Warmth Pt. 03

In fact, it seemed that X had done the job too well. Although the young man would lay down his life for his master and was completely subservient, he was too meek, too scared of humans to be all that vicious. He could attack, but probably not kill. He couldn't be the perfect slave, if being the perfect slave required being a thoughtless killer as well as a docile house pet. In terms of X's goals, he was useless.

The young man no longer served X any purpose, so X set out to dispose of him. He wouldn't necessarily have to die, although that would probably have been the most convenient outcome. X decided to leave the young man in some forested mountains. Using powerful tranquillizers and a helicopter, the young man was left for dead. X assumed that when he woke up, he would likely stay there until he starved, or died of thirst, or got hypothermia. If any human did come across him, he would likely hide from them. There was no way to connect the young man with X, so even if he survived or somebody found his body, X was free from all consequences.

The young man didn't know what was going on. He didn't know X's intentions. He allowed himself to be carried away.

When the young man was awoken in a place he had never been by a person he had never seen before, he concluded that that human must be his new master. Without hesitation he turned himself into the servant of that person. In the space of a few minutes he broke his psyche and molded it into a new shape. He had fully imprinted himself on this human, made them the master he would follow and serve no matter what.

*****

That's what I imagine happened. All the details are mostly ones that match up the most with how Pine acted, especially at the beginning. I do think that Pine looked at me as his master at the start, but I know that that's not how he sees me now. He was subservient to me, possibly even afraid of me at first, but when I treated him with benevolence, he allowed himself to actually love me instead of just serve under me. It makes the most sense when paired with the fact that while Pine did warm up to other humans, like James or my parents or Elle, he was always most firmly attached to me. There is a very real possibility that I was the first person he could remember to have ever been kind to him. It would also explain why he freaked out whenever something happened to me or he thought I was mad at him. He saw me as the force that took him away from all the abuse, the person who finally made him want to live for himself.

This does mean that, yes, Pine probably would have imprinted on somebody else and grew to love them just as easily. It was a coincidence that he chose me, but I thank God that I was lucky enough to be that person. Pine is without doubt the best thing that has ever happened to me.

I got home at around 3 AM, so James dropped Pine off at my house the next morning. Once I had thanked him and he had left, I completely let loose on Pine. I hugged him so tightly that it probably hurt a little. I lay hundreds of kisses on his face, not caring if they landed on the forehead, cheek, lips, eyes, wherever. I scratched his whole body. Over and over again I told him that I loved him. It was probably about ten full minutes of letting Pine know just how much he meant to me. When I was satisfied, Pine was laying on the ground, panting and grinning ear to ear. He looked the happiest I had ever seen him, which was my goal.

I have many fond memories of the following summer. I did so many things with Pine. We went hiking, we went to parks, we even went camping with James, Flag, and Comet. It wasn't just that, either. I also had amazing experiences with Elle. It was during that summer that I met Katie, who really is an awesome kid. She's blunt and no-nonsense, just like her mom. I also met Jack, one of Elle's brothers. Once he was done warning me that if I hurt his sister not even my mother would want to look at what would be left of my body, we got along great. Elle and I also made love for the first time that summer. There were so many firsts from that time, so many milestones and new experiences.

It's August now, and Pine has been in my life for almost an entire year. He's turning one soon, and I know I plan to go all out for the occasion. In the meantime, he's still living with me and still loves me more than anything.

Just the other night, I was awoken from my sleep. I didn't know why, but after a few minutes I could tell I wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep easily. I didn't mind. I had Pine in my arms, and that was all I needed to be content for the moment. I just lay there, happy in my new life, comfortable and safe in his warmth.