r/NatureofPredators

Transcription memory, subject: Lyra, Commercial and cultural exchange program 

Date [Standardized Human Time]: February 06 , 2137 (two months after the incident)

"That was the last one..." Marcus pressed his own back, making it crack, releasing some tension.

...

...

...

"Lyra?"

"When I arrived, I couldn't sleep the first night. I told myself more than once that as soon as dawn broke, I would pack my things and fly back home." I was standing in the middle of what used to be my living room, now dark and empty, only the echo stayed. "And now, I'm telling myself that maybe I should stay..."

"You don't have to leave if you don't want to. I'm sure the boss will be happy to take you back if you ask, maybe even hire you permanently like he did with others." Marcus helped me with the last box, one in which I put everything I had no idea how to categorize and probably won't know what to do with when I unpack.

"I can imagine many reactions from the boss, but happy isn't one of them..." I said sarcastically.

"Well, maybe not happy, but I don't think he'll reject you either."

"He said something like that too, but I don't know, I think I'd like to take a break. Go back to Skalga, try to do things right this time... Also, I told Ozzy I'd show him my planet, I'm sure he'd love naps in the sun. Right?" Ozzy was still exploring everything he once called home, sniffing every corner as if it were the first time. His tail wagged with a feeling other than joy, something I don't think had ever happened before, but seeing me brought him a certain comfort.

"Does your mom really approve of you keeping Ozzy? Last time she..."

"I don't know if she agreed, but she accepted to host us both. I told her: MOTHER, THE GALAXY IS NOT WHAT YOU THINK. FEAR WILL NO LONGER BE MY LIMIT. I left her with no other option but to accept."

...

"Did you really say that?" Marcus said skeptically.

"Of course." I replied with absolute certainty, to which Marcus only raised an eyebrow.

...

"Well, that was the gist of what I told her." I don't know why no one ever lets me have my moment of glory. "The truth is, we argued a lot after the incident. She stayed with me for a couple of weeks trying to convince me to run away with her; it wasn't easy, but like everything, she got used to Ozzy, and Ozzy got used to her. She even agreed to leave the house a couple of times." Actually, Ozzy and Mom used to avoid each other at home. Mom didn't like seeing Ozzy eat, bark or open his mouth in general and Ozzy didn't like Mom's constant complaining, so they avoided each other as much as possible. If we go to her house, this dynamic will probably repeat again and honestly, I think it's for the best. "In the end, she just gave up trying. The last time we spoke, I asked her again if we could stay with her for a while, and she resignedly agreed. It's not much, but I think we're making progress."

"At this rate, she might be able to have a full conversation with a human," Marcus joked.

"To be fair, you laugh too loudly. You even scared me the first time you did it."

"I can't help it, I'm this way I guess." Marcus just shrugged before leaving the house with the last thing he needed to carry. "Are you coming?"

...

...

...

"J-Just… Give me a moment..." This house wasn't mine; it was just part of the incentives to get more people to join exchange programs on Earth. I always knew this moment would come and yet I couldn't believe I'd actually completed the exchange program... I didn't want to believe it. It was small, with thin walls, poor sound insulation and the insects frequently got in, but I still really grew fond of it...

Watching the sunset in the backyard, having a movie afternoon with friends or simply being able to sleep peacefully on a planet where we were always told that wasn't possible... It was great while it lasted…

Even the night before, with my tickets bought and all my things packed, I tossed and turned in bed wondering if this was the right decision.

"You'll always be welcome..." Marcus, with a gentle touch, helped me find enough comfort to step outside.

"...Come on Ozzy, we still have things to do." With that said, I left the house and that door closed forever.

Ozzy was still looking at all our things in the back of the truck and then at me, waiting for an explanation. It wasn't that I hadn't told him this moment would come, but maybe, like me, he thought it would never arrive, maybe he needed it explained to him in a way he could understand or simply he never really paid attention to a single word when I explained it. Well trying it now would only make my eyes well up and my voice break. He'd have to figure it out as he went along.

"So... you're sure all this is staying here?" Marcus said, giving a final adjustment to the stack of boxes and some furniture I'd bought during my time on Earth. I knew I'd have this problem sooner or later if I bought too much stuff, but some of the deals were so good I couldn't resist.

"You promised you'd keep them for me, you can't go back on your word now." The price of taking them on a regular flight was outrageous; the best option was to ship them little by little via regular parcel service. I just had to figure out where I would settle permanently after my sabbatical. Returning to Earth permanently wasn't out of the question either, but I hadn't decided yet.

"It's not that, I'm just saying it's too much and if you forget something, I won't be able to carry it for you like I always do." Marcus opened the driver's side door and got in. I thought I'd only done that just a couple of times, but judging by his voice, it might have been more than that...

"I've got what I need... I think."

"Lyra..."

"I packed what I thought I'd need, but you never know." I got in the truck too. Ozzy, who already knew the routine, jumped in and squeezed between us to the back seat. "Besides, if I need anything, you'll have a reason to come to Skalga. I'll give you a personalized tour in return." I said with a chuckle, though he just remained serious, thoughtful...

...

"I promise I won't bother you more than necessary..." Sometimes I feel that humor is the biggest barrier between species...

"You know, when I entered the exchange program I felt like I was making a difference, I felt like all of you needed me and the other humans to overcome your fears, to be better; but seeing all of you now... I don't know, I feel like we always underestimated you, that maybe I'm the one with the narrow vision." 

Well, in the literal sense, humans have very narrow peripheral vision.…

...

Marcus and the other humans I know are capable of more than I could ever imagine and yet for some reason they always seem dissatisfied with what they've done so far. Until recently, a Venlil could consider their life successful if they had a job, a family, a clean record with the exterminating guild and could die in any way other than being devoured.

"None of us would be where we are today without the help and patience of all of you. "Don't underestimate your own merit."

"I'll put that on my resume..." Marcus replied with a bitter laugh as he started the truck. "... Maybe I should work for that Jones. You could recommend me since you're friends, don't you think?" He let out a laugh louder than the truck's engine.

"You're joking, right?" I couldn't believe Marcus's level of cynicism to say something like that. "If you ever dare to do something like that, I swear by the stars I'll never speak to you again." Maybe I was exaggerating, but he knows perfectly well what I think about her. It's the worst joke he could possibly make.

"I don't know, I think that serious style with sunglasses could suit me very..."

My response was a flick of my tail against his seat, as quick as a whip.

"Okay, okay, message received..." A bead of cold sweat trickled down the side of Marcus's forehead. This was something serious and now he knew it. I miscalculated my punch once and judging by the mark left on his arm afterward, he'd never forget that feeling. "Do you hate that woman that much?"

My tail swung, ready to strike again if necessary, but the truth is I was trembling; the mere memory made my wool bristle.

"I don't know where or how, but I feel that human is still following me, watching what I do and listening to what I say." A shiver ran down my spine till my tail just thinking about it.

"Are you serious?" The laughter and jeering stopped completely.

"For example, the other day I said I'd like to buy a curling iron for my wool, now all my ads are about hair curlers. That can't be a coincidence."

...

"I don't think that's military espionage, just... regular espionage..." Marcus said somewhat uncomfortably, without taking his eyes off the road.

“No… She’s out there, watching and listening to everything. Mocking us all… I know it.”

Going back to that day at the rescue camp. General Jones was just waiting for my answer to decide our fate, even though we all knew that the possibility of choosing was nothing more than an illusion. "No matter what you do, the result will be the same." It was something Nerion had said at the time… and Jones also said.

Even so, my pride prevented me from accepting it. A "No" just escaped my lips without even thinking. I would have liked to say that I was able to remain as firm as my voice, but the truth is that my legs could barely support me, partly from exhaustion and partly from the anxiety those eyes hidden behind dark glasses caused me. At least I wasn't alone in this; the boss and Maaro didn't hesitate to support my decision.

…

…

…

After a moment that felt like an eternity, Jones let out a long sigh, followed by a condescending smile and a "I can work with that..." Then she ordered the last transport ship to prepare for takeoff. "We'll meet again for the official report, Miss Lyra..." It was the last thing she said before ordering her men to escort us to the ship. 

In the middle of the camp, Jones remained, overseeing the dismantling of the ship that had managed to get us out of that disaster. Now, the only proof that things happened as they really did was in my head and I wouldn't let that truth die. I'm sure Jones knew this and yet, in her infinite arrogance, she still believed that somehow, I would change my mind or even attend the official report. There was nothing in this world or any other that she could do to make me change my mind. Or at least that's what I told myself to calm my troubled mind.

…

As soon as things calmed down and I was able to go home, I charged my pad and among hundreds of missed calls and worried messages from my co-workers, one message caught my attention.

"A gift for the trouble caused." A message with no sender or image said. I couldn't even say "what" before a transfer notification was added to my pending notifications list.

…

Lured by the tempting bait, I checked my account and a beautiful six-digit number appeared. It wasn't as much as the bribe Jones offered me, and I refused by the way, but it was still an amount of money I'd never seen in my account before, tax-free and entirely mine.

As the responsible adult I am, I immediately paid all my outstanding bills, and even indulged myself by buying everything I had in my shopping cart. I didn't know if this money was a mistake and Jones would try to get it back, so it was better if there was nothing left to claim. Again, I felt like I had beaten that human.

In the end, six digits wasn't as much as one might imagine. With just one impulsive click, the numbers dropped by tens to five digits, then to four and finally to three. If I wasn't careful, blinded by euphoria, I could end up even more in debt than I originally was… So, I accepted that it was time to stop and humbly acknowledge that fate was finally smiling on me. If Jones takes back this gift, at least I enjoyed a part she will never get it back.

That night I went to bed with a feeling I don't used to have, as if nothing could ever worry me again. I had won... Even if what Jones said was true and we met again for the official report, she had nothing left on her side to make me change my mind, not even fear. I had seen it from so many different ways that at this point, nothing could affect me anymore. Or at least, that's what I thought…

...

Humans are truly creative when it comes to being terrifying...

The next day, it was time to go to work. I was waiting outside, ready to be picked up by Marcus and the rest of the guys. There was a lot to do, courtesy of Nerion, and very little time if we wanted to be ready for a new exchange program. As far as I was concerned, regardless we rejected Jones's bribe, the farm's certification was already a done deal, so the logical response was to reopen as soon as possible. Now, with SC approval, the reputation the place had begun to build and the great teamwork of the boss and Maaro, the farm was only going to grow.

…

…

…

I waited and waited, but Marcus didn't arrive... That had never happened before, so I couldn't help but worry. Instead, a truck, more imposing than any Maziq and in a color only the emptiness of space possesses, pulled up and a deep voice ordered me inside. I don't know why, but something about that authoritarian tone made me obey without question. When I finally could process what was happening, I was already inside the vehicle.

"What is this? Where are you taking me?" I said to the human driving. The dark glasses that hid his eyes made it hard to get an idea of ​​what he was thinking.

"I was ordered to escort you to your workplace." The human didn't even bother to turn around and his voice was completely emotionless. "General Jones wishes to keep her assets secure."

"Jones? Did she order this for all the members of the farm?"

The human just kept driving. The interior had every comfort a vehicle could possibly offer, and yet there was no way to calm my anxiety. I asked them to open the window; Ozzy always likes the cold air hitting his face for some reason, but the human just turned the AC on full blast.

I suppose it made sense that she wanted to protect us all after what happened, so I decided I would just accept it and do my best to enjoy the comforts that this vehicle, a product of all human engineering, had to offer.

When we arrived at the farm, I was quite surprised to discover that I was the only one in such a flashy and ostentatious vehicle. What I had expected to be a triumphant entrance turned out to be nothing more than an arrival shrouded in judgmental stares and an awkward silence. I tried to ignore it, to convince myself that perhaps it was merely a courtesy for everything I had done, but it wasn't the only day it happened or the only thing Jones had prepared for me.

When the first delivery of everything I had bought arrived, a note accompanied one of the packages.

"The press conference will be at the end of the week, we're counting on you," the note read. "P.S. we changed the color you requested for your new mini oven; this one matches your kitchen better," it said at the bottom. How did they know the color of my kitchen?!

And not only that. My feed was flooded with Terran news and propaganda. Every three posts she was there; in an article with her special forces, giving a conference or any other activity where she was present. It had nothing to do with me, but that human's face was on my device's screen basically all the time with that sharp, malevolent stare hidden behind her dark lenses... I only caught a glimpse of her real eyes for a brief moment when she adjusted her glasses that day I met her but it was enough to never forget them. Now that is all I can think when I see a photo of her.

This became my routine. The longest week of my life...

Everywhere I went, I saw one of those black vehicles. Whatever I said was immediately reflected on my social media feeds, accompanied by more articles about the human forces. Apparently, there were as many of them as stars in the sky, and in almost every one, the General Jones appeared in one way or another, either in the center of the image or among the crowd. Always, always watching…

On the day of the press conference, a black vehicle came to pick me up. I had stayed in Marcus's house in an attempt to avoid Jones's men, but as I feared, it didn't work.

