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Tyranid Lictor by redbristles
Hey, I'm Nethertwist, joined this site a while ago, not very active. I did an article a while ago called the Hunger for Tyranid fiction. It got great reviews so here is something similar. Enjoy.
Instinct: A Predatory Tale
The prey was closer now.
I move silently, foliage barely bending around me as I slip through the gaps stealthily. I have no guidance; the Hive Mind abandoned me many miles ago. I am not afraid: I have been bred for this. Bred to resist the animalistic behavior that plagues other, less sophisticated organisms. I know my mission. It is hard-coded into the very pheromones I secrete.
Search and destroy.
They suspect. I am sure. I have been sloppy. But the kill will redeem all. The one in the golden armour, the Hive Mind had bid. He is the prize. He is the prey. He does not suspect. It is the others, the guards. They are wary. They too must be destroyed.
A jungle beast growls. They turn. But they cannot see. My scales blend perfectly with the environment. My talons are branches, my claws twigs. They rely on sight alone. That is why they are inferior.
A laser shot stabs out, incinerating the small beast's brain, cauterizing the wound it created. The sound is muffled by the dense jungle. One of my tendrils curls slightly. The smoke carries information, vital to the hunt. The gun is low on power.
Soon.
They resume their march. I don't know where they are going. I don't care where they are going. I only know I must follow.
Soon.
One of them is falling behind. He is wounded. The traces of blood have been tantalizing me for days now. They are stronger, much stronger. I can almost taste it already. He stops to rest, the others carrying on.
He is mine.
A talon lashes out, snagging his armour. He is pulled into my embrace almost instantly, my arm slamming into his throat to silence his scream before it happens. My tendrils wrap around his unprotected head, penetrating, seeking. Cerebral fluid, rich with information, flows from his brain. I find what is useful to me. The prey are near their destination. If I do not strike quickly, they may evade me.
Unacceptable.
I had planned on waiting until night fell. This would not be possible. I do not feel anger. I do not feel frustration. Only the need to correct the situation. Only the need to complete my mission. To hunt my prey.
I have tarried. I move on, leaving the lifeless body of the guard for the jungle beasts. Vestigal fluid leaks out of the mangled top half of his head.
I have caught up with the prey now. They are happier now. They are close to their goal. They can escape.
Unacceptable.
The first one dies instantly, my talon sweep severing his neck messily. The one beside him I pin to a tree with my other talon, his screams punctuating the subdued forest. The blood tempts me but I have other objectives. The others are screaming. There are three left: two guard and my golden target.
They still cannot see me, only the talons. One lasblast hits my carapace. The other fries my wrist joint. It hurts but it is not disabled. Enraged, I lunge forward, grabbing the head and legs of the guard. Screaming, I pull him apart at the midsection in an explosion of blood and entrails, now fully visible. The blood tastes good. The blood tastes delicious.
My target counterattacks, his bodyguard running screaming into the depths of the forest. Burning claws rake my flank astonishingly. I scream again, spinning around to attack him with all appendages. He has hurt me. I will destroy him.
I will complete my mission.
I will destroy my prey.
My talons rip off his arms, serrated edges lacerating the flesh. I grab him, hot blood flowing across my claws, and stuff his head greedily into my mouth. His skull collapses under the pressure with a crunch and a rush of brain fluid.
Delicious.
A change happens inside my body. The chemical makeup of the pheromones I secrete is changing. The mission has been completed. The signal is out.
Soon, I will be with the Hive Mind once again.
