The Nature of Predators - Krev Exchange Program (6/7)

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Memory Transcription Subject: Flevi, Krev Opinion Columnist

Date [standardized human time]: March 31, 2160

While I suggested that Indrek should return home to Tellus and introduce Suvrel, his obor, to his abode, the human insisted that we should go through with the article. I hadn’t told him about the furious texts I’d gotten from the Tonvos Tribune’s editor, since I didn’t want to pressure Indrek in his vulnerable state. The videos of me with my exchange partner had gotten around on the internet, and the news website staff had wasted no time urging me to capitalize on that publicity. Even with a cute primate at my hip, that buzz could vanish in a puff of smoke; nothing remained prominent on the web for more than a day, without continued upkeep and discussion. I wasn’t sure it was right to dial up the attention on Indrek, but he seemed to want to give his statement. 

Who knew what kind of message he’d put forward, after processing his anger and hatred toward the Krev? “Tellus will always be a cage,” he’d said earlier. I was tempted to ask him about that sentiment, with the question of what it would take for the primates to be happy. The return of Earth was the most likely answer, but the public needed to hear it from Indrek’s lips. No amount of construction projects and gifted architecture could undo what they’d lost, and the pain they’d been through. I stared at the human’s adorable napping face, little eyes with the delicate lashes sealed shut. Suvrel snoozed against his chest, which reminded me of the adorable doodle of Earth inked into Indrek’s skin. There was so much about these primates that’d make Krev social media go wild.

Indrek looks so peaceful, much cuter than when he’s angry or sad. He’s even adorable in his sleep, making those buzzing snores that make his lips flutter. He has his arms wrapped around Suvrel like a little branch, the way obors sleep in the wild! They love clinging to tree limbs, since it helps them feel secure.

I tried not to look at the human, staring past him out the train’s window; if I looked at the fuzzy hairs around his wobbling lips any longer, my claws were going to start wandering. I was taking him to Tonvos, where we had a street-level office, rather than being inside of the megapyramid. Most of our work was done digitally, though anything that required a set for an interview would be taken to the studio, where proper sound and lighting equipment was available. For any exchange with a Tellus’ settler, having their face caught on camera was the main appeal, so we had to make the trip. It was a short ride on the bullet train, despite the fact that Risliv was on the opposite hemisphere of the globe to the capital. I’d kept as silent as possible, fearful of waking Indrek. The primate had barely sat down before he dozed off, head leaned back against the seat. His skull seemed to be rolling off the headrest in increments, until…

The primate’s snoozing head teetered onto my shoulder, and I could feel his warmth as he slumped over me; now I was terrified to move, since that would ruin this moment. My heart was leaping in my chest, with the massive human using me as a pillow! This was the closest I’d get to being able to pet his beard, which, against my scales, felt so soft and scraggly enough to tickle with my claws. Indrek’s involuntary shift in posture dislodged the snoozing Suvrel, who stared at the blissful human for several seconds before shrieking at him. I hurried to shush the angry obor, but it was too late; the miner’s eyelids had lifted. 

“Huh?” Indrek blinked groggily, and pawed a bendy fingers at the sleep dust by his corneas; the little sandy flecks around his eyes were too precious, making me want to help wipe the crumbs away. His gaze widened as he noticed what he was leaning against, and he snapped upright. “What the fuck?”

I couldn’t help but pout a little. “You toppled onto me in your sleep. I…didn’t mind? That was comfy for you, right?”

The human extended his hands to Suvrel, who stopped aggressively shrieking after climbing into the bigger primate’s grasp. “We are never going to talk about this again. Sorry for, um, invading your space, Flevi.”

“Invading my space? Why are you apologizing when I like that? Wait, don’t get angry, I’m serious; do humans…hate being touched or something? You talk like it’s a capital offense; this has to be what the interview is about! You’re going to break the Krev’s heart!”

“Calm down. I thought you weren’t going to be doing rage bait anymore. Physical contact is just weird, and it seems like aliens hand it out a lot more…flippantly. I don’t know if that’s a good thing, or a bad thing, but humans just, uh, wrinkle our noses at the idea of it being casual? Physical affection is intimate…personal. Some people are touch-averse, and it’s unwanted, so I guess it’s both society and personal.”