The car just stopped in front of the house, they didn't knock or ring the doorbell, they knew, I knew... Words were unnecessary at this point.

"I'll go with you..." Marcus offered.

"No... I just want to be done with this." I grabbed my bag, containing only the essentials: my pad, some anti-nausea pills and a couple of bags in case the pills weren't enough. I took a deep breath and went out to face my destiny.

"Take care of Ozzy for me, okay?" I said, with a tremendous effort to keep my voice from breaking. "I'll be back, I promise..." I didn't want to worry Marcus or Ozzy more than necessary, but those words were really for me, an attempt to calm the trembling in my paws and untie the knot in my stomach.

It's funny how you become aware of certain things in moments like these. How the air fills your lungs, how the blood pumps through your veins with every beat of your heart, how real the good memories feel again...

I was so tired that I just wanted it to be over...

"What's the plan?" I asked the human behind the wheel.

He simply handed me a paper folder like the one Jones offered me back then and drove off without saying a word.

...

...

...

"What is this!?" I expected many things inside that and yet, I wasn't even close to guessing.

...

"Hey! Answer me."

"I'm not authorized to know what's in that document or to say anything about it." It was the closest thing to a real answer and the longest conversation we had that week. "And please, stay put."

I expected threats, blackmail... At best, another bribe. The document inside simply said, "The journalists are really eager to know what happened; try to answer all their questions. Good luck" What suppose that means?

…

I hate Nerion; everything that happened was his fault and I wanted him to pay. But besides that, the rest of what happened that day seemed blurry. I haven't been able to sleep a full night since that day and the only phrase that keeps repeating in my mind is, "I want all this to end already..."

Whatever the outcome, it seems I finally see the light in the void of space… that single thought calmed my troubled heart and the storm in my mind. By the stars! I'd forgotten how good it feels to be alive.

…

…

…

“Hey…”

…

“Hey…”

“Five more minutes…” 

"Wake up..."

A deep voice resonated deep within me; I almost fell out of my seat.

"Huh!? W-What? Who?" The place seemed unfamiliar to me and my heart raced again.

"We're here." The human said without even bothering to turn around. I was starting to think that maybe his field of vision was wider than it seemed. "They're waiting for you inside."

My surroundings became a little clearer as my eyes adjusted to the light; the beige interior of the vehicle reminded me of my situation.

"Thanks, I guess..." I opened the door and stepped out of the unnecessarily large vehicle, only to be greeted by two other humans who immediately bombarded me with information about what was supposed to happen while leading me toward the back entrance of a building somewhere. I guess it was a bad idea to have fallen asleep; I didn't even know where I was... At least it didn't look like some grim place where they'd lock me up and torture me if I didn't say what they wanted. That was something, I suppose.

"After this, it's over. Right?" I headed towards the vehicle one last time.

...

"Right?"

"Have a good day, Miss Lyra." Without another word, the driver accelerated as soon as the door closed.

…

…

…

"The conference will begin in 30 minutes, you will be seated next to..."

"You will be the last to testify before the SC representative closes the questioning session and..."

"We don't have a script for you, but we'd like to go over a few points..."

They wouldn't stop talking...

"Just let me know when it's my turn to speak..." I collapsed onto the first surface that looked remotely comfortable. Humans were bustling about, setting up what looked like a stage for a press conference; others were preparing to put on their best face when answering questions, some of them human, others representatives of the species involved in the incident and a last group were anxiously waiting for their turn to ask questions on camera. I just wanted to go home.

"Hmm... Miss. Would you like to go to the dressing rooms to get ready?" A human, quite young and somewhat nervous, approached me. "We have all sorts of products that might help with your unruly wool."

...

...

...

"Yeah, why not?" At least I'd look good during my worst moment.

"And would you like something to eat? We have a small buffet of..."

"Give me one of each..."

"Are you sure about that? I think some things might have..."

"Just give me one of each!"

"... R-Right away..."

I still didn't understand how there could be such different personalities within the same species.

At least I'm glad Jones put as much effort into these details as she did into harassing me all damn week.

+++++

"The return flight was scheduled for 6:00 PM on the day in question, but due to situations related to the evaluation itself, the takeoff was delayed until 6:40 PM according to reports..." A uniformed human stood before dozens of cameras and reporters, doing his best to maintain a positive demeanor while spewing out unimportant information.

"Unofficial sources claim that the takeoff delay was due to a decision by a member of the evaluation committee and former member of the exterminators' guild, which directly led to the cause of the accident. What do you have to say about this?" The reporters didn't hold back with any questions.

"Takeoff delays are common, especially on private flights. Regarding the incident, weather reports indicate an abnormal evolution of the storm that caused the emergency landing; it was impossible to predict such an outcome." Even so, the human seemed able to evade each accusation with great ease.

"Is anyone responsible under arrest?" A human reporter raised his hand.

In my mind, this moment was a lost cause for the SC and Jones' plans; no matter how they tried to handle it, there was no way they could hide what had happened.

"Each of those involved was temporarily detained to assess their health and provide their account of the events; however, no one is being held responsible for the incident."

To my surprise, they weren't hiding what had happened, at least not in the strictest sense of the word. They were telling half-truths, omitting key points but without letting that weaken the narrative. Every word made me oscillate between admiration for such ingenuity and indignation at the audacity to bend the truth. It really made me question how much of what I know is actually true...

"The navigation log indicates that there were three more passengers at the time of takeoff on the return flight, however, the information is unclear and the current whereabouts of these passengers are unknown. Why are you hiding this information?" A quite old Yotul asked.

"The additional crew members are part of the exchange program evaluated that day. The program director and two other members." The person speaking into the microphone spoke with such precision that the only conclusion I could think of was that this was all rehearsed. Honestly, everything seemed rehearsed to me now. "For security reasons, the identities of the ship's operational crew have been withheld and those three extra members. Their reason for being on board that day was to negotiate new agreements regarding the program and they are currently out of any danger." With one hand, that human pointed at me as part of his explanation and all the cameras focused on me for a moment. It was clear my turn to speak was near.

"Some reports mention that one of the crew members was a predator, a non-sapient predator." Reporter Harchem stood up to make herself known in the crowd. "Can you confirm that information? And if it's true, did it have anything to do with the incident?" She got straight to the point.

"I'm glad you asked..." The human in front cleared his throat. "The short answer is no, that had nothing to do with the incident, but since I'm sure my word won't be enough, today we're joined by Miss Lyra, a member of the exchange program in question, owner of the predator known as Ozzy and a key witness of that day."

Murmurs could be heard throughout the room.

"I'm sure she'll be able to answer all your related questions satisfactorily." He gestured for me to come closer.

…

"First of all, his name is Ozzy and he's with me." I snatched the microphone from the human's hands. "Yes, he's a predator. He can't speak, but he's far smarter than many I know. He would never hurt anyone (who didn't deserve it), and he had nothing to do with the incident. In fact, without him, the injured crew members wouldn't have been able to return safely." Wanting to cover up the truth was one thing, but wanting to blame Ozzy in the process was a new level of cynicism that I wasn't going to allow.

"Would you mind telling us more about why that creature was with you?"

Suddenly, the ears and tails of the non-human reporters perked up. Apparently, a story about a predatory crew member was more interesting than the suspicious crash of a ship carrying representatives of at least eight different species.

...

"Do you want me to tell you about Ozzy?" The recorders pointed in my direction, the camera lenses focused to get a closer shot of me, more than one leaned forward with great expectation and the place fell into absolute silence, as if what I had to say was the real reason why these guys came.

+++++

"And that's basically the story of how Ozzy and I met." I never got tired of telling this story. It was so clear and yet there was always some little detail that gave it a special touch. Just remembering it made my surroundings disappear and time cease to matter.

...

But judging by the reporters' faces, I think I got a little carried away this time.

…

…

…

"Any other questions?"

"Has that predator ever attacked you?" A Venlil reporter raised his paw.

"... No..."

"Has that predator ever attacked anyone else?" A Dossur had to climb on top of one of the cameras to be seen.

"...No..." Well, you could say that he has, but it was for justifiable reasons, so it doesn't count.

"Were you ever diagnosed with Predator Disease?" A krakotl in the audience puffed out his feathered chest as he asked, looking for something juicier to add to his note.

...

"Does anyone have any real questions?"

"I do..." A woman in the audience raised her pen, checking her notes one last time. "I understand that you and your dog assisted in the rescue of a small group of exterminators who went out to find help. Is there any additional information you'd like to add about that?"

...

That part wasn't omitted from the final report, but it was very, VERY shortened compared to what actually happened. I was still a little annoyed about that because I wanted to be the one to narrate that part. Besides it being my best moment, it was what I was going to use to expose the whole string of lies that Jones and his people had spun here.

…

I'm surprised she didn't take steps to prevent me from spilling the beans and saying absolutely everything.

"W-Well..."

Or did she?

"Is there anything else we should know, yes or no?" The reporter looked at me impatiently from over her glasses, tapping the tip of her pen against the screen of her personal device.

…

I got too confident...

From the day we left that camp, Jones's eyes have been on me, so why would today be different?

On camera? No, too far away. Backstage? No, I would have seen her when I arrived.

Her staff was the most obvious answer, but it didn't seem to be her style; after all, she went to the trouble of personally coming to our rescue.

It had to be somewhere, just like in the photos in those articles; the question was, where? My field of vision allowed me to see the entire scene and a little beyond it, yet I still felt as if I were blind...

Damn Jones, I was always at her mercy. She showed me her hand from the start because I never had a real chance to do anything about it. She was… No, she is unbeatable. This whole week was just a game to her and finally she was ready to make her final move. She was just waiting for my response.

"I ask you to please answer the question." The reporter insisted one last time.

I finally understood...

Those eyes... The eyes that only a true apex predator possesses and that she tried so hard to hide behind her dark glasses met mine once again.

"Are you okay?" A voice sounded from behind me. Everyone was waiting for my answer.

"N-No..." The words felt like they were cutting my throat as they came out.

"Excuse me?"

"I have nothing more to add." My claws dug into the lectern and the chatter of my teeth was faintly audible through the microphone. "It was just like they said... We all left on the ship, the accident happened, then the boss, Ozzy, and I went out looking for the crew members who went for help but couldn't get back. That was it..."

I felt dirty... All that talk about defending the truth only to end up letting them get away with it, but… I was so tired... I just wanted to be done with it all and go home.

...

...

…

“And in the end, Jones and Nerion got their way…” The memory still burned in my conscience.

"Damn..." That's all Marcus could say. That was all everyone else could could to say after hearing this story.

"I would have accepted the bribe from the start..." In the end, the truth does have a price... "I think that's partly why I want to leave Earth too, at least for a while. That woman has no authority whatsoever in Skalga." Although, if I took Nerion's words as truth, she'd probably find me wherever I go... I think in the end, it was best not to anger her further.

"You should have told me..." I rarely hear Marcus so serious. "I would have..."

"No! Nobody can do anything. I would have just dragged you down with me." Silence filled the air. "Sigh... At least it's over now. I think."

...

"... How about we forget about that and you enjoy your last day?" The vehicle began to vibrate slightly, a sign that we had reached the farm's cobblestone road.

…

“S-Sure” I expect many things from this day, but “enjoying it” is not one of them.

FIRST - PREVIOUS - NEXT

(Tbh this is to test if now I still get filtered by the anti spam systems)

What aesthetic would you have given the federation?

Overall my fren thinks the outer layer of the feds the mask as he refers to it would have an aesthetic sort of like china's "there's no war in basing-taiwan is not a real country" albeit with some UK(Idk why) sprinkled on there varying from planet to planet for more flavor

I responded with saying that when it comes to the federation military's aesthetic, no question that's just straight up IDF albeit a "bit"..censored from the general civilian population cause else they'd resemble the arxur way too much

————————————————————————————————————————————————

extra:we both agreed the arxur post betterment would've had an outer aesthetic mostly of atomic age america, combined with...Germany late 1930 to early 1940...

I wasn't satisfied with the way the last part of this crossover ended and I had a lot of ideas I still wanted to explore. These characters are, at their core, the same ones from the regular "Thawed." What we see here is simply how things could have turned out had Arthur not gotten help but instead was brought up in a society that turned all that self doubt and self hate he felt, outward.

Thanks to Scrappy for this fun little AU!

More regular Thawed will be soon to come!

For now I'm posting the link to my AO3 for this one, as it's a bit long for Reddit's tastes and definitely a lot darker than my regular work. Reader discretion is advised.

Story Here!

Part 1 Here

Lo digo pro cual fue la razón por la que entraron a este universo?

