Chapter Text
Kaya started filing through the papers that were sent to the tribe over the past day, mostly coming from Hallownest. It was a job that she didn't mind, she didn't get to train and spare with guards which she liked. But she also didn't have to sit through meetings like her father and aunt.
The stack of papers was intimidating to Kaya. Not because of the size of the stack, but because of the contents of them.
She got multiple letters from the healers, requesting more supplies as they described the injuries they were dealing with at the makeshift camp at the Palace Grounds.
These letters horrified her. She tried to imagine how gruesome the scene must have been and she tried to get into the political mindset.
Even though she wants to extend as much help as possible, she is acutely aware of the state of relationships between Hallownest and her Tribe.
Hallownest has been neglectful of their agreement. Not sending supplies like medicines and grains, while the Tribe protects the borders and sends warriors and healers when needed. Besides the Kingdom not holding their agreement, they have been extremely distant, more occupied with a matter more important than the relations Hallownest holds.
Kaya thought about sending more healers and supplies, making Hallownest more in debt to them.
The mantis sighed as her emotions were now getting the best of her. These past few months have been difficult for her. A few months ago her aunts, father, and a quarter of the village got sick.
She’ll never forget the almost scentless black liquid that her father was heaving.
At the time she had to run the village until her family was recovering. She decided to contact the King, as such sickness would be detrimental to both the tribe and Hallownest…
…but the King wasn’t available.
A couple of weeks after the incident she was able to have some contact. But it was sparse. She wasn’t even able to see Ze’mer for their private outings for at least a month, but even their meetings were strange.
It was clear to Kaya that Ze’mer wasn’t herself, and it was clear that something happened and her girlfriend wasn’t willing to disclose it. She noticed how Ze’mer felt sickly, feeling colder than normal. The same chill her family and parts of the tribe know how. After discussing the issue with her father and aunts- also admitting she was seeing Ze’mer which caused quite a bit of stir, it was decided that the Tribe wouldn’t be informing Hallownest of what happened.
Besides Hallownest not disclosing the illness to the tribe, graver news was at the foot of their door.
The Pure Vessel disappeared.
The King sent out a warrant for them, that if there is any sign of them they must be returned straight to the palace. The warrant implied that the Pure Vessel wasn’t pure. This worried the Lords as they fully placed their trust in the King to deal with the wicked light plaguing their prey. They now realize that trust was misplaced.
Surprisingly her father allowed her to see Ze’mer whenever she could, so if Ze’mer indulged in what happened, the lords would be the first to know. Kaya didn’t like this plan, if it felt like an evasion of both of their privacies, but Kaya agreed to the plan. Ze’mer didn’t say anything more than what the Lords already knew anyway.
Kaya still loves and trusts Ze’mer but she doesn’t trust who she is working for anymore.
The mantis sighed as she got up from her spot.
She wasn’t sure if she should send more healers or supplies. On one hand, if Hallownest is more in debt to the tribe, they have a greater price to pay back. But on the other hand, would they want to pay the tribe back for their services? Before making that decision, she wanted to consult her father. She took a few of the requests before making her way to the throne room.
Kaya was surprised to see that it was light out. Well as light as it could be living underground, but the change indicated that it was day, meaning she barely slept in the past couple of days because of everything going on. She can’t wait to go back to bed.
As she was making her way, she saw many mantises were out and with tools and dragging piles of shellwood in hand. Kaya knew they were preparing for the tournament. Building temporary bleachers for spectators and guests, creating stands for merchants, barracks for the contestants, and a few other structures needed for the tournament.
Soon she made it to the throne room to see her aunts and dad off of their thrones, discussing something privately as mantises around them worked on their arena, making sure that the arena was sturdy. Kaya quickly and quietly approached the lords, listening to the conversation.
“I’m telling you, that kid looks awfully familiar. I don’t know where I saw them, but I’ve definitely seen them,” Arya spoke frustratingly.
“They are quite sneaky. They were able to move all of their siblings to the hut before daybreak and none of our guards noticed…” Kai trailed off before going to the next topic. “One of the kids had to go into surgery right when they came into the elders' care and another had other wounds that were already mended.”
“When is the child supposed to get out of surgery?” Rowen- her dad asked.
“Before lunch. One of us should go check on them, to see how serious their injuries were,” Kai said.
“Agreed. Let’s just wait for Kaya to stop eavesdropping our conversation,” Rowen huffed with a chuckle as he turned around to see his daughter almost right behind him. Rowen’s face fell a bit.
“You look tired. Did you sleep, my dear?” Rowen cooed, caressing one of his claws against her back as another caressed her face. Kaya tiredly nuzzled into the claw, minding the sharp edges.
“No, got these dumbass papers to deal with,” Kaya muttered. She could tell her father was trying to keep a straight face, wanting to scold her for swearing, but he couldn’t help but chuckle.
“What did the fork ask?” Father huffed.
Kaya chuckled, “He didn’t ask anything. Our healers asked for more supplies,”
“Can’t he care for his own citizens?” Jade interjected.
“No. Travel has been blocked throughout the city, making it difficult for the City Hospital to get involved,” Kaya explained, unwillingly justifying the King's incompetence but knowing that bugs' lives are in danger.
“Let’s just send the supplies. If that twig of a knight of yours disappoints us during the tournament, we could just cut contact with them,” Rowen sighed.
Kaya didn’t like how Ze’mer was used to being a turning point in Hallownest relations. She already knew her poor girlfriend was already under so much stress, but she couldn't change her father's mind.
“So the children entered our land?” Kaya asked, leaving her father's embrace and facing all of the lords.
“Yes, along with a few other bugs that were with the group,” Kai answered.
