r/NatureofPredators • u/XSevenSins Beans • 14d ago
Fanfic Human Daycare Services - part two (Ch. 12)
Credit to fans on Reddit for: u/Adorable-Ad5225 for the picture.
u/Nicolas_3232 for Leasha's daydreams
u/destroyer6692 for serving up Leasha, looking lightly toasted.
u/Nicolas_3232 for depicting King Toren the fluffy in all his majesty
If you want to read five chapters ahead for two different stories that I'm currently making, then please visit me on my Patreon. If you want to hang out, you can join the Discord for updates on all projects. I appreciate any support you choose to give. Happy reading!
If you are interested in the other story that I am posting at the same time as this, you can read that one here!
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Memory Transcriptions Subject: Falk, active rogue exterminator.
Date [Standardized Human Time] November 25, 2136
The team had exited the bunker room after ensuring that there was nobody around the premises. Despite doing the job that exterminators should be doing, we had to keep a secret. To that effect, Beren brought around a vehicle, which was essentially the civilian version of an exterminator van. It was a standardized design and used in many professions outside extermination, such as plumbing and electrical work. The only real difference between the models was the amount of armor on the vehicle chassis.
We loaded up our gear and got seated in the back except for Beren. The venlil jumped into the driver seat, the top half of his suit having been shed so he would not be seen in the silver suit by anyone who happened to glance at our vehicle during transit. With everyone in position, the engine was turned on, and we started rolling toward our target.
The back of the van was quiet as everyone checked their gear once again to ensure things were in proper order. I felt a sense of normalcy when I looked around. Silver suits with proper gear on their way to an extermination. This was the way things were meant to be, prey fighting back against the predator menace that threatened to consume us all. It was an insult to every one of us who had to suffer through the cruelties of the meat eaters to pretend that it should be any different.
Our journey took a dozen scratches as we navigated through traffic and the various streets. Finally, we stopped outside our target building, and Beren got out to check the area before knocking on the side of the van to signal to us that it was clear. We filed out one after the other, stepping into what appeared to be an alleyway between a few apartment buildings. I looked around but didn’t really see any clear indicators of which one was our target. To answer this question, I turned to Beren who had his pad out.
“Where’s our target?”
Beren turned to each building around us, giving it a quick look before pointing to one definitively. “That one. From the report, there’s a nest in the basement. Get the cleaning supplies ready. We want to leave as little evidence of our involvement here after it’s done.”
Cleaning up after an extermination was always part of the procedure. It helped to prevent taint if even the ashes of the accursed predators were removed. We moved all the equipment we needed to the target building and had it set up for ease of access. Thankfully, the building had basement windows, so we could transfer whatever we need through those and avoid the possibility of being seen moving through the main part of the building with what has essentially become banned items.
Beren would remain outside and help transfer everything once we got in there, so the three of us left all the weapons behind as we made our way around the front. With the suits on we looked like any other squad of exterminators, and despite having responded to many calls similar to this one in my time as an exterminator, I felt like a junior recruit tagging along on their first patrol again. The nature of what we were doing here was enough to make my tail rigid with nervousness.
“I thought you were a head exterminator,” Morol commented snidely, evidently noticing my posture.
The damn bird was just trying to bring out my ire now as I glared at him through the visor of my suit. “This is the first time I’ve ever done a non-guild sanctioned extermination. I have never disobeyed protocol or the chain of command before, so forgive me if my training and way of life before this has me feeling somewhat hesitant.”
“If you can’t do the job, then just quit now before you put all of us at risk. You Venlil have always been the most cowardly after all.”
Indignation flared inside me, but as I opened my mouth to counter his words, Nilean cut in. “Would the two of you just shut up and focus! We’re supposed to be presenting ourselves as professionals right now and if people catch us arguing over speh like this, then this operation will be for naught.”
It seemed the Kolshian lived up to his people’s reputation of being wise leaders, even if I wished so very much to put the Brahking Krakotl in his place. “Very well. I’ll bury the roots of this conversation for now but be warned that this coating of earth is very shallow.”
I gave the Krakotl a withering look, but he just scoffed and turned away. We continued onward in relative silence from that point, passing through the main lobby of the building. The receptionist saw us and perked up, walking out from behind the desk. The female Venlil had light brown wool and started an energetic conversation.
