Night had fallen, unveiling a landscape of stars.

Core sat upon her favorite tree branch, comfortably relaxing as the night pressed on. She was comforted by the sound of Rick typing upon his keyboard and longed to keep looking into the majestic grandeur of space.

Hugging herself, she saw something strange in the sky. A tail of white streaking from horizon to horizon.

"What do you call those things? The moving stars?" Core said.

"Shooting stars."

"What are they?"

"Did you know that space is filled with Kaiju?"

"Really? What's it like?"

"I've only heard stories. No one has been there for thousands of years. Our ancestors said it was a pleasant place to live, if you didn't mind the dark. I guess the Kaiju like it too."

"My dad said some people believed that shooting stars were missiles launched by the Kaiju. They were meant to kill the unbelievers. He didn't believe it though."

"Kaiju's bodies are filled with an energy called K-energy. When they die, all the energy leaves their bodies at once, consuming them. Well, only Kaiju that live in space. Planetary Kaiju don't need the K-energy to fly."

"Where did you come from?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I don't know anything about you. And I love you." Core heard Rick resume typing; he'd stopped somewhere in their conversation but she couldn't remember when. "Something small. Can you just tell me something small?"

"You first."

"Rick!" Core said teasingly. "I talk to myself. My dad told me to have conversations with imaginary people. I think he did it so I wouldn't forget how to communicate."

"I have an older sister. Her name is Bonnabel. She hates being called Bonnie and she's always been at war with me. I hoped she would grow out of our rivalry, but it's only gotten worse. Thankfully, she's of normal height so she's easy to ignore."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. With you as my specimen, she is nothing. But on that note, I'm sorry to say that you'll be meeting her soon. She's agreed to be the doctor in charge of your physical."

"Can't you get someone else?"

"Afraid not. But don't worry, she's the type of woman who loves insincere flattery. Just tell her that you love her hair and that you can't believe she's really royalty." Rick said playfully.

"Why can't you do it. Aren't you a doctor?"

"Scientists shouldn't get too close to their specimens."

"The life of a specimen sounds rough."

...

Bonnie was on time, and not only that, she was the epitome of politeness and professionalism. Her change in attitude became apparent as she strode to Rick's desk and greeted him with just the right amount of professional deference and womanly charm.

She had taken up the persona that helped her become one of the social elite and a top-class physician. If her true persona were always on display, she would've quickly fallen from her pathetic existence as the eldest daughter of parents who gave her everything.

She had just handed over her report, and as Rick skimmed it he was tempted to dismiss her out of hand. The report itself was fascinating, and he was eager to go over it with his subordinates, and Core herself, but Bonnie had backed him into a corner and acting out of hubris could lead to doom.

As Bonnabel stood before his desk, Rick made sure to give her his full attention, though not enough to lower himself to her level.

"She was nervous?" Rick said.

"Yes, but not anymore than an average patient."

"Did she have any concerns over her cycle?" Rick said.

"She understood the problem."

"I see."

The meeting ended shortly after and so Rick returned to the tedious work that was the backbone of an ambitious scientists career. Time usually passed quickly with such work, but Rick found it hard to focus.

Time was passing slowly yet his work was passing slower still.

Bonnie's nebulous behavior was a constant irritation.

Core's ignorance was a problem that needed solving, and doing so meant crafting lessons for conversations in the future.

Rick was craving coffee.

It was well into the hours past midnight yet Rick wouldn't feel fatigued for a few hours more. He was a man who loved coffee for its taste, not its value as a stimulant.

Taking the initiative to salvage what was left of the night, Rick ordered his usual drink from the company cafeteria and left to pick it up personally. The cafeteria had its usual amount of customers but Rick did notice an anomaly.

A few small groups were wandering the room, as if they were on a tour. And they didn't look like a new batch of coworkers. If anything, they had the look of VIPs who were a little out of their depth.

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And it wasn't hard to guess the reason of their arrival. Or rather, the who.

Core's discovery was bound to garner attention, but Rick had far too much work to be dragged into a new role as an informant.

Once his cold drink was secured, he hurried back to his office, though he knew in his heart that such maneuvers wouldn't be available forever.

…

Core was bored.

Though she was now a girl equipped with an earbud, she didn't have any time to talk.

Yates hired her to clear a new road, which sounded exciting at first, until she realized that he just wanted her to pace back and forth. Basically, her feet did all the work, leaving her mind free to wander. But she didn't feel like thinking, she felt like chatting, and Yates had coldly forbidden her from talking to him "unless it was an emergency".

Rick? He was always busy and Core had foolishly agreed to wait for him to call first.

She would usually talk to herself during times like these but her desire to do so had withered and died as soon as she met Rick. Why chat with an imaginary friend or stranger when you could talk to a real guy?

Having conversations with herself now just seemed like a silly game.

Core sighed and looked at the path ahead of her. It really did look like a trail now, instead of an overgrown chunk of forest. Core sighed again. It was her only act of defiance she had at the moment, so she put everything she had into it, but the forest didn't answer back or tease her for being childish.

Her dad would sigh like this all the time, and it became a game. The sighing game. But her mom didn't seem to like it for some reason, even though they were having so much fun deciding who could be the most melodramatic.

Women were weird.

