"Moon! No!"
The huge vessel was carrying a stack of dishes outside the mine barracks, despite the warnings from his friend Ren about not to do it. As a result, one of her long horns caught on the door, she lost her balance, and ended up breaking some dishes.
The guardian, sorry for what she had done, wanted to bend down to pick up the pieces, but when she did it, again she ended up hitting with her horns something she shouldn't have, this time a pillbug that was just coming out of the building. Before Moon continued her disasters, Ren came to her aid, ordered her to sit outside while he tended to the injured insect and sent another to pick up the broken dishes.
The somewhat angry and frustrated girl crossed her arms and did as she was asked. She knew she was clumsy, but she also wanted to help, even Hollow and Orchid were cooperating moving tables and chairs. And speaking of them, she observed that this pair got along quite well, right now Hollow was trying to teach sign language to her friend and she was doing her best to memorize the basic movements. She looked at them closely, they looked happy together, maybe they were be best friends, just as she was with Ren... Or maybe there was something else.
She walked up to them, seeking to attract attention, and when she reached their side, she dropped loudly, shaking the place. A couple of pebbles fell on top of them, but this time Orchid with a quick movement was able to knock it away. Then she turned to the knight who gave her a smile and a couple of thumbs up.
"It seems I'm just getting better." She did not want to make it notice but she was very proud of her achievement, Ren's advice had been very useful to her, and little by little she was putting them into practice.
Beside him meanwhile, Moon looked away annoyed. Hollow knew her, this was one of her subtle tantrums.
"(What's up Moon?)"
"(Nothing happens)"
"(Something happens to you)"
"(Maybe, but I'm not going to tell you)"
"(Come on, don't you trust your brother?)"
"(Well... Maybe if you bring me a sweet)"
Typical of Moon, always asking for sweets, sometimes they had to restrict access to them because of her excessive liking, but this time he would allow it. He got up and went to look for some, although not many, otherwise she would not want to eat from the barbecue they were preparing.
Moon's mood immediately changed as she thought of the sweets she could eat. She swayed gently in her place as a sign of her joy and then looked at Orchid, who did not seem very happy.
The mantis burned with jealousy, she could not understand the language of the vessels, only read her body language, and in the interaction between the two she saw a very close relationship that she did not like. She knew she had no right about Hollow, she knew there was no relationship to be upset with, but she couldn't help it. Moon looking at the mantis so annoyed wanted to ask what was going on, then she noticed that Hollow had left his whiteboard on a nearby table and took it, she supposed he wouldn't mind if she used it a bit.
"What's up Orchid?" She wrote in her elegant handwriting.
"Nothing," the mantis replied, turning her back on her.
This left Moon somewhat shocked, she used to do those little tantrums when she was frustrated, but it was not common someone to do them to her.
"Do you want a sweet?" She didn't mind giving her one of her goodies, but unlike her, Orchid was not going to fall for such a bribe.
Fortunately for Moon, Hollow returned soon, and the mantis' attitude did not go unnoticed by him.
"(What's wrong with Orchid?)" He asked his sister.
"(I don't know, suddenly she got like this, I even offered her a sweet and she didn't want to)".
Hollow stood in front of Orchid to look at her directly in the eyes, but she turned her gaze away, again he sought her eyes and she denied her gaze. Hollow scratched his head wondering what was happening to her now, to his surprise Orchid at least spoke to him.
"I don't want to hear from you, stay away." She said this even though all she wanted was for Hollow to pay attention to her, but that bad habit of saying the opposite of what she wanted, she wasn't going to get rid off so quickly.
However, Hollow already knowing her contradictory nature, more or less interpreted the mantis' wishes and hugged her. Immediately the female's face was painted carmine as a mixture of satisfaction and shame washed over her. Suddenly she noticed Moon's surprised look, she could not believe that her brother acted that way with a girl, in fact the entire camp had their eyes fixed on them.
"It seems that what we read in the newspaper the other day was true," a beetle whispered to a mealybug next to her.
The mantis when she realized this pushed Hollow away from her as she yelled at him.
"Stop! Don't spread with me! Don't think I'll give myself up to you that easy! Although you're handsome and sweet, I don't..." She suddenly realized the silly stuff she was saying and the fact that everyone was watching her "It's not what it seems!"
"Ah... I really love this girl," Ren said, approaching the group with a smile and a violin case in his arms. "Look Moon, I brought your violin, you can liven up the atmosphere a little while we wait for the food to be ready".