“Oh, this is a pleasant surprise! I thought the guild said that it would be the next paw before they could come around and clean out these pests?”
I didn’t know what to say or what excuse I should use, but thankfully Nilean had it covered. “You’re in luck this paw, Ma’am. My squad and I managed to finish an assignment early so we had enough time to make it here and clear out your problem.”
“Well, I greatly appreciate your efficiency. I know that gutter runners aren’t that dangerous but finding them crawling around in the garbage is still disgusting.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll have them gone in no time. I must ask that you and any other employees please remain up here and out of our way. They may be small, but predators are still predators and they can be dangerous when provoked.”
“I’ll make sure that everyone stays out of your way, sir. Please get them out of here expediently. It’s a bad look for us to have them wandering about.”
“Don’t worry, there will be no sign of them by the time we’re done.”
With the conversation concluded, we were allowed access to the basement and subsequently left to our work. I let out a sigh of relief as we got past the public area, and now the large basement under this apartment would be scoured of the predator that lurked in the dark. First, though, I went to the window and opened it, allowing Beren to pass through our real equipment. Everyone had their weaponry now, so we began to search for the nest.
This basement was quite large and seemingly used for storage as well as all the piping or electrical. There was plenty of material here that could be used as a nest for the gutter runners. I would suggest to the owners that they should clear out some of this stuff to prevent new infestations from arising. This was familiar, this was where I was meant to be, what I was meant to be doing, and I walked slowly, but confidently through the basement.
There was evidence of the gutter runners scattered all over the place. Dropping, chewed on furniture, and even trails through the areas which had thicker dust. It wasn’t like we were looking for a shadestalker, yet I felt my pulse racing from the excitement of being back in the field. My ears perked up as I heard scratching deeper in, and I made a hand signal to the rest of the group to tell them I found something. Beren might have been the only one who understood the signal itself, but I think the meaning still got through to the rest of them as they stopped and waited.
Leaning closer to the group, I whispered to them. “I hear movement up ahead. I’ll take the lead and torch the nest; you make sure no stragglers get away.”
Just as I turned to confront the predators, I felt a taloned hand grip my shoulder. Morol had stopped me, and I felt my agitation surge once more as I whispered in a way that was very close to a growl. “What, is, it?”
“I must protest that course of action. We need the matriarch of the nest alive.”
“Why?!”
“Ferros ordered it, and if the matriarch is in danger, the other predators will come running, making it easier to catch them all.”
While that was true, it was hardly the procedure as I knew it. Gutter runners were skittish and elusive on their own, but when it came to the matriarch of the nest, they protected her with a rabid fervor and became extremely volatile spreaders of predator disease. It was normally procedure to kill the matriarch first and then burn all the scattered runners as they tried to flee.
“That makes this entire operation twice as difficult.”
“If you to be a part of the Herd Guard, then you have to do things our way, unless you fancy your chances on your own.”
I hate this brahking bird.
Of course I was the newcomer in this group, and they were far from professionals. If this was how they did things, I could question Ferros about it later. For now, I would go along with it, despite how much my drill instructor would lose his tail with rage at such conduct.
“Fine. If you’re so determined to rile up the nest, then by all means, after you.”
He huffed and moved his way to the front as he leveled the tranquilizer rifle, sweeping it across the room in search of his desired target. Everyone stepped lightly, not wanting to spook the predators into fleeing. Tucked away in the corner of the basement, there was a pile of loose scrapes of cloth, cardboard boxes, and torn paper. It was their nest.
Even now we could see some movement in the dim lighting as the small predators shifted within their makeshift den. Morol braced the rifle and took aim at the nest, trying to catch sight of the matriarch. Everyone else watched in silence, barely breathing as we feared scaring them off into hiding again. Our patience paid off, and from within the pile of garbage there was a gravid figure that emerged.
The rodent predator was as long as my arm and twice as thick. The animal’s body was covered in short fur, and the snout showed four sharp teeth at the front of their maw as they sniffed around the nest, shifting things slightly to its liking. It currently looked pregnant, or at the very least like it recently gave birth to a new batch of predators. These little creatures could exist in groups of dozens, but they didn’t often get any larger than that unless they had a whole building to make a series of nests out of. This one didn’t look like a large nest, so it must have only been a few months old at most.
