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The Nature of Predators 98
🕑 Added 2023-03-10 12:01:00 +0000 UTCMemory transcription subject: Slanek, Venlil Space Corps
Date [standardized human time]: December 5, 2136
Marcel made the decision to move deeper into the tunnels. The further we got from my blood trail, the less chance we had of attracting Arxur attention. The human did everything in his power to disinfect my wounds and mask their scent. It was stressful to realize the atrocities occurring aboveground, as we camped amidst relative serenity.
All it would take was one Arxur patrol to flush us out, scouring the sewers for hiding souls. Regardless, once the city was scraped dry, antimatter bombs would descend on it. Time was running out with finite certainty; we would be dead one way or another. General Birla seemed to be losing the motivation to carry on. If it wasn’t for her cheery son, I think the Tilfish officer might’ve given up.
Marcel fished into his pack, offering Birla a handful of berries. “You haven’t eaten in days. Let me guess: you don’t want predator food?”
“I…I want Virnt to eat,” the Tilfish general offered half-heartedly. “Please give my portion to him.”
“Not happening. Virnt needs you at your best, huh?”
“Dammit, human. We don’t have enough!”
I forced a confident ear flick. “Marcel packed plenty of food for his fat ass. I’m sure we have enough to go around.”
“My ‘fat ass?’” the human growled. “I’m not the one who ate an entire can of Pringles during our board game session.”
“I like salt! That was one time!”
“The fact that it happened once is enough.”
I huffed in irritation. How could Marcel bring that up at a time like this? The Terran soldier extended his hand to Birla again, and she gazed into his hazel eyes. The insectoid relented to her hunger, snatching them away with a greedy leg. She wolfed them down in a single gulp, cramming them into her mandibles.
Virnt crawled up Marcel’s arm. “Humma, what’s a Pringle?”
“It’s a salty crisp made from potatoes. You’d like it, kiddo!” the vegetarian replied.
“Can I have one?”
“I don’t have any now. But…I got gummy worms.”
Birla and I both gaped at the predator, who blinked in confusion. Why would Marcel be feeding invertebrate animals to Virnt? I was confused why an herbivore human was carrying meat at all; perhaps my friend hit his head harder than I thought. Beyond the obvious moral issues, the cure would cause an allergic reaction within the Tilfish child. He couldn’t eat flesh, even if his mother was okay with it.
The insectoid general looked on the verge of tears. “Please…don’t feed him predator food, soldier Marcel. I’m begging you.”
“What? I got a vegan brand.” The Terran pulled a segmented cylinder, which was the color of Zurulian blood. He started to pass it to Virnt, before realization flashed in his pupils. “Shit…did you guys think it was an actual worm?! It’s just fruit juice and sugar—”
“That’s shaped to look like an animal?” I grumbled.
“Well. Yeah.”
Marcel hesitated, before offering the gummy worm to the Tilfish child. Virnt accepted the spongy candy, and giggled atop the human’s forearm. I knew my best friend tried to be mindful of predatory qualities, but even he had a difficult time realizing which facets might offend us. I accepted humans for the flesh-eaters they were; it was just jarring when my buddy reflected that cultural schism.
It’s clear my human was obsessed with bringing candy for the kids. I’m sure he was stressed enough making sure it was all edible.
My buddy rose to his feet, and beckoned for us to continue our trek. I hopped onto his back, unable to walk of my own volition. Dino was dutiful, sniffing the ground ahead of us. Birla guarded the rear flank, ensuring that nothing snuck up from behind. The Tilfish general and the human had grown more comfortable around each other. Unfortunately, in the insectoid’s case, weariness might’ve played a role.
I kept my eyes peeled, and tried to stay alert. The tunnels split off in various directions; Marcel was charting an arbitrary course. The predator plodded along with determination, as much to avoid Birla’s defeatism as anything. It floored me how he continued to radio the UN, despite an absence of responses. No answer was an answer of itself.
We reached another fork in the sewers, prompting a decision. My ears picked up on growling from our left; judging by Marcel stowing Virnt in his duffel, he heard it too. The human peeked around the wall, rather than running away as wisdom encouraged. I suppose he wanted to see if the Arxur had spotted us, and determine the possibility of us being tracked.
“God, Slanek. Those poor people,” my friend murmured.
I followed his piercing stare, and spotted a gray silhouette in the distance. It was crouched over a Tilfish corpse, chowing away. Other Arxur rushed around with cages, trapping insectoids inside. The faint cries were almost inaudible over bullet pops, but they were the unmistakable registers of children. Pity etched itself onto Marcel’s scarred face.
“I can’t go on. B-billions of my people dead…” Birla collapsed against a wall, buzzing hysterically. She stuffed a leg into her mouth to muffle the noise. “My home. Everyone has abandoned us, and my son and I are trapped here. Children, that humans have left to die, taken as cattle.”