“We have heard our tribe speaking about them, meaning they are out wandering our village. They are quite tiny. Tinier than that child, Ghost,” Jade spoke. Anxiety crept into Kaya. She already thought Ghost was tiny, so she couldn’t imagine a bug tinier than them.
“We’re planning on investigating all of them further,” Arya said. “There are too many weird details. Ghost’s strength and weapon, the fact they didn’t want assistance from Hallownest, how they looked so familiar- I can’t put my claws on where I saw them.”
“Do you need me to do anything?” Kaya asked. Her curiosity increased more than it initially had. After seeing their fight, she too wondered where they came from.
“Now we don’t. You can leave the rest of the papers to us and head to bed. After you wake up, can you check the tent they live in? Apparently, one of the siblings is staying there and hasn't been spotted by the outside,” Rowen spoke.
“Okay, Dad. Thanks,” Kaya spoke before kissing her Dad's cheek and making her way out of the arena, leaving the lords by themselves.
“I can do Kaya’s paperwork while you guys investigate, okay?” Arya suggested.
The Lords nodded as they split, now figuring out who they gave sanctuary to.
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Jade wandered and searched throughout the arenas and other structures that were being built for the tournament. She was making sure that everything was in order, but she was also searching for the tinier children that were wandering through her and her siblings' land.
Her sharp eyes searched around before her eyes locked onto something that stood out from the blues, greens, and grays of the village.
It was a ruby helmet with wide horns bobbing through the mantis that towered over the owner of the helmet. But it was no ambiguity who that helmet belonged to, and Jade decided to greet him.
She got a bit excited as the helmet soon made its way to the tournament board as that is where the signup sheets for new contenders. The helmet lowered out of Jades vision, he must have dropped something.
She got closer and moved her head to see the moth signing towards two little kids. Ghost’s siblings.
Just like Ghost, they had a white shell and assumedly black body. Jade could only see their legs and paws. One of the kids had asymmetrical horns that pointed inward at a straight angle. The other kid had three horns, one large horn in the middle and two slightly shorter on either side, all of the horns. At the base of the outer horns, there are two short numbs pointing downward.
Both of the children had scarves, the two-horned one had a nice green one and another had a magenta one. The green scarfed one had a spear on their back while the other had a shield. They both wore cloaks that were of moss making.
“ They are smaller than our youth. What type of bug are they? ” Jade thought to herself.
There were many bugs that were tiny and strong- the current Nailsage proved that to her and her siblings quite a few years ago. But unlike him, Jade couldn’t recognize if they were a beetle, a fly, or an arachnid.
A part of her convinced herself that she simply never saw all of the types of bugs that lived in Hallownest, she does spend most of her time in the village. But a part of her feels like these kids are different. Swiftly enough, Jade made her way to the trio, catching a last bit of their conversation.
“Sure, the tournament can be a bit dangerous. And you can get hurt. But it is fun,” Xero spoke, doing hand motions along with it. Jade was a bit confused, she thought the siblings were just mute. The child signed back.
“Oh, I am pretty sure you’ll defeat someone. Hell, I want to see you beat Tiso,” Xero chuckled and both of the children made chuckling motions. But their motions quickly stopped as they saw Jade approaching them. The multi-horned child even stepped back and Xero turned to the lord.
“Oh greetings Lord Jade,” Xero greeted his tone with the mantis immediately changed. He got up and bowed to the Lord. It was almost comical as she towered over him, but that didn’t matter.
“Greetings, I’m glad you are here,” Jade spoke hospitably. “Are you three signing up for the tournament?” Her eyes now trailing to the children. Both of the sheepishly looked away, not wanting to look at the Lord.
“Just signing these two up. I am just a… ‘sponsor’ for them,” Xero spoke. Just like with many tournaments, the warriors attending typically never represent themselves. They either bring their trainers, nobles who sponsored their training, or even family to support them.
“Is that a good idea? We have some strong competitors this year,” Jade spoke. She underestimated Ghost the night before, and a part of her is saying that she shouldn’t underestimate these kids. But these kids seem younger than Ghost. Besides, the contenders to the tournament haven’t been revealed, and Jade would bet that kids wouldn’t want to fight against a Great Knight.
“Though they are shy, they are quite strong,” Xero said, smiling under his helmet before turning to the kids. “Let me talk to Lord Jade, alright? You guys probably don’t want to listen to us yap. I can sign you up and you can go to your siblings.”
As soon as Xero offered this, the kids immediately bolted away.
The adults chuckled to themselves, making Jade feel less bad about making the kids nervous.
“They’re skittish, aren’t they?” Jade commented.
“Typically, they don’t like talking to bugs they aren’t familiar with. Besides, I know there is a lot on their minds now,” Xero sighed, rubbing the back of his helmet.“I think this tournament would be good for them so they could get their mind off of everything.”
“Is there anyone else from your party joining as well?” The Lord questioned.
“Besides Markoth, another one of their siblings and our friend who came along is also joining,”
“Is this friend the aforementioned ‘Tiso’ you wanted the kids to beat,” Lord Jade jested and Xero chuckled as well.
“Yes, he is. I have nothing against him at all, I think he would make this tournament entertaining for the kids sake.”
“But in a real fight if he was trying his best, would those children beat him?”
Xero hummed in thought for a few seconds. “If I think if it really depended on it, I think the kids would win half of the battles,”
“What bug is Tiso?”
“An ant,”
“And the children?”
“Ummm, not sure,” Xero muttered.
The gears in Jade's mind were turning. Even though she never fought an ant before, she had heard how strong they were. Their strength is compared to beetles and can carry fifty times their own weight. Unless this particular ant was weak as all hell or was a slightly weak drone that ran from his colony, these kids must be something interesting.
