Unlike Any Other

"How often do they happen?"

Hackett tilted his head in an approximation of a shrug to the adult's question. "Often enough for us to be needed, unfortunately. Big cities tend to house a lot of people, and the more people there are, the more likely a fire will break out."

Karlene only paid half a mind to the regaling of his tale at the changeling —Sclerite, she reminded herself— who listened in, wholly enraptured. It wasn't because Karlene thought that she didn't need to know, but because of the subtext underneath it. It was worse with Vargas, but Monty's need to display his value was bothersome. She supposed that it made sense to do so, to avoid the possibility of either the nurse or the Queen would find no use in the three of them. Karlene had died once already, and she had no intention of going through it again, especially if it meant suffering through another period of being a helpless fetus.

She took a moment to observe the scene of the diminutive insect speaking to a fascinated and larger insect, both of whom were far too big for her liking. Karlene still couldn't quite shake the feeling that the sight was a fictitious one: something that would fit in a movie or a comic book. It shouldn't have been real, had the world that she knew made sense.

The now-very-much-not-a-woman let out a forlorn sigh. Karlene was, to quote a certain girl with a dog, not in Kansas anymore.

"How many of you are there?" Sclerite asked.

Montgomery mulled over his response. "If we're going by how many there are in my rescue squad excluding me, twenty-one. We're six in my own squad company." His ears wilted. "Well, we were six. I've got no clue what happened to my company."

This brought on a weight upon Karlene's mind as she was reminded of her own colleagues. Anthony, Grace, Matthew... with how things were, they were as good as dead. Or rather, I'm the one who's gone. With a deep breath, she extinguished the thought immediately lest she let herself wallow in a pit of grief. Doing so once in an egg was plenty enough.

"If they died with you, they'd be with us," Vargas said neutrally. "They were lucky enough to be spared from our nightmare."

Hackett looked offended, and Karlene could feel the waves of irritation radiating off of him. Sclerite too appeared hurt, though there was a pang of disappointment rather than outright annoyance.

"But this is the safest place for you," said the nurse insistently, slightly indignant. "We've done everything to comfort you and make you feel at home."

Vargas snorted, while Montgomery muttered something under his breath. Karlene didn't have to guess the meaning to agree with the sentiment; somewhat at least. Fair enough, their caretakers and 'mother' hadn't intended for any of their distress. But the road to hell and good intentions and all that, she thought bitterly to herself.

This sentiment wasn't lost on Sclerite, and she became more muted. "Please. I am sincere when I'm saying that we really did mean you no harm, physical or otherwise!" She lowered her gaze. "You were supposed to have the best of the Hive provided to you, and I, I think that you still will be given your due care and affection."

As the changeling said that, her way-too-big blue eyes gained a shine that accompanied a series of guttural chirps that was worryingly familiar. It made Karlene's heart pulse in her neck, and she mentally swore. Before she could fall under the effect, Vargas made a sound that didn't carry any meaning, but his anger was easy to understand.

"No!" he almost shouted with a stammer. "That! That-that thing that you are doing, that's exactly what is tormenting us! You-you-you're trying to change how we think directly! That's, that's not right!"

The chirping ceased immediately, and it was as if a veil had lifted and Karlene could think straight again. She too stared with plenty of ire herself, but the pathetic way that Sclerite’s whole form seemed to shrink at their outrage gave her pause. Sclerite seemed almost to be on the verge of tears —it was still odd to think that she had tear ducts— and her eyes fell further lower than before.

"But I didn't mean to...?" Sclerite said in a barely audible whisper, unsure.

Vargas huffed. "Well, you fucking did, whether you mean to or not."

The chamber grew uncomfortably quiet, though not for the reason that Karlene had anticipated initially. This was the first time that she'd seen him this directly vile, and she wanted to agree but...

Looking back at Sclerite, she looked about as pathetic as a kicked puppy, ears drawn back and all. Karlene knew that Vargas was in the right, though every fibre of her being screamed out in agony. It was not right to scold the nurse, she was just doing as she was taught.

Karlene caught herself and blinked profusely. Where the hell did that come from?

"Aw jeez," came Montgomery's voice. He approached the nurse and placed a limb upon her in a hesitant show of comfort. "It's fine, it's fine." His tone was conciliatory, though his own apprehension was evident through his stance and distant 'hug'.

Another scoff escaped Vargas's lips. "Oh come on, Hackett! Don't tell me you think that it's actually sorry."

