Drone - Chapter 3

Growth Spurt

That night as I slept, I dreamed. It was nice at first, as I was running across plains, moving through tunnels, practicing hunting with other members of the hive, and helping as young ones were born.

But then it went nasty. Scary. Even though it was a dream, it made me fear for my life.

First I saw one of my fellow drones get dragged away by an unseen force. It tried to fight, but the force killed it and focused its attention on me and the others. The others were running with me through the trees, but they kept on getting picked off, one by one, until there were only a few of us left. Of course, they were there, behind us, but they were so hard to detect...

I woke up with a start. I was still curled up inside my little alcove, warm and comfortable. I felt stiff for some reason, though. And the alcove was smaller than I had remembered it. Stretching out, I yawned and moved outside of the alcove.

There was no sunlight outside the cavern. It was completely dark. Glancing around, I saw the Matriarch, curled up on her old position of the cave, holding the last four eggs close to her. Her massive tail was wrapped around them, guarding them from any dangers.

The air was surprisingly warm as I crawled outside. The ground was soft and damp, and I made little noise as I moved across the leaves and dirt, even though I wasn’t trying to be stealthy. Sniffing around, I smelt the odour of dead meat somewhere nearby. I looked and saw that it was the remains of my host. It was covered in the same black resin as the creature that the Matriarch had captured earlier.

I still felt stiff, so I stretched again and looked up to where the creatures had been placed. They were now quiet, breathing softly, the facehuggers that were attached to their face now lying dead on the ground. I glanced down at their bodies, feeling a prick of sadness for them. Of course, they were only meant to deliver the little ones into their hosts and that was it, but it still stuck with me.

Feeling hungry, I moved away, only to find that my tail felt constricted. Now I was getting annoyed. I had felt stiff the entire time that I had been awake, and nothing I was doing was helping it to go away. Frustrated, I moved my tail quickly, only to hear a sickening splitting sound. Fear struck me and I craned my head back to check that my tail was okay. When I had gotten my tail jammed on the way out of my host, it had not hurt straight away, but it had after a few minutes. But what had happened to my tail? I started to panic, imagining all kinds of terrible things, because if the damage was as bad...

I couldn’t see the tail very well, so I brought it around for a better look. I checked the base: it was okay, nothing wrong there. Further up, the spines were okay, the end-

I stopped and stared at the end of my tail. Sitting there on the end was a small, pointed edge that stood out from the rest. It curved downwards slightly and looked almost like the Matriarch’s tail stinger.

My heart quickened as I realised what was happening. My body had started to mature as I had slept, accounting for why my body had been so restricted and stiff. The old layer of skin that sat on my body was now too small for it. I flicked my tail back and forth, removing the last remnants of the small skin from it. My tail now felt lighter, stronger, and much more dangerous, now that I had a barbed stinger on the end.

Wriggling back and forth, I began to loosen and remove my old skin from my body. It was fairly thick, like a carapace to protect me from any small insects or infections that might have harmed me. I felt the carapace loosen on my back, so I reared up and it practically fell away to the ground. The air now felt slightly cooler than it had before, no doubt because of the thick skin that had been sitting on my back falling off. I shook off the last remaining flakes and made a move to sit up, but fell back down.

Then I realised that I had something else on my body now. Moving about a bit, I felt feeling flow into my newly-grown limbs.

I guessed that because of the carapace over my body, my arms and legs had been constricted and, as such, I couldn’t feel them. Now that I was free of the carapace, I could move all four of my limbs. I couldn’t believe it!

Slowly, I tested them, flexing and moving them back and forth, trying to wear out the soreness in my muscles. Surprisingly, I got the hang of being able to move my limbs faster than I had been able to master slithering or even talking properly, and I had full feeling in them within a few minutes. Taking a deep breath, I decided to test them out.

I tried flexing my rear legs and placed them beneath me, making sure that they were perfectly positioned so I would not collapse when I tried to stand. Then I put my arms onto the ground and readied them, giving light pushes up and down. Finally, I pulled myself to the ground and pushed my arms with all my might, so that I would land on my back legs.