Jade's interest increased.
“What are their names?” Jade asked.
“Sahara and Stella. Sahara had the spear behind them while Stella had the shield,” Xero answered.
“Oh, those names have a nice ring unlike some of our other duos competing. Let's get them signed up before we forget,” Jade laughed and Xero laughed beside her.
As she helped Xero sign the kids up, her mind raced with the outcome of the tournament. If they were as good as Ghost then they might do some damage to the Great Knight. She was now quite excited about how this tournament would play out as she got ready to send out the contenders.
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Kai and Rowen walked on the outskirts of the village. Up ahead they could see two guards and way behind them was another two guards. There were reports of strange bugs in the area. They weren’t close enough for the mantises to attack, but they were close enough for them to be worried.
“Do you think they are from the incident that happened in the city?” Kai asked in their native tongue as her sharp eyes looked about.
“They haven't been spotted before the incident. I worry that they will try to cause a commotion at the tournament. Too big of a crowd, few spectators that could be snatched,” Rowen sighed. “Will they have enough warriors to patrol the outskirts?”
“We would have to thin the warriors throughout the border if we want to do that,”
“I guess having a few warriors in the area is better than none. We’ll set that up when we get back,”
The two mantises continued to walk through the outskirts, turning away from the trail that the patrol was walking on so that the Lords could return to the village to do some paperwork. They went through an archway of a cavern, hearing water from the Emerald Caverns trickling in a stream nearby. Rowen's eyes quickly caught something out of place in the corner of his vision.
It was a child that was sitting by the edge of the stream.
They were wearing a lavender-colored cloak, clearly of moss making. Part of the cloak glided with the current, only going so far as the child stayed in place. They had wide horns with a few prongs. The Lords could barely see a tail curing around.
“That is another one of the kids, right?” Kai muttered.
“They must be. We haven’t seen kids like that since Ghost appeared. Hey, kid!” Rowen called out in Common Hallownest as the two lords walked the kid. The kid didn’t react. Even though there weren’t any reports of anyone suspicious entering the village, a youngling shouldn’t be away from their guardians.
“Kiddo, can you hear me?” Rowen called out again. The Lords heard that one of the kids was unable to hear. Though this time the child turned to the lords. The child had tilted eyes. They curiously looked at the lords.
“Hey kid, what are you doing all the way out here?” Kai spoke as she bent down, trying not to scare the child as all of the mantises had a habit of doing that with grubs that weren’t raised in the tribe. However, the kid didn’t react and just kept on staring at the Lords.
“Are you okay kiddo? You’ll get cold if you stay in the water for too long,” Rowen said, slightly bending to look less intimidating. The kid looked down on the water for a few long seconds, maybe realizing they were in there longer than they thought, before slowly getting up from their spot. The bottom half of their cloak was soaked, sticking to their body.
Before any of the Lord could say or do anything, the kid walked over to Rowen and right when they were at his feet before holding their arms up. Rowen heard Kai smirk, holding in a laugh as Rowen was surprised.
“Kiddo, do you want to be picked up?” Rowen curiously asked. The kid nodded before doing grabby motions with their paws. Rowen chuckled in pleasant surprise as he started to pick the child up.
Anxiety pooled in Rowen's stomach as his claws approached the child. He was aware of what damage his claws could do. The number of garpedes he sliced through was astronomical. How could he hold a child so tiny and fragile?
Then he thought about how he held Kaya for the first time. He was still in pain from the lying weeks prior, he thought he was going to die that night. After she hatched she was so, so tiny. His claws were so shaky, he was afraid to hold her. After Kai assured him that everything was well, he was able to hold her.
The blunt edge of the claw wrapped around the child, supporting them as the wet cloak dragged on their claws. The child gripped onto the Lord's cloak as their tail gently around the blunt edge of his claws. They leaned their shell against his chest as a purr emanated from them.
“Are you comfortable?” Rowen cooed, chuckling. The child chirped before nuzzling into the Lord more. He turned to Kai to see her expression was sad before she looked away.
“Come on, we could drop the kid off at the medical hut so Ghost could find them,” Kai muttered before leaving Rowen with the child. Rowen immediately knew what was up and tried to catch up to Kai without jostling the kid too much in his arms.
When Rowen made it to Kai, she looked down and away in shame. Rowen knows that Kai can’t control her emotions and that she feels bad about the thoughts she was having at that moment.
“Kai-”
“Kids always have attached themselves to you, don’t they?” Kai spoke in their native tongue so the child doesn’t understand. “Though mother was wrong on many, many things. But she was right about you being a good parent.”
“Well, she wasn’t exactly right about that. She said if I were to find a suitable mate, I’ll have a strong brood and be a stern mom.”
“I don’t know where you have been, but Kaya hits like a fucken goam. And we hear enough of her complaining so you are a stern dad-”
“So then, what was the right thing she said? Are you projecting or are your wants wearing you down that much?” Rowen asked, keeping his voice firm but not raising it in front of the child who doesn't understand what they are saying. Rowen’s eyes looked into his sister before she took a sigh.
“Sorry… sorry,” Kai sighed. “Mom was right about me the most. She has always said I was never going to be the strongest. When I watched over the younglings, she said I would never meet my children as I would get eaten creating them, or that I would die old and not fulfill my purpose of bringing more brood into the tribe. Gods I love you and Kaya, but it hurts that I don’t have one that I could look at with pride-”
The tiny paws that were holding Rowen's cloak were now letting go and were going towards Kai.