Even Karlene dropped her jaw in shock. Justly angry or not, she wasn't so abusive to just treat the very adult and very big changeling who was in distress as a dumb beast. Even if Sclerite was an unthinking one, antagonising her was the last thing from Karlene's mind. She wanted to say as much, but she didn't need to thanks to Montgomery.

"For once, could you shut up and think before spewing shit?" he harshly asked, looking behind his shoulder at Vargas. "I'm angry as well, but for fuck's sake, we can talk it out like adults! The adults that we're supposed to be!"

Vargas visibly seethed and appeared ready to retort, but Montgomery cut him short with a hush. "Don't you get it?" he asked, turning more to better face Vargas. "We're not human anymore—not in body. Haven't you noticed the smells, the weird things that you knew but really shouldn't have known about? Fuck, man, we've talked to each other with emotions!"

"But the mind cont—"

"Then we'll ask!" Hackett looked up to Sclerite. "What you did just now, was that supposed to manipulate us?"

The breath that she let out was sharp but short. "I– no!" she said resolutely, appalled. "I would never! That's not– I can't do that directly! You're not supposed to be influenced like that at all!"

"What do you mean by 'influenced'?" Karlene interjected, taking a few steps forwards and keeping a steely gaze at Sclerite.

The adult drew in a shaky breath. "I was trying to make you feel belonged. I-it's another way of telling you that. It’s how I treat nymphs like you." Then, quite curiously, she let out a lamentful chuckle. "But you're not nymphs. I mean you are, but you are not." Sclerite brought up a limb and began knocking it against her forehead. "It's honestly maddening."

"Hey, hey," Montgomery redoubled his efforts to comfort her, lowering his voice. "Don't beat yourself up." His smile twitched upwards. "Neither figuratively nor literally."

That got a good-humoured laugh and a grin out of Sclerite, brief as they were. At least she stopped tapping at her head. It was only then that Karlene realised what Hackett knew. Well, perhaps not what he knew, but what he suspected.

In a quiet voice, she asked, "Sclerite, just how old are you?"

Sclerite shot her a funny look. "What does—" Sclerite sniffed. "What do you mean by that?"

"How many years have passed since you were a, um, a nymph?"

Montgomery looked up to Sclerite, curious about the answer. Even Vargas from his spot emanated interest. The changeling blinked, her gaze growing unfocused. "How many years?" she murmured as if wondering that herself. "I wouldn't know exactly. Four, five years since my emergence."

A chill ran down Karlene's spine; Montgomery closed his eyes and scowled; Vargas stared agape. So it was true.

"Jesus, you're just a child." Karlene's mutter was hollow with the dread of what she'd just learned. Sclerite seemed to bristle at the declaration, but Karlene cut her displeasure short. "A-and the other nurse? The one who's always with you?"

Sclerite's simmer faded, though Karlene could see just how upset she still was. "What does it matter?" she asked irritably before letting out a sigh. "Alpha Petiole is likely two years my senior," she said after a moment, "though I don't see how that makes the Alpha or me 'children'."

"Oh man," Montgomery said with a deepening scowl, "this is messed up."

"No, wait! That– that doesn't make any sense," Vargas insisted, though his tone had gotten noticeably less confident. "Perhaps years are longer here, or maybe the days last for longer, because..." His words fell as his eyes met Sclerite's. "...because otherwise, you– you are emotionally immature," he said in a shaky breath, as he seemed to just understand the implications of it all. "You all are. Oh, Lord. But I didn't think..."

The glare from Montgomery was just as pained as Vargas's words. "No. None of us did."

Was that it then: the root cause of all of their misunderstandings? Karlene raised one of her limbs in an attempt to hug herself. It now all made a frightful amount of sense. These changelings had to baby each other because, in essence, they were still children. It must've been what they were used to. With this, another doubt crept up in Karlene's mind.

"How old is the Queen?" she asked hesitantly.

Sclerite finally snapped. "Older than all of us—than all of you!" The outburst caught Hackett off guard and sent him recoiling backwards from the nurse. "You will not ask her that," she hissed fiercely, "and you will show her the proper deference that she is owed!

"And what's this about age?" Sclerite huffed. "Who are you to call young or immature when, by your own admission, are not changelings?" She rose to her feet and loomed over Karlene and Montgomery. "You are not younglings, fair enough, but do not treat us nurses as such! Or any other adult, for that matter!"

