The constant murmurs of respectful acknowledgment from every Kha, Khatif, and Keel greeted me as I walked through the streets. Each of my people was unsurprised to see me in good health, flaring their frills and bowing their heads as my presence was made known to them. Even so, my people's continued respect wasn't my focus. Instead, to my excitement, the first thing to be brought to my attention was a stop at a location I was familiar with. Pushing through the doorway, I grinned widely as I looked down at my children. Ragzak looked up at me, his bright eyes glittering as he did so. I'd worried about being forgotten or going unrecognized, but he locked eyes with me and didn't hesitate to push himself onto his feet and steady himself with his tail against the ground behind him.
"My little fang." The term of affection came instinctively to me, and I wondered if this was how my goddess looked at me. Even so, I easily went down to my knee and stretched out a hand for him to stride towards. With unsteady steps and a frown of concentration on his face, he made his way to my hand, but stepped past it to instead wrap his arms around my leg. I grinned widely and went to pick him up, but before I could, he opened his mouth wide and began gnawing on my knee. As his little teeth fought to pierce through my armorlike scales, I gently put two fingers in his mouth and pried it open to make sure I wasn't going to rip any of his fangs out when I pulled my knee free. Then, I kept one finger in there for him to industriously continue chewing on as I held him in my other, left arm.
"It's always my right hand and arm, isn't it?" I mused to myself as I rocked him. He made burbling chirps of unintelligible happiness as I entertained him with my willingness to be a chew toy. Thia and Hashthi weren't far behind, though each crawled towards me without trying to walk at all. I lowered myself back up to take them both in my right arm, making Ragzak complain as I took his current victim away. I adjusted the way I held him, his torso on my forearm while I offered my curled fingers for him to chew on. I had to very carefully twist my fingers to ensure that my claws weren't going to be anywhere near his face, the idea of allowing him to cut himself on my claws appealing to me, but not at this age. Later, he could prove himself against me, and we'd draw blood then.
"Do you wish to carry them with us as we go on our journey?" Sybil asked the question, but she knew what the answer was going to be before I said a word. I scoffed as I held the three little ones closer, laughing as Ragzak began bickering somewhat with his sisters when they came within arm's reach.
"Lead the way." I gestured with my head for my mate to do as I asked, and she did so without complaint. Even so, she deliberately stepped close enough to me to nip at each of the children as she passed. The females Thia and Hashthi both giggled and accepted it while Ragzak tried to bite her back. It was obvious this was what always happened, as Sybil immediately fought with him for a few seconds before she finally pinched his little jaws closed with her finger and thumb before nipping at his throat. With his mother defeating him, Ragzak gave up, though he demanded some measure of affection thereafter. He settled down once Sybil nuzzled him, and we were back on our way.
"Though they have been waiting patiently," Sybil explained, "it will be for the best if you meet with our insect visitor sooner rather than later."
"If that's what you think." I flared my frills and continued on our path. The howls of the wolfstags and the cackling laughter of the hyenas filled the air as we approached the center of the city. Strangely, groups of ants kept bringing other, different ants out of the burrow and setting them free on the ground. As soon as they were freed, the slightly smaller, redder ants rushed forward towards the wolfstags and hyenas. There, the wolfstags and hyenas both enjoyed brief hunts, dispatching the ants with easy bites and occasional demonstrations of their magic. Another type or caste of ant surrounded the battleground where Arwa led her pack, and the ants all around seemed fine with the current state of affairs. Most notable to me was that they weren't reacting to the faint smell that I now knew was the pheromone language of the ants.
"Certainly isn't what I expected to see." I muttered as I looked pointedly down at my children in my arms, and then back up at my mate. She flicked her tail dismissively, and gestured with a flick of her head towards an ant that I almost couldn't see due to how it was surrounded by no less than 40 other ants, all around and on top of it.
"And that's our visitor?" I asked.
Sybil flared her frills, and I grunted in acknowledgement. Then, with a sigh, I relinquished care of my children over to her. She excitedly wrestled with each one, her voice bleeding with more emotion than usual as she established dominance and demonstrated her love all at once. I nodded and tore my gaze away as I strode towards the assembled pile of ants. They shifted and seemed to tremble once they noted my approach, but they didn't step away or make any attempt to push me off. Instead, after I'd strode forward a short ways, an almost familiar smashing of a consciousness against mine shook me from my casual walk. Even though I've been prepared for it, the force of this one's contact was different from the other ant. Somehow, its presence in my mind was stickier, more persistent, and more insistent.
You are different from how my sister described.
"Is that so?" I spoke aloud, though I knew that the ant would somehow understand my thoughts just as I did hers.
She thought you careless and vicious, like many of my people, barely more than a drone. That, you are not.
"No, I'm not." I felt my scales flutter at the insinuation that I was unintelligent or incapable of thought. "Why are you here?"
There is something that we wish to speak with you about. I was told that you are the only one who can speak for your colony, so I was happy to wait for the Queen to return.
"I'm not a queen, but the Zaaktif."
Are you not… the sole ruler of your people? If you do not have one, you cannot be called a people at all!
Her incredulous voice carried over me, and I found where I had miscommunicated. "I'm not called a queen, but a Zaaktif. I am the sole ruler of my people, and none with dispute that with me."
Then you are a people. Now. I have heard that your people enjoy hunting. Is this true?
"As much as any predator, I suppose." I answered, confused with how her mind seemed entirely focused on a single thing.
Good. Then please, hunt some ants.
Thanks for reading! Check out the Patreon, where you can read up to 40 chapters ahead!
https://www.patreon.com/No_creative_name
Join the swarm! https://discord.gg/RqzsKj8hkD