The Nature of Predators - Why the Caged Bird Sings (4/11) (Patreon)

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Memory Transcription Subject: Cala, Krakotl Child Prisoner

Date [standardized human time]: September 2, 2137

I was learning a lot, with Andrew teaching me human writing and speech—plus trying to keep me progressing in the other subjects too. Even the giant guard noticed that I was getting bigger! He’d had me stand against the back wall of my cell every so often, and marked the spot at the top of my head with a marker. I’d sang along to the cartoons a couple of times, testing whether he’d yell at me; I’d even gotten away with chirping a tune when he was playing solitaire. The disruption would’ve bothered Papa, but Andy didn’t complain at all—he smiled! He brought in a “guitar” the next day, strumming it in flowing chords and singing soulful melodies in his deep voice.

I could see the human sitting outside my cell, waiting for me to wake up as the sunlight began to filter through the barred window. His back was to me while he hunched over his cards, though I could see a mysterious stack of things wrapped in brightly-colored paper. There seemed to be ribbons tied around them too, and I admired the pretty bows. Was today an arts and crafts day? I’d liked when Andy brought in clay for me to mess around with, and he knew it was my favorite subject from school. Coloring books were nice when he was gone, and the evenings were lonely, but I was super excited to try other types of art. I wanted to cover things in cute paper! This cell was so ugly.

Maybe I could watercolor like Papa did, so I can see why he was so mad that I ruined his paintings. Then I’ll understand!

“Andy!” I squawked happily. “You brought me something?”

The human made a low hissing sound that I hadn’t heard before, seeming to stand awkwardly. “Sure did. Happy ninth hatchday, Cala!”

“Today is my hatchday? How do you know?”

“Well, we had the ship manifest from the crash. I looked at your date of birth, and converted it to its equivalent human date. September 2nd, if you remember the months of the year I taught you.”

“I think I remember. Thirty days have September, Avil, June, and December.”

“Er, not quite, but we’ll work on that—later. I want you to open the presents I brought you. Here!”

Andrew picked up the boxes, and finally turned toward me to enter the cell. I squawked in concern when I saw his face; the skin around his left eye was puffy and dark, while the unmissable whites were reddened with blood streaks. A foam stick was wedged up one of his nostrils, seeming to have absorbed quite a bit of blood. I could see cuts on his upper lip, and noticed how he pressed a hand to his sternum, like it hurt. Worry flared inside of me, as I wondered what happened to him and whether he was okay. The human was pretty badly wounded. Was he going to die? Looking back, I thought that’s what happened to Captain Karlem. I couldn’t bear it if anything like that happened to Andy; I had fun with the nice half-prey, and it was sad to see him in pain. He hadn’t said anything about his condition, even though it was obvious looking at him!

Did he get into a fight with another Terran? Why would he do that, when he’s not violent?

Alarmed screeches and wails, followed by tears, poured from me, and I threw my wings around the human’s leg. “Andy, you’re injured. There’s blood! I don’t want anything to happen to you. You need a doctor, please!”

“I’m fine, Cala. I just got…beat up,” the human sighed. “It’s nothing, really. Nothing that won’t heal by this time next month. Which is October. Maybe you can timekeep how long it takes for the cuts and the shiner to go away.”

“Who beat you up? Why would anyone do that?”

“Because…” Andrew gritted his teeth, hesitating. “Because they think I’m a traitor to humanity, for being nice to you. Especially after…what I did for your hatchday. I tried to plan a really nice surprise.”

“I don’t think you should help me if you’re going to get hurt for it. I don’t want that. I did a bad thing; I’m a killer. Everyone should hate me.”

“That’s not true, Cala. You had no choice, being forced into the extermination fleet at such a young age. Good grief: you’re a bloody victim. I think you’re a very nice kid, and I don’t hate you. I wouldn’t have bought you these fun things if I thought you didn’t deserve them.”

Guilt continued to burn at me, realizing it was my fault—because of helping me—that Andy had been hurt. “What was the surprise? It won’t be a surprise if you tell me, so then, you can tell them you didn’t do it!”

The human chuckled. “I was going to tell you last, but okay. I’ve been spending my time off-the-clock sending messages to various United Nations’ officials, and trying to get the Office of the Secretary-General to look into your case. I didn’t get an answer, so I physically went to his office in Vienna—that’s why I was out sick last week. Zhao finally saw me, perhaps to placate me, but he agreed to visit. Tomorrow.”

“Who is Zhao?”

“The leader of Earth, sort of. The UN handles alien stuff, so he can pardon you. Zhao is going to look into your case, Cala, and that means we have a real chance of getting you out of here!”

“Really? I thought I was staying here forever.”

“I’m not going to let that happen—no matter how many idiots try to rough me up. Come on now. Open your presents.”

