Hive (2504 words)
I don't know who or where I am, but that doesn't matter right now I have more pressing concerns like for example food and water.
With hurried steps I crawl underneath a lush green bush deeper into the forest, my six legs covered in dark green exoskeleton easily carrying my three segmented body.
The ground is covered in tree roots and grass with occasional undergrowth that I fail to identify, but what attracts most of my attention right now are the berries and smaller vermin.
My antennas working hard to identify if any of them is poisonous enough to harm me as I for some reason just know that I'm pretty resistant to most of them.
After scanning the all the possible food sources around me and failing to detect any danger from them I start to dig in.
Surprisingly sharp mandibles cut down bushes to allow me access to the berries and six clawed legs squish any insect in reach.
I indulge in the feast for a while not bothered in the slightest at the prospect of eating insects to satisfy my hunger and the strange bits of information I gained every time I eat a new kind of vermin.
Most of the food seems to go directly into my bottom segment which was bigger than my middle and head segment combined.
With a mental frown I shift my focus into that part of my body and discover the reason the unfair food distribution.
Eggs.
My body automatically wants to lay eggs, which of course requires lots of nutrients.
This could pose a problem, as I currently am not in the position to take care of any young nor am I able to secure enough food to sustain us both.
With a slight anxiety building up inside of me I abandon my original plan to find enough food for the day and instead start to explore the surrounding area in hopes of locating a good place where I could safely lay eggs as from what I understand it is something that I passively do and don't have any control over.
As soon as I gathered enough nutrients my body will even without my consent lay an egg and I kind off feel bad at the thought of just abandoning my children.
Using this as a motivation I start to wander around the surrounding forest while ignoring the hunger I feel.
The forest is largely made up form big trees that block out most of the sky, but I was able to locate a hill to the south of my current position and it looks big enough to allow me an overview of the area.
Working my six legs overtime I crawl my way through the abundance of undergrowth till I reach the foot of the hill where the trees made place to different kinds of flowers and grass.
Once on the highest point of the hill I look at the blue cloudless sky and let the bright sunrays reflect on my black insect eyes.
A light breeze brings me out of my stunned state as many different smells fill my senses and drives away the strange feeling of longing that I felt when looking at the clear sky.
Anyway, back to the task at hand.
I turn my insect head away from the sky and instead let my black eyes wander over the forest surrounding the colorful hill on which I currently stand.
The forest stretches on for some kilometers in all directions but clearly thins out in the east and south while growing denser the closer it gets to the gigantic mountain range in the north while I'm unable to see very far to the west as a thick mist is blocking my vision.
After deliberating about my next course of action I start moving south as I detected a light salty smell form the east which means that the sea shouldn't be too fare from here.
Luckily it is still early noon and I got lots of time to reach my intended destination.
On the way through the forest I make sure to stay alert as I can't be sure that there aren't any predators around.
If a giant insect around the size of a dog can exist in this world, why not any other kind of monster?
With ample caution and lots of crawling underneath bushes and other plants I make my way south.
The sound of a breaking branch stops me in my track, and I lower my form close to the ground, blending into the green surroundings thanks to my similar colored exoskeleton.
Not a moment later a humongous form breaches through some bushes not far from me.
It looks like a giant boar with two white curved tusks and dark brown fur, every time it moves, I can see how its strong muscles move underneath the hide.
For some reason this sight lets my hunger flare up and I start to salivate from my mouth.
The thought of tearing those muscles apart and eating its bones and entrails sends a shivering ecstasy through my armored body.
Instead of questioning the reason for this new feeling I start to brainstorm for ideas about possible ways to kill this prey which was at least twice my size.
While my mind is spitting out one idea after the other the boar continues it way through the forest unaware of the hungry and plotting insect not too far away.
I patiently wait for the boar to move a bit further away and then start to climb one of the bigger tees with the help of my six clawed feet.
Once high enough I start to move from branch to branch and follow the boar.
Right now I'm unable to come up with a way to kill the boar as I lack understanding of the surroundings which makes it hard to lay a trap capable to kill the prey without letting it escape.
As for laying an ambush and or attack it myself, I don't even consider this option as I not only lack the needed firepower with only my mandibles as weapon which are literally on my face and I don't know if they are sharp or strong enough to penetrate the boars skin and flesh.
With no other option than continuing to observe and gathering information I tail the boar as stealthily as I can.
My stalking goes on for multiple hours in which I ate any insect that came remotely close to me and some of the fruits that hang on the branches of the trees in which I hide.
Sadly, this didn't quell my hunger even a bit instead it seems to piss it off even more and now I have to constantly resist the urge to just jump down start eating the boar alive.
But I think my tailing has proven very useful as the boar has led me to a small river with multiple ponds a short way down.
Thanks to that I at least have something to drink now.
Sneaking down from my tree a safe distance away from where the boar is currently drinking, I approach the river filled with clear water.
It was cold but refreshing an also calmed my hunger a little.
With a now clearer mind I circle around the boar and move closer to the ponds.
When was only a couple of meters away I notice a splashing sound.
Slightly startled I look in the direction of the sound half expecting to see the giant boar walking towards me, but luckily there is only a small stream of water that disappears behind some bushes.