“You talk fast when you’re embarrassed,” I giggled. “And your cheeks turn a really warm red.”

The human scowled. “I gave you an honest fucking answer, or at least, I tried to! This is an exchange program. You can’t have a cultural exchange if you mock everything I tell you.”

“I’m poking fun at your nervous mannerisms, not your answer! Just because your society makes a fuss about it doesn’t mean you have to go along with it. Like, the real question is, are you touch-averse? None of it’s comforting?”

“I…don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“It was nice when you tried to, um, console me back in Risliv, but I also…I know I don’t want to be petted like a damn animal.”

“Indrek, was that the first time you ever had a hug?”

“Yeah, at least that I remember…unless Suvrel hanging on me counts.”

My heart hurt for the primate, as he trailed off. “Was that normal on Earth?”

“For…some people, but not to the degree it was here on Tellus. At least, I don’t think it was this sparse.”

“Do…do you want a hug?”

“You can’t be serious.” The human gawked at me, before rolling his eyes in the most previously dramatic pupil movement ever. So expressive and exaggerated with all of their emotions cues. “Fine. A little baby hug. Then you let go, or I’ll let you become Suvrel’s food.”

Not giving the fickle primate a moment to rescind that agreement, I squeezed my arms around his torso—careful to keep them below the haunches of the vicious obor clinging to his neck. My claws pressed against his far hip, and I snuggled my face on his bicep; he was so warm and squishy! I wanted to squeeze tighter, but then, he’d never agree to this again. I hoped, for the sake of all Krev, that humans weren’t inherently repulsed by physical touch. Indrek hissed like I’d doused him in acid, tensing up; he relaxed slowly, before growling at me to get off of him. Despite how much my heart ached—I wished I could stay like this for hours—I pulled away, and looked at him with hopeful eyes.

Please say it wasn’t so bad; that made me so happy. I wish Indrek would reciprocate the open affection too. Even if it was just once, I wanted to know what it’s like to have his arms wrapped around me. He never did it back…only acted like he wanted to get away.

“Hmph. That wasn’t a baby hug, Flevi,” Indrek grunted. “I fear how this interview will go, since your listening skills aren’t worth shit. Do Krev have one hugging mode—hang on for dear life?”

I scoffed. “That wasn’t hanging on for dear life. I didn’t squeeze you at all. You should’ve used more precise words, if that wasn’t what you meant; it’s your fault.”

“My fault? What’s unclear about a tentative, light hug?”

“That’s not what you said! You said a little baby hug, and you’re a liar if you claim otherwise. That’s how babies hug on this planet.”

“Huh? That’s not what the translator should have…son of a—”

“It couldn’t have been that horrible for me to show you a little love. I thought it’d be good for you, I mean, it feels like no one ever just held you close and told you that you…mattered.”

The human hesitated, before snorting. “It wasn’t as disgusting as an alien’s touch should’ve been. I might…allow it. Every now and then. Don’t get too used to it.”

I celebrated internally, but was unable to keep my eyes from lighting up. “I’ll never get used to it! I’ll be just as excited every time; I promise!”

“That’s not what I…never mind. What the fuck were you on about with baby hugs? I need to know whether to beware if infants are going to pop out of strollers and tackle me.”

“First off, strollers are a human thing. For the most part, Krev kids get tail rides, so they’ll hug or latch onto their parents’ tails. If they’re going on a long journey, they’ll have a tailbelt to strap the child on so they don’t fall.”

“Show me a picture?”

I whipped out my holopad, doing an image search for tail rides. I picked the top result, conveniently of Krev rent collector Gress giving his daughter a ride over to a waiting gaggle of humans. It was after I passed the device to Indrek that I realized he might recognize this Krev, and that the photograph could reignite his fury over the miners’ plight. To my good fortune, my exchange partner didn’t seem to make the connection. The human’s lips twitched and his eyes softened. The effect lasted for a mere fraction of a second, but I’d seen it: his kind were capable of finding us adorable. My exchange partner tried to bob his shoulders, and act unimpressed, but I could see through that facade. 

