FSE

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I was a researcher of these so-called Beast races. My peers were fascinated and intrigued by the knowledge of these Beasts they were given permission to venture out of the wall and see the world beyond it. Back then, I was a naïve human, thinking that these Beasts were similar to their feral counterparts. While of course, unlike the 20th century, people were more accustomed to feral beasts and was easy to be friends with them. Yet of course, animosity still happened between our races for we still valued our own races and would never want to submit to a new society of these beast races. We were scientists, but not an extreme one.

We were driving on a trail towards another beast settlement when we witnessed a war between two settlements for supplies. We knew this had happened many times, and we documented it, which proven to be something of a propaganda to the politicians to rally our cause to find a cure. Not one in my current team felt that those beast races were equal to us, even though it was acknowledged already in a not-so-distant past. Including me, of course.

“Hey, Nadia, what will you do when we return to the city? We don't really get anything for the cure yet, so how about…"

“You know I don't drink, right?" I replied. That man just made a small laugh. I had never been tolerant to alcoholic beverages ever since graduating University.

“No, of course not! Why do you assume like that?"

Everyone just laughed while I became embarrassed. While I know I was a scientist, sometimes I jumped the gun too soon too often. But everyone knew about it.

Of course, by the time we reached a walled city, we were given another task, which the others didn't want to do it, except me. I was, and still, a hard-working human woman. This was just something in my blood, and something my parents knew and encourage. This task, though, was something that would change my perspective over the Beast Races, and the overall meaning of this journal.

The place I was assigned to was not a normal laboratory, but instead it was more of a containment shed. I wasn't sure what they were containing inside the place, especially how it was put outside of the wall and could only had two people working on it at any given time. The 'two people' I was talking about was not even something I thought it would be, but then I realized what the extend of my objective was when I saw a Beast race being led inside a separate room.

Like a child who does not like her task, I turned towards the head scientist and said, “What the hell, Simon?!"

“I know this seems to be something out of the blue and very much…disheartening, but I can't find anyone who is fit enough to do this job."

“But what kind of research is this?! If the settlement where that Beast race is caught they will never forgive us, let alone let us live here, outside of the wall!"

“Look at you, asking about the job already despite of the nature of this job," said my superior. “That is something that I thought will make you fit for this job. And Nadia…I thought you want to have this kind of job?"

Well, yes, Simon was not talking randomly. Despite my reservations, I was a naïve university graduate who thought that humanoids and Beast Races would be able to live together since they were once us. But of course, years of exposure to people and peer pressure hardened you up, except Simon, who was my professor back when I was in college. He might have his own reservations, but he actually supported me.

“But…" I couldn't argue with the man who had given me a job. As much as I hated to admit it at that time, I was elated of this opportunity. Oh, had he still alive today, I would hug him for giving me this opportunity.

He instead put a hand on my shoulder, giving me a slight discomfort, yet I knew that this was what Simon would do to calm people he personally knew.

“I know you can do it, Nadia," said Simon with a wrinkled smile coming from a man who was as old as my dad. He then escorted me into my living space.

The whole shed wasn't entirely a gruesome place to live, given that it had all the basic amenities and everything regarding my survival throughout the entire month I would be living there. There was also a fact that I could essentially get back to civilization anyway I wanted to since there was a 4x4 parked behind the trailer-like shed, essentially the only reason why this trailer was mobile enough for us to get away. As mobile as it was, it was part of the research.

After Simon left, alongside the people who hauled this Beast Race to this place, I quickly contemplate my situation and the 'subject' I was assigned to. The Beast Race was clearly treated more like a feral animal than a sentient animal-humanoid. Despite of being a humanoid, this canine Beast Race was not given any clothing when he was hauled inside, presumably for inspection purposes, but also because of inherent hatred to their race, for they were causing a slow humanoid extinction. He was also muzzled like a rabid dog, and his hands were chained with his claws put into mittens. While I knew these were all for the purpose of my safety, I wouldn't want him to be treated like a feral.

There was an intercom in front of me, where I pushed the red button and said, “Are you okay in there?"