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Kav [Skalgan Venlil] [18]
Affiliation: Pact of Polaris
- Infiltrator
PACT Date Standard: March 10th 2136
- 11 Days since last log
Location: Starflight City, Nishtal, Krakotl Homeworld

Kav awoke sharply to the hum of his internal clock. Eyes slowly fluttering open as he takes in the roof of the apartment. A colorful artistic depiction of a mid-day sky on Nishtal lay above him. Rolling onto his side he saw the clock sitting on the cabinet next to his bed. His eyes wandered around the room, scanning. He knew there was little chance of there being cameras in here. But the constant vigilance helped keep him from getting too relaxed to let things slip. 

The Time on the clock read in Venlish numbers, though set to the Nishtal’s time cycle. A 27 hour day here. He woke up at exactly 0800 which means he got about 9-10 hours of sleep. A good amount, he was exhausted after the long flight to Nishtal. Ironically, much like how he and his infiltrators pretended to act, he sometimes couldn't believe this was real. His parents were in the other room, likely still asleep. They were there. They took him in, cared about him even after so long. He has a little sister. *He has a little sister.*

It was a lot to take in and five days of talking, catching up with the lives of his parents who were practically strangers to him now. His father was vaguely how he remembered him, stoic, quiet and when he spoke he had a certain gravitas that made you want to listen. But otherwise kind and caring. His mother on the other hand seemed completely different to how he remembered her. He wasn't sure whether that was due to his faulty memory or because she really had changed. She wore jewelry, krakotl jewelry to be specific. Dressed in Krakotl fashion with flowing scarves and tassels, has some wool paints in colors venlil eyes couldn't see to imitate the Krakotl’s feathers. At least that's what she told him about her fashion sense. She was far more outgoing as well, more than he remembered.

Compared to his father’s rather mundane attire which consisted of his wool and a bow tie, she looked positively garish. Though he kept those thoughts to himself. Getting up from his bed he felt the seconds ticking away. The idleness was starting to get to him. Checking the clock again, he saw he had spent 5 minutes simply rehashing his impressions of his parents in his head. He needed to do something. He double checked his door, it was locked. 

The whole concept of the lock being on the door made this seem even stranger to him. This was his room. His alone, not his squad’s room, or his platoon’s barracks. His sole room, a room for him and nothing else aside from what he desires to furnish it with. Even the Secretary General himself did not have a sleeping quarters all to himself. It was a waste of space, and yet it was the norm here in the federation. His room was very obviously hastily decorated. Used as an impromptu storage closet until his very sudden arrival into their lives. There were still some old boxes of files and other junk his family stored here. The bed being the obvious new addition with some generic posters put up to brighten the room. 

The posters didn't have any cameras, he checked. Neither did the plushie his sister gave him. A small plush venlil in a silver exterminator suit, minus the helmet. Little glass-like eyes that he thought might hide a camera, but checking they were simply stitched on. He carried that thing everywhere though. He pretended that the little doll made him feel safe. He just liked it though, it was his first real possession here in the federation. And it was given to him by his sister. He picked up the plush and brought it to his chest. Giving it a soft squeeze. A smile threatened to form on him but he fought the instinct, flicking his ears happily as a method to bleed off his emotions, and as practice to avoid grinning in the future. 

Kav put the plush back on the table next to the clock. Laying down on the ground, he began to do some pushups. Pushing up and down, he felt how weak his arms had become from the month of minor starvation and lack of movement to prepare their bodies to truly look like half starved cattle. He already started feeling exhausted after only a few pushups, and Nishtal’s gravity was far weaker than Pact Standard Skalgan gravity. It would take a while to rebuild his strength to what he used to have. 

Two hours later the sun began to rise on nishtal. The bright blazing ball of plasma slowly rising up from the horizon, a dull yellow star, a pale imitation of Polaris’ yellow supergiant. Kav ended his crunches, a hundred done and he felt exhausted. His arms burning. He got back up, and let himself cool off, standing by the window watching the city begin to awake with the morning rays of starlight. The cripplers– Krakotl civilians start to emerge onto their balconies and take flight. Slowly at first, one or two at a time. Then as the minutes pass on dozens join the growing flocks of multicolored feathers flying to and fro between the tall buildings. 

He heard a knock on his door at that moment.

“Kav.. It's time for first meal!” He heard his father’s voice, slightly muffled by the thin door. 

“C-Coming.. J-Just give me a moment..” He said, getting into character. Slouching, looking around nervously and taking short nervous breaths.

He unlocked the door and nervously peeked out, his father standing there with a look of warmth on his face, as if to say ‘its safe dont worry’ with nothing but a glance. That drove a dagger through his heart. His father cared, cared to make him feel safe, cared to bring him in and feed him after he was barely more than a stranger. He would get used to lying, Jones herself told him that. He just had to survive the first hundred stabs to his conscience, after that it would go numb. It was not a good thing, Jones said as much. But the needs must. And so must he.

“O-Okay uh..” He opened the door some more and took a step out. 

Stopping for a moment, and quickly grabbing the plush exterminator venlil. Pressing it to his chest, he returned to his fathers side. He felt keeping the plush on him would build his character of being scared, using it as a representative of safety. Also, his sister looked happy seeing him with his gift. So he killed two krakotl with one stone with this plan. 

“Cmon son. We still have some Strayu leftovers.” 

Kav nodded silently and followed his father to the private cafeteria in the apartment. A single small table with space for four individuals on each side. His mother and sister were already seated and looking over at him, his mother with a warm but sad expression and his sister with an oblivious happy ‘nothing is wrong’ gleeful expression that raised his mood. Her expression only brightened seeing him carry his little plush along with him. She knew nothing of what he supposedly went through, only that he was taken but is now returned as a big brother. 

“Kavvy! C'mon the strayou will get cold.” Niva said, shifting in her seat full of energy.

“S-Sorry i just.. I forgot I could-” He started but trailed off. 

He just took a seat and looked down at the break– First meal before him. A slice of warm strayou, reheated of course, with some jam spread over it. The rest was more disappointing. Raw vegetables, and a blob of greenish moss. He waited for his father to take a seat.

“Let us thank Solgalick, the Protector and Inatala for the meal we have been given today.” His mother began the prayer. They extended their arms to grab each other's paws around the table, each one holding the paw of the person to their left and right. 

“May they give us their blessings for the day, and bless us with great bountiful lives.” His father continued the prayer

“And may they destroy the evil predators so big brother kav wont need to be scared anymore!” Niva said looking over at him with an ‘i got you’ look. It took everything in him not to laugh at that. 

They all turned to look at him for a moment as Kav remembered he had to finish the prayer to gods he didn't believe in. 

“Uh- a-and may they… guide us through life and watch over us.” He recited, copying what his father said the day before when it was his turn to finish the prayer. 

They all bowed their heads, Kav mimicked them. Then they all let go of each other's paws and began to grab their utensils to eat. He grabbed his own utensils in his fist, no technique, no finesse. Merely stabbing the food with it like a brute. They were still ‘teaching him’ how to use them properly, and so he fumbled around with them awkwardly as he slowly stabbed a far too large portion of vegetables and tried to bite them off the fork.

Niva giggled watching him, he blushed– bloomed, feeling like a fool but seeing the happy expression on her face soothed the wound to his pride like a balm. He giggled back, the tension at the table going away slightly as Niva started to use her fork like him. It was adorable to watch.

“Niva use your fork properly please.” Mother said in a gentle tone.

“But Kavvy can't, so I need to be a good sister and make him feel at home!” Niva said, puffing out her chest like she's being a hero.

“It's fine Niva.. I'll learn to use it by watching you. Y-you know how to do it properly right?” Kav brought up, while he would like to see her antics a bit longer, it was a little distracting. 

“Yep! Mom and dad taught me how to do it properly when I was five! Watch closely, Kavvy!” She instantly turned her fork around and grabbed it properly.

Kav pretended to mimic her motions, watching closely as he grabbed it as close as he could to her but messing up on purpose. The whole display made the whole table brighten up, his parents watching the ‘cute’ display of him trying to learn from his little sister how to hold utensils properly. Is this what he had missed in his childhood? Small moments like this? 

Dinner went by after that with a far more positive atmosphere, the vegetables were palatable if strange tasting, and the moss was apparently a ‘krakotl’ specialty on their homeworld. It tasted weird but it wasn't bad, he could stomach it, though it certainly could use some salt, pepper, paprika or maybe a hint of olive oil and a hot pan. The best part of b-First meal was the Strayou with jam on it. Unfortunately Strayou was a Venlil specific dish and was unlikely to be found on Nishtal. Maybe he could try making his own version. Something to think of later. 

With First meal finished, everybody gathered their things to go to their duties. Niva gathered a satchel and her tablet to go to school, Father gathered up his larger satchel to go to work and mother was preparing to go grocery shopping, since they had gone for a week to pick him up and had to throw away a lot of their old rations. Lucky for her she had a day or two more off from her job to help him settle down. He on the other hand didn't have anywhere to go, or anything to do aside from his online class to ‘learn’ how to read and write. 

“H-Hey Mom…” The word felt foreign in his mouth even after five days. Half the time he almost said ‘drill sergeant’ or ‘sir’. Memories of Drill Sergeant Kelly’s stern yet warm guidance came to him when he did so. 

“C-can i come with you… to.. Get.. food?” He chose his words carefully. The word ‘ration’ might sound weird to them, or it might not. But he wouldn't risk it.

“Oh um.. A-are you sure Kav? Do you…” She paused for a moment. He knew she was trying to word this in a way that wouldn't insult him or make him feel bad.

“I-i dont want to stay.. Alone right now… B-Besides I-I should see how… normal life.. Works…” Kav looked down at his paws, the plush exterminator pressed to his chest. The statement was completely true, though the context was different than what his parents assumed.

His ‘normal’ life was daily exercise, drills, weapon practice, and intelligence gathering training. Theirs was school or work, getting food at a store, dealing with ‘money’ and the economy. He already had a crash course on how to navigate the complex world of capitalist economies, don't get credit if you can help it, save money etc. But he would need an excuse to ‘learn’ how to do it before he can put his practice into effect without drawing suspicion.

“W-well.. Of course you can come then. Just… If things get too much for you, let me know ok?” She pulled him into a hug, he was taller than she was by now, funnily enough he was almost taller than his father as well. 

“Y-yes ill let you know if… I need a break… O-or.. you know…”

“And stick close to me. Don't wander off or talk to strangers without me there.”

“Yes mom..” He felt like a cadet talking to his drill sergeant again. 

She broke the hug and looked him over. He definitely looked better than when he first stepped off that cattle ship, his wool was actually groomed and washed now. But he still had his short Pact standard cut, even if it grew out a tiny bit. As well as multiple visible cuts, bruises and the biggest noticeable wound is the burn scar around his neck. The wool was certainly not long enough to hide that and it was quite obvious, and would draw a lot of attention. 

“Hold on a moment Kav…” His mother walked into her room leaving him there. His father walked past with his Niva in tow. 

“Well, I'm off to work and to drop off your sister at school. Do call me if you need anything. You remember how to use the phone correct?”

Kav nodded. “Y-yeah just tap the green icon on the screen and select the one that says ‘dad’ on it..”

“Good, if you need anything don't be afraid to call.” He gave Kav a gentle pat on the back and left out the front door with his sister. 

A minute or two later his mother came back out of her room with a bundle of cloth. 

“Here, I had this back when we visited the shadeside on venlil prime all those years ago for your birthday… I cant believe It's still in such good shape after so long. But it should help cover your neck so people don't stare at your.. Neck.” 

She gently wove the blue scarf around his neck, once then twice and laying the long flowing scarf down his left side. The color was eerily close to Pact blue that he froze for a second, thinking this was some hint that she knew. But he quickly dismissed that idea, if she knew she wouldn't be giving a subtle hint that she knew. This was just a massive coincidence. 

He had a hard time remembering that day, he remembered something about a piece of clothing being too big for him and that he would ‘grow into it’ but he wasn't sure. The scarf was faded a little in certain spots, though in mostly good condition aside from some frayed edges. 

“I-I… Thanks.. It would make it easier to.. Not stand out too much…” he nodded, after all his neck burns would draw attention and likely be a strong indicator to everyone that he was one of very few cattle survivors. The news, thankfully, had censored them when they were reported on. So few would know him as a survivor.

“Now let's go. Stay close to me, and if we get separated or you get lost just call me on your phone or look for the nearest exterminator. They wear silver suits like the toy Niva gave you, just ask them to help you ok?”

He nodded. Before flicking his ear signaling yes “Y-yeah I understand.”

They left their apartment and went down the elevator to the ground floor. The streets outside were mostly barren aside from the various personal transports, boxy logistics vehicles, and a few other non-krakotl pedestrians. Most of the city's inhabitants, who were krakotl, traveled by flying above the streets in the ‘air ways’. Leaving the dirty ground for us who lacked aerial mobility. 

The walk to the grocery store was short, during which Kav looked around in the daylight. Saying that the city was colorful would be an understatement. Entire buildings were strewn with paint in a thousand different shades, forming murals that didn't seem to make sense, nor clearly show what was depicted. That was until he was reminded by his mother that krakotl could see far more colors than every other federation species. So the murals couldn't be fully comprehended by them. Balconies lined almost every side of the buildings and were draped with various flowers and plants. Apparently a pale imitation of the Kolshian homeworld which was known as ‘the garden’ to which the Krakotl were so culturally interlinked with. 

