"Sometimes the Hate Turns Outward and There Is No Fear Left"

"Home Is the Hunter."
By Henry Kuttner (1915-58) and C. L. Moore (1911-87).
First appearance: Galaxy, July 1953.
Many reprintings (HERE), including Jim Baen's Universe, December 2006.
Short short story (7 pages).
Online at Baen Books (HERE).

"All that time, all that painful time, learning to kill. It was natural. They kept telling us how natural it was. We had to learn. And there could be only one heir ..."

For today's New Yorkers, Central Park is usually a place to find peace, rest, and contentment, but in Honest Roger Bellamy's 21st-century world it's restricted only to people who'd like nothing better than to have his head on a platter—and the feeling is mutual . . .

Resources:
- For Henry Kuttner, see (HERE), (HERE), (HERE), and (HERE); for Catherine Moore, see (HERE), (HERE), (HERE), and (HERE).
- The seriously warped society depicted in "Home Is the Hunter" seems vaguely similar to the one in a story by Robert Sheckley (HERE), as well as in these stories (HERE; SPOILERS) and (HERE; SPOILERS), while the idea of headhunters striving to be the "only one" is strongly echoed (HERE; SPOILERS).

The hunting grounds.

- We've encountered Henry and Catherine a few times already; go (HERE) for more.

The bottom line:
   Home is the sailor, home from sea,
   And the hunter home from the hill.
     — "Requiem"