Both of the siblings froze as the child clearly wanted to go. The Lords thought that they were controlling their volume enough so the child wouldn’t get upset or stressed.
“Sorry for yelling kiddo. You want to go to Kai?” Rowen cooed as he handed the child to his sister. Rowen saw Kai slightly shake as he handed the child off to her. She must have realized the size of the child. The child wrapped their tail around her arm and nuzzled into her chest.
“O-oh, hi there sweetie,” Kai tried to speak softly as the child hugged the Lord. “Let’s bring you to your siblings. They must be looking for you.”
The Lords walked on the outskirts of the village in the direction of the healer's hut and the hut the siblings will be staying at. The elder requested the hut to be isolated so patients have the dignity to have privacy. Rowen kept glancing at the nervous Kai, making sure she was well and not about to drop the child, but she seemed to be well.
When only a few caverns away from the medical hut, two small figures were spotted ahead. Rowen immediately recognized them as more children.
Even though they were quite far away, Rowen could see that the kids were muttering to one another, pointing at the Lords, specifically at Kai.
“They must be looking for you,” Kai muttered to the child she was holding as the two tiny siblings ran towards the Lords. One of the children has mossish overalls with a pink top under it with two horns on each side of the shell pointing downward. The other child has a blue tunic with a singular large horn three prongs and tilted eyes.
Soon the children got to the lords and jumped up and down making signs at the lords. The lords chuckled. The children were so cute.
“Kiddos, you have been looking for your sibling,” Rowen cooed. The siblings nodded before the child with the singular horn pulled something out of the pouch on their back. It was a chalkboard. The screeching of the chalk was quiet and the child turned the board to the Lords.
[Thank you!] The child jumped and beamed.
“You're very welcome,” Rowen smiled back. “Say, what are your kids' names?”
The child with the singular horn started writing on the board and the child with the two horns got out a chalkboard from their pouch. The two kids then showed the chalk boards to the lords.
[Blue] The kid with the singular horn wrote.
[Iris] The kid with the downward horns wrote.
“Iris, Blue, nice to meet you,” Kai slightly bowed. The kids made embarrassed motions rubbing their shells and twirling their tail and paws. Kai chucked and continued speaking, “So who am I holding now?” Blue then wrote on their chalkboard.
[That would be Violet. They like to wander. We're just looking for them] Iris wrote.
“We found them by the stream. They are a bit wet now. Would you like to be led back to your hut so they can get changed, ” Rowen asked. Blue then was writing something for a few long seconds before showing it to the lords.
[At the elder hut waiting for our sibling. Let’s go there,]
“Very well, let's go there little ones,” Rowen cooed. The children then went on either side of Rowen, surprising him as they thought they would want to walk with each other. However, it was more surprising when they shot their paws upward. Rowen quickly realized that they wanted to hold his claws.
“Oh my,” Rowen muttered as he blushed in amusement. He is reminded of when Kaya asked to hold his claw when she was young.
“Make sure you kids don’t touch the sharp edges,” Rowen advised. The children gave sharp nods and Rowen lowered his claws for them to hold on to. He could barely feel the tiny paws on the blunt edges of his claws, not even getting near the sharpness of it.
The group of five now started walking towards the healer's hut, the Lords feeling nostalgic. Soon the sight of the hut came into view. It was a hut that was larger than the typical manti hut, but it wasn’t overly large. Around the hut were a few seats for bugs to sit at as they waited for family members who were being treated.
On two of those seats, they saw a white shell laying on its side as a blanket was covering it, and a black bandaged crescent-shaped head with a pale face lay next to the white shell laying on the other side of the bench. Based on the horns of the white shell, the one that was lying there was Ghost.
However, neither of the lords could even recognize the type of bug that was lying beside Ghost. It must be the child that is raised as one of their own. Iris and Blue let go of Rowen's claws ran beside the benches and sat next to them, not waking Ghost or the other child up. Violet still stayed in Kai’s arms.
At that moment the curtain to the hit opened and the Elder exited out of it. He was a tiny beetle, almost all bugs around him tower over the sage. Despite the tiredness in his eyes, he was still wearing his orange cloak and beaded necklace. His eyes bet the Lords and he put a finger over his mouth, motioning them to be quiet and move over to him.
The Lords obliged as they didn't want to wake Ghost up. They gently walked over to the side of the tent where the Elder stood.
“Greetings my Lords, are you here to check on the kid?” Elder Hu spoke. His voice was gruff and tired. He seemed dejected, almost wanting to forget something.
“Yes, we are. We were just wondering how their condition was and what medical attention they needed,” Rowen spoke. The Elder looked startled as his eyes looked curiously at the Lords, then off to the direction of where Ghost was sleeping, then to the child that Kai was holding.
“Can you leave the kid elsewhere, please? They don't need to hear this,” the Elder said, his voice having worry and fear laced in it.
It was now the Lord's turn to look startled. The kid just needed medical attention for something they assumed wasn't so bad. Were their assumptions incorrect?
“Okay sure,” Kai spoke before turning and leaving the other two, placing the child with their sleeping sibling. Once Kai placed the child away and went back to the Elder, he immediately questioned them.
“Where did they say they came from?” The Elders voice is serious and extremely concerned at the same time.
“In Emerald Cavers,” Rowen answered.
“Did all of them come from the Emerald Cavers? Because if so, someone from the cavern mutilated this child,” The Elder's voice strained with stress as he tried to keep quiet, not wanting to wake the child up.
“W-what?” Rowen muttered as his eyes widened.
“Show us their injuries,” Kai then demanded. The Elders immediately agreed and led them to the tent. The Lords bent down to enter the tent.