I stare for a while till it finally klicks and I dash closer to the bushes behind which the small stream disappears, hoping it is what I think it is.
Arriving in front of the greenery I carefully push my head through the leaves and branches to take a look behind it.
Behind the bush the small stream continues for barely a meter before it abruptly falls down a sharp edge.
With careful selected steps I move closer to the edge and let my black insect eyes reflect the har ground almost twenty meters down.
Yes!
Even before I finished inspecting the sharp drop of terrain, I already form a plan on how to lure the boar over here and drop it to the ground.
The fall might not be fatal, but it should deal enough damage to allow me to finish it off on my own.
To increase the odds of success I cut down some more bushes and hide the remaining meter behind the already present bush a bit more.
I also use my mandibles to dig up the earth around the stream which then turns into mud.
With the preparations complete I make my way back to the place where the boar was resting.
It is lying in the shadow of a tree close to the river and not too far away from my trap.
Ignoring my flaring hunger which has only grown worse at the thought of a possible chance to sink my mandibles into this meaty prey, I make my way out of my hiding place and walk closer to the boar.
The beast twice my size immediately notices my presence and readies itself for a fight.
I keep close to one of the trees to have a place where I can dodge in case the boar was faster than I anticipated.
We silently glare at each other, I with a deep hunger and the boar with caution.
Sadly, for the boar it didn't possess the same amount of patience as I and it throws away it caution in favor of trying to intimidate me by blowing hot air out of its nose and stamping on the ground.
I use its clear agitation and let my mandibles audibly snap shut in clear provocation.
My gesture achieved its purpose and the boar lets out a strange oinking sound before charging directly at me.
Its speed is impressive and would have no problem out running me in a matter of seconds, but luckily speed alone won't be enough for it.
In order to gauge its reaction time I jump to the opposite side from where the tree is and seriously observe the reaction of the boar to my sudden movement.
To my satisfaction the boar was unable to change its course in time and charges right past me for a whole four meters before it manages to slow down.
Knowing more than enough about my prey I start to move towards the cliff while continuing to provoke the boar with clacking mandibles and lay movements.
I dodge another two charges of the boar before we arrive close enough to the bushes that are hiding the cliff and perform my provocation dance one last time before sliding behind the bushes when the boar started it charge.
Using my clawed feet, I don't experience any trouble climbing down the cliff and moving to the side narrowly dodging the falling body of the boar which arrived not a second latter.
At the mercy of gravity, the boar squealed in surprise and fear while its body was rapidly approaching the cold hard ground.
I watch the entire fall of the boar with burning hunger and a rush of joy sweeps through my armored body when I hear how the bones of the boar break upon impact.
Luckily for the boar it fell headfirst down and killing it in an instead, it is a much better ending for it than when it had survived the fall.
With swift movements I climb down the rest of the cliff and madly charge at the corps of the boar.
Not hesitating for in the slightest, I dig my mandibles deep into the still warm flesh of my prey.
Ripping and tearing it apart while devouring every piece that I get between my mandibles.
Through the process of feasting on the boar which was twice my size my bottom part expands rapidly making it impossible for my six legs to lift it off ground.
When I finally finished my meal not even bones remain from the boar, the only thing remaining are some blood stains on the ground.
The feast which was the boar was enough to satisfy my burning hunger and I regain most of my rationality making me realize that I don't have much time before I start to lay eggs, so I nervously look around in hopes to find some kind of shelter.
To my great relive there is a crack in the face of the cliff big enough for me to fit even with my drastically increase in size thanks to my bottom half.
After a short though I decide to first lay the egg and then bring it with me into the crack to hid and maybe sleep a bit.
The moment I decided to lay the egg a rush of information appears inside my mind made up by bits and pieces of information about the body structures of many different kind of animals.
I frown mentally at the amount of information that appeared in my head so suddenly.
Skipping through some of them I find a pattern, I only have information concerning things I have eating before.
Combining this with my current situation off preparing to lay an egg the realization hit me.
It looks like I can customize my children with the available information and expand the amount of information by eating a great diversity of creatures.
My mood improves by leagues thanks to this new knowledge and now I'm kind off excited to see what kind of beings I can bring into this world.
With great motivation I start to piece together a creature which looks absolutely alien in nature.
Soon a six-legged wolf like creature covered from head to toe in hard chitin carapace and long reptilian tail appears in my mind.
It has completely black eyes and blackish green carapace with two antennas on its head which looks very dog like except that it doesn't possess a nose and it mouth is filled with hundreds of needles like teeth's.
At the tip of the tail rests a sharp stinger which is able to inject the prey with poison just like the needle like teeth.
Satisfied with my first design I immediately feel how something in my bottom part starts to do its work as a strange and not entirely pleasant feeling overcomes me.
The feeling goes on for a good ten minutes before a blackish green, half-transparent egg gets pressed out of my bottom part.
I would have a very strange expression right now if not for the resent lac of facial muscles as the feeling of laying an egg was strange as FU*K!
The strangeness of the whole procedure has me frozen in place till I get brough out of it by the sound of the egg hitting the ground.