Marcel hesitated, before removing me from his back. He crouched next to the Tilfish general, and wrapped an arm around her thorax. The human was gentle, pulling her head against his chest. Birla’s eyes widened in alarm, but she allowed herself to absorb his warmth. I could see the proximity to the Terran set her instincts ablaze.
The red-haired primate stood abruptly. “Fuck it. Let’s go save the kids.”
“W-what? But you—” Birla began.
“We’re going. Slanek, stay here. I’ll give you my sidearm.”
I thought about arguing with him, but his resolute scowl told me his decision was final. Clasping the gun between my paws, I huddled against the wall. The shallow sounds of my breathing mixed with the background noise. After waiting for Marcel to charge off to rescue the kids, I inched closer to his new position. My injuries wouldn’t prevent me from picking off a gray or two.
Dino bounded into the fray, eager to get his jaws on an Arxur. Birla had life in her steps too, as she followed my human’s path. If we were doomed to die on Sillis, what better way was there to go down? We could save kids from becoming a monster’s plaything; we could help their parents defend them. The grays were shooting at something, so some insectoids must be fighting back.
I scooted along the floor, and drew close enough to see who was putting up a defense. Tilfish exterminators were mounting a desperate stand, spraying flames at the Arxur. Only two of them were still living, and they had been separated from the children. As much as I hated these bastards at the extermination office, this was a good thing they were engaged in here.
“What the—” One exterminator gasped, as an Arxur was shot from behind. His compound eyes focused on Marcel, who was firing on the grays. “Humans? No…they left us.”
The Tilfish predator-killers looked terrified, but their flamethrowers steered clear of Marcel and Birla. Virnt’s mother channeled her own fury, gunning down grays at point-blank range. The Arxur backed away, shielding their caged prizes. The exterminator who had spoken before shouted to my human, and begged for the kids to be saved. I was surprised he would voice such a request.
I guess the Terrans look downright nice next to the grays. Though, I wouldn’t trust those Tilfish not to torch Marcel the second this is over.
The human lunged forward, and ducked behind a fallen Arxur corpse. My friend utilized the gray’s body to absorb incoming bullets. The peril he was undertaking perturbed me, but I was confident that this wasn’t a suicide run. However, that changed as Marcel’s eyes suddenly darted to his pocket. Amidst gunfire, was the vegetarian paging the radio again?! The UN weren’t coming to our rescue; Tilfish children meant nothing to them.
“Have to help,” I wheezed to myself. “Move!”
It took painstaking minutes to advance, until I was almost to the conflict zone. My injuries were cause for absolute self-loathing; why did I have to be a wounded liability? Hugging the sidearm, it took conscious effort to map out the battlefield. There were eleven Arxur total, following my friends’ kills so far. That was a lot for one human and three panicked Tilfish to manage.
Matters took a turn for the worse, as two grays circled off down the tunnel. They were heading right for my position, and had evaded Marcel’s notice. I could tell from their flaring nostrils that they’d scented me. If I distracted them for a while, that improved my human’s odds. My forearms raised the gun, popping off three shots.
Each bullet missed by a long shot, earning sneers from the grays. One soldier licked its lips, and smacked the gun out of my paws. Absolute terror coursed through my veins, as its teeth hovered a hair from my throat. I was all too aware of my vulnerability, and my instincts were a suffocating fog. My desire was to scream, but I couldn’t open my mouth.
“You scared, stupid animal.” The lead Arxur traced a claw across my throat, and pressed its other arm into my sternum. “A delicacy like you—”
A blur of motion appeared in my periphery. A brown ball plowed into the filthy carnivore at full speed, stabbing claws straight into its throat. The Arxur staggered away from me, while its knees buckled under it. It gave disbelieving gargles, sensing its life ebb away in a second. The creature clinging to its neck was a Gojid, and my savior looked deranged.
The Gojid dismounted, locking his claws in front of him. He met the Arxur’s challenging stare, and positioned himself between me and the monster. Those rich brown quills sported a pattern I’d know anywhere; it was one I’d last seen trying to execute my friend. Absolute hatred spurred me to my feet, and I screamed in a blind rage.
I hurled myself at Sovlin’s back, with anger granting me the strength to lunge ahead. The Gojid’s spines warded me off, but I barely felt the pricks. This monster treated my friend like an animal, placing a shock collar around his neck. The cruel captain inflicted agony for kicks, and disfigured him for life. The residual trauma still affected Marcel to this day, no matter how he tried to mask it.
“The Arxur, you dumbfuck!” Sovlin hissed. “You can do what you want with me after I deal with it.”
A gunshot rippled down the tunnel, a thunderclap that snapped my outrage. A bullet sailed through the back of the gray’s skull, and ended its life in an instant. The kill was courtesy of a Yotul, who looked pleased with himself. I didn’t understand how either alien ended up here, but I was hoping the Gojid would end up in an Arxur cage.
The Yotul chuckled to himself. “Too slow, old man! I dealt with it.”
