Sorry i haven't replied sooner. That line had really got to me as well, especially on the first read. The animal/pet element combined with the human like intelligence, it packs a proper punch. I must have used over thinking + too much empathy to make it more equal than it actually is lol. There is probably an element of me pulling away from the subjugation vibe and finding a different way to look at it. The line did snag me emotionally, I have very much enjoyed the direction it sent you in.

the use of food as a lure, or punishment. These are not acts of an equal. These are acts of someone who has subjugated another. Noz does not comply out of friendship, but out of fear of punishment.

Yours is a very powerful/moving story. In a way, that line in the first half is not that far away from standard pet owner behavior, but being framed differently draws attention to it. I read it and instantly thought of dogs with a choke-chain. Even though the psi-meleons in your ending are so intelligent, the humans view of them is still pet like, it makes it hard not to see parallels. Although equally people do treat other people like this, not being aware of the suffering around them. In all honestly, trying to find another layer that changed the dynamic between them was probably more defensive on my part, because it is, in some ways, evocative of pet ownership and it's hard not to relate a little on that level. It isn't comfortable to think about the possibility of having maybe done this in a lesser degree. As much as I like to think of pets as my equals and friends, there have been times when I've bribe them away from danger, and have used treats to encourage things like toilet training. Of course that isn't the same as what happens here, but it did make me more aware of how it might be perceived from the other side.

Hoard resources and mete out nutrition parsimoniously?

I have a lot of respect for you, and the lessons you include in your stories. This gave me a lot to think on, even though the psi-meleon here don't actually need the humans at all, the line a pet walks between equal and dependent makes it relevant how you manage being responsible for their safety without restricting too much of their freedom. Fairly certain my treat hungry pets probably still see it as me hording the resources lol, but it does highlight how fuzzy the line can become when a person or society becomes too distracted to notice. The idea of affection from creatures we keep being Stockholm syndrome is probably true, at least sometimes, for pets as well. I never really considered it like that before, but even when a relationship is all carrot no stick, that sort of affection is still more to do with what a person does for them than the person. It makes really makes me reflect on 'cupboard love.' And it isn't the manipulation I saw in Noz when I had read this ending, because it is unwitting; he wasn't trying to pretend to be her friend to deceive her about his real plans, he felt he to had pretend to survive. It did make me think about instilled dependance. Hmmm, a lot of food for thought in this one, so very well told.

Of course, and your story at that ;) - although equally, your stories aren't just stories, they are far more beautiful than that, there is a message worth reflecting on, something more than the memory of the story for the reader to take away and keep, that helps make the story itself more memorable as well.

In a way the psi-meleon not having seemed resistant or unhappy with the situation, from the human perspective, until they give them this ultimatum, shows the difference in world view (as opposed to them never having told the humans they weren't okay with this arrangement.) The parallel with immigrants, and being judged by the standards of someone who never cares to take the time and explain those standards to them, was very powerful, even if it was me misreading (I'm sorry <3 and equally, me over thinking things isn't a reflection on your writing, I just like to mull things, and get carried away sharing the ponderings your very well put together story evoke)

The indifference of the humans to the suffering of the psi-meleon does feel the same as Nox not caring when he throws her, I know that wasn't the message or your intention but it feels like a hint about power; that those who have it find it hard to be aware of the suffering of those who don't. Although that same message does come through in every way it's read, something about it in a power switch made it feel more poignant for me, but that is just me, with maybe a dash of you are being too skilled at weaving these elements into your stories, I see them in places you never put them. <3