Tenderskin

The Tenderskins, colloquially also called tenders or T. Skins are humans that were abducted by the Cryptops.

Background
The tenders were inhabitants of Earth that were inadvertently abducted from their world by the Cryptops. When the Cryptops first landed on the planet curious human crows flocked to see the spectacle. When the vessel’s opened many humans boarded the ship out of pure wonder. Cryptops thinking that they were dealing with domesticated animals captured them en masse. Humans were named tenders due to their vulnerable skins. A fierce tenders-peddling trade was born—unregulated. They sold our tenders to other planets, offering these new animals to emperors and empresses as gifts. The Cryptops kept them as pets and put them on display, erecting fanciful enclosures for them in their gardens.

By the time the Cryptops realized they had specialized needs in order to thrive, we had a dwindling supply of tenders left. With the demand high and the supply so low—and getting frighteningly lower by the day—we began in earnest to research what was left to us for stock. However, scientific stock did not come free. Science communities had to raise funding to afford each and every individual, and it took fortunes to amass small herds of tenders to study.

Dr. Xan’-Tay was one of the few researchers to possess the few remaining captive tenders under his care in the Tenders Breeding Project. However the all that remained of the project were three males and one female. Shocked by the materiel he was working with, Xan’-Tay nonetheless bonded with the female which he named Pet. For the three remaining males which were: Ux-47, an aggressive male prone to violence; Beastly, a scarred veteran, and Prime a handsome specimen. Xan’-Tay wished to have Prime and Pet mated, though the latter was reluctant and refused to mate with him despite his superior looks and only was interested in Beastly. This forced Xan’-Tay to use breeding applicator gel to prompt a sexual response from her successfully breeding the pair though the female tender was ashamed.

More and more often Xan’-Tay would find Pet flirting with Beastly. Their many attempts at coupling through the cage bats forced him to recognize their feelings and allows the toe to mate. Xan’-Tay got along with his animals save one, Ux-47 who due to his violent behavior was the cause of Beastly scarred appearance, needed to be muzzled. When the male feigned obedience Xan’-Tay saw through him. Later he discovered a recording from his predecessor. Originally their were five females in the project but Ux-47 escaped his cage and raped three of them to death. After living the fourth female barely alive, Pet was the only female to be untouched by Ux-47 before Prime broke from his caged and save her. However the fourth female proceed to commit suicide.

Xan’-Tay’s predecessor upon discovering the carnage abandoned his post. This revelation horrified the scientist and seeking justice for the females decided to have Ux-47 vivisected. The male was sentenced to his fate as the remaining tenders watched his execution. The male’s death wasn’t in vain as it allowed Xan’-Tay to receive a grant to fund his research and expand the facility for the project. He even managed to procure a new female named Lady for Prime. Pet and Beastly were permanently allowed to remain a couple and to the surprise of all the female had given birth to twins with fathers being both Prime and Beastly.

The successful breeding of a second generation of tenders made Xan’-Tay and his animals celebrities.

Culture
Cryptops found tenders slow to reproduce, with aggressive males and harm-susceptible females. To add to their difficulty level, their gestation was found to be excruciatingly lengthy—rivaled only by the sheer anti-speed with which they took to mature.

Though they were primitive, what made them of such galaxy-wide interest was their ability to read intent—all one had to do was point to an object and they’d turn their head to look, and so forth.

In addition they displayed a higher cognitive understanding than most companion life forms. Tenders were also found to be clever, fascinating, and intrinsically playful creatures. At first, we thought they might be capable of speech, but it became evident that they only mimic our whistles, emitting gibberish notes instead of words like Cryptops.

Appearances

 * The Pet Project by Amanda Milo (2019)