Pained grunts echoed down the hallway, distracting me. Sovlin sprinted off before I could finish him, and the repugnant Arxur had taken my gun. Logical thoughts be damned, I’d execute that sadistic fucker even if he meant to help now. The level of hatred I felt for him was unrivaled; it was unfair that Earth let him off the hook for his unthinkable crimes.
A limping human ambled down the hallway, and a series of curses ensued. Confusion took over, as I recognized Tyler’s towering stature. The blond Terran was taking ginger steps, while his teeth were gritted in pain. I had spoken to Marcel’s friend over messaging services, after the Battle of Earth. Both of us shipped out of the system days later, and I hadn’t heard from him since then.
Why the hell is he here? Tyler was assigned to a ship…did he crash? I wondered. More importantly, why the fuck is he with Sovlin?!
“Hey Slanek,” the massive human grunted. “You rang?”
I glowered at the lumbering predator. “What the fuck? WHAT THE FUCK?!”
“I can explain. First off, I want you to know that I did kick his ass. Secondly, Captain Monahan personally requested me for my alien expertise, then placed Sovlin under my command. So really, it’s her fault.”
“I thought you were Marcel’s friend! Why would bring that fucking monster anywhere near him?”
“Because he was the best man for the job,” the Yotul chimed in. “Sovlin’s an arrogant prick, but we wouldn’t have gotten to you without him.”
“Who the fuck are you?”
“Onso. Thanks for asking.”
Tyler steadied his gun, and limped a few steps closer. I picked Marcel’s sidearm up from the sewer water, not wanting to be unarmed. My human had gunned down several grays, while utilizing his unconventional cover. The corpse shield helped him to press ahead; he was unwilling to let the Arxur captors get away.
Birla had formed ranks with the Tilfish exterminators. The three insectoids were combining flames and bullets, picking off one gray at a time. Two enemy survivors with the cages were retreating, and that forced my human to shed his corpse shield. Marcel needed to advance more quickly; that meant throwing caution aside.
Sovlin rushed up behind him, and strained to catch the longer-limbed predator. The Gojid’s cheeks were puffed out with exertion, but he wasn’t slowing down. Was that monster trying to kill Marcel, this long after our escape from his ship? I didn’t understand why Tyler violated our trust by bringing that spiky freak. A true friend would’ve done us a solid and executed Sovlin.
Could’ve just slipped him some meat. Allergic reaction, and it’s done; that omnivore cure might be good for something.
“MARCEL, GET DOWN!” the Gojid roared.
The human slowed for a second, and that gave Sovlin enough time to tackle him from behind. I realized that the Arxur had set up a sentry turret; they intended to gun down anything that passed through this area after their sweep. The monsters activated the device, as they retreated past it. Bullets zeroed in any motion in an automated stream.
Sovlin hugged Marcel’s head against the shallow water, and shielded my human with his own body. Blue blood spurted from his back, as bullets clipped his spines. An entire row was ripped out, causing the Gojid to scream in agony. Despite the pain, he never wavered from his spot. As long as the duo stayed against the floor, they were below the turret’s sightline.
The Tilfish hit the deck as well, before they could attract the gun’s ire. Tyler retrieved his grenade launcher, though he had minimal ammunition in tow. The blond human balanced on one leg, and lined up his shot with careful precision. A projectile sailed down the tunnel, converting the turret into fragmented shards.
Sovlin struggled to his feet, and extended a clawed paw to Marcel. Tears glistened in my human’s eyes; I could see him biting his lip. The primate threw his hand into the Gojid’s grasp, avoiding his gaze. The callous captain tugged my friend upright through sheer willpower. Blood was still gushing down Sovlin’s back, but he wasn’t stopping for first aid.
“Shit! We lost the fucking kids,” my human growled. “And you…I’m not even going to ask.”
The Gojid touched a paw to his bloodied back. “I know you don’t want to see me.”
“No shit! Tyler didn’t mention a thing about you, because he knew I’d be pissed. Fuck! Do you have a ship?”
“Yes.”
“Hey, exterminators? I’m sorry that the grays took so many of the kids. You and the civilian survivors want to come with us, off this rock?”
The flamethrower-wielding Tilfish shifted. “Yes, predator. Your occupation was better than theirs.”
“Okay. Get these people and my friends to safety, Sovlin. You do that, and I’ll tolerate you for that long.”
Onso propped me up, as the rest of the procession made their way toward us. I still wanted a piece of Sovlin, but I couldn’t get over the fact that he’d saved Marcel’s life. I decided I wouldn’t go after the Gojid until we were clear of Sillis. Between the vegetarian’s head injury and my blood loss, neither of us should be flying.
The most important thing to me was my human’s survival; a universe without him was a dark place. If Sovlin was our ticket out, then so be it.
A/N - Part 98 is here! Marcel tries to stop the grays from taking Tilfish children, and nearly gets himself and Slanek killed. Sovlin arrives just in time to save the day, but Slanek is incensed by his arrival. Is our Venlil narrator right to be angry with Tyler? Will it ever be possible for him to forgive Sovlin's crimes?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!
