The Nature of Predators - Zurulian Miniseries (1/5)

Memory transcription subject: Doctor Wilen, Zurulian Hospital Fleet

Date [standardized human time]: October 26, 2136

The laptop pinged with a message notification, a damning sound to my ears. I wondered how I’d gotten myself into this predicament. Why had I signed up for a perilous program, which would set me in close proximity to a healthy predator? It was done to impress the girl of my dreams, but she would never know if I made up an excuse why the bonding failed.

Doctor Fraysa had captured my affection, after we were paired together as first responders. She was captivating, with her love for our work and her astute intelligence. At first, traveling to Earth was a desperate attempt to talk her down; it was a chance to show I’d risk myself for her welfare. My original aim was to persuade her to desert the rescue fleet, confess my secret devotion, and run away together.

But any logical assertions were rebuffed, no matter how often I reminded Fraysa that these were unknown, brutal predators. She got up-close-and-personal with injured humans, patching them up like every life was worth both of ours. The disappointment in her voice, when I objected to touching one of the beasts, was enough to make me swallow my revulsion.

Her selflessness was admirable, and Marcel’s desperate search was compelling. It was tough not to feel sorry for a creature that clearly wanted their family, enough to disregard physical pain. I was genuine in my attempts to treat them, but kept my distance when possible. That was fair to the humans, wasn’t it? There was no more open-mindedness I needed to show.

The female Zurulian cheered excitedly from the other room. “Wilen! My partner is an anesthesiologist; isn’t that brilliant? What does yours do?”

Yes, brilliant that a predator can brew a chemical concoction to knock her out. She’ll be helpless, I thought. What am I doing? Just say your human was grief-stricken, and abandoned the program for mental reasons.

My ears curled up with discomfort. I opened the computer as though it burned to the touch. The humans forwarded a short profile, with images absent from the page. Reading the words illuminated on screen felt like reading my own death certificate.

How the hell was Fraysa so enthused? There wasn’t a chance in hell of me becoming like that whiny Venlil in New York. Reading my partner’s description took an eternity, and dread solidified in my heart.

~~Name: Lars Isaksson

Profession: Dentist

Favorite hobby: Playing beer league hockey

Add something about yourself: I went to Venlil Prime during the attack; the rest of my family stayed in Sweden. Would love to meet some aliens.

*P.S. The Venlil food was quite tasteless. Total lack of warm food or spices! You have to try mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce.

I exhaled several slow breaths, reading the message multiple times. The hobby words meant nothing to me, even with the translator filter that spit out a Zurulian equivalent with phonetic guesses. Beer translated to some sort of alcohol, but what on Colia was hockey? It sounded like a game, which was innocent enough.

“He’s a dentist, Fraysa,” I called out in a shaky voice.

Her laughter trilled in the other room. “They paired us with other medical professionals. We’re going to be able to talk about work!”

The prospect sounded rather unpleasant to me. The idea of a doctor specializing in human teeth, the very instruments meant to tear flesh, was chilling. What madman would stick their limbs into a predator’s mouth? Did Lars specialize in sharpening fangs, or cleaning off blood-stains?

Horror flooded my chest, as I saw the typing bubble appear in the blank chat. The message service lit up with a new notification, and I jumped away from my chair. The last thing I wanted was to befriend this creature, stewing on the gritty details of a predator’s mind. It was time to come clean to the unfortunate human about my intentions. I owed him that, after wasting his chance at alien bonding.

On trembling legs, I hobbled back to my chair. Tears welled in my eyes, as I perused the fledgling conversation.

Hi Wilen, I see you’re online! Lars typed. My briefing says you were part of the Zurulian rescue fleet, so you’ve already met humans. We’re so grateful for your help.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. Don’t mention it. I’m sorry you lost so many people.

Yea, it doesn’t feel real, seeing it on TV. I’m lucky Nordic countries aren’t densely populated. We dodged a bullet here in Sweden. I feel terrible for our neighbors to the south.

There’s something I want to tell you, Lars. It might upset you…

Actually, same here. I know this might be ill-advised, but would you mind a video call? I can’t be the ugliest human you’ve seen.

My eyes squeezed shut in defeat. Did I really have to look a predator in the eyes, as I told him I had no interest in talking to him? It was better now than after he wasted more time chatting with me. Hearing that awful growl, and thinking about it drifting from a bunk above me, would probably ease the guilt.

Ghosting the hunter would be easiest and swiftest. But facing the consequences of my actions…that was the mature thing to do. Lars seemed okay for a full-grown predator, and he deserved an explanation.

All it would take was a minute of my time to stutter good-bye; then, hang up and never speak to a human again. I clicked the video chat icon with the last of my resolve.

The human answered almost immediately. His hair was a whitish blond that matched his pale complexion, while his eyes were an unnatural blue. If someone told me Lars was an ice demon, I would believe them. His pronounced jawline made him seem angry, and his bushy eyebrows made him look wild. A single snarl would be cause to faint; my fear was gripping and unbearable.

“Aw…you look so scared,” he cooed. “Should I get sunglasses or something?

I could only cough out a few words. “N-no. You t-talk…first…”

Lars stroked his chin. “Alright. Well, confession time. I thought I would be rejected from this program, since the UN only picked vegetarians with the Venlil. I’m a pescetarian.”

“A w-what?”

“Means the only meat I eat is fish. Cardiovascular disease runs in my family, so I try to be conscientious and healthy. Is it going to be a problem…that I’m not vegetarian?”

The predator focused his unnerving gaze on the screen. While that meant he didn’t eat animals of my sort, it was still consuming something with eyes and a heartbeat. I tried to picture him leaning over a river, grabbing a wriggling fish, and shoving it down his throat. The mental image made bile swell from my gullet.

