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The Nature of Predators - Becoming a Predator (2/10)
🕑 Added 2023-10-07 11:00:05 +0000 UTCCW: mention of suicide
Memory transcription subject: Narlem, Krakotl Exterminator Fleet Comms Technician
Date [standardized human time]: October 1, 2136
My skull, which was heavy as a stone, crashed back against the pillow while I screamed to my heart’s content. The ear-piercing noise continued until I felt physical pain in my vocal cords, and my voice had run itself ragged. Exhausted, I buried my face in my forsaken hands. This was the worst situation imaginable; like I’d said yesterday, I’d rather be dead than a blood-craving human. A dull ache was setting into my temples from the stress, which reminded me that I needed to calm down and think. How on Nishtal could this have happened to me? It was too authentic and detailed to be a nightmare, plus I was more lucid than I could be in a dream state. That predator…Gavin’s wish must’ve been received by a wicked deity like Maltos.
“No, no, no!” The words that tumbled from my throat were strange and unfamiliar, yet there was no Krakotl speech left in my memory banks to salvage. The human register I spoke in was booming, yet hoarse after that screaming bout; my own speech sounded threatening to my ears. “How do I…understand these words at all? This doesn’t make any sense!”
If I had been devolved into a filthy Terran, that meant I needed to get an immediate read on my surroundings. Earth was a perilous, predator-infested shithole, where creatures from the species I was stuck as murdered each other left and right. My first goal had to be scouting this dwelling for potential threats, or other primates who lived with this beast I’d been transposed with. I scanned the apartment, having to utilize jerky pupil motions for the slightest shift in focus. There was no trace of any being who could kill me on a whim, mercifully; I couldn’t interact with actual humans. The flat was a few hundred feet at most, with a bed and a cramped living area.
The next step was to come to terms with how hideous my appearance was, and that meant I needed to find a mirror. I resigned myself to head to the adjacent bathroom, though it wasn’t clear if Terrans wanted to look at their own reflection. I slung my weighty legs out of the bed, gulping at the gargantuan task of trying to walk on these lanky slabs. Both feet pressed against the wooden floor, and my chest burned from an elevated heart rate. I transitioned my weight onto my limbs, before attempting to walk toward the water closet. The rotund heel of my foot planted against the floor, before the ankle rolled to the side. Pain shot up the sensitive tendons, and I crashed to the ground in a heap. Curses I didn’t recognize spewed from my lips.
“Fuck! Okay, Narlem. Try again.” I tested weight on the tender ankle, and wobbled as I tried to stand. The creature was too tall to balance like a Krakotl; as I lifted the injured leg off the ground to walk, I tripped over my clunky feet on the landing, faceplanting. “Ugh. For a killing machine, its body is awkward. How do they chase prey?”
I dusted myself off with a dispirited sigh, spreading my legs far apart and bending my knees to ensure I couldn’t fall. This stance allowed me to move forward with microscopic shuffles, until a mirror was visible in front of a bathroom sink. I positioned this abhorrent form facing the reflective surface, and looked into an evil visage that didn’t fit my internal nature. The creature had brown skin similar to a Farsul’s fur color, but it was the sight of “my” own eyes leveled at me that drew a horrified yelp from my tortured, dry throat. Primal terror left my muscles trembling, my breathing quick but shallow, and my palms warm with slimy secretions. The monster in the mirror’s pupils dilated, and dizziness compounded my existing symptoms.
Avert your eyes. This sanity-draining fiend can’t be me!
I collapsed to the floor, panting, and pawed at my throat. Knowing I couldn’t look in the mirror again, and dwell on how there was no getting away from a demon that was me, I crawled on all fours; it was much easier and more intuitive to move this way. My mind raced from powerful chemicals that had flooded my system, rendering it difficult to concentrate on anything else but my savage appearance. As logical thoughts became gradually accessible, a startling realization occurred to me. Humans had a chemical reaction for fear, so it wasn’t just my recollection of Krakotl sentiments.
“That’s a good starting point!” I encouraged myself aloud, cringing at the sound of my voice. “Test which emotions you can still feel. It’ll help to know which ones to simulate to…retain empathy.”
