I will come get you into the zoo, and escort you to Sto’s pen.”

The rest of the day at the zoo was interesting. Betty oohed and aahed at most of the exhibits. I liked the exhibits also, but at the back of my mind, I could feel Sto. He was sharing our pleasure, and it made him happy. I think that head bump thing allowed Sto to create a link with me, for I could feel him in my mind after we left the zoo.

We returned to the hotel in time for dinner, and Carol, Rita, and Cindy were waiting for us. Carol met us first, and said, “Well, I’m glad to have visited. I may go back again to visit with my friends, but as far as I am concerned, my family is dead and gone.”

“I’m sorry that things didn’t work out for you, Carol.”

“That’s okay, Doug. Things never were very good between us once I was old enough to go out and earn money for them. That was all I was ever good for according to them, and they always felt that I should have been able to do that better than I did.”

Turning to Rita and Cindy, I asked, “How did things go for the two of you?”

Cindy answered before Rita had a chance with, “Great. I really had fun with my friends. They will be graduating from school next year, and they already have good jobs promised to them at some local companies.”

Rita added, “I didn’t get home very often, since I worked so far away. So it was fun to visit with my friends. They are getting on fine with their husbands and boyfriends. My best friend is pregnant and due to have a child in six months. She showed me all the baby clothes and things that she and her husband have already bought for the baby. We went shopping and I bought her a couple of cute baby outfits.”

Sto was still in the back of my mind, and he was enjoying my reunion with my ladies. It seemed to give him great pleasure, as if he were already a part of our family. We were about thirty five miles from the zoo. I started to wonder about the maximum distance this link was good for. Would a permanent link be good for a greater distance, and if so, how far?

“Okay, ladies,” I said, “this has been an interesting visit and an eventful day. Let’s discuss it over dinner.”

My four ladies were discussing their visits with friends and families. I was just sitting there enjoying it all, when Sto broke into my thoughts.

“Friends good. Make you happy. Better to have mates. Mates love you. Give you children.”

I decided to try communicating with Sto without talking, so I thought back, “Yes, Sto. Friends and mates are good. I have many friends, much family, and many mates. All are good to me, and for me.”

“Sto agree.”

Rita asked, “Are you okay Doug? You seem very distant and occupied.”

“I’m fine, Rita. There is no problem. It’s just that I had an interesting meeting today. I don’t recall mentioning it to you, but Sereine introduced me to her pet Bushbie the other day. Do any of you know anything about Bushbies?”

With the exception of Betty, everyone was shaking their heads no. Betty said, “That animal we visited today was a Bushbie, wasn’t it? It looked very dangerous to me.”

“Yes, Betty that was a Bushbie. I’ve learned a lot about Bushbies over the last few days. Sereine and Sergei Magnusson told me a lot about Bushbies. According to Sergei, Bushbies are very intelligent and can be very dangerous. However, they are also very good friends and companions if they accept you as part of their family.

“The Bushbie we saw today lost its owner recently. The head keeper at the zoo said that its owner died in a hover car crash, and it has become very despondent and depressed. He thinks the Bushbie is depressed enough that it might die. He asked me to spend some time with the Bushbie to help cheer it up.”

“Tom wrong. Bushbies get sad. Very sad. Bushbie know it pass. Sad long time. Bond partner die. Very sad, very long. Not die.”

“I decided that I would try to help the Bushbie. His name is Sto. Bushbies are empathic and communicate by means of thoughts, not words. He told me that most humans are mind deaf to his thoughts, but he could hear theirs.

“We are considering the establishment of a bond. I suppose you could define it as a commitment to lifelong friendship and companionship. It may be more than that, but as of now, that’s what I understand of bonding.”

“Yes, human. Bonding more than friendship. Can’t explain. Must experience.”

“What I need to know is how you will feel about my having a Bushbie with you living in its vicinity. From what I have been told, once you are introduced to Sto, Sto will not be a problem for you. In fact, he will become a friend and protector if you allow it.”

Carol said, “Master, the three of us are your slaves. What you want will always be our wish. We would never deny you what you want. If you wish to have something from us or for us to do something for you, all you need to do is ask or tell us. If you want the Bushbie in our home, then that’s what you will get.”

Rita and Betty were nodding their head in agreement. “Yes,” I said, “that’s true. However, I want to know if you will be comfortable being around a Bushbie. Betty, you saw Sto. What was your impression?”

“Well, as I said earlier, Sto seemed as if he could be dangerous. Other than that, he seemed very gentle and well behaved. When you walked up to those bars, I thought he would attack you. He didn’t do that, instead he seemed to give you some type of greeting. If he is as nice to be around as my pet gremdial, then I won’t have any problem being around him.”

