Early Byrd by Phil Geusz Read Free Book Online Page A

expect them to pass a primary-first level academic
examination by the end of next week." He met Li's eyes. "Including
proper social interaction skills."
    "They'll be fine," Li assured our master. He
looked at us and winked. "After all, they've the very best
bloodline our kind has to offer!"

11
     
    Swimming in a pool instead of a beaver pond for once
was sort of nice. The water was a lot warmer and clearer, plus
there weren’t sharp rocks to cut your feet on. I also learned that
you're supposed to wait after eating before getting into the water,
which neither Tim nor I ever knew before. Mr. Li laughed and
splashed with us for a time, then we all did a few slow laps
together. After that he dived off the high board for us, slipping
headfirst into the water as slick as a bulked-up arrow. Then right
before we finished, everyone got into a big splash-fight together.
It was fun, even if there were Artemesians and human hotel workers
staring at us the whole time, wondering who in the world such crazy
people were and what we were doing there.
    The teaching-machine session went better
too, probably because after swimming we were all in a better mood
for that sort of thing. "Do you remember how we couldn't figure out
the hands-on-head thing?" Li asked with a smile. "Well, I've
employed the highest, deepest, and most profound learning technique
known to mankind, and as a direct result I now understand."
    "You asked Rapput?" Tim guessed.
    "Precisely," he answered with a short bow.
"It's all about relative social status."
    "The higher status Artemu put their hands on
the heads of the lower?" I guessed.
    "Exactly. It's symbolic of the social
pecking order, to remind everyone continually of who stands where
in line." He tilted his head to the left. "According to Rapput, it
makes their kind feel warm and happy inside. Or perhaps 'secure' is
a better word—the effect is supposedly extra-powerful for kits, and
that's why they do it to you a lot more often than anyone else,
even in public. If someone has their hand on your head, it means
you can count on them for protection and leadership. If you have
your hands on theirs, in turn you can count on loyalty and
subservience. It's sort of like being hugged by your parents, but
more complicated."
    "I thought they always lined up in
the same order," I said. "Remember?"
    "You did," Li agreed with one of his bows.
"But they all looked so much alike that we couldn't tell for sure."
Then he smiled again. "Do you happen to know which of you is the
elder?"
    "I am," Tim replied. "By seven minutes."
    I frowned. It was true but hadn't ever
mattered before.
    "Then you're the senior," Li explained. "And
from now on whenever the pups in the classroom line up, you two are
to do the same. With the elder's hand on the younger's head."
    "I don't need protection!" I complained.
    "Of course not," our teacher agreed. "And
yet . . . I suspect there's more going on here than we currently
understand. Do you know what a pack alpha is? As in a wolf-pack,
though other species behave similarly."
    "There're wolves on the ranch," Tim
answered. "So yeah, Dad taught us how to pick him out."
    "Good!" Li replied. "This is just my
personal theory so far, but I think the hands-on-the-head thing is
like wolf-pack behavior, and the Artemu may be very, very wolf-like
in some ways. So much so that I think it's a biological imperative
for them. They need their heads held every now and again in order
to be happy. Have you noticed how Rapput holds yours whenever he
thinks you might be especially upset or frightened?"
    Tim and I looked at each other. "Wow!" I
said for us both.
    "Wow, indeed. But like it or not, you two
are adopted Artemu, and I'm an Artemu slave in all but my lack of
fur. We therefore must learn not only to accept this as a
well-meant gesture, but also in time to hold the heads of others in
such a way that they gain reassurance and pleasure from the
contact. It's terribly important that you understand this."
    "Yeah," Tim