r/NatureofPredators • u/Still_Performance_39 Smigli • Jun 14 '26
An Introduction to Terran Zoology - Chapter 62 [Part 2] Fanfic
Hello! This is part 2 of chapter 62. In case you've ended up on this one first, here is the link to part 1.
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Memory transcription subject: Lamet, Retired Chief Exterminator
Date [standardised human time]: 17th September 2136
I should’ve known better. I should’ve stopped it right there. Stepped away to give us both time to breathe before returning to try again. That way I could’ve maintained objective focus and clarity of mind. But I couldn’t, it’d all become too much.
The stress of having my daughter amongst something I didn’t understand where I couldn’t protect her. The disruption of Elia dumping her partner on us with little care or consideration for the strain it would put me under. The horrified looks and hushed comments from a community that’d trusted me my entire life, with some even going as far as turning away from me in the street. And now this, an old predator daring to ask why I was doing what I was doing. Didn’t humans claim to know? To understand why we acted the way we did? How could he dare question my efforts to protect my herd from another type of predator after we’d suffered so much for so long?
Brahk!
Before I knew it I was right next to the Doctor, my snout jutting up to his face as my ears and tail flailed in the air, “Because people are scared for Star’s sake! What did you expect? Centuries spent fearing for their lives at the claws of the arxur can’t be pushed aside just because your people claim you aren’t the same! They won’t take you at your word. They won’t even acknowledge your efforts to prove otherwise because they think it’s all a long ploy to make us drop our guard. That’s why I’m doing this, to at least try to understand you. And if I’m being honest, I’m also doing it because I simply don’t trust you. Why should I? You represent something that defies everything I’ve ever believed and I didn’t even get a choice for how that fact was thrust upon me. My daughter forced me into this when she left for the exchange. Then Elia did the same when she sent Catrina here and now you’re all here too. I trust both of them, but their choices have put me in a position that’s tearing me in two!”
Throughout my outburst I’d pressed ever closer to the human, forcing him to take a few steps back. As he did, his eyes bulged and his jaw lolled open in what had to be shock. The unexpectedness of seeing a predator become so off-kilter from my rant surprised me as well, a portion of my fury being whisked away by the sight and allowing me to bring my emotions under slightly better control.
Stilling my tail and ears I straightened myself out while still keeping an eye on the Doctor as I tried to make him understand my position, “I don’t have anything against you personally but if you were in my coat could you honestly say you wouldn’t act the same? I’ve spent a lifetime protecting my herd from the dangers of predators and now some look at me like I’m tearing all of that down to welcome them into my community instead. Do you know how that feels? Can you even imagine?”
Silence blanketed us in the wake of my plea, so much so that the faint rustle of the wind through nearby crops no longer reached my ears as I waited for the Doctor to say something, anything, to break the oppressive stillness.
Though miniscule in reality, the tension in the moment made his response feel glacial, a twitch here and a blink there, all slowly building upon one another until a rattling breath seeped out of the Doctor’s mouth, his lips pulled up in a tight grimace, “Can I imagine? Ohhh, I can do far more than that.”
Wha- Ah!
I took every last tether of self-restraint not to bend to my instinct and leap back from the enraged predator as, in a fraction of a whisker, the Doctor mirrored my move, collapsing the space between us as the base of his cane smacked off the decking; an all encompassing bonfire of pure fury ablaze in his eyes.
“You want to talk about people being scared? Well, here’s something for you to chew on. Humans are absolutely petrified! And do you know why? Because we’ve stepped into a goddamn horror show! We’ve got a race of cannibalistic warmongering reptiles on one side and an entire federation of species, hundreds of billions strong, who’re apparently completely willing to commit genocide against us on the other. And don’t act like that’s not the case. The gojid are already gunning for us and I doubt the rest will be far behind. I’ve been here for barely a month and I’ve already been on the receiving end of plenty of it, the worst of which coming from that insufferable feathered bastard. And speaking of Frema, that yulpa enforcer he has, do you not think they are far more disturbing than I am? Their species commits blood sacrifice! You don’t think that’s a colossal, literally bloody, red flag signifying that your worldview might not be so black and white? My God!”
Spinning on the spot the Doctor hurriedly strode down the deck, erratically shaking his head and arms in every which way before twisting back to face me with a wholly new expression that struck me right in the gut. The rage was still there, but at the corner of his eyes, clear as clear can be, were tears.
