The Young Warrior: A Stroke Of Luck

Pharynx spent most of the next few days asleep, his body attempting to recover from the fight and the poison both medics had unfortunately concluded were still in his body. Meanwhile, the others were busy.

“Okay, we’ve narrowed it down to a total of twenty five or so rogue changelings who have unconfirmed deaths, but also thirteen Hive-defectors that were logged as currently living here by mistake, they defected before they ever reformed.” Ocellus summarized.

She was standing in front of Thorax, Hunter and Apex, who had taken over Pharynx’s duties as a team. Hunter provided the wisdom of an experienced soldier while Apex provided the insight and authority Pharynx would normally have.

“Alright, so we deploy the competent guards to track them down, should be easy enough.” Hunter said.

“That’s not all though. There's one name in the unconfirmed deaths that stuck out to me.” Ocellus slid the paper over to them.

Fortuna Arya Larynx was written there, along with what was known about the changeling’s family and military history.

“The Golden General? What about her?” Hunter asked.

“Pharynx claims that before he blacked out, he saw something identical to her golden coloration.” Ocellus said, tapping a hoof on the paper. “And as unorthodox as it sounds, given the fact her body was never found, it wouldn’t be impossible that, well...”

“Are you suggesting she actually survived the fall?” Thorax asked.

“It wouldn’t be unorthodox to at least consider. As you said, she is an unordinary case, with her own means of protecting herself.” Ocellus reminded him.

“Yes, but what if it was just Pharynx’s imagination?”

“Then explain how we found him out there alone.” Ocellus argued. “If he blacked out before the unreformed changelings were gone, then where did they go? And where did the blanket come from? Someone was there besides Pharynx, someone chased them off who knows Pharynx well enough to try and help him.”

“An’ who else bu’ us knows Uncle Pharynx?” Apex added.

“Fortuna.” Thorax admitted, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the ground, tears welling up. “We were like her sons, she loved us, and she said herself she would die to protect us.”

“What’s more is that I found old records of Pharynx’s first few months as Head General.” Ocellus laid a file down before them, opening it. “He sent numerous scouting patrols on missions he claimed were to find the missing changelings after the Invasion. But he sent the majority of the patrols in the direction Fortuna was said to fall towards.”

“And?”

“Not even a piece of her mane. Nothing was ever found.”

“What if i’ is For’una?” Apex asked

“Forty…” Thorax whispered, shaking his head. “I can’t believe it, I mean, I want to, but...”

“For now, we might want to focus on the unreforms.” Hunter suggested as the King trailed off, taking the list of changelings they believed to be the ones who attacked.

“How?”

“Triangulating scout reports and the direction we believe they fled in, I’d say they’re taking refuge in one of the caves near our territory.” Hunter said, tucking the list under his carapace as he headed for the doorway. “I’ll take some soldiers, we'll start with a gentle scouting approach. We can find out if it really is Chrysalis leading them or just a bunch of rogues with someone smart enough to strategize.”

“Be ca’eful Hunter, an’ take a runner in case they a‘tack you.” Apex told him, and he nodded, trotting out.

“I guess now all we have to do is wait.” Ocellus said softly. “I hope everything goes okay.”

“Hopefully they’re reasonable.” Thorax agreed.

