#alien hive

You lay in Abellas giant bud, hearing her chirp and chitter as you tell her how beautiful she looks and how soft her petals are. She likes praise, you’ve become aware, and her other vines and smaller flowers turn more vibrant with the positive energy you give.

You don’t notice the faint buzzing approaching, Abellas shaking and purring blending the noise with her own as she closes her petals around you and cocoons you in her. You laugh as she attempts to give a hug this way, and allow her to do so for a bit longer, scratching her gently as praise. Abella hears the fluttering of wings, feels the vibrations growing closer, and she knows that you aren’t safe if you’re exposed. She can’t lose her best friend!

“Ok now, you gotta open up hun I have to meet the Insects for another item drop off. I promise I’ll be back in a few weeks!”. A whimper is made, and Abella only tightens her grip, hearing the buzzing grow closer. She knows danger is approaching, and she wishes she could mimic you and tell you to stay still, but the best the sentient plant can manage is a shrill of panic as she tries to keep you inside.

“Abella! Let me go!” You scolded, growing impatient and honestly worried as to why she’s clinging so tightly and reluctant to let you go. Even on her worst of days she’d back down and let you do your job, so what could possibly be wrong?

“What? Is this because I forgot your mineral salts? I told you! Too much is bad!”.

Abella begins to shake and whimper, trembling as you raise your voice at her. She just wants you safe! Please! Please just stay still so the enemy won’t come!

But you don’t. You managed to tickle her and allow her to open her petals again, and slide out onto the ground, landing on your ass in the process. “See? Was that so-“ you stop in your tracks when you see Abella curl up and tremble again. No, no something was wrong.

“Abella?” You ask with concern, brows furrowed as you reach up to gently stroke her vines and leaves. “Hey- hey what’s wrong?”.

You begin to stand up, seeing that the poor alien plant was utterly terrified, and if she had tear ducts you’re sure she’d be crying. Kneeling again, you try and calm her down, noticing that a loud buzzing was directly behind you.

“What-“ you turn around as the shadows hover over the large plant, eyes going wide at the sight of the beings before you.

Usually the insect aliens you meet aren’t so intimidating. The butterflies being the largest of them all aren’t even this terrifying! And then you recall how the insects warn you about spring on their planet, talking about how some species grow twice the size of you.

“H-hello! I’m not an enemy! I-I bring your home more imports and care packages!” You stammer, feeling your heart drop to your stomach as the large black and yellow creature kneels before you. Their antenne sniff and examine you, before they turn to the few others behind them. “You hear? This is the one who gives us more help and food! I told you I smelled them!”.

The others clap their hands cheerily and beging to gush about how grateful they are for you and how they want to make up for neglecting you.

“Oh we’re so happy to have found you, ruler!”

“We’ll take such good care of you!”

“I can’t wait to spoil you! Oh you must be starving, we’ll feed you!”

You kick out at them when a hand begins to try and pull you up, fighting as the humanoid bees begin to surround you and lift you up. “Oh they’re so fussy! Maybe they’re scared of heights?” A bee asked while holding your squirming body against their chest as another holds your legs.

“Scared of heights? Well I guess it means they can’t escape the hive easily! They love to explore though, so maybe we should cover up more exits they can reach?”.

You begin to bite and claw at them, your heart almost stopping when you saw how high above the ground you were. You weren’t scared of heights usually, but this was just a terrifying and nauseating sight, and you stopped your fighting to save your own skin.

“That’s right, just relax! You aren’t in trouble” the largest one cooed, petting your hair as they fluttered to the hive “We can’t wait to spoil you the way you have us, you’ll never lift another finger!”.

They continue to babble on about how they’ll worship you and make you their ruler, and Abella begins to shake and shiver in sadness as her friend is taken away, terrified that you won’t come back and that she’ll be alone again for another two thoausand years.

She curls in on herself, her petals looking droopy and sick as you’re carried away to the hive. The last thing she hears for a while is your screams to be let go and your fighting voice turning into a whimper of fear.

This was supposed to be a super-complex creature, where the entire planet is one huge symbiotic web,

The lumpy nodes are huge cell structures that are cultured in spaced-out patterns to allow channals of blood to flow between them.

The rough web-looking stuff is supposed to be like an outer sheeth of muscle tissue ( or something ) that can be safly walked across without damaging the more delicate structures.

“Heart of the Colony” by Timi Honkanen.