Humans are Weird - Sneaky
“This is a vine you can grab,” First Father was saying to the human female beside him while gently patting her hand.
Gathers in the Gloaming rustled a nearby communication heap to let the pair of sapients know another awareness was active in this area and blearily tried to figure out what had called attention here. It was unusual for the local First Father to come this far from his hive, but there had been a deep friendship maturing between the human settlement and the Shatar hive for several generations. The two spaces were connected by a network of tall vineyards that gave Gathers in the Gloaming a rich source of sugars as well as deep shade where sensory appendages could lift out of the soil without fear of solar radiation damage. The vineyard corridors also allowed the small male Shatar to visit with confidence of safety, so First Father’s general presence was hardly surprising enough to draw attention.
Gathers in the Gloaming tasted the air and the tang of human stress pheromones manifested. Now rather interested Gathers in the Gloaming turned attention to visual information, debating a moment between exposing photosensitive fibers or simply using the local leaves. Deciding that precision was important Gathers in the Gloaming extended enough photosensitive fibers to bring the mobile sapients into focus.
The human, a younger but breeding age female was standing with her muscles tense staring with grim determination towards the arrival area for the settlement. The Shatar male, who barely came up past the human’s knees was continuing to speak and touching the human with soft, reassuring gestures. Gathers in the Gloaming noted that most of the phrases were reassurances that the human had high status associated with successful reproduction, and that she had a duty to protect her offspring. Gathers in the Gloaming was about to ask to join the conversation with a transport pulled up to the arrival area and the human female flexed her limbs and pulled away from the Shatar.
“You got this! As you mammals say,” the Shatar male said with a final pat of the human’s hand.
She grimaced down at the bright green Shatar and strode towards the transport, which was releasing several elderly humans, with determination.
“Did you wish to speak to me Gathers in the Gloaming?” First Father asked, angling his triangular head at the communication heap.
Gathers in the Gloaming hummed in confirmation as the tendrils of thought coiled around the question building.
“Who is Human Liea going to confront?” Gathers in the Gloaming asked.
First Father gave a wordless click and reached up to stroke an antenna in a thoughtful preening gesture before replying.
“Can’t you identify the arrivals on your own?” the Shatar asked, his pheromones tasting of mild amusement and perplexity.
“The arrivals are Human Liea’s First Father and Second Mother as well as several of her more distant relatives,” Gathers in the Gloaming confirmed. “I wished to know which of them Human Leia has a conflict with.”
First Father gave a click of amusement and turned to begin trotting towards the vineyard corridor where a small cluster of his mate’s sisters were waiting for him. As he moved he spoke.
“Before I tell you you must promise not to interfere. This is not something one can understand without the benefit of having both hatchlings of your own and present Grandmothers and Grandfathers.”
“I assume I can be trusted not to interfere having been given such a warning,” Gathers in the Gloaming assured him.
“Very well then,” First Father said. “Human First Mother Leia is preparing to restrict the amount of treats Human First Grandfather can give First Sister.”
First Father seemed to think this an ample explanation and continued towards his mate’s Sisters. Gathers in the Gloaming framed another question.
“Human Leia was releasing many stress pheromones, does she expect her...Human First Grandfather to defy her wishes and continue supplying Human First Sister with these treats?”
“I suppose,” First Father said, pausing to angle an eye back towards where the humans were greeting each other, “that depends on how well this confrontation goes, and how ‘sneaky’ was the word she used, Human First Godfather turns out to be.”
“I understand that you are suggesting that Human First Grandfather is going to attempt to subvert Human First Mother Leia’s attempts to maintain her child’s diet. However I do not understand the stress she is experiencing,” Gathers in the Gloaming admitted as First Father resumed his walk. “Is it likely that a Grandfather would do something that would cause harm to his own genetic branching?”
First Father gave a click of amusement.
“It is not about harm,” he said with a dismissive flick of his antenna. “It is, what is the word Second Aunt used? Social authority! When a Grandfather or Grandmother isn’t pulling the same vine as the Father, or I suppose the Mother in this case, it can make the hive unnecessarily tangled, but don’t worry about Human First Mother Leia, she might be small for a human but she has a stance to her hind legs that would surprise you for all that. This is just a natural grove in the garden of life.”
First Father reached the Sisters and they began chattering with him about his visit.
Gathers in the Gloaming followed their conversation with mild interest. If understanding was growing correctly First Father was suggesting that not only was there some sort of social competition between human generation for social control of developing offspring, but the concept was similar enough for the Shatar to not only sympathize but to offer useful advice and support.
