The Nature of Predators - Nova's Children (4/?) (Patreon)

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There were more difficult explanations in store for Tarva and Noah to give to their children; this time, they didn’t want this next bit of information to be learned at school, as explained by an underpaid history teacher. Ari and Elia couldn’t fathom how unusual, how singular, their parents were. The time had come for the parents to impart the extent of their roles in the galaxy’s fate, and the impact that might have on the youngsters’ life. It would be unavoidable, seeing Noah’s speech to the Federation and details about Tarva’s policies at some point—that, or to have a classmate broach some political subject.

Noah sat at the dinner table, sharing a final glance with Tarva. “Children, we have something else to tell you about our pasts. How…your mother and I met.”

“Your ship landed at her house, right?” Elia squeaked.

“Yes, that’s a simplified way to put it. You see, what I’m trying to say is that your mother and I are quite famous, and played important roles in some major events: our notoriety is unusual, among parents. You’ll have extra attention on you for it. In short, I was an astronaut on humanity’s first faster-than-light ship, and I landed on this planet…where I was met by the governor of all of Skalga. Which was your mother.”

Ari wrinkled his nose in a skeptical expression. “You’re telling me Mom was in charge of the entire world?”

“She was. Tarva, love, would you like to explain?”

The adult Venlil set her longpick down, with a vegetable still speared. “Gladly. You know that I’m the ambassador to the Sapient Coalition; it’s why I have to go away so often. I’ve taken you with me. It’s a diplomat role with lots of talking that you find boring. What you don’t seem to understand is that I advocate for our entire planet. A long time ago, I was ambassador to an organization called the Federation. I was popular enough in that role to run for office, so I was able to gain enough support to serve a term as governor.”

“Like…Veln? The guy on TV who gives speeches, and makes huge decisions?” Elia asked.

“I was the governor before Veln. I lost in the recent election to him, for several reasons, but all you need to know is that there was opposition to some policies I supported. A lot of it tied in to how close I was to Noah, though obviously I don’t regret that. You might hear my name in some of Veln’s speeches, or see my picture in your history books.”

“That’s crazy!” Ari’s suspicious eyes had filled up with awe, and he flashed his teeth in wonderment. “I didn’t know you were that powerful. Everyone on Skalga answered to you? You still talk for everyone? That must be…millions of people?”

Laughter rumbled in Noah’s throat. “Billions, actually. We’re telling you this because, while we’ve tried to shield how information about your upbringing is released to the public, many people will be watching you. Your actions will be under a spotlight, and people who did oppose your mother’s choices could judge you for her actions. You might be antagonized or harassed because of our family’s renown. How you handle these things will reflect on you, even from such a young age.”

“What decisions did Mom make, that people would…hate her?” Elia asked.

“For starters, she did the right thing. Remember those…people that burn predators? She got the ball rolling, phasing out their flamethrower usage. She also did several things that kept humans safe, and agreed to treat us like people, regardless of our eyes. It’s just a more extensive degree of judgment from people who would already hate you. You deserve fair warning.”

Ari’s features twisted into a scowl. “Great. So more people are going to hate me? What am I even supposed to do about that?”

“Aside from learning self-defense? There’s not much you can do, except to understand that angry people aren’t rational. You can’t persuade them in any logical manner. If anyone ever is giving you a problem, you should try to de-escalate the situation. Tell them—show them their feelings are valid.”

“What if their feelings aren’t valid?” Elia hissed. “These are stupid, hateful people!”

“It doesn’t matter. What is important is that you’re safe, and that you don’t worsen the situation for yourself. A little empathy can go a long way.”

Memory Transcription Subject: Elia Williams, Venlil Athlete

Date [standardized human time]: October 2, 2152

The former exterminators forced us both to our knees, with a kick to my back for encouragement. I could see the outline of the envelope with the test results, still stuffed in the human’s hoodie; on the off-chance we escaped from this with our lives, I was glad he hadn’t lost his primary hope of finding his birth parents. My eyes searched for any opportunity to lunge at our attackers, and try to wrestle the flamethrowers out of their grasp. If Ari could get the cue and join in, we could grapple both of the incendiary weapons. That would be difficult from our present kneeling position, however, so I decided to let my brother do the talking.

Nobody will see us in this isolated alleyway, not that they noticed anything in plain sight. The noise of people going about their busy lives will cover up anything aside from primal screams.

“You wanted to talk to us?” Ari ventured. “It’s understandable that you’d be…hurt by losing your livelihoods. It’s clear you’re very calculated; a lot of trouble went into following us. Do you want Tarva to hurt like your lives were hurt?”

The unmodded Venlil stalked in front of us. “We haven’t decided whether to keep you alive, and use your capture to get Tarva to reactivate our guild! To bring back flamethrowers! We only really need one of you, but both might help the cause.”

“Tarva doesn’t have that power. She’s not governor anymore. You could give your grievances to us, and we might be able to figure out a way to help you.”

