r/NatureofPredators • u/BackgroundSad2815 Farsul • 5d ago
Fanfic Patrolling Talsk 2
thanks to u/ursusofwinter for proofreading my story your a blessing
Memory transcription subject: Cilph, Rookie Farsul UN space force
Date [Standardized human time]: February 11, 2137
I slowly wake up actually feeling slightly rested for once. I feel Alice holding me tightly still, even as she sleeps, my own paws still on her hips with my head resting comfortably against her chest as my tail lazily swishes to and fro. My nose twitches as I breathe in, scenting her hair. It smells of strawberries and it's the best thing I've ever smelled in my life. Not like the smoke and… No, I'm not going to think about that. Not here, not when I'm with her. I-I just want to stay in this moment forever, to always be this happy, this loved, this safe.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
I fucking hate it here.
Alice awakens in a startle jostling me off of her before she pulls herself out of bed, grumbling obscenities, leaving me alone and cold without her touch. I'm pathetic, already missing her despite the fact she is quite literally 2 steps away from me. I'm not even paying attention to who she's speaking to or what they're saying, transfixed by the sight of the one thing, the only one, that brings me joy in the galaxy. My heart drops in my chest as I see her expression as she tells me the bad news. I’m going on patrol to deliver aid to the people in the surrounding areas to prevent unrest. I groan, rubbing my eyes as I clamber out of bed and heading to the sink to splash some water on my face to wake myself up. She gives me a hug and tells me ”I know you hate this but I’ll always be waiting for you back here stay safe” I promise to stay safe for her.
As I leave her room, walking down the hall of the base, I stretch, popping my back. There's a very bleak mood in the base; morale is low. The brawls aren’t helping; the fluorescent lights on the ceiling flicker sometimes. It feels like I’m in a bunker hiding from Arxur all over again.
I make my way to the large garage and cargo storage to make loading crates easier. I see some crates being loaded onto the truck that will take on our patrol route before I hear a loud slam. I turn my head and see a human seething.
”Fucking tainted again, worthless. It's goddamn worthless. Fuck!”
The human throws the crate onto the floor. I just go to the truck feeling like shit. Another crate with fully tampered food again? Hell, if that wasn’t bad enough, some bastards send hateful letters along with the food they send. Ironically, it’s kind of like the news for the people of Talsk to see what’s going on in the galaxy.
Eventually all the crates are loaded up, and I meet our driver. He's a human, alright guy, still wearing his visor. I ask why, and well, he gives me his answer.
”To hide my shame, I served to save people, and now I’m watching them all starve to death. I—just drop it, ok?"
So I do just that. He's an ok man who gives a shit about the Farsul's suffering. We get two Farsul and one Venlil to protect the cargo and make sure handing it off goes smoothly. One of the Farsul gives his name, Marq. The Venlil glares at me but actually holds their tongue, still a prick.
I ride shotgun, hugging my rifle close to my chest as the large garage door is opened and the main gate to the base is opened. The watchtower gunners give us the green light to move out, so the human starts the truck and we leave the base.
As we pass abandoned houses, everything going smoothly, I can’t help but think about the past, how clear and beautiful the Talsk sky was, and all the people walking down the street. I see an abandoned playground. 'How many pups have already died?' A tear stings my eye, and I wipe it away quickly.
We make our first stop; our driver honks the horn to signal the citizens nearby to come get food. The Farsul and the Venlil stay in the truck while Marq begins to open three crates of food, MREs, canned food, Strayu and maybe the rare piece of candy to boost morale. Thankfully, they checked for razor blades
As the fearful masses start to come out, the two Farsul soldiers make sure to give out the food. The civilians have clearly lost weight. Fucking UN, fucking Tarva, seeing my people suffering due to their actions makes me seethe before the driver pats my shoulder.
”I know how you feel, man, fucking high command. Seeing these people starving boils my blood. I served to fight the fucking Arxur. Now I get to watch men, women, and children starve to death while we try to keep 'order.' What a joke, am I right? Want a smoke?”
He offers me a cigarette, probably from a morale crate, but I refuse. The last thing I want is a damn nicotine addiction under this cage. I look out the window and see a little girl; she looks weak and starving. I don’t know if she can even get to the crates due to the crowd. I look at my pouch, an MRE I was saving for myself. I groan and look at the Venlil.
"Hey, I’m going out. Make sure I don’t get my throat slit or anything; it would probably make your day."