There were a few that were easy to skip, since humans obviously possessed them: anger and hatred being the main two. The primary way I could think to test pity and disgust levels was by meditating on the most gruesome Arxur briefings. It was worrying what inclinations I might stir up, but it was better to know now. I brought up images of prey species being ripped apart, and was relieved not to be flooded with happy chemicals. The memories were still aversive to me, though that could be because I, a Krakotl, viewed it in a negative light. There was no telling how seeing suffering in person could tease my bloodthirsty senses.
The bloodlust wasn’t a constant drive in the predator’s mind like I expected, but this creature must be well-sated. I was very lucky to have retained my persona and thoughts, rather than lose them to mindless instincts. Perhaps it was possible to hold fast to my civilized values, and resist the temptation through a Krakotl’s distaste for suffering…the question was for how long. What happened at mealtime? My eyes shot to the flat depression that was my stomach with disgust, realizing that it felt a little empty. I should not think about that. I wasn’t going to feed its vile desires now; surely I believed in Inatala enough to avoid succumbing for a few days.
“I have to find a way out. The hungrier this thing gets, the less I’ll be able to control its instincts,” I mumbled. “Shit, if I’m hungry, what happens to the first animal I see? I’m not used to or prepared for the instincts that’ll stir.”
I shuddered; it would be horrific to snap back to lucidity with my teeth in a dead creature’s throat. That also reminded me that the other humans on this world would be engaging in such behavior, because that was a normal method of survival to them. My predicament, beyond the ticking time-bomb that was my increasing appetite, was blending in with these monstrous predators. Sentimentality, visible fear, or any other failure to prove my strength would cause the locals to notice something was amiss. There would be no undoing this disaster if I was culled for empathy. It was crucial that I crafted a strategy to act like them, without compromising my most sacred values.
Basic functionality would be necessary to convince anyone I was an able-bodied hunter. Learning to walk would enable me to traverse my lair; hopefully, I could be prowling around the apartment in a single afternoon. Dusting myself off, it took minutes practicing how to balance through primate bipedalism. Figuring out that extending my arms like wings helped, allowing me to take a few wobbly steps forward. After a few minutes, I was zipping around with the occasional stumble. The more my brain was taken out of the picture, the better I could walk. The human’s muscle memory kicked into place, and even arms-down locomotion became second nature to me inside of an hour.
It’s terrifying how easily I can get used to being a predator. I guess I needed to, but still. Time to tour the apartment objects, and see if I can figure out why I was placed in this Terran’s body.
I strolled back to the bed, which had a human-sized indentation on it. My gaze was drawn to an empty bottle on the nightstand, which seemed to be for pills, judging by others like it with tablets inside. My hand grabbed the container, pulling it toward my eye so I could attempt to read the label. I wasn’t sure whether reading the predators’ lexicon of harsh scribbles would be possible, but the meaning jumped into my brain as if it were in Krakotl. These were sleeping pills that were picked up yesterday, and yet the bottle was completely empty. The bushy strips of hair over my binocular eyes furrowed, as I found a folded up note behind the empty bottle.
“To Caleb, who I know will find this. I’m sorry,” I read the untidy scribbles with disdain. “This was the only way I could be sure this would be the end, and not leave a mess for you to clean up. Try to understand my decision…and know it wasn’t your fault. The truth is, the world is better off without me, and I can’t live with the knowledge of my own inadequacy and selfishness. Whatever waits after my last breaths on Earth, I know I’ll be happier there than I was here.
Your loving brother,
Nathan.”
My eyes widened with surprise, uncertain how to react to this revelation. Even the predator whose form I inhabited hadn’t wanted this identity? I could sympathize with that, though I hoped I wouldn’t be trapped here long enough to resign to suicide. Then again, its reference to inadequacy was more likely recognition that it would be put down for its weakness—of course I couldn’t get a strong predator’s form. How was I supposed to survive here for any length of time, or hold my own in combat? My physical awareness would have to extend to unseemly areas I didn’t want to look into.
I placed the note back on the nightstand, uncertain what I was supposed to do with that shred of knowledge. So far, I’d already learned much more about a human’s inner workings and feelings than I ever would’ve wanted to. It would’ve been better if Nathan had succeeded in its quest to terminate its unholy mortal coil, rather than passing the torment of its self-serving desires onto me. Inatala, didn’t I understand enough of what it was like to be human for Gavin’s wish to be fulfilled? All I wanted was to go back to being a Krakotl, capable of love and decency.