That still left the question, what possible underlying harm could there be in a Grandfather, covertly or not, gifting too many treats?
Gathers in the Gloaming rustled a nearby communication heap to let the pair of sapients know another awareness was active in this area and blearily tried to figure out what had called attention here. It was unusual for the local First Father to come this far from his hive, but there had been a deep friendship maturing between the human settlement and the Shatar hive for several generations. The two spaces were connected by a network of tall vineyards that gave Gathers in the Gloaming a rich source of sugars as well as deep shade where sensory appendages could lift out of the soil without fear of solar radiation damage. The vineyard corridors also allowed the small male Shatar to visit with confidence of safety, so First Father’s general presence was hardly surprising enough to draw attention.
Gathers in the Gloaming tasted the air and the tang of human stress pheromones manifested. Now rather interested Gathers in the Gloaming turned attention to visual information, debating a moment between exposing photosensitive fibers or simply using the local leaves. Deciding that precision was important Gathers in the Gloaming extended enough photosensitive fibers to bring the mobile sapients into focus.
The human, a younger but breeding age female was standing with her muscles tense staring with grim determination towards the arrival area for the settlement. The Shatar male, who barely came up past the human’s knees was continuing to speak and touching the human with soft, reassuring gestures. Gathers in the Gloaming noted that most of the phrases were reassurances that the human had high status associated with successful reproduction, and that she had a duty to protect her offspring. Gathers in the Gloaming was about to ask to join the conversation with a transport pulled up to the arrival area and the human female flexed her limbs and pulled away from the Shatar.
“You got this! As you mammals say,” the Shatar male said with a final pat of the human’s hand.
She grimaced down at the bright green Shatar and strode towards the transport, which was releasing several elderly humans, with determination.
“Did you wish to speak to me Gathers in the Gloaming?” First Father asked, angling his triangular head at the communication heap.
Gathers in the Gloaming hummed in confirmation as the tendrils of thought coiled around the question building.
“Who is Human Liea going to confront?” Gathers in the Gloaming asked.
First Father gave a wordless click and reached up to stroke an antenna in a thoughtful preening gesture before replying.
“Can’t you identify the arrivals on your own?” the Shatar asked, his pheromones tasting of mild amusement and perplexity.
“The arrivals are Human Liea’s First Father and Second Mother as well as several of her more distant relatives,” Gathers in the Gloaming confirmed. “I wished to know which of them Human Leia has a conflict with.”
First Father gave a click of amusement and turned to begin trotting towards the vineyard corridor where a small cluster of his mate’s sisters were waiting for him. As he moved he spoke.
“Before I tell you you must promise not to interfere. This is not something one can understand without the benefit of having both hatchlings of your own and present Grandmothers and Grandfathers.”
“I assume I can be trusted not to interfere having been given such a warning,” Gathers in the Gloaming assured him.
“Very well then,” First Father said. “Human First Mother Leia is preparing to restrict the amount of treats Human First Grandfather can give First Sister.”
First Father seemed to think this an ample explanation and continued towards his mate’s Sisters. Gathers in the Gloaming framed another question.
“Human Leia was releasing many stress pheromones, does she expect her...Human First Grandfather to defy her wishes and continue supplying Human First Sister with these treats?”
“I suppose,” First Father said, pausing to angle an eye back towards where the humans were greeting each other, “that depends on how well this confrontation goes, and how ‘sneaky’ was the word she used, Human First Godfather turns out to be.”
“I understand that you are suggesting that Human First Grandfather is going to attempt to subvert Human First Mother Leia’s attempts to maintain her child’s diet. However I do not understand the stress she is experiencing,” Gathers in the Gloaming admitted as First Father resumed his walk. “Is it likely that a Grandfather would do something that would cause harm to his own genetic branching?”
First Father gave a click of amusement.
“It is not about harm,” he said with a dismissive flick of his antenna. “It is, what is the word Second Aunt used? Social authority! When a Grandfather or Grandmother isn’t pulling the same vine as the Father, or I suppose the Mother in this case, it can make the hive unnecessarily tangled, but don’t worry about Human First Mother Leia, she might be small for a human but she has a stance to her hind legs that would surprise you for all that. This is just a natural grove in the garden of life.”
First Father reached the Sisters and they began chattering with him about his visit.
Gathers in the Gloaming followed their conversation with mild interest. If understanding was growing correctly First Father was suggesting that not only was there some sort of social competition between human generation for social control of developing offspring, but the concept was similar enough for the Shatar to not only sympathize but to offer useful advice and support.
That still left the question, what possible underlying harm could there be in a Grandfather, covertly or not, gifting too many treats?
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