The Nature of Predators - Venlil Foster Brother (1/?) (Patreon)

Spoilers for Venlil Foster Program; this is a story focused on Jimek, and also follows what we saw of him in Human Exterminators 2. Other spoilers might be present for tangentially related stories such as HE1 and Predator Disease.

Memory transcription subject: Jimek, Venlil Art Student

Date [standardized human time]: February 1, 2137

The secret was eating me up on the inside, and it had only been half a day. I knew when Luala offered me a commission job as an extermination guild artist that I couldn’t tell my mom; after the school incident, she’d never want me working for that same branch, whether it was a cool gig or not! Dustin must’ve noticed that something was peculiar when I wasn’t interested in playing Fortress, and ran off to my room after an unexplained outing. My mother hadn’t known where I was really going, only that I was meeting a “classmate” to “study” after art school.

The human knocked on my door, scratching his curly hair awkwardly. “Hey, Jimek. You maybe wanna, I dunno, watch TV or something? It’s our one day off from school, and…”

“Not right now!” I squealed, way too quickly. My paws shoved my recreational drawing of Will Kane’s mangled face under the desk calendar. “You could go play with the refugee kids, in the park? I’d really like to be alone.”

“Oh. Uh…that’s a shame. I thought you were upset because of Cylek—I know you’ve been a bit down in the dumps—but do you not like me anymore? It’s like you were avoiding me all night. I hope I didn’t do something wrong, or maybe you blame me for not fixing the bullying…”

“It’s nothing to do with you, Dustin! I’m just doing some art stuff.”

“Since when do you not show me your sketches, bro? We always draw together, but…I can tell you just want me out of here. You ran off after art school without even telling me where you were going; I found out from Callsi. I knew I was going to make you want to get rid of me eventually…whether an adoption went through or not.”

My ears pinned back with alarm. “Stop! It really has nothing to do with you. I just don’t want anyone to know what I was doing, and I’m not a good liar.”

“O-kay. Wait a second. What did you do, Jimek? You did something to get in trouble? I’d totally cover for you, and you know that. I thought you trusted me.”

“This is different. You won’t like it either!”

Dustin’s grimace of insecurity began to loosen, replaced by suspicion. What I’d told him was enough to know that my story to Callsi, about going to study, didn’t have the slightest bit of truth to it. As much as my brother worried about whether I would turn on him, I was concerned over his reaction to me, joining the predator-killing professionals. It wasn’t like that at all, but maybe he’d think that I wanted humans dead—then not let me explain, tell my mother, and she’d stop me! She might even take away art school, especially if she found out the flamethrower stuff! I had to make him swear to secrecy before giving him any crumbs of information.

I hope Dustin is better at keeping secrets than I am. Maybe he can help me think of a cover.

I eyed the predator warily. “You have to promise not to tell Mom. Promise me!”

Dustin raised his hands with a sheepish grin. “Yeah, yeah, I promise. Now what did you do?”

“You gotta let me explain, but I kinda took a job with the exterminators.”

“What the hell? That’s where you really went: running into the exterminators’ arms? There’s not a worse place to offer your services to. Those are the same people who pointed flamethrowers at me and every other human at our school!”

“I know, but—”

“No buts! How do you ‘kind of’ take a job? I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t you joining the very idiots who burn animals alive. Your job wishes humans would all drop dead!”

“It wasn’t like that. Look, the truth is, I met this super angry and huffy human named William Kane at the bar. He works for the exterminators, and he offered me his flamethrower to burn down Vana and Cylek’s house! So I went to the guild to take his offer, and he looked like a human piñata! See?”

I tugged my paper out from underneath the desk calendar, and showed the sketch to Dustin. My brother seemed to have a hard time buying my story, but he squinted at the page nonetheless. William Kane’s crooked nose was a discolored purple on my drawing, as his black hair was swept back. The way he’d been dragging himself around on crutches made him look decrepit. I’d traced the outline of the surprisingly human-friendly Krakotl in the fringes, as a dark gray Venlil scowled at the loose-lipped human by a conference room. This was the sketch I wanted to turn in for my art class project portfolio at the end of the semester.

“Humans work at the exterminators now. William told me if I worked for the guild, that status would protect me from Cylek. I filed a ‘psychology’ report with the Krakotl, before she gave me the job,” I declared.

Dustin furrowed his brow. “What good will any of that do? His mom, Vana, sells them their flamethrowers; that’s why Cylek hasn’t gotten locked up yet for his behavior. She’ll just pull strings, and there’s no real investigation coming. This human lied to you, or doesn’t know, because the guild won’t protect you.”

That’s…of course. Vana has so many connections at the guild. Why did I believe that stupid William? He lied about helping me!

