14 (12) Valentines 1: Insect Hole
Title: Insect Hole
Rating: R for violence
Warnings: Graphic violence, torture. May squick.
Summary: Generations had passed since the last time someone had come through the rrytver. When the sun symbols started to light up on its great circle, the colony had chirped with excitement.
Today's Motto: 14 Valentines: Women in Academics
Notes: I am aware that many think Valentine stories should be romantic by default. Only, 14valentines isn't exactly about romance, it's about women's rights and the difficulties and prejudice many of us still encounter. That said, this isn't a romantic story. It's about curiosity.
Beta-read by Denis, broet-chan, virulain, and terribilita. Thank you!
~~~
Cover by smuffster
Insect Hole
Generations had passed since the last time someone had come through the rrytver. When the sun symbols started to light up on its great circle, the colony had chirped with excitement. The water-that-was-not had bubbled into being, and out of its ever-cold surface had stepped four creatures that could only be compared to the half-sentient teff that lived in the hills, kept by the colony as a delicacy. Unlike the teff, though, these aliens had wrapped themselves in protective shells that seemed to be made of very large leaves instead of animal skin. And they walked with more confidence than their maybe-brothers, who scurried away whenever they saw one of the colony's children. The teff never understood how their behaviour made hunting them more interesting.
The sheer thrill of pursuing something else than teff had made the hunting party a little too careless, though, and two of the creatures had gotten away, disappearing again through the rrytver's soulless pathway. Tvarrgk, however, had managed to capture the slowest creature; the other had been caught when it had tried to help its struggling comrade.
Now the colony had two alien lifeforms, possibly sentient, though even the teff occasionally discovered how to use the rrytver, disappearing never to be seen again. Tvarrgk was proud to be one of the clan siblings who were to try and figure out how to talk to the creatures, if that was possible.
After the initial burst of enthusiasm, they quickly realised that finding a means of communication and to satisfy the colony's curiosity would be a lot more difficult than they'd anticipated. Among all the senses, the strange creatures seemed to rely almost entirely on their vision, which, evolutionary speaking, was rather dull. They probably had no idea of the planet's soft whirr that would give them directions - Tvarrgk wondered how they even navigated. When the clan siblings had tried to speak to them, the small shells at the sides of the creatures' skulls had begun to ooze their lifeblood. In addition, they never showed any sign of understanding the implications the different positions of one's wings could bear, possibly because they, like the teff, didn't have any.
The two creatures huddled together in their cage, and Tvarrgk wondered if they were mates. Rettikk had speculated that maybe they were cold, but, as Krygg had pointed out, the ice outside the colony was gone. Tvarrgk had clicked his agreement at that - if anything, it was almost a little too warm. The colony's giant hive stretched across many treetops, and the hot season's sun sometimes heated the air inside to the point of discomfort. The creatures had to be mates. They even moved in a similar way, the slow creature often a half-step behind the darker one. Every time Tvarrgk brought them food, they'd wave the two grasping-limbs they had and open their mouths, making almost inaudibly low sounds. Tvarrgk chirped indulgingly; of course, they were hungry.
It made no sense when they wouldn't touch their food. The clan siblings had even gone so far as to kill one of the teff's preferred prey, dropping its carcass into the cage, but the creatures had stayed away. The experience was disappointing. The slow one could barely even move anymore and all the petting of its mate couldn't raise its spirits.
The colony was upset. These weren't the results they'd hoped for, thus on the second cycle after the creatures had arrived, a decision was made.
Tvarrgk took the slow one from the cage, ignoring the violent protests of its mate. The creature struggled weakly as it was taken to the cove of learning deep within the colony, but soon it lost its strength. While he stripped it of its flimsy protective shell, Tvarrgk tried to communicate one last time, pitching his voice as low as he could. The creature only twitched as its eyes began to bleed. They were an interesting contrast, Tvarrgk thought, the strange red of its blood and the sky-blue of its eyes, almost the same colour as the clan brother's own shell.
As the creature lay bare before him, Tvarrgk marvelled once again at its strangely insufficient physiology. Its muscles were covered only with a thin layer of skin which did nothing to protect its soft insides. It emitted another low sound as he poked its midsection, watching in fascination as blood pools formed immediately beneath the skin. A bit of prodding revealed that, like the teff, these creatures had a skeleton on the inside of their bodies, made of innumerable single bones. Tvarrgk realised that those were vulnerable as well when he accidentally broke a few of them.
