The Young Warrior: Apex's Choice

by Melody Song

When At First You Don't Succeed

Apex giggled happily as he wandered through the fields outside the Hive. He was carefully picking a bouquet of flowers. Thorax lay in the grass nearby, watching him and enjoying the sun. A shadow suddenly fell over Thorax, in a familiar, almost stag-like shape.

“There you two are. Thorax, you’re supposed to be in the throne room.” Pharynx said as he looked down at his brother.

“Phar, you’re blocking the sunnnn…” Thorax moaned, stretching out and yawning. “It’s fine, besides, I like it out here.”

“Fine.” Pharynx huffed, sitting down beside him stoically. “What are you up to grub?”

“Flower hun’ing!” Apex held up the bouquet in his magic. “For ‘Nithy!”

“Very nice sweetie.” Thorax said as Apex trotted over, nuzzling him. “I’m sure Zenith will love them.”

“‘M gonna go bring them t’him.” Apex said, and Thorax kissed his forehead.

“Good luck sweetie.”

“Thanks Papa Thorax!” Apex smiled at him, then rushed off, back towards the Hive. “Be’ you can’ ge’ Uncle Pharynx to snuggle wi’ you by the time I come back!”

Thorax chuckled, then turned to Pharynx hopefully. He gave him a deadpan look and turned away from him. Thorax pouted slightly, and Pharynx gritted his teeth, ears folding back slightly as he tried avoiding guilt by not looking.

Apex, meanwhile, trotted through the Hive. He stopped outside Zenith’s room and took a steadying breath, then trotted in. He smiled softly as he saw Zenith sitting up in bed, reading a book.

“Hey ‘Nithy.” Apex said, and he looked up.

“Hey ‘Pex.” he sighed softly as he put down the book. “How’s the outside world?”

“The same as a’ways.” Apex shrugged, blushing as he held up the flowers. “I go’ you these…”

“Heh, thanks ‘Pex, they’re really pretty…” Zenith said, taking them. He pulled a petal off one and nibbled on it, making Apex blink in confusion. “They taste good too.”

“Heheh, ‘Nithy, don’ ea’ flowers!”

“Why not? I’m hungry!” Zenith giggled as Apex jumped onto the bed.

“I guess you can ea’ them then…” Apex laid down beside Zenith, who smiled and continued nibbling on one of the flowers. “So, uh, how ‘re you?”

“I’m fine. Bored…” Zenith sighed and picked at a flower. “It’s dark and cold in here, and I’m alone…”

Apex leaned close and nuzzled his cheek. Zenith giggled softly, cheeks turning pink as he looked at his friend.

“I wish I could be out sparring with you ‘Pex.”

“I know…” Apex hugged him gently. “You’ll ge’ be’er soon though!”

“I hope so.” Zenith bit into another flower. “Stupid Roc… stupid ancestors…”

Apex sighed inaudibly, resting his head on Zenith’s shoulder. Zenith turned pink and leaned back against the wall. Apex closed his eyes, taking in the love being shared between them. He tried to tell him, and it didn’t work, he didn't understand the flower-gift. Now wasn’t a good time to talk about it, it seemed.

-----------------------------

“So you want these chocolates, why?” Pharynx asked as he gave Apex the red box from the cafeteria.

“The flowers didn’ work so I go’a try ano’er way!” Apex insisted, peeking into the box and smiling at them. “They’re all milk, righ’?”

“Yes.” Pharynx sighed in exasperation. “I just don’t see why you made me go get them.”

“‘Cause e’eryone alrea’y knows ‘bout you an’ Tempes’ so i’ makes sense you’d ge’ chocola’e for her!”

“Whateve-wait, everyone?!”

“Uh, an’way, thanks Uncle Pharynx, I go’a go, bye!” Apex shouted, rushing off with the chocolates.

“Grub, get back here! How does everyone know?!” Pharynx shouted after him.

Apex giggled mischievously about what he knew that Pharynx didn’t – that Thorax had told everyone but sworn them all to secrecy. Apex smiled softly as he headed to Zenith’s room. He smiled and walked in, confident that this time it would work. It had to, it was his last idea.

“‘Nithy~! Look wha’ I go’!” Apex said, holding up the red box.

“Chocolates?” Zenith asked, smelling them, and Apex smiled, nodding.

“An’ they’e all milk, like you like!” Apex said, setting them down on the bed.

“Yum! Thanks ‘Pex!” Zenith opened the box and picked up a chocolate, biting into it.

“How ‘re you doin’?” Apex asked, settling down in the bed.

“Good, I guess… I was able to get up and walk around a bit today. Cilia says I should be back up and running in a few days.”

“Tha’s good.”

“Mhm.”

“...‘Nithy?”

“Yeah ‘Pexy?” Zenith asked, then blushed. “I mean, ‘Pex?”

“I’s okay, I-I like ‘Pexy…” Apex said, blushing. Zenith also blushed.

“A-Anyway… what were you going to say?”

“U-Uh, well… ‘Nithy, do you really think the ances’ers don’ exis’ up there?”

“I… It’s complicated ‘Pex…” Zenith sighed, eating another one of the chocolates. “I just… it’s not that I don’t think that they exist, they definitely did. But… this injury…”

Zenith glared at his wounds, still wrapped in bandages and poultice. Apex leaned down and nosed it gently, shyly kissing at the bandages like Thorax did when the nymph scraped himself. Zenith blushed, then lifted Apex’s chin so he’d look back to him.

“It’s just… I feel like I should deny that they’re up there watching us, because they wouldn’t have let me get hurt if they had been. But… But I really want them to be up there. To watch out for us. Not that it matters, there’s no way to prove it…” Zenith sighed.

“Wha’ if there was?” Apex asked, laying a hoof on Zenith’s.

“‘Pex, there is no way, unless you die. But then you can’t come back and tell everyling what you found.” Zenith brushed the suggestion off.

Apex fell silent, thinking. There had to be a way to prove to Zenith the ancestors were up there, guiding him. But how could he prove it? Besides, he was supposed to be confessing how he felt to Zenith. Though it really didn’t seem like the right time. Again. And this had been his last idea.

“‘Pex? You okay?” Zenith asked.

“Yeah, fine… I-I haf’a go ‘Nithy, see you later.” Apex said, getting up and flying to the door. “Enjoy the chocola’e!”

He then left the room, breaking into a run. He ran all the way out to the training hollow, stopping and flopping over in the dirt with a sigh. He didn’t know what to do now. At all.