A Second Skin (Oneshot?)

Author's Notes: Hello people! This post was inspired by this post. I may add to this series at a later point, but for now this will remain a oneshot. I typed this out in roundabout 3 hours, so I hope you enjoy this short story.

[Memory Transcript Subject: Suzull, Venlil, Sunpeak Hill university student]

[Transcript Date: December 20th, 2136

“Hey, you really think they’re going through with this? Somehow I doubt they got a human of all things to hold lessons here.”

One of my eyes turned to the Venlil next to me, my ears twitching in response.

“I guess we’ll find out. If they do…I made a list of things I’d like to ask a sentient predator. This is such a fascinating opportunity Yovlun!”

"Your definition of fascinating is brakhing weird, Suzull."

The wooden door creaked as it swung open. In walked a masked figure of considerable size. If I had to guess, it towered over me by at least half a tail.

The mask itself was an opaque grey, standing in strong contrast to the human’s aggressively orange hair. It hung off of their head in thick. long curls, which honestly reminded me of a few Farsul hide styles I’d seen before. It also looks a lot like Venlil blood. To an unbearable degree.

Its lower body was covered by woods-floor colored fabric, mixing different shades of brown, black, grey and dark green, that ended in thick heavy-duty paw coverings. The rest was only partially obscured by a black fabric covering their torso, leaving their entire arms up to the shoulders exposed.

For some reason, the upper fabric was tucked into the leg covering, with some kind of strap to keep everything locked to the human’s waist.

How fun, I get to learn about human customs and culture before I even ask a question!

Yolvun squeaked, cowering so far under his desk that only his snout was still peeking out.

“L-Look at how muscular it is! N-No way that this one is a teacher! I-It looks exactly like the human soldiers I’ve seen on the news.”

The human cleared its throat after closing the door and reaching the desk at the front of the class, turning to us in one swift motion.

“Well, I can believe it about as little as any of you here. But even so, I’m gonna be teaching Biochemistry to you for the foreseeable future.”

It half sat down on the teacher’s desk, crossing its arms before letting its gaze wander across the class.

“My name’s Professor Hayley O'Lenaghan, but just 'Professor' will suffice. To give you all a quick introduction, I’m from the country of Ireland, known for producing redheads, alcoholics and relying too much on a single crop throughout history. I studied chemistry for 6 years, worked a few lab jobs, also dabbled in animal care and biology as part of the course. Then I signed up for the military because I wanted to use my knowledge to research new ways to administer first aid.”

She let out a hoarse chuckle, pointing one of her digits in our general direction.

“I actually had something similar in mind to what the Zurulians had already developed centuries ago. A fast-acting spray that instantly seals anything from a papercut to severe lacerations. Without requiring any sort of stitching either! Now that’s the kind of medical genius that I aspire for every day.”

She got up, rounding the desk before picking up the holopad connected to the white board.

“But we’re getting off track. I’m sure some of you have questions about me, as well as humanity in general I’d assume. Now, the UN gave me the entire speech about what I can and can’t tell you, and what the ramifications of me sharing censored information throughout these lectures.”

She stopped for a moment, shaking her head before taking a deep breath.

“But you know what? Who gives a hoot? I’m here to teach, not to be a talking head for whatever the UN wants to regurgitate to the alien public.”

On the screen appeared a picture of what I assumed to be earth, with its vast blue oceans and oddly shaped continents, enveloped in clouds.

“So, while I can’t just talk about whatever I want willy nilly…I don’t really have a choice when my dear, curious students ask me a few uncomfortable questions, do I?”

I could’ve sworn I heard a hefty amount of smugness in that statement, and I couldn’t help but whistle in amusement.

She pointed her finger at me as soon as I raised my paw, and I fumbled to find my list.

“W-Well, uh…P-Professor, I’d like to ask if humans really don’t feel any sort of hunting instinct? I-I know it’s a commonly discussed topic, but I’d like to get a definitive answer.”