I heaved a weary sigh. “Maybe, by seeing what it’s like to really be human, Gavin was hoping for me to grasp how miserable their lives are. Hello, universe? I get it.”
There was no reply from the heavens, just the continuing pain of my overused vocal cords. I missed my voice box, which could craft much more complex and pleasing sounds. I found an open bottle of water on the nightstand; outside of the current circumstances, I would’ve never put a surface blanketed in predator saliva inside my mouth. However, it wasn’t like flesh remnants weren’t already sloshing around behind this beast’s lips. That thought triggered a gag reflex, and I forced myself to swallow rather than spit the droplets out. Existence was revolting, thinking about how defiled every part of my body was.
I gulped down the water, trying not to think; it eased the parched pain. Why did I deserve to have to tend to a beast’s welfare, just to keep my soul alive? It was tempting to stuff a pillow over my head, and pretend that I was still back on my ship celebrating this planet’s eradication. What would my father think, if he saw what his son had come to? The thought of any prey sapient seeing me in this form snapped me out of my self-pity. A growling hum rumbled in my throat, as I considered how I could research Earth’s customs. By attempting to live like them, no matter how much I had to degrade myself, perhaps that would complete the terms of my punishment.
There’s a holopad over there. Hopefully it unlocks by facial recognition, so I can try to browse their violence-ridden internet and acquire information.
I grabbed Nathan’s holopad off the floor, and was impressed with myself for crouching like a natural Terran. This item could be the key to my success, deceiving the deceivers into believing I was like them. However, the device refused to turn on when my squishy fingertip mashed against the power button; I deduced that it required charging, and looked for a docking station. There should’ve been plenty of time to research how to be a predator, yet before I could work on reviving the electronic device, something pounded against my door.
What if the oppressive government was here to order me on a hunting patrol? What if it was a fellow beast that Nathan had challenged to a contest of dominance, and this was why it decided it was inadequate against its peers? I wished I’d looked harder for those weapons. Dive-bombing wasn’t possible in this form. My eyes surveyed my wiggly fingers, judging how easy it would be to strangle a Terran that was fighting back. I didn’t have a better idea, but as a predator, I couldn’t not defend my territory. Not answering the door wasn’t an option.
Bracing myself for a confrontation, I felt the human’s overused chemical instincts kicking into gear again. I drew a shuddering breath, creeping toward the door on certain feet. My hands wrapped around the handle to fling it open, before raising open-palmed in a defensive gesture. A predator with a similar skin tone to me was checking its holopad as it waited, but its head snapped up after a few seconds. Its horrific eyes froze my bravado in its tracks; it was foolish to think I could fight back, while harboring a Krakotl mind. The creature, however, hadn’t lunged at me. It looked more befuddled than hostile.
“Were you expecting someone else…?” the stranger prompted. “You haven’t forgotten your weekly coffee run with your brother, have you?”
“Um…no?” My pupils darted across the waiting human’s form with uncertainty, before it clicked with something I’d read in the suicide note. Oh no. It’s going to figure out in no time I’m not Nathan. “Caleb?”
“Yeah, that is my name. Let’s get going, before the lunch time rush. Hurry up.”
“I’m ready. Lead the way.”
The Terran bared its teeth, chuckling. “Put some fucking clothes on, Nate. No one wants to see you strutting around in your boxers.”
Caleb seemed to be referring to the fabric covering a region of my body I was more than happy was out of sight, left to the imagination. It seemed to be wearing more pelts than me to conceal its furless shape, though I had no idea where predators would store such things or how to use them. My “brother” narrowed its eyes, and pushed its way inside my lair. It grumbled some complaint about me needing it to dress me, before shoving two cloth pieces at me that it pulled from a drawer. I held the first one up, studying it; Caleb’s eye whites showed, as its pupils rolled back in its head.
Not wanting to earn the predator’s derision, I gauged from its attire that the largest hole was how I put it on, while the others were for my head and arms. I tugged the chest garment over my broad shoulders awkwardly, and struggled to wiggle my arms up into the sleeves. It felt like the neckline was pressed against my throat. The second item proved more difficult to figure out; was I supposed to hop both my legs into it? Caleb gawked as I tried to jump into it, while holding it upright. Curses spewed from my mouth, as I crashed onto the floor.
