Going Back Home

After the human intruders had gone, the Mantis Queen remained in the middle of the wrecked and devastated area. 

On the ground, the shattered remains of the mutants gradually moved, reconnecting slowly, gradually returning to their prior condition. 

They lacked individual consciousness and personal feelings. If the Backbone in the area was still functioning, they would eventually recover their original shapes and then sink into the ground for a deep sleep.

Afterward, a quietude would envelop this region once more, broken only by the whispering breezes and the sporadic buzzing of insect wings. This cycle remained unchanged, year after year.

The two humanoid mutants were sprawled on the ground, their eyes fixed vacantly on the sky above. The female mutant's neck wound, which had been severed, was healing, while the male, with both legs cut off, clearly needed more time to rise again.