The Nature of Predators

Memory transcription subject: Captain Kalsim, Krakotl Alliance Command

Date [standardized human time]: October 18, 2136

Darkness had fallen over the reserve, when I peeked out from the tent. Sleep had instilled new energy in my veins. There was a slim hope of escaping Earth, if we could keep away from human search parties. Our posse needed to figure out our next move, and how to transport the predator kid without harming it.

A muffled whine echoed from behind me. I twisted around to see Arjun, bound in tight rope from head to toe. It must’ve woken before me, and been struggling to break free. Several layers of tape had been slapped over its mouth, wasting medical gauze. I assumed Zarn didn’t want to hear a human speak.

Swallowing my nerves, I approached it. “Shh, it’s okay. I’m going to have to rip the tape off. Close your eyes.”

How could Doctor Zarn treat it like a thoughtless animal? Predators or not, humans were feeling sapients. The level of bindings was both excessive and unnecessary. Something as simple as tying a bell around its leg would suffice; it didn’t seem fast or stealthy.

The predator child squeezed its eyes shut. I yanked the adhesive off as quickly as I could, and winced at the grimace on its features. The skin by its lip carried a red patch behind. The creature refrained from biting me with its slobbery canines, which was a relief.

I set to work untangling the series of knots. What happened if Arjun tried to take me by surprise, once it was loose? It could go for my gun before I knew what hit me. I was within grappling distance, and its reflexes must be quicker than mine.

The last of the rope came untangled, and the human wriggled out of its entrapments. My gaze drifted to my sidearm. I took a few steps back, and barely resisted the urge to draw a weapon. The kid had faced enough hardship these past few days; it needed someone to be civilized to it.

The watery look in its eyes…the poor thing is terrified. There’s no question these wretches have feelings.

“I’m sorry that they did that to you, Arjun. Are you okay?” I asked gently.

It sniffled. “The only reason you’re not killing me is because you think they’ll trade resources for me. I heard how you talked about me.”

“That stopped Zarn and Jala from shooting you, didn’t it? I would’ve let you go. Trust me, I want to get you back to your family safely.”

“That’s bullshit! Those two aliens are evil. If you want me released, then help me get out of here!”

I was beginning to regret taking the tape off this thing’s mouth. That combative shouting wasn’t helping anyone. It needed to keep its voice down, or Zarn would realize I was trying to console a human. However, expecting an aggressive predator to keep its head was a bit overambitious. Holding this child to Krakotl sensibility standards would be unfair.

“I need the doctor cooperating.” My feathers puffed out with irritation. “My friend with the bandages will die without him. He’s a good person…smart, witty.”

The predator bared its teeth. “None of you are good people. You killed millions indiscriminately, and you liked it.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. I had to choose between hundreds of civilizations and yours. It was a terrible decision, but a necessity for the continuance of life. Every step of the way, I tried to minimize human suffering.”

“By dropping bombs on cities? Do you hear yourself?”

“To the very last moment we approached Earth, I was trying to think of another way. My own crew hates that I treat your kind with dignity, and that I offer predators surrender.”

“Then your crew are assholes.”

Arjun’s voice sounded hoarse, and its lips looked dry. How had Zarn expected it to drink water with its mouth taped shut? The Takkan doctor hadn’t even left rations nearby. It probably would make that hateful “expert” giddy if it died of dehydration.

I fished through my own rations, making sure never to turn my back on the human. It would be foolish to leave myself vulnerable to pouncing or strangulation. The child watched with interest as I procured a canteen. It gulped down a bit more than I’d like, before handing the canister back.

“Jala is the other Krakotl you saw. Her brain doesn’t feel empathy or fear,” I said. “She can’t help that she’s vicious, any more than you can.”

In fact, Arjun is much more capable of compassion. It has tried to appeal to my morality several times. It cares for more than its own life.

The beast scowled. “Humans are not vicious. You’re brainwashed, Kalsim! We have lives, families, schools…jokes, songs, and games, just like you.”

