Twisted Roots: A Collection of Short Stories

The Wonderful World of Oonats

AUTHOR'S NOTE
Hello!
This story is one I've written on a whim(hence the weird title). It sort of veers off the original intended topic and I wasn't sure how to end it, so we'll see how it goes.
Also, there are some medical terms used in this story that you may or may not understand. Mostly, you just don't need to, but I will put a couple of them at the end of the story with their definitions.
Anyways, enjoy!
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The Story
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Even if consulting the mysterious Maximus Redwood was on my bucket list, I'd already have it checked off. Not that I wanted it there, but still. It was worth mentioning that that man was so mysterious that I'd managed to avoid meeting him for quite awhile, even under the current circumstances. Which was pretty mysterious.
And yet, I found myself having to consult him again.
"Dr Andrews" Someone said "We've got a weird case on our hands"
"Well of course" I said sarcastically "Just what we need, another case of Mysterious Disease Syndrome"
"Just come see it, please"
"I'm coming, I'm coming"
I went over to the table at which Doctor Jane Primavera was examining the test results of a patient. It was indeed, a weird case.
"I don't know what to make of it" Dr Primavera said
"Me neither" I replied "How has treatment been going?"
"We've tried various treatments listed here" She handed me a paper "Nothing seems to be working"
"Hmm, I see" I looked over the papers. The patient had been in hospital for awhile now, but the symptoms hadn't gotten better or worse. It was quite strange.
"The symptoms are pretty bad" I said "And they've stayed exactly the same throughout the treatment testing?"
"Yes"
"Alright" I said "Try this"
I circled a few things on the paper, then returned it to Dr Primavera.
"Alright" She said "I'll begin the new treatment as soon as possible"
"Good" I said
After my shift was done, I drove down to 111 Shady Lane, the address of the Redwood household, although you couldn't exactly call it a household as Max was the only one who lived there. In any case, he was the man I wanted to see, so I drove to his house and knocked on the door.
There was no answer.
I waited outside for a minute before deciding he wasn't home and went back to my car. Just as I opened the door to get in, I heard the ever-mysterious voice from behind me.
"Ooagh eeaaayrooot dooeet!"
I turned around, completely and utterly confused. There, in the middle of the driveway, was Maximus Redwood, frantically chasing a weird green blob across the driveway.
"Oooeet roo!" He snapped angrily as he picked up the blob "Neeeaarg ooot sooooeeeet"
"Ah, hello Max" I said
"Oh, Ben, I didn't see you there!" Max exclaimed "Sorry, I'll be back in one second"
Max hurried into his house, leaving me to reflect on the strange occurrence that had passed a few seconds ago.
"Sorry about that!" Max called as he dashed out the door "My pet oonat accidentally got out the window and I had to chase him down"
"Oonat?" I asked "And what were those weird words you said before?"
"Oh, that's right, humans haven't met the creatures of Oon yet" Max said, as if this was totally normal "Oonats are little green slimelike creatures from the planet Oon. Ah, and I was speaking Ootaa"
"Is that the language of oonats?" I asked
"Not exactly" Max said "The intelligence of the Oon creatures is shared by all species through a sort of hive mind, which is rare amoung full-planet ecosystems, but there you have it. In other words, Ootaa is the language of all Oon creatures"
"Well...okay then" I said "I've come to ask you about another weird case from the lab"
"Ah, another unknown disease" Max said "Come on in and I'll see what I can do"
Max led me into his house and we sat in the living room. The oonat wiggled over to my feet and began sniffing them.
"Oonats have a keen sense of smell" Max commented "Each person has a scent to them. We'll see if he likes yours"
I felt a shiver down my spine as the oonat wiggled up my legs and into my lap. Once there, he let out a stream of vowel syllables that I couldn't understand.
"He's asking your permission to sit there" Max said
"I suppose that's fine" I said
Max translated in another weird string of syllables. The oonat seemed to settle down.
"He seems quite fond of you" Max said
"That's good, I suppose" I said "So, the case"
I pulled out some papers I'd taken with me from the lab and gave them to Max. He examined them carefully.
"Hmm, looks like a foreign substance trying to connect with the human systems" Max said "A natural process used by the Daedrons to cure diseases. Humans aren't accustomed to it. Judging by the severity, this person's body must be highly sensitive as well"
"We never detected any foreign substances" I said
"Ah, that's because the Daedron substance mimics the substances surrounding it. That's why it's so useful to them" Max said "Also, does this person happen to have alien hand syndrome?"
