The Nature of Predators - Venlil Foster Program (5/14)

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Memory transcription subject: Callsi, Venlil Bartender

Date [standardized human time]: October 23, 2136

The Terran soldiers at the embassy provided a detailed list of Dustin’s needs, with full explanations. It was a daunting compilation, but I was determined to fulfill his care routine. At least the situation at the school was resolved; Dustin was given a week-long suspension, and would not be facing criminal charges or expulsion. Governor Tarva released a statement on social media, applauding my foster son’s strong sense of justice.

I suppose humanity’s protectiveness was why she trusted their astronauts from the beginning. Earth pledged to defend us from the grays, at least at first contact; the predators hated seeing atrocities committed against us. Dustin standing up to Cylek and his crew wasn’t that different. Jimek was no more able to take on the bullies, than our cowardly race could hold a candle to the Arxur.

I fetched a pair of scissors with forced excitement. “Okay, here goes nothing! We’re going to have you looking nice and spiffy.”

“Please be careful. You’re, uh, not scared or anything?” my foster son asked.

Kernels of fear settled in my heart, as my paws gripped the predator’s earlobes. Human ears had an unusual, curved shape, which folded inward to amplify sounds. In their not-so-distant past, this must’ve evolved to help them locate the source of a noise. I could only imagine the stimuli they cued in on were prey movements; their entire evolution was geared toward hunting people like me.

Dustin’s eyes were studying me in the mirror, a concerned glint in his pupils. I’d never been this close to a predator before. Maybe I should dwell on the fragility of the human form, rather than the murderous aspects of their build. For instance, their ears were flat against the head’s side, which helped to hear sounds behind them. Terrans must be susceptible to ambushes too, since their ancestors were preyed upon like us.

I blinked slowly. “No, of course not. I’ve just never done this. For Venlil, we shed on our own.”

“Is that why I find fur in random places?” he asked.

“Probably. I need you to hold really still, okay?”

It was peculiar that the furless primates wouldn’t let some hair grow in, but I was told many found the upkeep ‘cumbersome.’ Apparently, Dustin shouldn’t have his ‘bangs’ in his eyes either; it would interfere with his binocular vision. Humans had a limited field of view to start with, so I could understand why obstructions would cripple them.

I moved a paw across his warm forehead, shivering as his oily skin brushed my pads. The scissors were mobilized to the task, and I took care not to hurt Dustin on accident. Snagging a tuft of hair, I trimmed a few inches off as instructed. Their manes must take a lot of maintenance, with how quickly the predators told me it would grow back.

I checked that the cut wasn’t uneven. “How’s that? I have no idea about human styling.”

“It’s fine. Thanks,” Dustin replied, sticking his thumb up.

With slow motions, I brought the scissors to the back of his skull. The predator child’s trust mesmerized me, given that I was holding a sharp object close to his neck. Even Jimek would squirm in this scenario, and he had the periphery to watch me. How did the human suppress survival instincts so easily? If my paws shook and the scissors slipped…

That’s why you’re being careful. You don’t want to hurt the poor kid, or prolong this miserable experience.

Dustin’s mane felt silky beneath my paws, and I couldn’t help but think it was a shame to lop it off. The humans with longer hair looked more natural to me. The kid sat obediently still, as I trimmed away the excess fur. Once I finished the grueling task, I knelt to the floor to collect the clippings. To his credit, the Canadian orphan stooped to help as well.

“Whoa! This is like walking on ice, dude.” Jimek bounded into the kitchen, nearly slipping on the slick tile. My son was wearing a mismatched pair of Dustin’s ‘socks’, for an unknown reason. “How in the stars do you balance?”

“You’re not supposed to run. They’re just warm and comfy,” the predator grunted.

“Why are you cutting your fur, if you want to be warm? Humans are weird, with the baldness everywhere.”

I scowled at the Venlil. “Jimek! Don’t insult him.”

“It’s okay,” Dustin said. “I think we lost our fur for like, sweating? Some of our primate relatives still have a full coat.”

Jimek flicked his ears. “Ooh, I wanna see! Can you find a picture?”

“Uh, I’m not sure that’s a good idea. You don’t want to see wild animal versions of us.”

“Aw, c’mon. Please show me. I’m not scared of you anymore.”

Dustin shot a questioning glance at me, and I gave him a human-like nod. The orphan swiped his holopad off the table, cautiously booting up an archive of Earth’s internet. My heart rate accelerated, as I began to imagine a less-civilized version of Terrans. Maybe I didn’t want to see what my foster child descended from…but hadn’t I promised to learn about his people?

