on a lark

[alicornucopia]

She combs and combs the world aside and there is another world, just ahead, and she steps in.

The combed-away hole closes behind her. She puts her comb in her pocket.

Thanjen (Unbitwise)

Blueberry (kappa)

Hivers (Rockeye)

Comments

[alicornucopia]

Well, then she'll squint and step carefully. It's better than burning up in the sun outside.

[allforthehive]

The tunnel is flat enough that she's in no danger of tripping. And it gets better once her eyes adjust.

About five minutes of walking down the tunnel brings her face to face with some sort of adult-human-sized insect pushing a big cart.

This creature is surprised! It stops the cart and asks, "What are you?"

[alicornucopia]

She is surprised too! She stops walking. "I'm - I'm a human. What are you?"

[allforthehive]

"I am a Hiver Worker." It now smells strange. A bit like pine. (This means it's excited and curious.) "Did I just accidentally discover intelligent alien life as I was going to harvest oilnuts?"

[alicornucopia]

"...I guess you did, if you've never seen anything like me before."

[allforthehive]

"The Great Hive holds a hundred and more planets, but have found nothing more intelligent than a Yart. This is momentous. I want to introduce you to our scientists and our Princess."

There are several subtle changes in its scent during this, that seem to be used almost like tone of voice in humans.

[alicornucopia]

"Meeting a princess sounds like fun."

[allforthehive]

"She is the leader of the hive, whose wisdom helps us grow on this new world. Please wait, I will ask the warrior forces to inform the Princess of you."

It scuttles off to that 'control panel' and touches its hands to it.

"The Princess would indeed like to meet you. This place is far from the central hive, however. She will send a vehicle."

[alicornucopia]

"Okay."

[allforthehive]

"...I have been relieved of farming duties today, to escort you. What are humans like? What do humans eat? I will answer your questions about Hivers as well."

[alicornucopia]

"Humans look like me, most of them are taller though. We eat things like peanut butter and rice and chicken and bread and apples. You might not have those things here though. You look kind of like a giant bug, are you a bug?"

[allforthehive]

"That word is not quite translating in... Whatever you are using to translate. I do not know what a 'bug' is. Hivers have exoskeletons and come in many different shapes, and the Princess is the mother of hundreds of thousands of us. Hivers mostly eat sweet things, fruit and juice and sugar."

[alicornucopia]

"I don't actually know what I'm using to translate," she says reflectively. "Anyway it sounds like you are probably a kind of bug."

[allforthehive]

"If you know of 'bugs' with similar properties, then perhaps. I imagine our scientists would like to discuss it with you. How can you not know what tools you are using? It's very strange. I know you aren't speaking in my language. You can't even make the right sounds."

[alicornucopia]

"...I just don't know."

[allforthehive]

It makes an annoyed smell. "It seems irresponsible, to not know your tools. But very well... The vehicle is arriving soon. We should wait at the edge of the orchard."

[alicornucopia]

"Okay." Back out of the tunnel.

[allforthehive]

The desert continues to be hot and sandy. The Hiver doesn't seem to mind. It walks to the edge of the little orchard and sits in the shade of a tree and points.

The thing it points at is a low, wide shape making its way towards them, kicking up a fair amount of sand along the way.

[alicornucopia]

Okay, that's soon enough that she won't be sunburnt. "How long will the trip to the princess take?"

[allforthehive]

"I've never ridden one of these, but they're fast. Probably less than a tenth of a day."

[alicornucopia]

"How long are days on this planet?"

[allforthehive]

Its units of time don't match up to hers, but they mean "19 hours, 7 minutes."

[alicornucopia]

"Okay."

[allforthehive]

The big hovercraft thing continues to hover towards them. It's getting close now.

"How did you get here, anyway? If you were always on this planet, the surveyors would have found you. If you came in a spaceship, the satellites would have found you."

[alicornucopia]

"Oh, I'm not very big, I'm easy to overlook," she says. "Gosh, that's a big thing. How does it float?"