I hopped over to the stack of gifts, and picked up the one on top with curiosity. After looking to Andy for a nod of encouragement, hesitant to destroy the things he worked so hard on, my wingtips shredded the paper. It was a strange, cardboard cone with a hole on the bottom, and was about the same orange as my beak. The guard watched as I inspected it; the gears turned in my head, trying to guess what this was intended to be. Humans liked wearing stuff, so maybe it was supposed to go over my beak! It had a tiny string at the bottom to attach it, but first, I needed to get it on. I stuffed my beak into the covering that was way too big, and it wound up with most of my head stuck inside; I was blind, while it hung from my face. 

Andy guffawed in hysterics, which earned more of the grabbing at his chest wound and that strained hissing sound—I thought it was a wince. He removed the cone from over my beak, wiping a tear away from his eye. I stood still as he held the object back out, and placed it on top of my head; the string was secured under my chin to hold it in place. His gaze sparkled, even through the bruising on one side, and his smile widened. He pulled out his holopad, snapping a photograph of me wearing the hat. That was what it was, wasn’t it? It was like the soldiers who came and captured me, and wore hard stuff over their heads too. Was this military training? I didn’t really want to join a war mission again, even if it got me out of my cell.

If I leave my cell at all, do I have to leave Andy? I can’t lose him.

“What is this?” I questioned the human, feeling a bit of worry that I was being sent away by another Papa. “Is it ‘armor?’”

Andrew’s eyebrows shot up. “What? No! It’s a birthday hat. I was going to show you how humans celebrate hatchdays—at least until you’re out of here, and I can throw you a real party.”

“You’d…throw me a party if I was out of here? I’m worried you might…leave me. I wouldn’t see you, because it wouldn’t be your job to watch me…”

“Cala, I want to adopt you. You could live at home, with me. Somewhere much nicer than this…where I can take you places, or just have you go to school, like other kids. That’s what I’m asking Zhao to let me do.”

“You’d have me be with you? Forever?”

“I would. You’ve always told me you’re a smart, brave chick; who wouldn’t be proud to watch you grow up?”

“But…I made James…gone. I made you sad. You don’t want to be stuck with me. I’ll just annoy you, like I annoyed Papa.”

Andrew placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Please listen to me. I don’t ever want to hear you blaming yourself for the choices they made for you; you didn’t make me sad. Helping you has helped me, and pulled me out of the darkness in my head. You don’t annoy me, Cala. I’ve watched you come so far already, and this is only the beginning of our journey together. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I think so…Papa.”

The human smiled, before retrieving another gift from the pile. I tore through the outer casing with less hesitation this time, tilting my head as I found a mango…with a candle lodged in it. Andrew flicked on a lighter, which confused me even further; he hated fire! He set the wax stick ablaze, before holding the mango toward me. I stared at the bright orange flame for several seconds, remembering how large the jets of fuel from the exterminators’ weapons had been. Mama had told me predators deserved to burn, so I hadn’t thought anything of it then. Now, I didn’t really like fire anymore. What did this have to do with hatchday traditions?

“The normal variant of this is placing candles on birthday cakes—and the number of candles matches how many years old you’re turning—but I wasn’t so sure what Krakotl could eat, or what you liked. Trust me, next year, I’ll get you a proper cake, with ‘Happy birthday, Cala!’ written out in icing,” Andrew explained. “The tradition is to blow out the candles, and make a wish.”

I tilted my head. “A wish about what?”

“Anything. Just close your eyes, wish for anything you hope happens, and don’t tell anyone what it is, if you want it to come true. Once you make up your mind, blow out this candle.”

I sealed my eyes shut, thinking about what I wanted. My wish was for Andy to be able to adopt me, and for the other humans to not hate me. It would be the best hatchday ever if I could leave the cell and live with him! I blinked my eyes back open, and extinguished the burning wick. My new papa clapped, removing the candle from the mango carefully. I enjoyed my favorite treat by devouring it, and nudged the Terran with my hat to show my happiness. He grinned, handing me one final box; I wondered what other “birthday” traditions Earth even had. These gifts were super different from back on Nishtal, where people would build a nest on the roof, and put presents there. Humans couldn’t fly out the window on hatchday to get them.

I wonder what Andy means by a real party, as if this isn’t awesome! I never liked the stuff Mama and Papa put in the nest, other than the cool exterminator toys. Papa got me a “decibel reader” one time, so I could see how loud I was. He made me carry it around for a week.

Just as I felt tears welling in my eyes, and struggled to pick at the last box, Andrew’s singing voice snapped me out of the memories of bad hatchdays. “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Cala…happy birthday to you!”

The human seemed very joyful, from that small song he’d launched into; I guessed that was one of his traditions too. I loved music, and I wanted to try to sing the song for him on his “birthday!” Maybe I could find out when his hatchday was, so I could try to do something special for him; it might help me learn the Terran calendar better. How was I going to get a cake and a hat for him though? I wasn’t sure what else I could do but make a drawing of one, which wouldn’t be real. My mind wandered while I ripped open the last box. However, my beak parted in awe when I saw what was inside: tubes of paint and brushes! My wings fluttered, and I lifted a few inches off the ground for a second.

