Strange Creature

An Iron Age Media Prompt - “The Acropolis”

In retrospect, walking to the drop-off point may have been a mistake. With the convenience of landing yards away from a city came prying eyes and talkative mouths, neither of which were helpful in her line of work. Plus, she liked the quiet. Can’t have a life of non-stop violence and excitement or I’d lose my mind.

Jen’s wrist display buzzed at her angrily. She’d programmed it to detect vibrations of certain types, keeps dangerous creatures and aliens from sneaking up on her. Unfortunately, encountering a new alien or creature for the first time in order to learn what their vibration patterns are had put her through quite a few tough spots already. At least it keeps things exciting. Based on the pattern, there was a pretla approaching from about 40 yards to her right, nasty creatures.

Lucky for me they don’t have a great sense of smell. Actually, I guess it’s not entirely luck, I’ve just done my homework well. You don’t make it long in this galaxy wandering around blindly anywhere.

She took her blaster out of her holster and waited to see the pretla pounce from the nearby cliff above. 30 yards, 20 yards. Breathe. Just breathe and shoot.

RRRAAAAH!

BLAM!

Well, that was easy. I suppose unsuspecting targets really are much easier to hunt. Without the element of surprise, the pretla is short work for an experienced hand. Wait, just one pretla? They hunt in packs…

She began walking forward, as a few blips appeared on her wrist display not far ahead. In fact, they were just at the top of this hill. I can peer around this rock and see what’s going on. She heard the distinctive sound of pretlas.

What the-?

A small silver cylinder clattered onto the ground a few feet behind the pretlas, who were too busy wrestling with each other to notice.

Stun gren-

BWAAAMMMM

Holy %*&!#, my ears!

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing, which was nothing.

The stupid stun grenade let off a blinding and deafening flash before I had time to even process what was happening.

She’d drawn and aimed her blaster instinctively, which was pointless at this moment because she still couldn’t see anything.

She desperately wiped at her eyes with the back of her left hand while flashes of images ahead of her slowly started to fade into visibility. The pretlas were all growling at each other but to her amazement, they were all in individual nets.

“Wow, an actual alpha in the wild” came a voice from the other side of the rock crag she was currently hugging for cover.

Who the heck is this guy and what is he doing hunting pretlas in the middle of the desert? Well, one way to find out but no sense putting myself at a disadvantage.

She waited until, moments later, a man in a suit camouflaged to blend in with the light brown rocks of this desert approached the captured pretlas. She hated to admit it but it was an impressive suit, clearly meticulously made with an eye for color detail.

“Voice log entry 39: I have captured three pretlas. One appears to be the alpha based on the length of their horns compared to the others.”

She’d never heard of the pretlas having alpha leaders. A savage creature leaping at you is hardly the time to measure the length of its horns compared to the others.

“Freeze. Raise your hands, slowly.” she commanded calmly. For all I know this nutjob is going to release these guys in town to sow chaos or use them for some other nefarious purpose. I’ve never seen someone not immediately blast a pretla so not doing so is incredibly suspicious.

 “Jeez! I thought I was alone” the strange man said as he started to turn around to face her.

“Stop! I didn’t say to turn around”

“Oh! Sorry!”

“Raise your hands slowly,” she said again, a slight edge seeping into her voice. She didn’t think this guy was particularly dangerous but he was certainly behaving strangely which was making her uneasy. She hated surprises.

“I…I don’t have any money on me”

“I’m not robbing you”

“Oh, that’s a relief” His arms relaxed slightly which made Jen’s left arm twitch. Nervous tick or something. “What do you want then?” he asked hesitantly.

“What are you doing out here? Bounty hunter? Game hunter?”

“What? What kind of people do you normally encounter?”

“Just answer the question”

“Right, well, I’m glad you asked!” he chirped, causing Jen to immediately get the sense that she was going to soon regret asking that.

“My name is Hylian Rafe and I am a conservationist, researcher, biologist…”

“Not a job interview, get to the point”

“Ah sorry, I tend to ramble when I’m nervous, excited, intrigued…”

“Focus! Why. Are. You. Here?”

