Swollen lymph nodes in neck sore throat

PET Scan results
Hello! Can someone please help me interpret these PET scan results? I have been having fevers without any clear cause for 3 months now, and although the doctors have very low suspicions for lymphoma, this makes me nervous that I had lymph nodes that were FDG avid. Thank you!
I mainly want to know if I should push for a biopsy or get a second opinion now that we have these results. The doctors (including an oncologist) really don't think it's cancer, but I have been sick for 3 months now and the results of this scan are worrying me.
18F with swollen axillary and cervical lymph nodes for the past three months and fever of unknown origin. Have had all the infectious and rheumatological work up imaginable. History of anxiety and depression. Genetic testing was unremarkable except for one of the genes that is correlated with Yao syndrome. I have the results of many more tests that I could also share if that would help.

FINDINGS: Overall PET and CT image quality and inter-modality registration are satisfactory. Mediastinal blood pool SUVavg is 3.6. Hepatic parenchyma SUVavg is 2.3. Head and Neck: Reactive, bilateral level 2 FDG avid cervical lymph nodes. Thorax: Physiologic FDG uptake within the thorax. Abdomen and Pelvis: Decreased density affecting the liver parenchyma suggestive of diffuse fatty infiltration with heterogeneous FDG avid appearance. Osseous Structures: Physiologic FDG uptake within the osseous structures. Lower Extremities: Physiologic FDG uptake. 

Hello,
Please delete my post if this breaks any rules - I need some ways of coping with the stress of not knowing my status as of now. Here’s some background for everyone, I’ll do it from the beginning as I don’t know how else to do it:
I’m 26, male, gay. On 14th of April I’ve met a guy and had unprotected sex with him. I was passive. I know he was HIV+ve but he told me he was undetectable. Prior to this for about 3 weeks I was taking PreP daily which I only stopped 3 days prior to meeting him (I had some stuff happening) and restarted it an hour and a half before meeting him.
Fast forward two weeks, I get a high fever, vomiting, aches all over and a massive headache as well as a sore throat and swollen lymph nodes. I didn’t immediately connect it back to him but I started finding out that unfortunately he’s a drug addict a stoner and frequently misses his meds - I am not judging at all so please don’t take it as such but that planted a seed in my head.
When my main symptoms went away (roughly day 15/16) I was left with aching everywhere and a sore throat that had continued on and off since then. It’s almost like the more I think about it the more it happens.
I am now in this IMMENSE black hole of constantly googling stuff related to HIV. I have done a test on day 32 which was a 4th generation test from my finger. This came back negative.
Yesterday, day 36 I’ve noticed white spots at the back of my throat.
I can’t stop googling, researching and finding more reasons as to why I am positive. I keep reading about how prep delays the detection window which is why I don’t trust my negative result.
I am just looking for people to give me some ways of coping with anxiety as it’s taken over my life. I am at work and I can’t stop thinking about it no matter what I’m doing. I keep randomly breaking down into tears. I wake up in the middle of the night and think about having it.
I understand having HIV is not a death sentence - I think it’s the anxiety of not knowing. If I knew I could then start moving on, but for now my life has been put on hold and I’m just paralysed.
I have another test at week 6 (+5days) and I’m already finding reasons as to why it won’t be definitive.
For me, it’s just way too many coincidences for me to not be positive and I just wanted people to essentially tell me what to do, please.

For the past 3 weeks i’ve been occasionally feeling some strange kind of feeling in my left side of chest and left arm. It wasn’t unbearable pain but enough to worry me. 3 weeks earlier prior to these symptoms i had what i thought was heart attack except my symptoms increased when i started overthinking and googling what might be the case. I got tingles in my left arm and sudden flash of cold sweat followed up with nausea and i almost blacked out. I haven’t went to the ER but week after i got sick (constant low grade fever, sore throat, hot flashes in my cheeks, neck and chest) so i went to the doctor and explained my symptoms. We did ecg, blood tests and and blood pressure but all the results came back normal (except lower ALT and GGT). I also got scheduled for cardiologist in 3 weeks but until then i wanted to ask if anyone has experienced anything similar or has any advice/idea what it could be? Could it really be anxiety or should i keep worrying? I’ve stressed out so much in these past few weeks i feel like it took off few years of my life.

