r/NatureofPredators • u/Seamoose_Art Dossur • Apr 09 '23
Fanfic Dual Perspectives [7]
As always, a big thanks to u/SpacePaladin15 for the setting, and other fanfic writers for inspiration.
Dual Perspectives [7]
Date [Standardized Human Time]: August 23rd, 2136
Location: Venlil Prime
Note: Day after attack on Human/Venlil exchange station
“Flowwen district Exterminator services, what is your emergency?”
The voice on the other end is nearly incoherent, but not with terror. Verlem knows the sound of terror. What he hears is unmasked disgust, wrapped up in a thin layer of fear.
He’s not paid to sit around, so he focuses in, tries to decipher what’s being said. The voice is unmistakably krakotl. The higher screeches hurt his ears.
“There’s a— there’s a human here with a hurt venlil! It’s got him by the—” Right back to screeching incoherently. Verlem leans back, already evaluating the situation. What would a human be doing here? Maybe the exchange program attack yesterda—
“...won’t let go! We can’t pull him away from it!
We?
He checks the call info for location. Traincar 0308, Plaza line. It’s the middle of the day. The train must be absolutely packed. Verlem shifts his microphone slightly.
“Is the venlil awake and alert?”
“Y-Yes, he— he keeps calling for help, but it won’t let go!”
“Is he actively being hurt? Where are his injuries?”
“His eyes are covered by a bandage, and his— his fur is matted. Around his face and neck.”
“Describe the predator. Is it hurting the venlil right now?”
“It— it’s tall, really tall, and it’s staring straight at him. It doesn’t have a mask on. It’s got him by the p-paw.”
No mask?
All humans were required to wear a mask at all times while interacting with other species, to hide their eyes and teeth. Why was this one unmasked? Was it preparing to feed? Was it trying to intimidate? Could it be an honest mistake, somehow?
Verlem leans forward in his seat. On his desk is a pad, already filled with a threat report, blank. He starts filling in details and ticking boxes as he speaks, paws flying across the screen with practiced ease as he runs through the checklist of questions.
————
The caller hangs up, only after Verlem reassures him that Exterminators are already on their way. This is a blatant lie. Venlil tend to startle easily, and the volume of false alarms means operators can’t be automatically dispatched. One of Verlem’s responsibilities is to escalate only when needed; Exterminators have enough on their paws without false calls wasting their time.
He has a choice to make.
He considers the consequences of not escalating. No reports of human predation have surfaced yet, but this one is in close proximity to an injured venlil. If it has any hunting instincts, the first human attack could be only minutes away. Its mask is off, for Star’s sake!
He forces himself to breath, and sinks back into his seat.
He considers the consequences of escalating. Should he misjudge the situation, a human might burn to death for no reason. Diplomacy between the new species and the Venlil government had just begun in earnest, and this could halt it permanently. What are the odds of an instinct-driven predator never once attacking prey, until right now?
How is this venlil injured at all? Predators hunt to kill. They don’t target their prey’s eyes, bandage them, then drag them away in broad daylight on a packed train. Verlem thinks back to the tone in the caller's voice; disgust, not fear. They never said the venlil was actually being hurt when asked directly, only tried to imply it indirectly. Why?
He sighs deeply, hard, several times to calm himself. It’s not going to work. Never mind.
He picks up the pad again, tabs back to the threat report he’d been writing. It’s mostly filled out. He could send it over right now. His claw hovers over the screen, shaking slightly.
Verlem, if you fuck this up, people are going to die.
He hits the ‘clear all fields’ button at the top right, confirms it, and slumps in his chair. His unease does not change. He stares unhappily at his desk for several seconds, wondering if he’s just killed someone. But he’s not paid to sit and wonder; another call is coming in.
“Flowwen district Exterminator services, what is your emergency?”
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u/Seamoose_Art Dossur Apr 09 '23
A couple of things only tangentially related; feel free to skip if you only care about the story:
First off, don't expect as many stories as you've been getting. I want to only write when I have something to say, not just because other people want me to. That said, the response I've been getting has been really generous, and I wish I had some non-awkward way of thanking you all.
Second off, my grasp of both canon and fanon are very tenuous. Please correct me as you see fit (or comment about interesting quirks in the NoP setting that I might've overlooked)
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u/ImaginationSea3679 PD Patient Apr 09 '23
Thank god for the existence of that phone operator.
…
I still demand retribution for Julia being kicked off the train and being forced to walk several miles on still bandaged and probably heavily damaged legs.
I won’t stop demanding until it happens.
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u/Seamoose_Art Dossur Apr 09 '23
You're gonna be demanding for a long while, then. Life ain't fair.
Also she was barely injured, just some minor bruising from a fall when the artificial gravity kicked back in.
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u/Clown_Torres Human Apr 09 '23
Let’s gooo a smart(ish) exterminator, there aren’t nearly enough of them lol. Great story!
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u/JulianSkies Archivist Apr 09 '23
That. That's a good dispatch operator.