“Your shirt is backwards, but that seems to be the least of your problems,” the human muttered. “What is wrong with you?”
I grunted in pain, flipping the shirt around on my chest. “There, better? I’ve got this under control. It’s as easy as putting on a spacesuit.”
Krakotl spacesuits opened from the back to accommodate us, and were closed by pulling a latch on the inside. I decided to stay parked on my rump, bringing each leg compartment over my feet. It took several tugs and shifting my weight around with strained contortions, but I got the garment up to my waist. The two flaps needed to be sealed together, though buttoning the halves together proved easy with human fingers. How the fuck did Terrans get used to wearing all of this garb throughout their daily lives? I was relieved that I’d managed to get that requisite done, even though the hardest part was venturing off for a “coffee run” with Caleb.
What type of animal is coffee?
Caleb inspected me from head to toe. “Dude, zip your fly.”
“My what?” I asked.
The human blinked with exasperation. “The metal cord below the button, you know, by your junk? Pull it up, dipshit.”
I heeded its instructions, hoping that I was sufficiently buried in pelts now to pass its scrutiny. The sooner we could complete whatever vicious task it had in mind, the sooner I could return to hiding and studying my enemy here. It shook its head, before ordering me to put two shells over my feet. Though it was difficult to understand emotional displays in humans, Caleb looked somewhat worried by my behavior. That meant it didn’t wish to harm me, which was reassuring for my immediate safety. However, if it believed there was cause for concern, that meant other humans could start questioning my value to their domineering society.
While we were out on this excursion, I needed to act tough and emotionless, despite how jarring it was to be this close to a predator. Mirroring Caleb’s behavior could be the difference between life and death on Earth; I intended to survive long enough to be restored to my proper state of being.
A/N - Part 2! Narlem runs through panic and disgust, while trying to learn the total basics of being human, from walking to looking around. Our former Krakotl is terrified to be trapped on Earth, and worried about bloodthirsty instincts kicking in; he tries to test his emotions. He does find a dark note from "Nathan", showing that he has the ability to speak and write in human words, just in time to learn his brother Caleb's name.
How do you expect Caleb to handle Narlem...and what will Narlem do to "mirror human behavior" out in the world? After seeing "Nathan" unable to dress himself, what do you imagine Caleb is thinking?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!
Comments
Roger Coun
Caleb would probably be quick to forgive and excuse the completely out-of-it behavior if he discovered the empty bottle of sleeping pills. This story induces a higher degree of anxiety than I'm really comfortable with, it's hard for me to read this one.
gilean23
Heh Caleb tosses him an orange or something at the coffee shop and “Nathan” reflexively catches it and goes “Huh. Well that’s kinda cool.”
gilean23
Walking a mile in your enemy’s shoes does tend to give one a new perspective on their motivations.
Anthony Mears
when you say "happy ending" remember this is just days out from the earth being bathed in anti matter fire, then the extermination fleet being destroyed and the Krakotul home world being destroyedby the Arxur. I don't see a happy ending I do see your brother bear comparison though
Mr. Walker
I was hoping for more of a Christmas Carol ending. He runs around acting like a changed Krakotl patting dogs and human children on the head wishing all the predators a happy hunt!
Vladi Vladi
Chapter could’ve been longer or the feddie babble shorter, nothing really happened and with side-stories getting increasingly shorter which means less time to actually develop the characters and story I feel like the penance will be artificially absolved instead of organically. At least 6-7 chapters would be required for a slightly satisfying conclusion based on the pace. This is a Krakotl fleet warrior, a demonslayer, it should be a long process for his views to change
Unknown
My bet is that he's going to eventually settle and learn humanity isn't all bad. However, he's going to be in a city that's destroyed and his human body dies with it, sending him back to his Krakotl body. He'll wake up, question if it was a dream, only to literally be brought down to Earth by the Arxur. Against the instincts of the rest of his crew, he surrenders to human ground troops and is put into prison. Weeks later, Cilany's broadcast hammers home that he's everything hates: "An empathic-less predator driven by hatred, blood-lust, and pride. Proud of their ignorance and fear. Thinking themselves above all other species." Actually, not a predator. A monster.
Arkeilam
It is time for you to FUCKING KILL and EAT a COFFEE.