As Core's thoughts ambled in random directions, much like her feet, her boredom abated, but only because it was replaced with hunger. She had completed a hunt right before she met Rick, but her stores of dried meat were running low. She'd always had a healthy appetite, even before she became a Kaiju, but her meat always seemed to disappear quickly. She didn't know where all the weight went; it was kind of mysterious.

Now that she was feeling hungry, she wouldn't satiate her hunger until she'd found fresh meat. Otherwise, she would settle, and her dad told her that settling could become a habit. So for the sake of her future self, she would continue to eat good food as much as she could.

Her hunger kept her company as her shift came to an end. There was still plenty of hours left in the day, and so she began her hunt. She decided that she wasn't in the mood for red meat or poultry, so she began scouting the local area for spots where a school of juicy fish might live.

Thankfully she found one easily; a small pond shaded by thick overgrowth.

Extending her senses, she could feel a school of fish swimming in the pond, and she could tell they were quite happy in their home.

She stooped down near the ponds edge and waited. She stared at the dark, smooth surface of the pond and delighted herself by sensing the fishes' movements. The fish had sensed her too, and panicked a little, but they would calm down eventually so she could snatch them.

Steadily, more and more came within reach, but these guys were too small to eat. Core wanted to feast and fill up her food stores, and once she started snatching the fish would panic again. The key to catching big fish was staying calm, and it had the added benefit of being relaxing too.

Once enough big fish were close enough, Core calmly caught them and tossed them onto the shore. There, she pulled out her bone knife from its sheath and began working on the fish, turning them from handsome fish with silver scales into pristine fillets of pink meat.

Pulling a small pouch of spices from her hip, she seasoned the largest fillet and took a bite.

The meat was squishy and its flavor was nice, and before she knew it, she was lying contentedly, blinking on the grass, her belly full of the fillet and a few of its friends.

She laid there for a long while, not really thinking about anything; just enjoying the moment.

But then she sensed something; a Kaiju had just entered her territory. That wasn't unusual; she could almost always sense a Kaiju somewhere, but this one was special.

Core rose to her feet and strung the rest of her fish on a string and draped them over a nearby tree branch.

Then she started running.

The kaiju didn't notice her right away, but when it did, it began running too. Away from Core as fast it could.

But it wasn't fast enough.

Core was gaining on it, and as she cleared a small hill, she saw it for the first time. It looked like a bear, and the the golden tips of its fur shone in the sunlight.

"You're not getting away, you creep!" she said, before bounding into the air. She soared, easily clearing the fleeing kaiju, and confronted it face to face.

Pulling out her dagger, she sized up her adversary. Its fur looked soft and cuddly, and she already knew that its meat was delicious beyond compare. Its huge size meant that its bones could be carved into piles of jewelry that highlighted Core's primitive aesthetic.

You bet, this kaiju was going to die.

The kaiju didn't have time to size Core up itself; she was far too swift and she overcame it in instant, plunging her bone dagger deep into its neck before jumping away so as to not get caught in the viscera that spilled from the gaping wound.

The hulking form of the kaiju slumped over and lay still. Core stared down at it with a cool expression, like a goddess looking dismissively at a disgusting insect. Then, after giving it a stink eye in the most childish way possible, she turned and left, eager to retrieve her fish.

...

Core could remember the day her parents were killed. It was a happy day, like all of her childhood days seemed to be, and it was sunny.

Everyone lived inside of a small cave. Like everything on this planet, the geology was kaiju-sized, and living in a cave that was too small for Kaiju meant that you were living in a space large enough for a small community to flourish.

Her home was comfy and snuggly. There was always something soft to sit on, or lie down in if you were feeling especially duddy. She used to lay down with her parents in the living room, on a carpet made from a Kaiju hide. Her dad had found it on one of his adventures and he looked so tired when he brought it home. Tired but happy, and even though her mom was upset that he spent so much effort dragging it home, she loved its fluffiness more than anyone.

Her childhood was full of many such recollections, and even the memory of her parents' deaths was bittersweet.

It had begun when the supplies started running out. Meals got leaner, and the people did too, except for Core, and soon the men agreed that it was time to find a new home.

Core's dad started leaving more often, but always comforted her by declaring that he was going on an "adventure." Sometimes he would bring home trinkets, but most of the time he came back with nothing at all, besides a little less baby fat.

Then his adventures started taking a little longer, and then a little longer, and as his desperation grew, he started disappearing for weeks at a time.

Then he came back with good news. A new home had been found and it was perfect. A secluded piece of land surrounded by thorns. It had a small stream which fed a large pond, meaning there would be plenty to eat, and patches of sunlight even came through the forest canopy, which meant they could finally grow crops.

And even better, it was close by. They had known that the thorn patch could serve as a shelter, but they considered them a last resort. Who wanted to raise their children in such a hideous environment?

But they had grown desperate.

And in the end, that desperation had led them to the discovery of an oasis buried in thorns.

The migration was successful and the new migrants thrived, plumping up as they indulged in whimsical celebrations and the small successes that, added together, built a strong and comfortable community.

Most of these successes were due to the thorns themselves. Their winding trunks formed impenetrable walls which protected from predators, and the ever-changing elements, and cool paths, which provided both solitude and the backdrop for intimate conversations between friends.

When the thorns died, their carcasses were fashioned into excellent furniture and jewelry, and the burning of thornwood became the foundation for many meals, both small and great.

But for every blessing they gave, there was a curse. A single curse struck in Core's tenth year.