The Spirit of Hunter's Past

The Following is a Christmas bonus story based off An Ape Out Of place.

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Synopsis : A thousand years into the future. The Dominion has fallen, and the Federation is on its last legs.

Managing to eke out a meager existence on the fringes of former dominion space whilst dodging federation patrols and former dominion pirates alike. We find the crew of the scavenger ship ‘New Beginning’. A former cattle ship, now composed of a crew of defective arxur separatists and liberated cattle, As they struggle to survive in an uncaring galaxy.

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Memory Transcription Subject : Halef - Arxur Scavenger : Date : Reclaimed Terran Time : July 21st, 2936

"Grrrrrrrr."

Something warm was on my chest, rumbling in a growl. I opened my eyes, to see what creature had beset itself upon me in the night. In the low light of the room, my honed low light vision, the eyes of a hunter, made eye contact with the furious creature that had come upon me in my sleep.

Two furious looking eyes met mine. As a damn of concern broke upon my psyche. My heart rate spiked as the being in front of me let off an ominously worded threat.

“Grrrrrrr feeble prey cower in fear for your life has met its end!”

She looked down upon me with an unprecedented look of malevolence.

“What is wrong my love?” I whimpered out, utterly distraught. “Have I done something to upset you?”

“Silence lesser hunter!” She growled out in response. “For now it is I who hunts, and you are now my prey!”

My heart hurts, burning in betrayal, as my mind is swamped by confusion. For I was completely baffled by her unexpected and harsh words.

I hadn't the moment to contemplate the behavior of my starbloom before she lunged at me. She was efficient and heartless in her attack. Her jaw quick to wrap itself around my left jugular.

My instincts kicked in at this assault, my claws quickly rose to meet this threat to my life. But it took every ounce of will power to restrain these impulses however. Not wishing to harm my Starbloom. For if her assault was justified or not, or her betrayal entirely unearned, I would suffer the pain of a thousand deaths before I dare raise a single claw in violence against my beloved.

I flinched as the pressure on my neck increased. I closed my eyes, expecting the inevitable outcome to this premeditated assault. Only for my tactile senses to provide me with a wholly unexpected outcome.

It tickled.

Of course it would tickle.

I let out a relieved laugh in spite of myself, in spite of the pain on my soul.

She continued to attempt to sink her soft flat teeth into the rough and hardened scales on my neck. Giving up on the jugular and moving to the throat to no avail. If it meant she would have forgiven me for whatever offense I have made against her, I would happily suffer this injury, but alas her species meager jaw strength and flat teeth, were just not suited for their desired task. 

All that her efforts amounted to, were a continued tickling sensation and an eventual laugh. 

“Awh seriously! It didn't even hurt a little bit!” My Starbloom pouted.

Concerned she might damage her soft teeth, I tenderly scooped my love off my upper chest and away from her intended target. Careful as ever so as not to pierce her delicate flesh with my claws. I sat up on our sleeping mat, and brought her to eye level with myself, and I looked upon her with an expression of equal incredulity and concern as I spoke.

“My love, my precious Starbloom, the roaring flame that warms my very soul, please tell me, what has gotten into you?”

Her furious expression from before quickly evaporated to one of excited glee.

“Halef! Halef! I'm a predator! I'm practicing doing predator things! Was I scary?! Did I scare you! Do you think I can be a savageness one day!”

My mind reeled at her words, their meaning taking its time to pierce my freshly woken and frazzled brain. But as her meaning solidified itself in my head. I couldn't help but chortle at her in response, earning a furious glare from the small human.

“My dear you are no predator, nor do you have to be to be worthy of my love.” I spoke tenderly, with warmth in my heart. Love and concern burning within. “Who has put such notions into your head my Starbloom?” I hissed out quietly in concern. Turning her head gently to view my love properly, running a claw lightly through her mane in an effort to comfort her.

“ML82001 found an article on the prey networks! The federation made a bunch of predator species into leaf lickers! Humans were on the list. So I am a predator now like you! It's like we were meant to be together!” she spoke excitedly, bouncing in my grip.

I sighed, it pained me to break my beloved’s heart like this. “ML8 shouldn’t believe everything he reads online.” I spoke gently, setting my love back down onto the aged leather sleeping pad that took up the majority of the former cattle pen turned sleeping quarters. “Remember the ‘scientific’ article that said krakotl waste boosted crop yields by two hundred percent you read last cycle?” 

“But that was different.”

“Or the other blog post that claimed harchen shed had hallucinogenic properties when sniffed..”

