Formicea

Now I finally see what produced the smell.
There's a basket filled with something.
The formicea took it up on themselves to acquire different containers and now seem to use them for transport.
And for what they transport... It's the source of this great smell.

There are whitish slices inside, which make me basically already anticipate the taste.
Is this fish?
It doesn't smell like fish but rather like something else.
Something really tasty.
I think I'm drooling.

Yet then I notice that this very basket is carried by a nurse.
And another one by a second.
She takes one slice, and then a hunter comes closer to the side of the small wall that was built around them.
The nurse holds it out, and the hunter goes entirely still before then suddenly spearing it with its tongue.
Yet this doesn't seem to come as a surprise to the nurse as she calmly lets go with her hand, and the slice is gulped down.

I can't help but stare.
Also, it's a bit hard to come to terms with the fact that I wandered all the way here because of their animal food.

Uh, but now it seems I was noticed.

<You seem focused on us. May I help you?> (nurse)

<Oh no, I just got a little lost, and then I smelled....> (S)

Wait, could I maybe get some if I ask nicely?
The baskets are full, so there's more than enough.

<I just mean, this smells very tasty, and I am quite hungry. Sorry, I didn't want to bother.> (S)

"Grmbl"

Urgh, my stomach.

<Hungry? You're lost? ....Oh, I see!> (nurse)

Promptly, the nurse puts down the basket and comes closer.
It's still a bit intimidating how they are insects who are a lot taller than I am.
Yet she bows down and suddenly grasps me with her four arms.
I'm too stunned to move at this.
Is she going to carry me all the way back to the crib?

But wait!
Why are you...

<There, there. Now you're perfectly safe back in your enclosure. Everything's fine.> (nurse 1)

She just placed me inside the pen!

<Are you sure this is right?> (nurse 2)

Yes, tell her!

<This one is clearly a hunter. Where else would it be placed but in its group?> (nurse 1)

<I'm not quite sure. While there are similarities, doesn't it look quite a bit different? Also, there's its speech.> (nurse 2)

Ehm, what?
I don't think I'm that hard to tell apart!

<It must be a special variant. Nonetheless, the pheromone pattern is definite. It's clearly a hunter.> (nurse 1)

<But why would it be outside the pen?> (nurse 2)

<It must have wandered off on its own. It happens. Particularly, with the young ones. They tend to explore.> (nurse 1)

<Okay, I was just a little confused, because its pheromone speech was so developed. But you are the elder one. I suppose you're right.> (nurse 2)

Sorry, but did you just lose the discussion of whether or not I'm one of these monsters?!

"Skcchhh!" (S)

<See? This is without a doubt a hunter.> (nurse 1)

<Yes, you must be right. Only they snarl like this.> (nurse 2)

I can't believe them!

"Skc-" (S)

No, this won't convince them.
Get a grip on yourself, Sarah.
You can do talking.

<Excuse me, I think you made a mistake.> (S)

<Don't worry, you are at the right place. You shouldn't wander off if you understand that.> (nurse 1)

<But if it's of a special variant, couldn't it belong to a different pack?> (nurse 2)

<This won't pose an issue. Usually, there are no complications with mixing hunters from different packs. We may later inquire further about its intended dwelling, but for now, this is the best solution. At least better than to keep it wandering.> (nurse 1)

<You are right.> (nurse 2)

I want to retort, but...

"Grmbl"

<Oh, but if it left, it must've skipped feeding times. The poor thing.> (nurse 2)

<Which is what we are here to do. Now, little hunter, please, wait there. You'll eventually have your turn to be fed.> (nurse 1)

Excuse me?
That wasn't quite what I had in mind.

Are all the nurses weirdos?
We have some serious oddballs at the crib, those who insist on cleaning us with their hands and apply strange standards to us, clearly showing they have no idea what they're dealing with.
But these two, these two top them all!
You honestly can't tell me apart?!
And while getting some more food doesn't sound too bad, I feel very conflicted about the idea that you'd do so to me like with one of them!

Ehm, speaking of them... I just realized that I'm here in a pen with a lot of creatures with a lot of very sharp claws and teeth!
Ehk... were they always this close?
And are right now drawing even closer?

I'm thrown back to when we ran from the orphanage and they hunted us down in the fields.
That was one of the most terrifying things I ever went through.
But now one walks up to me.
A smaller one, reaching only a bit above my waist.
It seems... curious?
Yes, that's it.

"Scruuh!" (smaller hunter)

Stolen story; please report.

It nuzzles against me.
I can tell it's not going to attack.
It doesn't even have the slightest idea to do so.
Truly, I can kinda tell its intentions.
Must be the speech thing.
Yet its sounds form less actual words and more raw intentions.
As I'm somewhat reassured, I pat it on the head.
The surface is smooth and a bit leathery, yet also hard.
It reminds me of my feet.

"Skriuuh!" (smaller hunter)

That means it likes it.
Okay, they suddenly don't seem all that dangerous anymore.

There are others as well.
Still so many.
A small horde.
A lot more than twenty, which is about as high as I can count, yet this is still far off their actual number.

