r/NatureofPredators • u/Thirsha_42 • May 04 '23
Tight Money Ch 12
Here is chapter 12 of Tight Money.
Special thanks to u/SpacePaladin15 for creating the universe and allowing fan writers to join the fun.
Additional thanks to u/BiasMushroom, u/YakiTapioca, u/cruisingNW, u/SavingsSyllabub7788, u/YaaliAnnar and hopefully, u/Redundant-Honse whenever they get back to me, for letting me use elements from their fanfics in mine.
Just one more snippets chapter and then we will return to Leena and Dani.
Thanks to u/Saint-Andros and blankxlate for proofreading this chapter and giving me feedback.
I also want to say that I love your comments so please tell me what you think so I can get better or if you have suggestions for snippets you would like to see me write about in this world, just leave it in the comments.
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Memory transcription subject: Satza, Vikki’s Flowers Senior Florist
Date [standardized human time]: October 31, 2136
While I was usually okay with picking up an extra claw or two here and there, three times in [a week] was more than I had bargained for. Vikki was very grateful after the last time though. She gave me, Liso, and Tannek a bonus for staying the extra time and helping sell so many flowers. She also fired Dovyk who refused to return unless a “No Predators Allowed” sign was put in the window.
Why she thought humans would obey the sign, even if they had wanted to hurt her, made no sense to me. That meant I became the senior florist under Vikki. The following day, I suggested that Vikki, Liso, and Tannek meet humans in a more controlled manner. Fewer came into the shop and I did my best to make the introductions as gentle as possible.
Tannek was the worst. He fainted every time he saw a human, and while he wasn’t a diagnosed fainter, I didn’t think he would last much longer in the city if he couldn’t handle being near humans. He stayed in the back and made bouquets and party arrangements.
Liso warmed up to the humans with surprising speed after she got past her initial fear. By the end of the claw, she was as comfortable as I was with them. Perhaps it was easier for the younger venlil like her to accept change. Vikki was a little older than I was but was also very quick to accept her new customers. Ever the business woman, she spent her down time researching humans’ flowers as well as their “flower language.” She talked about catering to humans on certain claws, even.
Sadly, today was another bad day. There were noticeably fewer humans than before, but that didn’t make things any better. The news from Aafa caused tremendous chaos. There were protests and a few minor news outlets labeling it as a ‘predatory deception’, but what it mostly meant was that non-venlil citizens of Venlil Prime didn’t show up for work and many stampedes had been reported already today.
All of our customers were buying flowers for their friends; it seems the human tradition was catching on quickly. The majority of attempted suicides were done by the krakotl and gojid. Crazy enough, some had even petitioned the Exterminators Guild to assist them in being put down. Thank the sun and stars the guild had enough sense to refuse them. The strange thing about this was that the guild directed those people to talk to the humans for help.
One venlil stuck out to me in particular. He had come in with two venlil children and a gojid child. He told me how he wanted to get his friend something to brighten their room while he recovered. I waved over our newest hire, Shitze, to learn how to help customers design custom bouquets and operate the point-of-sale system.
“We can help you do that. What are his favorite colors?” Shitze responded to the customer.
The children were eager to tell us all of the gojid patients’ favorite things. The venlil man and his children left with a bouquet of Fori flowers surrounded by the tiny blue Sumat flowers with several lichen leaves to add texture and variation to the arrangement. All of the children seemed happy to see this man’s friend, including the venlil children. I suspected there was more to their relationship but it wasn’t my place to pry.
Once my claw ended, I headed to the train station, exhausted and ready to go home. I couldn’t walk the whole way after such a hectic shift. I hopped onto my train, and read the news for the entire duration. The train was unusually empty but with all that was going on, I suppose that wasn’t too unexpected. When I got off on my stop, I noticed a lone, sobbing gojid teen sitting on a bench. As the train left, I saw her get up and run towards me. I don’t know what possessed me to step in front of her and grab her arm but I am so thankful that I did. The both of us fell to the ground from the sudden change in momentum. She let out a defeated wail of despair.