The creature lay very still after that.
Tvarrgk experimented on his charge for yet a while after that, discovering what was underneath that thin skin, what the many bone fragments in the creature's mouth were for (he pulled a few of them out, genuinely surprised as that seemed to draw yet more blood), how easily the little hard plates at the ends of its grasping-limbs were removed.
And always, blood. It was rather repulsive, actually, so Tvarrgk eventually decided he had learned enough. The creature was still breathing, although the sound of that, too, had changed. Feeling generous after it had revealed so many of its secrets, Tvarrgk returned it to its mate.
And they had to be mates, he decided. No one would treat another with such caution, such tenderness, unless they shared the bond. Tvarrgk folded his wings to display his satisfaction at that - it made him happy that the creature he'd begun to think of as a pet of sorts would end its life in the company of its twin-soul. Of course, it meant the other would die with it as well, but Krygg had already asked for permission to disassemble it; this way it wouldn't feel any pain.
The slow one was beyond pain, too. All it did was lie in the other's arms, allowing itself to be petted, its soul clearly drifting away. Tvarrgk wondered if the other would grieve in the short time it had between the death of its mate and its own. It was agitated, fixing him with its eyes that held the colour of leaves on the forest floor, and made those low noises that seemed its own limited form of communication. Maybe it was asking for help. Tvarrgk liked that thought - it would mean the creatures were sentient, after all. Too bad the clan siblings had no way of knowing for sure.
Or maybe they did; that cycle's darkphase, the creatures' siblings appeared in the midst of the colony, even though no one had seen them arrive through the rrytver. They tried to kill a few of the clan siblings, but their weapons had barely any impact on anyone's shell.
Still, it was obviously a rescue and therefore a proof of sentience, so the colony let them take the other two creatures. They watched the aliens leave in vessels that flew even faster than the famous queen Frryf during her mating dance.
Tvarrgk's last glimpse of the slow creature was of a still body that seemed to hold no life. For a long time, he tried to figure out the strange feeling of unease that image brought him.
~~~
End.
Rating: R for violence
Warnings: Graphic violence, torture. May squick.
Summary: Generations had passed since the last time someone had come through the rrytver. When the sun symbols started to light up on its great circle, the colony had chirped with excitement.
Today's Motto: 14 Valentines: Women in Academics
Notes: I am aware that many think Valentine stories should be romantic by default. Only, 14valentines isn't exactly about romance, it's about women's rights and the difficulties and prejudice many of us still encounter. That said, this isn't a romantic story. It's about curiosity.
Beta-read by Denis, broet-chan, virulain, and terribilita. Thank you!
~~~
Cover by smuffster
Insect Hole
Generations had passed since the last time someone had come through the rrytver. When the sun symbols started to light up on its great circle, the colony had chirped with excitement. The water-that-was-not had bubbled into being, and out of its ever-cold surface had stepped four creatures that could only be compared to the half-sentient teff that lived in the hills, kept by the colony as a delicacy. Unlike the teff, though, these aliens had wrapped themselves in protective shells that seemed to be made of very large leaves instead of animal skin. And they walked with more confidence than their maybe-brothers, who scurried away whenever they saw one of the colony's children. The teff never understood how their behaviour made hunting them more interesting.
The sheer thrill of pursuing something else than teff had made the hunting party a little too careless, though, and two of the creatures had gotten away, disappearing again through the rrytver's soulless pathway. Tvarrgk, however, had managed to capture the slowest creature; the other had been caught when it had tried to help its struggling comrade.
Now the colony had two alien lifeforms, possibly sentient, though even the teff occasionally discovered how to use the rrytver, disappearing never to be seen again. Tvarrgk was proud to be one of the clan siblings who were to try and figure out how to talk to the creatures, if that was possible.
After the initial burst of enthusiasm, they quickly realised that finding a means of communication and to satisfy the colony's curiosity would be a lot more difficult than they'd anticipated. Among all the senses, the strange creatures seemed to rely almost entirely on their vision, which, evolutionary speaking, was rather dull. They probably had no idea of the planet's soft whirr that would give them directions - Tvarrgk wondered how they even navigated. When the clan siblings had tried to speak to them, the small shells at the sides of the creatures' skulls had begun to ooze their lifeblood. In addition, they never showed any sign of understanding the implications the different positions of one's wings could bear, possibly because they, like the teff, didn't have any.