The vehicles were richly painted as well. Waste disposal vehicles were colored with flowers and treetops, passenger cars had dozens of colors in stripes that he could see. It was all an overlord of spectacle that made him aghast at the waste of resources it took to do all this. A simple two maybe three color paintjob would have sufficed to make things look presentable. Pact interiors were hardly dull bland grey, there were spots of color here and there, but this made the word garish feel inadequate in describing the sheer vibrancy of colors on display.

“Here we are, just up here.” He heard his mother say taking him out of his sightseeing. 

There was a store built into one of the large tall skyscrapers. It had a massive balcony a few floors up to which all the fliers seemed to land and take off from, above the balcony were the words “Quickwinds Groceries” in krakotl script. Though there didn't seem to be an entrance on the ground.

“How do we.. get.. In..” He asked softly. Looking over the front of the building and failing to spot a doorway.

“Oh the ground entrance is this way.” She said, leading him into an alley where a rather dingy, flickering sign saying “Quickwinds Groceries GROUND ENTRANCE” sat above a rather disheveled looking door. 

“Weird… Place for an entrance..” 

“Well this city was mainly built for krakotl and just added these to accommodate us! Aren't they generous?” His mother said with a cheery tone.

One look at the doors and flickering sign made the word ‘afterthought’ come up in his mind but he kept silent and walked inside. Past the doors was an elevator which was blocked off by hazard stripe tape with ‘out of order’ written on it. The tape looked very old and most of it was peeling off the walls. Next to the elevator was some dull concrete stairwell going up.

Without saying anything his mother led him up the stairs, they passed by Nevok who carried a few bags going down the stairs. The stairway was completely barren besides access doors. Finally they got to the third floor where the ‘main’ floor was. Entering through the door it was like entering a separate world. Color was everywhere once again, bright neon colors, small carts being pushed about by shoppers through isles that were jam packed with products. With feathered shoppers clogging every isle in sight. It was… quite the sight. His mother must have seen the look he was making as she flicked her ear amused.

“Come Kav lets get a cart and we can gather our groceries.” She led him forward towards the balcony entrance where Krakotl came and went in a never ending chaotic tide. No schedule, no timetable for when they would appear to get their rations, just a constant flow of them coming in and out like a never ending open faucet. 

They grabbed a small ‘cart’ which was just a basket on wheels to put their chosen rations into while they explore the store. His mother led him through the first isles of fresh produce. More of that moss which seemed to be extremely popular as there was a long line of krakotl going to get their fill. They waited in said line until it was time to get some. The moss being given out by a worker.

“Oh hello Miss Savala! Come back for some more of Nishtal’s finest holy moss?”

Savala… Was that his mothers name? It sounded familiar enough to be true. 

“Of course Malak! Can't have a shopping trip without picking some up. Give us one pound of the fine moss please.”

“Sounds good, Savala. Oh and who's him? A friend of yours?” Kav felt the krakotl’s eyes look him up and down. “He looks… like he's fallen down a few too many flights of stairs.”

Kav resisted the urge to express his displeasure visually and merely looked down at the ground.

“Oh he’s my son Kav. He has… Been away for a while and just moved in with us.”

“Oh well welcome to Nishtal Kav. Hope you can find your place here. If there's one for you.” 

Kav couldn’t think too much about the strange, veiled insult directed at him before his mother led him out of the line now with a large sealed box of moss in their basket. 

“T-they were… Strange..” He muttered to his mother… Savala… 

“Yes, they're always so friendly and welcoming! I remember when I first met them they wished me luck finding where I belong.” 

Maybe Kav was over thinking this, perhaps there was some cultural nuance he didn’t get yet. Better to wait for more information than to jump to conclusions from one interaction. He focused back on the shopping. They stopped by a few isles, gathering some fresh vegetables, a few fruits. Even stopping by the “Federation wide Stock” isle full of options from around the federation. The Venlil section was… Puny but it did have a single bag of ‘Strayu grains’ which made Strayu. He wondered if he could learn to make his own Strayu. 

While he had served a few times in the cafeteria and learned basic food preparation recipes in the survival courses, making bread, or Strayu shouldn't be too difficult to learn how to do. Plus it would be something to do in the time he has alone in the apartment until he feels comfortable asking his father to get him a job at the shipyard. 

“Can we… Grab this…” He spoke up for the first time in a while he noticed. “I wanna… Try making strayou…” 

“Oh uhm.. A-are you sure? Making strayou is extremely difficult. Plus you need a special Strayou forge to make one.” 

Strayou forge? That was new. Perhaps he had underestimated how difficult making foreign bread was simply because he had thought it was similar to pact bread rations. But they had an oven at home, surely that would work… but if not then it would be a waste. Best leave it for later.

“I.. Maybe later then… I should… Look up how to actually make strayou first…” He put the grains down, though with it being the only bag he hoped nobody would buy it before he figured out if he could..

His mother looked at him then at the grains. “Oh, put it in the bag. It'll be fun to see if we can make Strayou at home. If not, I'm sure we can turn it into something else anyways.” 

He smiled, stopped mid turning of his lips, and flicked his ear appreciatively. Grabbing the sizable bag and putting it into the basket. 

“T-thank you.. Mom.” he said genuinely. The warmth inside him making him want to grin ear to ear. 

“Oh it's nothing dear. If it makes you happy, a few credits for some grains is well worth it.” She hugged his side and he felt.. Happy. 

The feelings pushed him through the rest of the trip through the store. Stacking their basket full of strange foods and snacks. Some that had Pact ration equivalents, Baked goods that resembled cookies, cakes and pastries. Dried fruits like raisins. Dips for vegetables like hummus, and a few sauces that he thought might resemble ranch or ketchup but couldn’t tell if they tasted remotely the same. Most of it though was raw or preserved variants of base foods. He still found it extremely odd that everybody had to make their own food unless they went to a ‘restaurant’ which acted like a bar but for food and sometimes as well as alcohol. He thought it was very inefficient compared to a large well maintained cafeteria. 

As they walked around gathering supplies, he noticed he got many stares and side-eyes from the locals. It was to be expected he did look rather thin, underfed, and rough looking. Even with a week of eating well he was still on the skinny side. But still something about those looks made him pause. Each one didn't look… concerned. Perhaps he's just misreading them again, not like the Pact had much to teach them on the minute differences in expressions of every species. 

But he had a feeling they were looking at him judgmentally. It probably didn't help that he was still carrying his plush Exterminator venlil. Considering it was a gift from his little sister it probably seemed childish. Like cadets wearing their training armor and weapons and pretending to breach enemy bases in the Bio-domes. Finally with the wheeled basket full his mother led him to the cashiers. The line was long but it seemed to go by fairly quickly. He felt the need to talk to pass the time.

“So… Many options…” He whispered, in truth there were more options in one isle than the entire cafeteria aboard an arkship. And that was before they started cutting back on the more extravagant options lately due to rationing concerns. 

“Yes this is quite normal, there's all sorts of things to eat now. Don't you worry about having the same old meal every day.” She pulled him close and nuzzled his side. 

“That.. Would be nice..” He said lying. He wished he could have some standard Pact rations about now. The Unique taste of raw foods can only be interesting so often, and he was already craving some Spaghetti with meat sauce. Or a baked potato with cream and other dairy products that he will never find an equivalent here in a federation world. 

“So how are your lessons going?” 

“Good good. I think. Hard to tell how.. Behind I am..” 

“Dont you worry about that, your doing fine. I'm sure you will learn it all soon. You're a smart boy.. Man now. But if you think you need it, we can hire you a tutor.”

“I think I'll be fine for now… Im starting to remember some stuff…”

They got to the front of the line and paid for their supplies. Being put into thin plastic bags which he split carrying with his mother. Carrying three stuffed bags in one arm and his plush in the other against his chest. The walk down the stairs was easier than up even with the plastic bags. Though he still found something off about how out of the way the staircase was. As well as how undecorated and uncleaned it was. Unlike anywhere else in the store, dust and dirt were caking the floor here. Each step getting his paws dirty. Another thing he missed, his combat boots. Reliable pieces of faux leather and rubber that kept his paws safe from dangerous terrain. He worried at any moment there might be a piece of glass or sharp nail that would skewer his paw. 

“Hey.. Mom.. Do you think I could… get a job with dad?” 

“Oh?” She turned to look at him, interest in her eyes. “I.. Don't know you would need to ask him if there's anything available for your… Skill level. But I'm curious as to why there specifically?” 

“I want to help… Against the Dominion… Even if it's small, even if it's just… sweeping floors of the shipyard offices… It's something that may help end them for good…” He slowly made his voice quieter to add to the illusion. 

He was getting better at lying to them. He wasn't sure whether he liked that or not. 

“Oh dear.. How noble.” She sighed. “I understand, I know the feeling, somewhat. When you were… Taken, I wanted to sign up for the Space corps or the federation fleet. My thoughts were only to try saving you, that maybe if i worked hard enough or trained hard enough i could save you. Luckily the recruiter reminded me of venlil being quite cowardly and weak and told me to rethink this. He was right. I couldn't stand up to an Arxur. We moved here about a year after your father finished his engineering degree and got top scores. The shipyard paid for us to move and that's why we moved here.”

Kav nodded. Though those comments from the recruiter made him internally groan. “Ah.. well.. A federation uniform might look… rather bland compared to your current outfit…” 

“Hah true true. I may have gone native a bit, but the krakotl’s fashion sense is too good in my opinion.” she twirled around letting the jewelry jingle about and reflect the light in an array of colors. 

“Its.. certainly interesting..” He couldn't understand the appeal of it. 

All those necklaces and jewels would get caught in machinery or random things which made it a bit of a workplace hazard. The reflectiveness made them unsuitable for camouflage and would give her away. It's almost like she wants to stand out- oooh. The sudden realization of wanting to be the center of attention made sense now. Her battlefield wasn't in the navy or on some simulated frontier planet with a lasrifle in their paws. It was socially, much like him. However unlike him where he had to blend in, his mother wished to stand out and be noticed. 

Something reflective caught his attention and he turned his head to look, spotting two silver suited Krakotl flying over them and landing in front of them in the relatively barren sidewalk. His mother continued walking towards them having certainly noticed by the flick of her eyes in their direction. Kav tried to keep calm, they weren't here for him, probably just a patrol or their wings got tired flying. He pretended to look happier, after all, exterminators were there to protect them from predators. And he was a rescue, he should be happy to see them. He clutched the little plush exterminator he carried in his free paw to his chest. 

“Hello you two, fine day isn't it?” One of the exterminators said in an overly friendly tone while waving with their wings. 

“Oh yes it's a lovely day! The sun just makes the murals all over really pop!” His mother responded equally cheery and far more honestly. 

“That's good. Say are you ok sir? You're not looking the best? We got reports of a suspicious individual who looks like they got out of a fight recently.” The second exterminator said looking over at Kav. 

“I-Im fine.. Just.. New to.. Nishtal..” He looked at them with false awe. “Y-your exterminators… Right?” He looked up at them and took in their equipment.

Silver suit, over it a harness with equipment on it, radio, gas tanks for a sidearm, plasma pistol by the looks of it. One of them has a large flamethrower on their back held on by a sling. The other has some sort of stun gun. Both have batons at their hips opposite their holsters, from the looks they may be electrified. 

“Yes we are.” 

“Oh thank… Solgalick” He tried hard to remember the name of the religious entity venlil worshipped. “I feel safer with you around already… Just… So overwhelming being here with so many… people.”

They seemed taken aback slightly by his positive attitude. He wondered if they were used to being praised or if it was simply him doing it that made them balk. 

“Oh well, I'm glad we can do that for you. We just wanted to ask you some questions. Like where your scars came from? Are you ok?” 

“Y-yes im fine now… I…” He wondered if he should tell them he's a rescue. It would immediately defuse the situation, but it would also make himself known to them. There wont exactly be many Venlil cattle rescues, especially on nishtal.

“He’s.. one of the cattle rescues sirs…” His mom says taking the choice from him. Ah well, best roll with the punches.

He lowers his scarf slightly to show them the burn marks around his neck. It had the reaction he wanted, immediate taking of a breath, sympathetic looks, disgust, likely at the treatment he had to face, and understanding now.

“Ahh I see that.. Explains everything. Sorry we had to bother you, you've likely been through enough already.”

“N-No it's fine.. It feels good to see you here, keeping us safe from… them..” He clutched his plush exterminator tighter, and looked down. 

“It's our job dont worry, we are the shield of the federation for a reason. And hey is that Tarlis from the Jr. exterminators show?” 

“Y-yeah i think so.. M-my sister gave it to me.. Said it'll watch over me and keep me safe… It feels better to have it around…” 

“Would you like me to sign it? Might make you sleep better at night to have it signed by a real exterminator!”