The Mantis immediately were put off by the smell, or the lack of smell. Usually, the tent smells of copper, iron herbs, or other liquids after the Elder treats bugs. But it smelled like nothing.
The Lords realized it smelled like the black liquid that made them sick months ago.
The Lord's eyes traveled around the hut before finding the operating stone table where a tiny lump was lying on its side. The child's shell had three tiny horns on the top and parts of their eyes were stained with what looked like black tears. Their breathing was wheezy, labored, and in pain as they were in restless sleep. A blanket was wrapped around the bandages barely seen. Rowen's parental instincts flared up, wanting to place them in a comfy bed and comfort them.
The three bugs made their way into the hut. On the other tables, Kai could see many discarded pieces of cloth stained with black and glowing white liquid. Soul. Elder Hu was on one slide of the stone table as the Lords were on the other side of the table, the child's front facing the lord.
The Elder got a piece of cloth to the side to wipe the tears clean off of the child as the Lords made a horrifying discovery. The blanket allowed there to be an outline of the child. They have seen the children to know that they had no legs.
“What happened ?” Rowen coldly said as the Elder cleaned the child's face. Elder Hu placed the cloth in the discard bin before gently pulling the blanket. Rowen took a deep breath as Kai audibly gulped as they were exposed to bandaged numbs.
“I classified it as a chitin and soft tissue injury. The lacerations seemed to be caused by a wire. The cut was clean,” Elder Hu spoke, his voice hiding the horror of what injuries he treated. He covered the blanket back up before dragging the blanket off of their torso to see it completely bandaged along with thick bandages.
“Their wings have been cut off. The wound matches those who have been trafficked and not part of a struggle-” Elder Hu expelled a long-held breath before rubbing the child's shoulder, the child not reacting. The Lord's wings shivered as their body hid their wings close to their bodies.
“The child also has multiple rope burns and bruises also matching wounds of those who have been trafficked,” the Elder said.
The Lords stayed still, eyes wide with shock as they absorbed the information. There was no way that this kid didn’t come from the trafficking that was discovered in the City. But there were more questions in their head.
Why didn’t they just accept help in Hallownest?
“Will they be fine under your care?” Kai asked, gulpinging her stress.
“For now, yes. But they are going to need better treatment elsewhere. I can heal these injuries, but that’ll stop when they need to recover,” Elder Hu honesty said.
“Very well, thank you for your service. If anything else happens, talk to us,” Rowen spoke. The Lords bowed to the elder before leaving the hut. A heavy weight on their shoulders as more questions run through their mind.
Who are these children?
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Kaya yawned as she left her family's hut. It was brighter than it was when she went to bed, and if she were to guess, it was past midday. She still sees builders about it, but not as much as it seems like a lot of them are on a lunch break. The mantis rubbed the tiredness in her eyes as she was startled to walk through the village, searching for what tasks she needed to do.
“Kaya!”
Well, at least she didn’t have to search for too long.
Kaya turned to see Auntie Arya walking towards her. She had a neat stack of wrapped papers and stone tablets in her claws that was meant for Kaya to do. She felt a bit guilty for her aunt doing her work, but the nap was a lifesaver.
“Do you have time to do something?” Arya asked a bit rushed.
“Sure, what do you need?”
“Can you go to the hut that our guests are staying at and hand them these tablets?” Arya requested while handing said tablets to Kaya. “They just need to fill out some information so on paper, they inhabit the tribe for the time being.”
“Very well, is there anything else you need, Auntie Arya?”
“No, nothing else. Thank you,”
The two mantises split ways as they both did their respective tasks. With renewed energy, Kaya appreciated the mantises building and preparing for the tournament. She felt less overwhelmed as she looked for the festivity to come.
Out the corner of her eyes, she sees something red. She slightly turned her head to see Markoth’s figure off to the side.
Kaya was just about to wave him down when a gut feeling told her not to.
She cautiously turned her head to see Markoth gliding in between two of the huts, now one but Kaya seeing what happened.
“ Why is he sneaking around? ” Kaya thought, her suspicion growing. There would be no reason for Markoth to hide in the tribe unless he was doing something malicious. But she couldn’t think what he could be doing.
Going with her gut feeling, Kaya started to follow Markoth, going in between the huts as well. She was in a makeshift alleyway and turned in multiple directions before seeing a glimpse of a crimson wing once again and quickly and cautiously followed it. Fungal lights blocked by beams and cloth danced around Kaya as she quickly caught up, keeping her distance as she trailed the moth. Soon enough Kaya saw the exit to the alleyways straight ahead and saw Markoth exit it.
Kaya got to the edge of the alleyway to see Markoth cautiously looking as he walked in the open air. His body language however was subdued, so if anyone were to take a glance at him he wouldn’t look suspicious. However, she knew something was going on. Markoth quickly turned out of the cavern, leaving Kaya confused as she knew what was in that direction.
“Why are you sneaking towards the kid's huts?” Kaya muttered under her breath as she left the shadows and quickly and quietly.
There must be something up with the kids. Her father and aunts were suspicious of them, thinking they were familiar. And while she hadn't met the kids, the moth's actions were very suspicious. As they were getting closer to the hut, Kaya noticed something interesting.
“ Is he hiding something under his wings? ” Kaya could see that his wings were folded like a cloak around his body as usual. However, when he turned around to see if anyone was following him, she saw something bulky tucked away.
Her mind was even more confused. It was clear he was stealing something from the tribe, but what? It was too quiet for him to hold that amount of geo. And it was too small for it to be a weapon of sorts. Her mind raced with possibilities until they reached the hut. Kaya stayed behind as there were no more hiding spots for Kaya.