“I am sorry for all the beauty you’ve lost, but that doesn’t change the truth. Tell me that you can’t see humans killing or enslaving weaker cultures. That you wouldn’t happily take our worlds away, and reduce us to playthings.”

“What? That’s not our plan. We would never do that.”

“Yet you’ve done these things to your own kind. And we are alien, not human. You’ll build your empire off our backs, one way or another. It’s in your DNA, passed from your ancestors to little ones like you. That…your growth is the threat.”

Arjun clenched its fists in indignation, but was distracted by its stomach growling. Racking my brain, I tried to recall what Noah shared about human needs. The speaker claimed that their diet was primarily vegetation, and that they could live without meat. That meant this adolescent could consume our food without issue.

My talons retrieved a slab of dried tree bark. “Here. Stop arguing with me and eat this.”

“Um, that doesn’t look like my food.” Arjun eyed the offering suspiciously. It took a hesitant nibble, then spit the bite out. “That is bitter…gross!”

“I’m giving you my rations so you don’t starve. It doesn’t have to taste like your delectable, blood-filled cuisine.”

The kid made a disgusted face, but swallowed several bites. The gagging sound it made seemed rather dramatic. You’d think it was expelling its lungs, or that I had fed it a corrosive poison. This ruckus was going to ensure Zarn and Jala checked on us.

Few Krakotl would’ve gone out of their way to ensure a predator’s welfare. Arjun didn’t understand why its planet was attacked, but I didn’t blame it for that. It was emotionally distressed, and unable to see these matters with objectivity. Maybe the youth would come to know that I protected it, in time.

The Takkan doctor sauntered in, wielding a pistol. “Good grief, Kalsim. You’ve let it loose, and you’re feeding it?”

“Tree bark. We don’t want it to lose its mind and gorge on Thyon’s corpse,” I said. “Speaking of which, where is the first officer?”

“Don’t change the fucking subject. So now, instead of being bartered for supplies, this human is using up precious resources and manpower?”

“It’s a temporary loss. We don’t want to offer up the kid as a walking skeleton.”

“Why the hell not? If you keep its stomach empty, the humans will be under more of a time constraint to get it back. That’s assuming predators care at all.”

Arjun shoved the last of the bark in its mouth, inching away from Zarn. Its cheeks were tear-stained, but absolute hatred shone in its pupils as well. I couldn’t imagine how overwhelming the predatory chemicals flowing through its veins were. The doctor’s lack of compassion was staggering; with how cold his suggestion of starvation was, you would think he had Jala’s disorder.

I fixed the Takkan with a glare. “First off, we would encourage the humans to treat us the same in kind. This predator doesn’t deserve to suffer for existing. It has suffered enough pain and heartache today.”

The physician swished his tail. “You’re oh-so-worried about its feigned emotions. Why do you care what it feels?”

“Fuck you! I’m not an it,” the human growled.

Zarn charged the kid, rearing back with his firearm. The doctor trembled with anger, as he swung the gun toward its head. The predator’s binocular gaze widened in alarm. I couldn’t let it be beaten to a pulp for speaking its mind, when all it had done was complain about our language.

Arjun had a family and a future out there, which was jeopardized by the Takkan’s malice. The more I considered our conversation, its intelligence was impressive for a child. Granted, it would help propagate the survival of the human race. But that seemed a likely probability no matter what, so what did harming it achieve?

I don’t want to see it in pain…or worse, end up like Thyon.

Without realizing I had moved, I stretched my wing in the strike’s path. Zarn was committed to the blow by the time I obstructed his angle. The metal gun connected with my soft tissue, while the human cowered behind a feathery shield. Pain flared down my left appendage, resonating to the bone. The throbbing sensation was nauseating, and a single glance told me it was broken.

“Shit! You broke my wing,” I screeched, doubling over in anguish. “What if that had been Arjun’s head? You could’ve cracked his skull!”

The doctor leveled his gun barrel at me. “His?”

My eyes widened, as I realized my slip of the tongue. I shook my head, trying to filter away any positive assessments of Arjun. The kid was lying prone on the floor, and its eyes were bulging. If their tools and pack were taken away, humans weren’t competent predators. I was the only one that could protect this beast.