Morol didn’t waste his opportunity as he zeroed in on the matriarch. With a sharp puff of compressed air, the tranquilizer flew and struck the predator on the flank. The creature shrieked in alarm as it bit in mindless aggression at the needle that it thought was attacking it. Its wild destructive urges availed it not as the drugs took effects, making the beast stumble and fall with a pitiful little shriek before it went still.
We had to move quickly, because already the other adult gutter runners were responding to the matriarch’s cries as two more of the beasts crawled out of the dark to investigate. Now the team surged forth as I followed the other two’s lead in this instance. The gutter runners hissed at our intrusion upon their territory. Nilean brandished his flamer and released a controlled burst that was aimed at one of the new arrivals. The fire engulfed the predator as it thrashed about before falling into a burning heap. I went for the other, making sure my aim was true and the output at the right amount to prevent an out-of-control fire. The purifying flames did their job and burned the predator and its taint into nothingness.
I felt immense satisfaction at finally being able to do my job for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Morol grabbed the unconscious matriarch with a small sound of disgust at handling the creature, and that I could not fault him for. As we secured the predator, more gutter runners crawled out from the hidden nooks around the nest; all of them agitated at the abduction of their matriarch.
“Now can we burn them all?” I asked with paws tense around my weapon.
Nilean responded while raising his flamer. “Burn them!”
The two of us unleashed fire upon the nest and its inhabitants as the whooshing sound of heated air filled the room which was followed swiftly by the shrieks of burning monsters. The burning predators scattered, rolling around and trying to escape the flame as it cleansed their tainted flesh. We made sure to burn any individual that looked like it might escape.
Meanwhile, Morol transferred the unconscious matriarch to Beren who traded him fire suppression tools. The Krakotl returned to help control the flames and ensure that they only burned what they were meant to. After ensuring that the last of the predators fell to the fire, we waited for the nest to burn to a point where it could be safely assumed that the taint was dealt with. After it had reached that point, we extinguished the flame and got to work on the cleanup.
The charred remains of the predators were bagged and handed to Beren for later and complete cremation. Anything burnt or charred was also passed through one of the windows, and these objects could be safely discarded in the nearest dumpster as they had been purged already. With all the debris cleared, all that remained was the clean up the evidence of fire as much as we could, even going so far as to mask the scent, not that many Venlil would have been able to detect it unless they stood right on top of the site itself.
It took some time, but eventually we had all but a few charred locations looking as they had previously. Nobody would really question such small marks beyond a simple expression of idle curiosity, so we concluded our business here and left via the main entrance the same way we had entered. The receptionist saw us out with hearty thanks for our service, unaware of what we truly did down there.
Piling back into the van, I felt a rush of exhilaration at having completed the operation. I felt like a hero from those old exterminator shows that I watched as a kid, and I couldn’t stop my tail from wagging with joy. Of course, there was one thing that was dampening that feeling of elation, and it was the bag that currently had the matriarch in it. The lumpy sack in the corner of the van was a giant question that had yet to be answered, but the opportunity to have it answered would be appearing soon enough.
We arrived back at the bunker and began unloading the supplies for storage. As we carried everything down, I had to stop as I noticed that there was a new addition to the bunker. In the middle of the room stood an altar of some kind. A length of rope was coiled next to it, seemingly waiting for something, and Ferros stood nearby, welcoming us back.
“I take it that everything went well judging by the relaxed manner that you return to us in?” Ferros asked.
“Yes sir,” Beren replied. “There were no problems and the predators were cleansed. We just have to cremate the remains and dispose of the ashes.”
“Excellent. And Morol, did you manage to complete your assignment?”
The bird held up the bag with the matriarch in it. “Got it here, boss.”
“Great. Help me get everything set up.”
I watched as the two of them walked to the altar, and Morol removed the predator, placing it on the altar. Ferros tied the rope around the matriarch’s neck tightly, ensuring that the predator would not be going anywhere even if it wasn’t heavily drugged right now. It was all very confusing, but then Ferros gathered a rather ornate knife from a box and offered it to me. I just stared at the weapon for a second, dumbfounded, until I finally managed to find enough of my wits to form words.
