(Chapter 16) Appendix 11 - New Predators

(Monsters, Beasts, The Punishment)

Persistent during Reclamation Period

The New Predators of this world came as something as a shock to me, as well as they, must have to the survivors, and represented a change I had not thought previously possible. It is related somewhat to my entries regarding 'Subject 221A' as it seems to involve the same chemical agent that had such catastrophic results for the human race.

Instead of devolving to their most basic form, the inverse effect can be seen on the roaming wildlife, even today. The chemical agent that was deployed globally put something of a rush on the evolutionary plans that the wildlife seemed to have and the subsequent absence of human interference escalated this further.

Nature reasserted itself, as I have said before, in the lack of a human presence on the planet for a long period. Flora repopulated areas decimated by industrial action, forests regrew and spread, stronger than before, flowers grew taller, insects became highly adept at their purpose. Entire abandoned human cities were slowly reclaimed, buildings as tall as the sky became home to new, fascinating flowers, roots of trees breaking through a layer of solid concrete to establish their dominance again.

Logically, this means the Fauna also changed dramatically over time and the addition of an evolutionary accelerant only served to push this further than we previously thought possible. I'll take the common wolf as an example, though the most terrifying examples of this, bears and the like, are thankfully not native to this island of the 'United Kingdom'.

Foxes, the most dangerous animal the UK has to offer, however, are another matter entirely. The UK was known for its lack of dangerous or poisonous indigenous Fauna. Early history on this island has various kings and rulers calling for the complete and total extinction of the majority of predators on the island, from bears to wolves. This meant animals that would have typically been their prey, deer and the like, were allowed to flourish relatively freely, only human hunters being their bane.

I am grateful I did not first encounter these creatures on the island known previously as Australia as typical reports would have meant this island became inhospitable to human life. Or, at least, even more so than it already was.

But, back to the foxes of the UK. These animals were notorious for being cheeky, adorable and only really posed a threat to smaller wildlife, primarily chickens. The foxes of today, however, are another matter entirely. In their forced evolutionary period, now left unchecked by a human presence on the island and with an abundance of things to hunt, they grew prodigiously. An average fox of today is now the size of an average wolf from before the end of this iteration of the world. Their fangs are sharp and they possess impeccable balance, ready to strike at any time with claws the size of a man's finger. Luckily, they retain a semblance of their former selves and tend to fastidiously avoid human interaction.

It's worth noting that the animals that survived in the zoos of this country, once they became free, evolved at the same pace. I have now encountered many species of Fauna not considered native to this island previously and they are expanding at a steady rate. Bears and wolves once again roam the expanding forests and highlands of this place, finding a new home in the ruins of another species.