Zarn’s concentration waned, as a squawking Jala landed behind him. I took the opportunity to wrench the gun from his grip with my good wing. Ironically, I could use his services to patch the broken bone up. The pain intensified with the slightest movements or vibrations; the Takkan hadn’t even flinched at assaulting me.

I brandished the firearm awkwardly. “Mutiny is punishable by death, unless the captain is deemed unfit for command. Why shouldn’t I carry out your sentence?”

“Kalsim, p-put the gun down,” the doctor stammered. “You’re being unreasonable.”

“I am unreasonable?! Then what on Nishtal do I call you?”

Jala issued a hearty laugh. “What did I miss?”

The female Krakotl’s eyes darted behind him, and she drew her own firearm. Arjun had capitalized on the chaos, making a break for the exit. The human skidded to a halt, once the armed sociopath blocked its path. After witnessing how slippery Terran forces were, I really should’ve been paying more attention to it.

I hope Jala doesn’t make any hasty decisions here.

“Zarn proved himself a threat to crew safety and this mission.” I lowered the pistol, and noted the contempt in the doctor’s eyes. “But he’s not going to disobey orders again, is he?”

The Takkan sighed. “No…sir.”

“Your wing isn’t supposed to bend like that, Kalsim,” Jala chuckled.

I struggled to ignore the searing pain. “Tell me something I don’t know…ah, go on, laugh at my misfortune later. Is there something you need?”

“I circled the perimeter from the skies, and spotted a human a few clicks away. It’s heading toward our position…and it’s armed.”

Arjun mustered a feral snarl. “Dad.”

Panic swelled in my chest, at the thought of Terrans converging on our position. Confronting Arjun’s father was an option, but we didn’t know that it was alone. The ‘photographer’ might notice that something was wrong, and alert authorities. Humans were dangerous without the element of surprise; it was unclear whether our small posse could survive direct combat.

It would be in our best interest to leave the kid, and that was what my conscience demanded. However, that plan wouldn’t be popular with my companions. With a crippled wing, taking on Jala and Zarn was an incredible risk. Both could aim guns without difficulty, and a flightworthy Krakotl could maneuver freely.

More importantly, the doctor’s incapacitation would damn Thyon. That was the main reason I couldn’t punish this mutiny. The Farsul’s life took precedence over Arjun’s welfare, plain and simple. I had to keep this together until Thyon regained consciousness.

“It’s time to move,” I decided. “Where is your patient, Zarn?”

The doctor scowled. “Thyon is safe. Jala crafted a pulley system, and put him up in a nearby tree. Predators won’t get to him there, though I can’t speak for humans finding him.”

“Good. We need to hurry, before dozens of full-grown beasts descend on us. We’ll come back as soon as human activity cools off.”

Jala began collecting our supplies, as well as anything Arjun had that was useful. I steered the kid out into the open, trying to be gentle with my gun prodding. Intimidating it wasn’t my desire, but we needed to move quickly. There was no time for a diplomatic approach.

Arjun looked around in desperation, as we staggered out of the encampment. I knew it wanted to be rescued. That pleading gaze reminded me of the burning pups, praying to be saved from their extermination. Why did it have to jog up those memories, with every expression? I thought I was past that guilt.

“DAD! HELP!” the kid screamed. “They’re—”

I clapped my good wing over its mouth. “You idiot! Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Zarn passed me a roll of medical gauze, a conceited glint in his eyes. I could hear the words ‘told you so’ from the smug doctor. He scowled at the human, tracing a toe over his own throat slowly. The child swallowed, and I suppose it understood the gesture.

I applied a single layer of tape, and offered a sympathetic pat. The predator hadn’t left much choice other than to gag it. Not only could that wailing cry have alerted its father, but it could’ve drawn attention from forest beasts.

That squashed all hopes of Arjun’s guardian accepting the disappearance as a tragic accident. Its suspicions were going to be elevated, and its protective instincts would seek answers. Our entourage was about to find out exactly how good humans were at tracking.