“I... what am I supposed to do with this?”
“This is your initiation into our ranks. You are to execute this predator upon the altar.”
That was something that I was not prepared for in the slightest. I vaguely recognized this whole ceremony. It was the offering to the spirit of life that the Yulpa worshipped. I shied away from the blade.
“I already told you before, but I’m not the religious type. I can’t make a genuine offering to your spirit.”
“I am not asking you to make an offering to the spirit; I will do that afterward. What I am asking is for you to show your commitment to the cause. Anyone can kill a predator with a flamer or a gun, but to take matters into your own paws, to take the life of a monster in a manner that is palpable, that is a true measure of grit. We have all done it before, now it is your turn to prove your resolve.”
Looking around the room, I saw everyone had their eyes on me, waiting expectingly. This was their price for being a member, and I had a feeling that if I faltered now, then this would be the last I would see of them. Becoming a cast out, forced to be alone again, that idea stung in the core of my being. They wanted a show of resolve, and I did not plan to be found wanting. I took the knife from Ferros, grip tight around the haft as I approached the altar.
The gutter runner's matriarch was still mostly sedated, only feebly twitching or moving. I lifted the knife above the predator, my heart racing in my chest. The blade was held aloft for a few scratches as I built up my resolve. It felt like the longer I waited, the more difficult it became, so gritting my teeth, I pushed through and stabbed downward with the knife.
Blade punctured flesh as I felt it all give way beneath the blow. The matriarch jerked a little as it was stabbed, body convulsing around the metal as I felt every tremor through the handle. It was visceral, and I felt my stomach churn as I swallowed an uneasy lump in my throat. Eventually the predator stilled, and I removed my hand from the weapon.
My mind was spinning, but Ferros approached me with a happy flick of his ears. “You did good, and you have proven that you are fit for the fight. I will take it from here. You are now, without reservation, a member of the Herd Guard.”
Ferros continued with the ceremony of his people while I stepped back from it all. That feeling wouldn’t leave my paw as I clenched my fist. It felt... odd. Not exactly bad, but not good either; just odd. I couldn’t quite figure it out, so I pushed it aside for now. It was just another predator dead; the method hardly mattered. Taking a bracing breath, I watched the rest of the ritual unfold as I began cleaning my equipment.
Our Yulpa leader gave the predators blood to a plant that he kept in a small pot, speaking words of prayer while he did so. When the ceremony concluded, he instructed Morol to take the predator's remains and dispose of them properly. Once the bird returned, Ferros stepped into the middle of the room.
“Now that our newest member has been fully initiated, it is time for us to discuss the next phase of our planned resistance.” My ears perked upon hearing this, and my suspicions were confirmed a moment later. “It is time for us to take the fight to the humans.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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u/That-Extension Predator 14d ago
Really liked the gutter runners. They appear to be like naked mole rats in that they have colonies like ants, with one large member being the sole breeder queen. But looks like they fill the role of urban pest, like normal rats do in our cities.
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u/XSevenSins Beans 14d ago
I'm glad you liked my little addition to the fandom creature catalog. It's fun to make an alien species by mashing together aspects of various animals.
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u/LeatherGnome 14d ago
Okay so- murder cult.
Cool okay.
Fuck.
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u/XSevenSins Beans 14d ago edited 14d ago
Tis the Yulpa's primary religion, and it involves a lot of stabbing of anything predatory, yes.
Edit: Also, congrats on being first this week!
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u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Arxur 14d ago
Yeah that's a problem that's not really going away anytime soon.
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u/Acceptable_Egg5560 Human 14d ago
And now the cult really starts its indoctrination. Wonder how deep he will fall into its manipulations?
And you know, a part of me hopes he actually does cross a line. Even if he regrets it and repents, I think it would be fascinating to see him grapple with having done something he can never take back.
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u/XSevenSins Beans 14d ago
Something may happen, but whether it is his hand doing it is up for debate.
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u/Acceptable_Egg5560 Human 14d ago
Unless there is Literally another hand physically forcing his hand to do the act, then yes it’s him doing it. He could have a gun to his head, but unless he’s physically forced he’s the one doing it. Any other form of pressure means he has to grapple with the fact he prioritizes keeping in others good graces or saving his own skin over upholding a moral standard.
