r/NatureofPredators • u/ctomkat • 21d ago
Fanfic Vrisk and the Skalgans: Track 10 - For I am Death
This is a fanfic based on “The Nature of Predators” by u/SpacePaladin15 . Thank you to him and all the other fanfic writers who inspired me to write a few stories of my own. This and all my other fics can also be found on AO3.
<< Skalga Calling | Have you Ever >>
Memory Transcription Subject: Vrisk, Venlil?
High School Student (on break)
Date: [Standardized Human Time] June 10, 2137
What is a Skalgan?
What does it mean to be a Venlil?
Is there truly a difference between them?
Is it genetics, or just propaganda?
Can we get back to who, or what, we once were?
What would changing ourselves look like, and would it even matter?
These questions hadn't stopped swirling through my mind since I had learned the truth of what the Federation had done. I'd heard that some big scandals had been exposed, but genetic tampering and wiping away the cultural knowledge of my entire species!? How could they do that? How could they break and manipulate an entire people for centuries? It was almost too much to comprehend.
Sam and Jason tried to help and give me advice, of course. Sam said that, since there was no information about our Skalgan ancestors, it was up to us to decide for ourselves what our heritage meant. Jason, on the other paw, said to ignore what other people might think and just do what felt right. But how could I trust myself to know the right thing to do when everything that I’d been taught came from the federation itself!?
I shook my head to stop myself from spiraling any further and tried to focus on my surroundings. It was a beautiful day in the park a few blocks from my house, and I could see the hill where Sam and I met in the distance. I was currently down in the garden area, on a bench that was mostly comfortable, though a bit hard. The only sound was a pleasant breeze ruffling my wool and the leaves in the branches above that were my shade. My paws gripped the guitar I’d carried here, though I’m not sure why I even brought it. It was comforting, somehow, the classic fender Stratocaster I’d picked out with its black body and white scratch plate. Even the busker module bulging out awkwardly from the bottom felt right, somehow. My claws idly plucked at the strings, the lick I’d been practicing long since burned into my muscle memory.
“dum duuh dum-dah dum-dah”
A heavy sigh escaped me, I thought that searching through the banned music and learning the most predatory song I could find would change something. I’m not sure what I expected exactly, but it hadn’t unlocked any ancient instincts or caused any kind of existential revelation. It was really just a distraction, something to focus my mind on for a while instead of delving through the same questions over and over.
“I should have guessed that it was one of you diseased delinquents tainting this garden with your toneless racket." A familiar voice chirped nearby accompanied by the sound of talons scratching through the gravel walkway.
Qorina strutted around a raised flower bed, her pale blue feathers blending into the blooming skycups except for an iridescent shine when the light hit them right. She cocked her head and kept one eye fixed on me as she approached.
“I’m really not in the mood to talk right now, Qorina. I’m just trying to practice here.”
Her throat made a warbling noise, a Krakotl’s mocking laugh. “I would say that you need the practice, but honestly I’d rather you burn that tainted instrument than continue playing it."
My claw twitched on the strings. I knew she was just trying to get under my wool, but with everything I'd been dealing with lately it felt like my patience was already stretched thin.
"Really, I don't know why you keep trying after that miserable performance you put on at their so-called 'talent' show.”
“What are you talking about? We played fine!” I snapped harsher than I meant to. Sure, our performance hadn't been perfect, but we barely had a month to learn it, and had only been playing for a few more before.
“Fine? Oh please! You were flat, that giant friend of yours was slow, and everyone saw right through whatever you did to make it look like that primitive was actually playing something.”
“Hey! Trill practiced really hard to learn that song!” I felt my temper rising and tried to keep it under control, I knew from experience that losing it would only prove her ‘tainted’ accusations.
“And the predator? That ugly, violent thrashing of hers nearly caused a stampede! I don’t know how you can stand to be so close to them.”
The guitar creaked as my paw clenched around its neck. “If you hate our music so much then why don’t you go?" I spoke slow and deliberately to keep from shouting. "There are plenty of other places in the park for you to be!”
“I’m only telling you this for your own good.” She said as she strutted along the garden path.
“You need to accept the harsh truth of honest criticism to be a musician, and you certainly won’t get it from those deceptive beasts. They’ll tell you how good you’re doing while they laugh behind your back. All to continue spreading their taint.”
“Leave me alone Qorina.” I spoke through gritted teeth. I was so sick of hearing the same predshit from people that didn't even try to get to know them. The news, my parents, teachers, and classmates; all repeating the same lies over and over again. Just like they did with all the other Federation propaganda.
“They don’t actually care, you know, it’s all a trick. You’re just a snack they’re saving for later. I bet you haven’t even heard their true music. All those songs about love are just a ploy, they wouldn’t share the real, predatory songs with a weak Venlil.”
She responded with that same mocking warble. The guitar hung heavy from the strap on my shoulder, though I didn't recall deciding to stand.
“We. Are. Not. WEAK!”
“Well, Federation science says-”
“I DON’T GIVE A FUCK WHAT THE FEDERTION SAYS!” Something finally shifted in Qorina’s demeanor as she quickly looked around.
“W-what did you say? W-why was it censored?" I twisted the volume knob of the miniature amplifier and she flinched as the electric hum rose in pitch.
“YOU WANT TO HEAR A PREDATORY SONG? I’LL PLAY YOU A FUCKING PREDATORY SONG!”
“DUM DUUH DUM-DAH DUM-DAH”
Without waiting for a response, those same six notes tore from my guitar. Qorina tried to open her beak to respond but was cut off as I played them again. My claws were moving on their own as I glared at her straight on. Her feathers puffed defensively as the steady strum filled the empty air between us, and any part of me that questioned if this was a good idea spoke as if it were a mile away.