The guardian was agree, and with great enthusiasm she took her instrument, then with all the calm and delicacy in the world she began to prepare herself, perhaps she was awkward to move around her, but with the tasks that required delicacy she did well.
She took out the violin, tuned the strings, tightened the hairs on the bow, and passed a kind of sticky stone over them. Orchid looked at the whole process with a lot of curiosity, the violins were something unknown to her. There were musical instruments in the tribe, but it were much simpler, almost limited to being drums and some types of horns, and the music was based more on rhythm than melody.
But a violin was something much more sophisticated, something that produced a unique sound that could be given feeling and personality. A shiver ran down the mantis's back when the first sound tore through the cave air, she had never heard anything like this in her life, and that was only a warm-up exercise, simple arpeggios before starting to play.
Orchid had her full attention turned to Moon, she was ecstatic listening to herarpeggios, and her heart almost fell out of her chest when the real music started.
Moon chose to play a very happy melody, ideal to lift spirits and dance, many of the insects of the place began to hum or move smoothly to the rhythm of the music, they made light jumps as they went from one place to another.
Orchid's tail was also waving to the rhythm of Moon's tune, and Hollow for reasons he didn't understand was very tempted to touch it, but since he knew that this was an improper act, he held back the desire.
"The temptation to the forbidden," Ren joked beside him, Hollow just glared at him. "Just kidding. Hey, why don't you take her out dancing? She looks very excited".
Hollow considered the idea and thought it was good, so he went where Orchid and held out his hand. The mantis did not understand the meaning of that gesture, so she let herself be carried away by curiosity and naively took the hand he offered her. The knight gave her a smile that melted her heart and took her to an open area. They all stepped aside to give them space while the mantis was more and more confused, but her confusion increased even more when the knight began to drag her on the dance floor to the rhythm of the music.
Orquídea knew how to dance, but only the tribal dances they did during some special rituals, such as when young people lost their wings and passed into adulthood. But they were very simple dances, all in a round around a bonfire performing certain postures determined according to the rhythm drum. But this dance now was different, lively, spontaneous, free.
She found it difficult to keep up with the knight, her movements were clumsy and rigid, and she felt a little scared to be observed by everyone. What was happening? What was this all about? She began to distract herself with all the bugs around her, getting more and more nervous and losing her rhythm. Hollow noticed this and caught her in a timely manner.
Hollow tenderly touched the mantis's face to reassure her, then pointed to one of his own eyes and then pointed to the mantis' eyes. Based on what little she had learned from the intuitive language of shadelings, that meant of that was something like, "Look me in the eye and don't look away." And that's what she did.
In Hollow's eyes the Lord found tranquility, only that was enough for her to forget the world and lose her fears. He made her feel safe and protected, he was kind and sweet, with infinite patience to endure her follies and ravings. It was no longer just her heat that made her want to stay by his side, now she began to realize how much she liked sharing her time with him, and how terribly painful it would be to have to leave him.
A certain anguish settled in his chest at the thought of this. What would be her future regarding this relationship? And why was she suddenly considering their relationship? There was nothing between them!
But suddenly she had a vision, something almost magical and inexplicable. In front of her, she saw a mining beetle, like the many who worked there, even wearing the regulation helmet. The girl looked at her with a warm smile and spoke in the warmest, most melodious voice she had ever heard.
"Don't think about it, just live in the moment. Dance!"
And just as that vision appeared, it faded from her mind. It was a strange and confusing moment, but somehow reassuring, she removed all concern, took the knight's hands, and was carried away by the music.
Orchid lost all her rigidity, and began to move more freely, enjoying the dance and the company of the knight, both walked the track while the spectators applauded to the rhythm of the music, cheering them on from time to time with shouts and exclamations.
It was an elegant dance, between two bugs with a delicate and stylized appearance, lively and fast, the mantis had a very particular way of moving, just like in battle, it was reminiscent of a ghost, ethereal, mysterious. Soon Hollow no longer had to guide her steps and he let her dance at her own pace. The music ran through her, each chord seemed to express itself in her body, as if it vibrated and emitted a magical energy, something that resonated throughout the place. She was in harmony with the song, with the melody of the crystals that impregnated each individual present and filled their hearts with warmth.
And in all this, there was something that made Hollow feel tremendously nostalgic, something inside him stirred, a distant memory of his childhood, of a different but curiously similar dance, a dance of passion and fire performed by a terrible beast with a broken heart, he remembered those red eyes of fire, his elegance, his terrifying power and that scarlet child that would inherit the curse of her family.