The hut was medium and slightly dilapidated but could hold nine tiny children and a couple of adults comfortably. Well, eight as the kid who just got out of surgery most likely stayed in the Elders hut for a few days.
As Markoth entered the hut, Kaya went against the logical course of action of going back to the tribe and notifying her dad of the suspicious behavior, but her gut told her to go to the hut and confront him right there. She cautiously and quietly bolded to the hut.
Curiously, she started to hear some conversation. Her footsteps slowed as she keenly listened to the conversation that was taking place.
“Got some bigger blankets for you. I don’t think it would be comfy for you to sleep on the ground and not have some sort of coverage. But yet again, I see how your siblings lay on top of you,” Markoth chuckled.
There was a weird pause of silence where the conversation should be continuing, but Kaya only heard wheezing whistling breaths. The breaths themselves aren’t labored despite how they sound, and whoever was breathing that loud must have been large. Markoth let out a sigh.
“Yes, I did take these without their permission. If we requested the items then they would have brought it here and someone would have seen you. If we just got the items with their knowledge, then they would become suspicious,” Markoth explained.
As the silence once again filled the next conversation, Kaya’s mind was racing.
Who is he talking to?
“Howl, come one. I was careful, no one saw me-”
Before her mind could even think, her claw moved to the edge of the doorframe and gave three loud knocks. She could hear the surprised silence in the hut as she soon talked.
“Hello, is Ghost in there now? We have some forms that they need to fill out,” Kaya spoke, acting as if she didn’t suspect anything suspicious at all.
She heard from nervous shuffling and muttering from the moth inside, clearly being caught off guard. There was a moment of silence, and she was just about to go in when Markoth opened the curtain to the hut, almost blocking the view of the inside.
“Oh hello Kaya, you looking for Ghost? They are still at the medical hut,” Markoth explained way too quickly for Kaya’s comfort.
“Oh, well these forms will need to be filled out by everyone in your party. So if I can get you and the other bug in the tent then…” Kaya's voice trailed off as her eyes trailed behind him when they saw a familiar horn that had a prong that was close to the tip.
Kaya’s mind froze, trying to recognize who that horn belonged to. Markoth quickly realized that Kaya saw whoever was in the hut behind him and desperately opened his wing, trying to cover the entrance completely. But Kaya gripped the wing and pushed Markoth out of the way and Kaya’s blood ran cold.
In front of her, pushing themself against the wall as tightly as they could, was the Pure Vessel.
Shaky, scared breaths were coming out of them, the whistles painfully piercing the tense air. The right side of their shell was cracked and their shell was blemished. They wore a mossish cloak that almost completely covered them.
They were unlike the Pure Vessel that she had seen a couple of years back. They were changed and jaded.
The Vessel has been found.
The King had been searching far and wide for the Vessel, but now they were within the mantises' grasp.
But this raised more terrible questions for Kaya.
The three bugs stayed in silence for what felt like hours. Kaya processes what’s in front of her as the Vessel and Markoth stand in fear.
Suddenly Kaya turned and bolted away from the hut.
She knew that having the Vessel here would be bad news for the tribe. Keeping someone that the King has been searching for months. This could start an outright war.
“Kaya!” Markoth desperately yelled as she heard harsh footsteps behind her. Her pace increased, not wanting the moth to catch up to her or convince her of something that can put her entire family in danger.
“Kaya, please! You can’t tell your father or aunts! They will die if you turn them in!” Markoth screeched out. She heard the desperation in his voice. It was something she had never heard in his voice before, making a part of her scared of what he was mixed up with.
“My family might die if I don’t tell them,” Kaya yelled back, turning to the moth and they stopped their chase.
“I don’t even know how you got ahold of them! But your problem is not going to be ours!”
“What is going on here?!” A loud voice permeated through the fight. Kaya and Markoth turned to see Lord Rowen and Kai. Kaya could see the Markoth frozen, fear running through his eyes as the fur on his wings and neck stood up.
“The Pure Vessel is in their hut,” Kaya said without hesitation.
She could immediately see the Lord's face fall as the sentence silenced through the air. Her father's face contorted in thought as Kai just stood still. Kaya heard Markoth hold his breath, terrified of what was going to happen next.
And Kaya… Kaya felt regret pooling her stomach as previous puzzle pieces were connecting in her mind.
Why would the group have The Pure Vessel with them? What did they mean to them? Who were they to Ghost? Rowen let out a muttering sigh.
“The children, they are vessels too, right?” Rowen asked, his sharp eyes turning to Markoth. Markoth wide eyes stared in fear. The moth gulped before nodding.
“Kai, go get Jade and Arya. Kaya, retrieve Ghost. They are at the medical hut. Meet us back at their hug and don't let any of the other children nearby,” Rowen commanded, his voice calm but powerful.
The two mantises obeyed, leaving Rowen with Markoth. The Lord only took a few steps before he was right in front of Markoth, the mantis easily towering over the moth.
“You are going to tell me how you got them and why you would bring someone that the king of Hallownest has been searching for months in our land. Decisive us anymore and the consequences will be great, Got it ?” Rowen hissed, his dark eyes looking straight into Markoth's glazed eyes.
“Y-yes,” Markoth muttered, terrified of what might happen.
“Good,” Rowen huffed before marching in the direction of the hut, with Markoth trailing behind him.
Many emotions are running through Rowen. Anger, deceit, confusion, and… worry.
Worry for his family as he had no idea what would happen if it got out that they were harboring the Pure Vessel. As much as a part of him wants to turn them right away. Or even make the King beg for the Pure Vessel so the Tribe could get some repentance. But his gut is telling him that is not a good idea.