Professor O’Lenaghan’s hand wandered up to her face, where she reached under the face shield to scratch her chin.

“Well, that’s easy to answer. Our ancestors were pack hunters, as you all probably know by now. Because big game required a lot of tactical planning back then rather than pure reflex, our ancestors replaced raw drive with strategic problem-solving. That’s why an innate predatory instinct was completely unnecessary to our evolution. Or in other words, our ancestors didn’t need to jump at the first thing that moved because we needed to coordinate with others before any sort of hunting activity could begin.”

My ears flopped back onto my head in defeat. This human was no joke. She flawlessly explained everything relevant to my question, leaving me with nothing further to ask.

The human let out a laugh that made its chest rumble.

“Your reaction tells me that I answered your question to full satisfaction. Good. Anyone else who’s feeling curious?”

Someone in the first row raised their paw, a Yotul I hadn’t really talked to before.

“Your fur looks like it’s soaked in blood. Is that normal?”

She seemed almost taken aback by that, before muttering something under her breath. It sounded close to ‘Should’ve figured that’

“No, sorry to say, but my hair is not dyed with blood. This is its natural color. You have my ancestry to thank for that, since it’s a genetic mutation that only a small part of the population has.”

That seemed to relieve the Yotul greatly, and it also addressed my earlier thoughts.

Someone a row ahead of me to the right hesitantly raised their arm. It was Naxal, a Krakotl whose nape feathers were quivering anxiously.

“Ask away, bird boy.”

He seemed to hesitate for another moment, trying to take a deep breath.

“D-D-Did you ever…k-kill…?”

He couldn’t finish the question, but that seemed to be enough for the teacher, who sat down at her desk, crossing one of her legs over the other.

“As in hunting? Mhh…Well, what would your reaction be if I said yes?”

That startled my classmate right out of his anxious state. He leaned forward slightly, trying to think of an appropriate response.

“W-Well…m-my parents would w-want me to say that you’d b-be a monster for i-it.”

The professor perked up, leaving her desk to slowly ascend the staircase in the middle of the classroom leading up to one of the higher rows. The students sitting closest to the inner walkway huddled away in fear, and the Krakotl too seemed to have frozen up again, as he stared at the predator who was now only two tails away from him.

“What’s your name, bird boy?”

“N-Naxal…M-Ma’am.”

Her head tilted sideways a little, as she seemed to appraise him the human way.

“Well Naxal, do you feel the same way as your parents?”

He hesitated for a scratch, probably asking himself just how honest he can be without getting mauled.

“I-I…I d-don’t know. I-I’ve s-seen humans before, a-and one of you even offered t-to help carry my d-dad’s spare tires. Y-You don’t act like what my p-parents tell me at all!”

She got just a little bit closer, a proud undertone mixing into her voice.

“And now you’re unsure how to feel because your parents might not know best about any given situation since they can’t seem to properly judge humans?”

Naxal let out a weak squawk, slumping into his chair.

“Y-Yes…”

She backed up, making her way back down to the teacher’s desk, facing us with a confident stance.

“Isn’t that interesting? His parents always try to prevent him from any contact with us because to them, we’re irredeemable monsters, sadistic killers ready to bring death and destruction. And yet, he can’t get himself to truly hate us, because our actions reflect the truth.”

Don’t assume that I blame your parents for any of this, however. I understand that when your only point of reference for a sentient predator is an Arxur…your perception could end up a little warped and radical. Things like this are exactly why I even accepted this job to begin with. I’d like to convince you all not with a carefully doctored and favourable image of humanity, but with the real us. I’m sure you’ll all empathise with the feeling of knowing your race’s dirty history, and recognizing that no species is truly perfect, and that we’re all just trying to make right.”

she checked the thing strapped to her wrist, before sighing.

“Well, we only have five minutes left, so I’ll take one more question before break time.”

She scanned the crowd, and I couldn’t help but raise my paw again.