37f 5ft 6 110pounds For the past 2.5 years I have been extremely unwell, mostly bedbound in extreme pain. I returned from the tropics feeling very unwell, with weight loss, bloody stool and severe fatigue. I also had a swollen lymph node in my groin. I had lots of tests and they could not find a thing . I started to see what I thought was parasites in my stool. A doctor prescribed me albendazole. The day after taking it, the lymph node exploded and I started to feel extreme crawling all over my body. I have been trying to work out what was going on ever since. I’m certain I have a systemic infection but all my bloods responded negatively to antibodies. To give my full history, I have lived in a lot tropical countries over 20 years including south east Asia, south India and south and Central America. I have travelled extensively. I’ve been unwell on and off for 16 years and was never tested for infections thoroughly until 2021. Only stool tests and fbc. My symptoms are as follows: - sensations in my veins - feels like rushing / pumping - collapsed / indented veins in the head and face (diagnosed) - ongoing hematuria - extreme groin pain - extreme head pain in veins / tissues - progressive subdermal lumps on pubic area - numbness and ‘dead arms’ - puffy arms - lumpy breasts with sudden prominent veins - severe fatigue
After delving into a tonne of research it has become apparent than only 3 infections can cause systemic infection -Strongoloides, Filariasis and Schistosomiasis. Schistomiasis has been ruled out through urine and cystoscopy. Last month I spoke to a microbiologist (abroad) who I told I suspected an infection. She asked me if I was immune suppressed. I had taken immune suppressants on and off for a while, specifically before this infection got crazy. I also have chronic uti symptoms and occasional acute / severe UTIs. I’ve had to take multiple extended antibiotics in the past - last year I had to take them for 5 months. I was looking into these infections and it seems that steroids can prevent an immune response and can also impact antibody / eosinophil response. What’s more is I found a tonne of case studies where people are diagnosed with filariasis without antibodies or esoniphils. It also says on medical literature that the antibody does not rule out infection. It seems to be a very immune modulating parasite and is even capable of preventing sepsis. Im wondering if perhaps my antibodies response is not working? I cannot convince any of my doctors that I could have this disease, despite being very exposed and having classic progressive symptoms. Therefore they will not do the gold standard microfilaria testing at night. I have lived a very active lifestyle since my early 20s despite having bouts of fatigue and there is no way I’d be this sick if there wasn’t something wrong. I’ve had confirmed parasites come out before also. Doctors keeps saying my symptoms are ‘mysterious’, but will not properly test me for this infection. Does anyone have any suggestions of what I can do? Should I ask to biopsy the subdermal lumps down below ? I know in india testicular lumps are a pretty common sign of the disease. I’d be grateful for any advice. 🙏🏻

Could be a symptom of autonomic nervous system?
My other symptoms include:
In august last year I had strong infection, I was sweating by month, extreme fatigue, swollen lymph node under armpit.
Since then I have tons of symptons:

• neuropathic pain in back, deep pain in spine
• right shoulder blade is painful and deep itching, extremely weird tingling pain deep, when I move my arm
• my back feels so messed up I feel asymetric when I walk, when I breathe I feel pain in lot of different places in body
• redness on face, flushing, red ears, heatwaves and warm feeling (mostly at night) - when my face is flushed, symptoms of pins needles burning are the worst
• electric, neuralgic pains in face, head, scalp, pain when I move my eyes deep in face
• body itching, itch deep inside ears, face
• skin on face, scalp, eyelids twitch randomly, like electric shocks
• fatigue, brain fog
• brain zaps
• pins needles in feet, body for example when I put my clothes on
• random warm feelings in legs like hot water in legs
• hives which disappeared mostly

Bloodwork is ok. Is it some kind of long covid? Taking gabapentin, doesnt help too much. Antihistamines doesnt work (ketotifen too) so not MCAS..Please, tell me which lab tests should I take. Please, I feel like a living dead.

Im a female, 23 years old. Has anyone had any swollen lymph nodes in their armpit? I had one a couple months ago that was uncomfortable, the doctor said it was probably an ingrown hair. Now I have two painful ones in the same armpit. I'm not sick and doesn't look like ingrown hair. They are painful to touch too.

Im a female, 23 years old. Has anyone had any swollen lymph nodes in their armpit? I had one a couple months ago that was uncomfortable, the doctor said it was probably an ingrown hair. Now I have two painful ones in the same armpit. I'm not sick and doesn't look like ingrown hair. They are painful to touch too.

hello! looking for some answers or perhaps comfort from other ppl who have gone through the same thing. . i have never in my life had an allergic reaction to ANYTHING until around 3 am on Wednesday morning (3 days ago). i immediately went to the ER as i couldn’t breathe right, chest hurt, broke out in hives, etc. i stayed there the whole morning and essentially felt a lot better after they took care of me + monitored me. they gave me steriods and other meds to take for 5 days and said i should be on the road to feeling better fast! i’m currently on day 3 of recovery and i’m still feeling a little tightness in my throat and my voice is hoarse but i can breathe. . is this normal? my anxiety is at an all time high over this bc i hate hospitals and don’t wanna have to go again unless i absolutely need to. i’m just looking to see if experiencing a sore throat/a little swollenness in it is normal after going into anaphylaxis.

Hello, I had an MA on Wednesday when I took the misoprostol pills. On that day, I was bleeding a lot and cramping and passed some clots. Fast forward, I still have some light bleeding and light cramping. On Friday, I started feeling sick like I would get a fever but my temp never actually went up to 100. Last night, I had really bad congestion, runny nose, muscle ache, swollen lymph nodes, and it was hurting to swallow, and yellow nasal discharge/phlegm. I went to the urgent care this morning to get checked and tested negative for strep throat and doctor said it could be a viral infection. I was not prescribed any antibiotics and was told to take over the counter medication to manage the symptoms. I am just wondering if what I’m feeling could be any way related to my medical abortion. I am worried that I could have an infection or an incomplete abortion and this is how my body is reacting to it. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Has anyone ever experienced something like this.