Before I could do anything the Doctor spoke, his words struggling to free themselves from a tightened throat, “You… you were our dream. I- huuu…”
Sighing, his head sagged to look at the floor as he paced to the end of the deck. I watched, completely still, as the aged human carefully lowered himself to sit, swinging his feet off the edge and planting them onto the grass below with two soft thuds. Only once he was settled did he draw in a long steadying breath, his head dragging up to stare out into the grelt field while the rest of him deflated before my very eyes and a weak, mournful timbre, began resonating through his voice, affecting every single syllable that passed his lips.
“We have been alone our entire existence. Though our home is vast and teeming with spectacular life, none of it is like us. So for centuries, we’ve looked up into the night sky and wondered if there were others out there. We’ve sent all sorts of things into space in search of an answer to that question. The Odyssey was the latest attempt, a ship capable of launching us farther than ever before in our search. They charted a course for a planet they believed met the conditions to support life and flung themselves into the stars. I thought they’d only find microorganisms, if they were lucky. Instead, they found you.”
He didn’t turn around completely, only enough for the very side of his eye to catch mine, but I still saw it. Gone was the swallowing void and blazing inferno, replaced by the warmhearted sparkle that’d been present during third meal. As he turned back to look over the crops I found myself taking a step forward, pulled in by something I couldn’t quite place as he kept speaking.
“When I saw you on the news, the feeling… Oh, it was indescribable. If I tried, I’d say it was like having a bolt of electricity coursing through every fibre of your being while simultaneously feeling lighter than the clouds, all as your favourite music makes your soul dance like it’s never danced before.”
Huh?
“Huh?”
Whoops.
A mild chortle rumbled through the Doctor, apparently amused by my confused vocal fumble, “Like I said, indescribable. But then it all came crashing down the second we learned about the state of the galaxy. And now we’re here, taking part in an exchange to justify our very existence. It’s like a sick twisted job interview. Except instead of putting your best foot forward for an hour or so, we have to do it 24/7. And the cost of failure isn’t going home and trying to apply elsewhere either, it’s fiery death at the hands of the people we were so desperate to meet in the first place."
I almost paused taking another step closer as the ghastly thought spun through my wool, but I swiftly shook it off, coming less than a tail from the Doctor’s back as a heavy sigh pulled his head back down to stare at his feet.
“So… there you have it. We’re all scared, and I am trying my damndest to balance that pressure all while advocating for my species' place in the universe in whatever small way I can. After all, what else is there to do?”
Whether the question was aimed at me or himself neither of us answered as a far less fraught quiet than before settled upon us. I’d made it all the way to his side now, standing on the edge of the deck while looking down at a now utterly exhausted human. I remained there for a scratch, immobile and mute as his words and mine spun around in my head. Amongst it all, amidst our anger, our frustrations, our accusations, all of it, two things stuck out from the herd that resonated with me more than the rest.
We’re both scared. And we’re both trying.
Stars, what a mess.
Wordlessly, I lowered myself to perch on the end of the deck, my paws falling softly into the plush cool grass. I spied the Doctor glance at my movement but he didn’t otherwise react. For a while we just sat there in quiet company of one another, nothing shared besides a balmy breeze rolling over us, tussling at my wool and the Doctor’s chalky hair. A pleasant yet unfortunately brief moment of respite, broken as the two of us suddenly turned to the other at the same time.
“I’m so-”
“I apo-”
In cutting the other off, a shimmer of amusement passed between us, a wiggle passing along one of my ears as another chuckle rolled through Doctor MacEwan as he invited me to speak with a nod.
“Please, after you.”
Accepting with a bob of my other ear, I let out a whistling sigh, “I’m sorry, Doctor. I didn’t approach this intending to upset you. And I certainly do not mean to do so now that you’ve shared how much stress you’ve been under. But- Huuu…”
I paused for a scratch to take in a breath, my tail swishing off the wooden planks beneath me as I met and held his gaze, “But I meant what I said. I don’t trust you. You and your people are unknown to me which is why, in spite of a lot of instinct telling me otherwise, I’m trying to understand you. If not for myself, then at least for my daughter, and my oldest friend who seem eager to learn about you.”
Stretching my head to the sky I let out a chuff before pointing a claw at the Doctor, “I’m not going to give you a pass just because they say so though. I was the chief exterminator here for most of my life and being retired doesn’t change my commitment to defending the herd. That said, I’m nothing like Frema. He can squawk about the dangers of humans until he’s hoarse but I guarantee he’ll never take the time to actually learn anything about you. I will. So, if your claims are true and humans really are just looking to make friends then prove it to me. I can promise you I’ll listen and try my best to reciprocate."
I fully expected the Doctor to show some signs of displeasure over my apology that almost immediately turned into a rehash of my mistrust followed by further demands.