“They hur’ Uncle Pharynx.” Apex sat by Thorax’s throne, his chest puffed out as he stared at Ocellus sternly as possible. “They can’ be tha’ eager to compromise.”

~~~

Sure enough, Zenith, evidently the runner changeling that Hunter had taken with his soldiers, came rushing in about an hour later. He had a bruise forming on his side, and Apex immediately rushed over and pulled him into a hug.

“Nithy, wha’ happened?!”

“We approached the caves and they must’ve been staying there because they attacked us on sight!” Zenith hid his face in Apex’s chest, shivering. “I-I left Hunter behind.”

“We’ll make sure they’re safe Nithy, I p’omise!” Apex nuzzled his boyfriend soothingly, then left him in Ocellus’ care, turning to his father. “Papa Thorax, we gotta go help!”

“I’m right behind you, Apex.” Thorax said, glancing at Ocellus nervously. “But what about Pharynx?”

“Zenith and I will look after him, Thorax. He’s in no condition to fight, just go!” Ocellus urged. Thorax nodded, rushing after the nymph as they raced to help their fellow changelings.

When they arrived, it was reforms against unreforms. Hunter’s soldiers were putting up a commendable effort to fight back the rogues, but they had been a small patrol compared to the unreformed clan, and a few were already unconscious. Apex charged in, swiftly putting his skills to use as he began dodging through the bigger changelings. Pharynx had taught him well, Apex drawing on his guidance to use his size to his advantage, launching surprise attacks by biting their legs and tripping them up.

Thorax skirted the battle, knowing well that he was not a fighter, not well enough to hold his own against so many opponents, anyway. Instead, he used where his own talents lay, gathering the injured reforms to his side to lead them away from the fight. But then, as he fought, Apex was knocked to the ground by a larger rogue changeling, whose hooves kicked at him menacingly. He let out a startled shriek of pain as he landed in the dust a few feet away from the rogue. Thorax gasped, his paternal instincts flaring up as his son was tossed aside.

“Apex!” The alpha changeling lowered his head and charged into the fray at last, knocking an oncoming rogue away from the nymph before scooping him up in his hooves. “Stay away from my son!”

Apex blushed in embarrassment but sunk into Thorax’s hold, grinning. “Get ‘em Papa Thorax!”

The rogue changelings promptly surrounded the alpha, who gulped nervously. His temporary ferocity was fading as he saw the crowd of still-standing unreformed changelings compared to the ones who still remained on his side.

“U-Um i-is there any way we can talk this out?”

They hissed menacingly, clearly about to lunge at the two. Thorax backed up, putting Apex down onto the ground to let him find his hooves.

“Apex, run.”

“Huh?”

“R-Run back to the others and stay with them.”

“‘M no’ leaving you alone Papa Thorax.” Apex said, sinking into a battle stance. “I can help!”

Thorax’s ears flattened in dismay, biting onto his lip nervously. The King didn’t see how they would be able to fight them all off. Even as Hunter staggered over, a bite mark on his leg and bearing many other wounds, Thorax knew they were still outnumbered. Apex stood firm at his side all the same, and Hunter merely shook himself to clear his head, prepared to fight.

The rogue changelings snarled, converging on the three remaining reformed changelings before they even had time to react. But just as the rogues lunged, a blur of black fabric shot forwards, tackling the attackers closest to the reformed changelings, knocking them to the ground. Thorax, Apex, and Hunter stared in shock at the being that had rushed in from out of nowhere to defend them.

The creature had a hooded cloak on and a mask was covering their face, their identity completely disguised. They kept their back to the reformed changelings even as they took out all the attacking rogues. Some of the unreformed changelings ran at the mere sight of the masked creature, as though they’d seen them before and were scared of being targeted.

Many of the rogues collapsed from what were likely venomous bites or else were knocked out from blows, while others retreated out of fear. Finally, the rogues were either gone or lying unconscious on the ground. The figure turned to the King and two soldiers with a nod. Their hood tilted back slightly, showing their disguise in full. The mask framed by the hood of their cloak was black with gray and gold streaks of paint splashed across the material, gleaming in the sun. The three couldn’t even see the creature’s eyes, as the mask didn’t have holes. Before any of them could speak to try and get the creature to talk, they vanished without a word.

“Who was that?” Hunter finally asked after a long moment of silence.

“Whoe’er it was, I bet they helped Uncle Pharynx befo’e.” Apex piped up, looking up at his father with wide eyes.

“Does that mean what I think it means?” Hunter looked around the scene before them in shock.

“...Forty?” Thorax whispered softly. But it wasn’t the King’s voice anymore. It was the voice of a young, trembling nymph, looking for the safety he’d always known in only one creature.

“So it is true.” Hunter murmured. “Aureum In Generali lives.”