I wobbled violently for a few seconds before steadying. My tail flicked out behind me, keeping my balance so that I didn’t fall over. I stood there for a few moments. –I’m standing!- I said to myself. Next, I decided to try and walk as the Matriarch had done. Steadying myself once more, I moved my right outwards in front of me and put it down on the ground again. I was still upright, so I did it again. Same result. I couldn’t help but feel both surprised and happy at how easy it was and how fast I was learning.

I didn’t hear the noise behind me until it was too late. I felt something latch onto my back, knocking me to the ground as it screeched loudly! I fell flat on my stomach but used my upper arms to push myself off the ground and into the air, so that when we hit the ground again, I was the one on top. I made a move with my tail-

-Hey hey hey, calm down, calm down!- the thing that had struck me said. I pulled my tail away and let go of it, stepping backwards on all fours. And then, I clicked my tongue with laughter.

My so-called “attacker” was none other than my fellow drone! It stood up on all fours with a gracefulness that I had not yet achieved, and shook the remains of plant matter off of its back. It took a few moments for it to hear my laughter.

-What? What’s so funny?- it asked. I managed to stop laughing for a few seconds and collect my wits. I still felt jittery after the mock attack, even though I knew it was not real.

-Ah, it’s nothing,- I said. -You just scared me, that’s all.-

-Judging by how shaky you are, I guess that I did a good job,- the drone replied.

-No, I’ve never really used my legs before,- I responded. The drone nodded, understanding what I meant. I thought for a second about the way that the other drone stood. Already it was able to move intricately and carefully enough for me not to hear it sneaking up on me, but we were roughly the same age. Confused, I looked at it.

-How come you’re able to move much better than me?- I asked. The drone acted surprised.

-Well, uh... I woke up, and my old skin moulted, and I found out that I had started to grow legs, so I practiced for a little while.-

-How long did it take you to get the hang of walking around, anyway?-

-Oh, not long... abut ten minutes or so. I’ve been practicing for much longer than that, though.-

It made sense, at least. My legs were no longer shaking and were stable underneath my feet, so I tried walking on them again. Somehow, even though I had only been able to walk on my new limbs for a few minutes, it felt as if it was the most natural thing in the world, like I had been able to do it al my life. And they felt much stronger now, as well.

The drone gestured at me with its tail and I looked up. -Yes, what is it?- I asked.

-Come on, I’ve got a trick that’ll help you practice your technique,- it said, and it bounded up to a tree. I followed, deciding not to walk on my rear legs and instead walked on all fours, just as the other drone had done. I found it much easier to keep my balance this way, so I continued to the tree.

The drone stopped and turned around, waiting. I got a hint somehow that it was grinning, that it was going to surprise me somehow. Sensing this, I stayed a little way back from it.

-So then, this is what I have called “the climbing test”,’- the drone said proudly. I looked up at the immense trunk of the tree, seeing all of the little bits of foliage and branches jutting out of it. After a few seconds I turned back to the drone.

-So,what... we climb this thing?- I asked. The drone nodded.

-Yep. It’s as simple as that. You know how the outer surface is soft and you can stick your claws into it easily?- it said, latching its right hand into the surface. I tried it and found that it was soft, but it was strong enough to support my claws and my weight.

-Yes, I can see that.-

-Well then, you need to beat me to the first branch. That helps you get faster and better,- the drone said.

Before I could respond, the drone had propelled itself up onto the tree with its legs and was now climbing furiously, straight up the side of the tree’s trunk!

As quickly as I could, I leapt up after it.

I got a good foothold onto the tree and started climbing up after the drone, determined not to let it beat me. Rapidly, I climbed hand-over-hand up the side of the great tree, zooming up as fast as I could go.

The drone had gotten a slight head start and was about four body lengths ahead. It was scuttling madly, swerving up the trunk to avoid little knots and broken branch tips that stuck out of the sides at regular intervals. I just went straight over the top of them, exhilarated at the speed I was going. The drone reached the first of the branches and, to my horror, it leapt off the trunk and shot towards the bottom of the branch! Then, quick as a flash, it rammed the end of its tail straight into the thin outer layer of the branch. It flew upwards suddenly, gripping the bottom of it and scuttling to the top.