Whatever confidence Hackett had displayed evaporated under the verbal onslaught if his expression was anything to go by. Vargas wisely stayed quiet and did not take the opportunity to sneak a jab at Karlene and Montgomery's hasty presumptions. As for Karlene, well. She'd made a fool of herself. Again.

Her head hung low. How could she have overlooked this? Sclerite's mood swing should have surprised Karlene, but it was only fitting and, ultimately, justified. Things weren't as they were before. Gotta get that through your thick head, Karlie, she scolded herself.

Suddenly Sclerite's ears perked up, twitching towards the exit. She eyed specifically Karlene when she gave a quiet and hurried warning: "No mention of this before Mother or the Alpha, understood?" Sclerite didn't bother waiting for a response as she straightened herself and relaxed her overall stance. Her smile, it was easy to see, was forced.

Karlene let out a breath that she didn't realise that she was holding. This wasn't the time to dwell on it; though it didn't mean that she'd rather face through another meeting with her again.

Courage, Karlie, said a voice as the Queen crawled through, you're made of sterner stuff.

Chrysalis scrutinised the three nymphs. Their all-too prophetic blue marks had begun to fade into the typical grey, and their chitin was gaining a healthy sheen even in this dim chamber. At least they were developing well enough. Physically, she had to remind herself.

Chrysalis hadn't worried about putting on her 'nymph face' (as she's heard some of the nurses call it), but she did keep in mind to try being diplomatic. A bit of a problem, as she had never been in a situation where she had to be that. Understanding, perhaps; friendly too, but never diplomatic.

The nurse before her was putting on an act, though she couldn't quite tell why. She suspected —no, Chrysalis was sure— that the 'hue-mans' were the root cause, but that would have to be addressed later. She instead focused on the little ones.

There was a lull, as none of those present wanted to be the first to put their hoof forwards. The hush annoyed the Queen, and she flicked her head upwards.

"I do not like repeat performances," Chrysalis declared, somewhat callously. "I would like for this third round of introductions to be the final one, so let's start at the beginning." Her eyes wandered between the three nymphs, and arbitrarily nodded her head at the warrior. "You may start, Scape."

Scape's nostrils twitched at that. "To start off, the name's Monty," began the hue-man, decidedly less forward than before. That was a bit of a surprise, though it didn't garner much more than a raised eyebrow from Chrysalis.

This 'Mon-tea' continued to speak how he was a firefighter for what was supposedly a nation's capital. Chrysalis didn't wholly understand every word or name that he spoke of, but she was able to follow the overall meaning, giving her an image of someone who, in a past life, was dutifully heroic, enjoyed a perilous existence, and worked well in a team.

Funnily enough, though not a one-to-one translation, a firefighter could fit into the role of a warrior were one determined enough, and Mon-tea was undoubtedly that—Chrysalis could see it. Despite everything, Mon-tea was masculine in his tone. That was undoubtedly an intriguing detail.

It was then Lancea —'Car-lean', Chrysalis pointed out to herself— who told of her career as an 'emergency medical technician', again in the same capital as Mon-tea. In less fanciful terms, it was clear that Car-lean was once a healer. While notably more varied in terms of function compared to a warrior, workers were not typically healers. That duty usually fell under the purview of drones who had an affinity towards the art. It didn't mean that workers were exempt from that task, however, and the Queen could easily see this former healer take up the mantle once more, and perhaps contribute to other jobs as well.

Lastly, Farris: that hue-man with the stupidly long name was nigh on insufferable, and it took plenty of patience for Chrysalis not to snap at him or make a sarcastic comment. All she had gotten from him was that the drone was an actor. At least that was something, though it was doubtful that his experience made for a good infiltrator. That was something to be seen afterwards.

But beating the arrogance out of him takes precedence, Chrysalis thought fiendishly with an impish smile.

So, a somewhat stalwart firefighter in the guise of a warrior, a scaredy worker who's supposedly an able healer, and a drone claiming to be an actor. Chrysalis's mind went back to the text that she read weeks ago, the explanation of the prophetic marks. The more she thought about it, the more she grasped just how correct it was. The only issue is that it's too dead-on, she deadpanned inwardly.

A sigh later, she regarded the hue-mans for a moment longer, taking a few steps to the side in the vain hope of spotting something that she'd missed in the new angle. Of course, there wasn't anything else to them, much as Chrysalis wished otherwise.

"What am I supposed to do with you?" she wondered loud enough to get Farris —she refused to call him by his own name— to sit straighter.

"Can't you get us back?" he spoke up, somewhat humbled compared to before.