“I am researching creatures across the galaxy”

“So that’s why you used the stun grenade and the nets”

“Precisely. I don’t kill”

“Probably not something you should say to a stranger with a blaster”

“You don’t sound like a killer to me”

“Is that so?”

“I mean not because you're female, it's just you seem kinda nice, in a scary way. Also, you haven't killed me yet.”

“You know all about creatures and you don’t know that some like to play with their food first?”

“A valid point with a concerning implication…”

“Relax, I’m not going to kill you. I was just passing through when I ran into those pretlas”

“Oh, no…You weren’t hit by the stun grenade, were you?”

“I was in fact which is why I felt compelled to find out what would possess someone to be tossing stuns in the middle of a desert with pretlas around”

“And yet you sound relatively unscathed and unshaken. Wow, you are quite resilient. What-”

“I’m not a creature to be researched”

“Sorry, force of habit. Can I turn around now? I assure you I mean you no harm.”

“Sure, I’m more concerned about the sacks of pure anger and killing force you have sitting behind you”

“I’ve studied pretlas considerably over the years. This is one of my first in-person encounters. The trick is to know what they fear”

“Nets?”

“No, the fearsome magwa which are one of the few creatures for which the pretla is the prey, not predator”

“Never heard of a magwa”

“Oh, they are truly magnificent creatures. Arms that could tear a ship wing in half like it was ripping up fabric. Solo hunters but more than capable of taking on a pack of pretlas.”

“How many stun grenades do you have on you right now”

“Seven”

“That’s quite a bit of firepower. Can I have one?”

“Can you stop pointing your blaster at me?”

“I suppose”

“Then sure! I’m all for the use of non-lethal forces on creatures. Do you have much experience with pretlas?”. He tossed her a stun grenade from his pack.

“Unfortunately. In my travels, I’ve run into them several times. Never a fun or long encounter.”

“I see. Fascinating. How would you describe them?”

“Teeth the size of my middle finger, enough biting force to chomp through an unreinforced panel of metal...or bone, hunt in packs of 4 or 5, bipedal and horned, and a bad temper.”

“That does seem to corroborate some of the writings I have found about their ferocious nature”

“And yet you pursue them anyway. Aren’t scientists supposed to be smart?”

“When it comes to knowledge, the risks are worth it. That said, I do my best to be careful. This suit for instance keeps me quite safe to observe the pretlas in their natural habitat.”

“You’re quite strange, you know that, right?”

“Ha! I…yes I’ve been told that many times before. What brings you to Falaxis?” His eyes narrowed on her in concentration. “Bounty hunter?”

“Close. I’m just a deliverer. What makes you think I’m a bounty hunter?”

“You seem to know your way around a blaster, you’ve survived encounters with pretlas, and you’re kinda scary”

“Fair enough”

“What exactly does being a deliverer entail?”

“I take something from one place and deliver it somewhere else”

“I see. I get the sense that this is a deceptively dangerous job based on your general appearance and energy”

“You presume correctly, moving valuable equipment can attract thieves and other such fools in search of a quick profit”

“Do you get lonely, traveling all around by yourself?”

“Not particularly. What about you?”

“Oh, my creature friends make for great company. Radja, a trafla, is practically a research assistant at this point”

“You keep a trafla in your ship?! Are you out of your mind?”

“Perhaps, he’s really nice once he gets to know you. Before then, he can be a bit…temperamental.”

“I don’t believe it…”

“I can introduce you to him if you want”

“That’s quite alright, thanks. I’d like to stay amongst the living for at least a little longer if it’s all the same to you”

“Your loss, he really is something else”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

Lost in conversation, neither noticed the pretlas squirming around as they chewed through the backside of the nets. One of the pretlas slowly burrowed out through the hole they had chewed though until they freed themself and began slowly stalking towards Hylian.

Bzzzz!

What would have been otherwise imperceptible, Jen’s monitor thankfully picked up, tipping her off just in time.