hello! female (20) looking for some answers or perhaps comfort from other ppl who have gone through the same thing. . i have never in my life had an allergic reaction to ANYTHING until around 3 am on Wednesday morning (3 days ago). i immediately went to the ER as i couldn’t breathe right, chest hurt, broke out in hives, etc. i stayed there the whole morning and essentially felt a lot better after they took care of me + monitored me. they gave me steriods and other meds to take for 5 days and said i should be on the road to feeling better fast! i’m currently on day 3 of recovery and i’m still feeling a little tightness in my throat and my voice is hoarse but i can breathe. . is this normal? my anxiety is at an all time high over this bc i hate hospitals and don’t wanna have to go unless i absolutely need to. i’m just looking to see if experiencing a sore throat/a little swollenness in it is normal after going into anaphylaxis.

hello! looking for some answers or perhaps comfort from other ppl who have gone through the same thing. . i have never in my life had an allergic reaction to ANYTHING until around 3 am on Wednesday morning (3 days ago). i immediately went to the ER as i couldn’t breathe right, chest hurt, broke out in hives, etc. i stayed there the whole morning and essentially felt a lot better after they took care of me + monitored me. they gave me steriods and other meds to take for 5 days and said i should be on the road to feeling better fast! i’m currently on day 3 of recovery and i’m still feeling a little tightness in my throat and my voice is hoarse but i can breathe. . is this normal? my anxiety is at an all time high over this bc i hate hospitals and don’t wanna have to go unless i absolutely need to. i’m just looking to see if experiencing a sore throat/a little swollenness in it is normal after going into anaphylaxis.

Hi! I (20F) have been on ozempic for 6 months now (1.0) due to PCOS, BED and an overweight BMI. For all the reasons I’ve been taking the medication, i’ve had great improvements. I never really had any side effects at all, during most of my treatment. About two months ago the delayed gastric emptying became more noticeable, and, after all, it is part of ozempic. However already at 1 month and half ago things worsened drastically. I ended up going to the ER 3 times in a single week, complaining of constant nausea, chronic pain (which i’ve had for years now, but got significantly worse), low grade fever and other infection signs (extremely swollen lymph nodes). I’ve done several exams (blood, urine, physical), but they couldn’t explain what’s happening. I can barely eat or drink liquids and even taking my usual prescription cause me to throw up. I’ve been trying to get in touch with my endocrinologist without any success (my state is going through a massive flood and it would be even impossible for me to go to his clinic since it’s in another city. Honestly, I can’t even tell if what I am experiencing is related to the medication or not, and I am scared to take a break without confirmation of my endocrinologist. Any advice or contributions are welcomed❤️

hello! looking for some answers or perhaps comfort from other ppl who have gone through the same thing. . i have never in my life had an allergic reaction to ANYTHING until around 3 am on Wednesday morning (3 days ago). i immediately went to the ER as i couldn’t breathe right, chest hurt, broke out in hives, etc. i stayed there the whole morning and essentially felt a lot better after they took care of me + monitored me. they gave me steriods and other meds to take for 5 days and said i should be on the road to feeling better fast! i’m currently on day 3 of recovery but i’m still feeling a little tightness in my throat and my voice is hoarse but i can breathe. . is this normal? my anxiety is at an all time high over this bc i hate hospitals and don’t wanna have to go again unless i absolutely need to. i’m just looking to see if experiencing a sore throat/a little swollenness in it is normal after going into anaphylaxis.

hello! looking for some answers or perhaps comfort from other ppl who have gone through the same thing. . i have never in my life had an allergic reaction to ANYTHING until around 3 am on Wednesday morning (3 days ago). i immediately went to the ER as i couldn’t breathe right, chest hurt, broke out in hives, etc. i stayed there the whole morning and essentially felt a lot better after they took care of me + monitored me. they gave me steriods and other meds to take for 5 days and said i should be on the road to feeling better fast! i’m currently on day 3 of recovery but i’m still feeling a little tightness in my throat but i can breathe. . is this normal? my anxiety is at an all time high over this bc i hate hospitals and don’t wanna have to go again unless i absolutely need to. i’m just looking to see if experiencing a sore throat/a little swollenness in it is normal after going into anaphylaxis. i’m lowkey freaking out.