The amount of arrogance he felt coming from that bird was enough to make him want to punch him in the face for daring to suggest he defile the first and so far only gift he has received from his little sister. He managed to contain himself from doing such a thing. Even if he felt it was well warranted.

“N-No thanks i-itll just ruin t-the color when we wash it… T-Thank you though i-i appreciate it.” He tried his best to make himself seem sincere. 

“Well that sounds reasonable. Shame though I feel it would be better with it. But we’ll let you be on your way. Take care and Enjoy Nishtal. No safer place in the federation than here.”

They parted ways with the exterminators, walking past as they conversed amongst themselves. Kav putting his scarf back hiding his burn scar. His ear angled back to hear if they mentioned anything about him but sadly they seemed to take off into the sky without another word, or at least none he could hear. 

The rest of the walk had two notable events aside from the exterminators. A little ways away two krakotl have an argument mid air about who had the flight of way in a certain direction. Kav really wanted to stay and watch to see if they fought, but his mother kept him moving so as to not get themselves involved. Sadly they turned a corner so he lost sight of a potential fight. 

The second was a small group of people looking around suspiciously before walking into an alley. What made them unique were they were half krakotl and half various other species. Three Krakotl, one Gojid, one Venlil and a Zerulian. They entered the alley but unfortunately kav and his mother walked past before he could see where they were going. He wondered if they were up to something, the way they walked looked stressed like they were trying to act normal and failing. Like how he and his infiltrators looked when they first started training. He was curious but there was nothing he could do about it now. 

They entered their apartment with their supplies in hand, and Kav spent the next few minutes helping his mother put away the supplies. Learning where to put them and why, how certain parts of the ‘Pantry’ are for certain things. 

It felt… Oddly relaxing. He didn't have to lie to her, no more than to keep up his stuttering shy act. He just… existed… Talked with his mother… Listening to her explain things about her job, or the world he was now a part of. There was no judgment from her, no expectations about a job. It was like he was five again. Vague memories of sitting on her lap to watch the Jr. Exterminators or talk to her about school came up. He missed this. He missed this so much.

“Dear are you ok? Are you crying?” His mother said, concern in her voice as she walked up to him with a napkin.

“I-Im fine..” He wiped his tears. “Just… S-So happy.. To be here with  you.. Again…” More tears left his eyes as he leaned forward and brought his mother into an embrace.

His tears streamed out now as he pressed his face into her neck fluff. His mothers arms gently wrapped around his chest and patted him on the back as he sobbed.

“There there… It'll be alright… Let it all out dear… Let it all out…” His mother said in a warm soothing voice, the kind he overheard her say to his sister at night after a nightmare. One he remembered from his long lost childhood. 

He was an adult now. Had he been told he would have bawled like a cadet getting their first sprained leg he would have scoffed at the idea. Right now though, he didn't care about how he looked, Didn't care about lying. He just wanted this moment to last. To forget the mission, to forget the Dominion and its crimes, to forget the inevitable war, to forget the Federations genetic alteration of his kind. To, for one single day. Do nothing. 

“Mom… Can we watch the Exterminators together… Like we used to?” He choked out between lessening sobs. 

“Of course kav.. Of course we can… How about we break open those dried lala fruits and snack on them while we watch ok?”

“Id like that…” He finally let go of her. 

They sat down on the couch in front of the Home TV. A bowl of dried fruit on the table before them. The most recent variation of ‘The Exterminators’ show on so he can start to catch up with the newest ‘timeline’. He ignored the awful writing, the complete moronic tactics they implemented in their attempts to find their quarry. The propaganda oozing out every facet of the show. He ignored it all.

He sat next to his mother leaning against her. They said nothing. They had no need to. For the first time in years. Kav felt like he had as a child. No worries of the future, no responsibilities and the weight of his task upon his shoulders, no training and the feeling of sore muscles after hours of exercise, nothing. Just him, his mother and something to take his mind off everything. 

It was bliss.

Well, I lied, the story will have three parts, but that's because I want to clearly separate each part of our protagonist's story.
link of the AMA here.

Memory Transcript.

Subject: Lonele, Junior Exterminator of Venlil Prime

Date [standardized human time]: January 5, 2135

Finally. It is almost like a dream come true.

Today will be my first patrol as an exterminator.

It has been almost half a year since I enrolled at the recruitment center and, after countless days of training, the time has finally come to go out into the field.

I still have a hard time believing it.

Ever since I was a pup, I admired the exterminators. They always seemed like heroes to me: brave, disciplined, willing to risk their lives to protect the herd.

And today... Today I am officially going to become one of them.

The excitement made my tail wag non-stop.

"You seem very excited, don't you, Lonele?" commented Ke’tal, my guide instructor, as they let out a happy trill.

And my ears reacted immediately.

"O-oh, that's right! I can't contain my excitement; since I was a young child, I've always admired you. You are like fantasy heroes to me." My tail wagged restlessly from the excitement I could barely contain.

"Hey, old Krakotl, don't go overboard with the rookie! Remember they have never held a weapon until now... this is a farm cleanup mission and you have to do your best to protect her." The co-pilot's voice scolded my instructor.

"Yeah, yeah... but you never know when you are dealing with predators; besides, sooner or later she would have to do one of these. Don't worry about them, I am going to protect her at all times, since they are not going to have a flamethrower." replied my instructor with a carefree whistle.

My hometown slowly disappeared behind us, replaced by endless crop fields stretching all the way to the Tivalo forest.

We continued flying over the lush crops until we slowly reached the town where most of the inhabitants of these farms gathered.

Upon arriving at the warm town called HomeTown, we were greeted by a large herd of friendly and welcoming tails. It was expected that we would be received kindly, but I didn't expect Ke'tal to be so popular among the locals.

While our large team spent some time around town, Ke’tal stopped for a moment by one of the many bars and urged me to go inside.

The bar was full and had a cheerful energy to it, typical of a bar.

"Oh, Officer Ke’tal, don't be shy and take a seat!" The bartender, a grayish-furred Yotul, greeted us with utmost kindness.

"Do you know them?" I asked my instructor, somewhat confused.

"Of course I do, I'm a frequent customer of theirs. Ever since I bailed them out of a jam with a PD patient who used to wreak havoc in their bar, they never miss a chance to buy me a drink every time I stop by their place." they exclaimed with a trill of joy.

"Wow... I didn't know you were so brave," I sighed in surprise.

"You must be the new one, I've heard a bit about you; come, take a seat. I'm going to tell you the story of how Ke’tal saved me from financial ruin." exclaimed the Yotul with excitement.

"Don't exaggerate... it was just my duty," He murmured in response with some embarrassment.

There was nothing extraordinary about it, just a PD patient who used to visit a rundown bar, who got violent when drunk, and who was kicked out by an exterminator.

But just hearing in person how much they loved someone just for doing their job made me admire them even more; how was it possible to admire someone more than possible?

After spending some time while the logistics team finished organizing, we were called by the squad leader to start the job.

"Listen up. We will divide into teams of three. Avoid using the radio unless it is absolutely necessary. All suits have a locator; if anyone gets lost, base will be able to guide them back. You know the drill." explained the platoon leader, who was met with a chorus of affirmative tails.

"You heard them, Kid, follow us and everything will be fine." Ke’tal rested one of their wings while encouraging me.

"Y-yes, I'm on my way!" I wagged my tail enthusiastically as I began to follow them closely.

The first claws passed exactly as I imagined. We checked the boundaries of the farms, verified that the fences were still intact, and looked for any trace of predators.

We found absolutely nothing. And, to be honest... I was glad; I preferred my first patrol to be boring.

It was during the final check of our perimeter when Ke’tal seemed to be communicating with someone over the radio.

"Ok team, we are almost done with the patrol... there's just one last thing left." Ke’tal sighed.

"That's great, and what is it?" I asked hopefully.

"It's time to venture into the deep forest looking for the traps from the previous patrol." he responded with a calm and serious tone.

"W-wait... D-did you just say the deep forest? I t-thought we were only going to do a cleanup mission." I stammered as I tucked my tail between my legs.

"Oh, and it is, Lonele, but don't worry about it; old Ke’tal will be with us; he is, like, super reliable and all that." replied the other Venlil on the team.

I only responded with a nervous ear flick before continuing forward with the team.

Anxiety and nerves grew with every step as we walked through the silent Tivalo forest. Every rustle among the trees made me flinch.

"Growl!"

A sudden growl stopped me dead in my tracks.

"Eep!" A small gasp escaped my throat while the others went on alert.

And without saying a single word, they approached where the growls were coming from; behind a couple of bushes was a huge and terrifying NightStalker completely immobilized by a trap.

Its paw was caught between huge rusty iron jaws. Orange blood slid down its fur as it continued to growl at us endlessly.

It was the first time I had seen a predator so up close... a non-sapient one.

The trap had mangled one of its paws, and yet, it was still trying to free itself.

I didn't understand why that sight made me feel so uncomfortable.

"I'll handle it." Ke'tal's voice sounded completely cold as they raised the flamethrower and a blast of fire engulfed the predator.

The last thing heard from the animal was a short whimper before only the crackling of the embers could be heard.

When the last ember burned out, where the fearsome predator once stood, now there were only a couple of charred bones left on that trap.

And that feeling of heaviness only became more unbearable.

Seeing the discomfort in my posture, Ke’tal tried to comfort me. "It's normal. The first time is always shocking... You will get used to it over time. It's not pleasant, I know that, but it's for the good of the herd." Those were their words as they removed their helmet to give me a reassuring look.

And that was just the beginning of something even worse. The more traps we found and the more predators we eliminated, that heaviness only got worse.

During all this time, I couldn't stop asking myself: aren't we supposed to be the ones being hunted?

In the whole patrol, we hadn't found a single attacked farm, not a single destroyed fence, any corpse of a poor victim, or even any beast spotted prowling near the farms. So...

Why were we going deeper and deeper into the forest?

And the deeper the "cleanup" went into the forest, the more that feeling of heaviness took shape.

Was it... guilt? Why, of all things? Why would I feel something like that toward a predator?

Each of those animals... none of them resembled the image shown by the media. Yes, they were still terrifying creatures, but they weren't the mindless beasts I had always been taught to imagine.

They just seemed like frightened beasts that didn't know what was going on.

It wasn't just that. For some reason, our cleanup was making the forest feel emptier and emptier. It was as if, little by little, all the life that filled it was disappearing.

As more predators were hunted down, the silences before the birds started singing again grew longer, with their songs becoming increasingly distant.

And the unpleasant taste of ash suspended in the air became more intense.

"Look, it seems this trap was defective." My Venlil companion's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"This is bad... it means a predator might be nearby. Lonele, stay by my side at all times and report any movement, no matter how small!" ordered Ke’tal as both exterminators raised their flamethrowers.

"Officer Ke’tal, look, there is a trail of blood between those bushes. If we follow it, we can find the predator's lair." said the other Venlil while pointing their tail toward a bush with orange stains.

All of this felt wrong; the more we followed that blood trail, the tension among us was even more palpable; at the slightest movement, they responded with their flamethrowers.

I couldn't handle the tension anymore; my nerves had already been shattered by this whole trip into the deep forest to be in this situation.

"W-why d-don't we call for b-backup?" I whispered while trembling under the instructor's wing.

"Because by the time they arrive, it will be too late," replied my Venlil companion as they clung to their flamethrower.

Every step was harder and harder, and I felt like things couldn't get worse, until a NightStalker lunged out of nowhere at me.

That predator's piercing eyes loomed over me, and my body simply petrified with fear before the frontal gaze of that beast, but in its eyes, there was no hunger; there was a different feeling, it seemed like... hatred.

"Get away, Lonele!" yelled my Venlil companion as they stepped in the predator's path and took the bite head-on.

Screams of pain accompanied my companion's fall after being bitten.

But I was incapable of doing anything because I was paralyzed with fear.

But Ke'tal had no such hesitation. In a single motion, they raised the flamethrower, and a long blast of fire engulfed the NightStalker and hit part of my companion's body.

When the flames finally died out, only scorched remains were left of the predator. A few steps away from it, my companion was writhing in pain. Their arm had been completely charred, but the rest of the suit was still intact.

"Ke’tal to base here, we have a seriously injured person and we need urgent help!" exclaimed my instructor in an alarmed tone of voice.

"Don't worry about them, they'll be fine as soon as help arrives..." My instructor tried to calm me down, but their voice sounded tenser than before.

"But the blood trail continues, which means there is still another one nearby." They finished in an even grimmer tone as they gripped their flamethrower tightly.

And so we hurried along the blood trail, until we reached a small cave.

With determined steps, we got closer and closer; the slight darkness of the cave was illuminated by the faint light of the pilot flame from Ke’tal's flamethrower.

Until we ran face-to-face into the owner of the blood trail; it was another NightStalker, who seemed to be even more defensive than the previous ones; it was breathing heavily, one of its paws could barely support its weight, and its fur was matted with dried blood.