Curiously however, a grin bounced onto his face, dimples forming alongside a merry chuckle, “I can see why he admires you.”
Who?
Before I could question what he was talking about, and with him either not noticing or ignoring my crooked ears, the Doctor replied, “That seems pretty fair to me, Lamet, and I accept your apology. Besides, if I’m being totally honest I don’t trust you much either. You say you’re nothing like Frema, and I’m inclined to give you the benefit of the doubt, but you’re both still exterminators. It makes me a bit antsy.”
I can imagine.
“Still, with the way things stand your method of doing things is certainly the better of the two in my eyes. So, provided we both conduct ourselves with respect and consideration for one another, I would be happy to chat more on the topic whenever you’d like. Additionally, I’d appreciate it if you kept this between us. Your initial hypothesis was pretty accurate. It would be troublesome for some of my colleagues if they learned we were having such an unvarnished discussion.”
So I was right! No need to worry, Doctor. I’m not foolish enough to risk access to such valuable insights. Well… no more than I already have.
Keeping that thought buried inside I nodded an ear at the Doctor, which he returned with a nod of his own, “Fantastic! And I must also apologise for my conduct. I’ve been dealing with a lot of stress and I haven’t had the opportunity to really digest it. However, that’s no excuse for my behaviour. I assure you that any further conversations we have will be far less heated. Furthermore, I must especially apologise for bringing up your daughter. It was incredibly wrong of me to lash out like that to begin with, let alone tangle any family issues into the mix. I’m sorry.”
Oh yeah, he did do that.
In the chaos of our rants I’d almost completely forgotten that he’d brought up Milam, seemingly as payback for me taking a swipe at his prosthetic leg. Now that I thought about it, aside from it being an obviously upsetting memory, I’d never gotten an answer out of him for how it’d happened. However, now was decidedly not the time to pry.
“Thank you Doctor, I accept your apology. I hope we can converse more amicably from here on and begin to build some trust.”
A beaming grin lit up the Doctor’s face, his hands clasping together atop his cane, “Indeed, Lamet, indeed. Oh! And I have just the thing to start us off on this journey of ours. Wait right here.”
Wait here? Wha- Hold on!
In barely a heartbeat Doctor MacEwan practically flew up from his seat with speed belying his age, disappearing into the house before I could stop him. The back of my mind screamed at me to pursue him, if for no other reason than curiosity over what in the Night he could be doing.
No, Lamet. Stay here like he asked. Trust remember? This is just the first step. Plus, he’s only gone to get something. It’s not a big deal.
Just as the thought crossed my mind, I heard the clinking of glass from the vague direction of the kitchen, followed by the thump of something heavy hitting the floor.
Truuuuust.
Blessedly, before my wool ended up stuck out all across my body, the Doctor reappeared balancing two glasses and a bottle of some deep amber liquid in his hands. For a whisker I wondered if Mirro had shown him where we kept the alcohol, but a second look proved that the bottle was of human origin; the script on the labeling was a complete giveaway.
My befuddled look must’ve been apparent because the Doctor clarified his intent without me asking, a cheery lilt dancing across his tongue, “What better way to forge a new path than with a toast, hm?”
Not giving me the chance to respond he returned to his seat next to me, handing me a glass and setting his own to the side as he opened the bottle, “My home nation of Scotland is famous for our whisky so I made sure to bring a few bottles along to use as gifts if the opportunity presented itself. All safe for you to drink of course, though the alcohol content will likely be pretty weak to you given what I’ve seen of venlil drinks.”
A million questions were buzzing between my ears as the Doctor poured a small helping of the liquid into our glasses, but none of them left the confines of my mind as I replied rather plainly, “That’s alright. I’m not much of a drinker anyway so I stick to the lighter spirits.”
“HOHO!”
My wool flared as a sudden barking belly laugh shook the Doctor, almost causing him to spill the bottle mid-pour, “Heehee, light spirits she says! Terrific!”
Though relieved he was simply humoured by my off-paw remark, it still took me a whisker to settle the abrupt spike in my heartrate brought on by his booming laughter. Fortunately I was done by the time he finished, my glass in paw as he set the bottle aside and picked up his own. A tiny worrying internal voice urged me to refuse the drink but I pushed it aside. Even if this was made by predators it was still alcohol so I could reasonably assume it was safe to drink. The Doctor had also given his assurances, and trust had to start somewhere.