As they were in sight of the hut and getting closer to it, Rowen heard peculiar sounds and Markoth ran straight past him and swiftly made his way inside of the hut.
Raw, strangled coughs came out of the hut. Pained whistles of something struggling to breathe wheezed as shaky sobs were expelled. Soft mutters and whispers were heard, trying to comfort the panicking bug inside.
Rowen held his breath as he opened the curtain of the hut. Even though he already was informed they were here, it was still shocking to see the Pure Vessel in the flesh.
But they were unrecognizable.
The once stoic stature was now a bumbling sobbing mess. Their large shell was cracked and pressed upon the ground of the hut as nausea was overtaking them.
Their cloak glided off of their damaged chitin, exposing half their body and the indent where their left arm would be. Their tail shakily swirls tightly around their body as their breaths become shallower.
Rowen can see them claw their throat and chest, desperately trying to untie the knot that has formed. Markoth was beside them, trying to take hold of the situation.
“Howl, please get up! You're going to pass out,” Matkoth pleaded, trying to get them in a position to breathe but was unable to get them up.
Rowen made the stark realization that they didn't have the Pure Vessel. They had a bug who was forced into the role of the Pure Vessel.
Without a second, Rowen slid down to the ground, knowing how much harm the bug- that Howl could inflict on themselves before getting pushed away by Markoth. His white eyes panicked and fearful of what the Lord would do. Rowen put his claws up.
“I'm not going to hurt them. Their chest is too compressed and they will seriously get hurt,” Rowen tries to speak calmly. Markoth stared into Rowen's eyes, trying to find truth in his words.
After a few long seconds and hearing Howl's ragged breath, Markoth took a long sigh before moving out of the way, allowing Rowen to access Howl.
“Howl, I'm going to hold you okay,” Rowen warned Howl, hoping that they could hear him as his claws soon held onto their shoulders. Immediately they limply reacted, trying to move away from the Lord but with their sapping strength, they weren't able to. They could only weakly wheeze.
“You're constricting your lungs, you need to open them or you will pass out,” Rowen urged, hoping the blunt statement would get through to them. Howl's body shook as pained whistles rocked them to their core.
As they choked their body limply tensed, unable to hold their position. Rowen took this as his chance to hook their arm and gently place it on their shell, extending their chest.
“Help me pull them upward,” Rowen muttered to Markoth.
Markoth obliged, and quickly went over to Howl, holding their chest the best that he could before pulling them up with steady strength. Howl didn’t retaliate and allowed the moth to pull them upward. The blankets that were on the ground were pulled up as black goop stretched and soon Rowen saw their blackened face.
Thick black tears were streaming down their shell as their eyes desperately looked straight into Rowen's eyes.
“Hey, hey, you’re fine. Just breathe with me. Okay? One and two and three-” Rowen motioned the breathing motions as he continued to count. Howl could only look and try to mimic the motions.
Struggled sobs escaped their throat as the air was finally making it into their lungs. Rowen continued with the motions as Markoth just held them, letting the lord continue to calm Howl down.
Soon the breaths slowly but surely calmed down. The panicked whistling soon became wheezing breaths as the room was now calm and the clarity of the situation set in for everyone.
The Pure Vessel was here.
Suddenly the curtains on the hut swung open and before anyone could even react Rowen was pushed back to the and the lungs were expelled from his lungs as his body slid against the ground.
In a panic, Rowen looked up to see Ghost right in front of Howl, facing him with arms splayed in a protective stance. Off to the side, Markoth was also on the ground looking in shock. Their dark eyes looked into his eyes.
Harsh footsteps were heard right behind him, and the curtain was yanked off of the wall. He glanced behind to see Arya. She stared ahead, her eyes wide in shock as she saw Howl, but quickly turned back to Rowen.
“Are you hurt?” Arya asked, shaken and concerned. Rowen could hear other footsteps coming from behind him. Must be his sisters and Rowen. .
“Y-yes I’m good,” Rowen said. Arya sighed before directing her eyes to Ghost.
“You three have a lot of explaining to do,” Arya coldly, pointing at the two vessels and moth.
Ghost still held their stance, afraid of what would happen if they let their guard down. Howl bent over behind them and huffed, making Ghost turn around.
The two vessels looked at each other, making motions as if they were talking. Ghost seemed to be more frustrated as Howl still stayed calmer.
Ghost let out a soft sigh before turning to the entrance. They looked down, their emotion indescribable before looking straight at the lords. They simply nodded in defeat.
“You will tell us everything?” Kai asked, behind the entire group. Ghost nodded once again, though a bit more hesitant. They then signed, glancing at Markoth.
“They say sit down, this might take a while,” Markoth translated. Suddenly Ghost signed something pretty quickly.
“They just requested that regardless of what is said and despite their deceptions, all of their siblings are still under your protection.”
Immediately Rowen could hear Jade grumble behind him. Ghost deceiving the Lords is punishable by banishment. But Ghost’s actions shouldn’t affect tiny children. Especially one who was mutilated to such a degree.
“Very well, we can agree to that,” Arya spoke.
The Lords and Kaya made their way into the hut, sitting around the hut. Ghost and Howl sat further from the lords, Ghost more in front as they didn't want any of the Lords to get close to Howl. Markoth was off to the side, not sitting with the vessel or the Lords.
Ghost and Howl soon started explaining their situation.
What the Lords heard was something that they wished they didn't hear.
Ghost shakily explained how the vessels were created, how they were the spawn of the King and Queen.
Anger and shock rose through the Lords. Once they were informed that the ‘Pure Vessel’ escaped, they theorized about what they could have been or how they were created. Them being from the King and Queen.
And that they had so many children.