Behind it, there was a NightStalker cub.

Ke’tal seemed about to unleash a blast, but something stopped them.

"...You do it. Do your job." they said in a cold tone as they handed it to me.

"W-what?" was the only thing I could do while clumsily grabbing the flamethrower.

"Don't you remember what one of those things did to our partner? If you don't kill it now, they will only become a problem in the future..." they replied dryly while not looking away from the NightStalker.

At that moment I swallowed hard, my pulse started to tremble, and my breathing began to accelerate.

"What are you waiting for... Attack before that thing attacks us first!" they pressured me with a colder tone than before.

And for a few moments, I began to feel cornered.

The cave walls were replaced by the walls of an alley. The narrow visor was now the slit of a trash can. Dad was there, holding a spear in their hands while shouting to chase them away.

My breathing became erratic; tears began to cloud my vision.

Even so... I was unable to look away.

"Lonele, what are you waiting for?!" Ke’tal yelled at me as their feathers became ruffled.

My heart felt like it was going to burst as my pulse became increasingly unstable and tears ran down my face.

"I-I can't, I can't... I-I, I can't pull the trigger!" I replied tearfully as I tried with all my might to close my eyes.

My senses felt blurrier, and a deafening ringing blocked my ears.

Ke’tal yelled something, but I couldn't understand them.

I felt like I couldn't breathe, that the world was spinning, and that my body was growing increasingly numb.

Until suddenly, the white was replaced by the orange of the flames.

My mind went completely blank. The roar of the flamethrower ceased to exist. I no longer felt its weight in my hands. Nor the heat. I wasn't even able to recognize if I was still breathing. For a long time, that was all I could see... and by the time the flames died down, there was nothing left.

The memories of the rest of the day became blurry; I remember Ke’tal trying to tell me something while we waited...

The only thing I remember was going to bed.

The argument that the Federation's weak defenses against cyberattacks could be further exploited by us is always recurring.

For this reason, I've been wondering if, by summarizing the Bombing of Earth plot line. Let's imagine that through a barrage of malicious information we manage to infect the ENTIRE FLEET. Their easily invaded systems are at our mercy. We could simply cripple the ship's life support system; we could make everyone inside boil. We could disable oxygen or water processing. But that would kill the poor, genocidal, child-burning, shooting creatures.

How could you transform the fleet into cages where its occupants faint?

Note: They need to be sedated for later recovery. I was thinking of lowering the oxygen, but we risked killing some and losing points with our allies. Points for the most ingenious

(As usual, leaving the og post including the intro here. Hope you all enjoy! And shoutout to u/funnelchairgentleman for writing Thawed and letting me use his character as an ancestor to one of mine!)

Hello everyone! Glad to be back after the long weekend and working on the next chapter of Fahl Days! I had a lot of fun writing this one, may have gotten a bit scattered brained here and there, hope it is coherent. I'm definitely gonna revisit these guys again later, because I want to explore a bit more of the dynamic going on here, flesh out a bit more than a single chapter could do.

Shoutout to the author of [Thawed](https://www.reddit.com/r/NatureofPredators/comments/1tp1m94/thawed\_44/) (Latest Chapter), Funnelchairman for letting me use one of his characters even in a mention. and [u/Julianskies](https://www.reddit.com/user/Julianskies/) (For keeping the series alive on reddit). Hopefully he likes what I added for a bit of lore, but obviously its his character and if i overstepped anything, I will change as needed.

I hope you all have a fantastic day!

\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~

Memory Transcription Subject: Kalthii, Harchen ~~Heretic~~ Scientist

Date \[Standard Human Format\]: October 1st, 2136

If there was one thing that the Federation always espoused, it was that every species had its own niche that it filled. Everyone got boiled down to one trait that was supposed to define them; Venlil were cowards, Gojid were protective, Sivkit-brained, primitive Yotul, aggressive Krokatl, Learned Farsul, leadership Kolshian, fiscal Nevoks, ect. For us? Harchen were always the artistic types. Musicians, artists, filmmakers, novelists, anything that could be made pleasing to one sense or another fell into our purview. But then, what of Cilani? She was no artist but her acts of journalism had uncovered more government corruption that anyone else, and unless she mysteriously disappears, I wouldn't think she was going to stop anytime soon. No, I think Harchen are not artists, we are seekers of truth, and we all do it our own way. Either through painting the world in a new light for others to see, revealing the beauty of sounds, showing the worlds inside our heads, exposing the harm that others are capable of, everyone touches on the truth and shows it to any who will listen.

For me, the truth came when I was researching environmental stability, a passion to keep the wonderful blues of our planet vibrate as gemstones from other planets. It was with my dissertation on the decline of the southern jungles when Linked Chains reached out to me. I had been quick to discount the death cult at first, much like every good feddie would. However, in a bit of actual curiosity, I read some of the literature they sent me... and then read more... more... then started running controlled experiments. Now I was in the very same jungles I wrote about, running a large scale experiment while in contact with my fellow heretics across The Cradle, Venlil Prime, and Sillis. Each one of us in our own small teams, hidden away in places too infested with predators, but too close to cities to bathe in anti-matter fire, for any exterminator to come looking.

Getting ready for my morning, I grabbed a cup of Crushed Odan Nut Tea, hot from the mixer, and sipped on the deliciously caffeinated beverage and slid into my chair, tail poking out the back and wagging happily, bluer than the trees surrounding our complex. "Someone's happy today." Came the deep voice of the other occupant of the room, a male Gojid researcher who had come onto my team. "Oh? Is that fresh CONT?" He asks, only to give a quick thanks as I hand him the second cup I brought with me.

"Always happy when I've got my CONT." My eyes roll as he snickers. "You know, we need a better name for this stuff." The ceramic cup hits the table (gently set down) and I stretch, looking around at the various monitors and readouts. "So how are our star subjects doing? I think this is a year anniversary since they've been here." The man next to me flinches, spines bristling, only to relax after a moment with a heavy sigh.

"You know, it's still insane, you're still insane, for letting them be here. If I hadn't been there that day to-" I cut him off, flashing a dark-grey/black in irritation.

"Yes yes, heard it before. I owe you and your military training my life from people who had crashed, had broken limbs, and were already resigned to an agonizing death by feddies." I said, soothing my scales back to a neutral grey-blue, sipping my drink. "How are they doing, Kuvon?"

"Still can believe they actually worked with us." He mutters under his breath. "The Arxur are doing well in their small town, if you could call it that. All of them are healthy, the native predators are kept in check due to their presence here, and their initial spout of over-hunting native prey has slowed down to something more stable." He says, bringing up the latest reports from the last week of observation.

During one of last years raids, a cattle-ship had gone near the edge of my forest where I had been conducting research on Olgarl habits. Kuvon and I grabbed a our plasma rifles and had gone to check for any survivors of the Greys. By pure stroke of luck, we found that most of the crew were either dead or heavily injured, and we hid ourselves in the tree line. Kuvon had pushed to try and shoot them all, finish up what the crash had started. I had to hold him back, even if they were injured and dying, the two of us were no match for a raider group of almost 50. Furthermore, it seems that day we had been blessed with the same plot armor that was reserved for characters in exterminator films. An argument was picked up by our generous translators, shouted so loud that I wasn't sure how the whole planet didn't hear them.

The captain was yelling at the second in command to cull the injured and get everyone else ready to rejoin the attack, berating the smaller Grey. However, the second said this was the perfect time to slip into the woods, escape the war, and survive. Insults such as defective, coward, and more were thrown out, the captain advancing on the second with intent to kill, only for his head to jerk to the side, brains splattering on the ground as he was shot from a raider to the side. The survivors, we came to find out later, were almost all 'defective' and agreed with the second that this was a good time to escape.

I don't know what possessed me to move at this point, some bit of courage that I had inherited from a long lost ancestor, some thought that there was a greater truth to be had, ~~maybe because the second was strangely enticing,~~ maybe just sheer stupidity? But I got out from cover, rifle up, and yelled that I could help them. "If you want to be free of the federation, and live free, come with us. Or stay here and die when they come for the wreckage." I made sure the could see me, see my weapon, see as I forced my scales to remain Grey and not orange... forced them to see my one stupid act that was probably going to get me eaten, and then walked calmly into the woods.

Once out of sight, I let all the panic set in for a split moment, scales flashing every color of the rainbow before settling back to Grey when I heard a twig snap behind me. The second had come into the clearing alone, with his claws behind his back. Over the next few hours, tense talks with weapons at the ready were made, both sides sure that the other was about to snap and kill them in one gruesome way or another. A deal was struck, and now I had my own large scale experiment running, and they had a place to live hidden from all eyes except mine.

I shake off the haze from those thoughts and look down at the report in front of me, looking over population numbers gathered by our hidden drone cameras. For every 1 predator, both sapient and non, there was about 14 prey. Before the Arxur had gotten involved, there had been a cycle of population growth and decline on both sides, fluctuating back and forth. If the predators got too numerous, there wouldn't be enough prey and they would slowly starve as the remaining ones got hardy enough to avoid predation. When the prey population got too large, the vegetation would be stripped bare and they became either too fat, or too weak to avoid the predators. Now, the Arxur served as an equalizing force, hunting their own prey to consume, or killing off the overzealous non-sentient predators before they became too rampant.

Now a balance was struck, full and satisfied Arxur allowed prey to escape when they wandered too close. Olgarl and the like avoided areas where the Greys had settled. And the jungle had flourished like never before, the woods reclaiming some of the old plains to the east and expanding. It was beautiful.

"I see they aren't the ravenous beasts that the Kolshians made them out to be. Who would have guessed, sapient predators make the environment flourish." I chuckle and put my drink down, stretching out all five of my limbs, tail tip curling. "Its been a while since I've checked up on their little village. Ill watch their cameras today." I tell Kuvon, standing up and heading to the security room as he acknowledged me with a flick of his tail. Part of our agreement was that we had cameras in their village to monitor them, and if we caught them doing anything wrong, anything to plot against us, we would sell them out to the Federation on the spot. In exchange, we let them hunt non-sapient animals to their hearts content. I had described the Linked Chains organization to Kiznel, the second in command turned leader, told him that I wanted to include his crew into our experiments. They agreed to the surveillance of their compound, somewhat begrudgingly, but it wasn't like they had a choice. After a period of mistrust, everyone gradually accepted that no lies had been made, and both parties only interacted when necessary, we hadn't even stepped in with the initial overhunting!

What we hadn't told them, was that each of their houses also had cameras. We could watch them at every point in the day, from when they woke, when they bathed, when they ate, and when they slept. Some of the researches were still squeamish at watching an Arxur eat, so we kept those camera feeds in a separate room from the ones we had in the forests. Out of the thirteen people in my team, only four of us watched these cameras, including Kuvon and me.

Closing the door behind me and setting my CONT down on the desk, I began to pull up the various feeds in and around the Arxur camp, an area spread around 500 \[yards\] in all directions with small prefab houses set up to house the residents. Nothing interesting was happening at the moment, most of them preparing to enter their sleep cycle. "Nocturnals..." I chuckle, shaking my head. In the meantime, I drew my attention to something a bit more interesting, my scales flushing blue in happiness.

Recently, a new ruin site from pre-contact Harchen was found, and by the sounds of it, it was a trove of information. Farsul were, of course, the first ones on the scene followed by Harchen historians and then anyone else. It had been theorized to be an ancient military outpost that doubled as defense against predators and those tainted by predators. My tail swished through the air behind me as I pulled up the files on my holopad, various pictures and documents that had been released to the public. The one that caught my eye in particular showed a male harchen playing a Dacthyrii \[a Harchen stringed instrument played using a bow. Similar in size and shape to a human Cello.\] The Dacthyrii in the picture had clearly been broken at one point and was mended using three different woods to reshape its body and neck. That type of fix would make it exceedingly hard to get a good sound out of the instrument, making the fix unfeasible and laughed at by all modern musicians.

My gaze shifted to the very same Dacthyrii sitting in the room with me. I had it moved here ever since the ruin findings had come out, refusing to believe that my Dacthyrii, the one that had been in my family for generations, showed up in some ancient photo. The thing sounded horrendous if you tried to play it normally, its strings screeching as the echoed sounds hit the repair woods differently and caused a dissonance that set one's skull pounding. Ignoring the monitors for now, I grabbed the instrument and brought it over to my chair, setting the bow down as I positioned the instrument.

The repair on the neck firmly pressed to the crook of my neck. My tail wrapped around the thin bottom, squeezing the echo chamber firmly and I positioned the tip of my tail just under the strings slightly inside the instrument's hole. Finally, my knee pressed to the outside edge of the body, nesting up to give the barest hint of pressure. The position was awkward, uncomfortable, and didn't allow for any deviation or it would ruin the sound. But when done correctly, the four woods would harmonize and produce a rich bass sound that reverberated across whatever room you were in, a sound unique to itself and not replicated by any other Dacthyrii. It was a position taught by my family to play this one singular instrument, and it was the position that man in the photo was using.

