The Nature of Predators - The Sacrifice (5/6) (Patreon)

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Memory transcription subject: Kippe, Yulpa Predator Catcher

Date [standardized human time]: March 5, 2137

The predator had orchestrated so much death, with so little time to prepare. My hopes of capturing the creature were shattered—rage was the only thing allowing me to suppress the current of fear. I shuddered to imagine what the Terran military could do, with millions of those things putting their sick brains together. Why would it even think of digging out pits along the path, and filling them with an excess of pointed sticks? By the time I had a moment to creep forward, and try to help Hulth, he had bled out from a number of perforations. Trying to wriggle free of the trap, on his own, had deepened the wounds and increased the spilling of vital fluids. It might be for the best that he was dead, since we already had to haul around one hobbled Yulpa.

Given how precise the predator’s aim with firearms had been, I figured it shot Ilne in the knee on purpose. It saw our authentic empathy as weakness, so it used that to burden us with dead weight. If the frightened Yulpa under my command wouldn’t have balked, I might’ve suggested to leave Ilne behind. I placed the two greenest members of my team at the wounded’s side; I would’ve loved to relegate Mallin to the task, but I was sure that idiot would find a way to fuck that up too. He deserved to be chewed out for cowering while the human was firing at us, instead of shooting back…but I couldn’t afford to admonish him now. We’d just seen the creature, and it couldn’t get away again!

“Stupid biped, so much better at getting down the hill. How many times have you all let it get away?” I grumbled.

Mallin hovered close to me, still clinging to that stupid pan. “Zero. We didn’t let it get away. It just got away.”

“Oh, you fucking idiot! Why couldn’t the predator have killed you? Does it know you’re a liability?”

“Liability. I didn’t know we’re getting sued. Wait…you wish the human killed me?”

I caught onto the offended looks from the other Yulpa, and decided to backpedal. “Of course not. I didn’t want it to kill anyone—we’ve seen too much death. Your stupid questions just aren’t helping me to…process what’s happened. I need some support in gunning this thing down.”

“It has a gun now too. The gunfire was very loud, and didn’t scare it off…so I guess it likes explosions. Wait, that did scare it off, ‘cause it’s run away every time we shot at it! Maybe other sounds would hurt it or distract it too! I know you think scaring it off is bogus, but if we make it yelp or startle, it’d give up its hiding place. Let me try.”

I can’t afford to be protecting Mallin. If he tries some stupid pan clanging and gets shot, instead of a competent Yulpa, I should just let him. The predator is banking that we’ll protect our liabilities, letting them drag us down.

“Huh. Maybe it does have some noise sensitivity,” I murmured, feigning intrigue. “Even if the creature is just confused, that could make a difference, Mallin. You know, you should try it, next time you see it. Might as well.”

“Yes! I knew it was a good idea. It won’t be able to think through all the clanging!”

I managed to mask the scorn in my expression; objectively, this was the best “help” I could expect from Mallin. Our saving grace for finding the human was the emerging pattern of it following us on two separate occasions. In my mind, it was a guarantee that the bloodthirsty beast would circle back for a third strike, biding its time to show itself. That meant it had likely returned to somewhere nearby. The creature had no intention of letting us retreat out of these woodlands alive; confronting it now was our chance to get the drop on it, for once. The question was where it was hiding, so the more Yulpa eyes actively searching for it, the better.

It was tempting to press on past the spike pits, since the predator must have something it didn’t want us to stumble upon down this trail. However, that would be doing what it wanted us to do, yet again. I could fake continuing along this path, then loop back and fire at the bushes; a lucky shot hitting the human, in its predictable hiding spot, might catch it off-guard. It’d revealed its strategic playbook, and I had those ideas figured out. Without its tricks and the element of surprise, this hunter was nothing a group of us couldn’t handle. Being afraid of this beast was irrational, even with its otherworldly talent for murder. I issued a tail signal for “double back soon” to the group, knowing the human couldn’t understand that.