My paws curled into fists with rage. “So William’s claim that he was going to help, it was just to get me to go away? He was supposed to make Cylek stop!”

“Uh, if this dude is actually human and all, he might not know that the exterminators are bought and sold? I heard about them hiring ‘predators’, but I didn’t really believe it. I mean, what kind of human would even work for them?” Dustin murmured.

“William gave me a speech about being consumed by hate. It was a good speech, but he promised he’d fix the Cylek problem. Either he’s going to, or I’ll take matters into my own paws. I’m done! I’m tired of that asshole hurting me, and I want him to hurt back.”

“Breathe. We got this. If Will swore he’d help you, you’d need to make him fulfill his promises. He looks pretty bent out of shape with the crutches in your drawing, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t set this right. The guild needs to follow through on protecting you, since that was his shtick.”

“You’re right, Dustin! We should make him do something about it. I heard what he was about to say, about being able to do whatever he wants to Cylek, before his boss gave him a vicious glare. If we find him on his personal time, away from her, maybe we can set a plan in motion. Cylek won’t get away with this!”

“I’d kick the living shit out of him, if a supposedly unprovoked predator attack wouldn’t land me in hot water. My hands are tied, but Will’s aren’t. Let me just call the exterminators, and say I have, uh, medications to deliver to him.”

“Your voice isn’t deep enough to pass as a full adult.”

“So? There’s ton of Venlil kids who work in all sorts of jobs, and you don’t see anything wrong with that. Even if they think I’m not eighteen or older, there’s no reason they should have a complaint about humans doing that. Here, just watch!”

I watched with bated breath as Dustin searched up the guild’s phone number, and dialed it into his holopad. It was a relief that my brother had understood the reason I was doing this, while taking it upon himself to further my plan to end Cylek’s bullying. If I’d been thinking clearer back at the guild, I would’ve pressed William to fulfill his word; it was obvious that Vana had too much sway over the guild for the organization to ever take action against her “precious baby.” It was tough to imagine how uncomfortable I’d been when Callsi first agreed to join the foster program, and that I’d thought the predator would continue my torment at home. Now, Dustin was the only one trying to protect me, and calling out the people paying me lip service.

I really hope that he’ll keep his word about not telling Callsi. She seemed worried about what William was telling me, when he approached me at the bar, and she thinks exterminators make Dustin feel unsafe. We have to sneak out and get back before she gets home from work.

I hadn’t been listening to what Dustin was saying on the phone, but it seemed that the Venlil spokesperson forked over William’s residence without a problem. The human exterminator was suspended from the guild, and wouldn’t be in to pick up any packages; that meant there were no suggestions for deliveries to be made at the workplace. All it took was a few details about Mr. Kane’s injuries that proved we really knew him and his medical history, and my brother had an address written down on a slip of paper. I followed the Canadian orphan out the front door, with the same enthusiastic running as the first time I raced around the kitchen in socks.

With Dustin coming to hold the exterminator accountable, William was going to have to follow through on his promise to make me untouchable, right now.

---

My adoptive brother began to look nervous, once we approached the residence’s threshold. Exterminators must frighten him a little bit after all; there would be nobody nearby or watching, especially if the information he got at the desk was wrong. What if the guild had heard a predator voice, and sent him off for an interrogation? This was nowhere near where most Terrans lived, an apartment complex deep within the Venlil residential ring. Callsi had warned Dustin not to go wandering through unfamiliar parts of the city, since it could be dangerous for humans caught in the wrong territory. I hoped I wasn’t risking his life for my revenge, but I couldn’t turn back—I really needed Cylek to pay.

Ignoring the stares of a few residents, I took the lead walking up to the correct apartment door, on the first floor of the complex. There was some strange, two-wheeled contraption, with a seat and some raised branches that had pink streamers; my brother seemed to recognize it, so maybe it was a human thing? As I lifted my paw to knock, the sound of a Venlil yelling inside made me pause. Dustin’s apprehension became more noticeable, after we made out the exact words in the shouted language.

“I burn one human and you act like I’m fucking Kalsim! But I—I don’t even get a trial!” the Venlil voice screeched, with a lofty indignance to it. “That predator deserved worse. Worse, I tell you!”

My ears twisted with confusion, and the two of us hesitated over whether we should turn back. This Venlil was clearly part of the exterminators’ guild…and he was admitting to burning a human alive? How would he react to a predator child showing up on his doorstep? Whatever information Dustin had gotten about William living here must be wrong; there was no way a Terran would reside with someone who acted like it was okay to burn their kind. I began to back away, when I heard the throaty growl that belonged to Mr. Kane.

