Humans are Weird - Semi-Aquatic Mammals
A general detritus pile the humans had stacked up in the northwest corner of the meadow when preparing the area for occupation had suddenly sprung into frantic movement; the crumpled bodies of last year’s leaves lifting into the air and then drifting down again, sticks and logs heaving up on their ends and then toppling over with soft, muted thumps. Notes the Passing Changes turned local attention away from the delighted squealing of the human young in the main channel of the stream and calculated whether it would be better to use the trees eyes or send up dedicated photo receptors. One of the human’s non-sapient pets cut through the duff with it’s sharp hooves and that decided the question. Notes the Passing Changes eased fibers into the fungal network, well below the level that the non-sapient mammals could reach and distributed enough so that even if a human took it in mind to start digging with a shovel not much mass would be lost, and peered through the many eyes of the tree.
In the heat of the afternoon the tree was alert and keenly aware. The vision from their eyes was as clear as it got. The detritus pile was writhing with activity, and when Notes the Passing Changes attuned to the local sound profile the thin voice of an Undulate out of water explained the situation. It looked as if nearly half a dozen Undulates of various sizes were vigorously rearranging the detritus pile and Notes the Passing Changes grew more interested and curious. The interest only intensified when the Undulate version of Notes the Passing Changes own name became clear. However it took several moments to extend fibers, and test the trees to determine how to best generate sound.
“Are you attempting to contact me?” Notes the Passing Changes asked of the pile in general.
The movement paused suddenly, and then resumed as the six Undulates scrambled their way to the surface of the pile and popped out of the leaves and sticks one at a time, their leading gripping appendages, identifiable by being slightly rougher and more work damaged than the rest of their mass, waving gently as they absorbed the light and sound to orientate themselves. Notes the Passing Changes gave a directional hum to aid the process and the Undulates broke into excited chatter for a moment. Before the largest one waved vigorously, seeming to quite the tumult.
“Greetings Gathering Acquaintance Notes the Passing Changes,” the Undulate said with the precise articulation of one who has only recently squired the sound profiles of a new language and isn’t quite sure of them. “I am Waveseagerly.”
“Greetings Undulate Acquaintance Waveseagerly,” Notes the Passing Changes replied, testing and refining the sounds as they came out.
“This isn’t you?” Waveseagerly asked, patting the detritus pile around him curiously.
“If you are seeking a communications node cluster,” Note the Passing Changes said, “I find it counterproductive to generate them where human livestock and children congregate. Nodes formed under those conditions are too liable to damage. My memory is distributed deep in the soil in these recreation areas, or in the protection of the larger trees. There is a proper communications node in a sheltered area near the more permanent human dwellings if you wish to interact with one.”
There was a general shuffle of soil colored appendages as they consulted each other before the largest one gestured them silent again.
“No, no, this will do quite nicely,” Waveseagerly said. “We have a question about humans you see, and you have been on this planet observing them for generations and we thought you would know.”
“There is a human psychology database in the library,” Notes the Passing Changes observed.
“We don’t really trust it you see!” Waveseagerly interjected, wriggling so hard in excitement that he slipped a few bodylengths down the detritus pile. “Not that we think the humans are lying of course, but every species does have their own numb areas and we wanted to touch an outside observer’s perspective.”
“I will try to answer you question,” Notes the Passing Changes said.
The Undulates wriggled in delight sending the detritus pile tumbling this way and that for several minutes before Waveseagerly managed to calm himself enough to speak.
“Are you quite sure that the immature stages of human development is terrestrial and not semi-aquatic or even aquatic?” Waveseagerly demanded.
“My specialty is managing optimum plant output. I have very little expertise in mammal taxonomy,” Notes the Passing Changes observed after some thought. “May I ask what observations have led to this question?”
“Look at them!” Waveseagerly burst out with a broad gesture towards the main stream.
Frolicing in the water like, like fish! The humans have been bringing their young here in waves, week after week, and as soon as they arrive the human children leap into the water and stay there except to eat! They only come out to sleep. Isn’t that at least semi-aquatic behavior?”
Notes the Passing Changes mulled over the memories of the summer, and let attention drift back to the shouting and, yes, frolicking human young in the water. The most obvious thing apparent from a perspective in the trees was their darting predatory behavior that sent a passive wash of pleasure through the forest’s awareness. The humans seemed focused on hunting the small crustaceans that lived under the rocks in the river bed. The small human bodies swarmed through the shallow water, pausing to lift flat rocks or logs while others darted after the tiny organisms that fled the direct light. Notes the Passing Changes ran recent memories over current attention and mulled over the Undulates’ question.
