Humans are Weird - Undone
First Sister selected a packet of juice from the cold storage and ripped it open between her mandibles with a satisfied click. As this planet tilted back away from its sun, and the growing season closed, the workload had increased in all the local hives. She strongly suspected she had been sent to ‘help’ the human hive because First Father judged she had been overworking herself. Which she hadn’t she mused with frustration as she navigated her way between the piles of human foot protection back towards the room she shared with Human Second Cousin Betty. She had, in her own judgment, simply been taking on the appropriate duties for a First Sister well into her last few molts before reaching full maturity.
She finished the juice packet, reveling in the rich flavor of the liquid before shredding and eating the packaging as she lingered outside the door to Human Second Cousin Betty’s room. For some reason human hearing grew acute just before they fell asleep. Second Grandmother had tried to explain it to First Sister once, something about how the horrible predators of the human homeworld liked to hunt in the gloaming, and how anything that sounded of stealthy feat crunching the leaves of the garden paths during this time triggered the humans’ fight, flight, or freeze response. It had terrified First Sister at the time, but now she had simply internalized it as ‘don’t make the sounds of ripping fibers when humans are trying to fall asleep’. Though, now Human Second Cousin Betty should be well into the light ‘dream’ sleep humans started the night with.
First Sister flicked her proboscis over her mandibles and opened the door. Human Second Cousin Betty was lying stiff and very still on her flat surface of a bed, a sign that she was still trying to go to sleep rather than sleeping as First Sister quietly arranged herself on the sleeping couch that the humans had provided for her. However just as First Sister was about to drift off into the unawareness of sleep Human Second Cousin Betty took a long, loud breath and rolled over to look at her with a mournful expression.
“I didn’t get the gourds in today,” Human Second Cousin Betty said.
First Sister tilted her head at her friend in the semi-darkness of the room though, she suspected human eyes couldn’t make out the gesture. Still, Human Second Cousin Betty seemed to respond.
“Every night brings the threat of frost,” she went on. “I really need to get the gourds in.”
“You used your gardening time very wisely today,” First Sister observed. “You completed many high priority tasks on the main list.”
“But I didn’t get the gourds in,” the human muttered as she rotated her body like a log tumbling in a stream. “There weren’t many. It was a really-” her voice was interrupted by a long gaping yawn, “small task.”
“You preformed over two-dozen small, harvest related tasks today,” First Sister pointed out.
Human Second Cousin Betty huffed, as if she was annoyed at something, possibly First Sister’s lack of sympathy from the context of the situation.
“So because you do not have infinite time or energy for today’s tasks,” First Sister pointed out, “you are stressing to the point that you are interfering with the time and energy you have for tomorrow’s tasks.”
“First Brother would understand,” Human Second Cousin Betty muttered, the sound partially muted by another roll.
“No,” First Sister said slowly, tilting her head to the side. “First Brother would empathize…”
She carefully stood and walked over to Human Second Cousin Betty, who was now facing the wall.
“I am going to touch you and I am not engaged in dangerous behavior,” First Sister said clearly.
Human Second Cousin Betty was a deeply trusted friend but if one had easily damageable joints one did not surprise a human with touch during the dim time when their brains were scanning every input for remembered giant felidae species with fangs as long as your arm. Human Second Cousin Betty turned her blinking, bifocal eyes on First Sister in confusion as First Sister gently brought her hand down on the human’s head.
“There, there,” First Sister said in soothing tones. “You worked very hard and did everything you could today. We will get the gourds in tomorrow.”
Human Second Cousin Betty stared up at her in blank confusion for a moment, before bursting out into cackling laughter. There was a thump on the other side of the wooden wall of the human hive and she muted the sound of her mirth.
“Go back to bed First Sister,” she managed to gasp out between fits of muffled laughter.
First Sister did so, content that she had managed to sooth at least some part of Human Second Cousin Betty’s stress with her show of masculine empathy. At least, the human stopped tossing and her breathing had settled into a more even pattern by the time First Sister’s awareness faded.
She finished the juice packet, reveling in the rich flavor of the liquid before shredding and eating the packaging as she lingered outside the door to Human Second Cousin Betty’s room. For some reason human hearing grew acute just before they fell asleep. Second Grandmother had tried to explain it to First Sister once, something about how the horrible predators of the human homeworld liked to hunt in the gloaming, and how anything that sounded of stealthy feat crunching the leaves of the garden paths during this time triggered the humans’ fight, flight, or freeze response. It had terrified First Sister at the time, but now she had simply internalized it as ‘don’t make the sounds of ripping fibers when humans are trying to fall asleep’. Though, now Human Second Cousin Betty should be well into the light ‘dream’ sleep humans started the night with.
