Chrysalis

No matter how many times she told herself that it was a perfectly normal egg, Demeter couldn’t help but bring her eyes back to the orb in question. It had jumped, she was sure of it.

She never saw it jump again for the rest of the shift, but she did notice that it wasn’t always in the same position as it had been the last time she’d cared for it. A slight move, a little tumble might have explained the difference, but she was careful, Tenders were always careful, to ensure that the eggs were resting comfortably in place. The idea that she would have let it slip multiple times was absurd. Absurd!

But, if it was doing little hops… that would explain it.

Demeter didn’t describe what she’d seen to Doonant, she was worried she might be seen as flighty and not paying attention, or worse, negligent in her treatment of the eggs!

However, the next shift, she was back in the chamber and on high alert. This time, she would see for sure if the egg was moving on its own.

So she watched, like an eagle-ant. Keeping the unwantedly mobile egg in her line of sight as much as possible. Yet, nothing. Whenever she was looking, it didn’t move.

Whenever she wasn’t… that was another story. Every time she came back to the egg, it was in a different place. Ever so slightly, it had somehow hopped to the side.

Demetant thought she was going crazy, but she still didn’t say anything. Without any solid evidence, what was there to say?

During the next shift, it was finally time for the eggs to hatch into grubs, and she had her eyes on one in particular.

As expected, when the first signs of hatching began, it was the suspiciously bouncy egg who led the pack. Of the twenty eggs in the chamber, it was ahead of the others by several minutes, which was highly unusual. Demetant knew that they should all hatch within seconds of each other, that was how they were cared for after all, but this one in particular wanted to go early.

“That’s a little unexpected,” Doonant said, skittering over to look at the egg in question.

From the inside, they could see the grub pushing and pressing, looking to make its way out of its shell as soon as possible.

“Keep an eye on this one,” Doonant said, “and I’ll tend to the others.”

“Will you be alright with all of them on your own?” Demetant fretted, but her partner only laughed.

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“Of course I’ll be fine. I’ve done this many times before.”

So it was that Demetant watched as the grub struggled and wrestled from within, demonstrating an unusual level of vigour. Finally, it was free, bursting from the top of the egg and immediately bouncing up into the air. Worried for the little thing, Demetant leapt forward, catching it in her mandibles right before it hit the ground.

The moment she had it in her grip, the larva started to struggle, wiggling furiously for her to put it down. As she held on for dear life, she could only wonder where this energy came from.

“Shouldn’t you be tired, little one?” she queried, baffled.

In reply, the grub only struggled all the harder. With care, she put it down and slowly released it, watching carefully to see what it might do. Freed from all constraint, the grub paused, holding unexpectedly still.

Just when she was starting to relax, it coiled up on itself, raised its body vertically and leapt as hard as it possibly could. With a yelp, Demetant was forced into a diving catch, saving the grub from a bruising landing.

Of course, it immediately began to struggle again, yearning for freedom.

“I think I might need some help,” she cried to Doonant, who was busy inspecting the other eggs as they started to break free.

“What’s the matter?” she said as she came closer to see the wiggling grub with her own eyes.

“She keeps trying to… jump.”

“Jump?”

“Look.”

Again, she lowered it to the ground and released it with great care. Again, the grub waited for a moment, two Tenders staring at it closely as it rested on the ground. Then… it coiled itself… raised up… and jumped!

“Goodness,” Doonant said.

“Gah!” Demetant yelped, diving for another catch.

“Hold onto her and don’t let go,” Doonant said, “we can’t let the little thing hurt herself. Soon the others will be hatched and it’ll be time to move to another chamber. I’ll get you to hold onto that one. She seems fond of you.”

“She does?”

As far as Demetant could tell, the grub was indignant at best, struggling for freedom. Nor did the little creature relent while they waited for the other grubs to hatch and moved to the next chamber, a larvae-rearing space designed for this next stage of development. It struggled the whole way, and she heavily suspected the only reason it didn’t try to leap the second she put it down was the presence of Biomass nearby.

Enjoying a brief respite as the grubs began to eat, she turned to the more experienced Tender in Doonant.

“What is wrong with this grub?” she asked. “Was there a problem while we were looking after it? Did I make a mistake?”

“Nothing is wrong,” Doonant laughed warmly. “Some grubs simply have a little more personality and energy than the others. It’s not a problem. Look, she’s perfectly healthy, she’s eating, and in here we can help her grow and prepare to become a full member of the Colony. Be calm.”

“Okay,” Demetant huffed, trying to rid herself of her stress. “It’s fine. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

As it turned out, it wasn’t fine.