Feel free to ask me any questions and I’ll do my best to keep this concise but I can be known to ramble and want to make sure I cover some things I haven’t seen talked about before.
Scheduling: Got new insurance in January. Discovered the insurance covers female sterilization at 100% so I went on the doctor list here, did some research, and picked out my doctor. Called mid January to book, had my consult end of February, surgery was May 15th (last Wednesday).
Consult: I was worried because I’ve heard so much about people getting rejected but the entire time my doctor assured me this was my decision to make and she just wanted to make sure I’d thought about every consequence. I was honest with her that while I was positive this is what I wanted I originally had planned to wait until I was in my 30s to make sure but due to the current political climate I felt I didn’t have the luxury of waiting. I was concerned if I didn’t get this done pre election I’d never be able to or I’d have to travel to get it done. She approved me and we had planned to do a Pap smear while I was there but their computer system crashed so we decided to combine it with the surgery and just do it while I was under.
Pre procedure: Pre-op stuff was super normal. Got a call with instructions around a week out. I can go into more details if anyone has questions but the big thing for me was I was told to not smoke 24 hrs prior and I’ve been trying to quit vaping so I decided to throw out my vape 24 hrs prior to the procedure. The lead up to the surgery was terrible and I regret quitting so close to it because it meant I could drink alcohol or caffeine to try and distract myself since those were also banned so close. But post surgery with me being high on oxy the first few days I completely made it through the worst part of quitting without any problems. I’m only a week clean but highly recommend using surgery to quit addictions it’s a great time to utilize your body being distracted by other stuff.
Surgery: everyone at the hospital was great and nobody tried to change my mind. My surgeon did say I could change my mind up until I was put under and that nobody would be mad. I assured her I was totally hyped and ready to go and that was that. I’ve never had a surgery before so I wasn’t sure how I’d react to anesthesia but I woke up before theyd even finished rolling me into post op. I heard the nurse rolling me in talking about her dog and just was instantly awake and asking her about her pupper. I think I scared her slightly because I was just immediately coherent and mostly just really annoyed because my throat hurt and my mouth was dry. She gave me water and asked if I wanted something for nausea. I didn’t feel any nausea but said yes just in case and I’m glad I did because shortly after she gave it to me I got super nauseous. It kicked in pretty quick and I didn’t throw up so a win. When I first woke up my pain was around a 3 but was quickly ramping up so they gave me a 5mg oxycodone. It took a bit for it to kick in but once it did it completely wiped out my pain. I was able to get discharged within an hour of waking up because I immediately was eating and drinking and was able to get up and walk on my own and go pee which checked all their boxes.
Recovery: I was given 8 oxycodone 5mg and then told to pick up Tylenol, ibuprofen, and stool softener. Alternate the Tylenol and ibuprofen so I’m taking something every 3 hrs and then oxy as needed. I mostly used the oxy to sleep as every muscle in my body felt like I’d run a marathon starting day 2. My back was extremely sore and my skin was tender EVERYWHERE. Also thanks to doing the Pap smear while I was under my vag was sore as fuck too. I must’ve bit my lip while I was under because my lip was all swollen and the absolute worse pain I was feeling was how sore my throat was from the breathing tube. My throat is still sore, back still hurts, muscles are still tender as fuck, but I’m fully off oxy and overall feel fine. I haven’t had a good bowel movement yet so hoping for that soon but I’ll be going back to work tomorrow and overall this surgery recovery hasn’t been any worse than being sick from the flu or something.
Also make sure you have plenty of comfy loose dresses. You will want the comfiest of lounge wear during this recovery. I have my post op this Friday but I’m so happy to finally have this done. It’s a giant weight off my shoulder.

hello! looking for some answers or perhaps comfort from other ppl who have gone through the same thing. . i have never in my life had an allergic reaction to ANYTHING until around 3 am on Wednesday morning (3 days ago). i immediately went to the ER as i couldn’t breathe right, chest hurt, broke out in hives, etc. i stayed there the whole morning and essentially felt a lot better after they took care of me + monitored me. they gave me steriods and other meds to take for 5 days and said i should be on the road to feeling better fast! i’m currently on day 3 of recovery and i’m still feeling a little tightness in my throat and my voice is hoarse but i can breathe. . is this normal? my anxiety is at an all time high over this bc i hate hospitals and don’t wanna have to go unless i absolutely need to. i’m just looking to see if experiencing a sore throat/a little swollenness in it is normal after going into anaphylaxis.

Hello everyone,
I've been dealing with strong acute tonsil infections several times a year for several years. Since about six months ago, these acute infections have subsided, but now I have a latent infection. My tonsils are very irritated, especially in the mornings and evenings. Sometimes my lymph nodes swell, and exercising can make the irritation worse—it's like drinking spiced water, you can really feel your tonsils.
The pain isn't severe, but it's always there, making me constantly aware of the irritation. About a month ago, I had a really bad two-week episode of tonsil pain, but then it went away again.
I have a surgery appointment to get my tonsils removed, but I'm really unsure about it. The surgeon has tried to convince me not to go through with it, and I've already been to the hospital twice and canceled another two times. They've told me all sorts of scary things to make me want to avoid the surgery.
I'm conflicted. I could live with this mild ache and the thought that I'm too scared for the surgery. I could endure 2 to 4 weeks of intense pain a few times a year. But I'm scared of the surgery and I don't know if I should go through with it.
I'm not a severe case, but I've had several infections over the past three years, with the last one and a half years being particularly tough. It's gotten better, and I can live a somewhat normal life again. But this constant throat irritation, the feeling of my tonsils being irritated, and the low-level pain—I don't know if I should accept this for the rest of my life.
I'm really confused... 😭
Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

In case it helps other newly diagnosed, this is my journey so far. 1 month ago ultrasound of new lump I had in left breast. Told I had invasive breast cancer. Then sent for mammogram where they found 3 dodgy lymph nodes on left side as well, along with another suspicious lump in right. Sent for biopsies on all the lumps (no one told me before these just how much they hurt or how sore you are after, I recommend taking someone with you). Cancer confirmed in left breast and 3 lymph nodes and oestrogen and progesterone positive, but HER2 negative. Right lump still undetermined. Met with surgeon and sent for PET scan to ascertain if spread. This 1 week wait whilst waiting for the results was the most god damn terrifying of my life!! Met with surgeon again, PET scan showed no obvious spread. 4 days later I had double mastectomy and what I thought was removal of 3 lymph nodes. Woke up and was told all 23 lymph nodes on my left side were cancerous and they also performed auxiliary lymph node clearance on left side. I am now 2 weeks post surgery, and I am not going to lie- recovery from it has proved both physically and emotionally tough. They put implants in same time as mastectomy. In 2 days I find out next stage of the treatment plan and apparently I will have to have radiation and chemo. I feel extremely lucky I caught it when I did, and cancer is such a sneaky farker, as she said she would not of gone down the cure path (surgery), but just the medically manage path is she knew it was in 23 lymph nodes (phew). I still have a long journey to go, but my big tips from what I have already been through - the time waiting for the test results is beyond terrible, and once you know what you are dealing with it will get better - if you have an option to not work, or take leave from work, defo do that (I would not be able to manage both myself) - take someone to your appointments with you - recovery from surgery is hard, so be kind with yourself - if you have lymph nodes removed, it is even more painful, but so important to exercise those arms whenever you can - I am on day 16 post surgery and I am getting better everyday. SO WILL YOU - be kind to yourself, cancer is a lot I got this, and so do you my sisters ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