I did my best to sell the act that we were moving forward. At first, I’d thought it was in Anla’s head that she could feel its binocular eyes on her, but I had that unnerving sensation too. My gut told me it was here, and it was maneuvering into position to swiftly take us out. That Terran would think we were oblivious, and believe that it was perfectly blending into the scenery with its leafy apparel. After the ordeal of the past few hours, my satisfaction over it succumbing to a trick would be off the charts. Predator catchers needed to adapt to sapient flesh-eaters, or we would never elevate our standing with the Spirit of Life. This was about proving that we—that I—could wrangle any foul creature that challenged our order.

“After we pass these pits, we should step forward with a single hoof, to make sure the ground is solid,” I announced, in the hopes the predator was listening. “Stay vigilant. This thing likely went back to its camp, and this is as good a location as any—”

I broke off my speech mid-sentence, whipping around to send several shots into the bushes, where it had grabbed cowardly Anla. Other Yulpa fired at separate hiding spots, but there were no yelps or blood spraying across foliage. I searched for any sign of it, before wondering if it had taken refuge further back. The predator catchers aiding Ilne set our wounded man down, and joined me in scouring the bushes. The only sign of any footprints were from when the human fled down the hill, rather than new indentations. Curses bubbled in my thoughts, realizing it was nowhere to be found…but then, one of my colleagues screeched.

I could see a tranquilizer dart, embedded in his hindleg. The Yulpa toppled to the ground as he was drugged into unconsciousness, but before he’d even fallen, another dart struck one of the catchers who’d left Ilne behind. I grabbed Mallin, as he raised his pan with triumph, and dragged the both of us to cover. The predator was somewhere here, but I couldn’t tell where the cursed beast was shooting from. If the darts struck my comrades on their hindlegs, that meant the monster had been waiting in front of the spike pits? There was no dense cover for the human to hide in that direction, so that couldn’t be the case. My plan was the logical one!

It was only when the third dart struck a Yulpa comrade, who was spinning around in a desperate search for the predator, that I noticed the direction the munition came from. It seemed to travel from directly above us. Somehow, that clumsy land mammal had scaled tree trunks without making a sound. Our numbers were plummeting; three of the nine survivors were unconscious, Ilne was hobbled and immobilized, and Mallin was being…Mallin. As my gaze shot upward, the ghastly beast fired what seemed to be its last dart; now, it was me and two competent others. I could see how swiftly it switched over to its firearm, and blew out a Yulpa’s brains with an impeccable shot. The tight angle from that height didn’t phase it a bit.

The humans claimed they’re arboreal, and by the Spirit, it shows—this demon was clever to run to the woods. I’ve never imagined such a large creature…navigating the branches like it was born to be there. It can pick us off from above like a hunting bird!

There was me and one other competent individual, plus Mallin and Ilne—but neither of those two counted. The predator had ditched its silent ammunition after it was already sighted. As long as it had two more bullets in the chamber, it was going to clean up my whole competent posse (including myself). I raised my gun to shoot the beast, but my teeth were chattering too frenetically to land anywhere near the predator. By contrast, its pale hands were steady around the trigger, as it executed my last useful comrade. My heart felt like it was about to burst from my chest; my thoughts were mindless screaming about my imminent death. It was like the creature had saved my demise for last, so that, just as I had intended for it back in the cage, I could dwell on what fate was coming.

There was a click, telling me that my ammunition had run dry, because of panicked shots that never hit the mark—and due to my prior expenditure, trying to nail it in the bushes. The fearless human had downed my last comrade standing, and shimmied down the tree with effortless steps. It walked over to Ilne, before pressing the gun barrel against the crippled Yulpa’s temple. The primate stared right at me with its forward-facing eyes, as it depressed the trigger. I averted my gaze, and fumbled to draw my dart gun. The predator was out of ammo in the seized weapon, presumably, since it tossed the firearm to the ground.