I guess it makes it better that their mouths aren't open.
I even find my own a bit scary.
But speaking of it, the nurses proceed throwing in the slices.
With those closer to the wall, they slowly hold out the pieces and, a few moments later, let them pierce it with their tongues.
Now that I'm in here as well, it's actually kinda disconcerting to see them utilize the same body parts I got.

Eventually, the one who put me in here gets to me.
Uh, I don't really want to be fed with the other pen inmates.
Wouldn't that prove them and this princess right?
But if she were to hand me one, what am I to do?
Would it be right to just throw it off to the side?
That would be such a waste, and I'm still so hungry.
On the other side, the nurse doesn't seem to be in a hurry.

<Before you feed it, with younger ones, you need to especially mind the initial steps. They may be overeager, so first, ensure that you maintain a proper distance behind the enclosure.> (nurse 1)

<I know. This isn't my first assignment.> (nurse 2)

<But you seem to keep forgetting. Now second, make certain you follow the proper method, exactly, when you hand over their ration. You do not want to teach them wrongly when they are this excitable.> (nurse 1)

What are they even talking about?
I'm not that young and perfectly calm.
Now she finally holds it towards me.
I reach out to take it from her offering hand, and... and she pulls it back when I want to grab it!

<Calm. No moving.> (nurse 1)

What the-?!
She wants me to perform tricks?

<See? I'm not handing it right away. Rather, I wait until the hunter is sufficiently calm. Only once I'm sure that it won't move on its own for my treat, I'll hand it over. All the way to it on my own terms. Just then I'll give it the command to take it. Because then I can be sure my claw is going to be safe.> (nurse 1)

<Yes, this makes a lot of sense. Now let me try.> (nurse 2)

<Naturally, but be careful.> (nurse 1)

Now the second one is holding slices in my direction.
This is getting too dumb for me.
I'm not putting up with this.
Or maybe... I wait patiently until the nurse comes really close with the slice.
Then, as quickly as possible, I snap with my arm for it, making sure my claws dig in, and rip it away from her.
Of course, I was careful not to hurt her.
There's no reason to punish someone for being a weirdo.
But getting back at them feels nonetheless really good.

<Hah! Got you-urrgh!> (S)

Suddenly, I get tackled from the side.
A hunter!

That, that one is bigger than all the others!
Not quite as tall as me, but different from me, the hunters walk in a hunched manner.
It's full of scars, and, and its maw looks menacing, the way it bares all these spikes at me.

"Skccchhhh!" (large hunter!)

God, I'm scared!

It claws for the slice and rips it from my grasp, carrying it back to the nurses.
So it just wanted to return it?
What an odd behavior.
I thought it was taking it for itself.

<Thank you.> (nurse 2)

<And this is why you should be careful with handing it over. Yet this one has still to be fed. So let's try so again.> (nurse 1)

She's again dangling the slice in front of me.
This is so humiliating!

<Hey! I didn't even want your stupid food!> (S)

"Skcccchhhhh"

Again?
What does this one got against me?
I'm only getting from the pheromones that it's unsatisfied with me.

<Oh, see? The alpha is educating the youngling about proper pack behavior.> (nurse 1)

Seriously?!
I'm not even a member of this pack!

<Isn't this a bit dangerous? The little one still seems very young.> (nurse 2)

<No, it isn't. Hunters never hurt each other, even during correctional measures. In addition, their skin and carapace are quite tough, and they wouldn't actually fight in a harmful way. This is merely intimidation to show the youngling its place.> (nurse 1)

That's assuring to hear, but seeing this snarling beast in front of me, it's only a bit of comfort if I have to trust in being fine.

<Also, it would be good for this one to learn. Then it may listen better the next time and not run off on its own. Hunters are already a wild bunch, so a bit of disciplinary training serves them well.> (nurse 1)

I'm not a dog to be trained!

"Skccch-!" (S)

"SkccchhhhHH!!" (alpha)

Wha-
Okay, I understood!
No snarling at the nurses.
It doesn't like it if I go against the hand that feeds them.

<This is truly impressive. How quickly its attitude shifted.> (nurse 2)

<This was merely a first correction. It's gonna be a process. But it's established to leave such things to the hunters to handle among themselves. Yet the promise of food as positive reinforcement serves this purpose as well, as I showed you before. So let us get back to it.> (nurse 1)

The nurse picks up another slice from the basket.
The smell is still going strong, teasing me like crazy with its promised wonderful taste.

"Scchrrrrrrrrrrr" (alpha)

The alpha is now the whole time standing next to me, sending something akin to a low growl my way.
I can easily tell it wants me to stay put.
Meanwhile, the nurse extends her arm very slowly to me.
She even stops for a moment, staring unblinkingly at me, almost daunting, as if expecting me to lash out again.
Not like I would, with my watchdog here.

So, as I stay put, before long, she extends it all the way.
Once she gets it there, she places it directly in front of my mouth.
I guess she wants me to bite down on it now, but I'm certainly not feeding from her hand.