So a lot of years I'll have maybe mild (occasionally worse) seasonal allergy symptoms at different points through the spring and/or summer. I haven't really pinned down what they come from. It seems this year allergies are definitely getting me, as I've had short (usually 1 or 2 days) spells of having symptoms for the past month and a half.
Suddenly though, this past week, I've been hit hard. One day last weekend I spent a lot of time outside in the yard. The next day, my head felt half stuffed up, half sniffly. I had a sore throat from post nasal drip, just felt weird in the head like allergies do to me. And surprisingly it hasn't gone away, only being helped a bit by the generic Allegra I take. It's just stayed so bad for a full week now, or has really gotten worse.
I've had some coughing, sometimes just a few coughs but as of the past 2 days or so, it's gotten to the point where my entire head, neck, and rib area ache every time I cough because I've been coughing so hard. Sorry to be gross, but I've been hacking up both clear and yellowish mucus. The past day or 2, my lungs feel irritated, slightly sore throat, headache, head just still feeling stuffed up + drippy, coughing fits throughout the day that just feel kinda worse that what I'd expect from allergies.
I'm just torn because I feel like I'm 99% sure this is allergies, but then I'm questioning. Maybe it's actually a cold or virus, since I was with someone who was sick like 2 weeks ago. But I've just felt like it's allergies, especially with how it's been dragging on.
Can allergies get this rough? Do allergies ever cause you to have coughing fits, like the type where you absolutely need to cough because your throat is itching so badly and you hack and make your head hurt? Or is this maybe something else? Also, are allergies really extra bad this year? Location is Midwest US

I’m wondering if anyone only takes Sinemet as needed, and just deals with PD without it when they can.
My MDS doesn’t understand why I’d want to not take it constantly, as he saw my scores go down when I was on 1.5 pills of c/l 3x a day for a month. When I went in for the appointment, I thought he was going to tell me they weren’t working. Yes I could type a little better but I don’t feel on/off periods. I just notice “hey I am a little less shaky when I unload the dishes” or “hey my shoulder is slightly less painful today” There’s never a great surge of relief, I never get my handwriting back, and tbh a stress free day and a good night sleep seems to do the same thing for my PD stiffness. So really, if the results aren’t impactful to me, I don’t see why I should take it all the time?
I went 24 hours without C/L last weekend and didn’t notice any difference. I don’t type on the weekends. So this work week I waited until noon each day when my hand started sucking and took a dose with a little bit of impact to finish up the work day. Seemed fine. Yesterday, I had lunch in the sun with an old friend if not seen in awhile, browsed shops with no agenda alone, and painted when I got home. Felt great.
So like, if it’s a stress free day or I don’t need my fine motor skills, why take it?
MDS said I could stop C/L cold turkey, but when I googled I found warnings saying not to. I’m not thrilled with him in general/there’s no trust there (getting a new one this winter). Anyway, curious if anyone takes as needed or if you’ve heard it’s dangerous to do so.
Specifics re: my general symptoms if needed: I have rigid dominant YOPD with action tremor that’s worse with cold/big feelings. My main issues are tremor when texting/unloading the dishes, slow typing, and reduced mobility and moderate pain in my affected hand/arm/shouldeneck (right/dominant). Toe taps are slow and fatigue makes me feel the PD in my leg but no gait issues yet. Possibly related to something else, or possible that the disease is moving along a little quickly: both hands always have sore joints and feel swollen, and I have nerve pain down the backs of both legs/feet. Yes I had an abnormal DATscan.
Thanks!