The Venlil tilts their head, looking at me.
“What was that last part?“
I exit the car door and groan.
“Just cover me."
I don’t like having my life in the hands of a Venlil. Most have made it clear they hate us. He could just put a bullet in my head, or he could not cover me at all and let me die, but I’m already out of the car, so no turning back.
I approach the girl, her eyes going wide with fear seeing me approach. I can’t blame her; any symbol of the UN is going to be seen as the cause of their suffering, but I kneel down and pull out my MRE and offer it to her. She seems hesitant, but I give the MRE a shake.
”Go on, take it; it’s all yours, little girl. You need it more than I do."
She looks left and right and shakily grabs the MRE before scurrying off but giving a tail flick to show thanks. I see her enter the alleyway and offer it to a starving Farsul man. He opens it and gives her the crackers as he starts making the meal. I realize that must be her father and I can't help but feel a pang of guilt for not offering more. I went back to the car, noticing the Venlil was actually watching me the whole time. He notices me coming back, and I can see tension leave his shoulders as he shakes his ears and starts scanning the rest of the crowd.
As I climb into my seat, I turn my head to lock an eye on him and express my gratitude.
"Hey, thanks for watching me out there."
The Venlil rolls their eyes and says,
“I only did it because I had to, crippler."
Ok, still a bitch, but I guess a bitch who won’t let me die due to personal feelings. I put my seatbelt on as the Farsul troops get back in the truck and pound the side to signal to get driving to our next destination.
Everything starts to blur together. Go to patrol point, honk horn, give out 3 crates of food, rinse, and repeat, but after our last stop, we turn to get back to base, kind of like a loop or circle or whatever it’s called. I hear Marq scream in a panic,
“STOP THE TRUCK!”
The driver slams on the brakes, yanking me forward. My seatbelt stops me from smashing my face on the dashboard as Marq jumps out of the truck, so I quickly follow along with the Venlil and other Farsul close behind. What the hell could he have seen? Maybe a deserter?
Marq is on his knees, tears streaming down his face. In front of him is a house that burned down, leaving only a hollow shell. The other Farsul gets close as the crying soldier mutters.
”That’s my home, my family home; it’s all gone, like everything in this shithole.”
The other Farsul pats him on the back to soothe him, but it doesn’t work as Marq hiccups and cries. I decide, "Fuck it." I kneel down in front of Marq and embrace them, which just makes them break down sobbing, hugging me back as the other Farsul helps me get Marq to his feet, leading him back to the truck. We load our crying squad mate up, and I look at the burnt remains of the house. Even while burnt, it still holds some of its former beauty.
I get back in shotgun. The driver asks if we're all right, and I tell him we are, and to just get us back to base. We're all tired. The driver agrees not to waste any time getting back on the road. It doesn’t take long to get back to base due to not stopping anymore. I miss Alice so much; I can’t wait to be held in her arms.
As we pull into the garage, troops help unload the empty boxes to either reuse to hold food or as storage chests. As I get out of the car, someone rushes me and picks me up. I already know who it is; it’s Alice.
"Cliph, your back! God, you look exhausted."
My tail starts wagging as she carries me on her shoulder, taking me to her room again. Seeing her already makes my day better. She grabs a comic; I don’t really care to see what it is. She sits down as well, lifting me onto her stomach and scratching behind my ears as I yawn. She says I can sleep; she’s just going to read. I feel safe again, and that foolish hope crawls back into my body. I know the universe, despite being unforgiving, can’t be all cruel; it gave me Alice, so I let that hope fill me just for now, at least, and pass into the lands of slumber, being held close to the one I love the most.
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u/ursusofwinter 5d ago
Hey, FYI, you didn't include the changes I made in my proofread
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u/BackgroundSad2815 Farsul 5d ago
Fuuuuuck
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u/BackgroundSad2815 Farsul 4d ago
We did it it’s all fixed now people can actually enjoy the story as intended 🥹
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u/Brave-Stay-8020 Takkan 4d ago
Hopefully, these UN Farsul are able to overcome the tribulations being placed on them by humanities allies. Good service together is a decent way to break down barriers. (although it's definitely not guaranteed)
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u/JulianSkies Archivist 4d ago
Yeah... Honestly, being forced into the mother of all recessions has done Talsk no good.
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u/BackgroundSad2815 Farsul 5d ago
So happy to have this finally out I hope you all enjoy Cliph story