Chrysalis stopped and stared at him. "I am many things, Farris, but I am not omnipotent."

"I said that my name is—" Farris's interjection immediately died in his throat when the Queen came eye to eye with an intimidating display of her teeth.

"I do not care," she said in a hiss. "You will go by Farris because I declared it so." Chrysalis kept the glare for a moment longer, then stood back up. "I cannot do what you've asked. I don't hold power over either death or this strange 'alternate dimension'—" She glanced at Mon-tea. "—that you spoke of. Much to my disappointment."

The hue-mans didn't pipe up to that last bit. Good, Chrysalis didn't want to slap down any further misconduct. She continued, "So, while I might just be rid of you because you are not my children..."

The Queen stopped; she felt something from the Gamma nurse. It was disdain, and she was sure that she could also smell it from Petiole, though not as strongly. This gave her pause because it puzzled her. Were they disapproving of her latter declaration? She supposed that she was technically wrong, these nymphs were hers, but their minds were not their own, and thus not those of her younglings. Was that what gave the nurses umbrage?

Chrysalis reconsidered her words, if not to put the nurses' minds at ease, then to calm down the now frightened hue-mans. "I will not do so, because, despite everything, you are my offspring."

A look from Farris indicated that he wasn't in agreement, and even Mon-tea did not seem convinced with her statement. Car-lean was a bit harder to read, but there was a hint of mild disgust emanating from her. Chrysalis harrumphed. "There are no two ways about it."

"So, what are you going to do to us?" Mon-tea spoke up.

The Queen snorted. "I'll treat you as I do my children, provided that you serve the Hive and me."

"But that's—" Car-lean's objection faltered before Chrysalis had to intervene. Whatever she was about to say, the looming form of the Queen silenced any further comment.

"The Hive provides, but you must work for its betterment, Car-lean." That damnable name was far too similar to the barks in Equesh and whatever hodge-podge of words that canids called a language. Her ears did not find it agreeable. I should just insist on their real names and just be done with it, Chrysalis thought bitterly.

She continued, circling the hue-mans in a manner not dissimilar to a predator circling its prey. "You will be educated in our ways, work for the Hive, integrate yourselves, and—" Chrysalis allowed herself a lopsided smile "—if you prove yourselves particularly diligent and obedient, you shall be rewarded with long and rich lives."

It wasn't a lie, but she did not expect to have to fulfil the promise. Even from her limited interaction with these hue-mans, Chrysalis could tell that they would chafe at the prospect of a life of servitude—especially Farris. She was sure that, if given the opportunity, they'd refuse to perform the tasks necessary for the wellbeing of the Hive.

"However," she added, her smile growing predatory, "I shall not tolerate slacking or repeated failure. Not even my true changelings are spared from punishment for their inadequacy."

There, instilling the fear of the Hatcher would have been enough. Chrysalis could see Mon-tea and Car-lean's eyes widen. Farris merely tensed up. His horror was palpable, though a part of her baulked at the fact that it came from one of her own.

The Queen put on an overly sweet grin. "Are there any questions? You'd best ask them now and not risk looking foolish later."

There was a beat, and just before she was about to dismiss them, Mon-tea said, "You didn't answer my question."

Chrysalis stopped to regard him, her grin faltering slightly. "I believe that I did, but I shall clarify." She hummed exaggeratedly, tapping her chin with a hoof to underscore her tone. "For right now, you will be assigned to your respective caregivers and be taught by them as nymphs are taught." As she thought it over, Chrysalis then addressed Petiole: "They can forgo the base language education considering the circumstances, and perhaps most of the other simple socialisation except..."

Chrysalis's grin gained a mischievous edge as her eyes fell upon Car-lean. "Except perhaps those lessons about how their bodies function," she said playfully. "I don't want them losing control of their bowels and bladders," Chrysalis added, now fully facing the hue-mans. "Especially since you're adults."

Farris's heated response was expected, and, pleasantly enough for Chrysalis, mostly silent. Car-lean and Mon-tea's respective reactions played out differently from what she had expected: Car-lean's head drooped, and she averted her eyes, ashamed; Mon-tea instead maintained eye contact and deepened his scowl. Funny, Chrysalis said to herself, I thought that—

"So we are introducing them to the Hive, my Queen?" Petiole asked.

Roused from her inner thoughts, Chrysalis hummed again, never taking her eyes off of the hue-mans. "No," she replied after a pause. "No, not yet. Keep them known to just the caregivers and whatever younglings are under their care."