“A Venlil exterminator toasts a human like a marshmallow, smack dab in the middle of the refugee camp. I mean, sure, it was a psycho terrorist, but it’s not a good look, Rauln,” William answered.

Rauln hissed in irritation. “This wasn’t like what I did at the school. The only good thing Malthe Hansen ever did was punch the smug look off your face. I’d like you better without your eyes and your canines too, but I guess I’ll have to handle that myself.”

“And I’d like you better without your tongue. If I could walk normal, I’d march over there and cut it out. It’d finally be some peace and quiet, to let me heal with dignity!”

William was here after all, though it sounded like he had quite the toxic relationship with this…Venlil who apparently burned a human in their refugee camp. I still wasn’t sure whether Rauln was dangerous, but I had caught the bit about the school. He was involved in almost burning Terran children, back when my brother protected me; that fact could make Dustin feel unsafe, if we went inside. After exchanging a look with the human teenager, and seeing his slight nod, I gave a tentative knock on the door. The two residents didn’t seem to hear it at all, over their screaming match.

“First off, you and dignity don’t exist in the same sentence,” Rauln spat. “Second, you only want to heal so you can flirt with Fyron, just so you can parade a Farsul in front of my noseless face—which is her fault.”

“It’s not her fault, any more than it’s my fault that Malthe was a psycho terrorist! Fyron is really hurting, and we’ve always been close. She welcomed me long before you or anyone else, and she said herself she’s not interested in courting me. It’s not flirting because I comfort her, when she’s feeling things I know a shit ton about.”

“She’s the only one you’re nice to. The only one whose feelings matter to you, without any mockery or selfish aims. Now, you’re helping to write her salacious book about humans?”

“I should’ve never told you any of that. I was trying to have a sibling heart-to-heart, and open up—”

Dustin took charge, pounding on the door with his fist. My foster brother threw himself shoulder-first against the frame several times, finally breaking up the roommates’ bickering. There was an exasperated hiss, followed by annoyed footsteps marching toward us. The human child backed away slightly, using me as a shield in case Rauln was approaching with a flamethrower. I tried my best not to look afraid, but I’d rather speak with William than this loose cannon Venlil.

The one thing I noticed was that Mr. Kane talked about Rauln like a sibling; are they like me and Dustin? We’d never talk to each other like that! It’s so predatory and…mean.

A scowling, smoke-furred Venlil flung open the door, baring his teeth menacingly. “Damn it. I don’t want to buy Young Herd Crunchcakes again; you just came last week! What do you even do with the money: buy yearly passes to gravity arcades? Organize pasture picnics? When I was your age, I’d already joined the exterminators—”

“Uh, we’re not selling crunchcakes?” Dustin interjected, looking like he wanted to shrink deeper into his shirt. “We want to talk to William.”

“Huh? YOU! You’re the human who attacked a Venlil kid on your first day. I’d know your face anywhere.”

“You’re the one who lined up the other kids, and pointed a flamethrower at them. You have the same fur color as that prick. I saw you when Callsi took me home with the Peacekeepers.”

“I have nothing to say to you. It’s sad that nobody’s taught you to ignore your bloodlust; humans are either humans, or predators. Did you even think about making the rest of your species, with all they’ve been suffering, look bad? Unless you’re here to apologize for that episode at the school, turn around and walk the fuck away.”

“I’m not going anywhere! And fuck you for that bloodlust comment.”

“Excuse me? I’ll kick the shit out of you, punk, even with my flamethrower confiscated.”

“Then do it. I attacked Cylek and his friends because they were torturing my brother, and I would do it again to save him. I wish I broke more than the jaw of that Mama’s boy. Not that I expect you to understand how it feels, watching someone you care about helpless, crying, and screaming in pain.”

I tugged at my brother’s wrist. “Dustin, let’s leave. I don’t want you getting written up, and…taken away. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“No, hang on a second,” Rauln interjected. “For the record, I understand exactly what it’s like to want to protect someone from another person who’s abusing them. William was taken hostage by Humanity First, and I went…crazy. I’ve felt that same bloodlust, at the thought of what happened to Will…and when I lost my mother.”

My brother crossed his arms. “Then you know why I’m here. That piece of shit is still torturing Jimek, and I intend to put a stop to it. You’re going to help, unless you want me to broadcast to the world that William offered to give a child a flamethrower.”

“He did w—hm, actually, that sounds exactly like the dumbfuck thing Will would do. I want the full story of this later, you shorn freak. You know, if you still don’t want your flamethrower, I’d be happy to take it from you.”

A loud groan came from the living room. “Fat chance in hell. The best thing Volek ever did was taking that away from you.”

“William, let me in!” I shouted. “I want to talk. Filing a useless report with a Krakotl doesn’t cut it.”