“Yay!” I cheered. “I always wanted to paint. It’s perfect! I can’t believe it!”

Andrew flashed his teeth. “They’re washable paints, so you can paint on anything you like. I won’t tell. In fact…I think that back wall could use some color. Maybe, if you wanted, you could draw for me what your home on Nishtal looked like.”

“I can try. There were tall grasses, and the ground was super wet; some houses were built on stilts over the water! The clouds had floating signs, attached to stuff that was lighter than air. It’d tell people which way to fly up in the sky.”

“You had directions in the sky? That’s pretty cool. Could you use…I don’t know, GPS to fly, the way humans do walking the streets?”

“Yeah, it’d tell you when to turn with the winds, for the easiest flying route. I flew to school alone back when I actually went there.”

“Well, if you fly to school on Earth, you’ll still be alone; I’d walk with you, but I’m afraid I can’t fly. Uh, out of curiosity…you have planes and spaceships, stuff like that. How did you avoid them running into people, while going way faster than them?”

“Krakotl never fly in the restricted area by the spaceport. That was the rule. Mama said it was because the shuttles fly lower there. Outside that region, they have to fly way up, higher than Krakotl go. But I guess I’m not supposed to listen to what Mama taught me, because she’s wrong about everything.”

Andrew snickered. “I never said she was wrong about everything. I think your mother was right about that particular thing. It makes sense.”

“I don’t know what to trust her on, but I can draw what I remember for you. Can you paint the place where you grew up?”

His smile faltered. “I…don’t think I’m ready to draw London, Cala. It was beautiful, with so much history. We were famous for an iconic clock tower called Big Ben; not to mention a few recognizable bridges, palaces, castles…the London Eye, where you could see the whole city. It’s all gone. A memory of what existed before it was rubble.”

“I’m sorry. I just wanted to know more about you. I don’t want to make you sad.”

“It’s okay. There’s not too much to know about me. Actually, before I joined the Peacekeepers, I was a zookeeper—they both end with ‘keeper,’ so they have to be connected somehow, right?”

“What’s a zookeeper?” I asked.

“They…take care of animals, at a fun place that a lot of kids like. I’m used to being around predators that your mother would’ve burned, and giving them a home; caring for herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores alike. A zoo is a place with all of nature right there, in one spot! I guess you could say I’m used to explaining animals to kids, and it’s something I enjoy.”

“Then why did you quit?”

The human’s eyes were far away, sorrowful once more. “The attack on Earth…happened. The zoo I worked at is gone, and after attending James’ funeral, I wanted to fight back. To make the aliens pay! I didn’t think I’d get parked guarding the very people that—I shouldn’t be telling you this, Cala. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. But do you still want to make aliens pay? I thought you didn’t hurt people.”

Andy sucked in a sharp breath, which I didn’t think was because of the injury to his ribs. “Now? We’re trying to keep our people safe, and make things right. If I couldn’t bring myself to hate you…I don’t want to hurt anyone. You’re right. It’s not me. I was so excited when we met aliens, imagining that we might have animals from other planets—and that would be majestic. That’s me, not this…Peacekeeper.”

“Then don’t be a Peacekeeper! Could you find another zoo to work at?”

“Maybe, but I’m not switching occupations until after I’ve gotten you out of here. We’ll figure out what’s best for us once this jail cell isn’t your home anymore.”

I followed the human’s eyes to the gray walls of my cell, and I quietly uncorked a brown can of paint. I began to draw a few lines, with a smudged circle on top; the paint brightened the dull interior as soon as it’d been splashed against the bricks. My wings guided a different brush into a bright blue can, forming my own wings and a tiny circle as a head. Andrew seemed to catch on that it was us when I picked out the orange color, and pointed two slanted lines together to represent the hat. As far as I was concerned, this was who Andy really was, deeper than any job title. He was the best papa any chick had ever had, and this was the picture I wanted to look at before I slept. The cell felt less empty already; despite the fact that I was in prison, this had been a lovely hatchday because of the half-predator.

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A/N - Part 4! Cala’s 9th hatchday finally comes, and Andy brings her all sorts of gifts, teaching her human traditions and a bit about our calendar. For this, the guard is beat up, something that makes Cala feel guilty. We learn what he did for a living before joining the Peacekeepers, and how he only enlisted to fight back and seek payback. Our Krakotl also is told that she might have a chance at freedom, since Secretary-General Zhao agrees to visit; she’s extremely grateful for everything Andy did, and shares a bit about Nishtal with him.

What do you think of Cala’s hatchday celebration, and the fact that Andy got beat up for being kind to her? Do you think that Zhao will grant her clemency, or will she remain in prison for her crimes?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!