"Younglings are talkative," Petiole pointed out, still keeping a respectful tone. "The Hive will learn from those tattle-mouths."

"Yes, but they will be kept apart from the adults as much as possible. Hopefully," Chrysalis said, once more circling the hue-mans, "by the time any of the adults who are not involved will see you, you will be good, contributing members of our glorious Hive."

Again Farris stewed in his displeasure and clearly wanted to talk back. The sight made her smile just a bit wider before it immediately turned into a severe frown. "No ifs, ands or buts," Chrysalis stated resolutely, stopping in front of them. "Your first lesson, graciously offered by yours truly, is that my word is absolute and true. When I say that you will work for our Hive, you will ensure that my statement stands, otherwise..." She smirked. "But it won't come to that, will it?"

Farris actually seemed to stifle his indignation if his widened eyes were anything to go by. Car-lean's neck plates clicked softly as they twitched with unease. Only Mon-tea, surprisingly enough, did not immediately react. His purple eyes did not break contact and stared unblinkingly.

"Yes, ma'am," he said after a few moments.

Chrysalis's nostrils flared, her eyes narrowed, and a growl rumbled from deep within her throat. She drew closer to him until she was face-to-face. "That's 'your Highness' or 'my Queen' to you, grub," she said in a snarl, her voice dangerously quiet. "You have my blood, but you are not my true kin. I shall not extend to you the courtesies offered to my brood, not with that gall of yours. You must earn my respect. Am I understood?"

Mon-tea suffered under the scrutiny but, rather irritatingly, did not break. "Y-yes," he finally stammered out, hastily adding, "y-your Highness."

The Queen kept her glare for a few moments longer. "You will have to work on giving your due deference. Do not disappoint me, Scape." She stood back up. "And you will also be referred to by the names that I have given you." She glanced at Car-lean. "Lancea." She didn't bother looking at Farris. "And you already know your name."

"I—" Farris's response immediately died upon receiving the icy stares of not just Chrysalis but those of both nurses too. Defeated, he bowed his head and said in a small voice, "I uh, I understand, my Queen."

The sight of the irreverent Farris grovelling before her was pleasing. "Excellent, Farris. You are a quick learner," she said amusingly, letting out a short and appreciative chuckle. "You may yet become a real drone."

Farris said nothing, though he did look rather glum now. Good.

Drawing in a sharp breath, Chrysalis put on a smile. "Very well, I have other duties to attend to, so if you have any further questions, posit them to your nurses or caregivers. Their word, much like mine, is law, so you must obey them and follow their instructions. Do you all understand?"

Hesitantly, each one of the hue-mans either nodded or vocally affirmed—with the appropriate honorific too! she thought gleefully. They're quick to learn. Satisfied, she closed in towards the Alpha nurse. Chrysalis was about to speak normally but thought better of it. The hue-mans didn't need to eavesdrop on this conversation.

"How is your Equesh?" she asked Petiole in the ponies' tongue. A quick look at the hue-mans revealed piqued eyebrows. Good, they couldn't understand.

Petiole looked a bit surprised but responded in kind with his dual-tone voice. "It's passable. What do you wish to tell me, Mother?"

"Spread the smell to the alpha nurses and caregivers: only betas and gammas may interact with them," Chrysalis ordered, "None of the warriors must know yet. The younglings are to be told to keep silent about these hue-mans, and be sure to encourage disciplinary actions against those who do not follow these instructions."

Petiole's brow furrowed in concern. "That seems unfair to the younger nymphs," he murmured. "But I will let the alphas know, though I suspect the warriors will not sit by idly if they suspect something."

"Leave the warriors to me, I'll handle them. You just take care of these three."

After a moment, the nurse nodded and gave an affirmative smell. "I understand, my Queen."

Chrysalis stood straight, shooting a side glance at the three hue-mans and said, in her usual tongue, "That will be all. I expect to hear nothing but good things about the three of you!" There was a slight bounce in her trot towards the threshold of the chamber.

It couldn't be helped: it had been a long while since the last time that she was able to flex her power and authority over those too weak to fight back. It felt good.

Even against your own children? asked a traitorous little voice in her head.

Suddenly the bounce in her step disappeared, and the glee was sapped out from Chrysalis as she crawled out of the chamber.

Karlene's gaze upon the bowl of water before her was a forlorn one. Petiole had left not long after the Queen, returning to drop off the water bowls for them and leaving immediately after.

