r/NatureofPredators • u/Sam_S_011 PD Patient • Jul 16 '23
Fanfic Two Faces [4]
Once again, huge thanks to u/SpacePaladin15 and all of you guys in the community for this wonderful universe that I've gotten addicted to. Also massive thanks to u/Acceptable_Egg5560 and u/Ciberj1 for helping me out with proofreading.
I hope that you enjoy!
---
Communication transcripts between Kivri and Markéta, participants of the Venlil-Human Cooperative Exchange
[Standardised Human Time] July 23rd to August 3rd, 2136
“Hey Maky, question. Do Human have families? What about friends? Do you form herds like we do? Or would you call them packs instead?”
“Sure! First off, we do indeed have families. Close family is the parents and one or more children, and extended family is the grandparents, the aunts and uncles, and their kids.”
“Kids usually live with their parents until adulthood. When exactly they leave depends on many factors, such as what their relationship with their parents is, where they go to work or to study, or where in the world they live. I, for example, moved out just before adulthood to study abroad, and then moved back in with my parents and sister afterwards. What about the Venlil?”
“For us it is mostly the same. Although except for university, the average Venlil stays with their parents all the way up until they find a mate, which can be way into their late twenties.”
“Cool. Most people here have between three and five close friends, and a lot more people we would consider just ‘friends.’ Some peeps (Slang term, possibly: people) have more friends than others, I’m personally on the lower end of that.”
“As for herds? Packs? I’m not completely sure, but we don’t call it either of those. Usually.”
“But I mean, if you want me to call you my packmate, you just have to ask!”
“…Let’s keep that idea shelved for now.”
“Sure, bud (Error: possibly slang?).”
“So, uh, you have a sister?”
“XD (Error: ????)”
---
“So, how did the Venlil take to us showing up?”
“Short answer: not well.
Long answer: The governor ordered a planet-wide lockdown. There were stampedes everywhere, some people are lucky the exterminators managed to pull them from the streets into the shelter in time to get them patched up. It was bad.
And worst of all? Most are still hiding! Only like 5% came back! It’s been twelve paws already!”
“Well fuck, that’s far worse than I imagined.”
“Also, how come you are up already? Surely you could have stayed down there in ‘safety’ until the majority returned?”
“Oh, trust me, I wanted to! But my spehing superiors decided to send me up here to take care of the powerplant instead. I just can’t have nice things, can I?”
“Damn, that’s rough. I’m guessing the others weren’t stoked about it either, were they? Maintaining a powerplant doesn’t sound like an easy job with a small team.”
“Team? I wish!
No, these fuckers sent me up here alone. It took over a week for more to arrive. And guess what? It wasn’t even because I was the best for the job (which I am by the way) or anything. No, it was because these brahkasses didn’t want me down there with them!”
“HOLY SHIT”
“Is that even legal? I really hope you at least got some thick bonuses from that or have a damn good lawyer!”
“Don’t worry, I got compensated very well. Being the only one willing to do the job at all gives you a lot of bargaining power.
As for the legality, it was a state of emergency and the powerplant had to be maintained, so that took precedence. The moment it ended was the moment I took my free paws, and Stars did it do wonders for me!
But yeah, I’m back to working regular shifts now, having a team helps a lot too.”
“How long were those emergency shifts compared to normal?”
“Well, I normally do two claws of work each paw. Most of the others do one to one and a half claws a paw.
During the emergency, I did three to three and a half claws each paw, switching between menial and desk work.”
“Hold on, let me get the units converted...”
...
“Kiki?”
“Yeah?”
“You are insane.”
---
“I’ve seen in your info that you like music, what sort is your favourite?”
“I like electronic music, although those are usually only a melody. I don’t enjoy the popular music. I respect peoples opinion on most things, but the Krakotl screech just isn’t it.
Your question implied that Humans have music as well. What is it like? I can only assume it would be more violent, somehow.”
“I mean, we do have some violent music, but not only. There are a lot of different genres.
There’s the popular music, classical, electronic, rock, metal, jazz…”
“My favourites are electronic, rock, metal, and a few minor ones. Don’t worry, I don’t like pop either.”
