//------------------------------// // Fatherly Instincts // Story: Pride and Joy // by Melody Song //------------------------------// “Come an’ ge’ me Papa Thorax!” “Heheh, I will my little hyper sprite!” Pharynx covered his ears and gave a disgruntled groan as he smashed his face into his brother’s throne. He had gotten very little sleep the night before due to having to re-arrange the training schedules, then getting dragged out of bed along with the others by Ocellus because she had “found an interesting constellation” of all the inane reasons. As a result, the beta changeling merely wanted to sleep, though his brother and nephew were currently making the task impossible. Pharynx raised his head with a grunt, glaring sleepily out at his brother. Thorax was chasing Apex around the throne room, the two laughing and playing together without a care in the world. Unfortunately for Pharynx, they had chosen to do so when it was nearly noon, and the sun was shining in the perfect angle on Thorax’s throne to make it a prime napping spot. “Thorax, could you please shut the grub up? I’m trying to sleep.” Pharynx grumbled, and Thorax glanced over, concerned. “Are you okay Phar?” “I’m just peachy.” Pharynx muttered. “I know you love the grub but do you have to display it so openly when I’m obviously trying to take a nap?” “Well Pharynx, I’d have to wonder why you’re trying to nap on my throne when you have a perfectly comfortable bed in your room.” Thorax replied cheekily. “Don’t you sass me right now baby bro, or I’ll go get dad.” Pharynx grunted. “Impressive as it was, I’m not in the mood.” “Alright, alright.” Thorax nuzzled Pharynx and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Sleep well cuddlebug.” Pharynx mumbled a response, closing his eyes and curling up on the throne, his tail flicked over his muzzle. He slept peacefully for a while, vaguely sensing Thorax and Apex playing some kind of game nearby. Pharynx just prayed it would keep the grub quiet long enough for him to nap. However, in the end it wasn’t Apex who woke Pharynx early. “Phar?” “Shuddap, sleeping…” “Phar, come on, I have a question.” “Ask me again later…” “It’s important.” Pharynx sighed and forced his eyes open, raising his head. Thorax was curled up at the foot of his throne, Apex dozing in a little nest made of his curled tail. “What’s so important…?” “I… well…” Thorax nosed Apex gently. “I know you love Apex a lot, so I was wondering… would you ever want… kids of your own, one day?” Pharynx was honestly too tired to be embarrassed at this point, and settled for a raised brow. “Like, with Tempest? Or are you planning something?” “N-Nothing like that, I just… was thinking… you always treat Apex so sweetly, even if you don’t like to show it… isn’t there someone like him you treat that way too?” Thorax asked. Pharynx shrugged and flopped back into the throne lazily, gazing at his brother with a drowsy, not-quite-invested expression. “Thorax, why in the name of the Hivemother would I treat anyone besides the grub like that?” “I was just curious…” Thorax gently stroked Apex’s forehead. “I just imagine everyone has those kinds of parental instincts inside them, and certain types of kids turn them on… for me it was Apex… I just wondered if you’d felt something like that too…” “Nope, never.” Pharynx insisted, closing his eyes and basking in the sun. “Sure, the grub’s sparked something in me a couple times, I guess, but nothing like that… just… more like a duty to protect him because he’s my nephew… not because he’s almost my son…” “Well… okay… sorry to bother you Phar, you can go back to your nap now.” “Thank you.” Pharynx mumbled, falling back asleep. As he did, something blue flashed across his mind’s eye for a moment, and he opened his eyes again, only to find nothing there. He sighed and closed his eyes, going to sleep. Later that day, Pharynx took Apex out to the sandy hollow to train him. He was going over Apex’s crouch, when a blue-haired nymph barged past him. “Coming through!” “Hey! Kid, watch where you’re going!” Pharynx shouted, as Apex giggled and cheered for his friend. Hero skidded to a halt, a ball in his mouth. He spat it out, giggling. “What’s the matter colorbug?” “I’m trying to train my nephew.” Pharynx spat, but Hero was bouncing the ball around, completely ignoring him. “Hero, could you please go play somewhere else?” “Fineeeee.” Hero groaned. “Apex, think fast!” Hero tossed the ball at Apex, who leapt for it. He hit the ground as the ball fell an inch away from his hooves. Hero giggled and lit his horn, lifting the ball into his hooves. Apex cheered and held it up triumphantly, tossing it back and running off. “Apex! Get back here!” Pharynx called. “Aw, let him play!” Hero retorted, grinning at Pharynx smugly. Pharynx groaned and sighed, leaving. “Fine, might as well go patrol.” Pharynx muttered to himself as the two nymphs ran off, laughing. While on his patrol, Pharynx could hear Hero and Apex playing and laughing. Pharynx rolled his eyes, deciding to stalk some birds