“I see no objection to classifying these human young as semi-aquatic if it serves your understanding of the situation,” Notes the Passing Changes finally observed.
The Undulates fell into a pile of wriggling delight that most likely contained conversation and scrambled out of the detritus pile towards the main stream.
In the heat of the afternoon the tree was alert and keenly aware. The vision from their eyes was as clear as it got. The detritus pile was writhing with activity, and when Notes the Passing Changes attuned to the local sound profile the thin voice of an Undulate out of water explained the situation. It looked as if nearly half a dozen Undulates of various sizes were vigorously rearranging the detritus pile and Notes the Passing Changes grew more interested and curious. The interest only intensified when the Undulate version of Notes the Passing Changes own name became clear. However it took several moments to extend fibers, and test the trees to determine how to best generate sound.
“Are you attempting to contact me?” Notes the Passing Changes asked of the pile in general.
The movement paused suddenly, and then resumed as the six Undulates scrambled their way to the surface of the pile and popped out of the leaves and sticks one at a time, their leading gripping appendages, identifiable by being slightly rougher and more work damaged than the rest of their mass, waving gently as they absorbed the light and sound to orientate themselves. Notes the Passing Changes gave a directional hum to aid the process and the Undulates broke into excited chatter for a moment. Before the largest one waved vigorously, seeming to quite the tumult.
“Greetings Gathering Acquaintance Notes the Passing Changes,” the Undulate said with the precise articulation of one who has only recently squired the sound profiles of a new language and isn’t quite sure of them. “I am Waveseagerly.”
“Greetings Undulate Acquaintance Waveseagerly,” Notes the Passing Changes replied, testing and refining the sounds as they came out.
“This isn’t you?” Waveseagerly asked, patting the detritus pile around him curiously.
“If you are seeking a communications node cluster,” Note the Passing Changes said, “I find it counterproductive to generate them where human livestock and children congregate. Nodes formed under those conditions are too liable to damage. My memory is distributed deep in the soil in these recreation areas, or in the protection of the larger trees. There is a proper communications node in a sheltered area near the more permanent human dwellings if you wish to interact with one.”
There was a general shuffle of soil colored appendages as they consulted each other before the largest one gestured them silent again.
“No, no, this will do quite nicely,” Waveseagerly said. “We have a question about humans you see, and you have been on this planet observing them for generations and we thought you would know.”
“There is a human psychology database in the library,” Notes the Passing Changes observed.
“We don’t really trust it you see!” Waveseagerly interjected, wriggling so hard in excitement that he slipped a few bodylengths down the detritus pile. “Not that we think the humans are lying of course, but every species does have their own numb areas and we wanted to touch an outside observer’s perspective.”
“I will try to answer you question,” Notes the Passing Changes said.
The Undulates wriggled in delight sending the detritus pile tumbling this way and that for several minutes before Waveseagerly managed to calm himself enough to speak.
“Are you quite sure that the immature stages of human development is terrestrial and not semi-aquatic or even aquatic?” Waveseagerly demanded.
“My specialty is managing optimum plant output. I have very little expertise in mammal taxonomy,” Notes the Passing Changes observed after some thought. “May I ask what observations have led to this question?”
“Look at them!” Waveseagerly burst out with a broad gesture towards the main stream.
Frolicing in the water like, like fish! The humans have been bringing their young here in waves, week after week, and as soon as they arrive the human children leap into the water and stay there except to eat! They only come out to sleep. Isn’t that at least semi-aquatic behavior?”
Notes the Passing Changes mulled over the memories of the summer, and let attention drift back to the shouting and, yes, frolicking human young in the water. The most obvious thing apparent from a perspective in the trees was their darting predatory behavior that sent a passive wash of pleasure through the forest’s awareness. The humans seemed focused on hunting the small crustaceans that lived under the rocks in the river bed. The small human bodies swarmed through the shallow water, pausing to lift flat rocks or logs while others darted after the tiny organisms that fled the direct light. Notes the Passing Changes ran recent memories over current attention and mulled over the Undulates’ question.
“I see no objection to classifying these human young as semi-aquatic if it serves your understanding of the situation,” Notes the Passing Changes finally observed.
The Undulates fell into a pile of wriggling delight that most likely contained conversation and scrambled out of the detritus pile towards the main stream.
RSS Feed