You need to tell the poor monster, Wilen. Man up.

“T-that’s a weird distinction, but, um…” I whined. “L-listen, I shouldn’t have joined this program. I didn’t do it for the right reasons, and it’s not fair to you.”

Lars blinked, before narrowing his eyes. “What are you talking about? Why did you join?”

“Uh, well…to impress a girl I like. She’s part of the exchange program too…I’m sorry.”

The pale human looked dumbfounded for a moment, before he bared his teeth menacingly. Of course, my statement must’ve left him livid at his misplaced effort. His vocal cords produced an explosive rattle, like projectile growls. I ducked my head in terror.

However, my translator implant suggested the predator was laughing hysterically. His head leaned back with a howl, and he grabbed at his chest. I was taken aback by how violent his amusement sounded. My fear morphed into irritation, as he wiped tears from his blue eyes.

“Why is that funny? Stop laughing!” I grumbled.

“I thought you were going to say you wanted to ‘fix’ me or some shit.” Lars’ lips remained curved in eerie fashion. “But that’s the most human thing I’ve heard an alien say. Tell me about this chick.”

“I can’t…that’s not…”

“Oh, c’mon! Spill the beans; I can work with this, bro.”

Straining my ears, I could hear Fraysa pounding away at her keyboard. The Zurulian medic was too excited by her own enrollment to eavesdrop now. Nonetheless, it was a matter of time before she walked over to investigate my Terran pairing. Maybe the sight of Lars on a video exchange so early on would impress her.

Wait, wasn’t I supposed to be ditching this human, not discussing my romantic feelings?

“I can’t,” I whispered. “She’s sitting right next door.”

Lars’ binocular eyes widened. “Shit man, you’re in deep. Coworkers?”

“Yes…and please, stop talking about it! My point is that I, uh, didn’t...”

“Think ahead, to actually having to deal with me? Nailed it, right?”

“Er, I mean…”

“Hey, I can handle that. We’ll make this work, Wilen, don’t worry. Thanks for being open with me.”

That wasn’t supposed to be Lars’ response to wanting nothing to do with him. How was I going to get rid of the human, without feeling awful about it? There was no way out without hurting his feelings, and I wasn’t that selfish. A terrible resignation made me sigh.

The predator raised a fleshy paw. “Let’s break the ice. ‘Kay, so ask me anything. Literally anything.”

“How often do patients try to eat your fingers?” I watched as his jaw about dropped; the Terran looked flabbergasted. “You have your hand in their mouth. It must be weird, knowing they’re all fighting that temptation.”

“Wow, I…I did say to ask anything. Nobody has ever tried to snack on my hand, and that thought would never cross a patient’s mind…geez. Ask me something normal?”

“If you say so. What’s hockey?“

“Aw man, it’s an absolute romp. Why don’t you catch a bit of my game tomorrow, and we’ll hang out after? You’re on Earth already, so let’s just get to the fun times part.”

I recoiled from the screen in horror, and Lars’ expression lost its enthusiasm. There was no way it was safe to travel to a predator city alone. The chances of me choosing to meet a strange human, before the government-appointed time, were zero. I didn’t even want to be talking to him!

“I know, you must think it’s awful we’re playing games after the attack,” Lars added. “Me and the guys want a sense of normalcy, you know? Life can’t just end.”

“It’s not safe for me,” I said flatly.

“You’re safer here than the lawless, burning ruins of whatever city you’re in. All that death is depressing. You need to see the good side of Earth.”

“I don’t want to.”

Claws clicked against my door, and Fraysa waltzed in uninvited. Her eyes glowed with delight when she saw Lars on screen. That almost made talking to him worth the misery. Why did she adore these beasts?

“Oh my gosh! He is so cute,” she purred. “What are you guys talking about?”

Cute?! I hadn’t thought it possible to be jealous of the humans’ unattractive appearance. My lip curled in irritation, which earned a snicker from Lars. He must’ve put two and two together.

The blond Terran tilted his head. “I’m playing in a recreational match tomorrow. I asked Wilen to fly out and support me, but he’s waffling.”

Why the monstrous…he knows exactly what he’s doing!

Fraysa’s eyes widened. “Am I invited?”

“Sure! The more the merrier,” the human replied, as I glared daggers at him.

“I’d love to learn about your weird world. I can fly, Wilen, if that’s the issue. You should go, for your friend!”

Curses played on loop in my mind. “Of course I’ll go. That’s very sweet of you to help, Fraysa. How…exciting for us all.”

The female Zurulian wagged her tail, and offered a good-bye to Lars. The human waited as she stepped out of frame. Humor glowed in his predatory gaze. My reaction, given what I just agreed to, was a little less trivial.

“So that’s her, then. Sorry to put you on the spot, but I gotta get you to live a little,” the predator said. “Need to prove to you that we can be bros.”

“We are not ‘bros.’ I was, and am using you. Don’t you get that?”

“Just because you’re using me doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. Let’s get to know each other, and make the best of this all. Maybe I can even help you with your dilemma.”

“I…I’m done talking. You’re in timeout, human. Just send me the geolocation of your damn game.”

The last thing I saw was Lars baring his canines like a wild animal, before I hung up on him. The stubborn dentist wasn’t taking no for an answer on our pairing. Something told me he was going to be a bad influence, given how he encouraged rash decisions.

I had no idea how to get the human out of my life. This ordeal was spiraling out of control too quickly.

Next 

A/N - Here's the exclusive miniseries I promised, focusing on the Zurulian exchange program (with the two medics from 58). I hope you guys enjoy the new content; the next part will be out later this week. There will be 5 installments total.

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!