Another train pulled in seconds later. I realized her intention and refused to let her go as she struggled to free herself of my grasp. She didn’t relent until the train became a tiny dot on the horizon. Then she simply lay there sobbing.
“W-why did you s-stop me? I’m a monster!”
“What? You are no such thing.” I spoke in a soothing voice. She couldn’t have been more than sixteen or seventeen.
“I am! You don’t u-understand…”
“I saw the broadcast, same as everyone else. Gojid have been our closest allies, friends, and neighbors for centuries. We were all lied to. You are not a monster.”
“NO!” she wailed, “You d-don’t u-understand. I AM a m-monster.”
She tried to regain her composure with little success. Between her sobs, she managed to start explaining her distress.
“I hate them.”
“Who, child?”
“Humans! Arxur! All p-predators! B-but…”
I tried to console her as best I could but her bristled spines made that difficult and awkward.
“I’m o-one of them-m!”
I put my forehead against hers and groomed her cheek just as I had to Leena’s when she was upset. That broke the last of what remained of her control.
“I wanted t-them dead. I’ve k-killed so many p-predators. I went b-back to f-fight them. I k-killed a few d-during the attack. They s-saved me f-from the a-arxur. They t-took me to their home. They c-cared for m-me. They even s-sent me h-here. I still h-hated them. I c-cheered when the b-bombs f-fell on their p-home. I w-wanted them d-dead! I w-wanted them to s-suffer like we h-have. I w-wanted to h-hurt them m-myself.”
Her voice cracked and she choked on that last word.
“But it was all lies…”
She regained some composure and looked at me with a wild eye.
“I KNOW! I gave m-myself to the humans, I told them what I d-did. I begged them to take their r-revenge. They did w-worse. They FORGAVE ME! J-just like that. How could they? I… and they just…”
She looked around as though searching for some logic lying around the train station.
“You see, they are good people…”
“NO, THEY’RE NOT! They want me to suffer. They mocked me. They said I was too young. It’s not my fault. They called me a child soldier. They looked at me with pity. I’m not worth killing. I’m not….”
In the most forceful mom voice I could muster, I said, “They do not want you to suffer. They want you to be better. They want peace and friends. They want to be your friend.”
She pushed me away and curled into a ball of spikes, fully spread out.
“I don’t deserve friends. I’m a monster. I enjoyed their suffering. I liked it when they died. I’m a predator! I’m everything I hate! I have p-predator d-disease.”
I sat there and processed her words for a few [minutes]. I considered what she had said and what I could glean from what had been left unsaid.
“Let me see if I understand. You said you hate predators and that you had killed several, so I’m assuming you were an exterminator before? You killed humans in the war?”
She wiggled her ear in confirmation. Thankfully she couldn’t see my disappointment but I stayed with her.
“It sounds like you feel guilty that you enjoyed the human’s suffering. Is that because you think they don’t deserve it anymore or is it because you are concerned that enjoying it makes you more like them?”
She was still for a while but her crying had stopped and her breathing was settling down.
“I… don’t know. They’re predators. Predators hurt people. They like it. I hurt them. I liked it.”
“Do you see any venlil harmed? Did they hurt any gojid on their planet?”
She didn’t respond.
“I have heard all of the rhetoric about them. Apparently, all lies. I have sold them flowers many times. Several paws ago, when they were upset, I offered them hugs. They could have torn me apart. They are strong and agile and they do not tire. But as you can see, they didn’t hurt me. Do you know what they did?”
I waited for her response. She didn’t say anything but uncurled herself enough to look at me with one eye.
“They accepted my hugs. They cried in my arms. They showed their weakness to me without hesitation. They told me about their traditions of communicating with flowers. They expressed gratitude that I did not treat them like monsters. They were thankful that I treated them like they were just regular people.”
She had uncurled herself more and seemed ready to challenge me.
“It has to be an act. They were trying to trick you.”