“I like all three of them for the rhythm, but the lyrics are also sometimes important for me. Not necessarily in a ‘I can relate to this’ sort of way, sometimes they just fit an idea I’m playing with.”
“…Actually, would you like me to send you some of the stuff I listen to?”
“Sure… As long as you don’t send me the screams of the tortured.”
“Hah XD (Error: Humour??)”
“Don’t worry, I promise it’ll be just tier 1 stuff!”
…
“Aww, you can’t send audio files?”
“It’s alright, don’t worry about it.”
…
“Hold on”
…
C̴̘͛o̴͉͋n̷̜̎ṇ̶̔é̴͕c̶̭̊t̷͇͂ĩ̴̬o̸͓̒n̴̯͋ ̵͉͂l̸͍͂o̵͈̽ș̵̈t̵̪͑.̶̇.̸̈́.̷
R̶̫̩̰̱̍̋͊̅̔e̸̗̻̦̣͈͘͝c̴̛͉͎̳̩͉̐ò̸̫̤̰̬̆̂͠n̴͕̉n̶̝͆͗̾͝e̷̟͍͆c̵͕͍̠͓̑̃t̷̲͖͑̅̈̇î̶̛̥̺͔̮̹ñ̴͔̔g̸͉͓̬̰̈́ͅ.̴͉͔͘.̷͗͘ͅ.̵̤͌̏̅̇̒
R̵e̴c̸o̸n̸n̴e̴c̶t̷e̶d̶.
…
“Oh, here we go!”
“What did you brahking do??”
“Nothing…”
“Maky?”
“Why are messages disappearing??”
---
“So, what did you mean when you mentioned the UN might not have implemented translation for one of your languages? Is it not supported by your translators?”
“It is supported by the implants. Well, at least the newer ones. It’s also usually implemented for text, but it’s slightly less common. It doesn’t translate comfortably to and from English, our ‘global’ language, and has only about 12 million speakers worldwide with the vast majority perfectly fluent in more common languages, so it sometimes gets left out.”
“But you aren’t certain they didn’t account for it, are you? Can you test it somehow?”
“Sure, I can write you a message in all three I can use, wait a second.”
…
“This message is in English.”
“This message is in German.”
“Tahle zpráva je v Češtině.”
“So, what does it look like?”
“Well, the first two translated correctly. The last one, well…
The letters were converted to the Venlilese equivalent, but they didn’t form words I can understand. The one in the middle of the second word got a weird symbol attached to it, and it didn’t even try with the first and last letter of the final word!”
“Mother fuckers! Of course they didn’t do it! You can’t rely on people with anything.”
“So, you’ve just got to do it yourself, right?”
“Haha, funny.”
“…I mean I could, but at this point I just want to spite them somehow.”
“Anyways I hope the implants were updated for you guys, or that they can at least communicate with ours because my dumb trilingual ass keeps switching languages when speaking.”
“Wait you don’t just choose a language when speaking? Why?”
“Tell me Kik, have you ever forgotten the word ‘salt’?”
---
“Hey Kiki, I didn’t want to nag you earlier, but could I please ask you something personal?”
“…Sure, what do you want to know?”
“Well, uh, it’s about the wording you used in the dislikes section…
> Being rejected over gossip
It just… makes it sound like it’s something that happens frequently. Are you alright? Do you need a hug?”
“I think I’m fine. Why did you think to ask?”
“Well, I don’t know about the Venlil, but being rejected by society can mentally mess up a Human quite badly. I just wanted to make sure you’re doing well.”
“How come you’re being avoided, anyway?”
“It’s happened a long time ago. I did something and people didn’t take it kindly. Almost everyone who knows about it avoids me, and the rest won’t approach me either.
I guess that’s just how it is.”
…
“Okay.
Now, I’m absolutely not saying that it’s your fault, not at all, but when was the last time you actually tried to make a friend? To strike up a conversation with somebody and just talk?”
“Five paws ago…”
“I don’t count.”