Note: A gremdial is a small animal that’s similar to a dog. It’s an herbivore and its demeanor is very placid. It’s not aggressive toward people or other animals.

Rita and Cindy said they knew nothing about Bushbies, so they would have to wait to see what Sto was like, before they could form an opinion.

I twixted Sereine after dinner. I explained the situation with Sto, and told her that Sto would like to meet her and Coral. I let her know that she and Coral were invited to join us for breakfast here at 9:00 tomorrow morning, which was 18:30 Multiverse Standard Time (MST). Four hours later, I received a Twixt telling me that Sereine and Coral would be here for breakfast.

Rita and Carol came to bed with me that night. They wanted reassurance that Sto would not be a threat to them. Once they were reassured, they took very good care of my physical needs, and I took good care of them also. They then snuggled up to me and went to sleep.

I could still feel the link with Sto. It had been a little unsettling to make love to my women with Sto monitoring my activities.

Now I was starting to express myself in short broken sentences like those my mind generated from Sto’s thoughts. I had not noticed it before but a series of thoughts are needed to express a complex idea.

“Sleep good, human. Tell Mates Sto housebroken. Not dirty animal. Sto no hurt friends. Sto no hurt Mates.”

That was an odd thing to say. Was Sto capable of picking up my ladies thoughts via our link, or perhaps that’s what I feared my ladies would think. I thought about the day and all that was happening to me until I fell asleep. We all slept in a bit that morning, but were dressed and ready to go down to breakfast when Sereine and Coral arrived.

Rita answered the door when Sereine knocked. She quickly backed away startled by the sight of Coral sitting at Sereine’s side. Coral’s head was just a little below Sereine’s shoulder, so I wasn’t surprised by Rita’s reaction.

“Come on in, Sereine,” I said. “Introduce Coral to everyone, and then we can go eat.”

By the time Sereine had introduced Coral to each person, everyone was a bit more at ease with Coral. It took us a while before we could go eat for everyone had questions about Coral. Cindy, who had been the most reserved, even asked if she could pet Coral. Sereine showed her where Coral liked to be scratched. In no time, Coral was purring. I think Cindy had a friend for life.

I found it odd that the link between Sto and me was no longer present. On the way downstairs, I asked, “Sereine, Sto created a link with me yesterday, but it’s gone this morning. Is that normal or is there something wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, Doug. The link was probably a temporary link. He needs to be very close to you to create the link, and then he can talk with you over long distances using the link. When he went to sleep, the link was broken. He can’t reestablish it until you and he are close to each other again.”

“A permanent link like the one between Coral and me is different. We are always linked, but we can each sort of turn the volume down or off without breaking the link. There is also what you might call an override for instances when our volume is turned down and we absolutely need to talk. I find the connection soothing, so I don’t bother turning the volume down unless I need privacy.”

While we were waiting to be seated in the restaurant, Sereine informed me that she had taken delivery of the new shelters, transported them to First Stop, and stored our equipment in one of the shelters. Breakfast was the usual chaos. Coral’s presence made it slightly greater. Our waitress was intimidated by Coral’s size, but Sereine introduced her to Coral and Coral rubbed her head on the waitress’s thigh. I don’t know why, but the waitress found that comforting. Sereine later told me that Bushbies could sense what’s necessary to put someone at ease, and will do so, so people are comfortable with their presence.

“Sereine, is it easy for you to understand Coral? I found it difficult at times to understand what Sto was trying to say.”

“Yes, I can understand Coral clearly. I’m not certain about a temporary link, Doug. I’ve been told that communication over a temporary link is very stilted. It has something to do with your mind. Coral was an infant and we had only been together for a few minutes when Coral decided to adopt me, and she created our permanent link. We never had a temporary link, so I don’t know how it’s different.

“I’ve been told that a Bushbie does something when creating a link that makes it easier for their partner to understand the mental images they insert in their partner’s mind.”

While thinking about that, I asked, “What type of food do you feed Coral?”

“Coral will eat almost anything, if I let her. I usually give her a large bowl of dry cat food twice a day, and twice a week, I give her about a pound of raw meat with her cat food. She is also a terrible mooch and frequently begs to be fed off my plate. There doesn’t appear to be any foods that bother her, but she does have her favorites and a few dislikes.”

Coral had eaten her breakfast before they left Vora, so she sat beside Sereine’s chair throughout our meal. I saw Rita check with Sereine and then slip Coral food off her plate.