Nature of Humanity Ch 67 A NoP fic
Under Pressure Part 10
A Fanfic of u/SpacePaladin15’s work “The Nature of Predators.” Thank you for the story!
___
Memory transcription subject: Silvera, Factory 13 Manager
Date [standardized human time]: November 4th, 2136
If it wasn't for the clearly artificial sky above my head someone could possibly convince me I was outside in a new park. The neon blue screen with a white dot to represent the sun was nothing like the actual pale gray visage a mile above. Yet, it did have an enjoyable warmth to it.
A smooth artificial wind swept through the saplings ensuring that they would develop healthy stress wood. It also pleasantly cooled the fur of anyone in here, providing a nice little respite from the heater simulating the sun's unbearable hatred of us. Fuck you fake sun!
Any flora used to decorate the park would be exotic to Frozen Mountain, even if it came from the nearby tundra, but my humans decided to do something interesting. While they had covered most of the ground with a soft short-growing Terran clover, they chose to make the rest of the decorative plants functional. All of the saplings were different types of fruit trees that, when mature, would be free for anyone to harvest as much as they want. Even the decorative topiary isn't hardy tasteless plants, but berry bushes that would provide a variety of sweet treats relatively soon.
Agurcorp was more than happy to allow its failed startup out here to be turned into a local park. Well, so long as they didn't have to pay for this expensive mistake of theirs. The Mayor was all too happy with this, especially since my humans were happy to let him have all the credit so long as they got to design the park. With voting season right around the corner, the Mayor that ‘Brought life to this blighted land’ was a shoo-in to get re-elected. Or would be if he also wasn't ‘The idiot who allowed predators into the city.’
With everything that's happened I am still a bit surprised at everyone currently enjoying the park. A small herd of Venlil are exercising in the open field. A family of Gojids are walking along the cobblestone path. All the while, some humans are playing a very weird game of throwing a round plastic plate into chain nets. It's almost as if this city didn't have two separate riots on the same day.
The sound of wheels traveling across a bumpy path caught my attention. I glanced across the way to see an embarrassed-looking John driving an electric wheelchair over to me. His eyes locked onto mine before quickly switching to the ground. He tried to laze in a chair designed to enforce good posture and looked rather silly as he adjusted himself.
He came to a stop just a foot away from where I sat, “Hey Silv… I, uh… I don't actually need the wheelchair but Mikvia threatened to break my legs if I didn't use it, so I'm just humoring her.”
Oh, don't freaking tell me. Why are humans like this… “John… you were hospitalized with a punctured lung. Sure, doctors have some miracles they can perform these days, but you know you shouldn't be stressing yourself by walking.”
He huffed, “Please, I'm fine. Really. It wasn't as serious as everyone is making it out to be.”
I thumped my hind paw against the ground, “John.”
He threw his hands into the air with a huff, “I'm in the damn wheelchair ain't I? Gawd…”
He grasped his nose before calming down, “I apologize. Shouldn't have raised my voice like that. I mean… I am using the wheelchair and not lifting stuff. Doctor's orders. They even said getting out in this park would be fine. Said it might even help!”
We let out a deep sigh together. I hopped down from my bench and back up onto his lap, “Let's go for a ride… while we figure… us out…”
I could see John's guard drop as the exhaustion crept back onto his face, “...alright...” He pressed his controls forward, and we slowly began our first lap of the park.
John wrapped one of his lanky ape arms around me like a fleshy seatbelt and I laid my head on his chest appreciating the contrast of his warmth with the cool artificial breeze. I could have slept like this. The beating of his heart was rhythmic, and his deep breaths sounded a bit like waves washing up on a shore.
I even heard his heart quicken as I cleared my throat, “So… we aren't really dating are we?”
His exhaustion was quickly replaced with unease as he started to fidget a little, “I'm sorry…”
I held his hand and stared into the ocean blue eyes of his, “Don't be sorry. I think we were both drunk when we agreed to go on a date…”
He shook his head, “I still should have said something before then.”
It wasn't like I couldn't have taken the initiative and talked to him sooner too, “I know you were going through a lot. Actually, I know you still are… I'm really only able to guess but… Are you one of the types that thinks Xeno-dating is weird?”
He looked ashamed as he scrambled to smooth things over, “I- No- well, yes- but- it's just… ok. Let me start over… alright… yeah… so… uhm… the thing is… how do I put this… it sounds bad… well, it is bad… it’s just…”
My tail wagged involuntarily at the rather cute display of embarrassment radiating from John. I leaned in and let him have a doey-eyed look to help heap the embarrassment on.
It felt like John tried to stop the next words from rolling out of his mouth, “Sometimes I have trouble thinking of you all as people.”
John came to a complete stop as I just stared at him wide-eyed. My brain struggled to grasp what he was saying and the implications of it. He cringed and covered his face with his hands, “Gawd, that sounds horrible. It's just… It's not as bad with you and the others… I talk to y’all a lot. It's easier for it to click that you are people too.”
I was desperately trying to see this from his angle, “Wha- why does this happen in the first place?”
His hands drug down his face trying to drag the flesh with it, “I think it’s cause you are always naked. Like your back brace helps a little bit, but still everything else is… That and I hear your voice and the chip in my head then gives it meaning. Like its disjointed. Then it's the way your body language works and- and- fuck. Just…. Fuck me man. I don't even think that's all that's wrong with me. It’s just… like you look, sound, and smell like animals. It's just not really what my mind had in place for aliens. So- like- ugh! Why can't I just explain it!?”
