“They
can't climb to save their lives, and now I find out there were
alligators in the water? How are humans supposed to cross a swamp
safely?”
Fishback the (former) Cat struggled with his new life as a human. He lacked claws, he couldn't jump. When he saw gators lining the swamp bed, he tried to dart out of the way, but unlike his old cat body, he was sluggish and clumsy. He almost tripped over his own feet ducking behind the nearby bushes. He certainly couldn't trust this awkward body to sneak past anything. He didn't even have good ears or reflective eyes.
His quest to better understand, and thus better control his human subjects was not going well. So far, all he had learned was that fish hate being eaten and humans can't do anything except pinch their noses and make for easy crocodile bait.
Fishback the (former) Cat struggled with his new life as a human. He lacked claws, he couldn't jump. When he saw gators lining the swamp bed, he tried to dart out of the way, but unlike his old cat body, he was sluggish and clumsy. He almost tripped over his own feet ducking behind the nearby bushes. He certainly couldn't trust this awkward body to sneak past anything. He didn't even have good ears or reflective eyes.
His quest to better understand, and thus better control his human subjects was not going well. So far, all he had learned was that fish hate being eaten and humans can't do anything except pinch their noses and make for easy crocodile bait.
As
he took a peak at the alligators, he stubbed his toe on a rock, which
he picked up and threw it as far as he could. It landed with a thud
some distance off, and the gators took notice. A light clicked on.
As a cat, he could knock things about, maybe heave it into the air if
it got caught on his claws. As a human, however, he could grab
anything he wanted. He tossed more rocks to distract the alligators
and to lure them away from his position. Once he'd put sufficient
distance between them and himself, he picked up a large stick, ready
to swing it at things if things decided to come for him.
“I see,” he said as he skirted the edge of the swamp. “Humans lack any natural advantages save for fingers, so they must be easily frightened, but fingers let them use whatever they find to gain advantage, which makes them an unpredictable foe not to be underestimated. When I return to my home, I will remember to be more cautious of not only my human subjects but anything within arms reach of them.”
“I see,” he said as he skirted the edge of the swamp. “Humans lack any natural advantages save for fingers, so they must be easily frightened, but fingers let them use whatever they find to gain advantage, which makes them an unpredictable foe not to be underestimated. When I return to my home, I will remember to be more cautious of not only my human subjects but anything within arms reach of them.”
Originally
mailed to P. Brown of Clovis, New Mexico
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