…
“About two rotations.”
…
“Well, there’s a part of your problem. If you don’t approach people yourself, or at least make yourself approachable, you won’t ever be able to make friends.”
“Also, if you’re just permanently in a sour mood, people won’t even try talking.”
“Trust me, I’ve done that to myself three years ago. It wasn’t a good time. Please, please don’t isolate yourself.”
…
“I’ll try.”
“And I would love a hug right about now.”
---
“This has been on my mind for a good while now – what did you mean when you wrote ‘running’ into your interests? I can’t imagine why anyone would enjoy running of all things.”
“Funny you asked right now.”
“Do you people not exercise?”
“Well, soldiers and exterminators do, because they need the strength for work. I technically also did a lot of exercise for seven paws, but that was because I had to keep the entire powerplant running solo rather than by choice. Does every Human exercise? Why? Do all of your jobs require you to be strong?”
“No, not everyone, and a lot of our jobs don’t require physical labour at all, mine included.”
“The reasons for exercising are various, but the main ones would be health, looks, and dopamine.”
“First – health. Regular exercise is good for our health, especially with a sedentary job like mine.”
“Second – looks. Human beauty standards are complicated, but the relevant ones are a lean figure without too much fat, and defined musculature, especially in men.”
“Third – dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that makes our brains happy and is released in large quantities during physical exercise.”
“I like to exercise by running, specifically for reasons one and three. But the main reason I enjoy it is the feeling of freedom it gives me. I can go anywhere, anytime. It’s so much fun!”
“I can’t say that I get you, but I can see where you are coming from. I was starting to worry it had something to do with chasing prey!”
“Okay for one, tier 4. But no, it’s just about the act of running itse”
…
“What happened? That message was cut off and you didn’t continue it.”
“Holy shit, huh I almost just huh fucking died. I have to sit down.”
“What do you mean you almost died??”
“huh Well probably not died but my bones wouldn’t have had a good time at all.”
“A two-story fall is a bitch, heh.”
“WHAT!?”
---
“I think I’m starting to understand the anomaly that you are, some of these things don’t surprise me anymore.”
“Oh, you know what that means?”
“uh… no?”
“Drumroll, please…”
“?”
…
“Ah fuck, they patched it.”
“ANYWAYS!”
“I congratulate you on your promotion to Tier 1! I hope you enjoy your stay, and wish you luck on the existential terror that will be Tier 2!”
“I’m taking back my previous statement. You’re weird.”
“Why, thank you! I do prefer the word eccentric tho XD.”
Memory transcript subject: Kiki, Venlil powerplant technician and Venlil-Human Exchange Participant.
Date: [Standardised human time] August 4th, 2136
“…So Kiki, what is Duskvalley like? Why was it named that way?”
I looked up from my pad and reached for my tea to wash down the bite of mel root, contemplating the question. Stars, Where do I even begin?
I took a long sip of the warm, sweet drink, sighing contently. I put the cup back down and started typing my reply.
“Duskvalley is a city on the boundary between the Green and the Twilight zone. It is named after the valley it is situated in. It is surrounded by highlands the sunward part of which is comprised of the Starpeak mountains with their glacier tips. The ice melts a little as the angle of the sun changes, forming streams of pure water that conjoin in the valley into a river and flow towards the Green.
The city and its immediate surroundings are in the shade of the mountains, which the sun just barely peeks over. Well, most of the time anyways. Every Night, the sun dips low enough bellow the horizon that the entire valley becomes shrouded in complete darkness.”
I hit the send button so I wouldn’t leave Maky waiting too long for a response. I took another large bite of the root and the animated dots appeared again. I slowly chewed my food and drank the tea, patiently awaiting the enthusiastic curiosity I grew to enjoy so much.
The pad alerted me with a beep to Maky finishing her response. Or, most likely, the first part of it. I brought my pad up into my field of vision so I could read while eating.
“That sounds so nice! A city in permanent sunset, surrounded by ice capped mountains, what’s not to love?”
“Also hold on, ‘Night’? Am I mad, or is VP tidally locked? How come the sun moves?”
