[Salamander]

Crim remembered the night clearly when her parent fell to the Infection. They had never been close, but it hurt all the same. It wasn’t something she liked to think about. She actually wasn’t sure how long ago it had been. She'd never been good at keeping track of time. Though she’d always been somewhat of an insomniac, her aversion to sleep only grew stronger after that event. It borderlined on a phobia— a constant fear that if she slept for too long, she may never wake up again. When she was particularly exhausted, she made sure to take enough toxic mushrooms to render her sleep dreamless. It probably wasn’t healthy, but it was worth avoiding Infection.  She stared down at her nail, antennae twitching as she heard a faint rustle. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Vespa shift slightly, but wasn’t sure if he was still asleep. “….You awake?” She whispered quietly, not expecting an answer.

[sillysadass]

Vespa simply breathed calmly, eyes shut. His body had a habit of twitching in his sleep if his body temperature increased too much. The eggs provided him extra warmth that let him know they were still alive, but it made it hard to sleep through the night completely without being awaken by the movement of eggs or his own body spasms. Another convulsion actually awoke him, his eyes fluttered open. He breathed in, rubbing his eyes and heavily rolling to his other side. He lied down, tired, trying to go back to sleep but couldn't.

[Salamander]

Crim watched him silently, before another sound drew her attention back to the cave entrance. The loud, muffled buzz of an Infected Aspid, just beyond the snow bank. She wondered if it could sense their presence. She gripped the handle of her nail tighter, staring intensely at the wall of white for any sign of a breach. There was a slight rumble that reverberated through the grotto, and a few icicles fell from the ceiling near the mouth. After a few moments, the noise died down, and she breathed a sigh of relief. “….Damn infected creeps...” She muttered irritably, now even more on edge.

[sillysadass]

The acid from the punctured aspid leaked out, melting away the snow wall that kept them protected. Vespa sat up as he saw the snow give away and reveal the hoppers until a small pile was left of the barricade. If the hoppers saw them, they would be in for a rather nasty battle. Vespa looked at Crim worriedly, he obviously couldn't defend himself in his state. The hoppers could easily kill both him and the eggs.

[Salamander]

The sizzle of acid on ice filled her with dread. Despite the sudden surge of fear that threatened to encroach on her mind, Crim remained seated, and perfectly silent. She steadied her panicked breath and stole a quick glance back towards Vespa. Noticing that he was awake, she slowly pointed towards a nearby crevice in the wall that lead down into the deeper parts of the cavern. “Go. Hide.” She mouthed noiselessly, and returned her attention to the Infected bugs. She cautiously rose to her feet, nail at the ready. Careful to not make any sudden movements, she stood as still as she could, not taking her eyes off the hoppers. “I’ll cover you. Go.” As the wall melted away, she pulled the hood of her cloak over her head, and her mask over her face. From where she was positioned, she blocked the hoppers' line of sight, giving Vespa a few paltry moments to make a run for the crevice.

[sillysadass]

Vespa nodded then got up slowly, making sure not to set off the infected bugs. This was a risky process, mainly because he couldn't hear how much noise he was making, and his center of balance was put off, making it difficult to move without making any odd movements that might make he hoppers notice them. Once he was to his feet, he went straught for a hiding spot where he would be safe as long as Crim protected him. The crevice felt cramped, but he was just about able to squeeze through, even with his newfound body mass. Onve he was as deep as the crevice lead, he stayed in the single spot, waiting for Crim to tell him it's safe. His heart pounded in his chest, anticipation surged through his veins. Vespa found himself worrying for Crim's wellbeing, though he didn't know why. Perhaps he was beginning to become attatched to her as a result of hormones and post-mating instinct.

[Salamander]

Crim stayed still until Vespa was hidden from sight, then slowly backed away and lined herself along the wall. If she was lucky, the hoppers wouldn’t notice her and would simply continue on their set path. True to her prediction, they mindlessly shambled into the cave and bounded to the back, before meeting the wall and changing directions. Holding her breath, Crim waited until each one had turned and made their way back out.

After a few minutes, she peered out to check if the coast was clear. The Hoppers had left nothing but footprints in the ashen snow. Breathing a sigh of relief, she went to call Vespa from his hiding spot. As she was about to slip through the crevice, however, a powerful burn suddenly scorched her shoulder. She cried out and grabbed at the wound, only to singe her hand on the sizzling orange fluid still dripping off her carapace. The acid easily ate through the thin fabric of her cloak, leaving a nasty, frothing burn. Crim grimaced through the pain and whipped around, nail raised. The Hoppers were long gone, but hovering in the cave entrance was a another infected insect; a Primal Aspid. Crim scrambled away from the crevice, not wanting to lead the beast towards Vespa. She dodged another blast of acid, narrowly missing a shot to her head.

Darting behind a stalagmite for cover, she managed to catch her breath and ready herself for a second attack. The Aspid spat three gobs of the disgusting orange mess, which splattered messily on the cave walls. At the first sign of an opening, Crim lunged towards the bug and brought down her nail, cleaving the Aspid in two. Acid spilled everywhere, crackling on contact with the snow. A few droplets sprayed onto Crim, but the pain in her shoulder was far more intense. She dropped to her knees and gasped, reaching up to gingerly touch the still smoldering wound. She hissed in pain. The outer layer of her exoskeleton was practically melted at the spot, reduced to a blistering, bubbly sore. “Well.” She laughed bitterly, “That’ll… probably leave a mark.” But what was more worrying was how easily the infected bug had fallen. Almost as if something- or someone else had been fighting it beforehand. She stood and stepped over the corpse. With the flat end of her blade, she lifted the halved Aspid and shoveled it out the cave entrance.