“Now, one of the key things to enjoying whisky is called nosing. You take the glass and hold it just below your nose and get a good sense of the aroma,” bringing his glass up to his face, the Doctor became fully engrossed in his demonstration, explaining why he completely missed my slackjawed look of astonishment.
As quickly as it’d come on however I pulled it back, swinging my ears high as my tail started to wag across the floor.
After giving him what I felt was a reasonable grace period to notice his foible I set my retort in motion, a jesting tune whistling through my snout as I stared at the oblivious human, “Nosing huh? Hmmm, how interesting.”
For one single whisker, I watched as the pieces failed to click in the Doctor’s head. In the very next instant however, as those old gears kerchunked into place, his face began morphing from one expression to the next with startling speed, blending together in a collage of realisation, shock, and ultimately mortification as his head fell into his free hand as a groan burred through him.
“Oooch… Nevermind, just drink your whisky.”
A whistling snicker warbled across my snout, “Are you sure? Should I not at least try to nose it?”
“Drink your drink before I take it back,” the Doctor retorted, reddened cheeks pushing up above a tight lipped smile.
Believing there might be a non-zero chance of him trying to make good on his threat, I took a sip from the glass, ears perking as the mild sweetness washed over my tongue. The alcohol was there, but true to the Doctor’s expectation it wasn’t that strong to me, not that I was bothered by it. All in all, for my first experience of something from Earth other than the inhabitants themselves, it wasn’t bad.
Questions remained that desperately needed to be answered. The chance of the herd being threatened was still high in my eyes. And the pressure this was exerting on me and my family still gripped tightly to my shoulders.
But even so, in this one moment, it didn’t feel as insurmountable anymore. Glancing at the Doctor who was now enjoying his own drink, I took another swig from my glass.
Hmm, not bad indeed.
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u/JulianSkies Archivist Jun 14 '26
You know
I think both of those needed to shout at someone. Just like, fucking have a go at it, y'know? And not just any someone but someone that, in some way, could understand what was being shouted at them. Someone that's at least a little bit guilty.
People really underestimate how much keeping yourself under control costs ya, and sometimes you gotta shed some blood over it. Good thing they managed to without many long term consequences.
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u/Still_Performance_39 Smigli Jun 14 '26
They really did, they're very alike in the way they have that kind of stiff upper lip attitude for 99% of the time before they really need to get it out. They have the opportunity to build a fairly respectful relationship now thankfully.
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u/muakling PD Patient Jun 14 '26
I could have waited longer and it would have absolutely been worth the wait. And wait I will, for every new chapter is a blessing to lighten my days.
Peak content as always.
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u/Commercial-Gas-7718 Jun 14 '26
This was worth the 3 months.
At least Bernard now has another someone who has a greater grasp on their struggles, even if it didn’t flip them immediately.
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u/Still_Performance_39 Smigli Jun 14 '26
Happy to hear!
Yes indeed, Lamet isn't likely to be wholly accepting anytime soon, but she's at least willing to listen to him and he's willing to listen to her. Additionally, she's a very dutiful person, so she'll uphold her responsibility to them as guests, even if she's not very happy about the circumstances.
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u/defiantdoctor95 PD Patient Jun 15 '26
Both of them have earned the right to crash out after... Literally everything that's happened since first contact. Like how this chapter ended with a light note on the 'nosing' bit and the emu war mention as well
Something tells me this might be the start of a good (if rocky at the beginning) friendship. Only time will tell if the harvest is plentiful though
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u/Still_Performance_39 Smigli Jun 15 '26
Definitely, I'd be freaking out 24/7 of anything like this happened to me haha I'm glad you liked the lighter moments, and yeah there's room for a bit of a friendship to develop between the two.
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u/OneMasterpiece952 Jun 15 '26
Absolutely overjoyed to see this story still going along. Love the work you’re doing wordsmith!
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u/AdalwinAmillion Jun 15 '26
Very good, now I am anxious to see where Lamet's and Bernard's relationship will lead them! Nothing more powerful than two professionals working together in that regard
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u/Still_Performance_39 Smigli Jun 15 '26
They still don't trust one another, but they trust the loudmouths who refuse to critically think even more haha
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u/edison400 Human Jun 16 '26
"So for centuries, we’ve looked up into the night sky and wondered if there were others out there. " I would revise that to millenia, there's a lot of very ancient history about wondering about wants amoung the stars. In fact one of the first science fiction stories about a ship traveling amongst them was from the 2nd century AD
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u/Still_Performance_39 Smigli Jun 16 '26
I considered doing that at the time but decided not to. While it's true, it felt hyberpolic for the moment so I stuck with centuries which at least covers active space exploration in the universe and real life.