He was angry, alright, and he growled at me like an angry dog. But he relented and said, “Are you the researcher who is assigned to me? Let me tell you one thing. I am not going to let you embarrass me more than this, so get out of this shed while you still can. You have a car, right?"

“No, I…uh." I was too worked out of the 'surprise' that I forgot to read my scientific parameter. I scramble to find the file, and I found it by the table. I wanted to read it, but then he said, “I know what a file looks like, human woman. Our language is not different, and I am not illiterate."

Well, that was many of the basic things I want to ask him, but…he had done it all. I still need basic things, though.

“What is your name?" I bluntly ask him. He growled at me again and said, “Mika."

“Right, uh…Mika…do you have a family name?"

“That's funny, coming out from the mouth of a human," he said growling. Normally, if this was an interaction between equal humanoids, I would say that guy is an asshole and I would be angry myself, but in this interaction, my anger would cause problematic relationship for us, since I was stuck in this shed with a dog Beast Race who I couldn't trust.

But unfortunately, he said, “I was an orphan, and I had no family. That is one of the reasons why no one is coming to this place, trying to look at me or at least kill you for 'kidnapping' me. They are more relieved than concerned or angry."

“But…I thought you Beast Races are…"

“Solid? You think only you humans can have a delinquent? I don't give a shit of their 'solidarity'. All they did was to make me a scapegoat! An apple missing? 'Mika stole the apple!' and beat the hell out of me. A girl crying? 'Mika is scaring that girl' and fuck me up! All you think about is that we are such an oppressed race that we don't want to cause harm. Well, guess what? Those human standards are still embedded deep in us!"

Hearing that, I quickly scribbled some notes and proceeded to start making a report. I never thought that kind of mentality was present to an oppressed race like him. I knew that humans could be assholes and jerks, but then I could see that their civilization and culture were not radically different from humans even though they were not even humans or magi.

Now, for a whole week, I helped him eat his food and talk to him, but he still replied with hostility. A week had passed and I returned to the walled city to resupply. Simon was standing there waiting for me. When he met me, he asked, “So, how are you feeling?"

“Well, if being stuck with an asshole for a whole week is fun, I can say I am elated." I was being sarcastic, and Simon knew. But instead of reprimanding me, he smiled to me like a creepy old guy. He always did this when there was a breakthrough, and I knew him too well.

“Keep up the good work, Nadia," said Simon. “I'll be waiting for your report."

My project did not make me someone who need respect. Instead, I was being ridiculed, or instead of ridiculed, people whispered bad things behind my back. While resupplying, the supplier could break a joke at me saying that I could grow more hair if I play with him (maybe because I needed to touch Mika to help him eat, and that could turn me into a dog like him). Some even said that I had the best pet in the whole wide world. I did not want to consider them animal, but their hatred to the Beast Races was agreeable due to the fact that they were the cause of the humanoid's brink of destruction.

Now, Mika was a carnivore, so the supplies had dog food in it and some slab of meat. I didn't eat meat, but they didn't know. This was something that still made the scientific community baffled, but not the magical community since they had knowledge of a complex magic to turn people's physiology and gender, something that was still a controversial topic, even to Magi.

I returned at night, seeing that I wanted to take some of my things in my apartment so I can make the place feel like home. Mika was asleep by the time I arrived there. Of course, I went to sleep after a good shower.

The next day, as always I woke up first and piling up my report. Mika was still asleep and he was asleep, possibly to annoy me. I tried to endure it and wake him up so I can feed him. He scoffed at me and said, “Why don't you save yourself the trouble and unchain me so I can get out of this piss-hole?"

“Don't worry, you are okay in here. Now eat up."

“Do I look like okay to you? I am being chained and muzzled like a common beast? Why don't you just release me from these bonds and scram?"

“I don't trust you enough to release you, okay? Now eat up."

“Typical humanoids. You feel all high and mighty seeing me in this state, but when I am unleashed, you will cower in fear as if I want to kill you. Well, I will consider that, but clearly I can see you feel like you are the master of me, seeing me like a toy, a subject to your observation. Let's see what your reaction will be if I get out of this chain and scare you."