I stared at it in awe. I reached the branch and simply climbed up the trunk of the tree to reach the top. The drone was sitting there, grinning madly.

-I win,- it chuckled.

-No fair, you’ve had plenty of practice with this!- I snapped back. The drone just shrugged.

-Oh well. Still, you only lost by a very narrow amount.-

Deciding that I had had enough of this climbing for one night, I climbed back down the tree. Descending the great trunk was a little harder than climbing up, because the slightest slip could have sent me tumbling to the ground. Still, the height didn’t seem to be too bad, despite the fact that the branch was twice the height of the Matriarch. The trip down was much more fun, despite being more difficult, because of the fact that I could now see what it would be like to be as tall as the Matriarch herself.

When I reached the ground, I walked around for a little bit more, finally getting the hang of using my arms and legs. The drone came down the tree with me, but it darted away to catch some of the bugs that buzzed around the clearing. I felt a little hungry, so I approached one of the clusters of bugs and crouched down to pounce.

Then, I thought of something. Seeing as I now had a strong tail with a stinger on the end, wouldn’t this be the opportune time to try it out?

Raising it slightly above my head, I moved forward stealthily, moving directly underneath the cluster. They were the same beetles that I had eaten the day before, although they appeared much smaller now, no doubt due to my growth spurt while I was asleep. I waited for one of them to come close to me so that when I struck, it wouldn’t scatter the group.

After a few seconds, one of them buzzed down towards my position. It moved lazily back and forth, not knowing about what was coming.

It was incredibly exciting, waiting for the bug to come closer. It didn’t know that I was there but I could see its outline clearly, and my tail reared up...

My tail shot out with incredible speed, lancing towards the hovering insect above me. I paused, waiting to see what would happen... only for the stinger of my tail to whip past it and send it buzzing away!

I cursed myself and went back to my position on the ground. After only a few seconds, the bug came back, as if it didn’t remember what had just happened. This time, I felt even more exhilarated than before. Once again I raised my tail low above my head, getting ready to strike, waiting until the insect came within range.

As soon as it did, my tail lanced out a second time, whistling towards the bug and striking it directly in the back! It jerked away but almost immediately it stared to sway back and forth as it flew. It sank lower and lower to the ground, eventually landing with a soft thud. I made my way towards it and peeled off the hard outer shell before eating it. The bug was delicious and it wasn’t long before I felt completely satisfied.

I decided that I should head back to the cavern where the Matriarch lay, but before I was about to I paused, looking back at the swarm of bugs. They were still there, swarming around lazily, barely making a sound in the quiet night air.

Crouching down low again, I made my move to attack the insects and hone my tail fighting skills while I was at it, but then I heard a hideous, high-pitched screech and something dark leapt through the cluster, lightening fast! The bugs scattered, trying to flee, but it was no use: the dark shape grabbed them and tossed them into the air, making them scatter away from the main group, while others were grabbed as it shoved them to the ground, pinning their bodies under its gigantic hands.

I just stared in disbelief at the other drone as it played with the bugs, hissing with glee. It kept letting one bug fly away for a moment, before pouncing on it again an pinning it. The drone turned to me, laughing.

-Hurry, don’t let them get away!- it yelled, scampering after a particularly loud bug that was faster than the rest. I watched as the rest of the swarm came at me and, quick as a flash, I struck at them with my tail and hands. They darted in every direction, but I managed to “capture” three of them under my feet and hands. The other drone and I carried on with this for another few minutes, before all of the bugs had dispersed and the clearing was empty, save for the us, the creatures stuck to the trees, and the silence of the night.

-Ha ha! I loved that!- the drone chirped. -I want to try it again in the morning when they come back! Ha!-

-Nah, it’s better to do it at night.- I said. -Then they can’t see us and we can pick them off one by one, until they realise what’s going on!-

We headed back to the cavern, jumping and laughing and trying to calm down, to let our systems cool down. As we went past one of the creatures on the tree, though, it groaned. We both stopped and looked at it. there was something

-Hey, the little ones are almost ready to be born!- I chirped, excited that there would be someone new to play with.

-I think that they'll be born in the morning when we wake up,- the drone said. Silently but excitedly, we moved into the cavern.