“All of the cattle were talking about it though!”

“The same herd that started a rumor that captain Mizzel was having an affair with Olais of all people!”

“Hey!” She spoke with a tear in her eye. “That one was funny!” She finished and she leaned into me with a sigh.

“Sigh…. I guess you're right. The fed networks aren't the best at being right about things.” She looked at me warmly. Pushing me back into the pad and laying her warm body across my chest. Delicate soft skin, meeting electrically with hardened arxur scales.

“I mean the fed networks also said you arxur are a bunch of mindless monsters didn't they.”

She hissed out in arxur tongue, as the warmth of her body spread into and through me. Juxtaposed against the cold air of the ship, a consequence of an aged reactor, whose waste heat was no longer sufficient to warm our home.

I basked in the warmth of my Starbloom, and the relief that her actions were merely a flight of impulsive fancy. And not the wrath of a lover scorned.

It was good the ship had these cuddly exotherms aboard. Had I been one of the ship elders, I might have even referred to their presence as being profit sent. 

My heart rate slowed as I ran the soft of my palm over her sides and back, her skin a canvas of bite marks, scratches, and scars. Her battle scars she called them. Earned in the fires of the ship's hatchery.

I considered it a point of great dishonor and shame to injure my love, and it was a canvas I was relieved to not have added to this day.

As we both settled back into a more relaxed state. She whispered softly into my ear as she stretched out, endeavoring to warm me to the best of her ability.

“Was I really not scary at all?” She whimpered out. “Was my hunting attempt so feeble that you found it hilarious?” My heart once again ached at the thought I had hurt her feelings with my reckless laughter.

I wrapped her in a firm hug. “My beloved I was terrified that I had wronged you somehow, horrified that I had hurt you, or might have hurt you in an attempt to defend myself.” I spoke worriedly. I released my hug and held out both of my claws, one to each of her side facing eyes to show them off. “I am no mindless beast, but my instincts to defend myself are powerful. Please don’t scare me like that again my love. I couldn't live with myself if I….”

“Predator deception!” She screamed as she unexpectedly lunged towards me again with surprising speed, and bit down on the tip of my snout, the awkward angle causing her to latch down on the edge of my nostril. Its protruded shape allowed her to actually gain purchase with her species' unusually small maw, and flat teeth.

“Grrrrrr” she once again growled.

“Argh you menace” I growled, more out of a sense of light hearted annoyance than any kind of malice. I was too relieved that I hadn't snapped at her on instinct to be angry or upset with her. And to feel such emotions towards this woman was oftentimes unfathomable to me.

The tickling sensation from before was absent this time, the piece of flesh she had latched onto was a fair bit softer and more sensitive, the sensation actually providing a degree of discomfort on this occasion.

I attempted to peel her off of me again, but she was too firmly anchored this time. And I still didn't wish to hurt the predator obsessed herbivore currently attached to my frame.

I reached off to the side of the mattress, and grabbed my modified work gloves, the claw grips sanded down and the tips dulled for delicate operations such as this.

I tried as much as I could to never exploit my love's physically fragile and weak disposition. It felt like a disservice to her strong and willful mind. Far mightier than mine. But desperate times called for desperate measures I thought to myself. As I brought the tips of my gloves to her sides and began to employ a dishonorable move reserved for only the most lowly of combatants.

I gently ran the tips of my claws against her sides and belly. The tickling motion causing her to snicker. She struggled at first, biting down harder before eventually relenting in a full throated giggle, her jaw unclenching and freeing my poor snout.

I wasted no time flipping her around in my grip and hugging her to my chest. My head and tail curled around her, Wrapping her in a full body hug.

“Noooooo! dishonor! Underhanded tactics! my rightful prey has escaped my grasp” she hissed out in faux anger behind a barely concealed snicker.

It had finally started to feel like the near tragedy had passed, as the mental burden on my mind was finally allowed to lighten.

I stared down lovingly at my Starbloom. And sighed.

“What am I going to do with you, my little wanna be predator?"

“Eat me when I die so we can be together forever!” She spoke. And I let out a disgusted sigh.

“My love, you know I could never do that to you, why are you so insistent on this? I know you wouldn't mind, but it means a lot to me. You are no cattle to me and the very notion you ever could have been sickens me to this day. You are my love, my darling Starbloom. I would wish my last memories of you to be as the treasure that you are, not some meal.”

“Ugh.. lame, can I eat you at least? Since I'm a predator now too?” she said in response.

