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nighmares-art-and-stories · 1 year

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Not Always Invincible - Chapter 2: Suspicions

Illtharya slowly padded down the corridor to the exploration ship, her claws clicking on the stone and metal floor. She didn’t dare grip the ground too hard for the fear of flaking off material from the ground and compromising the integrity of the structure.

This is the first time her claws have left the comfort of the tree city in the Eteri Mountains, and the swaying rhythm of the wind. She is excited of the opportunity of course, with the chance to see and experience things that lie beyond the calm comforts of her world. Of course, like any sane species, she was hesitant to take the offer when she was chosen for the New Worlds program. What helped her make the decision is when her brother decided to join.

Illtharya was thrilled to learn that there are going to be other deathworlders in this dangerous trip of exploring other worlds in the Norma arm of the galaxy. She heard stories from people that have already left this world and explored the world of the stars. They spoke of Paradise worlds, worlds where everything simply falls into your jaws, and Garden worlds, worlds where there are as many species as there are stars in the galaxy. All those stories made her want to see the yonder with her eyes and scent it with her tongue. However, all those stories seem to share one theme. The people living there are spineless worms, standing on their pedestal and looking down at the deathworlders for breaking 'perfection'. She hopes that the other deathworlders would at least understand the struggle to live, laugh, and love in spite of the dangers present in their worlds.

She didn't notice when her foot left the corridor and into the ship until a blast of cold moisturized air hit her like swinging into a pregnant Snora bird when she was learning to branch. That have snapped her out of her musings. Illtharya then turned her attention to the crew standing on each side of the ship hallway.

They number to about ten or fifteen members on either side. Some with wings and claws, others with antennae and carapace. Some stood tall and met her gaze while others look like they wanted to melt into the metal floor. To her disappointment, they stank with the sweet musk of a well-cared gardens. She tried to not wrinkle her muzzle like she had gotten a whiff of day-old meat. Instead, she decided to look around the tiny space. Many of the people on the ship looks like they have caught something that’s foul in their mouth. Some had their fins open others have completely disappeared, with only the acrid scent of fear betraying their position.

Fear. They fear that we are going to eat them.

Claws gripped her heart and squeezed, making her want to get out of the ship and melt into the firm yet gentile embrace of her sire. She wished she had spent a few moments more in her parents calloused but caring tails. She shook herself and pushed longing far into the back of her mind. Only then did she notice the large Umnak with the vibrant green scales speaking to the crew. A color not found in the Eteri Mountains. He caught sight of Illtharya and used one of his claws to pick at one of the bioluminescent scales on his arm, dimly flashing it and one on his shoulder three times in rapid succession between dim, bright then to dim again.

'All fish. Easily jump.'

His strange accent caused her to look back at him in confusion and shock. Illtharya pressed the scales on the back of her neck back and hissed, "Where are you from?"

The male seemed to realize something before he started to flash his scales again but in a different pattern. ‘All prey. Easily scared.’

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You didn't answer my question."

Illtharya felt a small tap on her arm. Her brother had somehow snuck up behind her. His eyes had a mischievous twinkle in them before he lifted his tail and flashed a stripe three times. 'Squidbrain'. Illtharya wanted to paw him full in the face when he said that, but instead bared one of her fangs at him.

The green scaled male then turned to the crew and said, "This is the rest of the Umnaks on this voyage." He made a show of turning towards us, while curling his tail in a S-shape and flashing a stripe on his tail, 'Mouse. Snail.'. She ignored him. "They shall introduce themselves."

Illtharya took the cue and stood on her hind legs to free up her hands. She prodded her brother until he gave his full attention, letting out an annoyed huff as he did so. She then tapped her neck three times, on the third tap, letting her one of her claws slip under a scale. ‘Let me do the talking’. Her bother nodded.

“I'm Illtharya, I'm from the Eteri Mountains. This is my brother; his name is Pyrnalax.” She wrapped her tail around his shoulders and led him away from the staring eyes and the acrid tang of fear.

She marched into the hallway marked with their words for people, claw-mate. A large flap covered it. She opened the flap with her claws, revealing a hall filled with metallic vines and large platforms and rooms with similar flaps. She then used her powerful neck to open the first door in the hallway. A small bedroom with a nest covered with soft plush-pelts, and soft synthetic furs beckoned at her, making the cold ship seem at least somewhat welcoming. Pyrnalax stood on his hind legs and grabbed a metallic vine and pulled at it. It didn’t snap. Satisfied, he quickly jumped on the vine and climbed to the top so that his tail is swinging in the air.

“What do you think?”, hissed Illtharya.

Pyrnalax rolled around on his vine and gave a muffled growl “What do you mean?”

Illtharya rolled her eyes before sinking into a plush. “Is it just me or are the people on the brig all scared of us?”

“You mean the fear-scent?”

Illtharya smiled before sighing, "Oh, I see that you have finally improved."

Her brother's scales turned blue with embarrassment. "H-Hey, that was that one time."

Pyrnalax swung from the vine with his tail and landed on the soft nest in the corner of the room, missing Illtharya by a scale length. His claws dug into the soft pelts, causing some to rip. He then turned his head very slowly to face Illtharya.

“Though seriously, they are new, we are new. Plus, I’m willing to bet my tail that they have only seen people that have developed from prey species. If that is true, then we must be like monsters to them.”

He got up from the nest and slunk into a hunting position and stalked towards Illtharya. She reared up to her full height and hissed, exposing the large fangs next to the canines. Randas stopped stalking her and went back to a more neutral position, tail curled up in delight.

“See? My point exactly.”