As I ran the bow, playing a slow somber song, I began to think. Obviously other Dacthyrii didn't require this to play. You would just set it down, make sure your claws were on the right chord, and run the bow along all nine strings.

I had to hold each repair in these specific ways and pressures just to get it to sound right, tempering the vibrations of each piece. It took years for me to learn how to play and get a good sound, but my mother had insisted I learn as she had, and expected me to pass to my own daughter. I had been resentful at the time from the overbearing manner she had taught me, hated that it sounded wrong and gave me headaches, hated that the other girls at school made fun of me for its looks and the sounds it made... but when I finally got it right, when I coaxed the real sound from it? I had started crying then and there, understanding why we kept it and maintained it. "What matters is not how flawed or different the outside is, but the beauty of its true nature." The sounds faded as I put down the bow and turned the instrument around.

Inscribed at the top of the neck was the name of the instrument's original owner, and supposedly the one who coined the family motto. The motto is based my research on, finding the true nature of predators and how they interacted with the universe. Cared for and restored multiple times over the years, I ran my claws over the inscription, \*Onio's fractured Muse\*. Apparently, 'Onio' had gone missing one day, leaving behind only this Dacthyrii to his family at the time. Adamant that he would never leave without telling anyone, especially without his muse, the Dacthyrii was kept pristine for when he returned. Even as his children learned to play it when they grew up... and their children, and theirs... even after so much time had passed that its was impossible for the man to return, his Dacthyrii was maintained. To hold onto that pristine hope, to teach others that beauty can be found in even the most unlikely of places, it became tradition to maintain Onio's Muse.

At first, I had denied this cosmic joke the coincidence that somehow my missing ancestor had randomly shown up in a photo from an ancient military outpost. However, historians found a list of all the men and women that served in that place, releasing them as 'heroes/exterminators from a bygone era.' Sure enough one of the names listed was Onio... cementing that the man I saw in the photo before me was my long lost ancestor before he went missing. With a heavy sigh, I replaced the instrument to its resting place and set about messaging a historian friend I had. It was thanks to one of those friends that I even found out about the picture in the first place, she recognized my Dacthyrii in it, having tried to play it a few times and watched me play it. Now I had her looking for anything else she could uncover about the ruins and possibly my ancestor, i was just a matter of time for anything else to be revealed... maybe even the cause of his disappearance.

Hearing a bit of a shuffling noise and catching some movement from my peripheral vision, I shift my gaze back to the monitors. Kiznel had entered into his living space and began to retrieve something from a stash he had discovered from the rooms previous tenant. Apparently a well fed Arxur had a very active libido, and 'defectives' had certain interests one wouldn't expect from an Arxur, apparently ones he kept hidden from the rest of his kind. As he pulled out the scandalous book, I felt my scales flushing to a heated turquoise and got up, making sure the door to the room was locked.

I had seen this a few times already during previous observations... and well... I'm a bit jealous of Arxur women. Kiznel might have a thing for Harchen too, judging by the material he looked at. Maybe the next time I go down to their camp, I'll have a little talk with him. "What matters is not how flawed or different outside is, but the beauty of their true nature..."

\[\[Memory Transcription ended due to personal nature of following actions\]\]

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Every trip must end at some point, every vacation eventually runs out. He had observed the lives of his old friends, seen what their choices were and where they had led, seen the hardships they lived and the miracles they had wrought. And now he’s left to ponder one last question, “What was the righteousness of… Mine own choice”

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Memory Transcription Subject: Matchin, Lightspeed Hoppers Logistics warehouse manager
Date[standardized human time]: February 2, 2166

There’s a gentle breeze.

I had never noticed how different the air here is, or how different the air there had become. I remember air that I called clean, normal, when I was younger. The winds of Leirn smell different but I wouldn’t call them clean, at least not here. I can smell the chemicals and dust, leftovers of distant industry, smells I’d become so used to in my youth I couldn’t smell them anymore until the day I came here. But now that I’ve returned, I’ve realized that the air of Wriss- Or at least of Irrin- smelled cleaner, but not natural. Cleansed is the right word.

I stare at the slowly rising sun outside the open window for a while, waiting patiently for time to pass until the sun has risen enough and the clock has struck the right hour. And when it does, I slightly squeeze the woman resting against my chest. My wife murbles indignantly, which I just respond by repeating the gesture “Come now, wake up…” I keep my voice low.

She murbles a little bit more again before she uncurls and stretches, wrapping her arms on my snout in the process. She scoots up a little bit and nuzzles the underside of it for a moment before letting go “Morning.” Her voice is low and hoarse “Didn’t sleep?”

I chuckle, I can see her entire body shiver “Just one month on a nocturnal schedule and it's going to take me another three to get back to diurnal”. She doesn’t move further, so I sit up on the bed and put my paws on the ground. She only whines for a second as I’m in the process of setting her down on the floor as well.

We both walk over to the crib beside our bed, in it is our little Chi, holding on tight to the arxur doll about his own size that we bought at the tail end of our trip. On his other side is a yotul doll, same size, thoroughly marked from consistent chewing by his little growing teeth. The new doll is, currently, in the process of being chewed up as well by sleeping joey “He really does take after you.” Kava chuckles before starting to walk away.

“What do you mean by that?” I stare at her, she isn’t even looking back at me.

“If he takes your example he’s going to keep that pacifier to adulthood, just saying.” She calls from the door.

“Hey!” I’d have hit the ground with my tail but I don’t want to wake Chi just yet, so I just continue on my way to the bathroom “It is perfectly normal for adult arxur to use a chewing cord.”

Once there, I start my usual morning routine. Getting ready for the day takes some effort even when you have scales instead of fur, but what takes the longest is… The last part. I stop in front of the mirror holding a small pot in my left. I take a while to observe myself carefully, noting every scar in my upper body, the only ones I can do something about right now. I pick up a small brush from the holder beside the mirror and bring it up to the pot, gently dabbing it in the grey dye.

Owyn is a very good dyemaker, he’d managed to match my scales with what I’d call perfection even if he wasn’t happy with the final color. I start applying the brush carefully over the scars on my snout, where they’re the most numerous. It doesn’t take much effort to cover them, the dye is a little thick exactly so it can more easily cover the indentations, and once that is done I put down the brush and dye for a moment to pick up a small soft piece of cloth to finish polishing. It’s as if I had never been marred.

The ones across my chest are a little awkward, and the ones on the arms are even more so. I won’t be able to do my back without help- But I refuse to involve her in this. But I stop to stare at my paws. Not all of those want gone. I carefully hide most of them, and once I’m done polishing I stare at what I have left, they’re almost imperceptible little gouges, incredibly superficial to the point nobody would see them without looking. Chi’s chewing habit. I don’t mind those. Those are good marks to have.

Once I’ve taken care of my look, I walk back into the bedroom. Chi’s still asleep, so I gently walk over to his crib and put my paw beside him. It takes no more than a few seconds before he almost instinctively rolls over into it, causing my tail to wag. I lift him and the doll he’s attached to and cradle him as I head over to the kitchen. I find Kava has already finished up breakfast preparations, nothing too heavy to start the day, a simple toast with a nutty spread for her and three scrambled eggs for me. Kojak juice for her, freshly made, but I can see she put in the effort of making the vitamin version for myself.

I start walking over to her “Nu-uh” she stops me “He’s going to wake up the moment he’s in here, give me a few more please?”

I chuckle and take a seat, holding on to Chi for a little more. The two of us quietly eat our breakfast, the eggs being delicious as they always are. It surprises me how well she managed to prepare them, I know she can’t appreciate the taste herself so if anything she’s learned to read me enough to figure out how to best make it. 

As soon as we’re done she drags her feet to go clean the dishware, just causing me to sigh because this is every morning. Once she’s done I stand up and finally hand Chi over to her and she carefully puts him into her pouch, I can hear his mumbling as he wakes up just as she said. “Thank whatever gods listen that this doll’s fabric is good.” is her mumbling as we head over to the car.

“I knew what was going to happen, I made sure to pick a good one” I answer as we board it. It only takes a couple of taps to get it going towards Selly’s daycare. Kava remains looking annoyed for a while, and when the car’s halfway there she finally relents with a sigh, caressing over her pouch in silence.

It doesn’t take much longer to arrive, I’m the first to head out and Kava waits until I’m by the door to step out. It’s not a large building, nor does it need to be, but it’s beautifully decorated with eye-catching bright colors for the young ones… Or, well, it’s decorated like that in part of it. Even from the outside I can see parts of the building are made with a very different color scheme, the brighter yellows and blues flowing into darker browns and reds instead, the decorations flowing from flowers and rivers to birds and some silly renditions of mammals I’ve never seen in reality.

As soon as we get to the door, and before we even knock, it opens. Looking down I find the old smug yotul woman, the greying fur around her chest and shoulders a sign of how long she’s been around “Well, well, well, isn’t it my favorite biter.”

“Hey!”

“You know who I mean!” she chuckles. He seems to know too as at the sound of her voice Chi’s head pops out of Kava’s pouch. He starts to wiggle, and before I have time to react he just spills out of it into the ground, landing on top of his doll. At this point I just sigh, I’ve learned already that there’s neither worrying about nor avoiding this happening, he just happily stands up and wobbles over to Selly, babbling.

“Well, look at you.” She kneels down to his level, and at this time I start hearing loud chirps echoing from further into the building. I look there to find a small huddle of children, arxur and yotul both, staring from a doorway. At the noises Chi starts to happily waddle over dragging his doll behind him.

We both sit here watching Selly chase after the younglings for a second, and close the door she’s forgotten to before we leave. I set the car to take us to work and look out the window. Quite a few of us live here, many like me. I wonder if our children will end up as well as the ones I saw on Wriss? I remember some of us were afraid we couldn’t be good parents, but we had those around us to help us out with that, those who’d had good lives and knew what good parents were like… But the ones back there… All they knew was the same life we lived. How did those kids turn out so well? Was it simply trying to be better?

I’m pulled out of my reverie as a beep comes from the car’s console, and I realize we’ve arrived at the distribution center. Had I really spent so much time thinking? The large and cubic brick building was about as welcoming as ever, so I take manual control and start steering the car towards the parking lot. First, however, I stop by the front of the building. Kava undoes her seatbelt and leans over to me, I lower my snout and she nuzzles me for a moment “Later, muncher” she says before heading out. After, I finish taking the car to the parking lot at the back and make my way to the larger part of the building, the warehouse.

I take the worker’s entrance at the side, which leads directly to the locker room. Making a straight line for mine further in the back I reach down and easily open it with a paw scan, finding that it has, unsurprisingly, not been touched. The reflective vest is quick to slip into, and at this point I’m used to the awkwardness of a helmet with earholes I don’t use. Lastly is picking up my manager badge which had fallen off the vest and pin it back on.

Getting back to work rhythm after so much time away is faster than I thought, as I’d soon found myself in the office, computer already active. There’d definitely be much to do, Karun wouldn’t have managed all my job and it’d be… Unfair, yes, that’s the word. Unfair to expect him to. So I immediately start checking things.

It doesn’t take long, however, until said yotul shows up in the office “Big man! You’re back at last!” he just walks around my desk and unceremoniously pats my shoulder “Let me tell you, you’ve no idea the mess you’ve dodged.”

I just tilt my head slightly at him “Oh, and what happened?”. Though despite having managed to put the words out without a hitch, something feels weird about them… I’d spent the last month speaking in low araxi, switching back to thysan feels strange. Not in a bad way but… It made me realize something just now. It’s almost like… Hearing my own words, it felt like a different person speaking, even if it’s the same way I’ve been speaking thysan for the last couple of decades.

“Bunch of shit, you wouldn’t believe” he walks over to the other side of me, I try to keep focused on the computer but I wind up still offering him my attention “First off was Sanne, know the guy? Y’know-”

“Owner’s nephew?” I chuckle, I already predict what he’s going to talk about “Yeah, let me guess… Arm?” It doesn’t matter what world you’re on, I’ve learned, there’s still a good deal of importance put on bloodlines.

“Yep, why does the boss still keep him around?” He rolls his ears “No, don’t tell me. Anyway” He leans against the desk, taking up as much space as he can “Messed up with the main warehouse’s manipulator arm, crashed a half dozen pallets and cut a gash on number twelve.”

That actually makes me stop for a moment. Number twelve meant one of our transport trucks, and especially it was a new one the boss was gushing over when he bought it a few months ago… Ezkal’s image comes to mind, just causing me to chuckle. “I’ll take it you’ve logged everything and nothing has happened, right?”

“Fuck” he sighs “I already handled the suppliers and customers getting formed, boy do you know how much trouble that was telling people their crap was damaged in the warehouse?” Karun’s voice starts to raise “Ugh, and I get it, company fault but not my fault. Do you really think threatening to come over here is going to unbreak your shit? No, it won’t. You wanna kick the boss’ tail out of his snout? Go for it. But don’t gotta call me any names, ugh- But like what CAN you do when the messup is on your side, though?” Then his shoulders and tail slump “I ain’t ya big man, I can’t just sit there an’ listen like ya do.”