Dustin tapped on an image, and beckoned for Jimek and I to move closer. The human explained something about a ‘chimpanzee’, but the blood rushing in my ears drowned him out. This creature had shaggy, jet-black hair everywhere except its sickly face. Its jaw jutted out from its head harshly, and gave it leeway for chomping on prey. To make matters worse, its nose was smushed into its skull.

That demonic non-sapient looked like it had taken a rock between the eyes. Its binocular vision was somehow worse than the humans, due to the lack of those startling whites. Without the sclera highlighting their movements, primate eyes were dark, soulless pits. This monstrosity was related to Dustin’s kind?! I almost swooned from a cocktail of horror and terror.

“…and humans share 99% of the same DNA! Chimps are our closest relative,” Dustin finished. “The big difference is that they’re quadrupeds, and their brains are smaller.”

That’s the big difference? I don’t want to think that my foster son is only 1% different from that…that thing.

I averted my eyes. “H-how…how do…you k-know all this?”

“I kinda wanna be a zoologist. One of my foster parents worked at a zoo. Oh, yeah…uh, I probably shouldn’t explain what that is.”

“Probably not. On s-second thought, I like you better without the hair.”

“M-me too.” A deflated Jimek pulled his tail out beneath his legs, and quietly removed the socks from his paws. “I…can’t believe how mean it looks.”

“Like I said, they’re wild. They’re stronger and more aggressive. They’d beat us in a fight, hands down,” Dustin offered.

“T-that’s not encouraging. You’re very aggressive.”

“Bah, we’re actually nice for primates. Primates are six times more aggressive than the average mammal on Earth, and humans fit—”

I pushed down a rising panic attack. “DUSTIN, THAT’S ENOUGH!”

The human child looked crestfallen, and shriveled under my raised voice. He tugged his arms close to his chest, lowering his head with a sad expression. I realized it was harsh to take the wind out of his sails, when this was a subject he professed passion for. However, the last thing I needed was confirmation that Terrans were predisposed to violence.

Of course, I was aware of their wars…but that wasn’t something I wanted to learn about on an academic level. It was better to focus on their emotional complexity and endearing traits. Giving Dustin a loving environment wouldn’t be possible if I thought of him like a mindless chimpanzee.

“I’m sorry, guess I did it again,” Dustin croaked. “I got carried away, and I…well I, um, just...”

Mom! Yelling bad, Jimek signed with dejected tail swipes. Predator sad now.

“My outburst was harsh, and I apologize. I don’t want to stifle you from talking about things you like.” I pressed a paw on the human’s shoulder. “But I’m not ready to learn about wild predators yet. Maybe we can start with easier topics, and work up slowly?”

The predator gave a hasty nod. “Yeah. Yeah, of course.”

“Since when do you love animals? I thought your passion was art?”

“That’s just a hobby. I draw for fun, because, uh, it’s like an outlet. Is it okay to say that?”

“You can be honest about your feelings, Dustin.”

“Honestly, animals are just simple. When an animal rejects their young, we can study the reason. They don’t leave you wondering, and ping-ponging…and stupidly, stupidly showing Venlil pictures of our meaner cousins.”

The orphan swiped a hand across his binocular eyes. Why couldn’t I swallow my discomfort for a few minutes? It wasn’t like my son hadn’t asked to see those pictures; my permission was requested before Dustin obliged, too. The human just answered truthfully, and in greater detail than I’d like. It wasn’t like an image could do anything worse than stick in my brain.

Unfortunately, Dustin took every reprimand as a sign that I would send him back. I felt guilty for my behavior, knowing he was this worried about upsetting us. My goal was to be more open-minded around humans, and to assuage his insecurities. This wasn’t the cue I hoped to send through our new chores.

None of this changes who Dustin is as a person. He’s a predator who cares about Jimek, and is also affection-starved.

“I still love you. You’re my chimpanzee,” Jimek squeaked.

The Terran knitted his eyebrows. “Thanks? But, uh, Jimek. Please…don’t ever say that again.”

“That I love you? Of course, it’s socially bad to—”

“The chimpanzee part. Humans use the animals in the primate family as, uh, really bad insults for each other.”

“Why?”

“Because there’s a conception that they’re dumb. Which is like, so not true….er, sorry. I won’t get into it.”

Jimek scratched his neck. “I just meant that I don’t care what you are. You’re my brother.”

