Misunderstanding of the Century

(Originally posted in r/WritingPrompts, inspired by this prompt: https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/1efa8kn/wp_after_feeding_your_pet_human_you_are_shocked/ )

I looked at the furless creature in surprise. No. Surprise was an understatement. I was shocked.

"You...you talk? In our language?"

"Yes. I can't speak good yet, but I try." Its pronunciation and grammar are both a little off. But it was clear what it was trying to say.

"How is this possible?"

"I listen. I read. I learn."

"So your species is intelligent?"

"Yes. We learn fast."

I sat down, my mind reeling from the revelation. Had everything we knew about humans been a lie? How could we be so blind?

"You have question?" It looked at me.

"I just...everything I've learned about your species isn't true, is it?"

"You get some things right. Some things wrong."

"So does your species have its own language too?"

"Many languages."

"Many?" Another shocking revelation. "Your species don't all understand each other?"

"We can learn more than one language. But we can't learn them all. Too many."

"Is your body language the same?"

"Some of it yes. Some of it no." It scratched at its collar as if trying to loosen it. It shrieked as the collar shocked it.

"Is the collar too tight for you?" I asked. "Do you need me to loosen it?"

"Yes please." Its voice was hoarse.

I pressed a button on my remote, and the collar loosened a few notches.

"Thank you. Could you turn...voltage down too? It hurt too much."

"I don't really know how to do that. It only came with one setting. I thought that setting was comfortable for you."

"Not comfortable. It hurt. A lot." The creature's breathing was heavy.

I hesitated. I was warned it would try to run away if I removed the collar. But if this was truly causing it pain, it would be cruel to keep it on. I didn't want to hurt it.

I decided to take the risk, pressing a button to safely remove the collar without it shocking the creature.

"Thank you," it said again, a look of relief in its eyes. I could see redness where the collar had been. I'd been cruel to it, and I was completely blind to that until now.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I had no idea I was hurting you that badly."

"Not your fault. They tell you wrong."

This creature was more than just an animal. It was a person. Albeit smaller and much less furry than my species, but a person nonetheless.

"We didn't rescue humans, did we?" Sorrow and guilt brimmed up within me. "We enslaved you."

"It does feel like slavery," the human said, nodding.

"I'm so sorry," I said, my ears lowering in shame. "I understand if you want to run away. I won't try to stop you."

"Where would I go? My home gone. My family separated. And if another one of your people find me, they might put collar back on."

"I see. You must be terrified of my kind. And we deserve it for how we've treated you."

The human's eyes started to water as it looked down at the ground. It wanted to spare me the truth. But I already knew. I didn't deserve its companionship.

"From now on, I'll treat you as an equal," I said. "If there's anything I can do to help you feel more comfortable here, please let me know."

"Could you give me something to wear?"

"What do you mean?" I was confused.

"I know your people don't need to wear things. You have fur. But we humans don't have fur. We get cold more easy than you. And even if not too cold, most of us don't like when we don't have something to wear. We feel...not safe."

I gave it--no, her--one of my clean hand towels. "Is this better?"

"Better than nothing," she said as she wrapped it around herself. "Thank you."

"Is the food I've been giving you okay? Or have I been getting that wrong too?"

"It is a little...bland. Texture a little weird too. But not worst I ever eat before."

"I have a lot to learn about your species. Your...people."

"I can teach you," she said. "You help me learn your language better, and I help you learn more about my kind. Deal?"

"Deal."

Two moon cycles had passed since Abigail first spoke my language to me. She could now speak much more fluently, and she'd started teaching me her native language as well. She taught me many things about human society. I couldn't believe how complex it was. The diversity of cultures within a single species was astounding to me.

Abigail seemed to be enjoying our walks a lot more, now that the collar was off of her and she had woven fabric to cover her. She walked right alongside me, not as an obedient pet, but as a friend. She valued my company. She enjoyed our conversations. And so did I.

On one of these walks, however, came an interaction neither of us were expecting.

"Mom!" A young male human cried in his own language as he reached out for Abigail. He started running to her, but screamed as his collar shocked him.

"Sorry," my new neighbor said after scolding the human boy. "It's still not quite trained yet. Certainly not trained enough to be trusted without a collar, like yours is."

"Get that collar off of my son!" Abigail glared up at her.

"Did your human just talk?" My neighbor looked stunned.

"I did," Abigail said. "And that collar is hurting my son. You need to take it off of him. Now."

"Someone must've drugged my drink last night," my neighbor said, blinking in disbelief.

"Nobody drugged your drink last night," I said. "Abigail has become quite fluent in our language. She taught me a bit of her own, too. The young human you have in your care cried out for his mother, who happens to be Abigail."

"You're joking. This is just some prank."

"Trust me, I was just as surprised as you are when I learned she could speak our language. She wasn't fluent then, but she's a fast learner. Humans are a far more intelligent species than we were led to believe."

"I don't understand."

"Most of your people are not very educated about my people," Abigail said. "We're just as capable of having complex thoughts and conversations as you are. Now will you please remove the collar from my son's neck? It's very painful for him. I really don't want to do anything drastic, but as his mother, protecting him from harm is my highest priority."

My neighbor hesitantly deactivated and removed the collar.

The human boy scrambled away from my neighbor in fear, running into Abigail's arms.

"Oh, my son," Abigail said in her native tongue, tears running down her cheeks as she held him. "I thought I'd never see you again."

The boy sobbed, burying his face in her shoulder.

"Shh," Abigail said, rocking him back and forth. "I've got you. I'm here. I won't let anyone hurt you again. I promise."

"I'm really confused right now," my neighbor said, her ears twitching. "What's going on? Why is my human afraid of me? I followed the care instructions exactly."

"Almost everything we knew about humans was a lie," I said as I gently lifted Abigail and her son into my hands. "Come inside. I'll explain everything."

---

"By the stars," my neighbor Kari said after several hours of conversing. "I had no idea my actions were harmful at all. I'm so sorry."

"You were ill-informed," Abigail said, her son Tyler still clinging to her. "Just as Rynna was when she bought me. That's why I made the effort to learn your language so I could better inform your people about my own. I believe with the proper information available, our two species will be more able to coexist peacefully on equal grounds."

"I hope I haven't permanently traumatized your son."

"He'll need time to recover. I'll help him understand that you meant him no harm. But it might take him a while before he's no longer afraid of you."

"I understand. I'll give him as much time and space as he needs."

"Thank you," Abigail said, nodding. "And really, don't be too hard on yourself. I've read some of the stuff they were teaching you about us, and the vast majority of it couldn't be further from the truth. I don't know if your leaders are intentionally deceiving you or if they're simply misguided. Either way it'll take a lot of time and effort for my people to be free. And I'd be glad to call you my ally in the quest for human liberation."

"You're more forgiving than I would be in your situation."

"If there's one thing I know, it's that hatred is useless. It's counterproductive. It always makes problems worse."

"Wiser words have never been spoken," I said.

"Mom?" Tyler looked at Abigail.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"I'm hungry."

"Then how about I make you a nice bowl of soup? Does that sound good?"

Tyler nodded. "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

I couldn't quite understand the rest of what she said to him, but it seemed to have a calming effect on the young child. I was amazed at how tender the bond between them was. I was happy for them. Happy that they were together again. I hoped with time and effort, all humans could reunite with their families. I wanted them all to be free. No. Want was an understatement. I was determined to free them. Whatever the cost.