The two creatures huddled together in their cage, and Tvarrgk wondered if they were mates. Rettikk had speculated that maybe they were cold, but, as Krygg had pointed out, the ice outside the colony was gone. Tvarrgk had clicked his agreement at that - if anything, it was almost a little too warm. The colony's giant hive stretched across many treetops, and the hot season's sun sometimes heated the air inside to the point of discomfort. The creatures had to be mates. They even moved in a similar way, the slow creature often a half-step behind the darker one. Every time Tvarrgk brought them food, they'd wave the two grasping-limbs they had and open their mouths, making almost inaudibly low sounds. Tvarrgk chirped indulgingly; of course, they were hungry.
It made no sense when they wouldn't touch their food. The clan siblings had even gone so far as to kill one of the teff's preferred prey, dropping its carcass into the cage, but the creatures had stayed away. The experience was disappointing. The slow one could barely even move anymore and all the petting of its mate couldn't raise its spirits.
The colony was upset. These weren't the results they'd hoped for, thus on the second cycle after the creatures had arrived, a decision was made.
Tvarrgk took the slow one from the cage, ignoring the violent protests of its mate. The creature struggled weakly as it was taken to the cove of learning deep within the colony, but soon it lost its strength. While he stripped it of its flimsy protective shell, Tvarrgk tried to communicate one last time, pitching his voice as low as he could. The creature only twitched as its eyes began to bleed. They were an interesting contrast, Tvarrgk thought, the strange red of its blood and the sky-blue of its eyes, almost the same colour as the clan brother's own shell.
As the creature lay bare before him, Tvarrgk marvelled once again at its strangely insufficient physiology. Its muscles were covered only with a thin layer of skin which did nothing to protect its soft insides. It emitted another low sound as he poked its midsection, watching in fascination as blood pools formed immediately beneath the skin. A bit of prodding revealed that, like the teff, these creatures had a skeleton on the inside of their bodies, made of innumerable single bones. Tvarrgk realised that those were vulnerable as well when he accidentally broke a few of them.
The creature lay very still after that.
Tvarrgk experimented on his charge for yet a while after that, discovering what was underneath that thin skin, what the many bone fragments in the creature's mouth were for (he pulled a few of them out, genuinely surprised as that seemed to draw yet more blood), how easily the little hard plates at the ends of its grasping-limbs were removed.
And always, blood. It was rather repulsive, actually, so Tvarrgk eventually decided he had learned enough. The creature was still breathing, although the sound of that, too, had changed. Feeling generous after it had revealed so many of its secrets, Tvarrgk returned it to its mate.
And they had to be mates, he decided. No one would treat another with such caution, such tenderness, unless they shared the bond. Tvarrgk folded his wings to display his satisfaction at that - it made him happy that the creature he'd begun to think of as a pet of sorts would end its life in the company of its twin-soul. Of course, it meant the other would die with it as well, but Krygg had already asked for permission to disassemble it; this way it wouldn't feel any pain.
The slow one was beyond pain, too. All it did was lie in the other's arms, allowing itself to be petted, its soul clearly drifting away. Tvarrgk wondered if the other would grieve in the short time it had between the death of its mate and its own. It was agitated, fixing him with its eyes that held the colour of leaves on the forest floor, and made those low noises that seemed its own limited form of communication. Maybe it was asking for help. Tvarrgk liked that thought - it would mean the creatures were sentient, after all. Too bad the clan siblings had no way of knowing for sure.
Or maybe they did; that cycle's darkphase, the creatures' siblings appeared in the midst of the colony, even though no one had seen them arrive through the rrytver. They tried to kill a few of the clan siblings, but their weapons had barely any impact on anyone's shell.
Still, it was obviously a rescue and therefore a proof of sentience, so the colony let them take the other two creatures. They watched the aliens leave in vessels that flew even faster than the famous queen Frryf during her mating dance.
Tvarrgk's last glimpse of the slow creature was of a still body that seemed to hold no life. For a long time, he tried to figure out the strange feeling of unease that image brought him.
~~~
End.