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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/YakiTapioca on 2024-12-24 23:18:15+00:00.

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Here’s the chapter I owe y’all from last Sunday. I’ll make sure to get another one out on the 29th so that I can get back on normal schedule. As for the chapter itself, I’m really proud of this one. It’s got a mix of everything I love, wholesome character interactions, solid worldbuilding, and a palpable sense of conflict. Also, it finally gives me a great opportunity (that I sorta missed in the earlier chapters) by giving Philani some real meaningful screentime, which will be important going forward. My editors seemed to agree, so I’m feeling great about getting it out there for you all.

As always, I hope you enjoy reading! :D

Note: This is a Fanfic of the [Nature of Predators](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/u19xpa/the_nature_of_predators/) series by u/SpacePaladin15, that is being reposted from the r/NatureofPredators sub. Please support the original content.

Thank you to BatDragon, LuckCaster, AcceptableEgg, OttoVonBlastoid, and Philodox for proofreading, concept checking, and editing RfD.

Thank you to Pampanope on reddit for the cover art.

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INTERMISSION 3: Fehnel
======================

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**Memory Transcript Subject:** Fehnel, Yotul immigrant, owner and caretaker of Cloudtop Farms

**Date: [Standardized Human Time]:** December 12, 2136

The heat of the strayu forge blazed, sending a subtle heat out into the kitchen and combating the endless creeping of winter chill, made only colder by the onslaught of rain pouring down around the house. What had up until a few scratches ago been the gentle taps of a mid-season drizzle soon quickly escalated into a brutal storm within the time it took to flick an ear. And with it, the insidious weeds of worry grew amidst the fur about my body, raising it in all sorts of uncomfortable ways.

The thoughts of how my fields were weathering passed through my head a number of times, yes. It was natural for a farmer to be concerned over if the soil would become upturned or drowned during a normal rain, and even more so under a torrent of this scale. But that was not something I could do much about now, and would only be able to check on once the storm ended. No, what really worried me was my daughter. I had sent her out to man the market stall in my absence while I worked on setting tarps around the farm and checking the waterproofing. I told her to only come back early if the storm worsened, and while that was the case with her likely on her way home now, I did not expect for the weather to escalate this fast.

*‘What if the truck swerves wrong on the road and she crashes?’* I couldn’t help but think. *‘What if some fog rolls in and blinds her? What if the engine fails and she’s stuck out in the cold by herself?’*

My breath hitched slightly, and I felt the urge to go running towards the door. I might not have another working car, but maybe if I fiddled with the crop rover I could–

“Hey Mrs. Fehnel?” a voice called out to me. “You doing alright? You’re looking a bit on edge.”

My tail whipped around, accidentally bumping into a hollow cabinet on the side of the kitchen’s main island and bringing me back into the moment. The person who I’d brought on to help around the farm recently, a Human named Philani, sat on the opposite side of me. Despite him currently sitting down with his elbows resting casually on the countertop, his large form still overshadowed me slightly, even as I stood before him at full height. I imagined the sight would have freaked out any other Federation member species, but I wasn’t the type of person to judge another based solely off their surface appearance. How ironic would that have been, coming from a Yotul of all people. Besides, after hardly a few conversations with the giant, furless alien, I couldn’t ignore the simple fact that he was an absolute sweetheart. Perhaps still a bit sassy and rough around the edges here and there, but caring all the same. And the more prevalent that fact became in my mind, the more I felt whatever tiny threads of intimidation that still existed fade away into nothing.

“Uhh… yeah, hun,” I replied, before shaking my head and forcing my whirring mind to stay still. “Sorry ‘bout that. Just a bit concerned about Kadew, is all. Hopin’ she hasn’t gotten too caught up in the storm.”

Philani raised his shoulders, before dropping them back down lazily. He flashed me one of those iconic Human smiles and replied, “Hey, can’t blame you there. Only natural for a parent to get worried about their kid. Doubly so for Kadew. She’s got a head hotter than a lit furnace.”