Sclerite remained to supervise them and had been notably less amiable than before, though she did not belittle Montogmery when he had to... well, when he had to discharge. In that, Sclerite was as professional as any nurse that Karlene had known and helped him through the embarrassment quickly and proficiently. Karlene knew too well how Hackett must have felt. Vargas was thankfully quiet about it. Perhaps he must have realised that he'd have to experience a similar mess soon enough.

There was a sense of academic curiosity from Karlene about the process —ideally, she wanted to know just how her new body functioned— but she elected not to poke and prod. She would have to ask the nurse afterwards in private.

Montgomery was a trooper, despite how uncomfortable he was with the whole thing. He did nothing except ask some minor yet relevant questions, to which Sclerite responded politely and to the point. The waste was discarded in some sort of mucus that she excreted from her mouth, using a process that both fascinated and disgusted Karlene.

Both Vargas and Hackett were put off by it, and so was Karlene, but only to an extent. There was an instinctual response from her, and at one point, she felt something like the beginning of bile forming at the back of her throat though far less unpleasant. It wasn't bile really, but the sensation was no less unpleasant. Karlene suppressed the urge to throw it up, lest she accidentally made a mess of things.

It was then, as she observed the water before her and the creamy pink eyes which stared back that Karlene began to appreciate the situation that she was in. She and the other two men had essentially just been drafted into a society that they would have to grow up in. Their 'mother' saw them as alien creatures that had hijacked her real children and held no love for her.

Hell hath no fury like a mother scorned, Karlene thought bitterly to herself. Or was it a woman? Regardless of how the saying went, Queen Chrysalis definitely qualified as a scorned woman. A strange bug woman, but a woman nevertheless. Were Karlene to survive, she'd best fall under the changeling queen's good graces.

Karlene brought up her hoof (Sclerite had mentioned it to Montgomery during his accident) to rub at her face. Both were utterly alien: the chitinous structure; the hole-riddled stump of a limb; she missed having hands. She missed being able to pinch her nose. Hell, she missed havingproper skin.

The soft, somewhat pleasant sensation of chitin rubbing on chitin brought some comfort. This body knew what was right for itself; Karlene did not, and that was the crux of the problem. It was only now that the inevitability of it all came crashing down upon her. She would have to live and grow in this form for the rest of her existence. Under the rule of a despot no less! Suddenly whatever criticisms that she had of her hectic life as an on-call EMT didn't seem to hold weight in comparison. Would she ever grow used to the strange sensations? Would she forget her old life?

It would have been easy to let her emotions spill again. It would probably have been healthy. But to do so again in public? No. She was strong, she had to be for the life that she once had.

An image threatened to form in her mind, but Karlene immediately quelled it. She would not think about it. She'd overcome it before, she would overcome this too.

She let out a sigh and resumed drinking. It was a quiet affair: neither Montgomery, Vargas, nor Sclerite piped up, with the latter keeping a scrutinising eye over the three. The air was thick with tension, and, oddly enough, Karlene literally could almost taste it; another changeling quirk, she supposed. The sensation only helped underscore it, and though difficult, she did her best to ignore it.

Karlene wasn't sure how much time had passed when Petiole returned. She had finished drinking long ago, and so had Vargas. Montgomery was still busy licking the water from his lips when his ears twitched to the sounds of shifting dirt.

"You will follow me," the head nurse said in a hiss, nodding towards the exit. "Do not stray."

Both Hackett and Vargas rose wordlessly. Well, almost wordlessly: a dejected mutter could be heard from the latter. Karlene, however, hesitated. Peering at the dark tunnel gave her a sense of foreboding. This chamber had been the centre of her new life. As absurd as it was to admit it, it was almost a second home to her old one. What lay beyond it?

Karlene felt something nudge her from behind. "Come on, get up." Sclerite's tone was quieter than Petiole's but no less strict.

The woman did so carefully. Her legs shook if she focused too hard on the actual act of standing. Just as she felt as she was about to fall over, she stood firm. Don't think too hard about it, she told herself. Just let the body do the hard work. The three silently followed Petiole with Sclerite bringing up the rear. There was a momentary pause just before Karlene crossed the threshold, but she swallowed her fear and stepped forward.

Unlike the adults, she and the other two humans didn't have to stoop their heads or splay their legs to traverse the tight crawl space. In fact, Karlene saw that it wasn't nearly as pitch-black as it had seemed from the chamber. It was dark, but she could see forms and shapes quite easily, even though there was a slightly fuzzy aura on everything. Nothing too unusual there, it was comparable to her old night vision as a human but notably sharper.