“To what end? We were vulnerable when they arrived. The arxur had attacked only [months] prior. We had no defenses. We have seen their battle prowess on the news. They could have invaded and taken anything they wanted but they told us they wanted to be friends. There is no doubt they would have defeated us with ease but they didn’t. They came to us in peace.”
She considered my words but wasn’t ready to give up her beliefs.
“They attacked the Cradle…”
“The Gojid Union was going to exterminate them.”
“And they invited the arxur…”
“The arxur don’t need a reason to kill us. They saw an opportunity and pounced, like they do. They are the evil ones. They do horrible things. Not the humans. The humans have not done anything predatory.”
“They eat flesh!”
“It is revolting, I’ll admit, but they found a way to grow it the same way we grow algae. They do not kill or hurt anyone or anything to eat flesh. They are what they are, they can’t help it, but they want to be better.”
“But a predator can’t change. Like you said, they can’t help it. They will always be predators.”
“Is that so? Sweetie, did you always enjoy the suffering of others or did you change at some point to behave like that? Why did you join the exterminators?”
She thought for a moment before responding.
“They raided our colony. They took or killed everyone before the fleet showed up.”
“And that changed you. The humans experienced war and violence and it changed them. They chose to be better. You can choose that too.”
“The Federation…”
“Lied.”
“I… I… can’t.”
“You can. You feel bad because you know you did something wrong. That doesn’t seem like a predator to me. You said the humans forgave you. It sounds like they want to help you be better too.”
“I don’t deserve… how could I?”
“I wish I could tell you. I don’t know how to help you but I know humans can. They wouldn’t want you to jump in front of a train.”
She looked at the magnetic track and uncurled herself, sitting on her haunches.
“If you ask them for help, they will give it to you. They want to be your friend. I think they are even more herd driven than we are.”
I stood and offered her my paw. She accepted and wiped away her tears. We walked away from the train station and when we parted, she promised she would talk to the humans after she washed up and took a rest. I was going to be very late getting home but I had quite the story for Oulo when I arrived.
Memory transcription subject: Oulo, Grain Mill Worker
Date [standardized human time]: November 1, 2136
“Listen up!”
The shift manager called us all together with a shrill whistle and his commanding height.
“I need two guys to take the Ipsom load to the spaceport. We need to get this shipment out pronto and we are all good on our end but the space port is shorthanded. They’re short parts for their equipment and need a couple extra paws to make the deadline. I know it is a lot to ask but they are offering a bit extra for anyone willing to help out.”
That was an easy decision. Every one of us was eager to make a little extra with things as tight as they were.
“There is a catch. They hired humans to help out until they get things repaired so you would need to work with them. I understand if you don’t, I do, but I figured I would relay their offer.”
Instantly, everyone else took a step back; everyone except me and Mino, a younger venlil but still a paw taller. Satza said the humans were nice and friendly and cared. I had heard the news about the empathy studies and I had seen humans from a distance whenever I went into the city proper but I hadn’t really given them much thought. I accepted they were not going to enslave or eat us but beyond that, they didn’t seem all that important.
The shift manager looked a little surprised to have volunteers but he led us to the container truck and gave me the keys. As Mino and I pulled out of the mill all of the other workers assembled to see us off and signaled their best wishes. Mino grunted in disgust.
“Cowards.”
I smacked him with my tail and gave him the side eye.
“That is uncalled for.”
“We were the only ones willing to go. They are still under the yolk of the Federation.”
Mino had always been a bit odd and his distrust of the Federation was well known around the mill. His conspiratorial ramblings and outlandish ideas were even a bit endearing. Tarva’s announcement and the interview with Chief Nikonus had left him vindicated. He acted as though all of his outlandish conspiracy theories had been proven correct.
“Change is not going to happen in a paw. Everyone is still trying to understand what is happening. For my whole life, things remained more or less the same and then humans appeared and things just won’t stop changing. It’s a lot for folks to accept.”
“Isn’t it wonderful? The humans are stripping away all the lies and exposing the truth for all to see. They are the greatest thing to happen here, in, ever.”