I didn’t have time to nail it with a tranquilizer, before its powerful strides cleared the gap. The human wrenched the dart gun away from my tongue, twisting my leg slightly as it broke the straps. The monster’s eyes glowed with hate as it turned the non-lethal weapon on me, though a calculating glint lurked alongside the vitriol. It seemed unconcerned by Mallin’s enthusiastic charge, and its lips curved up in a quirky snarl. The dumb Yulpa, who was the only other survivor, flailed about; he slammed the pan against a tree. The clanging noise didn’t make the predator bat an eye, which seemed to confuse my colleague.

The beast kept the dart gun pointed at me, but directed his guttural chuckle at Mallin. “You’re not right in the head, are you?”

“You left him alive for your amusement,” I posited.

“I’ll deal with you in a minute, you evil bitch. I didn’t have the heart to kill him; poor guy seems like a lovable idiot. Still, I’m not taking any risks. Mallin, put the pan down. Slide your guns off, and keep your paws low—nowhere near your mouth.”

Why isn’t it killing us? It enjoyed taking us out earlier; I saw its wicked amusement, and I know I’m the main person it’d want revenge on.

Mallin dropped the pan with dismay. “You can still think? But there’s so much noise, and your ears are sensitive for hunting!”

“Buddy, I’ve shot way too many firearms without ear protection to have sensitive hearing. I’m grateful you guys talk loud enough to be heard in a neighboring county. Stealth is not your forte. Now do what I said.”

Mallin complied with the beast’s orders, pinning his ears back. “Are you going to eat me?”

“For fuck’s sake. No. I just want to talk, at least right now.”

“Want to talk. I d-don’t even know your name. Do predators have names?”

The human’s growling chuckle reverberated in its chest. “Cedric. Cedric Flynn. It’s about time someone asked. Now I have one question of my own. I want to know why you became a predator catcher, Mallin.”

“Mama said I was dumb. Now she says I’m a predator catcher. Catching predators is supposed to be easy. Those animals don’t think much, besides about hunting, of course.”

I gritted my teeth in irritation. “This thing is sapient. You haven’t seen how calculating and murderous it is?”

“Not another word,” Cedric growled. “You kidnapped me. You faked a distress signal to prey on my sympathy, which was calculating as fuck, and your entire ritual was murderous. ‘Make it scream’ was the first thing I heard when I woke up. You dragged me from somewhere I meant to do good, and you intend to persecute my entire species for no reason at all.”

“You’ve proved what we always knew about your kind’s k-killing power. The Spirit demands—”

“SILENCE! I killed to survive, just like the animals in your woods. You Yulpa? You kill for shits and giggles. If you choose sacrifices for killing capacity, you should be sacrificing yourselves.”

Mallin, the idiot, seemed to be taking the predator’s words seriously. “Are we the highest tier of killing? I mean, we kill a lot of predators…probably more than they kill of us.”

“From what I’ve overheard about your religion, I’d bet anything the Yulpa used to execute your murderers to the Spirit. There are no killers like sapients—the very building blocks of a modern society, those fundamentals destroy our planets. Humans are predators, but at least we know it. Tell me, Mallin, do I sound like an unthinking animal to you?”

“No. Now that I think about it, the other things we catch don’t talk. And they’d definitely run from the pans. You’re different.”

“Say it louder for Kippe. Fucking hell! I didn’t want any of this—any of it! Please, will you help me get home?”

“Kippe told me she wished you killed me. I do know she meant that. That hurt my feelings. You don’t want me dead, so I’ll help you.”

Mallin is really stupid enough to side with a predator? Well, he couldn’t help a Sivkit find their way to grass! That’s a moronic choice for “help” from Cedric.

The predator had to be taunting me somehow, by recruiting my least favorite team member; it must be keeping me alive to savor its kill. Perhaps there would be some chance to distract it, or sabotage whatever its next escape plans were. The heresy, saying that natural transactions could be completed by sacrificing your own species…of course, that would be the first thought of a race that readily killed its own in mass wars. Its view of sapience was linked with being top tier killers, if I’d understood what it just said. Just because it could achieve higher cognition didn’t mean it wasn’t an animal. Proof: the copper-colored mane on its scalp was hidden beneath dirt and leaves, yet it didn’t seem to mind the filth it was ridden in.