First Sister flicked her proboscis over her mandibles and opened the door. Human Second Cousin Betty was lying stiff and very still on her flat surface of a bed, a sign that she was still trying to go to sleep rather than sleeping as First Sister quietly arranged herself on the sleeping couch that the humans had provided for her. However just as First Sister was about to drift off into the unawareness of sleep Human Second Cousin Betty took a long, loud breath and rolled over to look at her with a mournful expression.
“I didn’t get the gourds in today,” Human Second Cousin Betty said.
First Sister tilted her head at her friend in the semi-darkness of the room though, she suspected human eyes couldn’t make out the gesture. Still, Human Second Cousin Betty seemed to respond.
“Every night brings the threat of frost,” she went on. “I really need to get the gourds in.”
“You used your gardening time very wisely today,” First Sister observed. “You completed many high priority tasks on the main list.”
“But I didn’t get the gourds in,” the human muttered as she rotated her body like a log tumbling in a stream. “There weren’t many. It was a really-” her voice was interrupted by a long gaping yawn, “small task.”
“You preformed over two-dozen small, harvest related tasks today,” First Sister pointed out.
Human Second Cousin Betty huffed, as if she was annoyed at something, possibly First Sister’s lack of sympathy from the context of the situation.
“So because you do not have infinite time or energy for today’s tasks,” First Sister pointed out, “you are stressing to the point that you are interfering with the time and energy you have for tomorrow’s tasks.”
“First Brother would understand,” Human Second Cousin Betty muttered, the sound partially muted by another roll.
“No,” First Sister said slowly, tilting her head to the side. “First Brother would empathize…”
She carefully stood and walked over to Human Second Cousin Betty, who was now facing the wall.
“I am going to touch you and I am not engaged in dangerous behavior,” First Sister said clearly.
Human Second Cousin Betty was a deeply trusted friend but if one had easily damageable joints one did not surprise a human with touch during the dim time when their brains were scanning every input for remembered giant felidae species with fangs as long as your arm. Human Second Cousin Betty turned her blinking, bifocal eyes on First Sister in confusion as First Sister gently brought her hand down on the human’s head.
“There, there,” First Sister said in soothing tones. “You worked very hard and did everything you could today. We will get the gourds in tomorrow.”
Human Second Cousin Betty stared up at her in blank confusion for a moment, before bursting out into cackling laughter. There was a thump on the other side of the wooden wall of the human hive and she muted the sound of her mirth.
“Go back to bed First Sister,” she managed to gasp out between fits of muffled laughter.
First Sister did so, content that she had managed to sooth at least some part of Human Second Cousin Betty’s stress with her show of masculine empathy. At least, the human stopped tossing and her breathing had settled into a more even pattern by the time First Sister’s awareness faded.
Hidden Fires - A Novel
From ghoulies, and ghosties, and long-leggedy beasties, and things that go boomp in the night; Good Lord deliver us.
Traditional Scottish Prayer
A cavern bathed in fire.
A world of the cusp of change.
A threat from beyond the stars.
Bard has led his pool of outcast warriors across the stars to this strange new planet with its cold, nearly dead surface. For years they clung to each other in the magma caverns only going to the surface to humor the curiosity of their hosts,until the day a young alien wandered into Bard’s song and resonated with him, and gave his pool a hope of something more.
Now a dark threat from Bard’s homeworld threatens the fragile connection he has formed with this alien family, and the stars sing of war.
https://igg.me/at/HiddenFiresBook/x/20737048
From ghoulies, and ghosties, and long-leggedy beasties, and things that go boomp in the night; Good Lord deliver us.
Traditional Scottish Prayer
A cavern bathed in fire.
A world of the cusp of change.
A threat from beyond the stars.
Bard has led his pool of outcast warriors across the stars to this strange new planet with its cold, nearly dead surface. For years they clung to each other in the magma caverns only going to the surface to humor the curiosity of their hosts,until the day a young alien wandered into Bard’s song and resonated with him, and gave his pool a hope of something more.
Now a dark threat from Bard’s homeworld threatens the fragile connection he has formed with this alien family, and the stars sing of war.
https://igg.me/at/HiddenFiresBook/x/20737048
RSS Feed