<Tongue.> (nurse 1)

Wha-

Her word, quite clearly a command, came with the sudden urge to push out my tongue.
The strangest feeling that this is what I should do.
My tongue rose up and almost flew out of my mouth before I caught myself, as fast as it is.
Yet, I clamped my mouth shut just in time.
I have no intention of taking the food from her like that!

<Hm, strange.> (nurse 1)

When I don't move, she simply places it on one of my claws.
Now I have the slice in my hands.
It's still looking as tasty as before.

"Grmbl"

Oh, fuck it!

"Scshrrrrch"

The moment I place the thing inside my mouth, my teeth snap closed.
As I thought.
This is meat!
Real meat!
And it tastes even better than it smelled.
My teeth do short work of it, but even with my weird new tongue and how quickly it plunges right down my gullet, it sends an explosion of taste through me.
Oh, this is delicious!

Ehm, can those two nurses please stop staring?

<Impressive! It remained so docile with you!> (nurse 2)

Why does she have to be so happy about this?!
I can fully tell she means it like she's proud of me.
I don't feel accomplished at all!

<You see how well an alpha can control its pack member's behavior? Its correctional role cannot be underestimated. Now let's try again with you.> (nurse 1)

<Naturally!> (nurse 2)

Now the second one takes a slice.
Similar to the first, she doesn't hand it over directly, but moves it closer, very slowly.
Yet while the repetition makes the whole thing in some way even more humiliating, there's still this huge hunter standing right next to me.

"Scchrrrrrrrrrrr"

It still growls, but not quite as bad as before.
Yet, of course, I don't dare to lash out.
Also, the second one is slightly more agreeable of these two, so it would be wrong to go for her after the first got through with her crap.
She doesn't seem quite as certain, quivering a bit, maybe because of before, but gives me similarly slowly the piece of meat.
Eventually, it's right in front of me.
She almost snaps it away when I twitch, but then lingers.

Damnit, can't she just hand it over now?
Stop taunting me with that wonderful smell!
She already saw the first one.
Just put it on my claw, and give me the meat!
I'm hungry!
Give me that delicious food!

<Tongue!> (nurse 2)

"Splck"

Ackh!

My, my tongue!
I really wanted the food, and when she did this command thing, my tongue truly flew out and pierced straight into the meat before I even realized.
She even made sure to position her claw beforehand so it wouldn't get pierced as well.
Argh, the barbs are stuck!
I can't just pull it back in again!
I mean, I might be able to, but it could strain my tongue, and I don't want to pull it in together with her claw.
These teeth would surely hurt her!
And I'm certain this big one next to me wouldn't like that.

<Very good. Now let it retrieve its meal before you irritate it. Just release it from there to avoid your claw getting too close to the mouthspikes.> (nurse 1)

She lets go, and I can finally retract my tongue.

"Sclck"

The teeth start their work the moment they touch, and the meat quickly follows the first slice in an explosion of flavor.
I, I think it tasted even better than before.
Likely because of the way my tongue is now.
Speaking of which…
I extend it out a little and bring my fingers to it, trying to see if anything was stuck in the barbs.
However, it seems I needn't worry, as there is nothing stuck to it any longer.

Suddenly, while my hands are still occupied, I feel one of her claws ruffling through my hair.

She...
Did she just pat me!?!

<What was that for?> (nurse 1)

<Oh this? A novel custom. It originated from Princess Erys' nurses. They say it shows a form of personal affection and most subjects tend to react really well to it.> (nurse 2)

Well, not me!

<I see. In any case, this was good. You handled this hunter very well.> (nurse 1)

<I was a bit unsure, but it really seems to have improved in its behavior now. I'm looking forward to working again with you, my little one.> (nurse 2)

Urgh.
I'm gonna say, being training material is worse than everything else.
But at least this seems to have been it now.
Even the alpha seems now satisfied.
At least, he feels this way.

I notice how my stomach is almost fine now.
This second slice is all that I needed to feel sated.
Just like the last one, eating this piece was pure satisfaction.
I feel honestly much better now.

Wait a moment.
Looking at the baskets, I just now realized, whatever this meat is, it's raw!
But why did it smell so great that I couldn't help myself but rush all the way here?
I know, it certainly must have something to do with how I changed, but that I crave so much for raw meat that, that disturbs me.
Speaking of disturbing thoughts, what kind of meat even is that?
Do I want to know?
No, no, I fear I don't and should've thought about this before I gobbled down my slices.

Also, could the nurses, seriously, please stop staring at me?

<It's so fulfilling, seeing how happy the little hunter is about its food.> (nurse 2)

<Truly. While not as directly rewarding as service in the nursery, feeding and cleaning the hunters is a worthwhile task. Though, for now, we should leave them to their devices. We'll leave the remaining food here and have them distribute it among each other. A pack has to learn to manage without supervision if they ever are to move out by themselves. Our presence will only hinder the further progress.> (nurse 1)

W-wait.
You can't just leave me here!
Hey!

They're leaving for real!
And now I'm alone with the hunters.

<Ehm, hello, buddies?> (S)