“I’m sure you’ve handled it with aplomb.”

“Egh…” He moves around again, going to sit on the chair across from me “Also Shera’s on maternity leave.” I grunt an acknowledgement “Idiot almost didn’t, though!”

I raise my head to look at him over the computer “What?”

“Oh, woman was saying shitall ‘bout it but you know how the mob gets around where she lives, right?” He chuckles “Gossip all over and y’know, an egg, what a wild thing right? So, I was in the bar as always and hear some of it, then I ask her.” He chuffs “Then damn woman has the gall to tell me that ‘I don’t need a leave, it’s not like I’m getting pregnant’ which like woman!” he shouts “Don’t fucking care, lady, you gotta right to it you gunna use it. Don’t care if ya’s being an idiot ‘bout it just becasue you don’t gotta carry yer joey on ya pouch all day, law says do it you fucking do it else they start tryina get the rest of us to not do it.” He leans a bit closer “Hey, d’yaknow that in the Combine they get like a week-like ‘cleaning leave’ every three months? Like, everyone gets it! To be fair! That’s ‘cause if they start not giving it to ya just ‘cause your species don’t need it then shit starts ta happen!” He whacks his tail emphatically on the back of the chair “Can’t be letting people just give up their rights, man, we fought hard for those things!”

I can’t help but laugh a little bit at him “You’re right. Thanks for handling that while I was away”  Hah… Look at that. Why does it feel easier to talk like this in thysan?

He shrugs “Someone had to while ya were out there visiting yer folks. How’d it go, though? Fun trip back home? Reminds me I should do it sometime too, haven’t talk to ma in forever.”

I stop typing and look down at the keyboard. That was the one thing I didn’t, couldn’t, do… Thinking about it… Chi will never know his grandparents, and they left behind no grave. I hadn’t minded back then but… Maybe I did, I just didn’t want to admit it. “Uhn… It went fine. Mostly visiting old friends actually.”

“Hrm…” Karun flicks his right ear forward “Okay, not poking that. Good, though. Anyway, back to filling the tracker system for me, see ya later boss.” He starts to stalk off out of the door but stops just shy of leaving “Thanks for hearing me grouse.” He adds before finally going off.

After that I was left alone to finish this part of the job. There… Was a lot less to do than I initially expected, actually. All of the reporting was flawlessly done already, so I was just left with the decision-level things that weren’t too urgent to get up to, most of which required me to send queries to Finance and Personnel before I could make any of those.

Which means I was done with all of my job with almost four entire hours to spare. Which I wasn’t going to waste. So I head over to the warehouse proper and look at the sea of crates and shelves. At the center of it all was the parking spot for the trucks and above it the massive manipulator arm that could travel on rails to any part of the warehouse, and it was currently curled up in its offline state. The damage wasn’t visible, so it must have been a motor that died. The truck currently in the bay was… Four.

I walk over to the truck and take a peek at the cabin, Jackson’s usual greasy smell welcomes me but he isn’t here right now. I know better than to think he’s helping load, so I reach an arm inside and pull the car’s pad to check inventory. “Hrm… Okay.” Committing to memory what needs to be loaded manually right now I start heading to the side of the warehouse with the material. It’s still possible to load things manually, of course, in case of problems but we really don’t have personnel to keep up speed without the arm so an extra pair of arms will definitely help poor Sho-Ral finish this before the sun sets.

As I approach the shelves with the right pallets I can hear the voice “Hrr-Hoi!” the bassy grunts of exertion arrive to my ears first before I see the grumpy gojid lift a crate up above his head before settling it over a shoulder. He looks down at another smaller crate and I narrow my eyes at him… I can see his spines raise just slightly before he abandons his idea and he turns around “Ack, fucking bloodmouth hiding there. The hell you doing?!” He grumbles at me.

I sigh and walk over, grabbing another of the crates, which was heavier than it looked, before lifting it off the ground. “Watching you, rotbreath.” I growl back at him “You were about to throw your back again.” I start heading back to the truck.

“No I wasn’t” he grumbles with no bite to his words, because he knows he was.

“That happens again I will hand your ass over to Operational Safety” I say as we get to the truck, I put the crate there, then climb on the bed to push it to the back.

With just a grunt Sho-Ral raises his crate again and then sets it down with sufficient care not to damage it before putting a paw against it and giving a single shove, sending it sliding to the end of the truckbed. “Come now, you wouldn’t do that.” He turns an eye at me.

I just stop for a second staring at the display of strength “Spent my whole life backstabbing people, won’t stop now just ‘cause you got knives there too.” I look at him, he’s been working for Lightspeed Hoppers for a few years now, he had some issues with me at the start, issues that became easier to deal with once I understood only half of it was me being an arxur, the other half was just his perpetual bad mood. “Especially since I don’t want to see you in a wheelchair.”

“Bah” is all he says before walking back to the shelves. I, of course, follow. Mostly to help speed up the job, since I’ve finished with mine, but also to keep him from doing that again.

Manual work, thankfully, helps time get by fast. And throughout the day we load a few more trucks. Most of the drivers don’t stick around to try to help loading, I don’t blame them it isn’t their job, and at some point both Karun and Sanne show up to help, which turns into a fairly amusing situation. Both Sho-Ral and Karun can’t stop giving Sanne grief over his mistake, and I join in for just a moment… But at some point I felt compelled to side a bit more with Sanne.

I know what it is like to be… Inept. Incapable. He’s lucky he has family keeping him from repercussions, lucky he was born when and where he was. I think it’s better to not put too much pressure on him, even if he never learns.

By the time the shift ends I take off my uniform and leave through the inner exit out of the warehouse into the admin portion of the building, ducking my way through the corridors that are a little bit too short for my liking to make my way over to Finance. “Tallu, look, I have a husband and a joey to get back to. We can have this discussion tomorrow when I’m on the clock” I hear her voice through the door shortly before she comes basically hopping out of it “Oh, thank ralchi, you’re- Oh.” She just stops herself.

I tilt my head slightly to the side, she swings her tail sideways once and tilts her head to the front exit. With my own non-committal gesture we both head to the exit in silence. Once outside I take a deep breath of fresh air and start heading towards our car, and once we’re inside Kava looks at me with enough focus for me to worry. I just tilt my head to the side slightly.

“Too much babbling today, wasn’t it?” she asks. Ah, I see what’s going on. “I can get Chi, do you need some time?”

I sigh, then stretch my neck “Yes… I’ll… I’ll take a visit to the temple, if you don’t mind? Won’t be more than an hour, I promise.”

“You take the time you need, love.” She pats me on the shoulder.

So I step out of the car, because I’m not letting her pick our hatchling up on foot, dip my snout at her before turning around and heading out on foot. The temple of ralchi in this city wasn’t far, anyway.

The walk was pleasant, and at this time of day the streets were quite packed. I made a point of moving slowly, avoiding crowds where I could, until I managed to navigate to the front of the temple. It was not really a beautiful or ornate place, made of wood and maintained by sheer strength of will and faith. At least in this city the people were not very faithful, not like I could blame them, I wasn’t either.

I head inside and look around the central room. There was little going on, the rows of pillows were set at the center, the censers filled the air with an overwhelming smell, and not a single word was uttered, there were only five people here, all of them in the front rows kneeling down. I walk over to one of the pillows at the farthest edge from them and kneel down on the small pillow and close my eyes.

I just stay there quietly, listening to the silence. Remembering. I remember a long time ago when I first came to this temple. I was lost, I was confused, and I had no idea what to do. I was seeking for something to make up for my past, I wanted to… Do something. Do things for those people. To make up for what I owed them. But I couldn’t find the thing to do, and nothing felt right. Nothing that needed done was something I knew how to do, nor was it anything I could recognize. I had no faith of my own, I had simply chosen to wander into a temple because people congregated here and… I had no plan to go from there.

That was the day I met Kava. She had been unhappy about her life, she told me later. She had little faith either, but had a friend who had told her that praying helps. A woman living an unfulfilled life, trying to find something to make her life feel special, to make her feel it… Worth living.

To find something worth living for.

The smell of yer incense is always too strong.

I bring a paw up and cover my nose, but I still can’t contain the entirety of the sneeze.

She asked me if I was okay when I did that. We started talking. I listened to her story, and I had no wisdom to give in return. But she was happy to hear any story I had to tell.

“Always good to see you here, Matchin” I open my eyes and look to the side, four of the others are gone, one still remains kneeling in the front. Talking to me is a silvered yotul near my own age.

“Asher.”

“Please” he chuckles “Just call me Kuno, you’re no man of the faith after all.”

“It is respect.”

He chuffs, and kneels beside me. “Your trip, did it enlighten you?”

I look down at the ground “Yes…”

“It left you with questions.” He does not ask “Any I may aid you with?”

I close my eyes, thinking. Thinking about all of them. “My… My friends. They’ve done the impossible. They have spent their lives working a miracle.” I open my eyes and turn to gaze at him “Was it right of me to stay?”

He brings a paw up to his chin “Right? Hrm… A strong question. I can’t tell you that answer, but I can help you find it, perhaps.” He tilts his head so his right eye is focused on me “By whose judgement do you mean ‘right’? You needn’t answer me.”

I wasn’t certain if he knew what he was doing. I already knew Asher Kuno wasn’t half as wise as he seemed, he had confided in me about it before. But he was good at helping people figure things for themselves, always seeming to have the right words to steer people’s minds out of their tailchasing. I didn’t know whether he was smart about that, or it just came naturally.

I take a deep breath and stand up, because that doesn’t matter. He gave me something to think about “Thank you, Asher.”

“Hrmp” He stands up as well “You can thank me by helping me do my job next time you come by.”

I can feel my tail moving on its own “It will be an honor.” I bow slightly before heading out. It doesn’t take long to call an autocab.

The trip does not take long, and I can feel time slipping through my jaws as I sit in there. There’s something in my mind, but I don’t know what it is. It’s always like that with me, something that I can’t quite understand about what I’m thinking, and I’m left with indistinct thoughts that make me lose focus. But whatever it is, I have arrived home and I will have to put it aside.

I have more important things to worry about.

The door opens for me, and on the way inside I quickly put my belts on the hanger beside the door. I can hear the telltale racket coming from the kitchen and I know what is going on, so I start heading over there. I stalk quietly to go by unheard, a skill I managed to retain, and silently peek through the door.

There, Kava standing in front of a raised seat in which Chi is. Her right arm is stained a dark green, a small bowl of fruit mash in her left paw, her right one holding a small spoon. “Now who’s my fierce little joey, eh? Come on, catch it!” she coos to our child, bringing the spoon closer to him. He pretty much lunges at it, catching it in his jaws, though he only very clumsily does so and I can imagine he’s missed quite a few attempts given her stains.

Sometimes I wonder if this isn’t bad for him. Even if being raised like a predator isn’t bad at the end of the day… Is being raised this much of an arxur good for him? I hear him giggle sweetly as Kava readies another spoonful for him. This one he misses, just barely smacking his little nose on the underside of the spoon sending the mash flying. He giggles wildly as Kava goes to try again.

Eventually, I make myself known and step into the kitchen, letting my footfalls click against the stone. She barely turns to look at me, keeping most of her attention on our child, while Chi turns his eyes and ears on me. He looks at me very intently, with a hunter’s focus, but does not make a single sound.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m not hurting him. If he can notice when I can’t deal with people. He shouldn’t need to police himself, this young, just for me. And yet, he can feel when I’m not feeling well.

I stare back at him for a while. “My, what a fierce little joey.” I coo at him, which prompts him to start laughing and squirming. Kava steps back quickly knowing what’s about to happen, because it happens every time I speak when he’s worried I won’t. He squeals and dislodges himself from the seat, climbing up and almost launching himself in my arms.

Obviously, I catch him. And watch him giggle madly, so happy in just… Being here, in my arms.

I think I’ve found the answer already, Kuno. To your and my question both. I look down at my son, who has decided to start climbing my arm. The answer to yours is ‘mine’. I carefully kneel down as he climbs up to my shoulders, Kava comes closer with mirth, because he’s still not done eating. The answer to me is ‘yes’. Arxur are selfish beasts… And I wouldn’t want anything else in my life.

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And so we reach the end of this story. Covering the lives of six different people, a small look into how the Collective managed to fix itself, and one last moment. A final question, of whether the choice to stay was right. And of who has to the right to answer that question.

We’re not all born to be heroes.

And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Throughout this entire story there was one specific trait of Matchin that I don’t know if I ever managed to get through. He’s… Actually an incredibly approachable dude, and that’s with being an arxur. He’s not any more social than other arxur, but he just seems to attract people wanting to interact with him, because despite everything he just looks friendly. So often people will just start talking, and drop things on him like that.

Either way, I hope you all took at least some enjoyment out of this tale!