He felt a stitch in his heart when he thought about it, but it didn't last long, because Orchid took him by the hand, snatching him from those painful memories and took command in that madness of sound and rhythm, dragging him all over the place in endless twists and turns. The music grew louder and more frantic, Moon's violin melted into trills and arpeggios, the palms sounded louder and the crystals screamed with joy until they climaxed. The music ended with a hasty chord, and by the time he realized it, Hollow was lying flat in one of Orchid's arms, as she leaned toward him looking him straight in the eye.
Both blushed at being in such a close situation, but curiously, this time it was Hollow who had his mind in a whirlwind and could not find how to react, all this seemed suspiciously similar to a situation he had lived in his childhood... More or less.
But the intimate atmosphere they were sharing was suddenly broken by the applause and cheers of all the spectators who were delighted with their show. Orchid from fright and surprise dropped Hollow who crashed to the floor. When she realized what she had done she looked at him sadly, but he didn't look annoyed, he just smiled at her from the ground so sweetly that it took her breath away. Indeed, when she had to abandon the knight she would suffer greatly.
...................................................................
The spider queen opened her eyes lazily and shifted in her bed, seeking to accommodate herself to continue sleeping, she felt her body heavy, but satisfied. Trying to turn around, she realized that a pair of arms held her captive and that she had no clothes on. Her first sign was alarm, although when she recognized the hands that held her and remembered what had happened the night before, she calmed down.
But this calm only lasted an instant, until she remembered that she had left Ania waiting for her for dinner. That had been irresponsible, she should have sent a messenger to say that she wouldn't be back that night so she wouldn't worry. What time was it? She gently pressed her husband's hands to release herself, but did more than that by waking the pillbug.
"Mmmm... Hornet? What happens?"
"It is time for me to go."
"What? So soon?"
"Quirrel, I spent the whole night with you, now you can't complain that I didn't pay attention to you."
"It is morning already? Time flies if I'm by your side".
"That sounds like one of the phrases in Bretta's novels."
"Maybe it is." He gave her a mischievous smile. "Well, I would invite you to breakfast but I suppose you're already late, I still have a lot to do too, like cleaning my desk. He said, glancing at his work table that was full of the remains of the previous dinner. Besides, I think I should clean this office too, since the children stay here I don't let anyone come in to clean and the room already starts to smell something strange".
"Yes, it really smells like... Egg..."
They both panicked upon realizing this and ran to the nest fearing that one of the eggs had fallen while they slept, but nothing was further from the truth. The suckers were safe, all three in their nest and one of them had a noticeable crack in its surface, which was enlarging every moment.
"Is that..."
"They are hatching! Hornet, our children are being born!"
After that there were no more words for a while, both were ecstatic watching the egg, the impatience to see what would hatch had their nerves on edge, they were about to be parents. They almost felt the urge to smash the shells themselves, but experts said it was best for the hatchlings to come out on their own, and this particular hatchling seemed to take its time.
The egg was already full of cracks everywhere and the little one had not yet deigned to come out, even a second egg had started to show signs of damage.
Although Quirrel was very nervous, his discomfort was nothing compared to Hornet's. He worried that they were healthy, she worried that they were healthy and that some were a spider. She still did not forget that if she did not provide an appropriate heir to the Deepnest, in her next heat she would have to copulate with a thoroughbred male.
And like a cruel move of fate, a piece of the shell finally fell revealing a segmented bluish shell. Hornet was devastated as she watched the creature be born. Soon the head emerged from the ovoid and all four eyes were visible. The baby began to crawl using their four arms, exposing their pillbug body.
The newborn creature was certainly curious, the crossbreeds always were, and a pillbug with four eyes and four arms was very striking.
Hornet was so shocked that she did not know how to react. They was a pillbug, a creature like that would never be accepted as an heir, even if they had spider features. She began to get nervous thinking about what was coming, about having to be courted by someone who was not Quirrel, just imagining someone else putting his hands on her made her sick..
"Hornet!" Quirrel yelled at her, pulling her out of her reveries. "Easy... There are still two, one of them may be the spider you are looking for."
"Yes... You're right... Two left... Yes..."
Hornet seemed to be in no condition to care for the newborn, so he went to fetch a towel himself from the pile of items Hornet had brought from home and kept in the office. When he returned, he gently took the newborn and began cleaning the fluids that covered their body while carefully checking them.
"They looks healthy, although somewhat lazy, they seems to just want to sleep," he said with a smile cradling the creature. "Mmm... From what I see it's a girl. We have a daughter Hornet!"