"Come to think of it, yes" I said "Why do you ask?"
"The Daedron substance was targeting the corpus callosum, which means it senses damage in that area" Max said "In terms of what kind of damage, I took a wild guess"
"So, do you mean to say that this substance was trying to fix damage in the corpus callosum?" I asked
"Correct" Max said
"So then we should just let it fix it?" I asked
"Also correct" Max said "Unless there's any medical reason not to. Is there?"
"I don't believe so" I said "I'll have Dr Primavera take a look at the medical history before we let the substance go"
"Alright, case closed" Max leaned back in his chair "And you have a patient who will soon be cured of alien hand syndrome"
"True" I said "Say, is there any way we could get more of this substance? It could be useful in future cases"
"You'd have to talk to the Daedrons" Max said "I'd ask them, but they'd probably be unaccustomed to human society and politics...let's just say they're better off staying on Daedros"
"Oh, I see" I said "That's a shame"
"It is, isn't it?" Max said "Ah, if only all species could just get along. Take oonats, for example. They can adapt to pretty much any ecosystem and they're real friendly, too. Just imagine if all creatures were like oonats. Wouldn't this world be better?"
"Perhaps" I said
The oonat on my lap seemed to lighten up at the mention of its species. I smiled.
"What's it like, travelling to other worlds?" I asked
"Wonderful" Max said "I suppose I am kind of biased on the matter, but in my opinion, I think everyone should have the opportunity"
"How are you biased?" I asked
"My family runs a space travel corporation" Max replied "Well, I say corporation, I mean private service. The people on my world are very particular about who gets what and all that. Heck, the buildings are so secure, you practically have to pin your ID to your shirt to actually get anywhere"
"That sounds annoying" I said "Also, I never knew you were actually an alien"
"I know, it was quite odd to find that there was a species so similar to ours so far away" Max said "The only difference is my tail. Humans apparently have a spot for one, but it never fully grows. Ours do"
"So you have a tail" The words sounded odd coming from my mouth
"Yes" Max said "Although I tend to keep it hidden for various reasons. Mostly because humans remind me of my people and their hostility toward foreign creatures"
"I see" I said "Sorry if this sounds intrusive, but what are your people like?"
"I'm glad you asked. I get the feeling not too many people would have" Max said "They're called the Sorinai, and I suppose they really are almost the same as humans. They're a lot less social, though. Usually, we only talk socially amoung family members or, rarely, close acquaintances. Otherwise, our language is mainly used to talk to security guards or in negotiations"
"Wow" I said "Who knew"
"I know" Max said "Come to think of it, I don't know if there is a direct translation of the word 'friend' in Aelus. Or Draxla. Or any Sorin language, really"
"Really?" I asked
"Really" Max replied "There's 'ally', 'acquaintance', and various words to refer to family members or spouses/spouses-to-be, but nothing for 'friend' that I can think of. I think the closest term would be the Aelus word 'koroma' meaning a person that you personally respect or are inspired by"
Max and I chatted for quite awhile on the subject of alien matters. As the discussion bore on, I grew accustomed to Max's mysteriousness, finding that he wasn't in fact all that mysterious at all.
When it got late, I decided that I should probably return home. I placed the oonat, which had remained on my lap the whole time, gently on the ground, and went to go out the door.
"Well, it was nice having you" Max said
"It was a nice conversation, thank you for having me" I said
As I turned to walk back to my car, I felt a slight tug on my foot. The oonat was following me.
"I think he'd like to spend more time with you" Max said "You should take him back to your place for the night"
"Oh, no, that's quite alright" I said "He is your pet, after all"
"Oh, he won't be a bother" Max said "If you let him into a fenced outdoor area, he'll fend for himself fairly well and won't make a mess of your house at all. Besides, he'll enjoy it"
"But won't you miss him?" I asked
"Perhaps a bit" Max said
"You see, I'm not exactly accustomed to forming such close bonds with other species"

Some random definitions I thought might be interesting
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Alien Hand Syndrome: A rare disorder usually caused by the separation of the two hemispheres of the brain. The disorder causes the person's hand(s) to move without the person telling them to.
Corpus Callosum: A collection of neural fibres located in between the two hemispheres of the brain. This is sometimes removed through surgery to treat severe cases of epilepsy, which in turn can cause alien hand syndrome.