Sounds of hissing filled the cavern, echoing off the walls. It was dark, only lit up by the one green chandelier of cocoons that hung from the ceiling. Its fiery light danced against the stone walls, flickering in and out.
The eerie glow never quite reached the ground floor.
Pharynx growled as he pushed his way past the crowding nymphs, shoving smaller ones out his way. The scent of love was strong in the air, and he would be eating if it was the last thing he’d do.
Getting to the source, he found a large cocoon. It illuminated much like the other cocoons, except it held something inside. Something big. Perhaps a pony? Maybe a griffon? It was hard to tell.
What wasn’t hard to understand was how hungry he was. The nursery already wasn’t getting a lot of food, but fighting the other nymphs worked up his appetite. He unhinged his jaw, attempting to draw out as much love as he could possibly store.
It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough.
Pharynx hissed as he felt another member of his clutch tackle him. She was older and much bigger for the purple changeling, so it was easy to overpower him. He hissed and grunted, throwing her off before she could take the stored love.
He bolted away, still shoving other nymphs away, and making it back to his nest. Said nest was meant to accommodate for his clutch, just big enough for four changeling nymphs. He felt calmer when squeezed into the his corner, starting his digestion process.
He always enjoyed the peaceful-ish moment, so having that ripped away from him was bound to irritate him. He growled as another clutchmate stepped into the nest with him, one of his older ones. Cortex sat on the other side of the nest, looking to avoid him at all costs.
Larynx came up next, having greedily stolen a different grub’s meal. She radiated satisfaction, as if to gloat. Neither Pharynx nor Cortex were incredibly pleased. She took the corner across from their eldest sister.
Lastly, the youngest, Thorax, climbed in. He struggled slightly, looking battered and bruised, though he still made sure to steer clear of his nestmates. No scent of love came with him—the grub probably got trampled the second he stepped from the nest. Pharynx glared as Thorax settled next to him, and the purple changeling pressed deeper into his corner.
None of them could speak yet, though that didn’t stop the emotive disappointment and disdain from clouding the air in a graying purple. The youngest squeaked in an apologetic tone, fear radiating from the weak nymph.
Cortex scoffed.
Larynx cackled.
…and Pharynx stared.
His head tilted as Thorax looked down in shame. His wide eyes were watery, fresh tears welling up and dripping down his bruised cheek. Tiny legs desperately tried to rub them away and their clutchmates radiated annoyance.
Pharynx didn’t have the words to describe what he felt, but he knew it wasn’t normal. Foreign, even. It felt similar to sadness, though it didn’t hit all the right notes. Unfamiliar emotions were flooding his veins, which were only made worse as his younger clutchmate hissed pitifully.
It was a hunger hiss. A hiss of someone who never got enough love.
Their older nestmates curled up, actively ignoring their starving acquaintance. Pharynx found himself following suit, pressing himself tightly into his already small corner. He felt the tiredness of his siblings waft into the air, which affected everyone in the emotive’s path.
Cortex fell asleep.
Larynx fell asleep.
Thorax was trying to fall asleep.
…and Pharynx couldn’t sleep.
His tiny body was getting tired. He could feel it. The temptation to close his eyes and rest were pulling at him, and you could say that—for a while— it work. The simple act of shutting his lids was enough to relax his muscles and blur out the nursery around him.
It wasn’t enough, though.
This unfamiliar emotion course through him with even more power, and the purple nymph laid in his shared nest with his eyes open. The more it surged, the more he felt…bad.
His ears pinned as the sound of whimper echoed from behind him. He knew who it was coming from. There was only one nymph he knew could produce that noise.
Pharynx raised his head, his neck twisting so that it sat at comfortable one-hundred-eighty degrees. His lips were in a tight line, refusing to emote as he watched the scene.
Thorax curled into the opposite corner of him, giving a quiet, pained chirp as he tried to get comfortable. The nymph wasn’t as skilled at hiding his starvation from the rest of clutch and was struggling at staying alive amongst them. His chitin was so thin that internal bones showed through the exoskeleton. His belly wasn’t just thin, it was concave. Despite that, all he would do was wiggle and squirm, too frail to steal love from the sleep changelings.
Pharynx couldn’t stand hearing his younger clutchmate cry. It was a simple sound—the sound of a weak animal, who stood no chance of surviving in a place like the hive. The sound of a cowardice being, who didn’t have a bone in his body capable of defending itself. The sound of a lesser changeling.
The sound…of his brother.
Pharynx didn’t know what he was doing at this point. In fact, he was pretty sure his mind was completely blank. Perhaps it was his subconscious, or maybe he was just being weird.
Whatever it was, he couldn’t explain why he reached his hoof towards Thorax.
His hollowed hoof brush against the small nymph's carapace, and he could feel his brother tense up. Thorax’s head whipped around, fresh tear streaks staining his cheeks. For a moment Pharynx froze, unsure of what to do.
The younger nymph gave a muffled squeak, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to wipe the waterworks away. Didn’t work, as the terror he felt made him tear up faster. Pharynx tilted his head, watching the cyan nymph shuffle deeper into the nest’s corner. The purple changeling crawled closer to his shaking clutchmate, aware of how much fear was directed towards him.
He didn’t like it.
Gently, he laid his head atop Thorax’s. The smaller one froze, confused emotions writhing under his chitin. Pharynx could still feel the lingering fear, but it diluted as bewilderment and uncertainty flooded through. It took a while for the gesture to fully settle in the younger changeling’s mind.
When it did, however, Thorax broke.
He cried again. For a moment Pharynx feared he did something wrong. It wasn’t until Thorax nuzzled into his chest that he could feel the surface of his brother’s feelings—relief, comfort, and…joy?
Why anyone would feel joy towards him was a mystery, but Pharynx didn’t question it.
The raging emotions of a scared grub crashed onto the older nymph like a tidal wave. He felt new levels of fear, hunger, and anxiety. He felt desperation, loneliness, and loathing. None of it was directed towards him in any way, and he knew it. Thorax’s emotional relief valve had pulled back on its breaks, and cleaning its contents would have to come later. It was all very overwhelming for the older brother, but…he didn’t mind it.
Beneath all the dark energy, Pharynx tasted a small seed of positivity. When the tides receded, what was left behind was a glimmering light of hope. It grew brighter the longer the two stayed together.
It was an innocent energy. Not an energy you’d find common among the hive. It was a calming presence, and—for as rare as it seems—Pharynx smiled.
Thorax snuggled under the purple nymph's chin, growing tired. Pharynx pressed his cheek against the younger’s forehead, vibrating soothingly.
It would be a shame should someone were to blow that flame out.
Pharynx closed his eyes, finally accepting the darkness. As he drifted off for the night, he knew one thing was for certain.
Thorax was his brother, and no matter what, he would stay by his brother.
Author's Note
July 4, 2021
Cute, sad, I dunno. I just wrote this at 10 pm over the past couple of days. I like the concept.
Execution? I’m a little iffy, but with my currently skills I don’t think I could really…improve on it.
Eh. You’ll be the judge.
