Realizing she wasn’t going to scare him off, she finally replied. “How would I teach you to hunt, human? You have no claws, no sharp teeth. You can’t run as fast as I, and you can’t climb a tree like me. You can’t see in the dark, and your reflexes are laughable. What would you have me do?”
“I can make myself sharp claws from rocks. I can make fire to see at night. I can use rope to climb a tree and my teeth may not be as sharp as yours, but my jaws are plenty strong. Teach me and I will free you.”
“No. I don’t think I will. You may have caught me, human, but you will never be me.” With that, Miao climbed back to her tree branch and promptly fell asleep. This time Joko roared in anger.
Over the next few days, Joko brought water in a dish for Miao to drink and every day she knocked it over with her huge paw before taking a sip. He brought her the leftover jerky they had from a kill she had made, but she turned her nose up at it. He even tried to bring fruits they had gathered, but she only batted them around like playthings.