“No! You’ll get sick.” I hissed at her before relenting. “If you wish, if I die first you may use my body as compost in the mushroom garden.”

She looked up at me contemplatively for a moment before replying.

“Fine….. but that's not as romantic.” She said before tapping her snout in thought. “Unless…. I arranged the mushrooms on my plate to look like you!”

I sighed.

---------------3 Hours Later-----------------

ZZZZZ ZZZZZ ZZZZZ

The harsh alarm to our shared holopad went off, And since my love was always quicker than I to rise, she quickly reached up with her three fingered hand to the cracked screen to tap it off. Her warmth relaxing my muscles into mushy bliss every night did not help in such matters.

I cast aside our thin blanket, and folded up our sleeping mat, as my starbloom covered herself with her torn up outfit, cobbled together from scrap wire, broken fluid containers and a plastic refuse bag. My love deserved better, and my mind went to the beautiful cloaks and dresses and capes her people usually wore, but it was far beyond our means to supply her with anything else. Well… for now at least, I internally assured myself.

Not much was said as we ate our breakfast, not much needed to be said. I swatted her hands away from my rations whilst we ate, and she made me crouch down so she could give me an affectionate lick on the snout before we went our separate ways.

Her to the hatchery to rouse the hatchlings.

And me, I went to see MX12291, the ship's supply chief, or Hooks as many had taken to calling him. A name given partially out of convenience, but also out of reverence as well.

Human fingers were once considered a crunchy delicacy amongst the dominion, a light snack amongst its hunters. They would often ‘mysteriously’ go missing amongst the captured humans. Or be bitten off as punishment for disobedient or unproductive slaves.

As I approached the supply counter, Hooks took one look at me before disappearing off into the storage room. Before hauling back out a crate with my needed work gear in it. He picked it up with his two prosthetic hooks attached to his fingerless palms, the consequences of falling short in the eyes of his former masters. We were lucky to have him with us, as he was quite literally rescued off the butcher's table.

“One void suit, size medium, full tank, passed all diagnostics as of time 3.56 last wake cycle.” Hooks said plainly. Unpacking and unfolding the suit from its crate with a level of dexterity and control that never ceased to amaze. Deriving remarkable precision from the two simple unbending sharp instruments that now substituted for the man's hands.

“Thank you hooks.” I spoke gratefully. “Has the catch in the left articulated forearm joint been addressed?”

“The tech left a note on it, but it shouldn't be a safety concern, it's a common enough issue on this model of void suit.”

Annoying, but the tech likely didn't wish to waste valuable void suit components on a mere annoyance. Upon confirming to my own eyes that the issue remained the same and unresolved I turned once again to Hooks.

“Has life been treating you well MX12991” I asked him idly. “Ah, same old same old, keeping the dossur out of the food stores, sorting out the junk crew can't be bothered to pre-sort. Feilding service complaints for century old gear that were well out of circulation before the factories that built them were even glassed.” He said with a dismissive wave of his hook. “How’s my half sister?” He asked in return.

Which one I asked evasively, as all the humans on this ship came from only two brood mothers. All considered each other half siblings, as no one knew which one had mothered them, as the farming station they were from barely even numbered their cattle, much less kept detailed records.

“You know damn well which one I am talking about, lover boy.” He hissed out with a sneer.

And I let out a light chuckle in return.

“She's fine, spirited as ever, though ML82001 seems to have convinced her she is a predator somehow.”

Hooks grinned. “Well compared to how defective her choice of mate is, I can see how she might end up confused.”

“Hey!”

“Out of a cattle arxur pair, the arxur one is supposed to be the assertive one! Ha ha ha ha ha”

“Hey, I can be assertive!”

 I quickly shot back, just as I felt a scaly arxur hand clap down on my shoulder from behind.

“Hey don't be mean to him!” I heard a jovial hissing voice speak up from behind me.”

“MS6 might come up here and give you a piece of her mind for bullying her poor little prey kin.” Kazzel spoke, playfully shaking my arm. My best friend and hooks never passing up an opportunity to pick on me.

I could feel the blood beginning to rush to the tip of my snout. Desperate to hide my embarrassment, I quickly collected myself, straightening my back and letting out a low growl at the pair.

“You best not speak to me that way!” I growled out, whilst racking my mind for something intimidating to say, but not too intimidating as to be mean.

“I don't need my Starbloom to beat up the likes of you.” Yeh that was good! Though maybe using my cute name for my love was messing with the intended vibe but oh well.