Under the Palace is a dark well of void. The Abyss. The Lords heard of such a place from legend and myths. They tried to research more about it once they got sick but could barely get any information.
The King and Queen put many of their spawn in it. So much so that the well now has many corpses covering the well instead of void. When translating this, Markoth seemed shaken, not even knowing these details.
Ghost quickly glossed over their experience with the Abyss, explaining that they were forced to climb out with Howl, with only Howl making it out. The Abyss was locked up, leaving Ghost and everyone else in there.
The next thing that happened was blurry according to the two failed vessels. Ghost was able to get out of the abyss while Howl was trained to be the Pure Vessel. A couple of other siblings were also able to escape but the eggs hatched at different times, and some of them had health issues making them unable to grow.
Then something happened.
Ghost was extremely secretive of what happened almost half a year ago at this point. Something happened with the void that caused many bugs to get sick in Hallownest. This is the turning point that causes Howl to escape the Palace, injured by the infection that was ravaging their body. Ghost ends up taking care of their siblings, and one last egg hatched in the Abyss, and they live in Deepnest for a while.
During this time Howl came across Markoth, and he tried to hide them to the best of his ability with the goal of bringing them to the Emerald Caverns. Ghost tried to raise their siblings and after a few months, Queen Herrah found the Vessel living there and killed a few of their siblings and caused them to split up.
This information made the Lords realize that those children were the reason Deepnest cut all contact with Hallownest. The timing was aligning perfectly.
A group of siblings funnily enough home to the Emerald Caverns where Howl and Ghost reunited. The other group ended up in the City where they lived until a group of traffickers took the sibling. The others caused such a commotion when getting their sibling back that the King found their siblings in the City.
“So that's why you have come here for our help,” Arya sighed. Ghost nodded, looking in shame. The Lords were silent, absorbing everything.
How do you go forward from here?
“Markoth, does everyone in your party know about their nature?” Kai asked.
“No, only me and Quirrel know about who they are and their relations with the King. Xero and our other friend don't know,” Markoth spoke. The Lords stayed quiet once more before a frustrated grunt broke the silence.
“Grrrr, Fuck! Xero signed your siblings up for the tournament and I just sent out the roster to the printing press,” Jade huffed. All of the lords held their breaths.
This is very bad news.
“Wait, the King never comes to the tournaments. I don’t even think he knows they exist,” Markoth spoke, not understanding the fear the Lords held.
“Usually that would be the case. However we invited one of the Great Knights to attend this year,” Kai grunted. It was the Vessels and moths turn to realize the severity of the situation.
“Can’t we take them out or replace them?” Markoth yelled, his voice frantic as desperation gripped him.
“We can’t take their names off, no. And we don’t know if we can replace them either,” Jade answered before taking a deep sigh. “Does the King know any of your guys' names?” Ghost froze at this question before shrugging and signing once more.
“They don’t know. They were unable to pack any of their items like journals or other personal items when they were back in Deepnest,” Markoth spoke with a sigh, stress now eating away at him as he flew too close to the fire and he could feel himself melting.
“If Herrah or the King found those journals then they surely would know you are here as your names are quite unique,” Arya huffed.
“But does the King know Howl’s name?” Kaya asked, breaking her silence for the first time since Ghost explained their situation.
“There would be no reason why he would,” Markoth said before realizing what the lords were getting at. “Do you think he already knows they are here and uses the Knights' wish to get access to them?”
Ghosts and Howl’s shell tilted, not knowing what Markoth was talking about. The Lords realized at this moment that they didn't know the extent of the danger they were all in.
“The winner of the tournament can request one wish that we can fulfill. If the King recognizes the names on the roster as your siblings, he can request that they go into his custody along with the names that aren't on the roster.”
The Lords could see Ghosts and Howl freeze. Howl took an audible wheezing breath as Ghost swayed to the floor, having enough control to sit upright. Howl immediately turned to Ghost as Markoth bolted from his spot to check on the smaller twin.
“Fuck, don’t have another heart attack,” Markoth muttered.
“A-another?” Kaya questioned with wide eyes as the Lords shared her shock. Markoth checked Ghost’s heart rate as Howl cautiously looked over. The room was deathly still.
“...they are not,” Markoth muttered before getting up and turning back to the Lords, his wings slightly unfolding instinctively with the vessels behind him.
“What will happen now?” Markoth asked. The Lords stayed silent, looking at one another. This is an extremely tricky situation. The vessels were in danger outside of the village with the King and traffickers looking for them. But they were also in danger of staying here.
“I’ll try and delay the release of the roster, explaining that we have more no-shows. I don’t know how that will work as Hallownest’s printing presses hate making changes or reprinting work,” Jade spoke.
“We can also get more supplies and medications for the child. The Elder said he is unable to heal them fully and we would have to get prescriptions from Hallownest,” Kai said.
“Okay, I can get them when the Elder writes the prescription,” Markoth said before looking behind him and moving out of the way. The Lords could see the Ghost looking straight at them with black tears in their eyes, quickly signing something. The Lords didn’t even need a translator to know what they were saying.
Thank you
“You're welcome,” Rowen sighed. “Now you guys rest, we will try our best to make sure the King doesn’t get you.”
The Lords got up from their spot and promptly left, leaving the bugs to themselves.
“Did we make the right decision?” Jade asked once they were far enough from the hut. The Lords knew what was at stake. If the King finds out the young vessel lives in the village, then he could simply take them. But if he finds out that the ‘Pure Vessel’ lives in the village, then the Lords could be punished for hiding them.
“We must have,” Kaya answered, surprising Rowen.
But he could only hum in agreement. He just hopes his family doesn’t get hurt.