The Nature of Predators - Why the Caged Bird Sings (11/11)

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Memory Transcription Subject: Cala, Krakotl Peacekeeper Enlistee

Date [standardized human time]: September 17, 2147

It felt strange to say goodbye to everyone that I knew and loved, but objectively, it wasn’t that much different from going off to university. Harry and I would’ve gone to separate schools either way, so there was nothing stopping us from reuniting after we’d finished a few years of our career paths. Andy shouldn’t think of it very differently to sending me off to school either; it wasn’t like I was falling off the face of the planet. This was something I knew, in my heart, that I had to do. Besides, on a more practical level, being a Peacekeeper gave me the certainty of a job, rather than worrying about whether I could find desirable work as a Krakotl. I stood on the platform, waiting for a bus at the Vienna drop-off site; it would take me to the undisclosed training camp.

Human Papa waited with me, exuding sadness like he had when we first met at my cell. It was difficult to imagine that I’d once been a chick who believed humans were an existential threat, accepting the exterminators’ deranged propaganda and insistence on burning predators. How far I’d come since then: visiting the zoo Andy worked at regularly, and playing tug-of-war with Harry’s new Rottweiler puppy. The true moment I spit on my biological parents’ beliefs was when I fully embraced Krakotl ancestry. Harry and I had gone on a fishing trip, but I hadn’t sat for hours with a rod. I zipped over the water, snatching a fish with my talons to see if I could pull it off. It was beyond surreal to feel it wriggling in my grasp, and soar back to the boat to drop it off. While fish could be lab-grown, there was nothing like a fresh catch. 

I’d killed an animal, if only to prove that there was nothing wrong with the original Krakotl. Harry was a bit floored, if I recall, since he was doing catch-and-release.

“I wish I could’ve talked you out of this, Cala. It was too late from the moment you filled out the form,” Andy sighed.

I turned around to look at him, putting on a confident expression—despite my nerves. “Remember how at the zoo, you said that the difference between people and animals is finding a cause you’re willing to die for? This is mine. It’ll complete the sentence that was commuted. I want to give humanity a few years of my life, in the service of maintaining peace.”

“You could’ve done anything you set your mind too. You still can, when you’re through with your enlistment. Maybe I’m just holding onto my dream. I wanted you to sing, and to tell the world why you do. Unashamed of who you are, and as loud as you damn well please.”

“Andy…I sang because of you. I always will, wherever I am.”

“I’m glad I could encourage you to use your musical gifts, without being treated so terribly. I tried to give you the best home I could. I really did—and I wanted you to sing for you, not me.”

“I couldn’t have done any of this without you, Andy. You’ve done so much for me, and shaped me into a better person; you believed I had a future. You showed me that my voice is worth using, and that I could live free. Anything I do for myself, I do because of you, and there’s no better hatchday gift that could be given. Thank you, Papa. I mean it.”

Andy returned the hug, as I threw my wings around him, and tears welled in his eyes. “I love you, Cala. You’re not a mistake—not to me. You gave my life meaning too. You’re the best daughter I could’ve ever asked for.”

“I’d be better if I could take back the hurt I caused you. That…that was a mistake. My deepest regret.”

“I never saw you as the one that caused any of it. If I’ve showed you that you could ‘live free,’ then find a way to free yourself out there in the service—forgive yourself. Promise me.”

I followed his binocular eyes as he pulled back, and saw that the bus had arrived to take me away. “I promise to try. At least I can fight on the other side now, with the species that has such incredible ‘nurture instincts.’ Look, I have to go. They won’t wait for me.”

“One more thing! Promise you’ll stay in touch?”

“As much as I can. You should know that; I hope I can still make you proud, even if you didn’t want this for me.”

Andy smiled sorrowfully. “You’ll always be my pride and joy. I’ll be here when you come home, Cala.”

“That means everything to me. Goodbye, Papa.”

I fluttered away, before the ache in my chest could deepen, zipping up as one of the last to board the bus. This was going to be my new life, and these people would be who I’d spend my time with for the foreseeable future. It was important to survey who was here, and pick out potential friends wisely. It had to be someone who was sitting alone, leaving an open seat, while also not shooting hostile glances at me. I took note of who was inside the cabin, and inched forward on uncertain legs. Every recruit here was human, except for a single Zurulian who was likely joining on as a combat medic. Some people were already chatting and laughing among themselves with mischievous energy.

If my original parents could see me now, they’d have a fit. That’s exactly why I can do this. I’m unafraid to serve in a predator’s military, and I know I’m braver than either of them could’ve ever been.

It was bewildering how the homesickness set in as I’d hardly set foot on the bus, but I pressed on. With each step I took, I reminisced on memories of my childhood growing up with Andrew—positive recollections, unlike my earliest, formative anecdotes. The first time he “punished” me for misbehavior, I was terrified that he’d scream or lock me in the closet. I’d been flying around the apartment and knocked over a vase. How horrified I’d been, scooping us the glass shards and cutting my talons in the process. I remembered how calm he’d been as he got a dustpan, only admonishing me once not to fly recklessly indoors. Then, he put a band-aid on my foot, and we went out to get shaved ice from a street vendor. He rewarded me, turning a dark moment into a positive.

I’d apologized profusely as we went outside, terrified that Andy was taking me back, just like Zhao worried he might. Human Papa had assured me that it was okay, and said that he only wanted me to learn from my mistake. I hoped I had done that with all my past sins; that was one of the things I’d taken to heart. For starters, I’d try not to make my first friend by bumping into someone’s leg—poor Harry. Unlike that introductory day in the school hallway, I didn’t look at the floor. I walked with my head held proud, still hearing Andrew’s final words about being unashamed of who I was. Whatever I was looking for, I was going to try to find it on the Peacekeeper missions, by partaking in this special camaraderie among humans.

