//------------------------------// // Chapter 04 // Story: To Be a Changeling // by PlagueRat //------------------------------// A little while ago he had been woken up to the sound of his fellow larva hissing loudly as they milled about the chamber. The large insectile equine was diligently watching over them and he had been following her about as she worked. When one of the larva tried to leave through the caverns entrance a green glow surrounded it and the would-be fugitive was deftly plucked into the air before being returned to the center of the room. Another had started to expel a foul smelling black liquid from its rear end and large creature tutted at it while moving the grub quickly to a patch of moss. The moss swiftly absorbed the excrement leaving only a hint of remaining odor. Occasionally another of the smaller insect creatures would enter the room, weave through a small minefield of crawling grubs and speak to the larger creature. Sometimes they would converse only briefly, while others would be discussing something for so long that they ended up host to the larva in the room. The grubs would then have to be extracted from the holes in the visitor’s legs before they could leave. Always the smaller creatures would bow their heads to the larger one before exiting. Ugh... I really wish I could understand them. He though. I’m getting tired of just worming around. Oh great, now I feel like somethings about to come out of me… I better go into that green stuff. And there it goes. Wow that green stuff eats it fast. I guess I did the right thing because she seems to be happy about it. Yeah I did the right thing, she’s nuzzling me with her face. She noticed that one over there is going now, he’s missing the green stuff. Off she goes to stop him. Now what does this guy want… One of the other grubs had crawled over and started hissing at him. It pressed its head against his own and started to push him back. Between the hissing at him and spraying him with spittle, he wasn’t very pleased about the larva doing… whatever it was doing. Dipping his head low, he used his horn to reach under the other larva, then with a combination of the grub’s own pushing and his lifting, he sent it flipping over his back. It make a loud confused squeak before it rolled to a stop against the larger creatures hoof. She’s saying something to it. Now she is nosing it. He observed as the grub started crawling up one of her legs and then settled into an empty hole. Now she talking to me again. Maybe she didn’t see what happened… she doesn’t look mad. Wait, can the other larva understand her and just I can’t? No, I don’t think they can because that one over there still isn’t going in the green stuff even though she keeps putting him in it… She’s laying down, I better back up a little. Not to long later the two creatures he first met after hatching returned. He thought it was them anyway, from the combination of their scent and the slightly blue tint of their neck crests. Something made a banging sound outside the room, causing their ears to perk straight up. They paused briefly at the door, covering the front of their muzzles with a hoof while giggling, and then trotted up to the large creature. One of them said something before bowing its head and offered a pile of little squirming insects with a few ripe berries mixed in to the larger creature. The larger creature must have said something positive before she started to gobble up the meal because the two smaller creatures stood a little taller now, giving off a sense of pride. He noticed one of them looked down at him, and so he stared back up at her. Once the large creature finished eating she stood up and stretched her back out while saying something to the smaller two creatures. They both opened their mouths and a strange pink vapor was drawn from them, then inhaled by the larger creature. For some reason the sight and smell of the pink mist made his stomach growl. It must have tasted good because the large creature made a contented sound before she started discussing something with the smaller creatures. Giving a nod, one of the smaller creatures left the room and returned in short order with something rectangular, glowing green and floating in the air behind them. It was a box with six holes, each with a different colored ball in it. The rectangular object was placed down in front of him while the balls separated from the box and floated above. The larger creature then said something to him, motioned with her head to the floating orbs, and waited. Okay… you want me to watch the balls? He through, glancing between her and the floating objects. Alright, I’m watching now what? Now they are going back into the holes in the box and now they are floating out again. Now they are sitting on the ground. Why are they watching me? They want me to put the balls away don’t they…? I guess I could pick them up with my mouth. I’ll put this one away first, it’s the same one that went in first before. Alright it’s back in its spot. She’s smiling and nodding at me, so guess this is what she wants. So it was the yellow one, then blue, then white… Was it orange or pink next…? I know purple was last. I think it was orange, then pink, then purple. There, all done. The three creatures now stood around him chattering to each other excitedly. The larger creature said something to the smaller ones who nodded to her in response and then went around the room, stopping at each grub to feeding them. Lowering herself down next to him, the larger creature produced his own meal. It looked different this time through, almost like it was glowing pink. It was strange how something that first disgusted him now looked so enticing. He greedily ate it without hesitating.