he saw to work on his stealth. He couldn’t be getting sloppy just because the changelings were reformed now. Pharynx crept closer to the unsuspecting birds, sinking down low and pressing his weight onto his haunches. He was just about to pounce on a bird that was poking at the ground, but before he could leap on one, there was a yell. “Raghhhh! Look out!!! Here comes the bugbear!” Hero’s playful cries startled the birds as Pharynx leapt forwards, causing him to trip and fall flat on his face with a groan. Apex and Zenex burst out of the undergrowth, laughing as they jumped over Pharynx’s form, running further into the trees. Pharynx groaned as Hero raced out after them, noticing the beta changeling. “Oh, hey Pharynx. What are you doing on the ground? Someone could trip over you.” Hero said, buzzing his wings and flying over the adult changeling. Pharynx groaned and sat up. “You three scared away the birds!” “So? Go find some more! You don’t have to be mopey about it!” Hero called back, disappearing into the bushes. Pharynx facehoofed, storming off. “That idiot kid…” Later, Pharynx was eating lunch in the cafeteria, while Ocellus read a book next to him. Then, Hero rushed in with Zenex and Apex, laughing. “Food fight!” Hero bellowed, which was met by cheers and everyling tossing food around. Apex and Zenex ran into the fray, laughing and cheering. Hero joined in, grabbing an apple and launching it at Ocellus, who shrieked and ducked, causing the apple to bounce off her book and stab onto Pharynx’s antler. Everyone froze as Pharynx looked up at the apple, then glared across at the blue-haired nymph. “Hero. Bell.” “Eep!” Hero shrunk back as Pharynx stood up, storming towards him like a hunter on the prowl. “Hero. What. Did. You. Do?” Pharynx snarled. “I-I was just trying to have fun!” Hero said, but Pharynx’s hoof slammed down in front of him, and he shrank back. “I have been dealing with your idiotic ideas all day! FIrst you dragged Apex away from his training, then you scared away the birds I was trying to stalk and didn’t apologize, and now this! I am sick of having to deal with you and your messes! If you really want to parade around without even thinking about the consequences of your actions, then take your crazy antics somewhere else!” Pharynx bellowed at the top of his lungs, taking the apple off his antler and flinging it at the nymph. Hero let out a barely audible whimper as the apple hit the ground at his hooves, his ears flattening down against his head. He stared down at the apple, nodding. “...yes sir.” Pharynx snorted angrily, glaring down at the nymph one final time before he stormed off. Hero sighed tiredly, turning away from Apex and Zenex and walking out of the cafeteria dejectedly. “Finally, peace and quiet.” Pharynx murmured as he sat beside Thorax’s throne, where the king himself was perched. “General!” Retina shouted, rushing into the room. “There’s been sightings of a Tatzlwurm on our territory!” “Where?!” Pharynx demanded, leaping up. “It’s in the forest at the border.” Retina explained. “Alright, it’s not too close to be threatening, but get some capable soldiers to keep an eye on it, and let me know if it comes any closer.” Pharynx told her, and she nodded, saluting him before leaving. “I-I should find Apex.” Thorax said nervously. “‘M here Papa Thorax.” Apex said, coming into the throne room with Zenex. Thorax rushed over and scooped him up. “Thank Elysium you’re okay, where have you been?” Thorax asked, sitting back on the throne with Apex in his hooves. “We were looking for Hero.” Zenex told him, climbing onto the king’s lap. “We haven’t seen him since Pharynx yelled at him.” “You yelled at Hero?” Thorax asked Pharynx, who rolled his eyes. “He kept getting in my way and I’d had enough.” “He wasn’t trying to!” Zenex protested. “It’s not his fault you were consistently wherever he was having fun!” “He started a food fight!” “Let’s come back to that.” Thorax interrupted, calling their attention back to him. “So where’s Hero?” “We don’t know, he’s not in any of the places we looked.” Zenex told Thorax, who frowned in concern. “Do you know where he might be?” “Uh-uh.” Apex said, snuggling into his hoof. “Well…” Zenex put a hoof to his chin in concentration. “He does have a campsite somewhere in the Hive territory, but I can’t remember where he said it was.” “Oh yeah! I ‘member! He tol’ me i’ was near where we we’e playing in the fo’est!” Apex cried. “Now I remember! The forest by the edge of the territory!” Zenex agreed, high-hoofing the younger nymph. “W-Wait, wasn’t that…” Thorax looked at Pharynx nervously. “Where the Tatzlwurm was seen!” Pharynx jumped onto his hooves, ready to leap into action. “Oh no, Hero!” Zenex shrieked. “W-Wha’ if he ge’s ea’en?!” Apex asked, terrified. At those words, Pharynx’s eyes snapped into slits. Some kind of beast roared within his chest, bubbling to the surface as he felt a sudden urge to protect the nymph. Pharynx growled and began storming towards the door. “Pharynx, w-where are you going?” Thorax