“Didn’t you already-...well, nevermind. If there are no other takers, sure.”

I had already written down her answer to my first question, and was now considering which one to ask next. Eventually, I decided on something I’ve been dying to know for ages now.

“How strong are humans really? I-I’ve read about it in a few forums, but they never got into detail. I-I also couldn’t h-help but notice your s-size, Ma’am.”

She started laughing, before waving a paw in defeat.

“O-hoh, you charmer!~ Heheh, no but really, I appreciate the compliment. See, humans may not have the same explosive strength as a lot of the other animals on our planet, herbivores and carnivores alike. But we made up for it with our superior intellect and stamina. Human bodies were specifically designed to run long distances, and dissipate the generated heat faster and more efficiently than any other known species. We’re also quite physically resilient, and can recover from a lot of nasty injuries fairly quickly if given appropriate treatment.”

She grabbed her torso covering, pulling it up to her chest to reveal an abhorrent burn scar that ran from her lower hip all the way up to what I assumed to be her rib cage. It was hard to see through the walls of muscle.

“In my case, even without appropriate treatment, this third degree burn healed after just a few months. We were stuck in the middle of a desert, busy with avoiding terrorists and trying to get our radio functional again. It took us a while to find any kind of civilization, and by the time we did, this scar was already long past any kind of treatment window. They offered a skin graft, but I decided against it. Because in a weird way, it always reminds me of where I came from, and where I’m at now. It reminds me to be grateful.”

I could hardly fathom how someone only experienced in teaching, who wound up serving as a combat medic, who experienced the worst pain imaginable first-hand, could stand here today, joking about the experience while standing in a classroom full of people who barely tolerated her presence.

But to me? It was the most inspirational thing I’d seen in cycles. Yovlun’s tail thrashed about as he sneered.

“Predshit. I’ll bet you 200 credits she got that scar as some kind of twisted punishment.”

I glared at him, but before I could think of some kind of retort, the bell rang. Professor O'Lenaghan’s shoulders shifted upwards, before slumping down again.

“Welp, guess that’s the end of our first lesson. Your homework for next time is to think of at least one question to ask next time around regarding human history. I want one question from each of you by tomorrow, do I make myself clear? Great, then have a good lunch, and I’ll see you next time.”

Naxal was still sitting in his seat, being ushered away by one of his friends. I stayed behind, watching as the classroom drained quickly.

Hesitantly, I stepped up to the teacher’s desk, looking up at the hulking figure that was my professor.

“I appreciate that you were so eager today. It’s honestly very refreshing to see an alien actually making an effort for once. I will admit, some of you are a little too stubborn for my liking.

I shivered a little at her comment, fixing the fur on my forehead before speaking.

“I-I should be thanking you, p-professor. I’ve wanted t-to speak to one of y-you ever since f-first contact. I-I shouldn’t t-talk about it, b-but I’ve always had a f-fascination for b-biology. A-And your kind is just…”

I couldn’t help but laugh faintly as I thought about all the ways I could describe it.

“A lot, huh?” She joined in, letting her chest rumble in amusement.

“G-Guess so…W-Would you be willing to e-exchange contact information? I-I ‘m aware that it’s a little unfair, b-but I would love to ask you more questions in private. I-I have so much I want to k-know!”

Professor O'Lenaghan pulled out her pad, her posture relaxing as she turned her head back to me.

“I’d be delighted to. Though you’re aware that a university professor’s time is very limited?”

That got another chuckle out of me as I saved her contact.

“Should I make a reservation then? Do you have a secretary you can refer me to?”

She turned hysterical, slapping her thigh while holding her stomach.

"Oh, you’re just delightful. Well, off you go then, I still have some paperwork to file with the school. We’ll see each other again soon enough.”

I waved a brief but animated goodbye with my tail, closing the door behind me as I left the lecture hall.

Gods, I’m so excited, I feel like I’m going to explode! This is going to be the best semester ever!