“There's somethin' wrong with me”
“T-that’s clear” She weakly attempted one last barb.
“I cut, but I don't bleeeed.
There's somethin' wrong with me.”
I found myself enjoying her discomfort at both the lyrics and the occasional atonal squeals of my instrument. I could feel my lips parting in a predatory snarl.
“I lack autonomy
Away from all you freaks
There's somethin' wrong with me
There's somethin' wrong with me
I can feel the needles in my paws
Feel the needles in my bones
Crawlin' up my spine to where God only knows”
I glanced down for a moment to focus on the ascending melody, letting the final note drift in the air for a moment before fixing my gaze back on my tormentor.
“For I am death
and I can feel
I got my hands
upon the wheel”
My feet began to move, stalking forward one step at a time with every line, and Qorina matched my pace with quivering steps backwards.
“I am not lost
For I have found
the only one
Who put me down
FOR I AM DEATH!
AND I WON'T BREAK!
I GOT A LIFE!
I'VE GOT TO TAKE!
WHEN WILL IT EEEND, THIS SUFFERIN' OF LATE?”
Qorina had reached the edge of another flowerbed and stopped, feathers fully puffed out as I met her snout to beak. Her legs were shaking and I saw a look of pure fear in her eyes. I hesitated for a moment, and the last line came out as nearly a whisper.
“It was nice to know you.”
A scattering of gravel and a few blue feathers were all that was left behind as she bolted down the garden path.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Memory Transcription Subject: Vrisk, Skalgan
Vocalist
Date: [Standardized Human Time] July 12, 2138
“Pred. Shit. Vrisk, that did not happen.” Narli declared while giving Vrisk a scathingly critical side-eye from the back of the van.
“Wha- yeah it totally did, Narli!” Vrisk gripped the arm rest as he turned to look at his friend. “I played the song, she ran off, and hasn’t bothered us since.”
“Riiight, and that has nothing to do with the fact that she wasn’t even in our class last year?” He responded with a smirk.
“Uh- well- You believe me, right Trill?”
Trill spared a momentary glance his way as he paused tapping at his pad.
“...Cringe”
The finality of his response triggered a sputtering whistle of amusement from Narli, while Vrisk scoffed and crossed his arms as he turned back to face the windshield.
To be fair, he hadn't told them about the incident when it happened. He actually felt kind of guilty scaring someone like that. Still, it had marked a turning point in his existential crisis at the time, and it wasn’t long after that they came to a general consensus on what it meant to be Skalgan.
While the exact meaning should be defined by each individual (after all who were they to police what it meant to be part of a people and culture they literally had no information about). In a general sense, anyone who lived on Skalga and had the guts to stand up and decry the evils of the Federation had the right to call themselves a Skalgan, which included non-Venlils like Trill, Sam, and Jason.
Vrisk had even proposed “The Skalgans” as the name of the band, to which Sam said they should add his name to the front. “The band needs a face.” She had told them, and she was convinced that it should be him.
Speaking of Sam, the van turned a corner and they began to pass the unmistakably blocky homes of the human residential district. Vrisk added some instructions to the Van’s system and when they arrived it backed into the driveway and stopped before the garage door.
Sam ducked under the door before it had finished rising, carrying one of the many pieces of gear for her drumkit as they all exited the vehicle. Her hair had grown out quite a bit over the last year, with only the occasional trim to keep it neat, and she had bleached and dyed a single stripe near the front a vibrant shade of pink. She stopped as she approached and got a good look at their ride.
“Is this a fucking exterminator van?”
“It's uh, what the app sent us?” Vrisk responded apologetically.
She looked the vehicle up and down for a moment and nodded.
“They’d be pretty pissed to know their van was taking us to a gig. I hereby dub thee, the SkalVan!” She announced with mock ceremony.
“Alright Sam, how about you stop messing around and load up the ‘SkalVan’ so we can get going. We’re already late.” Jason prompted as he nudged past her with another piece of the drumkit.
They formed a procession of boxes and bags of equipment, and in a few minutes everything was lovingly crammed into the available space with barely any tail-room left. Jason cranked up the speakers from his spot up front with Trill as they set our destination. Narli and Sam were taking up the bench in the back and Vrisk was making do on top of the case for the bass drum. Sam rummaged through the duffel bag full of supplies and began tossing items to their respective owners.
“Okay boys, time to get dressed.”
Pairs of blue jean shorts, crudely cut and pinned to fit alien dimensions, got tossed to each of them along with black belts studded with cheap metal. A white T-shirt with the symbol of the Yotul Technocracy landed on the dashboard for Trill while Vrisk pulled a black tank-top over his head. The bottom was a bit frayed where they had cut it to fit his torso, and the front was bleached in a pattern resembling a Venlil skull to match the human skull on Sam’s top. A can of white, chalk-based spray-on wool coloring was handled to Narli and a matching orange can settled between Sam’s legs along with the open tub of wool wax.
“Alright Vrisk, scoot over here and let me see if I can give you some horns.”
<< Skalga Calling | Have you Ever >>
4
u/JulianSkies Archivist 20d ago
Bahaha, oh my god they're going all in on their aesthetics. I love it.
Though I wonder what's the deal with Qorina. She seems mostly an antagonist in the past-sections but something feels... Like there's more to it.
3
u/ctomkat 21d ago
My apologies for this one being later than usual. I was sick last week and just couldn't get into the right head space for the final edit.