The Nature of Predators - Venlil Foster Program (14/14)

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Memory transcription subject: Callsi, Venlil Bartender

Date [standardized human time]: November 29, 2136

With human soldiers shipping out to postings across the galaxy, there were a lot less predators frequenting my bar. There was a void where Olek, Lisa, and company had been; those had been my friends, for the better part of a month. Even Kaulin remarked on their absence, though I think my boss missed their spending habits.

Venlil customers had returned in full force, and grown accustomed to the presence of human refugees. On this mid-day shift, there was a lone female predator in the bar. Tibek, the crabby veteran who once insisted Dustin would eat Jimek, was learning an ancient Terran game from her. I leaned over the counter, studying the checkered board.

“This game is just a simulation of war strategy,” Tibek complained. “The entire object is to leave the enemy’s ruler with no chance of escape!”

The dark-haired predator snorted. “You hung your queen. Now c’mon, you see the same 64 squares as me. You need to pay better attention, that’s all.”

“You have an unfair advantage, Maya. It’s all attacking and aggression! It’s overwhelming!”

The human’s attempt to teach the Venlil retiree “chess” had not been fruitful; the predatory objectives of the game made that a trying endeavor. But I think she was enjoying Tibek’s frazzled reactions every time he missed a move. There was no reason he couldn’t play defense, at least.

“You just have to predict your opponent’s move. Think about what I’m going to play, not what you’re planning to do!” Maya said.

Tibek waved a paw dismissively. “Drink your pisswater beer, human. When you lose ‘pawns’ in real life, it’s not some trivial affair for Venlil. I was a pawn, a foot soldier, during the raid that killed Tarva’s daughter.”

“You think I don’t understand? My entire unit was…slaughtered defending a Gojid daycare, as I watched. I was calling in an airstrike, and I wound up stranded…alone for days. I was a ‘pawn’, and I still see all the other pawns’ faces every night.”

“I’m sorry. I still see my friends dying and screaming w-when I close my eyes too. All the images of death and decay, stars. H-how did you get off the cradle?”

“Long story, but I found other humans at a school. We talked the Gojids into letting us inside a bunker, and we were lucky enough not to get buried. Boys in blue showed up days later, took us all to Earth. Then…you know the rest. Dragged myself to a refugee camp here.”

“You’re crying, predator?”

“I…no. Excuse me.”

Maya pawed at her face, and rushed over to the restroom. I shook my head to myself; Tibek was oblivious to how sensitive Terrans were at heart. It must’ve been traumatic for this soldier to have been thrust into an Arxur raid. If I remembered her chat with another human yesterday, she was granted an honorable discharge for something called “PTSD.” Warfare’s stressors did a number even on predators.

If she doesn’t return in a few minutes, I’ll go check on her. I don’t want to turn a blind eye to a breakdown.

The front door was jammed open, and a bedraggled Venlil stumbled into the bar. I didn’t recognize this man, whose silver fur was caked in grime. Scars crisscrossed his body; emaciated ribs were visible through missing clumps of his pelt. Faded red marks lined his neck, and I wondered if it was from self-mutilation.

This guy didn’t look well at all, and I couldn’t stop gawking at him. It took a substantial effort to peel my ears up, rather than show signs of concern. It would be impolite to ask what was wrong with him outright. This ragged Venlil filtered in during the slow time of day, so my boss wouldn’t be happy if I scared him off. Was it even ethical to give someone so clearly down on their luck a drink?

Hell, he needs it. Just treat him like any other customer, and show him some love.

“Hello, good sir! What can I interest you in?” Not knowing what to say, I defaulted to Kaulin’s sales pitch. “Our special today is grapefruit-flavored malt liquor; authentic predator taste in a Venlil drink!”

My cheery tone seemed to add to his fright, and his mouth dropped open. The strange Venlil stared at the bar taps, as though they might spread some wicked illness. Other customers were staring at him, scanning his gaunt body. I couldn’t help but feel pity, even after suspecting he was a human bigot.

My ears tucked themselves against my head, and I fixed him a glass of water. The Venlil lapped at the liquid with his tongue rather than sipping it, before offering his thanks. I barely registered the question about predator taste, before I realized it was about my advertisement. The words about human fruit came out automatically, but I was struggling to process his appearance.

“—Venlil businesses buy up the leftovers.”

Anger sparked in his eyes. “You trade with them? Are you insane?!”

“I won’t tolerate racism in this establishment.”

The callous reference to humans raised my hackle fur, and I snatched the water glass away. My blood simmered, thinking that any Venlil would still refer to Dustin as an animal. Hadn’t there been ample time for adjustments in the capital? The predators proved their good intentions every day, and bent over backward to accommodate our sensibilities.

“I sponsored a human refugee, bless his heart.” My voice softened as I continued. The image of Dustin’s painting, purple Jimek and all, was emblazoned in my mind. “He was part of a group from a Terran orphanage. The poor thing was so young, and so eager to please. A hard life made harder.”

“Refugee? I don’t understand,” the customer croaked, with a mystified expression.

“Everyone knows why humans came here. What they lost. Are you okay, sir?”

“Uh, f-fine. Sorry, just having a rough day.”