Karlene didn't have long to ponder on that as what appeared to be a wall suddenly shifted, and light flooded the tunnel. The abrupt illumination didn't hurt, but she was caught off guard and stumbled, tumbling into Vargas in front of her. He let out a wordless sound as he too staggered forwards. Montgomery barely had enough time to jump to the side and avoid joining in the pileup. They crashed a few feet forwards and bumped in Petiole's rear.

"Watch it, woman!" Vargas immediately snapped, struggling to untangle himself from the mess of limbs.

Before Karlene could apologise, Petiole groaned loudly as he pulled himself out into the light and turned to glare. "Are you quite finished?" His horn glowed, and both Karlene and Vargas were separated and brought out of the hole.

She reacted poorly, wanting to thrash against his grasp, but the sight before her quickly settled her down.

It was cavernous—rough platforms chipped out of a variety of blue stones stood perched at different levels above and below the chamber, connected by crudely sculpted staircases and by jagged spires. The latter jutted out at random both above and below the platforms without rhyme or reason. A few even seemed to go on forever from where Karlene stood. All over the walls, the semi-natural floors and the steeples were other dark holes that led into other tunnels that lay just beyond sight. Some of these holes... they shrank and disappeared into the stone, whereas others would randomly form only for adult changelings to crawl out from.

The sight of these tunnels, opening and closing tunnels, illogical as it was, was mesmerising. It was something akin to watching the entrance of an anthill, but with exits and entrances forming and disappearing randomly as needed by the individuals moving about. This was all in full view, thanks to the lighting. Just how the light was as bright and intense as natural sunlight defied explanation and was a question that was impossible to ignore.

And yet she did; Karlene was left speechless with the sight. Was this the whole hive, or only a part of it?

There weren't many changelings moving about, likely no more than five asides from Karlene and the others. Their sizes denoted their adulthood, and their fast movements suggested that they were focused on their own tasks. A few did appear to take notice of Karlene's group, pausing for the briefest of moments before continuing their commute. One even decided not to climb a staircase but took off with a buzz and blur behind its back.

Karlene again stared, dumbfounded. She had seen the insect wings on the adults and the fledgeling ones on Vargas's and Montgomery's back before, but their size implied a vestigial set of appendages. She was no biologist, but wasn't the wingspan too small to lift these creatures? How was that changeling flying?

The woman would have continued to drink in the scenery, but her legs found the floor. "Come along now," came Petiole's voice, as Karlene felt her form being turned towards him. The glow from the adult's horn went out, and he proceeded to go up a nearby set of stairs.

No other words were exchanged as she, Vargas and Hackett followed the nurse. The steps were a challenge for their short legs, but with some prodding and help from Sclerite from the rear, they managed to reach the second floor. Or whatever floor this is, Karlene wondered.

Petiole walked towards a nondescript face of the cavern walls when a tunnel opening opened from nothing. He indicated towards the threshold. "This way."

"How is– how's any of this possible?" Karlene heard Vargas say in disbelief. Neither nurse took the trouble to answer him.

Montgomery inched closer towards Vargas. "Beats me," he said in a mutter. "It's a helluva sight, though."

"Inside." Petiole jabbed a hoof towards the opening.

Karlene watched anxiously as Montgomery took a breath and moved first, saying something under his breath. Strange, it almost sounded like he was humming a song. She followed his lead, heart pounding hard. She sensed Vargas and the adults following from behind.

Unlike the first, this tunnel was short, and there was an exit visible from the start. Looking past Hackett, Karlene could spy something beyond that glowed a green that both reassured and troubled her. It was definitely bigger than their original chamber, but nowhere near the size of the... common room? Connecting chamber? Hell if she knew.

It wasn't empty: there were a few adults that stood over a group of —oh Lord— ten, maybe twenty nymphs. They were larger than either Vargas or Montgomery, so they must've been older than Karlene or the others. Biologically speaking, that is, a voice in her head clarified. She saw that there were some variations in eye colours aside from the artic blue: a pair of yellows, one with green eyes, and one with a pair of purple eyes.

The newcomers soon were the focus of fifteen-plus pairs of eyes, and a terribly familiar want to freeze threatened to take over Karlene's senses. Steeling her breath and swallowing down the heart that had migrated up to her throat, Karlene trudged forwards. The stares didn't cease, and the nymphs began to audibly react. They were too quiet to hear correctly, but Karlene caught one snippet in particular.

"What are babies doing here?"