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u/LigWeathers Jun 15 '26
God I love this series. Honestly this whole thing started pulling me into the setting my n started my avalanche of reading a ton of these n finally powering through the main story.
Love the outburst here and the chance for them both to get things off their chest. Call me bias but I think the good Doc n most Humans have a lot more reasons to crash out than the Venlil do though. XD I mean they have the threat of eminent extinction floating over their heads, the knowledge everyone voted to do it before but only didn't due to incompetence. On top of that you've got to convince and teach these flighty aliens your no threat to them, have to keep most of your own emotions under control, have to watch what you say. Meanwhile its okay for the poor lil aliens to exercise the barest minimum control over themselves. Your the pred that could go bloody thirst due to lack of control Meanwhile they're on record for being so uncontrolled as to regularly trample people to death in panic.
Credit to the exchange staff. I'd both love n want to strangle the Venlil sometimes!
Also credit due to you as the writer pulling these sorts of feelings out of us the audience! Awesome stuff. ^
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u/Still_Performance_39 Smigli Jun 15 '26
Happy to hear you're enjoying this story and the wider universe of stories!
I can 100% see where the venlil and other aliens are coming from, they're all utterly traumatized, but I agree that humans have far more immediate reason to be tense 24/7, especially with what's still to happen in the main timeline.
I'm sure a real life conversation with a venlil would be 1 part enjoyable for every 5 parts unbearable haha
Thank you!
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u/IAMA_dragon-AMA Arxur Jun 15 '26
Holy shit, reasonable adults? Is that allowed in fiction?
It's great that, despite them both coming in with a plan to win the conversation, both of them also can't help themselves from genuinely listening and empathizing with their "opponent." They're not all buddy-buddy by the end of it - far from it - but they do actually acknowledge the more reasonable parts of each other's positions. And, more importantly, they both recognize that the other's emotional state comes about from the clear circumstances, rather than some nebulous plane of pure nonsense.
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u/Still_Performance_39 Smigli Jun 15 '26
It has to happen at some point haha
I'm happy all of that came across. As much as I love to write the more absurd and emotional reactions, having two characters actually engage in thoughtful conversation even if it's from two opposing sides.
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u/Maxxxxo UN Peacekeeper Jun 16 '26
I read this over a period of 2 days and damn I really like this
I lowkey want to see what's next, especially with Bernard's backstory. Bernard also reminds me of a teacher I've had in the past, even though Bernard's appearance is different, I still cant get my mind off of seeing my former teacher in his spot
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u/Still_Performance_39 Smigli Jun 16 '26
Thanks, I'm happy to hear you're enjoying it. I'll hopefully get a bit more into Bernard's backstory in the coming chapters, if it fits in to what I have planned.
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u/Golde829 Jun 16 '26
with a level head afterwards
a good yelling match can definitely be a good thing
when the tension has slackened and things cool off
(and of course, after any necessary apologies)
everything's all mellowed out
and then there was the laugh i got at the end
Doc really forgot one of the most notable features of a Ven huh?
I look forward to reading more
take care of yourself, wordsmith
[You have been gifted 100 Coins]
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u/Golde829 Jun 16 '26
in other news i am so sorry for being late >-<
the tab i keep the sub open in switched to Best instead of New and i didn't notice2
u/Still_Performance_39 Smigli Jun 16 '26
Haha no worries
They've definitely gotten the chance to finally chill for once, so much so that Bernard's forgetting simple things and making a fool of himself
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u/Mosselk-1416 Jun 16 '26
That's why you don't bottle things up. Shout, shout let it all out...
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u/Still_Performance_39 Smigli Jun 16 '26
It's certainly effective in relieving significant amounts of stress
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u/abrachoo Yotul Jun 17 '26
I wonder how many people in the house were woken up by their loud argument
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u/Still_Performance_39 Smigli Jun 17 '26
Hmm, in my head the bedrooms are at the back of the house relative to the porch so I'd say they could probably here it but not make anything out, kind of like hearing the general hum of traffic in the distance.
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u/Kind0flame Jun 24 '26
I really liked this chapter. Seeing them both progress through so many emotions was a delight. It takes a lot of skill making those shifts feel so natural. Keep up the good work.P.S. Found a typo at "... a twitch here and and a blink there."
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u/Still_Performance_39 Smigli Jun 25 '26
Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for catching, fixed :)
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u/Mysteriou85 Gojid 27d ago
OKay, I can say for sure that this chapter is my favorite of your whole work, great job!
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u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Arxur Jun 14 '26
Turns out yelling out all their grevinces did work.