2 2. Mother was Not an Ant

I was in another lone hunt, somewhere in the forest. If I didn't have an almost perfect memory I would never find my way home. Same said for my siblings.

I saw something in the distance, small, with white fur. It was another monster, and this one looked like easy prey.

It hopped around with its hare legs, and had long bunny ears. I crawled closer and closer undetected behind it, and pounced.

In the middle of my leap, instantly, its head unnaturally twisted to face me. A cloud of flames burst out from the monster rabbit's maw, engulfing me.

It jumped away before my burning body crashed onto it. Unable to balance my landing, I rolled uncontrollably on the soil. I anchored my scythes down and erected myself immediately, facing right at the little monster. Spots of flames ate on my carapace, yet I remained steadfast.

I saw it staring at me with its red button eyes, with a mocking needle toothed grin.

The Heatbunny's belly inflated, then throat. Its toothy jaws opened, and like a bursting dam…

A mere puff of smoke came out of it. It seemed surprised. It tried to spit fire again, same result.

It looked at me, and realized what was happening.

On the edges of my carapace, joints, and between my segments, was a green glowing light. Like a jade energy that attempted to escape from the confines of my armor. It overwhelmed the light of the flames on me, extinguishing it, leaving not even marks on my carapace.

It panicked, realizing it couldn't use its magic, it quickly turned to hop away, but stopped as one of my scythes impaled through its stomach.

It was too slow.

I raised the creature to the air, and swung it down at a nearby rock, head first.

*Crack!*

---

I was following the directions back home from my memory. The monster core between my mandibles.

There was something unusual, I could not see a single monster from the distance. Not one watching me from afar, traveling, or the like. It was quiet, if the non-monstrous birds silenced that is.

It unnerved me. I thought I had perhaps missed something. Something that made everyone disappear.

"ACHOO!"

Was that a monster? The noise came from the distance drowned by the trunks of massive trees.

I slowly and very cautiously inched closer and closer to the source of the noise. As I got closer, I heard multiple footsteps. Perhaps a multi legged beast? Spider maybe?

I slowly rose from the shrubbery and got a view of the creature. It was three separate monsters. At least, I thought they were monsters.

They stood on two legs, and wore metal and tanned hide over themselves for what I assumed to be protection.

One of them I saw held a pointy stick with a metal end, another a strange cross object with a string and small pointy stick rest on top, and the last one just a stick.

A spear, crossbow, and staff. Each of the men adventured in the forest fearlessly despite how fragile they seemed.

I was unconvinced, are they really the creatures all the monsters hid from? They looked like they would die from a single slice in the neck.

Then one of them opened their mouths, and spoke sounds.

The same sounds that came from my mother.

I then realized there was more to them than it seemed.

I stealthily followed them, and memorized every single word they spoke to each other. I followed far behind, but close enough to hear them.

When one spoke, another replied. But there are cases where they didn't, and instead made a face, or moved a hand, or their shoulders, or some other part. I didn't understand for what purpose they spoke. Is it to warn other creatures that they have arrived and should make way? Or perhaps, they weren't trying to communicate to monsters, but rather to communicate to each other.

After a long while, they stopped speaking, perhaps they ran out of things to talk about.

I left heading for my Queen. Rabbit's core on my mandibles.

---

The day wore thin.

I rushed past a sibling and entered the silver hive. I went through several chambers and corridors and met the Scypede Matriarch, The Queen.

She looked at me, with her emotionless compound eyes. I surrendered the monster core on the floor.

"Don't... mock... her." She made the sounds again, facing the air.

I paused, and tried to do the same.

"W... w-where... are.... we. Where. Where are we? | Here check the map. | Toss it. | No." I repeated sounds I heard from the creatures. With a voice that copied theirs exactly.

Mother froze upon realization.

I began to repeat every single word spoken, starting with the first sentences I heard, my reliable memory not allowing a single misword. I didn't know what I was doing, if what I was doing even had any meaning. But mother seemed so interested, I didn't want to disappoint. Most of it was valueless conversations and banter, but occasionally there came information, which is what my mother truly wanted. One took my mother's attention in particular.

"Don't go there, we can't move west yet. Those Scythe bastards are still swarming all over the region. | Why haven't the guilds done anything yet? | I heard they were gonna do something about it today, but I ain't seen them anywhere. Bunch of lazy asses they are."

The Queen was silent when I finished repeating everything else I remembered. She looked at the monster core I offered on the floor, and pushed it to roll towards me. The ball stopped near my legs.

I reluctantly picked the orb up, and looked at her for confirmation.

She was silently and emotionlessly staring at me.

I looked at the orb for a moment, with some hesitation I ate the monster core, and swallowed it. Instantly, a shock reverberated throughout my body.

She vomited a handful of nutritious goo onto the wax ground. When I noticed it near me, I rushed to consume it all like a wild starving beast.

I felt the absorbed core change the very nature of my body, deconstructing and reconstructing some parts I couldn't quite locate.

I noticed I was breathing, inhaling and exhaling through my mouth.

A spark came from an exhale, then before I realized it. Every breath I took puffed a light flame. I held my breath, and it stopped.

The Queen patted the top of my head with a scythe, and nudged me to leave. I listened and left the chamber, still unsure of my new power.

"Was it all right to give it that?" A man's voice appeared.

"Yes... a unique one... deserves... a unique... strength..."

"Unique huh... and you're not going to kill it? It's very clear it's a deviant, so what's so special about it that it's better alive?"

"She helped us... know... the... incoming human... attack..."

"Fine, then that must mean you'll be moving the hive elsewhere? I'll help you find a good place."

My mother remained silent, she looked at the air to her left, it was still empty in reality, but in her eyes there was a man made out of shadow, with cold red glowing eyes.

"What? What's wrong?" He noticed her uncertain gaze.

"If... we... leave now... my children who are hunting... will return... to see an empty home... and waiting killers."

"So?"

"I will not... abandon... my... daughters. I'm... sorry." She looked down at the floor.

"Are you a fool? You will get yourself killed for... mere machines? They can't feel anything!"

"I'm sorry."

"Ants didn't become prolific all over the world by caring over every single worker. Didn't you want your children to be prosperous? Then don't get attached. They serve you! Not the other way around."

"I suppose... I am not... an ant..."

He grit his teeth, about to shout something, but instead he composed himself and sighed. He put his hand inside his chest, searching for something deep in the darkness of his body, and pulled out a pitch black book. He opened it and continued from the middle where he last left off.

"Fine, do as you wish. Besides, if they missed today, they might not be here tomorrow too, if they ever come." His eyes stuck on his book. "I spent too many years raising you, would be a shame if you died over something so stupid. I don't want to have to write you down here. Do you understand?"

"Thank... you..."