She nervously looked out into the storm, half-expecting to see some other monstrosity lying in wait. But there was nothing but empty, frozen wastes. Perhaps someone else was traveling out there? Whoever they were, she wished them the best of luck.

She returned to the crevice and ducked inside, mindful of her injured shoulder. When she reached Vespa, she repositioned her mask so he could read her words. “All’s good up there, V.” She smiled and shifted her cloak so that it covered up the wound. She didn’t need him worrying about anything else.
“For now, at least.”

[sillysadass]

Vespa let out a sigh of relief when he saw Crim (somewhat) unharmed. He exited the crevice, lying back down at his spot on the cave floor where he fell back asleep. He felt grateful that Crim would protect him, even if he was just a random, lost bug that was forced into an early heat.

The last two months of his pregnancy did not go easily-- on Vespa that was. The eggs tended to press themselves against either his bladder, or his lungs. He became uncontrollably territorial, just about ready to bite off anyone's hand. In the middle of the night he found himself inclined to make a nest, frantically moving the moss into a small, makeshift wasp's nest where he would situate himself until the eggs hatched. If Crim came too close to his "nest," his wings would go up, telling her to back off for her own safety. The eggs grew steadily, restricting his movements and making him more fatigued. As he anticipated, the eggs did of course become more active, but what worried him was two weren't active at all, and the only time he did feel them move was when the others moved.

It seemed that along with the dramatic changes of his body, the world changed too. The bright orange tumors that dotted themselves along the crossroads made their way all the way out to the kingdom's edge, leaving behind a light within the snow here and there. A few creeped towards the caverns, orange vines wrapping around the mouth like an unwelcome embrace.

[Salamander]

She watched him leave the crevice, and slowly followed, wincing at the soreness of her wound. Crim did not sleep that night, nor the next. She forced herself to her limit, staying awake and vigilant to watch over the bug she’d mated with. After the third day, she collapsed in the middle of the night, fatigued beyond compare. Her dreams were violent and unsettling, and ended in a flash of horrible light that woke her in a cold sweat. But, no monsters had come while she slept, much to her relief. After this she managed to ease herself back into her normal circadian rhythm. As the months went by, Vespa’s behavior continued to bewilder her. Particularly the nest building, which was a fairly foreign concept to her. At first Crim had found his territorial nature somewhat endearing, but that quickly changed when she realized how willing and capable he was to do serious damage. She kept her distance after he almost skewered her with that stinger of his.

The ruined carapace over her injured shoulder had not grown back, leaving her with a prominent weak point. She would have thought the mottled scar would make her look more intimidating, if it weren’t for the fact that one good hit there could kill her- or at least cause severe permanent damage. She kept it covered at all times. By instinct she felt the need to hide any possible weaknesses, especially when she was constantly on watch for more Infected’s. If Vespa knew about the injury, he hadn’t said anything about it.

She was currently stationed in her usual look out point at the firepit. She had made a second one farther away from the moss beds, leaving the first one to Vespa, as it was too close to his nest. She stared into the flames, unblinking. The vines over the cave mouth provided a decent cover after the snow barrier had melted, but they still left her uneasy. Ever since the Aspid attack, she had grown increasingly paranoid of whatever else was roaming the Kingdom's Edge. Her nail was always within arm's reach, just in case. Regardless of whether it was due to attachment or hormonal impulse, the lengths she would go to protect Vespa continued to surprise her.

"Hey." She called over softly, keeping her tone gentle so she wouldn't agitate him further. "Do you need anything?" There wasn't a lot she could provide, but she did try to keep him as comfortable as possible during the final stages of the pregnancy.

[sillysadass]

Vespa looked up when his eyes caught Crim's mouth moving. Her tone didn't matter, he couldn't hear it anyways. It was just the way someone apporached him or if they got too close that agitated him. If he could, however, somehow become aware of her tone, he would appreciate that she made effort to try avoiding provoking him. Vespa shook his head when she asked if he needed anything. "I'm fine." He muttered a little too quietly. He had already ate not long ago, and physical attention was already obsolete for him, so for now, he needed nothing. If he did need something later on, he would call Crim over to let her know.

He buried his head back into the nest, making sure it was soft and warm enough for the eggs. He felt his eyes become heavy sometime around early afternoon. As aggressive as he's became, the eggs still sapped Vespa's energy, leaving him constantly exhausted. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to slip into a comforting darkness.

Again, the light decided to show its face in his dreams, growing lsrger and brighter. Vespa wanted to wake up but found he couldn't, letting the light engulf him almost completely. Oh no, this was it, he would become comatose he's going-- going to-- a sharp pain finally awoke him out of the horrible dream. Through blurry vision, he saw himself leaking a vile orange. Gasping and blinking his eyes clear, he realized that whatever leaked from him was only a transparent, colorless water. "Oh god..." He breathed, feeling another great pain coming into existence. He groaned in discomfort, feeling the area of his abdomen below his thorax begin to slowly bend downwards, which was Vespa's cue to get on all fours into a proper birthing position. Inhaling, exhaling, he waited for his opening to dialate completely to allow easy passage of the eggs.