"Yes... a daughter..."
Hornet should have been elated with the birth of her firstborn, but she couldn't shake the worry off of her and was now turning her full attention to the second egg that was making great strides in hatching.
The baby that came in here seemed more energetic than their sister, the egg opened with surprising speed, in fact the little one seemed to have enough strength, because with a push the egg broke and at once they child jumped into the world.
Hornet almost screamed with joy, because what she had in front of her was exactly what she longed for. They was a perfect spider, with a wide abdomen, strong body, and a pair of horns that denoted their royal status, perhaps their only "defects" would be that they had only four eyes, and six limbs, two arms and four legs to be precise. But it was not that important, this little child had much more of a spider than herself.
"It's a spider! A spider, Quirrel!"
"Yes, I see it," he said, sharing his wife's joy. "Is beautiful".
He handed her a towel to clean the creature herself, Hornet happily accepted. She cradled the little baby in her hands while she hummed happily, she rarely looked so happy, now after weeks she could feel relieved, her tortuous wait was over, she had a perfect heiress and no one could complain. Also, now that she reviewed the newborn was a girl, she was perfect, because in Deepnest the females had preference when inheriting the throne.
"Are you calmer now, Hornet?"
"Yes, everything is fine, I have the heir to Deepnest." She hugged the creature, who stirred lazily and made a soft moan.
"Okay, but save a bit of excitement that a child is still missing." He pointed to the last egg that was already cracking. "What do you think it is?"
"I don't know and I don't care, if they is a pillbut or a spider I'm going to love them just the same, I just want they to be born healthy".
"I wish they were a boy, I mean, we already have two girls."
"Yes, I suppose it would be nice to have a boy."
Now calmer, while they waited for the last egg to open, they took the time to take care and leave their daughters in a crib that they had prepared for that moment. The little pillbug enjoyed burying herself among the blankets that were arranged for her, instead her sister screamed for food.
"Take it ease little one, I'm coming."
Quirrel had figured out that these days the eggs would hatch, and with all the free time he had, he had made some preparations and had bottles of baby food stored for them.
"And that?" The half-breed asked.
"I made it myself, reading some books on how to make nutritious smoothies for newborns."
"Well, I had some recipes Ania had given me".
"Sure it is good too, but now there's no time to ask her." He held out the food bottle to the young spider who began to eat almost desperately. "Look, she seems to like my recipe".
Hornet delighted in watching Quirrel take care of her daughter until a crunch caught her attention. Finally, the remaining hatchling's egg had split in half and the little one inside was struggling to get out.
Both parents came to witness the birth of their last child and when they contemplated what came from there, they were speechless.
Black body, rounded face, two large horns protruding from their head and two smaller ones from their forehead, large, black and above all expressionless eyes. They was a vessel!
Hornet was horrified to see her child, she almost wanted to deny that the thing had come out of her egg. How could it be? Why was something like this born? She had never been involved with the void. There was no reason for one of her children to come out like this!
Now she was beginning to imagine what it would be like to raise that being, she would never hear them sing, they would never call her mother, they would have trouble relating to others, they would have no definite gender and no chance of having children. But worst of all, there would not be a bug under that mask, there would be a creepy shadow that no one but their family could love.
All of these concerns crossed her head as her hands went to the newborn's neck. She needed to see them, she had to see their true form, even if her heart broke she had to contemplate the shadow hidden under the mask.
She put her fingers under the baby's face and pulled, but instead of make appear a shadow, what came out was the child's voice.
Then Hornet breathed with relief, perhaps they looked like a vessel, but it was just that, her child was normal, they had a voice, they was crying and expressing their disgust at the pain they felt, they had a will, they wished that they would treat them well, and now that she notice it, also had gender. He was a boy!
"Hornet, what are you doing?" Quirrel asked, worried that she had made his son cry.
"He is normal..." She said taking the sapling in her arms "He is normal!" She shouted with joy. "My son is normal..."
"And why wouldn't he be?"
"I don't know, it's that... When I saw his appearance..."
"To be honest I also feared the worst, but in reality this child's appearance does not have to mean that he is a shadeling, it is only the pale king's genes that are very strong in him."
"That old worm is still around in his own way," Hornet said thoughtfully. "But it doesn't matter." She hugged her boy, finally calming her tears. "You are already with me, you and your sisters. I will make sure to give you a good life and love you very much, I will be the best mother I can".
In response the boy gave a soft grunt and smiled.