“Holy shit. You don’t quit. I thought I dealt with you, kid. I’m not passing along my flamethrower, so that you and Dusty can get arrested for arson.”

“But you’re gonna do something! You promised to help, and then backed out like a wimp. If you want me to be untouchable because I’m with the guild, you need to make that happen. I don’t trust your people to do anything! Vana owns you guys!”

Dustin nodded. “That’s Cylek’s mother. She owns a huge flamethrower company, and that’s why they never investigate his predator disease.”

“Well, I don’t know about this Vana, but we’re weeding out the use of flamethrowers—the refugee camp incident might make it a total ban,” William grunted. “Vana’s company will have as much sway as a telegram company, since it’s gonna be from yesteryear. The guild is reforming, so things will be different. The new departments were my ideas, including the psychology one.”

Rauln lashed his tail. “Because Volek agreed you needed to get your brain checked. And that if I find your dirty shirts behind the couch cushions again, I’ll crush your skull in your sleep—you won’t have a brain to check at all. Dustin, do you just leave your worn pelts anywhere you like?”

My brother shoved his hands into his pockets. “No? Callsi would ream me out.”

“See? You’re worse than a teenage predator-attack-culprit, Will. I’m this close to kicking you out.”

“Stop bickering long enough to help me! This isn’t a joke,” I hissed. “If Vana doesn’t own you and you’re different, you need to show Cylek that. You need to show me that. You’re going to show up at my school tomorrow and get him to back off.”

The human exterminator heaved a sigh. “I don’t know how the fuck you found out where I live, but I can barely walk. I’m suspended from the guild, and if Volek catches wind of me head-hunting some Venlil kids, I’ll be kicked to the curb. I’m not going anywhere near that school.”

“Yes, you are,” Rauln chimed in. “You started this mess by telling Jimek something as idiotic as you did. Volek wouldn’t be happy to find out what you said to him either. Besides…Dustin shouldn’t have to watch his brother suffer. I wouldn’t want him doing to Cylek what I did to Malthe—bad look for your whole ugly-eyed species. We need to fix this, most of all, because it’s not right that it’s gone on this long.”

“Hmph. If you feel so strongly, you and your bleeding heart need to convince the team to help.”

“Why…why would my heart be bleeding? That’s a predatory idiom.”

“It means that you’re extremely sympathetic to other people’s problems,” Dustin chimed in. “You know, that it hurts your heart.”

“I don’t understand why such grotesque imagery was needed, but fine. I’ll get Fyron and Luala to help, Will. We should be a team one last time, since you got moved off of most field work.”

“Rauln, if you say a peep to Fyron—”

“Relax. I won’t; I’m still not wild about working with a Farsul, but I’ll be cool.”

I perked my ears up with hope. “So you guys will be there, at my school, tomorrow?”

“Yeah, yeah. Just get off my porch.”

The testy Venlil slammed the door in my face, almost smacking me in the snout; I barely stumbled back in time. Dustin shot me an encouraging smile, and I gave him an ear flick of appreciation for the support. With full-grown exterminators flanking me, including a scary-looking adult human, Cylek might be persuaded to leave me alone! It would require staying connected to the guild, drawing enough artwork for them that I could claim the privileges of a full member. The question was how I’d keep Callsi from finding out, and potentially ruining my plan to protect myself. My Terran brother and I should have a week to plan how to cover our tracks, since I’d only be working on my off-day…

Dustin’s holopad buzzed, drawing a perplexed look from the human; as he drew the device from his pocket, I could see Callsi’s contact photo on the incoming call screen. Why was my mother calling us? She was supposed to be at work! If it was something menial, like chores to do before she got home, she would’ve just texted. Somehow, our chaperone must’ve found out that we had left our residence, without telling her where we were going. I didn’t have an excuse ready for where we went, and I couldn’t use studying as my cover again.

Before I could tell Dustin not to answer, and give us time to think of a strategy, the human’s thumb had swiped the accept button. Panic flared in my chest, as I was terrified that Callsi would figure out what we were up to with the exterminators. My brother needed to lie, on the spot, for the both of us now. I didn’t know how it would play out, but I was certain this was going to be a stressful call.

Next

A/N - The Venlil Foster Program spin-off begins! After William talked Jimek off the ledge and Luala got him an artist job with the guild, the kid tries to hide it from Callsi...but Dustin notices his odd behavior, and pries the truth out of him. Dustin is originally horrified that Jimek would help the exterminators, but winds up involved in showing up at Rauln and Will's doorstep, and forcing them to deal with Cylek as promised. What will they tell Callsi about their excursion? How do you expect the exterminator gang to deal with Jimek's bullies, if they fulfill their end of the deal?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!