EliasArt2Life
OH NO… I totally missed that on my first time… 16 days to go… ooff!!! This is really, REALLY twisting the knife! Not only is he going to be a human, he’ll likely get to see the event firsthand.
Pay Me For NOTHING
Lmao, blending in really well buddy. Top notch act. Now, go and hunt you down some coffee!
jetpacksuperman
I wonder if he’s gonna discover he can throw/catch stuff really well
Adam Myers
Personally, I think he is the best candidate for the story, and as a rule I tend to oppose blindly hating characters. I call for specific species genocide only under the most extreme situations (I would genocide the Yulpa's before the Kolshians [culturally not biologically {basically, forced reeducation until they at minimum see human sacrifice as taboo}], because they will probably be impossible to convince not to sacrifice any representative we send them). Giving people the most benefit of the doubt you reasonably can is a good policy for this reason.
Reptani
Okay, this is REALLY fun to read. Looking forward to more!
Adam Myers
Soooo, I have been tossing around the idea of writing a Conan Exiles NoP crossover, if interested. I won't do it till I finish atleast one of the current series.
Space Paladin
It’s all in-universe fiction!
T___
Or good luck. The brother is likely to be protective.
Youre a swedekisser arent you
I also once more ask, are any of the characters here canon to the main story or are they all made up by the in-universe author?
GeneralLDS
ugh. i want more so bad
Tazeell
Ha! This is going to be one hell of an outing. That brother is going to be incredibly concerned even more so then he currently is. Bad luck having family show up though.
Amanda Chowning
There’s a few ways I could see this going: 1. Most likely (the obvious route) is they just switched places. There will be an overwhelmingly happy ending where they learn their lessons and each get their bodies back (our protagonist learns not the be a racist genocidal jerk, and the person he switched bodies with learns to value his life). I’m 90% sure this is how the story will end, and I’d be satisfied with that ending. 2. The protagonist is obviously in the human body, while the human is now dead. He’s not coming back. The protagonist will return to his original body, and there will be a human corpse left. 3. The human is still “in there” somewhere (essentially asleep and unaware, or less likely fully conscious). When the bird leaves the body, the original pilot will be there. While least likely, I think a variation on option 2 would be interesting. Everyone here is comparing this to Freaky Friday, and I definitely see it, but I’m also getting some Brother Bear vibes. While unlikely to happen, I could see him knowing the human consciousness/soul piloting the body is now passed on, and a deity giving him a choice at the end to return to his original body or stay in the new human one for the sake of his new brother- and him choosing not to leave an empty human shell behind. Whether or not he finds out that’s not really his brother, it would still be easier on him to have someone inhabiting his body than be left alone completely I think. And he may or may not ever know.
Dragon of the North
Yeah, I get the feeling that that will happen at some point during the morning (probably after Narlem tries to assault someone to try and show dominance and has to be held back by Caleb) and will constantly beg them not to "cull him for weakness" or something and then get very confused when they treat him with kindness and get him a therapist to work on his "anger management" and paranoia about being killed by doctors.
Neu5Ac
I'm gonna be real, if I went to visit my brother and he was struggling to remember me, how to dress himself, and common colloquialisms, I wouldn't be calling him a dipshit, I'd be calling him an ambulance.
Alekss Žukovskis
that was my favorite too
Byron Ritchie
Honestly if there’s any way to deradicalise a racial supremecist it’s probably this
Space Paladin
We will. Actually, I’m working on the first idea for post-NOP1 bonuses and I want to continue our main characters’ arcs on a personal level! NOP2 is also coming, with focus on where the ark ships went, political fallout from however this war ends, and possibly surviving human factions trying to chart a better path of uplifting and exploration than the Feds.
Space Paladin
Thanks!