“Do you have anything that looks like us, on Earth? I’ve heard that humans call us ‘pangolins’ sometimes…” I ventured.

Indrek winced, patting my leg with a hand. “We shouldn’t go there. Trust me.”

“Why not?”

“I…you look like pangolins except you’re greener than a Christmas tree, you stand up straighter, and you’re a bit less stocky. Happy?”

“I don’t see what the problem is. I think I’ve heard you used pangolins as an insult, so maybe you thought of them as slow or stupid?”

The human buried his face in his hands, similar to our embarrassment gesture, except this seemed to be borne of avoidance. “I’m scared to tell you. You’ll think we’re monsters like the Feddies, and…we’d joke about it in the mines. Laugh about the prospect of doing shit like that to a Krev; it was fucked up. Predatory, blah blah.”

“I thought you wanted to scare me? You know you’re in no danger of me believing you’re a monster; my brain can’t look at those pinchy cheeks and see one.” I gave Indrek a smug look, as his head snapped up in irritation. “Beyond that, and in complete seriousness, I’m insulted you’d think the people who avoid the Federation at all costs would behave like them. Have we ever spouted the predator nonsense?”

“Technically no, but—”

“You’re such a shithead. There is nothing technical about it. Answer my question!”

The human frowned, lowering his voice and trying to speak the words in one breath. “Pangolinswerethemosttraffickedanimalonearthand…” And there goes the translator.

“I can’t tell what you’re saying. Speak the words in a normal, intelligible voice.”

“Pangolins were the most trafficked animal on Earth,” he groaned. “We turned them into an endangered species. Poachers would beat them to death, or slit their throats if they’re lucky, then boil their scales off—while they might still be alive—and rip off their fucking claws, because they believed it’d help for medicine. Us miners used to read about this shit and wonder if it’d work on Krev…”

A lump formed in my throat, as I processed what Indrek had just told me. It was crushing to picture these adorable creatures, taking animals that looked just like us and boiling their scales off their bodies. We loved primates, yet that was how they’d handle things that looked like me back home? Pangolins were the most common animals to be illegally sold on Earth? I didn’t understand why the universe had to be so cruel, that they saw us as resources to be dissected, not cute friends like they thought many other organisms were! The miners had sat around fantasizing about perpetrating that against us, because of our resemblance to pangolins. I didn’t want to picture Indrek talking about doing something like that to me—laughing about it. 

That is fucked up. That asshole; I don’t believe him. He deserves to be reamed out for putting me through the ringer, and he’s been keeping something like this to himself.

I swatted him on the cheek with the blunt side of my claws, which caused Suvrel to give me an unblinking death stare. “You got mad at the Krev because we loved our version of primates and thought you were adorable, but your people have been mauling and selling our equivalent as superstitious charms? You’ve got to be kidding me! All we wanted to do was pet you, not boil off your fingernails!”

“All Flevi the Columnist wanted was for us to be exterminated. You people worked us to death in the mines,” Indrek spat. “Literally!”

“You violent, mouthy, psychopathic murder ape! Get over here. I’m going to scratch your beard, and I won’t feel sorry about it.” 

“Fuck off, Flevi. I’m warning you…”

“What? You’ll boil my scales off?”

Knowing he was cornered against the window seat, I seized the opportunity, scratching the flappy skin beneath his jaw with a claw; it felt so gratifying to run my digits through his fur, filling me with mirth. Indrek’s eyes glowed with murderous rage, and he grabbed my wrist. The human held my arm up in the air, directing it away from his face. He abandoned his grasp on my limb, instead shifting his focus to tickling right by my armpit. Uncontrollable laughter rippled from my chest, as the disruptive sensations made me unable to sit still. This was, funnily enough, a learned behavior from living around obors for so long, since they tickled each other out of playfulness. I flailed about with my claws, connecting with the underside of his arm in response.

