You think I'm simpleminded. You think that just because I'm not human, I must be inferior. I might be able to learn, to perform "human" tasks, to listen and to understand, but I'm not human. I'm just a pet, a companion. A furry creature who comes along on his master's adventures and who is sometimes asked for help.

But I like to think I'm a little better than that.

Sure, I can't speak. I might not be quite as smart or quite as experienced as your average human. But I've got potential to learn, and I've got instinct. I'm not prejudiced or bigoted. I do what I feel is right—I do what basic animal instinct tells me is right.

I don't just sit back and act inferior like a good little lemur. It's true that like a lot of creatures who are not quite human, I might be ruled by my stomach, but I do more than fend for myself. I lift spirits, I play games. I might not be critical to the team…but you never know, do you? At least, I don't.

What if I wasn't there? True, my team, as I might call them, survived well enough without me, but aside from being physically useful—fitting into small holes is no easy task for even a partially grown human—I'm a friendly pet. I admit it. It's not such a bad thing. just being around an unconditionally friendly and loving…well, friend can be just what the average human needs.

They're not superheroes. They're not even especially super. Humans are just animals with a few extra brain cells and opposable thumbs. More importantly, they're pack animals. They need other humans around to…be. To survive. Or, bar actual human contact, they need some kind of living creature to love and to love them in return.

Who better than a smarter-than-average pet?

That's all I am, after all. A smart-as-a-cat, loyal-as-a-dog, useful-as-a-bird hybrid. I might have been bred as a step up from carrier pigeon, for all I know. I might even be natural. It's really up in the air. I do eat bugs, after all. Humans don't like bugs, so naturally they would breed a creature who would eat them, but nature does like bugs and it breeds them by the barrelful, so any creature who eats them would never have a shortage of sustenance.

But aside from what I do or don't eat, what I do or don't do, what I do or don't say, I'm really just a step sideways from human. Maybe that's why I exist. Humans might have been trying to breed themselves a genetic advantage: a little human with wings. He would evolve into his intellect in time, no need to rush things along.

Do I care too much?

No, not really. I don't mind having only "near human" intelligence. I have my versatility and mobility and basic intellect, but without the prejudice and potential negative influence. Why? Because I'm not smart enough to have my own opinion. All I've got is animal instinct.

I'm a freak of nature with opposable thumbs.

And that's just all right with me.