//------------------------------// // I prefer not to be too high... // Story: Call me Queenie // by Abaddon spice //------------------------------// Together me and Scout moved one hundred and twenty-seven eggs to the temporary nursery, where my body then went into auto-pilot. Moving the eggs around in more snug positions, and wearing down the walls till everything was well-rounded. Yeah, so basically I was baby-proofing the place. 'Hmm, I actually wonder what baby changelings look like' I thought to myself as I made another walk through around my new smooth walls. 'They'll probably look adorable' I thought with a small smile as I carefully nestled another egg among its brethren. 'And what to name them?' I continued, then I stopped myself right there. 'Hold up, I don't even have a name' I realized, and upon that shocking realization I just had to sit down. Man, I guess between getting turned into a love bug, becoming queen, and now having 127 kids to worry about, making up a name didn't even cross my mind. I so need to get my priorities straight. But, enough about that, what name should I use? Would something bug like work? Nah, even in history some changelings had normal-ish names. Movies? Nah, too many to pick from. Video games? ... Actually, that doesn't sound too bad. Oh my god. I got it. The perfect name. Call me... Lara Croft. ... Okay in my defense, that sounded a lot better in my head, anyhow. What video game character do I know of, that has anything to do with hives of insects? D'vorah? Nah, I could see way too many cock jokes being made. Sarah Kerrigan? ... ... Kerrigan? Not bad, but Queen Kerrigan though? Eh, I'll think of something, but for now I guess just Kerrigan will do. A small growl resounded throughout the nursery and I looked at my gut. Shit. 'Looks like we're going hunting, Scout' I mentally informed him, and then another crucial piece of information decided to come crashing down. I don't know how to feed. I mean, sure, I at least got an idea from fanfics and such, but I truly didn't “know” how a changeling fed. 'Maybe I could ask Scout' I wondered and with that, my right eye began to sting again. 'Damn, almost forgot about you' I thought irritably. I think I had scraped it when I had fallen outside the cave due to small brain crash, and lack of mirrors or large concern on Scout's part lead me to believe it was probably a minor injury. It's still freaking annoying though. But, before I could think anymore on the matter Scout interrupted me, via: Mindspeak. 'I'm on it, your majesty' Scout continued his flight away from the hive, he had recommended his queen to stay behind with the eggs, while he went off in search of food. Now alone and having a good way to go before there would be any settlements, Scout decided he could let his mind wander. His thoughts focused mainly upon his new queen. He couldn't make fangs or tails out of her, on one hoof she had a logical personality, something quite rare among queens, he would admit. On the other hoof though, she seemed foreign, like she knew nothing of changeling tradition. He had not ignored her kindness though, but strangely, though her demeanor was calm she always had a strange aura of hostility hanging around her. A scorpion crawled near one of the eggs. "Not today bitch" Kerrigan growled, and then promptly smashed it with her hoof. He recalled when he first laid eyes on her, a shudder raced down his spine, dark metallic eyes with glowing rings that rivaled heated steel. Eyes that belonged more to a ferocious Tartarus demon than a queen, he surmised. Kerrigan slowly yawned and lazily laid down for a nap. Her tall crooked horn that split near the top, front longer than the back, fashioned more to impale than cast magic. A rugged razorback mane the light color of blood, that ran from behind the horn, down her neck and hung loosely over her shoulder. The image formed a perfect warrior queen, hungering for the blood of her enemies. To honest, Scout wouldn't be surprised if she was plotting some hives demise right this minute. Kerrigan drooled as she slept on the nursery floor. But, detail that had driven him to join her swarm was not the mane, nor horn It was her eye. Upon her right eye lay a jagged crack in her facial chitin. Scars among changelings were rare especially among queens, due to chitin being hard enough that it usually withstood most injuries leaving at most a deep scratch in the plating. A crack though? Scout shuddered at the thought. It surely proved that she was a fighter and a relentless one at that, it would explain how she survived so long without a hive. Kerrigan's drool began pooling on the floor and one of her hindlegs twitched. Queens rarely even thought of face to face combat. Mostly relying on their hive warriors to take care of such matters. Unless they were Enslaves, Scout thought bitterly, then they fought to the death in the Empresses area. In the corner of his eye he saw a small village in the distance. Reminding himself of his task he shook his head and landed. He quickly took the form of a tired male zebra, his marking being a trail of hoof tracks. 'Time to hunt' he thought with a flat-toothed smile. He slowly approached the village, doing his very best to give off a "weary traveler" look. As he got close enough to catch shapes, the first thing that caught his eye was two colts and a filly wrestling and arguing over some dusty orange ball that was deflated in the village pathway. 'A easy meal? Thank the Empress!' He rejoiced internally, and gave a small smile as he approached them. "Something the matter?" He said calmly and the foals immediately looked up. "Yes mister, and the falt lies in our sister" the colt with the wavy stripes said as he pointed accusingly at the young filly, internally Scout groaned. 'What is it with flipping zebras and rhyming!' He thought with annoyance, but on the outside he turned toward the filly. "Is it true that this was because of you?" He said as he pointed toward the deflated ball, and the filly's ears flattened. "Yes, but you see. They won't forgive me." The little filly said sadly as she slowly twiddled her hooves. 'Ugh, your sadness is sour. And your position seems dou- Now you got me doing it!' Scout quickly shook his head and then picked up the deflated carcass of the play ball. "Do not worry young foal, for it merely has a hole" he rhymed (and silently smacked himself) and walked into the village. A few zebra's were meandering about, quite a few turned their attention towards them. Scout quickly headed toward a nearby elderly zebra that seemed the closest. "This ball has gone flat know where to get it patched?" He asked and the elder nodded and pointed towards one of the huts. "Thank you" he thanked and slowly began to drink in the appreciation from the foals. 'An easy meal indeed' He silently mused as he continued forward. Slowly, Kerrigan rose up from her short nap. 'Man, I feel better' she thought with pure content as she stretched and popped her back. She then shot up as she heard a sharp crack behind her, a crack etched across one of the nearby eggs. 'No.' but rebelling against its creator's dismayed thoughts the egg shook and began to crack more. Finally coming across the realization that nothing she could do would stop the little bugger from hatching, she could only announce these words. "Oh, shit."