I knew this was my job, and I knew that this was something that would happen to me, but I was not the patient of humans. I slammed the metal bowl to the floor and glared at the canine humanoid, startling him, but he instead growled back at me as if challenging me. A typical mutt would do that.

“I don't care about how you will disembowel me or other nasty things. If you continue to be an asshole I will starve you to death or force you to eat like an animal because I am so fed up with you bickering and taunting me like I am a coward who only in it for the money!" I put my hand on his maws. “I am a human, not a robot! You want to talk bad at me, fine! I don't care, but I had it with you taunting me for the whole week I am tending at you! I have feelings and patience too, you know! No wonder everyone is making you a scapegoat. You are a bully and a jerk!"

I slammed the door behind me and get out of the trailer. I quickly made a phone call to Simon. I needed this call, since this was the only think that made me stay as a decent human being.

“Hello, Nadia. Are you okay?"

“Don't you have any other Beast Race?! This guy is a jerk!"

“Whoa, whoa, slow down there, Nadia! Explain to me slowly."

And so I talked to him as if pouring out everything out like I was drunk and I was talking to a shrink. Simon stayed silent throughout my whole 'pouring out' session. Half an hour later, I was so tired to even talk more, but Simon then said, “Look, Nadia, as your mentor and your friend, I know that your hard working self is to distract you from your peers, but girl…don't give up, okay? There is no one else who want to even do this report. You are the most considerate of many of our teams, so don't let him get on your mind, okay?"

“But I don't know how to make him open up for me. All he wanted to do is to piss me off and gloating me to open those chains."

“Nadia…you need to assert dominance on that Beast." This surprised me. Simon never would have talked me about this. I knew about how dogs would become your best friend if you train them well, but…this was an awkward situation if it was about a sentient dog, especially a humanoid sentient dog.

“Assert dominance? I am a scientist, not a dog trainer!"

“Well you are dealing with a dog race, so why not do that? Anyway, I also have other projects I need to attend to, so talk to me later, alright?"

Before I could say something, he just hung up, leaving me alone again. Right now only Simon who could talk sense to me like that. My family would not support me if they knew I was dealing with a 'dog who stands on two legs and speaks'. My family didn't like the fact that I dreamt of the time that we would become one civilization again.

I knew that I was also too radical and I needed to calm myself more if I want to get through with this. I returned back to the trailer and I could see that Mika had been eating the whole bowl, but since his hands were in mittens, he ate them like a common beast! I knew he was embarrassed, but of course he dared not to talk back to me after my outburst.

“Well? I've eaten it all. What, do you think I can't do it myself?" He turned away from my gaze, embarrassed. “I-it's not like I want to be your pet or something."

“So don't talk to me like an asshole and do what I want you to do," I said. He just growled in approval, but of course it was just because I was still in an emotional state.

Something about that experience somehow made Mika more and more subjected to me than before. I was only doing my job like feeding him, brushing his fur, and even tried to talk to him normally. He was still as hesitant, but we slowly knew each other well, and I loved to chat more to him even though Mika did not agree.

Before long I managed to gain his trust, causing him to behave less like a jerk and more to a friend. One month had passed, and there was such a progress that I unbuckled his muzzles and released his mittens. I didn't know how to express it, but Mika was happy like a dog.

“Well now, that wasn't so hard, wasn't it, Mika?" I said while smiling at him. At this point I didn't feel threatened to him.

“Ah, it's good to be able to open my maws again," he said, flexing his jaws. He then said, “Well I guess I can get something to cover my ass before you eyed me weird…"

That was random and suddenly became awkward. He closed his maws quickly while I turned away. We didn't talk at all at that moment, and he quickly said, “I need privacy." I knew his casual talk gave weird results, and I quickly get out of the room and sat nearby.

Was that a sexual joke?

At that very moment, We both realized that not only did this relationship started to be better. It became too soon for us to become so close.