“Look out!” she yelled at Hylian as the escaped pretla pounced towards him.

“What? Nooo!”

A quick blaster burst through the horned skull of the former alpha pretla removed the most pressing threat from the situation. If one of them escaped, maybe the other two…

As she fully realized the implication, the other two pretlas, waved their heads around, flinging off their nets. They moved in parallel, their cold eyes affixed on Hylian.

Hylian put his hands over his mouth and made an indescribable yell.

WUKA WUKA WUKAAAAAA!

The two pretlas froze immediately the moment the cry began. Their eyes darting around in every direction.

“The netgun…on my back” Hylian whispered to Jen.

Seriously? After almost getting devoured by an alpha pretla, this guy still wants to keep them alive? I’ve seen some crazy people in my time but this is definitely up there. Usually, crazy people were out of their minds on drugs or from a culture that idolized violence. His focus and relentlessness towards his goal is admirable in a backward sort of way.

As Jen slowly approached Hylian, the two remaining pretlas’ eyes immediately snapped onto her.

WUKA WUKA WUKAAAAAA!

This time they didn’t seem phased. They continued to stare at Jen, growling lowly.

“Time for plan B” Hylian said and pressed a button on his left glove. Suddenly there were Hylians everywhere, their motions all synchronous. Jen reached out to what she hoped was the actual Hylian as he hadn’t moved yet.

The appearance of a bunch of Hylians did seem to confuse the pretlas.

As the pretlas began pouncing on what turned out to be hologram after hologram of Hylian, Jen snatched the net gun and with two precise shots, captured both pretlas.

“Nice shooting there,” Hylian said, pressing the button to dismiss the holograms. “Thankfully pretlas don’t have the best sense of smell, otherwise a hologram wouldn’t be of much use.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I am sorry I killed the alpha pretla. Seemed like he meant a lot to you.”

“I am grateful that you saved my life yet simultaneously melancholy at the loss of potential knowledge and discovery that passes with his death”

Jen took a small blaster from her right ankle holster.

“Here, I want you to have this. I know you don’t like to kill but sometimes you don’t have a choice. And sometimes it might be a person or alien, not a creature. The gun is really meant for teaching kids to shoot or for drunk target practice but I think it’ll work for you”

“Wow, that is very kind of you. Thank you. I hope I never have to use it but appreciate having it just in case”

“Why do you do this anyway? What’s your endgame?”

“I’m fighting for creatures’ rights”

“Rights? Like they get to vote or something?”

“Ha, no not like that, although that is an interesting premise…”

Hylian stared off into the distance, clearly pondering the voting criteria a trafla would look for in a candidate or something.

“Hylian”

“What? Oh, right. Between sport hunters and poachers, creatures are getting hunted across the galaxy without remorse or any second thought. They don’t even do it for sustenance, it's just greed or a power trip for them. It’s disgusting.”

“Doesn’t that go against the rule of nature, only the strong survive or whatever?”

“Perhaps. But this hunting goes beyond what is natural. It has nothing to do with aliens or other beings sustaining their own existence. It’s a game to some, a job for others who sell unique pelts and other such disgusting trophies”

“Hmm, I guess I’d never really given it much thought before”

“Given how many creatures can, and sometimes will, rip people’s heads off or otherwise tear one apart, it is easy for people to see it as pest control. As harmless as pruning a plant.”

“Doesn’t that hurt the plant though?”

“Maybe it does, but usually the gardener stops before there is no plant left”

“Fair point”

“What are you delivering or picking up, if I may ask?”

“You can ask, I just won’t answer,” she said with a slight smirk

“Ha, a byproduct of the profession. I respect your commitment to discretion”

“What’s the strangest creature you’ve ever come across, anyway?”

“Hmm, I suppose the zafta I ran into on Mostlua. Not many of those are left in the wild or captivity. What about you?”

“You”

“Ha, fair enough. Well, best of luck with your delivery or pick up!”

“Give that trafla a high five for me.”

“I certainly will,” he said with a smile as Jen walked away.