IT LIVES TO HUNT.

𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋  𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑  from  the  movie  prey  2022. low activity, private,  highly  selective,  headcanon  heavy  &  multiverse.   𝚆𝚁𝙸𝚃𝚃𝙴𝙽  𝙱𝚈  𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙹𝙰.   she  /  her  ( 26. )   gmt.   established  september  4th,  2022. read my rules!   triggering  content  present  &  tagged.   𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐄 / sideblog / spotify.

𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐥𝐢𝐞  𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫  𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫  𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬  𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭  𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧?

something along the lines of  ‘ I can handle it. ’  n’heik, among many yautja - and not just ferals, has been trained and taught to fight impeccably.  he’s exceptionally skilled at combat.  save for the fact that he’s never actually gained experience.  the feral yautja failed to enforce learning by doing and with hindsight underdeveloped and reflection not nurtured, n’heik doesn’t learn from his combat mistakes.

he sustains significant injuries, recklessly throws himself head first into a fight and isn’t aware that not every prey fights with brawn.  some prey intelligently utilize both fight and flight combined, as opposed to one or the other.  instead of taking his time to observe and plan ahead, he’ll engage in combat certain he’ll overpower his opponent.  sometimes, he can’t handle it.

𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭  𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝  𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲  𝐝𝐨  𝐢𝐟  𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤  𝐢𝐧  𝐚  𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦  𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧  𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐯𝐞  𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧  𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠?

it depends on his reason for avoiding them.  n’heik is aggressive, above all else, rarely giving in to passive behaviour.  he enjoys confrontation and intentionally seeks it out.  the avoidance would likely be down to disrespect or disinterest, and seeing as he’s not developed the insight to think “teamwork could free us,” or “two heads are better than one,” he’d jump first to violence.  his predatory thought process would have him asking how the individual could benefit him, and should he be unable to come up with anything then it’s always survival of the fittest.

𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧  𝐝𝐨  𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲  𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭  𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭?  𝐡𝐨𝐰  𝐝𝐨  𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲  𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝  𝐭𝐨  𝐢𝐭?

guilt is an extremely complex human emotion that a species like the yautja are unlikely to exhibit, or at least to the level humans do.  as a feral, he was raised to rely on only himself and that it’s the predator and the prey.   while ferals are effectively a family, the dynamic is very different to mankind and other yautja subspecies.  guilt would be very unusual for a feral to experience, as would reacting or behaving in a way to make another feel guilty.

if anything, feelings that oppose guilt are greatly encouraged, such as pride and hostility.  you upset or offend your sibling?  you are the superior one.  you act in a way that brings harm or negativity to another?  you are the superior one.  so for n’heik as an individual, he doesn’t experience guilt.  the most he might feel is the emotions that come with failure.  shame and embarrassment would show themselves as anger, as aggression.

guilt comes with feeling you have done something wrong, and in the world of the feral yautja, the only wrong you can truly do is to disappoint and / or disgrace the creed.  thus, pride and a reckless seeking of honour and achievement keep him driven, to avoid doing so.  but, were he to disgrace the feral creed and his superiors, he’d be cast out or killed.  the only room for guilt would be post-desertion, and even then he’s not psychologically intelligent enough to process such an emotion.  it would be approached as any other in-depth emotion is, through violence and aggression.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐲𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐣𝐚.

do not reblog.  please note:  this post has mentions of cultism & unorthodox views. 

first and foremost, the feral subspecies as a whole are zealots, born into the cult and raised to believe a doctored truth.   they claim to vow to a creed, which guides their behaviours and opinions towards other yautja and towards one another.   ferals broke away from yautja society some time ago, relocating to a dry, desert-like habitat and evolving to adapt to it, meaning they’re isolated from other yautja subspecies and can act as one without influence or intervention.

the topic of “belief system” is vast and cannot be entirely covered in one post, so I’ll mostly be discussing what being a feral yautja means, what comes with being born into the creed, how they function as a unit etc. 

the primary reason ferals split off from other yautja is due to a conflict in beliefs.  ferals believed in the conservation of the primal and primitive side of the yautja.   this includes weaponry, science, technology, honour codes and general natural behaviour.   ferals believe firmly in physical evolution, their culture highly revolving around appreciating available resources, and the maintaining of their savagery.   a subspecies that promotes strength, power, brutality and physical prowess over intelligence, intellect and introspection.   they shun the idea of emotional examination, of fragile egos  -  preferring to hone their inner predator.

while there are elements of yautja culture they have kept, such as the honour code regarding the hunt, they have broken them down and made them their own.   respect plays a large part in feral life, both giving and earning it, oftentimes leading to a superiority complex mindset which they encourage.   examples of this might be the shaming of wearing armour, for requiring armour in the first place means you believe you’re liable to obtain an injury or can be harmed.   

nurturing growth and reflection may be another, the feral predator having been shown to hunt various earth-predators but not exhibiting growth or the ability of hindsight with each one.   as a feral yautja, it’s believed once you have perfected the hunt, you are the perfect hunter.   they fight with muscle and strength, meaning the hunting of intelligent or reflective prey could easily lead to their downfall.   they live to hunt, not to survive  -  two entirely different ways of thinking.