It's difficult to explain, but his words connected to a deep sad memory, “It's like everything is just too… slightly wrong…”
It felt like I had been whisked back decades to my own childhood. I could still smell the bleached halls of the Venlil orphanage on Nevis. My heart whimpered when the Sivkits who came to adopt me shuddered with fear and disgust. Their strange voices sounded slow as they spoke a strange version of Klipic. Like hearing a pale imitation of yourself, try and pretend to be just like you.
My eyes locked with his as I carried on “It’s like you look at them and a part of you knows what they are, but your brain just snaps back to… to what you think reality is.”
I could see a glimmer of hope well up with his tears, “Y-you know? I-Iv've felt like such a monster! How can I- How can I look them in the eyes when they took me in and say- say- that I can't see them as people sometimes!? After everything they've done for me?! They want to adopt me and I- I- I can't even!”
I wrapped my arms around his neck as he buried his face in mine. It felt like he could crush me with his arms, yet they held me gently. What was causing me pain was this damn back brace. The blasted thing was trying to force my arms down while it hunched me over. I wiggled out of John's embrace and ripped the freaking thing off and chucked it as far as I could before burying myself in his embrace again.
We held each other as he drew in shuddering breaths and let his emotions flow out. John’s grip eventually began to loosen and we both took a moment to calm down. I gently tugged at the shirt covering John's torso, “So… Us not wearing clothes constantly is… disconnecting for you?”
He nodded his head, “Y-yeah… It’s like… every person I have ever known wears clothes. Animals never wear clothes and at most wear like a collar or harness if someone owns them. Then a few months ago, a bunch of nudist aliens show up and… well, my brain lops them into the animal category and the translator isn't helping.”
I glanced down at my body and suddenly felt… exposed, “So now that I am no longer wearing clothes…”
He cringed, “You look more like a large rabbit thing than a person… when you had the brace on it helped a little, but you were on all fours… When you were wearing your weather suit and had your hood off, It felt like you were a person, just different.”
An idea crossed into my skull, “Ok then… so your brain attaches personhood with a level of nudity, body plan, and familiarity… take your shirt off and give it to me- Don't give me that look! I know you’re male and are far less sensitive about people seeing your nipples. So gimme.”
He begrudgingly took off his shirt, revealing a pelt of fur that caught me off guard. I shook off the confusion as I slipped his shirt overhead and stuck my arms through the sleeves. It immediately tried to slip down my body and off. Mostly due to how large the hole for his head is, but also due to my utter lack of true shoulders. Another gift of my freak mutation. The ability to walk upright as well as sprint on all fours like a fucking Arxur.
I bunched up the collar and knotted it on itself, solving the slipping issue. With a small twirl, I spun in a circle, “So how is this?”
A smile formed on his face, “You look adorable!”
I happily flicked my tail, “Is that girlfriend adorable or pet animal adorable?”
His grin beamed with happy, mischievous energy, “Little sister adorable.”
I stomped my hind paw again, “Wha- why?!”
He held out his arms and I hopped back into his embrace, “Its cause it's my shirt. Jamie would wear my clothes sometimes, and they were so baggy on him, and well… on you that's practically a sundress! … you’d look really nice in like… a yellow sundress with like a straw hat.”
My mind tried and failed to make an image to match his description, “Hrm… well… I wouldn't know where to even start getting a… sundress.”
John carried on like clothes shopping was a normal intergalactic thing, “You would have to go to a tailor and have it custom-made. Like you already had to adjust my shirt cause you don't have shoulders like we or the Gojids do.”
We sat in a comfortable silence as John started the wheelchair back on its path. I almost fell asleep in his arms before I asked, “So… Are we dating?”
John didn't hesitate to bend over and freaking bite the top of my head! I, rather fruitlessly, slapped my paws against his face as fast as I could and only managed to elicit a laugh from him. Jumping up, I got a mouth full of his cheek in my teeth.
I made sure not to crush as I mimicked what he had done to me back, “Ah! The turns! They've tabled! I'm sorry! We're dating! Augh!” I spit out the lump of flesh between my teeth and sat down rather proudly.
It was only then I looked around to see most of the nearby groups staring at us. As well as three silver suited flame whack jobs walking our way. One of them held up his paws to try and seem as big as possible, “YOU! PREDATORS! DON'T MOVE!”
John growled at them, “YOU FUCKING IDIOTS. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?”
The trio froze in their steps and reached for weapons they didn't have. The boldest one took another step forward and shouted, “SHUT UP PREDATOR!”
John held his issued jacket up, letting the reflective emblem of the guild shine for all to see, “I WORK WITH YOU NUMB NUTS! I'M JOHN! ADOPTED SON OF YOUR FUCKING CHIEF! RING ANY BELLS?”
The trio halted in their tracks and the most skittish of them turned a one-eighty on their paws and began to walk away. The boldest one’s paws slowly dropped, “J-John?! I- I've never seen you without the mask or artificial pelt… wait! You're supposed to be in the hospital!”
Johns voice grew cold, “They said I could go out around the park so long as I mostly stayed in the chair. If it pleases you, you can talk to Loke. He's right over there with his wife and two kids. I bet he'd be thrilled to learn you three are going around accusing people of being predators.”
The bold moron took a fearful half step back, “D-d-d-d-don't twist my words! You bit her and she bit you back! I have witnesses! That's predatory!”
John leaned back and stroked the fur on my cheek, “No, it’s erotic.”
I could see the gears turning in the bold one's head grind, “What.”
John pressed his lips into my neck, “Ya know… sexy. It’s like… gently grooming your significant other's neck from behind but more playful.”
They looked revolted, “That's disgusting.”
John cocked his head to the side like a confused Gojid, “That’s odd.”
