_ _ _ _Mel Pov_ _ _ _
(It's a nice day today...) I thought, breathing out as I looked out the window of Carmen's office space.
The sun was high in the sky, clouds rolling across the endless blue horizon. Ralph, the massive friendly puppy, lay nearby, his tail swishing slightly from side to side. Past him, the view of the town stretched out; it was still small mind you, but the signs of construction I could see in the distance made it obvious that it wouldn't stay that way for long.
"Hey Mel, do you know what these little guys are by the way?" A soft, curious voice came from behind me.
"Hmmm? Oh, you're talking about them," I chimed, glancing over my shoulder.
Funbeemon, or Beebee as I sometimes called him, was currently looking at the huge glass tank that big sister Carmen had made, gesturing to the colourful little creatures within. We had grown close over the time since Carmen introduced us, and I had tried my best to answer his questions and help him adjust just like big sis had asked me to. Not to say that I didn't have questions for him as well; I thought it was super interesting when he told me about his home, a world that existed inside computers back in his universe.
"Big sister Carmen said they were called Pikmin," I mused thoughtfully, tilting my head slightly to the side. "I don't really know much about them though, but they seem interesting."
"I think they're cute, and watching them is really interesting," Beebee said back as he looked down at the environment within. "Although I am curious what world they came from."
"Who knows," I mumbled, shrugging slightly.
I didn't mind helping him; in fact, it was nice to be relied upon, even if there were many things they still did not understand about me. Still, though, I wished I could do more. Honestly, I loved the sanctuary; I loved how nice and beautiful it was. In fact, a few days ago a floating island drifted over our town, which I thought was amazing. The only problem was that I... I felt like I wasn't doing enough...
(I wonder what big sis is doing right now.) I thought to myself.
"Are... are you okay?" He asked, noticing my shift in expression.
"Yeah, I'm fine..." I muttered, glancing back out the window. "I just feel kind of useless."
"What do you mean? You're not useless." Beebee huffed, denying my words as he hovered over to me.
"Well, I feel like I'm not doing enough, that I should try to be more useful," I sighed, resting my chin on the windowsill. "Big sister saved me, saved all of us from that bad place..."
"I just... I just want to pay her back... to help in any way I can, but... but I..." I breathed out, trailing off as I didn't know how to put it into words.
It was true; I desperately wanted to help her, to give something back for all she's done for not just me but also for all the other kids that she had rescued. I had thought that maybe I could help her somehow when she went to another world, like when we went to the one where we met Ralph; however, she wouldn't let me go. She said that the place they were headed was a bad place, a really bad place, one like where I was born. That scared me. I still remember the pain from back then, so it hadn't taken much convincing from her to make me stay.
"You want to give something back for all the things she'd done for you?" Beebee asked, and I nodded.
"Then why don't we work together to find something we can help with!" he offered loudly, eyes sparkling happily. "I mean, she saved you, then me as well, freed me from the place I was being held; it's only right I find a way to pay her back as well."
(It's nice to have friends who offer to help.) I thought warmly before looking over at a certain pupper.
"What do you think, Ralph? Do you think we can find a way to help her somehow?" I asked the large wolf, who by this point was looking over at us curiously.
His response was a loud, enthusiastic bark, causing me to chuckle. "Yeah, I guess you're right," I said, my expression softening. "Such a good puppy."
My words caused Beebee to nod in agreement. "He is, Ralph is a super good boy!"
_ _ _ _Gamma 3rd Pov_ _ _ _
Her mind was dark with slumber. Her body coiled as she lay unmoving against the ground. The rhythmic vibrations from afar hummed to her senses; the hive was calm, but that was not her concern. She was waiting. She had not been called; the time to hunt had not yet been signalled, so she would continue to lay in slumber until the time came.
She did not mind the wait, it gave her time to think after all. She thought back on her birth, the thrilling hunts that had followed, and her mother. Her queen was strange, different from what her instinct told her was normal, but that did not matter. She was wise, tactical and cautious. Gamma found appreciation in these things, although her mother could be restrictive at times. A part of her, an instinctual part, wanted to strike out on her own, to seek out prey without limits or restrictions. This instinct was only a quiet voice however, and it was quickly snuffed out. In the end she would wait, wait for the call, wait for the opportunity to hunt, to kill.
She lay within a cavern, its walls covered in resin that twisted into unique patterns that crisscrossed the various surfaces. The chamber itself was separated from the rest of the hive, filled with a layer of mist that hugged the ground and piles of skulls belonging to a variety of different creatures and beasts. Her sister, the more aggressive and headstrong of the two, lay close by, her body still and dormant yet primed and ready for any threat.
They had not been isolated from the rest of the hive intentionally; it was just in their instincts. They served the hive, yes, but they were far more independent, loners within the greater collective. The others of their kind were uncomfortable around them, and they became vigilant and far more on edge in their presence. It was only natural; there was no malice in it. Their siblings were cells within the body of the hive; they, however, were outliers even if they were still bound to the mother.
None of this mattered to the two; neither Gamma nor Beta cared about any of it. It did not matter that they were isolated to some degree; it did not bother them that the others of their kind found their presence unnerving. In the end they were instruments of their mother, their queen. And so, they continued to wait, resting deep within the hollowed-out tunnels of the hive until the call echoed in their minds and pulled them to battle.
Eventually, the call finally came. It began with a tingling feeling deep within the back of her mind, a staticky feeling that slowly took shape into a voice. Feelings of familiarity and desire swelled within her consciousness as Gamma listened. The echoes of her mother took a moment to come through, sounding distant and distorted. It was a sound that Gamma did not like; it meant that her mother was far away and she was not by her side to protect her.
The orders were simple: they were to come, they were to fight; nothing else needed to be said. Of course Gamma didn't understand the words themselves nor the true context behind them, but the meaning they carried was clear to her. Her sister had heard their mother's words as well, her body tensing in anticipation, claws scraping against the resin-covered ground.
When the glowing portal opened before them, they didn't hesitate for even a second. They screeched, mandibles clicking as they charged through without a care at all for the details. Where were they going? It did not matter. What purpose were they meant to play? They didn't need to know. Who was it that they were meant to fight? Enemies were enemies; what or who they were was not their concern. All these questions were irrelevant and did not, for even a moment, cross their minds. They had been called, and they would answer. They would hunt.