Cratch groaned, pain pounding against his body. Opening his eyes, all he got was a blurry vision. He tried to piece together what was going on. When his world finally stopped spinning, he looked around, only to receive a horrid sight.
The battle had been, as expected, very bloody. The bodies of his friends and foes lay strewn out all over the cave wall and ground. As he walked through the bloodbath, the scent of putrid flesh and blood overwhelmed his senses. The Hive had become silent—too silent.
He began moving more stealthily, in case rival changelings were still in the hive. Still seeing no sign of life, he began to make his way to the upper levels. A small groan cut through the silence all of a sudden.
He kept moving forward, the sound getting closer than ever. He arrived at the bend leading to the swarm's trading ground, a place where Cratch, like many warriors before him, had trained for hours and hours a day.
Emerging from around the corner, he look around to see more of his fellows scattered about the chamber, a small number still breathing. Two nurse drones tried their best to care for the remaining wounded.
One of them was helping one warrior up, one nurse he recognized. Nova was her name. Her back was bent under the weight of the large warrior. Rushing over, Cratch took the weight from the warrior. Nova looked up, smiling thankfully before sitting down. Cratch returned the smile, even though he was struggle with the weight.
Nova had always been a kind, quiet changeling. She didn't deserve to be in this situation. Turning his attention back to the problem, it seemed that the enemy retreated, or so he hoped.
“Does anyone know where the Queen is?” he asked, glancing between the nurses and wounded.
The ones that could speak replied no, and the others merely shook their heads. Cratch sighed. Even if the enemy had retreated, it would take a long time to recover from this. Turning and walking toward the tunnel to the upper levels, he decided to take his chances and check to see if the enemy was still there
******
Well, this is a deep hole I have dug myself into, he thought, crouching as he thought his things through.
He could still hear the common in the town that he had caused. He began thinking; he needed to get away and find some food. What, what do I eat? he thought, realizing he had no clue what to do about that.
He decided that the best course of action would be to find a suitable place to spend the night, since he wasn't feeling very hungry just yet. Walking through the column of trees, a very long time passed when he realized there was nothing useful for him around. Grr, I wonder how long it will take before I find some stinking shelter!
Something caught his eye. It was a large, wooden structure, the one door on it to his left closed. Deciding it was worth the risk, he made his way over to it, being careful that no one else was around. He slowly opened the large door that was large, even compared to him.
He walked inside, glancing around. Some assortment of tools were spread around, as well as ten barrels of apples. He stared at the apples, finally deciding to leave it alone and not take the chance. Looking up at the upper level of the structure, he thought, That seems like a god place to go unnoticed. Today, though, nothing seemed to be going in his favor. Maybe he could finally get some rest and peace.
He slowly lowered himself onto the ground. He needed some rest.
***********
A single creature, a changeling, stood staring out over the barren desert. This was his kingdom. This barren wasteland was what he was stuck with for know. But soon, Chrysalis and her followers, living in comfort, would soon be outed, and he and his empire would move to more friendly territory.
They were pathetic. Chrysalis was a good manager, but she was no military commander. Sitting down, he began to think, think about his next move. Certainly, the other empire would notice this change in power, and they would certainly want a piece of action.
And then there were the Ponies. Their Princesses would also notice, and possibly even want to change this. He had a most marvelous reputation. And if any one of the Other empires or the Ponies try to get in the way, their leaders, along with Chrysalis, would disappear from this game...
He was brought out of his thoughts when one of his advisers stepped out onto the dirt platform. It was quite brilliant really. The changelings would use the occasion rain water to make mud buildings. Then, when they dried out, they were just as good as stone... mostly. As with all buildings there were always... flaws.
His Adviser bowed before saying, “My Lord, we have breached the outer defenses of Chrysalis's stronghold.”
“Good, good,” he replied. This was most certainly good news. “When will we be able to move in to our new home?” he continued, smiling at his adviser.
“Well, it seems the remaining warriors have retreated to the Catacombs and are putting up quite a fight. It wouldn't be safe to move in yet, but I assure you, sir, that we will have it soon.” After finishing, his adviser stepped back.
His smile disappeared. “If you do not take the Stronghold soon, I can always you. Now, go!” he shouted, his good mood now gone.
The adviser bowed again, then almost ran out of the room. How pitiful, just like Chrysalis and the Ponies...