Home Sweet Hive

by Mad Hatter

Coming Home

With the only space between us and the effective 'outside world' sealed, and our pseudo-confrontation with Sky Sprinkle having been settled with results as pleasant as possible, I took the opportunity to gaze upon our surroundings. To think that I am the first changeling, perhaps the first intelligent being to witness this land since a span of time unknown even to myself... There is a primal memory that transcends even the coherent memory of the Hive. I do now know it, yet I do. A faded dream made reality. It is glorious.

Trees of a species similar to the oak and poplar dot the landscape, their branches intertwining at great heights. Small forms of life scurry between the branches, proto-cousins to outside species. All life here was in a near-primordial state to the rest of the world, held in this time capsule where we were. It has been untouched. Circumstances of life do not change here, making the process of evolution unnecessary. We continued to travel away from the wall, roughly in a path towards some center point of this expanse.

Within a half-mile of the wall, I began to notice small signs of damage. Some trees bore signs of illness. A fungal infection in the early stage perhaps. Such conditions are to be expected, and I did not worry. However, as we traveled on, the slight signs continued. This was covering more area than could be considered healthy or safe for the forest. Gazing farther ahead, it only continued, growing worse with each example. The population of life thinned greatly over this short distance we had crossed. This section - nay, potentially this entire forest...

It is dying...

The flora has extremely notable crown dieback, and the few examples of fauna appear sickly. Life continues, yet it appears to be fighting a losing battle. "This is... wrong." I ponder.

Nohbodi, while not well-versed in any biological science, can see my inference. "Yeah... Something's off here. Can you tell what's causing it?"

"I cannot. Perhaps if I were in my 'proper' form." I instigated the morph to my changeling body. Instantaneously I felt a pull, a command. It required all of my willpower to do so, but I 'canceled' it and retained my human body. "No... There is an effect here. From the slight experience I believe it is based on changeling pheremones. Should I take my changeling form, the Hive will likely issue a command I cannot defy. If this effect stems from the Hive, at any rate. There would be no option to demand answers if I could be commanded to accept a response as true. We must travel as we are." Nohbodi nodded his assent.

The life here was alive, for the most part, though ill. It seemed capable of recovery, should the cause be removed. But what could be the cause? We worked our way through a forest. The trees retained this illness. A trunk appearing healthy branched out to leaves edged in brown and black, well out of season. It was similar to a fungal infection, though there was no evidence of such an assailant. I brushed aside fragile webbing, far more fragile and dry than it should have been, looking for the spider that had built it. No, not spider.

Aranea. My namesake for this new life. A small number had unwittingly traveled with us to the Badlands. Those have since cross-bred with local species. They were a source for effective silk before Chrysalis had re-purposed the changelings, before she had perverted our purpose. Their camouflage was apparently greater than that of their cousins, as I could not locate the one responsible.

We continued through this sick forest. As we traveled onward, the sickness grew. Tainted leaves became black or fell off. The remnants of un-intelligent life was erratic, staggering, or lie dead at our feet. Something was taking the very life from the land, and it was near. This forest of illness transformed into a forest of death. Nothing here appeared to be of an age that it would die naturally. Blackened leaves gave way to fragile branches. Fragile branches became black-speckled trunks. Trunks became fallen logs. Fallen logs became an expanse of rot. All within two miles of life. The true home of all changelings; my home...

It was being killed as I watched.

Though highly unlikely to be the cause of the initial web, an aranea lay at my feet. Back to the soil, it had legs curled into a claw-like shape from rigor mortis. It was as dead as the surroundings. It was the last vestige of life to be seen. Dry, lifeless earth followed for a half-mile until... grass. A small, almost infinitesimal patch surrounded a node of life, or a structure. As we approached, it gained the appearance of a cocoon.

Yes, a cocoon. There was a form within the semi-transparent shell. It appeared vaguely changeling.

It spoke to me. Not through words, but a subconscious command. Even in human guise, I could not defy it. I shifted.

Immediately, I felt it. The wave of energy. Life itself flowed to this location. This construction was feeding from the surroundings. The very essence flowed, a nexus of power. Uncalculable magic gathered... and spoke.

"AH, THE 'NEW QUEEN'"

Despite the command, and to my surprise, I retained mental will. This was the moment we have traversed the nation for. What Intricate Compass had said as an accusation. I will have my answer. "Are you the embodiment of the Hive?"

"I AM..."

"...AND YOU ARE NO LONGER NECESSARY."