“Predatorshit! We’re not cutting you loose; you either die in this alley, or you never see the light of day again. We should burn you, binocular-eyed filth.”

A growl rumbled in my throat. “My brother is NOT FILTH!”

A flamethrower slammed into the back of my head, knocking me into the dirt. I winced in pain, feeling blood dampen my fur.

“Be glad we need you alive. If we didn’t, I’d cleanse your predator taint right here and now,” the exterminator barked.

Ari’s eyes widened with concern, though despite the high-stress situation, he stayed focused on our captor; his voice somehow remained impassive, with only a slight lilt of concern for me. My brother was trying to talk them down and de-escalate the situation, like Noah had taught him, but it didn’t seem that any mediator could convince them to let us go. These bastards wanted to keep us as prisoners, and I could only imagine what they’d do to a caged predator that was also Tarva’s son.

“It’s okay, Elia,” Ari said. “That’s their opinion. They must’ve dealt with many animals that did brutish things, and came to the natural association of binocular eyes being a threat. Burning predators helps them handle that injustice, right?”

The younger one’s mother stood beside her son. “What are you playing at? Do you want us to burn you, right here and now?”

“You know I don’t. All I’m saying is I understand exactly where you’re coming from. How having lots of humans around, like me, is difficult to accept. The fact that I can get that must mean something about how we’re different from those savage beasts. I see them as savage too.”

Ari absolutely doesn’t see animals that way, but he’s trying to plead his case. It’s hopeless, though; if these assholes don’t already see humans for what they really are, nothing will convince them.

The mother, seeming to be the group’s leader, flicked her tail. “We know humans have some differences to the beasts. It doesn’t change your…reprehensible practices, or the fact that you’re leaving our children defenseless! Because of you humans, predators roam free. Prey can be hunted with nobody to stand guard, because you kindling see that as the natural order!”

“I have a Venlil as a sister. I don’t know how other humans feel, but I definitely don’t want her being hunted. If there’s something I can do to make Elia safer, it wouldn’t even be a thought! Maybe you can tell me what should be done to protect ourselves from predators—we all have to live on this planet. I can convince my mother to listen, and we know she has sway with the SC.”

“I’m sick of your talking. You think your silver-tongued deceit tricks us?”

“I can stop talking. Actually, why don’t I just listen to how you feel? I have no right to phrase how you feel for you, but I’d love to understand better.”

“You’re going to stop talking: permanently. Kill the predator—quietly slice his throat—and take the Venlil alive. We only need one of them to control Tarva. We can burn the corpse later.”

“No!” I screeched, scrambling for a lie to save Ari. For all of my strength, there was nothing I could do to protect the human. “Kill me instead. Please! Tarva…loves him better, since he’s the well-behaved one. He’ll be worth more.”

Ari’s panicked eyes grew wider. “Elia, what are you doing? I’ve always been an outsider in my own home. We all know you’re more valuable; it should be me. I’m just a predator.”

“No, you’re not. You have a brighter future, with real skills, and I get you into trouble.”

“We were here doing something for me! It should be me!”

“I want it to be me, Ari. I…I love you. So much.”

“You’ll shut up, Elia, or we’ll cut out your tongue!” the group’s leader hissed, standing beside her son. “Gag them both. I don’t want to hear its ugly voice, or this predator-diseased freak’s pleas.”

The other two exterminators leapt into action, tying cloth strips around each of our mouths; they ignored my muffled squeaks, as they bound my paws and Ari’s hands. I watched in horror, seeing the leader move my brother to the furthest corner of the alley. She pressed his face against the brick wall, so that nobody could see his binocular eyes. The human’s chest shuddered, body shaking with fear. My innocent sibling was terrified to die, and there was nothing I could do to stop these from being the last breaths he drew. I shouldn’t have gone along with the demands to follow them into the alleyway. I should’ve gotten in the way, somehow, letting myself burn so he could get away!

You saw these bastards following you, and walked right toward them. This was your plan to elude them. Ari’s death will be your fault, and that’s why it should’ve been you!

The former exterminator accepted a knife from one of her colleagues, using her paw to feel beneath the predator’s jawline for his carotid artery. She pressed the blade against his brown skin, preparing to make the incision. I screamed into the gag, which earned a kick from the Venlil child standing over me. I didn’t care about the pain; all I could think about was the fact that my brother was going to have his neck sliced right in front of me. Tears poured down my face, and the snot in my nose made it near impossible to breathe with the gag. My vision blurred, which must’ve been making me see things. I thought I saw a red dot appear on the back of the leader’s head, like a laser pointer in Terran cat videos.

Without warning, some projectile pierced the back of her skull, splattering orange blood all over my brother’s spine. I could hear him scream from the sticky smattering, a horrified wail that just escaped the fabric. I heard a muted pop, and saw an emotionless human, wearing sunglasses and fancy attire, step into the alley. The mysterious stranger was not the one who’d made a long-range shot on the Venlil that’d been about to execute my brother, but the newest sound was a handgun round he sent right between her son’s eyes. With lightning-quick aim, the pistol lined up on the first henchman, downing him. It swiveled to the last one within a second, before she could think to raise a flamethrower.