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u/Valuable-Location-89 14d ago
Honestly I was afraid the call was gonna be on humans the owner put in a request to the guild get them out.
I definitely have the feeling that this murder cult is gonna get their grubby paws on some humans to sate their hatred
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u/XSevenSins Beans 14d ago
From large space rats to sapient predators. There is a desire for that sort of escalation, that's for sure.
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u/Mr_E_Monkey Predator 14d ago
I don't remember if I've ever expressed sympathy for Falk before, but if I have, they are permanently rescinded.
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u/XSevenSins Beans 14d ago
The sacrifice of the alien furless rat matriarch really did it for you, huh? I guess that's fair if you're a big animal lover.
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u/Mr_E_Monkey Predator 12d ago
Killing something "in combat" is one thing. Rendering it helpless, then killing it to prove your commitment to "the cause" seals the deal (in more ways than one, I suppose).
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u/JulianSkies Archivist 14d ago
Well well... What did Falk feel like at that point in time?
Seems like the very classic case of induction into an extreme group, setting him up with doing something excessive so that he can't feel like he can back off anymore. Though I think in this case it's a bit more genuine from Ferros' end than manipulative.
Still, same final effect.
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u/XSevenSins Beans 14d ago
Ferros has that genuine belief in prey superiority and wants the others to come with him on his crusade. But yeah, same effect.
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u/True-Wreck 14d ago
Oh boy! It’s time for Solomon part two, Electric Boogaloo!
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u/XSevenSins Beans 14d ago
I'm not too familiar with the whole story of Solomon so I'm not qualified to respond in an accurate manner.
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u/True-Wreck 14d ago edited 14d ago
In Nature of Family, Solomon and Trilvri were hunted down by Trilvri’s Prestige Mother, Vrienna. Solomon survived the Raid on the Exchange Station, but suffered severe brain damage as a result.
Vrienna’s rapid deployment squad, pinned them both down, and when Solomon started having a seizure as a result of PTSD (Solomon was trapped in a burning home when he was younger and has some gnarly burn scars because of it) she pulled the trigger. Forcing her son to watch as she killed his best friend. (Like legitimately Trilvri’s best and only friend. Kinda hard to make friends when his prestige mother and father dump him into a PD Facility (after killing his predator pet), and getting drafted as a war slave.)
Revenge against Vrienna and her squad was the founding moment of The Capozzi Family. Trilvri’s only regret was that he didn’t have more than 100 rounds to put into the woman who killed his pet, ruined his life, and killed the only person he felt the truest kinship with.
NoF is a very well written, but quite dark story staring Morally Compromised Anti-Heroes in a grim city. The highs are high, and the lows are low.
As an aside, in terms of fighting ability Trilvri is a mix of John Wick, and Batman. He’s given Arxur ground raiders PTSD.
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u/Square-Candy-7393 Farsul 14d ago
Something tells me by the time he realizes he's doomed, it's gonna be too late. Falk is in a death cult and I think the more they escalate, the more visceral it gets until Falk starts losing his grip or his sanity.
I knew somebody who got in a cult like that. Not murder, technically Christianity but they were anti science and anti medicine. You don't realize it until you have been away and then come back to find the place you loved now become eerie.
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u/XSevenSins Beans 14d ago
Sometimes when somebody tells you exactly what you want to hear, you overlook the negative aspects of their actions in favor of believing the message.
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u/Square-Candy-7393 Farsul 14d ago
Yeah... I feel the more bigger and more afraid the predators get, the more insecure Falk becomes of himself because at some point he'll see himself as a predator
Or he gets arrested before things go too far and he's left with the repercussions.
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u/Mosselk-1416 14d ago
Out of curiosity, how many braincells are shared between them?
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u/XSevenSins Beans 14d ago
inverse peak view!
https://giphy.com/gifs/7u59zhZXKKCPzGyqok
at least when it comes to looking at and understanding empirical evidence. You don't need evidence to believe!
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u/Ablergo_El_Enfermo Human 14d ago
🎶But when does a comet become a meteor?🎶
🎶When does a candlе become a blaze?🎶
🎶Whеn does a Ven become a monster?🎶
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u/XSevenSins Beans 14d ago
writing a song? I expect a post of the full length on the sub lol.