This encounter was becoming stranger by the moment, so I opted to give him some space. The Venlil tilted his head up to the mounted TVs, the same ones that proclaimed Cilany’s news to the establishment. I watched him out of my periphery, and noticed how his distress became more evident. Tarva’s lackeys were doing media circuits, gathering support for war against the Federation.

General Kam is a major human apologist. When Nishtal fell, he immediately told social media the UN had no choice. He’s justifying Arxur support even now!

I was sympathetic to the injustice humans faced, but including the grays was another matter. While the Terrans were an empathetic race, the Arxur snacked on sapient beings. It wasn’t important that the Kolshians started the war. What the Dominion did in response was monstrous; they would call children like Jimek a delicacy.

The disheveled Venlil slumped his shoulders. “Hey, bartender…what happened to that predator refugee?”

Paperwork. Lots of paperwork, red tape, and governments dragging their feet. The UN was a sluggish bureaucracy, when there was no emergency crisis at play.

The foster program didn’t anticipate such rapid attachment to our humans. I suppose they hadn’t foreseen me utilizing their bribe funds to get Dustin a proper room and bed either. It broke my heart that so many families dropped out of the program early on. If I’d given into my initial terror…

“I’m working on adopting him. We barely have enough to make ends meet, even with the government stipends,” I replied honestly. “But I can give him love and support. Humans need a nurturing environment. They’re simple creatures, really.”

The Venlil’s ears flailed with disgust. “You think you can raise a monster as a prey child?! Put it under your roof like a Venlil?! It doesn’t want your love. It wants to EAT YOU!”

Rage simmered in my mind, recalling how those kind of words wounded Dustin. The constant fear and hatred brought him to tears multiple times. Even Tibek knew by now that my human child would never consider eating us. All the orphan wanted was love; he wanted to belong on Venlil Prime. He cared about us, enough to protect Jimek and draw pictures of us.

People like this unstable guy are standing in the way of progress. They want my adopted child dead, and his kind wiped from the universe.

“How dare you speak like that about my son!” Brushing all sympathy aside for this Venlil, I matched his anger. “You’re disgusting. Get the fuck out of my bar!”

Tibek stood from the chessboard. “Leave at once, ya fucking prick!”

Even Kaulin didn’t want this would-be customer, and his eyes narrowed. “Get out of here, freeloader! The humans have more mettle than scum like you.”

The racist Venlil cowered under the scrutiny, as every patron in the bar turned against him. As sickening as his verbalized bigotry was, the others’ solidarity with humanity increased my faith in Venlilkind. I bit back a scathing send-off, and watched as the vagrant vacated the premises. That was what I got for trying to help someone down on his luck, I suppose.

Maya tiptoed out of the restroom, and craned her head. “Well, I caught all of that. Sounds like I dodged a bullet. Humanophobes can be nasty.”

“I’m just glad Dustin isn’t here,” I chimed in. “That would’ve stung for him to hear.”

Tibek flicked his ears. “I wish Dustin was here! He could’ve mashed up that fuckwit’s face just like he did to Cylek. Say, what was his line afterward…”

“Hang on, I got this.” Maya lowered her voice an octave, and struck a threatening pose. “I will end you.”

“Believe it or not, Venlil like that one frighten Dustin. Especially the yellers,” I said.

“Ha, they scare me too. Know why? They’d all like to scorch me with a flamethrower, because most of them are or were exterminators. I bet that guy was too.”

“The exterminators aren’t hateful across the board.” Tibek moved one of the white pieces, and gestured for the human to sit. “Just like humans aren’t all bad. Only the Arxur are wholly evil.”

“Well, I don’t think it’s that simple, Tibek. Some of the Arxur get kicked around by their own people. They feel a little less than we do, and they’re guided by their stomachs. But I don’t know, there’s—"

“Human? Shut up.”

Maya raised her eyebrows, but lifted a black piece in silence. I wiped down the counters, and tried to erase the prior incident from my mind. The interaction between two veterans, human and Venlil, was a sight that led me to believe my son could fit in. Hell, Dustin would probably know the history of this “chess”, and have some lecture ready about how it shaped human warfare. He was a smart kid.

Checking that Kaulin wasn’t watching, I risked a glance at my holopad. I scrolled through my photo album, and found one of Dustin and Jimek at the bar. The human had a cheeky smile on his face, as he raised the little Venlil’s math textbook above his head. Jimek was straining to grab it, not looking at the camera. The duo loved to play around with each other, perhaps a little too much.

I pulled up Dustin’s contact, and wondered if he was having a good day at school. He’d excelled at his academics, forging a path for intelligent predators to succeed. From what I heard, he was starting to make some tentative friendships too. The mumbled request to bring a Venlil classmate over to play tomorrow was almost inaudible.

I was just thinking about you, darling, I texted my son. No matter what anyone says to you, I love you.

My claw tapped the send button, and I cast a wistful stare at the ceiling. What started out as a way to fund Jimek’s creativity gifted me another son. Time taught me how endearing humans were, and opened my eyes to nature’s truth. My heart was filled with love, which I’d never thought a predator could invoke. How could I have asked for anything better?

A/N - The final part of Venlil Foster Program! I hope you guys enjoyed this two month journey. We get to see Glim's visit to the bar from Callsi's eyes, along with an unexpected cameo for longtime readers. A hopeful view into the future for Venlil Prime and for Dustin!

As always, thank you for reading and supporting! Onso one-shot coming Wednesday to fill the gap.