Her ears folded automatically, and for some reason, Karlene felt the rising urge to cry. She blinked profusely; why was that, out of everything, getting to her? She'd seen and been called worse. Why the hell was the kindergarten name-calling provoking that reaction?

Their procession continued until one of the adults present approached Petiole. "Greetings, Alpha." She offered a nod towards Sclerite. "Gamma. Are these three the nymphs?"

"They are, Gamma Clava," Petiole said curtly. He turned to the humans and beckoned them closer with a hoof. "You've been forewarned from your alpha about their...?" Petiole glanced towards the Gamma.

Her lips tightened. "I have. She deemed my lesson the best place for them to start." She faced Karlene and the others and offered a smile. "Let's assign you to a pod, shall we?" The caregiver stepped to the side and waved an inviting hoof.

Montgomery was the first to accept the invitation to follow; Karlene and Vargas trailed their companion in short order, while both of their nurses left. All the while, the hushed conversations and snickers from the older kids did not diminish. Only a pointed glare from one of the other caregivers hushed the hubbub.

They were led to one side of the crowd, farther towards one of the few corners of the chamber, where two nymphs remained sitting. As they closed, Karlene gleaned some more details of the two. Both were about the same size, though only one of them, the one with the purple eyes, stood tall and was infinitely more prominent. The smaller one lay prone behind the other, watching curiously with eyes of a vivid opal. The latter looked about the same as most of the other nymphs in terms of colouration.

The former was visually more intimidating. Besides the dark violet eyes, this nymph had a matching shell on its back, unlike the navy blue that every single other changeling had. This one —he, Karlene realised— also had a coloured frill; a deep crimson ran down along the back of his neck from the top of his head. He was easily the most eye-catching out of everyone present.

Questions swam in Karlene's mind. Was he a special kind of changeling, a warrior perhaps? Or was he maybe the direct successor to the Queen? Did that even make sense? When his narrowed eyes seemed to focus on her, she also wondered if he would be dangerous.

"Come and greet your new podmates, little ones," Clava said.

The purple nymph immediately scoffed with a hiss. "Why do you keep giving me babies, Gamma?" he said grumbling.

Clava's harsh chitter made everyone nearby recoil except for her intended target. "You must learn to work with your siblings, Pharynx," she chastised. "Your clutchmate needs you, and these nymphs—" Clava pointed to the humans "—are very special."

The sound that the nymph, Pharynx, made was a strange one, but it reminded Karlene of a groan. "Thorax is already a handful!" The head of the nymph behind him drooped closer to the ground. "And now I gotta watch three more wusses?"

Karlene would have been surprised by his very human vernacular had she not felt her eyes moisten. Why the hell was she tearing up over this? Had she... had she become a child in mind as well? Was that it?

"Oh, fuck off, you bully," Montgomery snapped, bringing Karlene out of her reverie. The response was immediate. The nymphs in the room chittered, confused by what he meant. Pharynx said nothing, though he did raise his eyebrow.

The caregiver, on the other hand, looked furious.

"Scape! We do not speak like that to our siblings!"

Hackett shrank slightly upon the withering gaze. "But he started it," he mumbled.

"As if that matters!" Clava huffed. "You will apologise to your podmate right now!"

He didn't immediately do so, preferring to instead stare at the rocky floor. Moments passed, and Karlene could feel the ire rising within the caregiver. She had to intervene.

"Just apologise, Montgomery," she whispered harshly. He turned to look at her with a furrowed brow and was about to speak before Pharynx interrupted.

"Mon-go-merry?" he parroted, making an odd sound that was similar to a chortle. "That's a stupid name for a girl."

"Pharynx!" Clava berated, immediately lifting him up with her magic. He was unphased and still making the same sound as if he were laughing. "You stop provoking your podmate this instant, or Hatcher help me—"

"Girl?" Montgomery interjected. "Who are you calling a girl?"

The irreverent changeling stopped laughing and blankly stared back at Hackett. Clava also gaped at him, her annoyance extinguished for now. "Uh, are you stupid or something?" The nymph asked, making both the caregiver and Hackett bristle. "I’m calling you a girl. You're a warrior: all warriors are girls."

Karlene could see the gears in Montgomery's mind working behind his eyes. It didn't take long for him to realise what exactly Pharynx meant. She'd been hoping that besides their birth, she and her companions could get through without drawing any more attention.

She could only sigh as Montgomery broke down with an identity crisis and cemented the fact that their new lives would never be out of the spotlight.