The look of revulsion quickly transitioned back to confusion, “What?”
A smirk grew on John's face as his fingers massaged into the sore muscles on my back, “It's just, that’s exactly what your mom said last night, but she grew to like it.”
I slapped my paws to my mouth to avoid laughing as the rage flared up in the bold one's eyes, “WHAT!?”
I let out a happy purr as John began to work at my sore muscles and utterly humiliate the idiot bothering us, “Yeeeeah. You weren't supposed to find out like this, but I'm your dad now.”
Their ears pinned back in rage, “You're lying to me.”
John waved a hand at our surroundings, “We are in a hermetically sealed park. There is no way for any significantly threatening animal to get in here. You are only here looking for trouble and I assure you, this will be looked into. Go clean your nose and keep it clean. Understood?”
They both tucked their tails, “Understood, sir.”
John nodded his head and calmed his tone, “Dismissed.”
As the trio of troublemakers left, we sat in relative silence as John continued to work away at the stress in my muscles. If you proved this was how humans prepared their food before eating it, I would argue that it's still worth it.
His rough voice messaged my ears, “Hey Silv?”
I stretched and enjoyed the pops my spine made as it took its natural shape, “Hrm?”
A hint of curiosity hung in his voice, “Why did you understand what I meant? Shouldn't… You've lived with aliens being a part of everyday life for… Like… ever right?”
I slumped against John and thought. Dredging up old memories that I almost wished I didn't have, “It was… a very long time ago. My doctor told me I was making up false memories to cover up a traumatic event and make it to where I was normal and everyone around me were the weird ones…”
I could hear John doubt my doctor's claims, “That sounds… fishy.”
Despite John's odd word choice, the meaning still fit perfectly, “It feels like it, but I just have no proof. I swear to you, I remember running along a beach, with my parents on two legs. Every Sivkit I knew as a child walked on two legs. It’s like… well…”
I grabbed John's hand to stop it from distracting me, “One day I woke up, and I was unbelievably cold. I thought I was a corpse. There was this strange… tentacle thing with bulgy eyes standing above me. His words didn't match his lips, but I understood him. It was terrifying.”
“He scooped me up and started running. Said I was in grave danger, and he was going to keep me safe. I didn't trust him one bit. He jumped into some strange ship and told me I had to be very quiet. The bad people would attack us if they heard either of us talking.”
“Eventually, he crashed the ship into something and pulled me out of it. I was surprised to see we had been on a submarine that entire time. That and the sky was the wrong color. I didn't even have an opportunity to think about it as he carried me to a weird looking vehicle that once again surprised me as a giant wall turned into a window.”
“I had never even heard of spaceships before, and I watched as we went up and just moved into space like it was nothing. He tried to calm me down, but he told me my parents were dead. I- just remember sobbing in his tentacles for hours. Eventually, I calmed down enough for him to play with me.”
“For a few days it was just me and him. Then we met up with another ship, and he left that one to drift in the void. He said we were meeting his friend Aylin on Nevis… a Venlil colony not too far from here, actually. I got to meet more aliens on that ship but Kalova- sorry that was the name of the Kolshian who took me out here. Kalova didn't want me to talk about anything to anyone. Said to just say I was his adopted daughter, and he just got a job on Nevis managing the new colony.”
“He never saw it. I didn't know what they were at the time but the Arxur attacked. They were trying to raid the colony and the Gojids and Venlil where desperately trying to protect it. I remember the alarm going off the second the ship’s captain announced we were leaving FTL. Kalova sprinted through the ship carrying me. He placed me in an escape pod just before that terrible lizard spotted us. He pulled the lever and my pod jettisoned down to the surface.”
“I was in that pod for three days before the Venlil found me and put me in an orphanage. Every time I met other Sivkits… they made my skin crawl. There's something wrong with all of them. I swear to you, we Sivkits are supposed to walk on two legs. We also aren't supposed to be that… stupid. Between how they talk being just… off, and the fact what they said was often either retarded or downright wrong, I couldn't ever feel like one of the so-called Grand Herd.”
“Eventually, I aged out. Graduated college, top of my class. And started working out here when they began to rebuild my plant after it burned down. That’s all there… Well, there is more, but It's not actually relevant to your question.”
John leaned down and kissed the top of my head, “Thank you for sharing that with me.”
I groomed the tip of his nose in return, “You're welcome. … Hey John?”
I could see a small bit of… hope in the back of his eyes, “Yes Silv?”
“Can you tell me about your past?”
He frowned as memories came back to him, yet he smiled still. “Yeah… it’s not a happy story either.”
I pressed myself into him, “Well… we can both be sad together, at least.”
John's hands began to absentmindedly work through my fur again, “Yeah… That doesn't sound as bad.”
___/\___
Important question, do you want a chapter dedicated to John retelling his story? Or would you like it smash cut out in favor of more of their first real date? I am not sure how I want to do it and am happy with both, so please let me know.
John and Silvera finally had the relationship talk! Woooooo! John's confessed something he'd rather never bring up, but knows he needs to address to start living a happy life with his new family. Aaaaand, It's time for Silvera’s tragic backstory! (Trademark pending). Strange names though, right? Kalova… weird how John's old boss has a missing brother with the same name as an alien Ivan the Arxur knows! And Aylin… strange they share a name with Talen's dead wife! Man that's just weird!
Special thanks to u/JulianSkies for proofreading! Seriously it felt like my eyes were melting out of my skull and your feedback was everything I needed!
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