EliasArt2Life
Well this is interesting. Narlem actually DOES have an “out” here. Just a risky one. The pills Nathan took. If Caleb finds out about them, he’ll think that his brother is still coming down from a drug overdose, and that’s why he’s acting weird, and forgetting the most basic of things. It would make Caleb pay extra close attention to Nathan, but might buy Narlem enough time to figure things out. Do I think Narlem will do that? No. It would be “admitting weakness” which he believes is a death sentence. I’m just saying that he does have an easy out from suspicion here. Narlem has some PRETTY BAD luck. He couldn’t end up in just any human’s body; it had to be one who was suicidal, suggesting that his life is likely majorly destabilized. Imagine relearning everything about life while simultaneously dealing with situations that drove someone to kill themselves. Final note; I thought of this in chapter 1, but now I need to say it. Narlem joined the Exterminators when he was 8. That means he could be anywhere from a child to an adult. Even if he IS an adult, his mental development is doubtlessly incomplete and distorted, so I would put him at about a mid-teen in mental development, at best. The continual mention of his Father, and seeking for his father’s approval, just confirms his underdeveloped mental state. Basically, I know how much chat likes to hate the Krakotl for the Extermination Fleet, but this is someone who’s mentally an adolescent, and has been transformed into what they consider a monster, has been cut off from their entire life, friends, and family, and now has to adjust to a new life that drove the previous soul living it to suicide. All of this for trying to prove his bravery to his father by staring down someone he had been told was a monster (even if he was heartless in doing so). Narlem never had any hand in firing the bombs. He manned comms. I’ll be honest, I find it a little hard to feel a rush of justice here. Narlem might have deserved to have his world view broken down, but I don’t think he deserved to have it broken down like THIS. Edit: I just noticed the detail regarding the date. This is REALLY twisting the knife. Yeah. He didn’t deserve this. The perfect punishment, but not the right crime to assign it to… especially if he doesn’t get to go back to his old body.
Crimson Eon
Just skipping work, as one does
Flinty Flakes
You know, I think that October 1st, 2136 is a Monday. Are 4-day work weeks the norm, did the weekends change to include Mondays, or did you just randomly choose a date?
Ondram05
Cant wait to see where this goes, this is great
Mr. Walker
At this point, I am surprised Caleb isn't dragging our problematic protagonist, Narlem, to the emergency room for a drug test and screening for brain-damage.
Mr. Walker
"That predator…Gavin’s wish must’ve been received by a wicked deity like Maltos." It was actually Tsathoggua. Gavin was on good terms with the gods of pre-human Hyperborea.
Adam Myers
I hope even after the mains eries is completed, that we will continue to get side stories and potentially a sequel.
Space Paladin
Poor Caleb, he has no idea what he’s in for. It’s always my pleasure!
Space Paladin
Glad you’re enjoying it so far!
Space Paladin
Of course, I’m glad you’re liking it! It’s good to try different and fresh things 😅
Pyroraptor
I'm excited to see where this is going, though I do feel bad for Caleb; its going to be hard when he realizes his brother is gone. Thanks for the chapter!
Nebnoc
I don't know why but I having Disco Elysium vibe.
Apogee
I think this is gonna be one of my favorite side story, right up there with Venlil foster parent.
S1nsational
I really pity Caleb. His brother is gone, and in his place is a lunatic alien racist. There's no upside to this.
StormTheSquid
I am dying of cringe from second hand embarrassment. I hope narlem can experience that lol
Anthony Mears
I had that thought. I went back and looked but the pilot that cursed him was named Gavin. but he is going to have to live through the attack from the other side.
John Benjamin Cate
Wait, there’s a time shift happening! Oh, I hope he has to see his Krakotl self being a monster! Seeing his body and begging it to stop what it’s doing!
BigSneppy
Sure is gonna be awkward if Nathan’s usual coffee order includes dairy
Youre a swedekisser arent you
I get the feeling that "Nathan" is gonna look like a complete asshole to everyone around him. Hell, he might end up getting arrested for attacking someone because he thought that would be the correct response. I look forward to seeing more if this racist dense bird!
Mutedmirth
Ok I'm loving this series so far! The awkwardness and sadness. Also I wonder if Nathan swapped bodies or is fast asleep due to the drugs while his body is being piloted? Hmm.
Sci-fi reader
Waiting for Narlem’s first coffee buzz.
NoblePhoenix216
This is quickly becoming one of my favorite series. It's fun and unique. Thanks SP, this chapter was quite comical at time 😆
Lord Tvlor
Caleb must think he’s high or something. Or just fucking with him, anything is possible with brothers.
Anthony Mears
3rd convenient Nathan and Narlem are simular names. chapter 1 was October 17 and this is October 1 so there is a 16 day time shift into the past. this gives me several ideas. what if...
Moon_Furr
yummy
Rusty Deviant
First. Oooh October 1st, he’s gonna really be in for a shock. Poor Caleb though has no idea what happened to his brother