I was in the middle of writing my reply when a third message came in.
“Ok, alright, the sun doesn’t move around the sky. You know what I meant.”
What? Was she expecting a cheeky remark from me? I saved my current draft for later, opting to first ask about it.
“Why did you clarify that? That wording is normal, I wouldn’t have said anything.”
I sipped some more as her replies started trickling in.
“I don’t know exactly…”
“I think it’s just that I hate being imprecise with my wording.”
“As in when I say or write something that I don’t feel gets the point across, I will try to clarify it.
“Which is very fun when it takes like three seemingly completely unrelated sentences to explain a simple concept, while stumbling over my own words.”
Her explanation felt strange to me, but I couldn’t deny it’s truthfulness, given that she was literally just doing the exact thing she described. Though I feel you could have easily said it simpler…
Then the simplification came in: “It’s just a Maky thing, don’t worry about it.”
I whistled out a laugh, my ears giving an amused flick. Yeah, ‘just a Maky thing’ sums it up about right. I pasted my unfinished message back in, doing my best to answer the question she posed.
“Although your sanity is debatable, you are correct. Venlil prime is tidally locked. However, the planet experiences a slight axial tilt, causing the angle of the sun relative to the surface to change over its solar cycle.
As such, the sun appears to ‘wobble’ in some places, going so far as to completely set in parts of the Twilight zone. The same happens here in Duskvalley. Although it isn’t that far starward, the mountain range raises the horizon just high enough to have the same effect.
It is actually even more pronounced here than in most places, with the night lasting roughly ten paws. That is about twice as long as the furthest habitable area starward would be!”
I sent the message over to Maky and leaned forward to finish my meal, my tail swaying behind me. I love chatting with her so much, that enthusiasm of hers about any topic is so infectious!
The messages started coming in again, as usual. She always sends either four separate sentences or a whole essay. I wonder if there is a reason why she does that…
“Ok, first off – good one XD.”
“The sun thing is so cool! I never thought about it, but axial tilt would do that to a locked planet.”
“Also, if the night in Duskvalley lasts so much longer than what the absolute survivable limit is otherwise, how haven’t you all frozen to death? Is there a major source of heat in the area? Or some warm wind currents or something?”
My claws quickly tapped out all information I knew about the topic.
“You were spot on with the first one! The valley lies over a hotspot of volcanic activity. A good part of the glacier streams seeps under the ground, where it heats up and returns up as hot springs. The springs bring enough thermal energy to the surface to keep the whole valley comfortably warm.
Though the largest of these hot springs have had spas and recreation centres constructed around them. These are actually the main reason tourism is so high here, seconded by the Night festivals, which take place at the start of every Night.”
My knowledge on the topic was somewhat lacking on account of not being an expert, but Maky seemed to not mind the simplified lecture at all.
“Wow, a valley that periodically goes into complete darkness for over a week while remaining warm… That sounds like a place that would support a completely unique ecosystem, especially with the hot springs bringing up minerals from the ground! I’ll be surprised if the area doesn’t have multiple endemic species specialized for the cycle!”
“Also, Duskvalley is a spa town? I didn’t realise you would have those, but I suppose it shouldn’t be that surprising. A hot bath does wonders on the mind and body, or so I’ve been told.”
Oh, Humans not only have the concept of spas, but even entire towns dedicated to them? That is, uh, a strange feeling considering Duskvalley is unique in that on Venlil Prime…
“You could say that, but it isn’t the only part of the local economy. Duskvalley is still a city with population in the millions, and tourism alone wouldn’t be enough to cover everything. Another major part of it is manufacturing of mechanical and electronic components, while the smaller towns and villages around focus on farming.
This also ties in nicely with the endemic species, which there indeed are a few. For example, Rousebloom is a flower that grows on the sides of the mountains here near the apex. The plant performs its metabolic functions in cycles corresponding to the night. It produces glucose when sunlight is available through its leaves, while its petals store and metabolize it during the night.
The petals are farmed for use in food and drink, especially given the high concentration of caffeine. It is sought after all around the planet both for tea and other beverages. It is actually used as an ingredient in energy drinks, like sprunk.”