asked. “To get the kid, where else?” Pharynx said darkly. “I’ll be back soon, stay with the grub. I’ll find Hero.” “B-Be careful, stay safe.” Thorax called. “I have to be.” Pharynx replied, more to himself than Thorax, fanning out his wings and flying out, heading for the forest. “I can’t risk the kid’s life…” Pharynx flew into the forest at top speed, hitting the ground and running through the trees. “Hero! Hero, get out here!” Pharynx yelled, looking around as he ran. “Come on kid, this isn’t the time for games! Come out! You could be in da-gah!” Pharynx’s forelegs slipped on the grass as a rope snare he’d unintentionally stepped in yanked him off the ground. He dangled from the tree branch, struggling. “Hero!” Pharynx called out, as the bushes rustled. The nymph in question stepped out, staring at him blankly. “Hero, there you are! Get me down!” Hero continued staring at him, sitting on the ground. “...Why should I?” “What?” “You didn’t appreciate my ‘antics’ before, so why should I let you down now? So you can yell at me more?” Hero dug his hoof into the ground. “At least from up there you’ll eventually pass out when the blood rushes to your head.” “Hero, you have to get me down, we’re in danger!” Pharynx called. “Oh well.” “Hero!” Hero turned away from him. Pharynx sighed and gave him a look. “I won’t let you down until you apologize.” Pharynx groaned and sighed. “Hero, I’m sorry I yelled at you, I lost my temper and I shouldn’t have done that. Can you please let me down now?” “Nope, wrong answer.” Hero replied stubbornly. “What else could I possibly have done?! All I’ve been doing all day is going about my own business, and you’re constantly in my way and getting into every kind of possible antic you can think of!” Pharynx cried, struggling against the rope and preparing to blast it with his magic. Hero’s ears wilted and he stared at the ground. Pharynx sighed and stopped, staring at him with honest confusion in his eyes. “Hero… what did I do…?” Hero remained silent for a minute, then spoke softly. “...You’re right, I was getting in your way and messing around, and maybe it wasn’t because I was having fun. I just… I just…” “Spit it out kid.” “I wanted your attention, okay?!” Hero leapt to his hooves, glaring at the now surprised Pharynx. “All the other nymphs have someone that cares about them! Zenny has Hive, Apex has Thorax, but I have no one! You’re pretty cool for a dumb colorbug, I thought maybe you would care about me, but apparently you only care when I do something bad!” “I… Hero…” “So I did! I distracted your training and I started a food fight! The birds really were just a coincidence but it worked! You’re paying attention to me! So there!” Hero stomped his hoof on the ground and sat down again, puffing his cheeks out in a pout. Pharynx stared at him, then sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. “You’re right.” “H-Huh?” “You were clearly trying to get my attention, but I was so focused on what I wanted to do that I didn’t realize.” Pharynx grabbed the rope and pulled himself upright, so he could look at the nymph right-side up. “I didn’t mean to ignore you, I had no idea you wanted me to… to treat you that way…” Hero scuffed the ground. “Everyone else had a parent… I guess I was just thinking… a Papa Pharynx would be nice…” Pharynx blushed slightly, looking away. “Thorax was asking me earlier if anyone made me feel the way he feels when he sees Apex… I think I know what he meant now…” Hero looked up at Pharynx, who looked back at him. “Apex is a good kid, but he doesn’t drive me crazy the way you do. But it’s more than that… when Zenex said you might be out here, I just… I knew I had to find you. I had to make sure you were okay, that you weren’t hurt, and only I could do it. I was the only one who could come get you. I didn’t understand it before but I guess it was… I guess it was a kind of… paternal instinct.” Hero stood and buzzed his wings, lifting off the ground to look him in the eye. Lavender met deep blue, and Pharynx reached a hoof out, an unasked question. With only a moment’s hesitation, Hero made his choice. He flew closer, taking the beta changeling’s hoof and allowing the adult to pull him close. Hero rested against Pharynx’s chest, holding onto the bigger changeling. His horn glowed, and Pharynx was cut free. “Now, we have to get out of here.” Pharynx said, hovering in midair as he looked at Hero. “There's a Tatzlwurm in the forest.” “Oh, so that’s why you needed to get me!” Hero exclaimed, giving him a look. “Why didn’t you just say so?” “You were upset, and-oh, I don’t know.” Pharynx sighed and released the nymph. “Come on, let’s just get out of here before it finds us.” “Okay!” Hero flew back into Pharynx’s grip, clinging to his neck. “Away!” Pharynx rolled his eyes, but smiled at the nymph. “You’re crazy if you think I’m carrying you back.” “Welp, call me crazy then, Papa Pharynx.” Hero replied cheekily, climbing onto Pharynx’s head. Pharynx chuckled softly, flying out of the forest, heading back to the Hive.