Illtharya wrinkled her nose and let out a long breathy sigh. She didn’t get it. Afterall, they are all people. Sure, there are different pressures on each planet, forcing them to develop differently but that would simply contribute to the diversity of life throughout the galaxy.

Pyrnalax stared at her eyes and scales intensely before lifting the ones around his neck and waving them in an undulating pattern like a small wave.

‘Disappointment’.

Pyrnalax waggled his tail-blade in front of Illtharya's face in exasperation. “You don’t get it.”

“I don’t.”

Pyrnalax then made a clapping sound by slamming the scales on his arms against each other. ‘You can’t be serious.’

“Those people see our play and they see massive violence. Did you see the little alien on the metallic vine from earlier? The poor thing looked like it wanted to melt into it.” Pyrnalax stopped to catch his breath, “Plus, we have just been welcomed in their new community two summers ago, they must be trying to keep their distance for fear that they’ll somehow offend us.”

Illtharya bobbed her head in agreement, her brother’s argument did make sense after all, but there is one thing that is bugging her, like a little insect buried itself beneath her scales.

“I get what you mean.” She stopped to walk to the threshold of their room, and beckoned to her brother, flashing the bioluminescent scales around her spine intermittently while flapping them. ‘Let’s watch.’

Her brother then slid into a crouch, lifting his claws so that they won’t click against the cold metal floor. Illtharya did the same, sinking into a crouch so low that the sensitive plates on her belly brushed against the floor. Together, they glided to the flap of the hallway, lifting it so that they could scent the air. The familiar gardenworld musk wafted up Illtharya's nose. However, a mix of new scents had mixed in, making her sneeze. There are two distinct scents now, the familiar grassy scent of the Esteens, and a musky scent that almost made her think that there are five different new species on board. It has the musk of prey but at the same time they sang with the sharp tang of Fury.

Illtharya could barely stop herself from jumping around like a hatchling. Deathworlders finally. She then stuck her entire head out of the flap, ignoring her brother as he tried to pry her back in.

They were short, bipedal, covered in artificial skins and scales. Whatever skin showed however, dazzled her eyes by the sheer amount of variety. The being in the front of the little pack had skin the color of burned-down embers. The one next to the dark one had skin, a white so pale, Illtharya could see its red blood flowing beneath. There are three more of the people, one has skin the color of tempered wood and the other two had skin of yellow ochre.

These new beings have lithe forearms supported by broad shoulders and powerful legs. They have clawless talons, yet nothing Illtharya seen could show that they are made for the climb as well as these beings.

All those observations paled in comparison to the two beings with the ochre skin. Those two beings looked exactly the same, like someone pulled a reflection from a looking glass and made it into a real creature of meat and blood.

She flicked her tongue out tasting the air, half expecting them to smell the same. To her surprise, one smelled of sand, sea, and the things that live under the waves. The other had the sharp scent of various chemicals that belong solely in labs and machines.

These beings then grouped together putting their arms around their shoulders so that they created a tight-knit circle. The translator implanted into her neck produced static and then stilted words.

"We…Hu’mans…. Belong to … Solar system …. Seven major Countries. "

I wasn't aware that these beings know how to clone things. If that is the case, then these humans are much more advanced than they seem. Those colors. They seem to be able to edit their genetic code as well.

After the introductions, the members in the crew scattered like feathers in the wind. The Hu’mans and the Esteens going into separate hallways marked with strange symbols that Illtharya thought might be their language. The other Umnaks that didn’t go in the little hallway flowed in.

She grabbed her brother by the wrist and pulled him towards their room. “Can’t you wait?”

Pyrnalax glared at her, his pupils narrowed into little black slits in his eyes. His all of his bioluminescent scales shining blue and green in full force.

Illtharya jumped up and grabbed the edge of a platform with her talons and quickly pulled herself up. “Did you seriously not notice how the two Hu’mans in the back look exactly the same?”

Pyrnalax waved his tail in a large arc lazily, while shining the bioluminescent stripes on his flank. “Yeah, I noticed, I’m oblivious but not that oblivious.” He pulled his hand from Illtharya’s grip and rubbed it. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Illtharya bounced on her platform, ignoring her brother when he started to chur. “Always the baby I see.”

He waved his tail in a slow manner, mocking the way the elderly holds their tails, and in a voice that is so quiet that it could be mistaken for a small breeze. “Back when I was a fledg –”

Illtharya smacked him with a metallic vine.

“Seriously, do you have to make fun of everything I do?” Pyrnalax flapped his scales before climbing onto the platform as well and draping his tail over Illtharya’s shoulder.

“They are clones.” She blurted out.

“What?”

“They are clones.” Illtharya started to bounce again, forcing Pyrnalax to press her down to prevent them both from falling to the ground. “If we get to know them, then maybe we could learn from them.”

Pyrnalax was quiet, “Why don’t you just knock on their door and ask?”

Illtharya looked at him, a spark entered her once again. She bobbed her head in agreement, “That’s a good idea.”

She leapt from the platform and landed on the floor in a thump. And lifted the flap to their room. Making sure to not make any more noise than necessary. With movements that is as quiet as a soft breeze, and as smooth as a small babbling creek, she walked to hallway she saw the Hu’mans walk into, hesitating at the threshold.

Making up her mind, she walked in and looked at each of the doors littering the hallway, letting her translator interpret the symbols on the doors. She flicked her tongue out tasting the air for the scent of an ocean and the sharp scents of various chemicals.

Illtharya stopped in front of the door and tapped it with her tail. A couple of heartbeats later it opened, and she saw one of the clones.

She bobbed her head and lifted her head so that her neck is exposed, “Hello, my name is Illtharya.”

#hfy #ao3 writer #writeblr #humans are space orcs #Not Always Invincible #original character #aliens #science fiction

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