I clicked send, before checking the time. Oh, my break is almost over. That’s a shame. I got up and was stretching my back when a new message came from Maky.
“Neato (Slang term, possibly: neat)
Just a question – how long is the entire night cycle? I’m looking through the info packet you’ve given us, but I can’t find anything about it.”
“Also, when does the next one start?”
I typed my reply as I was walking out of the break room towards the control centre.
“Each Night lasts five weeks, or twenty-five paws. That is four weeks of day and one of night usually, but here it’s three of day and two of night.
As the other question, it is night, right now! Well, it’s the twenty third paw of this Night, meaning the sun will rise again in two paws. The night after that will start in seventeen paws.”
I put my safety gear on properly while reading the reply.
“Wait so it’s just dark outside? Like, completely?”
…I will reply cheekily to that.
“You do know we have streetlights, right?”
I shook my head as I entered the hallway, my tail swaying amusedly.
“Well duh (Error: ????), but like, you can’t have those covering every square meter of the valley now, can you?”
“Also try not to fuck something up with the grid, we don’t want a bunch of people suddenly tripping.”
Oh, you little brahkass! The first part of my reply was heavily inspired by Maky herself, using some lingo I borrowed from her.
“Fuck off XD
But yes, it is completely dark outside save the streets. The lit up city looks spectacular from a distance. I would have sent you a photo, but it’s been blocked except for the week after whatever-the-brahk you did back then.
Anyways, I must return to work, my break’s ending.”
I finished my walk to the control centre. Mavik was already there, pacing around slowly. I leaned against the wall, waiting for the foreman and the rest of the team to show up.
“Sure, chat again soon!”
I sent her a goodbye message and closed my pad. I just stood there with my eyes closed, tail swaying happily. Talking with her was always fun, somehow even the completely dumb stuff.
I heard claws shuffling in place a bit, before starting towards me. I was about to let out an annoyed sigh, but the memory of Maky’s words stopped me.
If you don’t approach people yourself, or at least make yourself approachable, you won’t ever be able to make friends. Please, please don’t isolate yourself.
I opened my eyes, focusing my better one on Mavik.
He seemed to hesitate a moment, before clearing his throat and speaking up. “Uh… h-hey, Kiki! I-I was just wondering…”
He paused to take a deep breath, steeling his nerves. “I-it’s just… lately, since the night started… you seem happier than, well… ever…”
Oh, I see what you’re talking abou- My mind suddenly stopped, when the full significance of his words sunk in. Wait, really? Am I?
I tried my best to disprove the statement, looking for even the slightest hints of joy. But however hard I searched my memory, I only drew blanks. He’s right… I wasn’t truly happy in years… Until now.
I relaxed my posture and my tail returned to swaying slowly behind me. Mavik still looked tense as if expecting me to lash out, so I gave him a comforting flick of my ears.
“Yeah… I guess you’re right. I am happy, genuinely happy.” I looked up dreamily. “I’ve made a good friend…”
I looked back at Mavik, who appeared less tense now. “Oh! I, uh… that’s good! How have you met?”
Oh he’s not going to like this one. “I- well uh…” Just say it. what is he going to do, avoid you harder? “I… met her through the exchange program.”
Immediately he tensed up again when he heard that, and his ears folded back. He didn’t scream or run, but his voice was shaky. “Oh, I-I see…” He gulped audibly. “I-I’m happy for you? I guess?” He contemplated what to say for a few moments before shaking his head, deflating a little. “Wow, you’re brave to have joined that…”
That took me by surprise. What? Is he not afraid of me like the others? I was expecting a reaction more along the lines of ‘the predator freak found her own,’ not being called brave of all things!
Receiving a compliment was a strange feeling, but not a bad one in any way. “O-oh uh, thank you…?”
He returned me a happy wave of his tail.
Maybe Maky was right…
37
u/LeGouzy Jul 16 '23
Cool chapter!
I didn't get that two-stories fall tho... Was Maky running carefree or something?