This is a Tyranid fiction piece for a contest at Warpshadow. The subject of the contest is Spooks, Lictors, in other words. Aside from that, we had the freedom to write whatever we wanted. Some took the point of view of the Prey, others that of the Lictor. The Prey perspective is easier to write, since, well, we all know how humans think. On the other hand, it can be very interesting trying to get in the head of a alien creature that thinks very alien thoughts. I decided that there were a number of ideas and scenes and visuals I wanted to include, but I didn't want to do outright fights. Not only are Lictors traditionally bad at stand-up fights, the contest has a number of very good entries that feature them already. Finally, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted the reader to get involved in the story, so I decided on a 2nd person perspective. That way it becomes You, Lictor. I'm not entirely sure I'm happy with it yet, but I'm going to put it up anyway, give it a day and see if I think I need to add anything else, then I'll submit it to Warpshadow. So, without further ado, here's the story...

Welcome Home

Minute vibrations rouse you from the dormant state. Prey are returning to the area, just as you knew they would. Sliding out from between a nest of pipes, you can faintly hear their calls to each other. This is their nest, but while they were away, you have made it your home. Crawling through the darkness, you navigate by hearing the echoes of your faint sounds. A prickling sensation comes as you pass a metal box. You can feel energy pulsing faintly inside the box, energy that goes through veins in the wall. One vein leads toward the Prey and you follow it. The prey-noises are louder now and you can scent them. Moving more cautiously now, your feeder tendrils writhe in the air, trying to taste them. Ah, a taste. Salty and earthy, with a sweet background to it. The Prey is close. By the vibrations, it is coming this way.

Spreading out along the ceiling, you become one with your surroundings. Your cycles slow almost to dormancy as the Prey approaches. It is very loud and makes unnecessary movements and sounds as it passes underneath you. From the faint vibrations in the walls, you can tell others are nearby. The Prey passes underneath and continues on, unaware. You drop to the floor behind it, matching your footsteps to its rhythm. You follow it until it is further from the others. It never even looks back. You spring forward and grip it to you with your claws as your talons strike. The attack is over in an instant and you pause to listen for reactions from other Prey. As you listen, your feeder tendrils burrow into the Prey's cranium and begin to taste. As you taste, you begin remembering. Coming to this place with many others and spreading out to prepare this place for the fight. As you clean up the body and feed in a corner, you remember some of the plans for the upcoming fight against the Hive.

These Prey animals are stupid. Your first several kills have gone completely unnoticed. As you leap upon the next Prey, you strike again and again with your talons, leaving a spray of blood on the walls before dragging the body away. After a short time, you can sense a difference in the pulse of this hive. While workers still roam the hallways, they now travel in small groups and have at least one warrior with them.

One group passes near your hiding place and you follow them. They move more cautiously now, looking back and forth. These Prey know they are hunted. You can taste their fear as you stalk them from above. The two workers are walking in front of the warrior. As the workers stop, you drop down on the Warrior. Looking right into the eyes of one of the workers, you plunge both talons straight through the chest of the warrior. It dies silently and collapses as you retract your talons. The worker that you are looking at crumples into a ball and starts making high-pitched keening noises. The air fills with a new scent of fear as the other worker runs screaming away from you. As you approach the shivering worker, you can hear the other caroming off walls as it runs in a blind panic. You swiftly pull the head off of the worker and leap away, leaving the bodies to be found by more of the Prey.

The memories from this worker give you many more details about the hive around you and the Prey that call it home. You follow the maze-like passageways swiftly and silently, listening for other Prey. You come to a sealed door. Although there is the pulse of energy and machines behind the door, you detect no Prey. You remember standing at this door and pressing buttons on the little box next to it. Reaching out with a claw, you press the tiny buttons in sequence. There is a click and the door slides open. Access! You walk into the chamber and find the walls covered with machines. Remembering the different machines and how they operate is a difficult task, but soon you are using the senses of this hive. You can hear the panic in the voices of the Prey and you can see it in their movements. There is a chamber not far away where a number of the prey are preparing to hunt for you. After starting a fire in this chamber, you head through the air tunnels toward that chamber.

Your memories tell you where this tunnel goes and you crawl along silently. As the tunnel enters the chamber, you notice another box humming with energy. Passing by it, you listen to the Prey below. They are very excited. Excited and scared. Weapons are being given out and you can taste both the oil and the fear. After determining where the Prey are, you crawl back to the humming box and rip out one of the veins going into it. As the chamber is plunged into darkness, you rip through the tunnel floor and fall upon one of the Prey. As you grab it, you let it scream before you slice its throat. The rest of the prey start firing their weapons in all directions, sometimes hitting each other. You leap behind a stack of boxes and run away, leaving them in panic.

You curl up around your latest prey and begin to feed. Suddenly you have new information and a desire! The Great Hive is coming soon. Most of the preparations are in order, but there is one thing left to do. Tossing aside your meal, you slither into the air tunnels again and head toward the upper levels. Your senses and silent movement allow you to bypass most of the Prey here, but there are two warriors at the main door. They are alert, but they are so focused on the outside that you can move up right behind one. You grab the Prey with one claw and twist its head with the other until it snaps off. The other warrior turns and looks at you, open-mouthed. Even as your talons scythe forward, however, it releases a volley of beams from its weapon. Your thorax burns horribly, but you know you can live through it. You must not fail the Great Hive! The second warrior dead, you run out the main door and head for one of the towers. The air is thick with spores and there are many, many warriors up on the walls, firing. Prey-that-fights challenges the Great Hive, but soon it will claim its prize.

The tower is very tall and your thorax still burns from the beams of the warrior, but you must climb. A ripple of muscles and the Flesh Hooks dart out, digging into the metal and pulling you upward. Feet and toes scrabbling for purchase, your talons and flesh hooks probe ever upwards as you scale the tower. Climbing, climbing. The agony in your thorax no longer burns, but you can feel it getting colder and starting to sap your strength. Water from the sky makes the surface slick, but you continue on. Ignoring the sounds of battle below, you reach the top. There are huge lights here, illuminating the forces of the Great Hive when they approach the walls. A flick of a claw rips through an energy vein and plunges this section of the wall into darkness. You hear the screams of panic below as the defenses collapse.

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