A lone Terran, with lighter brown skin and tousled black hair, sat in a window seat. There was something about his quiet, pensive demeanor that registered with me. This was someone who also had a past, and who might’ve joined to try to outrun or overwrite it. He didn’t seem to register my approach amid his brooding. I noted that he looked a tad bit older than most of the recruits, who fell in the eighteen-to-twenty range on average. Maybe he tried to do something else first, but felt compelled to join the service for his own reasons. I shouldn’t make so many judgments about strangers at a first glance, yet his life story leapt off his face to me.

I cleared my throat, gesturing to the open chair. “Excuse me. Is this seat taken?”

The human’s head snapped toward me, and his eyes widened for a moment, like he’d seen a ghost. “It’s…um…of all the seats, of course…”

I take it he’s not a Krakotl fan. Whatever weighs on him must have to do with the same battle that haunts me.

“Sorry to bother you.” I turned to continue down the aisle. “I didn’t realize it was a problem.”

“No, wait. Come back!” The human stood up, hurrying after me with an apologetic voice. “I swear, I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. You just caught me at a bad time, with the wrong thoughts.”

“It’s fine. You don’t want to sit next to a Krakotl. I get it; let’s both move on.”

“I have some bad history with the last Krakotl I encountered, but I’d like to start over fresh. Please, forgive me for any offense that I caused you. If I truly didn’t want to sit next to you, I wouldn’t be chasing after you, begging and making a scene, right?”

I swiveled around warily, noticing that a lot of the soldiers were staring; I didn’t need to attract attention. “Fine. Dare I ask what the bad history with this Krakotl is?”

The human crawled back into a seat, lowering his voice as I stuffed my bag underneath. “This might sound crazy, but you can look it up. I was kidnapped by Captain Kalsim after he crash-landed, and was kept as his prisoner. Part of me wanted to be one of the guys with guns, warding off the evil aliens, since I watched special forces bring him in.”

“I’d normally be hesitant to believe a story like that, but you speak like it’s the truth. My name’s Cala.”

“Arjun. Why’d you join up?”

“Well, full disclosure, the last time I was in the military, it was as an eight-year-old whose parents made her join the extermination fleet. I’ve wanted an undo button for ever being a part of that my whole life. In a way, I think I was Kalsim’s prisoner too, but after helping those bastards, you might not want me taking up this seat.”

“Nah, we’ve got to move forward in the future. I don’t want to be stuck on this forever. That’s why we’re all here, from all across Earth, right?”

“Yeah. The Peacekeepers are a way forward. An idea. A promise that tomorrow will come.”

Arjun tilted his head, noticing the tiger sticker attached to the otherwise plain, military-green duffel bag. “Is that a Bengal tiger?”

“It is. My dad—adoptive human father, that is—is a zookeeper. Tigers were the animal I really took a shine to, when he was teaching me about Earth’s wildlife; I needed a good deprogramming regimen back then. Tigers were a predator I really liked drawing, for some reason. I loved their pictures on everything, even though it turns out I’m more of a dog person than a cat person. Old habits die hard, I guess.”

“Oh, I’m not judging. Funny enough, my old man works at Ranthambore Tiger Reserve; well, not like that, but he’s there quite often as a wildlife photographer. You might enjoy some of his work, and if you’re a real tiger aficionado, you should definitely give that place a visit. Might be a long haul from wherever you live, but you can see lots of big cats in the wild.”

I chuckled. “What are the odds? Both of us having an affinity for tigers.”

“Probably higher than you think; they are beautiful, majestic creatures. The real coincidence is both of our fathers working around them. A statistical improbability.”

“Statistical improbability? You sound like Harry, my math nerd friend from home.”

“What’s wrong with math nerds?” Arjun protested.

I groaned, shoving my beak into a raised wing. “How is this happening again? In the military of all places?”

“Of all places? What do you think runs all of these complex weapons? Something has to calculate force and trajectory.”

“You’re trying to bait me into saying it’s useful or cool, but it’s not working.”

“Projectile physics is useful and cool! You’ll think so when it saves your life.”

“Useful, maybe. If you had my physics teacher, you wouldn’t think it was cool. Her class was why I learned how to fold paper airplanes.”

Arjun arched an eyebrow. “So you did learn something.”

“I guess so. Not sure where that talent will take me. Rumor has it I shouldn’t make any to throw at the drill sergeant.”

The human snickered. “No, I think not.”

The bus rolled into motion, ready to ferry me away from my childhood to the training grounds of the United Nations. I gazed around Arjun to see Andrew, waving goodbye from the crowd. With everything I owed to my adoptive father, it was time to make the most of the future I’d been given. This was my chance to find humans that I could fit in with, and make peace with my past self; it was time to stop looking back at. The hopes I had wouldn’t be limited or shackled by anything other than my own ability to endure the military’s trials. After offering a final, heartfelt wave toward the window, I turned my undivided focus to my new friend, and with it, my new life.

A/N - The finale! Cala parts ways with Andy, reflecting on her childhood and how grateful she is for all he did for her; her adoptive dad leaves her with the knowledge that he’s proud of her, and hopes she can learn to forgive herself. Our narrator heads off to Peacekeeper basic training, choosing none other than Kalsim’s former captive Arjun as her new buddy, and the two eventually hit it off talking about tigers and their wounded past. 

How do you imagine Cala will do in the Peacekeepers, given how Andy raised her and gave her a second chance? Will she learn to forgive herself, and eventually choose a different path? Do you imagine she and Arjun will remain friends? 

As always, thank you for reading and supporting! Krev Exchange Program starts on Wednesday; I haven’t wrote any kind of exchange fic in a long time, so this should be fun!