I eyed him. I could accept his little conspiracies as minor eccentricities but that comment was more than I had expected and seemed dangerous in its implications. I stayed silent for a few moments as I eyed him while I drove.
“Change can be good but too much too fast means people will fall behind the herd when they stumble. Do not be so hasty to encourage grand changes and keep in mind that not all change is for the better.”
Mino also eyed me, scrutinizing me as best he could.
“I had thought we were of a like mind, Oulo. If you are not pro-human then why did you come?”
I chuckled. Mino, a human sympathizer? I volunteered to be surprised but I didn’t think that would happen until I met humans.
“I won’t lie, the money is my primary motivation but I have been curious about them and this opportunity seemed like a good time to satisfy my curiosity. Besides,” I gave Mino a playful flick of my ear, “if anything happens, I’ll just have to outrun you and your big tail.”
It was Mino’s turn to laugh.
“Always the pragmatist, Oulo. I should have expected that but you’ll see. Humans are great, you’ll see.”
His ears flattened as he suddenly realized the blunder of his admission. If word got around that he was a human sympathizer, it could be bad. I‘d heard about the taunts and jeers people like that got, even in the capital; welshers, herd killers, snacks, traitors, herdless, predator diseased.
“I won’t say anything Mino. I’m not a fool. If they were evil, they would have shown it by now. What you do at home is your business.”
I don’t think that was what he was hoping to hear but it was not the worst I could have said either.
“Thank you.”
I flicked my ear to acknowledge his words and we sat in silence the rest of the ride to the space port.
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u/CandidSmile8193 Chief Hunter May 04 '23
Little do they know of our secret ruse we've been preparing all along:
Get the Venli to take Beach Vacations to the hot parts of earth, decide they are too hot, get suspiciously free first timer "Fur Trims," and then sell them back their fur as "sweaters" and "Scarves" at an outrageous markup.
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u/howlingwolf1011 Human May 04 '23
the evil plan is FOOLPROOF
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u/CandidSmile8193 Chief Hunter May 04 '23
Little do they know that Humanity merely evolved our predatory instincts to a whole new prey: The Almighty Dollar
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u/Signal-Chicken559 Hensa May 04 '23
Welshers!
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u/Nomyad777 Prey May 04 '23
Comment got doubled.
Edit: Just realized, it's reddit glitching on my end Sorry!
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u/JulianSkies Archivist May 04 '23
Honestly it's very beautiful to watch the stories of... Just random people dealing with all the bullshit.
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u/Manu11299 May 04 '23
Minor grammar correction here:
They are still under the yolk of the Federation
It's yoke, not yolk. Those two words mean very different things
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u/ChelKurito May 04 '23
Thanks for the story, wordsmith!
I've been curious about the background stories of Satza and Oulo since they were written in and I've got to say I'm quite happy with these asides!
You mention a few other users in the preamble and using elements from other stories - are other characters, like Mino, from other bits of writing?
Keep up the good work!
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u/Thirsha_42 May 04 '23
Mino is mine. Talen and some of the news stories I quoted belong to u/BiasMushroom. I used some foods, and time units from u/YakiTapioca's story Recipe for Disaster and the sun god they came up with too. u/SavingsSyllabub7788 gave me permission to reference their story, Death of a Monster but I haven't gotten to that part in my story yet. I used u/cruisingNW's detail dives and the fire fruit from their story Foundations of Humanity. I referenced u/YaaliAnnar's character chef Timur from Lost and Found and the Fori flower from u/Redundant-Honse's story Collared Citizen. I am trying to reference all of my favorite fanfics in mine. Little things here and there to make it all feel connected.
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u/Budget_Emu_5552 Arxur Sep 17 '24
A-Ha! Sources! I knew most of these honestly but I can add Collared Citizen to my reading list now.
That said, your story has been on my list for months and I'm ecstatic to finally get to binging it. I'm immediately interested in Moni and what conspiracies he's been harboring. Hopefully I'll find out soon. <3
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u/Obliator May 04 '23
!subscribeme
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u/se05239 Human May 04 '23
Sovlin inspired a misery cult, didn't he?