“Hey, I love you too, little bro,” Dustin growled.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen Jimek show attachments to anyone, or even demonstrate happiness. Watching the little Venlil ensnare the human in a hug was heartwarming; that was worth all of the discomfort in the world. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to bring joy to my son’s life. I hadn’t imagined our family dynamic including a predator, but Dustin was a much-needed big brother.

It was obvious the Terran wasn’t a danger to us, and that meant we just needed to adjust to his quirks. The Canadian orphan had done nothing but attempt to conform to Venlil standards. The chances of Dustin eating us, after all that effort, were minimal. There was solace in knowing that he’d imprinted on us, and wouldn’t lose control of his instincts easily.

Lisa had been right about the extra hassle in caring for humans, though; they were high-maintenance aliens. The next chore on the list was ‘washing clothes’, since the predators shed oily skin and dripped sweat daily. Adding the cleaning of inanimate objects, alongside other hygiene, seemed like an unnecessary step. Perhaps Dustin was cold without artificial pelts? Terrans no longer had the hairy forms of chimps and other apes.

“Right. Well, let’s give the washing a whirl.” I cautiously scooped up the pile of dirty clothes, which the human had collected in a basket. “Do you really have to go through all of these? You’ve been here a week.”

“Uh, I…yes?” Dustin murmured.

I exhaled heavily through my mouth, and grabbed a shirt that was wadded up. I submerged it in the sink, which I’d filled with soapy water. Jimek and Dustin jumped in to help, wringing their own articles. My eyes darted back to the paper, reading the scribbles by this item. It seemed the Terran soldiers had tacked on a little more than instructions.

DO NOT ASK HIM DETAILS ABOUT THIS ONE, Olek had written in permanent marker. (The visual translator inferred an angry tone, which I hadn’t seen assigned to penned form before.)

Lisa’s delicate handwriting was scrawled below. Awkward subject for humans to discuss. It’s a social faux-pas not to use coverings, and it can have some inappropriate connotations. Leave it at that, for Dustin’s sake.

“So do you humans wear these because you’re ashamed of your bodies? That’s sad,” Jimek said. “You don’t have to do that here.”

Dustin’s face turned bright red. “Uh…yeah, I…I do have to. It would, um, like m-make, er…things visible…and you know, not having them signals, uh…”

“Dustin!” I interjected. “How dare you discuss sexual activities around my innocent Jimek?”

The human’s jaw dropped wide open, and he buried his face in his hands. The socks he’d been washing sunk to the bottom of the sink. I could see the red shade on his cheeks deepening, while his posture hunched over. The predator looked like he wanted to curl up beneath a rock and hide. Jimek swished his tail at me suspiciously, but said nothing.

I couldn’t withhold a howl of laughter any longer, and my tail swatted Dustin on the arm. His look of utter misery was amusing. The primate’s lips were half-parted, and he raised an eyebrow at me. The orphan’s cheeks were still puffed out with embarrassment, but there was a hint of relief visible. It was clear humans had values of modesty deeply ingrained.

“I’m messing with you,” I chuckled. “Jimek’s hardly innocent, anyways.”

Dustin scowled. “That wasn’t funny! C’mon Callsi...Jimek, back me up here.”

“It’s pretty funny. I mean, damn! Your face looked like you were going to pass out,” the little Venlil chortled.

“If it’s so funny, I guess I should tell your mom about those web—”

“SHUT UP! Stupid predator.”

The human kid gave a more relaxed snarl, and fished the socks out of the sink. I admired the clothesline I’d set up outside, where we’d hang these items to dry when they were done. While bantering with the predator, a tinge of attachment had crept under my reservations. I realized with surprise that I liked Dustin.

It was sneaky how humans could ingratiate themselves; we’d come a long way from being terrified of him. Maybe those silly pamphlets the foster program gave us were right. Once the focus was directed away from their predator side, these primates were cute and dorky. These little activities transpiring under my roof felt like progress.

I hoped Dustin was getting closer to forgiving me, for my words back at the school. Rectifying my hurtful behaviors was my top priority; I wanted the human to know this was about more than funding Jimek’s art. This was about helping a child who’d had a difficult life, and needed a sense of belonging. It didn’t matter that he was a predator anymore.

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A/N - Part 5! Callsi tackles the subtleties of human caretaking, after the school incident is settled. Our Venlil family learns about primates, and our narrator makes certain to embarrass Dustin. What do you think of the progress Jimek and Callsi have actualized?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!

It's almost time to start thinking about next month's content; time flies! One of the popular options on Discord was a continuation of these characters (possibly with Venlil school from Dustin's perspective). I'm open to something new too, such as the human exterminators in the Venlil capital. Let me know your thoughts and requests!