the feral creed permits the use resources around them, such as environmental materials ( bone being one ), to be manufactured into weapons.   and while they have proceeded to use the technology they originally obtained from the amengi, the use of it is merely perfected and implemented into their gear as opposed to seeking the creation of further technology or improving what they have, as the genetic savagery in them is preferred over technological weapons ( hence why hand-to-hand combat is commonly seen with regards to the feral predator. )

being a feral yautja means you vow to embrace your genetics and purpose, to remain brutal, untamed and fearless.   to positively add to the feral reputation and show bravery until the end.   there is a choice provided, upon a feral’s early years, of whether they wish to be a part of the creed.   it is not much of a choice, as those who yearn for more or to stray from the culture and beliefs of the feral yautja are shunned and must survive alone, provided with nothing more than the mark of an apostate.

clans are not permitted among the feral yautja, one single hierarchy meaning elders and superiors have complete control over their development and progression.   clans would risk apostates teaming up to survive.   it could also be a risk to loss of land and power.   those who decide to welcome the creed follow an initiation, to test their loyalty and resolve, when they are old enough.

though still exceptionally young, male yautja are sent off to survive alone for a period of time and are expected to bring back a respectable kill as a gift of thanks for the group’s faith in them.   those who do not return or who fail the initiation are forgotten and / or shunned.   female yautja are not expected to commit to this initiation, as they are integral to the survival of ferals  -  though superiors will consider them if requested.

while strict rules are upheld by the creed, such as the scorning and punishment of ferals who fight one another, there are allowances  -  like how ferals are permitted to hunt and / or fight yautja outside of their own subspecies.   the only fights between ferals allowed are scheduled and overseen by elders.   only blooded yautja and ranks above them are allowed to challenge. if you are challenged, you are not expected to accept but will be judged upon doing so.   if you agree, the loser is decided by the first opponent dead.

there are strict mating rules in place regarding when, where and who in order for the feral population to only thrive.   this, combined with the rules surrounding fighting, often leads to young, male yautja behaving hotheadedly and aggressively.   as for togetherness as a group, feral yautja have close bonds with one another, though are not encouraged to help each other out as individual strength is integral to being a worthy feral.   female yautja are equally expected to partake in the cultural savagery.

𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥  𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬  𝐚𝐧𝐝  𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

do not reblog.

yautja come from varying substrates and climates, depending on their subspecies due to vast evolution.  some exist within jungle habitats, others within colder locations of the planet yautja prime.   it should be noted that, while other subspecies do exist, the majority are not genetically isolated.   the feral yautja, also known as the desert yautja, has evolved to thrive in a drier, desert-like environment.

they have thinner, waxier dreads in comparison to other subspecies, making their senses, balance and self-awareness impeccable - because yautja dreads are far from a mere aesthetic, they are sensory organs that can bleed and cause pain like any other body part.   they hold the same importance as the quills and spines of some animals, minus the sharp spikiness that is known to ward off threats.   it’s not uncommon for female yautja to base their desire to mate on the length of a male’s dreads, the belief being that the longer the dreads, the better and stronger the yautja.

thicker oral tissue helps protect ferals from mouth trauma during chewing (such as the consumption of bone which may have sharp edges, of arachnids like scorpions / creatures with pincers), prevents the entry of toxic substances and bacteria from entering the body as well as holding larger saliva glands to keep the mouth moist.   it also has adapted scalier skin, to trap water beneath for better moisture retention in a dry and hot climate.

ferals possess heat sensitive pits on their face which contain a membrane that allows them to detect infrared radiation from warm bodies nearby, helping them locate food in the desert environment and define what’s hot from the weather and what’s hot from body heat.

spiracles in the casque also helps them in the desert environment, allowing them to retain moisture by controlling their respiration - an adaptation to better function in a low oxygenated atmosphere.   along with this, the casque itself is thinner, helping with water retention.   their thicker brow also holds a purpose, housing heat sensitive organs to locate prey which, in turn, their mask interfaces with.   the feral yautja also possesses a vomeronasal organ, which is a patch of sensory cells that allows him to detect heavy moisture-borne odour particles.   this is not only used for tracking / hunting prey, but also to detect a readiness for mating in others.

the importance of bones to yautja culturally will be discussed separately, but ferals have evolved to have a crushing palate, molars set within the mouth for osteophagy  -  the consumption of bones.   due to the desert leading to, at times, minimal access to food, ferals have adapted bone into their diet which are rich in micro nutrients.   they are also omnivorous, capable of consuming both animals and plants for the sake of survival, their mandibles and the teeth upon them thinner and longer in size than other subspecies of yautja which are frequently used for foraging as well as the removal of inedible skins on fruits, animals, nuts etc over being used as a weapon / teeth.

these adaptations have helped the feral yautja cope with the environmental pressures that come with living in a dry, desert habitat, such pressures including low rainfall, intense sunlight and heat, a wide temperature range and dietary resources.   it is a genetically isolated subspecies, both by choice and due to geographical positioning.   this means ferals have the ability to evolve into their own species, separate from other yautja  -  thus, making them unable to breed with other subspecies.   a problem with this means a smaller gene pool, and possible interbreeding  -  otherwise possible extinction.