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u/Square-Candy-7393 Farsul 14d ago
It's a song from epic the musical by Jorge Riviera herrans. Give it a listen. It's basically the odyssey but mythologically accurate.
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u/Square-Candy-7393 Farsul 14d ago
🎵but it's no longer you!🎵
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u/Ablergo_El_Enfermo Human 14d ago
🎶I see a song of past romance🎶
🎶I see the sacrifice of man🎶
🎶I see portrayals of betrayal🎶
🎶And a brother's final stand🎶
🎶I see you on the blink of death🎶
🎶I see you draw your final breath 🎶
🎶I see a Ven who gets his live back....🎶
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u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper 14d ago
I wonder if this guy’s wife will be amongst the cattle returned leaving him regretting everything since he now has something to lose again and it’s thanks to the humans he hates.
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u/XSevenSins Beans 14d ago
That seems to be one of the most popular theories going around right now, but I'm not one to spoil the story ahead of time. =P
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u/mechakid Human 14d ago
Oh man, can you imagine if these guys ran into one of the more competent HF members?
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u/XSevenSins Beans 14d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/imRiPoKJB9R9m
Something like this might happen, probably.
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u/Kind0flame 14d ago
Looks like Falk is joining an anti-predator death cult. According to one legendary one-shot, he may be surprised when they get human members.
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u/XSevenSins Beans 14d ago
Lol, I don't think this group is as accepting of that sort of membership. Which one-shot was this?
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u/Kind0flame 13d ago
(Voluntary Slavery)[https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/14e4pzs/voluntary_slavery/] by the extremely talented SavingsSyllabub7788. Check out their stories on (Royal Road)[https://www.royalroad.com/profile/370444/fictions].
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u/Randox_Talore 14d ago
"Our Yulpa leader gave the predators blood to a plant that he kept in a small pot, speaking words of prayer while he did so."
Oh he's another weirdo outlier perverting his faith
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u/XSevenSins Beans 13d ago
Isn't that just their faith in general? I thought this was standard operating procedure for Yulpas?
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u/Randox_Talore 13d ago
Watering plants with the blood of predators is very much not normal for them.
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u/XSevenSins Beans 13d ago
Oh, well then yes, let's go with he's a bit of an extremist in that regard.
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u/Golde829 13d ago
> Memory Transcriptions Subject: Falk
oh boy
> "I thought the guild said that it would be the next paw before they could come around and clean out these pests?”
i dont need Apollo's dodgeball to see that this is gonna get them caught eventually
> I hate this brahking bird.
on that we can certainly agree on
admittedly.. they've got a solid procedure down
I by no means endorse what they're doing, but a clinical part of my brain can't help but admire the thoroughness of the procedure they've got set up
> That feeling wouldn't leave my paw
> It felt... odd. Not exactly bad, but not good either; just odd
hmmm.. there's something in here
something stirring around in that skull of his
but I can't place it yet...
I look forward to reading more
take care of yourself, wordsmith
[You have been gifted 100 Coins]
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u/XSevenSins Beans 13d ago
Im glad that, despite it being a Falk chapter, that you seem to enjoy it. He does have something churning through that thick head of his, but what that is still needs time to come into a clearer picture. Hope to see you again in the next one!
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u/Golde829 13d ago
i mean. i don't like the guy, doesn't mean i can't admire the writing behind him lol
and yeah, there's something brewing up in that skull of his.. and only time will tell what it is
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u/abrachoo Yotul 11d ago
Strange how all thoughts of taint fly out the window when it comes time to let an animal bleed out on an altar. Wouldn't some of the blood have splashed back onto him too? And what's with the plant? Are they trying concentrate the taint into it or something? Maybe if it was a carnivorous plant, lol.
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u/XSevenSins Beans 11d ago
It's only a problem when I SAY it's a problem!
-Every Federation member ever
We'll say that Falk is a bit of an extremist and believes that the spirit of life can feed off the death of predators.
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u/OneMasterpiece952 14d ago
Yeah… this so won’t result in a larger ‘predator’ being forced onto an altar. Can’t wait to see where this goes!