Indrek tried to escape, howling with laughter and begging me to stop. Tears poured from his eyes, as his entire face turned red; he was very ticklish there, which must’ve been why he tried that on me. I tucked that mental note away with amusement. The human struggled to catch his breath, as Suvrel seethed at me for making his owner flop about like a fish; the obor had hopped onto the seat, and bared his fangs like he wanted to bite. My exchange partner attempted to look cross, folding his arms, but couldn’t put his heart into a grumbled vow to get me back. He stuck his red, wide tongue out at me, in some petulant gesture, though I was more enamored with how it looked like a colorful icicle sticking out of his lips. 

I stuck my much longer and narrower blackish tongue out in response, nose twitching in amusement as he shied away from my lengthy tongue. “You’re not winning that competition.”

Indrek gawked at me. “What the fuck? That shit’s like…half my height! No wonder we boiled your lookalikes; you are a cira! I know sorcery when I see it.”

“Sorcery? More like our tongue goes all the way down into our ribcage, and curls up about right here.” I tapped the lowest rib, just above the stomach. “That’s the first time I’ve been called a cira for my biology.”

“Well as long as you’re in this exchange program, it won’t be the last. You might as well just burn some sticks and cackle maniacally.”

I let my tongue poke out of my mouth, teasing him, before falling into a serious contemplation. “I have a…real question. Do you hate these pangolin animals, the ones that look like us? Or think they’re ugly?”

“No. They’re goofy little artichoke things, not that you know what any of that means. Artichokes are a poky, triangle-leaved vegetable…”

“Goofy little artichoke things. That’s how you see the Krev?”

“Oh, um, sorry for implying that. I was talking how I see pangolins. Don’t worry, I still hate the Krev, and won’t use insulting nicknames with you.”

“It’s not insulting. I’d love it if you called me a goofy artichoke thing! I’ll put it on my social media bio even; please say that on camera!”

“What?” The human’s mouth parted in shock, before he shook his head. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I’ll never see you as a monster, you get it? What’s unbelievable is that you thought I could. You: the precious miner with the doodles on his chest—”

The train rolled into Tonvos Station, forcing me to let Indrek out of his seat if I wanted to make the stop. The miner grumbled curses under his breath, and made some gesture with his thumb to his throat to Suvrel, before nodding toward me. The obor flashed his fangs as a warning to me, but I simply tried to roll my eyes in the human way. There wasn’t anything that could be said that’d stop the Krev from fawning over the Tellish, though I supposed it was important to acknowledge their darkness; it helped to remember they were people, and to see the single iota of “proof” the Federation had for calling humans monsters. Overall, it was a ridiculous assertion, and my exchange partner had to see now that he needn’t fear the Krev’s harsh judgment.

What Indrek definitely should fear was our never-ending tongues, and our claws once we’d gotten a taste for ruffling human fur. I hoped that, with us helping his people and earning their trust, those would be the worst worries keeping him up at night.

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A/N - Krev 6! Flevi goes on a train ride with Indrek to give an interview for her website, and after talking about their cultures’ differences in views on touch, she finally gets him to permit a hug under normal circumstances. The Krev talks about tailbelts, and Indrek shares that pangolins are the most trafficked animal on Earth—and that he thinks Flevi is a goofy artichoke thing. The duo then have a tickle fight, as our narrator is indignant that he was ever mad she found primates cute. Our human is most gobsmacked by the length of Flevi’s tongue, as he definitively loses the competition sticking his tongue out.

Do you imagine other Krev will be horrified or disappointed to learn what happens to pangolins, the closest creature that looks like them, on Earth? What do you think of Indrek and Flevi’s antics with each other, and them freely asking questions and sharing bits of their culture? What do you think Indrek will say in his interview?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting! I will make an official update post on Tuesday (I planned to yesterday, but realized I couldn’t tease future content without spoilers until 65 drops), but the next series is about the Arxur Collective, and a Predator-Diseased ex-Feddie Sociopath who gets the wild idea to move to Wriss. It’ll be dropping after a brief one-shot about Governor Laisa, which I know the old school fans will be happy to see some Venlil content too!