The End of An Era – Part 2
*5 months later*
Ace: “Ceico, the human is still sad. Every time she looks around the room before turning off the lights, there’s a moist glimmer in her eyes. What’s the point of being able to visit the human any time I want if there’s nothing I can do to make her happy?”
Ceico: “Well, actually there is one thing you can do…”
Ace: “Hmm, I think you would be perfect.”
???: “Perfect for what?”
Ace: “Ever since I had to leave, my human has been really sad. Can you go to her house and make her happy again? I’ll teach you everything you need to know.”
???: “Yeah, let’s do it! These humans keep talking about finding me a new home soon anyway.”
Ace: “Okay, we have a lot to cover. I need you over there asap.”
???: “No problem! I’ll just pee on the kid’s lap 13 extra times this week; that should push them over the edge.”
Ace: “Great, I’ll make sure the human comes across your picture.”
“Now, for what you need to know. First of all, you have to jump on the human’s lap. All the time. She really likes to pet you, which can be annoying, I know, but she’ll give you lots of treats too.
Also, make sure you chase her around when she walks. She’ll give you lots of treats for that. It’s also kinda funny to make her almost fall over when you run under her feet.
Make sure you stick your nose up in the air and wave it around when she tries to feed you those minty herb mixes. They’re disgusting.
You can also headbutt her if she’s sitting in the way, and she’ll move. Sometimes I do it even when she’s not in the way because it’s fun.
Always climb up on the cage bars whenever she walks in the room. It’s irritating that those bars are slightly too high to jump over. But if you climb up on the cage all the time, she’ll take pity and let you out more often. She also calls it ‘cute’ and gives you treats. Also tries to bop your nose first, so make sure you dodge that and just grab the treat.
I’ll also need to teach you some tricks to get the human to feed you more stuff. They’re pretty easy and even a little fun once you get the hang of it.
Most importantly, you have to always be sassy. Throw things at every opportunity and put as much emphasis into it as you can. I want to make sure the human knows I sent you to watch over her. Make sure you remind her as much as possible, so she knows I’m still around.
If she gets a sad look, run over and put your paws on her leg. Climb up on her chest and let her ruffle your fur. It’s actually kinda nice when she does that.”
“The human can’t see me anymore, so it’s important that you make her smile when she starts to get sad again. Okay?”
???: “Got it. Can I bring my pup too? I’ll pass on everything you just covered, and we’ll double down two-fold!”
Ace: “Of course, I think the human would love that. Even better if you both try to run under her feet at the same time! I always wanted to do that with Ceico, but he was too boring.”
???: “Sounds like a blast! Let’s do this!”
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*A few weeks later*
???: “Okay, ready Skittles? At the same time now, she’s about to open the door!”
Creeaak.
Wheek, wheek, wheeeeeek!!!
The human walked into the room with a small smile on her face. And… Yes, she does have lettuce! Jackpot! I ran over to her, trying to climb up her leg.
She quickly sat down, and I took the opportunity to jump all the way up, adorably diving for the lettuce with Skittles close on my heels. Ace told me he used to greet the human this way all the time. It seemed to work; the human ruffled my hair and looked happy.
“Hi, Skylar! You’re such a cutie!” She laughed. The human tried to pat Skittles on the head, but she expertly dodged and buried her head in the lettuce. Skittles still has a little more to learn, but hey, she’s catching on pretty fast for her age.
Ace thinks that Skittles and the human will become great friends for many years to come. Skittles learned the tricks that he showed us so quickly; Ace says she’s a natural!
We both got to show off several of those tricks for the human already. Ace was right, the human does give you a lot of treats for that! She also seemed impressed that we caught on so quickly. Little does she know…
Just then, I saw Ace appear beside us. Just like he said, the human didn’t seem to notice him at all. However, he seemed relieved that the human was happily playing with Skittles and me.
“Thank you for coming to be with my human,” Ace said.
“Do you want any lettuce?” I offered, squeezing closer to Skittles so he could come up too.
“I wish. But I can’t eat earth food anymore. Although there is some pretty amazing grass up there,” he said, gesturing upwards.
It’s everywhere you look, and the flavor changes to whatever you’re thinking of. I usually make it taste like carrots and lettuce. It’s pretty awesome.”
Skylar: “Mmm, that does sound great.”
Ace: “I’ll show you someday, but not until the right time. Anyway, I have to go! You guys are making me really hungry. I think I’m gonna go and find some of that magic grass now. But I’ll be back really soon to help watch over the human.”
Skylar: “Okay, don’t worry one bit! Skittles and I will always be here with the human while you’re gone.”
Ace: “Pfft, worrying is not my style. I know the human is in good paws now. But I’ll never stop checking in on my human, whether she sees me or not. Somehow, I think she knows I’m close by. And someday, I know we’ll be reunited for real again.”