“You would do well to respect my ferocity when speaking to my face!” I said triumphantly. Whilst my best friend Kazzel merely rolled his eyes in response, and hooks simply chuckled. I opened my mouth to say more, but I was interrupted by yet another visitor to this conversation.

“Those are big words coming from a prey fucker.” I was cut off by a deep baritone growl rattling out from down the hallway opposite of where Kazzel had come from. I turned around and let out a reflexive yelp as I spotted the massive Olais, appearing from seemingly nowhere from behind me.

”Your pathetic hide wouldn't have made it far in the dominion, a whelp so weak that even a prey has to stand up for you, how despicable” I could feel my entire body go rigid from Olais’s menacing presence, he was easily the biggest arxur on the ship. A dominion hardliner the captain saw no reason to leave with his own kind. One I knew for a fact had executed plenty of ‘whelps’ like me back in the dominion days.

Kazzel pushed me behind himself between me and Olais. “Hey, you don’t get to talk like that anymore, you prophet lovers like to talk about strength and superiority, but the whole time your ‘prophets’ were being bossed around by the prey, and you even got trounced the moment the supposed weak prey slipped their leash, so you don't get to speak of strength!”

Olais Growled loudly at my friend, but Kazzel held his ground. Fortunately for us the betterment hardliner either decided a scuffle wasn't worth it, or possibly he just grew tired of what limited social tolerance this brief spat with us had already taxed, and he left us alone, but not before letting off a huff and a snide remark. “Make sure the whelp doesn't piss himself. It's a pain to get the scent out from the floors.” The old man's words hurt, unlike Kazzel and hooks teasing, because he meant it, the hatred and malice he could work into his voice was palpable at times.

I watched as Olais disappeared down the corridor, clearly fuming. My attention was only taken away from him as Kazzel tapped on my leg with his tail. “Hey Halef! It's okay he’s gone, no need to be scared anymore, he wouldn't dare mess with anyone since the last time he got chewed out by the captain, it's okay.”

“Wh..what? I’m not scared I’m just… just keeping an eye on him to.. Make sure he stays out of trouble.”

“Huh is that so?” Hooks asks. “Then why is your tail literally tucked between your legs?”

“What?” I looked down to see that Hooks was correct, and I actually had to do an awkward step to the side to get the clearance to unstick my tail.

“Im surprised you got it stuck like that, didn't realize arxur were that flexible.” Hooks added.

“Lets just.. Let's just go.” I hissed defeatedly. As Kazzel just snickered and rubbed my back. As I grabbed my suit from hooks. 

“Make sure to double check the seals.” Hooks made sure to yell out to remind me.

“He will!” Kazzel yelled in reply, as I bolted off, snout red as blood.

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Memory Transcription Subject : MX63004 - Hatchery School Teacher (Alternate Titles Detected : “Starbloom” , “Mrs.Six”, “MX6”) : Date : Reclaimed Terran Time : July 21st, 2936

“Pew pew pew pew pew pew pew”

The fussy hatchlings chirped in unison, they knew they were soon to be deprived of their living heat-rock, They were grown enough now to know when the warmness was going to end, but they belonged with their mother, who was currently waiting patiently by the half door to the hatchery.

“Pew pew.”

One of them tooted. Attempting to dig into my flesh with their diligently filed down claws.

“You will return to your mother you fussy hatchling, this is final, rending my flesh will not help your case!”

“Pew?”

Yes that means you to Lazzel”

“Pew.” Kefir  tooted sadly.

Arxur hatchlings were a troublesome sort, they had to be kept from the smaller pups at this age, as they still were too young to know what was food and what was little non food cattle.

I gave Wissel a rub on the snoot as I approached the three hatchling’s mother Zalif. Because he was being the good boy of the three. The little bundle barely larger than my forearm looked up at me happily at that bit of affection, his cute little face as happy as could be. And even happier to be with his momma again.

“Aw hello there my little hatchlings! I hope you haven't been giving Mrs.Six too much trouble now have you?” Zalif cooed at the sight of her precious hatchlings. Whom she worked hard to earn the rations for, but not without help from the crew of course.

“I believe Kefir wanted to eat the dossur pups, but otherwise they behaved good today!” I spoke, as I worked with Zalif to peel her hatchlings off my body, and bundle them up in the pre-warmed blankets she had brought just for them.

“Oh dear, I do hope they grow out of that soon. Eating sapients is something I hope they will never have to face in their poor lives, hatchlings or not.”