Ari was gasping beneath his gag, shaking from head-to-toe. The Terran gunman holstered his weapon, and rushed over to me. He removed my gag, allowing me to suck in much-needed breaths thanks to my clogged nostrils. The newcomer made quick work of the bindings on my paws, slicing through them with a knife of his own. With the shades obscuring his eyes, it was difficult to gauge his emotions; his eyebrows were slanted downward with what might’ve been concern. The human helped me onto my knees, scoping me for any injuries. With a frown, he pressed a bandage onto my skull. He then scurried over to my brother, who finally had the courage to peek at the scene. Ari’s eyes went wide with shock, as he spotted the corpse that had fallen atop his legs.

“Shh. It’s alright.” The newcomer slid the gag off Ari’s mouth, before slicing the restraints off his wrists. “Are you two hurt?”

I stared at him with incredulity. “Who the fuck are you?”

“You can call me Agent Wolf. All you need to know is I’m…friendly intelligence.”

“What does that even mean? You’re a spy?”

“Consider us a…covert protective detail. We’ve been watching you for a long time. With who your parents are, it was possible that on Earth or Skalga, you would be attacked, or someone would get the idea to hold you for ransom. Tarva has a certain importance to us, and we know you don’t have any entity that protects political figures or their families. As a personal favor to such a fierce alien ally, we’ve tried to ensure that nothing like…this would happen. In an ideal world, you would’ve never seen us.”

Unlike the Venlil exterminators, these human operatives were stealthy, even as predators on Skalga; I’d never noticed them tailing us, so they must blend in well. Ari was frozen, binocular eyes glazed with shock; his mouth was parted in a circular shape from horror. His hand finally moved in slow motion, touching the back of his scalp. He brought it back in front of his eyes, and screamed when it came back covered in orange blood. Agent Wolf hurriedly shushed him, as more black-clad Terrans walked in with tarps and began covering the bodies. I was struggling to process that I’d laid eyes on a dead body, but it was as if it didn’t register with my brain. The only positive I could register was that I was grateful my brother was alive.

So much for Terran bloodlust. Ari is freaking out—losing his mind—at having a Venlil’s blood over him. He’s disgusted by it.

“You…killed them,” Ari whispered. “Bits of her brain; they’re in my fucking hair. I want it off! Get it off me!”

Agent Wolf smiled sympathetically. “We’ll take you somewhere to get cleaned up. Wait it out, make sure nobody got wind of this, and ensure there’s no other people here to threaten you. Then, we’ll take you home, as soon as we know it’s safe. Okay?”

“I…I need to contact my mother. She thinks we’re coming straight home!”

“We’ll fill your parents in on what happened. What’s important is that you both confirm you’re not hurt.”

“I’m fine. Ari is too, other than his mental state,” I growled. “On the other paw, the four bodies sitting in an alley in the middle of Skalga are not fine at all! How are you going to explain that?”

“Don’t worry. We’ll dispose of them. It’s all handled; you two can just relax. You’re safe. Your brother is in shock. Let’s come get you cleaned up and looked at by a doctor, huh? You’ll feel better when you’re away from this place.”

The human child blinked away tears. “Okay. P-please.”

“Thank you, Agent Wolf.”

The operative’s smile widened artificially. “You’re welcome. We can’t have anyone see you drenched in blood, so we’ll back a van into here. You can climb right in, and that’s all you have to do; then you rest up, and ask us for anything you need. Come with me.”

I helped my quivering brother toward the incoming van, stopping as he puked all over the sidewalk. Ari wiped his mouth, eyes glassy and detached. The human was practically hanging on me, with his arm draped over my shoulder. After watching him nearly die in front of me, I vowed that I would do a better job of protecting him going forward; I couldn’t imagine my life with him taken away, so suddenly. To think that it would’ve been on the cusp of learning the truth about his parents made it all the more unfair. This drastic incident must’ve only worsened Ari’s feelings of resentment over his species, and made him wish to be a normal Venlil, without famous parents from two worlds.

I wasn’t sure how I would feel when this whole incident hit me, but I owed a tremendous debt to the United Nations for looking out for us. Whatever disputes I had with my mother, it would’ve broken her to lose another child. Considering it all from new eyes, it made all of our arguments and points of contention seem meaningless; at the end of the day, there was nothing more important to me than keeping my family safe.

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A/N - Part 4! Ari utilizes what Noah taught him about empathizing and deescalating, but to no avail: the captors wished to kill him, and use Elia as bait. Just as our our human child is being knelt along the wall, a Terran covert protective detail comes to the rescue; this was anticipated due to the kids' high profile status, and the kids were protected as a favor to Tarva. 

What do you think about the clandestine tail on the children? Will Elia and Ari be able to rebound from the ordeal, and get back to pursuing their respective goals? How will Noah and Tarva react when they learn what happened?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!