Several of our fellow diners commented on how lovely Coral was and asked where they could buy a pet like her. Sereine handled their request very well. She told them Coral was an exotic animal, and not sold on the open market. That satisfied all but one woman. She decided that if she couldn’t buy a Bushbie in a store, then she wanted to buy Coral. She was so insistent that Sereine had to show the woman her police ID and threaten her with arrest if she kept harassing her. Finally, the woman left. After breakfast, Sereine, Coral, and I hopped to the zoo, and everyone else went shopping.

At the zoo’s ticket counter, I asked the girl to contact Tom and let him know that we were there. Tom arrived in about ten minutes to escort us to Sto’s pen.

Sereine was walking Coral on a leash, and I found the reaction of people to Coral amusing. Judging from Tom’s expression, he was amused also. The visitors who knew nothing about Bushbies would walk right up to Sereine and ask her questions about Coral. The people who worked for the zoo and had been briefed on Sto, stayed as far away as they could get.

I could feel Sto trying to reestablish our link. He could sense my presence and probably knew that Serene and Coral were with me. Once we entered the building that housed his pen, I was close enough for him to reestablish the link. Saying that he was overjoyed at our presence is an understatement. Sto wanted to get out and play, but when I asked, Tom told us that he was not allowed to open the barred gate. I told him that I understood. He said he would return in about thirty minutes, and left us alone with Sto.

“Sto happy. Sto very happy. You bring Sto new friends. Sto want play new friends.”

Speaking aloud, I said, “I’m glad you are happy, Sto. Sereine, this is Sto. Sto, this is Sereine. Sereine and I are friends, Sto. We work together.”

I wasn’t sure about the protocol for introducing two Bushbies. Sereine smiled at me when I looked at her, and then she said, “Coral, this is Doug’s friend, Sto.”

Sereine looked at me and made a go-ahead motion, so I said, “Sto, this is Sereine’s friend, Coral.”

The two Bushbies approached the pen’s bars and bumped heads. They stepped back and sat down. For the next ten minutes, they just sat there looking at each other. Sereine and I talked about their conversation. She could hear what Coral was saying and hearing, but I was getting nothing from Sto.

“Sereine is this behavior normal for two Bushbies that have just met?”

“I don’t know, Doug. I never introduced Coral to another Bushbie before. However, I suspect it’s typical. I don’t want to disturb them right now. I need to talk with Coral to be sure, but they seem to be establishing the grounds for a friendship.”

Finally, I heard Sto say, “Girl Bushbie nice. Sto like new friend. Sto like new friend’s friend. Sto want play with new friends.”

Sereine tapped me on the shoulder and motioned me to the side. The two Bushbies went back to talking with each other.

“Doug, Coral tells me that Sto is very nice and she would like to have him as a friend. She also told me that Sto likes you, and all of your friends. He is very lonely and wants a friend to bond with to form a new family. Coral told me that he wants to bond with you, but he is not sure you want to bond with a Bushbie that allowed a companion to die.”

“I don’t understand, Sereine. He didn’t do anything wrong, so why would I not want to bond with him?”

“I know that, Doug. Coral told me that according to Sto, it’s part of Bushbie social structure to ostracize a Bushbie that allows a friend to die. Since he did nothing to protect his friend, he feels that he let his friend die. I think you need to talk with him and let him know that there was nothing he could have done for his friend. Even if he had been with his friend, there was nothing he could have done to prevent the accident or his friend’s death.”

“I decided last night to bond with Sto, if you and Coral agreed that a bond would be a good thing. It sounds as if Coral thinks it’s a good idea. What do you think?”

“Bonding with a Bushbie is a major decision, Doug. It’s sort of like getting married. It will change many things in your life. Most of the changes will be good, but there will be a few changes that will cause you problems. I personally think that you and Sto will be good for each other. My impression is that Coral agrees with me.”

“I guess you and Coral will be there to help Sto and me to establish our relationship. I don’t know the first thing about the care and feeding of Bushbies other than what you said this morning.”

I looked over at Sto, got his attention, and said, “Sto we need to make a decision. My friends and I need to leave and go back to my home planet. I would like to form a bond with you and take you with me. What do you want to do?”

“Sto like human. Sto want human be partner. Sto not understand. Sto let old partner die. Why human want Sto as partner?”

“Your partner died in an accident Sto. You didn’t let him die. If you were with him, you could not have stopped the accident. Your friend would have died with you there. You could have died also. I’m glad you are here and want to be my partner. You did not let your partner die.”

“Sto want you as partner. Sto want bond with you. Do you want bond with Sto?”