The strange experience with Lucille had left Mac somewhat worried. Isabella said that it was something she had already read, but how was it possible that the fox could make a psychic link with her? Could she read her thoughts? Could she know what she was going to do before she did it? She didn't like that at all. The neurologist was a person who usually found it difficult to fully trust others, because she had the feeling that when another person knew your true feelings, it was easier for them to control you, or to hurt you. Therefore, that another living being, even if it was just an animal, could get into her head in that way and violate her privacy, made her feel quite uncomfortable.
Lucille was absolutely adorable, that was true, and she didn't seem to want to hurt Mac in any way. Even though she tried to ignore it, Wilson felt connected to the little vixen in some way, and the fact that she had chosen her to establish a connection was quite exciting, as well as making her feel special. After all, Isa had said that she had known Lucille for a long time, and she had never had the fox approach her like that. However, even though she didn't believe Lucille wanted to harm her, not knowing how this strange power worked made her distrust and a bit scared. An alien animal was accessing her mind and her feelings, and although it seemed that in return she showed hers, she didn't know what to think. This psychic ability was Lucille's, not hers, and therefore, Mackenzie felt at the vixen's mercy, a little helpless.
That's why she was relieved when Isa suggested that she turn to a doctor colleague who had more knowledge and experience with Gaian animals "I think it's a good idea, Isa. I need someone to explain to me what's going on." Wilson turned to the vixen, who was watching her silently. "Don't take this the wrong way, Lucille, but I need a little more information about this. I know it will be normal for you, but for me it isn't."
According to Isabella, the Gaian animal expert, a doctor named Travers, was located not far away in the same biodome. The two women set off in that direction, accompanied by Niki, and followed at a short distance by the little fox. They crossed the bridge again and headed along the paths towards the wooded area that could be seen in the distance, near the glass walls of the biodome.
After a few minutes of walking, during which they came across several residents of the ship who were wandering there, they turned off along a smaller path that took them into the most wooded area. The forest wasn't very big, obviously, since it was in the limited area of the bidome, but it was large enough to accommodate several species of animals. Mac could see several birds and also other creatures she had never seen before, jumping between the branches of the trees or running through the undergrowth. Some of them had the recognizable purple color that was repeated in the Gaian animals.
As they continued walking towards the interior of the grove, Mackenzie thought she saw a Gaian lynx in the bushes, like the one they had seen in Faith Haven, in the tent of that ex-Corsair named Lola. The animal was half hidden in the leaves, and when they approached, it simply disappeared into the thicket, almost without making a sound. The neurologist remembered that strange couple that Lola and Cesar, the lynx, formed. Lola had said something about how they had been life partners for about 40 years. Would the two of them have a psychic bond, like Lucille had tried to form with her? If so, it couldn't be a bad thing, since the Cretan dressmaker and the lynx seemed to have a really deep friendship. Having an animal companion seemed to be a nice, useful thing to do. One only had to look at Isabella and Niki, for example, who were inseparable, and that's keeping in mind that Niki was just a regular cat, with no ability to bond in that way.
Still, Mac had always been a very logical and procedural person, not given to jump into ideas she didn't understand. It might be that establishing a psychic connection with Lucille was something enriching, but she couldn't properly evaluate it until someone explained to her in a technical way what it meant, and the consequences it would have.
As the neurologist thought, the small path they were following led out into a clearing in the trees, and when Wilson looked she could see a man about 35-40 years old sitting in the center, in a folding chair. Around him were several Gaian foxes waiting for him to throw them the piece of meat he was holding in his hands. It seemed that they had finally found Dr. Travers, and the two women approached him slowly, so as not to disturb the peace of the moment. However, Travers looked up in their direction as soon as they were about 20 metres away, and Isa took the opportunity to greet him with a smile. The doctor returned the greeting, distracting for a second, and one of the foxes pounced on the piece of meat, snatching it from her and running off into the wooded area, pursued by some of the other foxes. Mac watched as Lucille, who had been following her around the whole time, ran up to the doctor, but instead of taking advantage of the situation and stealing meat, she sat in front of him, begging for food with her big eyes.
Dr. Travers stood up to properly greet Mac. He was a nice guy who seemed happy surrounded by those Gaian animals that were yelping and running around him, and had a bright and sincere smile. Isabella had previously informed him of what had happened with Lucille, and he congratulated Wilson on being able to experience a psychic connection with a Gaian fox. He seemed quite surprised that it had happened, and acknowledged that it was extremely unusual.
Mac was glad to talk to someone who had worked with Gaian animals for so long, and Travers' attitude reassured her a little. The man didn't seem worried, just interested and somewhat excited to be able to witness such a particular case like that. She thanked him for offering to tell her what he knew about the bonds to the Gaian species. "Thank you for seeing me so quickly Dr. Travers, and it's great that you know so much about this. I'm still overwhelmed by what's happened, and I don't even know how I'm supposed to feel. It's been something... completely unexpected." The neurologist shook her head. "I didn't even know these animals had these... abilities."
Travers nodded, and with a slight gesture of apology, he went to the sack of meat next to the chair, and threw its contents at the foxes, including Lucille. As the animals feasted, screaming in delight, the man walked over to an electric cart with all-terrain wheels parked nearby. It was a small vehicle, only two-seater, with a short cargo area in the back, in which the doctor had several bags of food and some more folding chairs. He left the empty bag there and took two more chairs, which he placed next to his own. Then sat down, making a friendly gesture with his hand inviting Isa and Mac to follow suit.
Travers bent down and picked up a thermos that was placed under his chair, along with a package of paper cups."I have some hot coffee here if you'd like a drink." The two women nodded, and the man filled two cups, handing them over. "It's from Belle's, I always stop by early in the morning to get my thermos refilled, and I still have half left." Travers smiled and looked at Mac. "What do you want to know about Gaian foxes?"
Mackenzie opened her arms, as if what she wanted was beyond reach. "Well... whatever you can tell me about the psychic bond. The experience has not been painful, nor unpleasant, and the feelings I've been able to experience from Lucille have been positive. At the time my mind was processing some rather sad thoughts, and that's when it happened." Mac pinched herself the chin as she tried to explain. "It was as if she first entered my mind and probed me, to understand what my mood was, and then she inserted her own feelings into me, as if she wanted me to understand what she wanted to convey to me. It was something... warm, welcoming, as if she were giving me a... mental hug." She shrugged, a little overcome. "I don't know if I'm expressing myself correctly, but I don't know how to define it better. I would have honestly loved to have electrodes attached to my head and Lucille's right then and there, and monitor our brain activity. As a neurologist, it would be the easiest way for me to understand it." Wilson smiled, nervous, looking this time at the little vixen, who was still calmly eating her piece of meat, some distance away, but without losing sight of her. "However, as much as I would like to understand the workings of this, what I'm most worried about is... well, my privacy. Lucille has easily entered my mind. Does that mean she can read my thoughts whenever she wants? I know she was probably just trying to help and comfort me, but... I don't like it when anyone can read my thoughts without asking my permission. Is there any way to prevent that?"