I went to my alcove in the rock where I had previously slept. It was still large enough for me to fit into despite my increased size. Curling up, I caught a glimpse of the drone scuttling up the opposite wall to mine, finding a small ledge that appeared to have another alcove. I took a final look at the cavern, at the eggs and the Matriarch, sleeping peacefully while protecting our unborn siblings, and at the creatures that were stuck to the trees outside.

And I fell into a deep sleep, knowing that my Matriarch was nearby, keeping us safe.

That night, I had another dream. It was not like the one I had had before, which had made me feel truly scared, but instead I imagined being a hatchling again, catching bugs as the matriarch watched. But this time I was not in the open air, and there was not just me and the other drone. Instead, there was over twenty of us, rolling around and playing under the watchful eye of... they weren’t drones, but... warriors. That was it. And above us was a Matriarch, not the one that I knew, but another one, just as caring and wise.

I liked that dream.

x-x-x

I woke up and heard the chirping of insects and birds outside. I listened carefully for the sound of the Matriarch’s breathing, but couldn’t hear it. I decided that she must have been outside somewhere. I stretched out and yawned, having a look around the cavern.

There was something in front of my face! It was massive, drowning out the rest of my vision, smiling madly at me...

I was about to start when I realised what the “thing” was. It was one of the newly-hatched little ones!

This one seemed to be very calm and controlled. I stepped out and it backed away from the entrance of my alcove, letting me get past. It looked up at me and stood up as straight as it could, its tail waving lazily behind it.

-Ha loh, bi-bi-bi on, Ha! I speck! Ah!- it said excitedly. I couldn’t help but smile and I nudged it out into the sunlight, not wanting the little thing to get sick from the cold in the cavern for some reason.

Today the sun was bright and warm, filling the clearing outside the cavern with a beautiful warming glow. The Matriarch was outside, spraying more of the hard substance onto a tree. She had collected another of the creatures that she had gotten yesterday, and it was not quite out cold yet. It still groaned and made a low wheezing noise with its mouth, trying to make the Matriarch go away. I snorted; honestly, what was going to make something of her size go away easily? Nonetheless, she finished gluing the creature to the tree and went back inside the cavern to collect another egg. Turning back, I saw that the little one that had been outside my alcove was following me with curiosity. I turned around fully and lay down on the ground, making sure that I was at eye level with the little one. Now I was over twice the height of how I had been when born.

The little one stared back at me, waving its tail lazily. I got an idea to play a game that I thought it would like. I looked up suddenly, as if I had seen something behind the little one. It turned around casually and as soon as it had, I tapped it on the back with my finger. Before it could turn around, I had resumed my original position. The little one cocked its head slightly at me and so I looked up again, and once again I tapped it on the back.

But this time, the little one whipped around quickly and saw my hand before I could put it back down! It clicked happily, now that I had been caught. A bug flew out from behind me and the little one stared at it buzzing in the air, before focusing its attention on trying to pluck it from the air.

I walked away just as the Matriarch came out of the cavern. I stopped and stood on all fours, looking up at her. She looked back and smiled.

-Well well, then, I see that you’ve made a new friend.- she said. I looked back at the little one chasing after the bug. It wasn’t having any luck as far as catching it was concerned, but by the looks of things it didn’t care and was just chasing the bug for the hell of it. Turning back to the Matriarch, I nodded.

-Yes, and it’s quite an energetic little friend, too,- I responded. The Matriarch chuckled and resumed carrying the egg. I caught a glimpse of the other drone over her shoulder, scampering up a tree, leaping from branch to branch as fast as it could. It seemed to be very good at running fast speeds, but could also stay quiet whilst doing so.

Suddenly I heard a grunting noise, like a creature was in pain. It was coming from the second creature that the Matriarch had attached to the tree the day before. Excitedly, I turned to the Matriarch.

-Matriarch! The little one is coming out!- I said. She turned around and looked at the creature as it stopped struggling and the little one burst out. She smiled and then looked at me.

-Little drone, I think that it may need some help in getting around,- she said. I nodded excitedly and turned and bounded to the newborn drone as it landed on the ground.

x-x-x