“Which is exactly why I worry,” I replied with a sigh. “You know how she’s been struggling a lot in school this past semester. It’s been making her so stressed. And I can’t help but feel that it’s been getting worse…”

“Huh, I wonder what could *possibly* be adding to that stress,” Philani replied with a half chuckle. His eyes drifted away from me and began to stare down into the island’s countertop.

My ears drooped a bit at the sight, and I instantly reached forward and placed a paw on his arm. “Well, could be that it’s all sorts’a things. We’ve been experimentin’ with perhaps incorporatin’ spirestalk into our normal rotation recently. But y’know just as much as either of us how difficult that’s been to figure out.”

He looked back up at me and lifted an eyebrow and an exaggerated look of skepticism. “Yeah… the spirestalk. This is absolutely about the spirestalk. Not *anything* else.” Then, he let out a short breath. “Come on. You know just as well as I the real reason she’s stressed.” 

“It’s *called* ‘subtlety,’ hun.”

“I’ll try to remember that the next time she calls me a ‘bloodthirsty predator.’”

At this, my ears and tail fell in tandem. To have the truth thrust so bluntly before me like that felt like a slap in the face, only being doubled once the realization that it had been a quote from my own daughter. I loved Kadew to bits and only wanted her to be happy, so why did the universe punish us by having things turn out this way?

Philani had only been a part of the farm for a week or two now, and already I had seen massive improvements to my life. Not only was the Human’s almost unnatural strength and endurance helpful for the physical labour aspect of work, but he also seemed to be strangely knowledgeable about mechanics, quickly adapting to and learning about the machinery we used everyday around the fields. With even just the one set of helping paws at the ready, I felt as though I might have actually been able to turn a profit this cycle. It was due to Philani’s help that I’d been confident enough to propose that deal with that kind Sylvan boy over at Kadew’s favourite restaurant. Not that ipsom itself was particularly difficult to grow, but there simply wasn’t enough energy in my poor old body for it to just be me and Kadew during her free time anymore.

*‘He was almost a gift sent by Ralchi themself, summoned by the fires of change,’* I thought, yet only feeling the worry well up in my mind even more. *‘So why? WHY is she being so difficult about it?’*

“Philani… I know that things haven’t been perfect, but–”

Before I had a chance to apologize, Philani interrupted me with his own admission. In the span of an instant, his tone had shifted to something remarkably lighthearted.

“Naw, I’m only kidding, Mrs. Fehnel,” Philani replied, and much to my shock once I looked up at him, flashing me another smile. “I used to fight in a regiment. I’ve heard things loads of times worse than that and called it a Tuesday. Besides, how can I get mad at the cute capybara kangaroo people?”

I pulled my paw back and stifled a giggle. Whether it was in response to the comment itself, or just the sheer randomness of it, it had done well to wash out some of the worry I had been trudging through only moments prior.

These Humans were just too much sometimes. Not once in the past twenty cycles on Venlil Prime had an alien expressed genuine admiration for the Yotul, much less such a bold admission that we were apparently “cute” to them. I still didn’t see the resemblance between us and the Terran animals that we supposedly shared a likeness to, but if this was the result, I didn’t quite mind the comparison. It was a far cry better than the normal comments I got on a daily basis.

“Well if that’s the case, I’m glad that you’re doing fine,” I said, attempting to hide a bit of the green bloom that had formed around my ears. “You’ve been a big help ever since you started comin’ here, and I wouldn’t be right happy with myself if you started to dislike it.”

“Good to know I’ve been able to assist with reaching all the high shelves around here.”

I stifled another giggle. “Oh come now, hun. Ya know it’s so much more than that. The work you’ve done around here has been such a blessing.”

“You say the word ‘work’ like I’m an actual employee that signed a contract and not someone that just stops by cause I’m bored.”

“Oh! That reminds me, hun. I’ve got your first pay...
***
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