Cedric could reason and charm prey with targeted lies, but this was the same beast that had set dastardly traps that eliminated eighteen Yulpa predator catchers. It could’ve wiped us all out if it wasn’t toying with me now. The day of its sacrifice should’ve been the greatest day in Grenelka’s history, when its blackened heart was pierced ritually. I still didn’t know what its scream sounded like, but at least I’d glimpsed its fear, in the cage when it first awoke. My devastation at such a monumental feat, being downgraded to my humiliation, hadn’t faded. I was ashamed that I was too frightened to defy this beast now.

The human pulled my radio from my satchel. “Call the Yulpa law enforcement guarding these woods, Kippe. Tell them I’m dead, and they no longer need to surround the area. I hear or sense anything off, and what I do to you in our final minutes will make your rituals look merciful. Trust me, I know how to inflict the maximum pain your mind can conjure. Agony for a perceived eternity, then, you die with me.”

“I get the picture. I’ll cooperate.” I grabbed the radio, knowing better than to plead for my life with a vengeful predator; the prospect of an excruciating death did terrify me. As long as I made myself useful, there might be a chance to undermine its escape plan and get away. “Attention, all law enforcement. The predator has been eliminated as a threat, though we were forced to use lethal action. Quarantine protocol is no longer necessary, so please return to your normal duties. Thank you.”

Part of me had gone along with the Terran’s request because I didn’t want to perish to a Yulpa bomb. Dying now would mean squandering the potential of my future, which I’d proved by taking the initiative to capture a human. I had so much left to accomplish; my legacy hadn’t been cemented in our world’s history yet. Even after it had all fallen apart, I didn’t regret capturing Cedric. It was a travesty the human had gotten away, but I proved it was possible to capture a sapient. I pioneered a path for every predator catcher’s aspirations.

“That should do it?” Cedric asked, after I disconnected from the channel. Its pupils bore into my soul, checking for any signs of deceit.

I shrank away from its foul breath. “It will. Mallin can confirm—he’s too Sivkit-brained to lie.”

“Why am I always related to Sivkits? I look nothing like them,” the clueless Yulpa protested.

“Mallin? Focus.” Cedric hadn’t pointed the dart gun away from me for a second. “Did Kippe tip them off at all? Or will they do what she said?”

“Hm, her words sounded right. Response chatter sounded right too. You know, this is the biggest quarantine I have ever seen! Other than that, it was handled pretty normal.”

“I guess it makes sense that you wouldn’t have a secret code, for a predator holding you hostage to make you speak against your will. Glad Kippe did that the easy way. Now, I need your holopad, and a visual translator if you have it.”

“Sure thing, Cedric. What are you looking for?”

“I want to know about Duerten Shield members on Grenelka. You’re going to help me find them.”

Should I help it for now? It is going to the city, where it can’t hide itself or set traps. I could push it right into the waiting paws of predator catchers—someone will see it, and help me!

I feigned a placid expression. “Alright. You’ve won. I’ll help you.”

“Oh, not you, Kippe. I’ve gotten all the help from you that I need,” the beast growled.

“What? No! You can’t kill me. I have lots of knowledge about Grenelka and predator catchers, while Mallin can’t tell his tail from—why are you showing your teeth again?!”

“Because honestly, I have a nice smile. The braces really paid off. Good night!”

Cedric’s pearly teeth remained on display in an unnerving grin, as it pulled the trigger on the tranquilizer gun. I felt a slight prick in my neck, just as it likely had when I knocked it out, while it was boarding my ship. My head turned woozy and my vision narrowed to a pinhole much too fast. The full effects of the sedative took over against my will, rendering me unconscious and beholden to the predator’s whims.

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A/N - Part 5! Kippe tries to anticipate Cedric's ambush, but it turns out he's up above in the trees--and the two guns come in handy. Mallin is left alive and agrees to help him, while Kippe finds herself knocked out as soon as she clears the guards from the forest. What will Cedric do with both of the Yulpa survivors? Will he be able to find a way off-world...and would any Duerten Shield members even be willing to help him?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!