“I would not worry about that Zalif.” I spoke confidently. “For nothing in my hatchery ever escapes my sight.”  I spoke, turning my head to look at Zalif with both eyes, to emphasize my point. Speaking of which, Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the older arxur orphans Mazi, Ralez, and Zefer getting verbal with the littler hatchling Tossul. “There is something I must see to, enjoy your time with your hatchlings Zefer.” She leaned over the small counter atop the door whilst holding her hatchlings close to her chest.

“Ah I see the young bloods still seek to show their fangs, somethings never change I suppose. Though I'm sure you have that all well in hand, have a pleasant day as well Mrs.Six.” Zalif spoke, and nodded at me with a slow eye blink, before wandering off with her hatchlings down the corridor, tenderly licking their snouts as she went. 

I turned around and approached the troublesome hatchlings. All the ones with parents had left for today, these ones lived out of the hatchery. I was their primary minder. The three older ones were taken from a slain betterment vessel, having no parents to mind them. The little one, Tossul, was hatched on this ship, his parents were lost in a depressurization event, he survived by chance and chance alone.

He was smaller than the three grown hatchlings, and much less independent than they ever were. But because he was arxur they played rough with him. Too rough sometimes.

“Common Tossul play swords with us!” Mazi jeered, waving a tube of pipe insulation around in Tossul's face. “I don't want to.” Tossul whimpered out, you always rip my sword out of my hand and use your claws.

“We never break the scales you big eggling, It's just not realistic! Arxur have claws, you need to use them in a fight!” argued Ralez.

“Hes just another defective” Zefer called out. “He’s too weak and scared to ever fight!” Okay now that was a step too far.

“HEY!” I yelled, approaching the arxur hatchling who had long since surpassed me in height, but not in menace. “Keep that language from your mouth hatchling! We are no betterment vessel. Here, respect is for all!”

Zefer wisely flinched back, but not Ralez. “That's not what Olais said! He said that proper arxur shouldn't listen to weak little cattle like you!” Ralez sneered, getting up close to me and attempting to menace me with her larger height.

I would not be dissuaded by this hatchling however. I hissed back, getting even closer to them. “Olais is nothing but an overlarge waste of rations. And I would chew him up and spit him out myself had the federation not tainted my bloodline. But even still,” I held out the disassembled cattle prod I kept for unruly big ones, connected the battery with one hand and pressed the trigger in the other, a flash of blue light lit up in my hand, creating a loud zapping noise and causing Ralex to step back in surprise. “That man’s bad opinions are of no concern here.”

“The defiant Ralez’s fellow hatchlings pulled their friend back away from me.”

“Go play your game.” I hissed. “Leave Tossul to me.”

They were quick to comply, running off into the bowels of the ship to their usual play places. As I turned to my poor Tossul, I noticed his pretty yellow eyes were starting to water. I walked up to him and wiped his tears away with a finger, and sat down next to the boy.

“Why.. Why do I have to be so weak and little, why can’t I stand up to them and be brave like you! Even when they're bigger than you and you're just a prey.” Tossul cried out, as soon as he believed the bigger ones were out of earshot.

“Tossul, don’t let those hatchlings make you feel bad about yourself, they shouldn't be so rough with you, you are young and little, being small and weak is okay, you will grow strong with time. In body and in mind.”

“How did you get to be so brave?”

“I was born as food little one, as cattle. And the older arxur aboard this ship, they were born to countless cruelties. We were all hardened by pain, but you, and the younger arxur and cattle alike, you all will be strengthened by love.”

“But there's no one to love me anymore, not like all the other hatchlings, they all have mothers and fathers to go home too.” He began to sniffle and cry in earnest now.

Tossul was getting too big to fit in my lap anymore. So instead I held him close and wrapped his snout in my arms, and put my forehead to his.

“Tossul, there are so many on this ship who love you, I love you. Are we not good enough for you my precious hatchling?”

“What? No! I didn't mean it like that! I.. I…”

“I know Tossul I know, it's okay, pain of loss cuts deep, the pain lasts long. Do not be ashamed to feel. For the most ferocious of dominion inquisitors could not make it past me. Shhhhh”

Tossul cried in my arms for some time, his tears sliding off the plastic of my clothes, as I gently massaged his head and back.

I wished Halef did not insist upon waiting for our celebration of that damned human holiday to break the news to Tossul. I wanted to cheer up my boy now.

Just hang in there just a little bit longer Tossul. Christmas is coming soon. 

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