Chapter Text
The scarlet-feathered harpy was wandering around the vast treetop, collecting sticks he thought would make a good component for his nest. This was all he did for a few days, not stopping to rest even once, as he really wanted to finish at least a few sections of it before-
He suddenly felt something drop in his stomach. He was worried, but he somehow knew it’s a good thing. He rushed to the part of the nest he already finished and sat down as he leaned against a thick branch, gently holding his stomach with his wings. The thing traveled even lower through his insides. He’d get used to it eventually, but right now he felt like it was tearing him apart. He was about to cry when the thing finally came out of him. It was an egg!
He held it in his wings for a moment before realizing that he’s yet to finish building the first level of his- no, his colony’s nest, let alone the whole thing! He put the egg in a secure corner of the nest, after which he ran off to continue building their home. That night he went to sleep for the first time in days, curled up next to his first egg of many, many more.
He was woken up by something he had never felt when he was living at his queen’s nest - hunger. He began searching for fruits, but he didn’t find any growing on the tree. He did, however, find a vine with large bright purple blooms. Desperate for food, he bit a flower off. It tasted rather bland compared to the fruit he was fed when he was younger, but, despite the lack of flavour, it was just as filling. He’d probably find the fruit much too sweet for him right now anyway. He ate a few more flowers, but he left most of them on the vine so as to avoid letting them spoil, as if he left them there for someone else.
The sun has set and risen several more times. The nest was steadily increasing in size - the highest level was done, and Ludwig began working on the second one. He also began to wonder when, if ever, his stomach would get smaller. He was sitting in the part of the nest he decided would be where he sleeps, lazily poking at his belly with his wings until he heard a thump coming from the egg next to him. While he was curiously observing it, it made the noise again and moved a bit. As the hitting sound was heard a third time, the shell cracked, and a small child whose wings were covered not in feathers but in lilac fluff cautiously looked out of the cracked egg at his queen before smiling at him and waving hello. Ludwig was so proud of himself - he successfully started a colony! Before he could say a thing, he felt a familiar pressure spreading through his stomach again.