Months passed, winter ended, and Isabelle had discovered a shockingly myriad array of abilities. The most useful, she thought, was probably the connection between her and her creatures. She had tried to strain it or even break it by sending some of her creatures far away from her—into the forest—in different directions but no matter how far or separated they were the connection never faltered. She always felt her connection to them. She could clearly and precisely communicate and control them no matter the distance.

What would it take to break this connection? Isabelle wondered.

They were loyal to a fault. She had ordered one of the creatures to attack another she had told not to defend itself. There was no hesitation. It attacked mercilessly, slicing through the other creature's defensive exoskeleton like a sharp knife through wet clay. The creature being sliced apart didn't even try to defend itself, it just stood there until Isabelle ordered the other one to stop attacking it, before it was too late. Even she was shocked.

Contrary to her expectations, the number of creatures in her hive had explosively grown. Isabelle was the only one capable of creating broodmothers, so during the winter she produced over a hundred of them. It was taxing on her, but she felt compelled to endure it. The population was continuing to grow at a rapid pace due to the broodmothers. Food and water hadn’t been an issue since they ate and drank from various pools of dark liquid that formed within the hive, seemingly in response to the growing need of sustenance for the creatures.

Thousands of her creatures skittered about underneath the surface where the hive’s tunnels had grown into a vast expansive network leading to various different chambers meant for different purposes. Isabelle was still trying to understand their separate purposes. One room, however, was particularly easy to understand; the acid room, as she had dubbed it. It was an enormous room with bubbling green acid at the bottom in one of the deepest parts of the underground hive. The creatures in the hive would throw anything and everything into that room, including the materials they dug up. Isabelle could only assume that the room dissolved the materials and distributed it to where it needed to go in the ever-growing hive. More than once Isabelle leaned into the room and though, I don’t want to fall down there.

Isabelle had tested her control over the weird biological substance in various ways. She already knew it would stop growing if she told it to but over the winter she had also ordered it to stop growing in certain sections and that worked as well. At the edge of the growth radius where the weird biological substance met with nature Isabelle noticed something weird. Instead of snow and ice there was dirt and grass. The ground was warm to the touch. The ever-growing black substance was generating heat to maintain the pace of its own growth.

—

It was mid-April and talks of a war starting with the theocratic nation of Unalia—Isabelle’s homeland—had reached Fae’s village. It was particularly unfortunate since the village was situated right on the border, the mountain range. However, due to the difficulty of crossing it combined with the village’s remoteness, meant that the reality was that their village was left practically untouched. Still, people were nervous and scared. Most hoped it was just a rumor and no war had started, but they knew fate was rarely so kind.

“Do you think they’ll come to draft me?” Fae asked her uncle. They were hunting small game in the forest using their bows and traps they had set previously.

“I can’t say for sure but if there’s a war, then they’ll definitely come to the village looking for recruits. Gotta have soldiers to fight a war, even if they’re just untrained peasants,” her uncle said. Fae's face turned dark.

“But… I don’t want to be drafted or kill anyone. I want to stay here with you,” Fae said. Her uncle smiled and placed his hand on her back, which was small in comparison.

“I don’t want you to get drafted into some bloody war either. It’s a dangerous business, you know. Nothing like the tall tales you hear about from glory seeking fools. I’ve never told you this, but I was drafted as a young man. The things I saw, I'll never forget. I’m lucky to be alive and in one piece, unlike a lot of the other bastards I fought alongside. A battlefield is no place for someone as young as you. Yet, that’s exactly who they like to conscript,” her uncle said. “It may just be that they’re tired of the theocracies' yearly raids. I know I am, it boils my blood.”

They returned home some time later and opened the creaky wood door to the sight of two creatures waiting for them.

“Bo! Eva!” Fae said with excitement as she ran over to pet them. Both of them towered above her now so she had to reach a bit while petting them. Her uncle grimaced a bit while looking at them.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to those monstrosities. I feel like they’re going to murder me in my sleep. And your boyfriend agrees with—” he said before being interrupted.

“He’s not my boyfriend! We’re just friends,” Fae quickly replied, blushing. Her uncle turned away and started walking away.

“Could’ve fooled me,” he whispered under his breath while Fae pet Bo and Eva.

“I hope you two stayed warm today while I was out. I missed you both a lot! We caught a lot today so you’ll have plenty to eat,” Fae said to Bo and Eva. “You’re both so good and so helpful, especially with the wood during the winter. You deserve a reward!”

—

The next morning there was a loud knocking at the door.

"Ga! So early," Fae’s uncle grumbled as he got out of bed to go see who was making the noise and find out what they wanted. He opened the door to the sight of a man and woman in short hair dressed up in chainmail. Each wore standard military uniforms which included the shortswords hanging at their sides. His body went cold, he could assume what this was about—conscription.

Aw hell, Bara thought privately.

“Uh, what’s this about? It’s quite early,” Bara said to the two of them, playing dumb, and hoping he was wrong. One of them looked at a piece of paper that was on a small board which they held in their hands.

“Is Fae Kemp here?” the soldier asked.

“Why do you ask?” Fae’s uncle replied.

“We’re here on standing orders to collect her. War’s been declared with Unalia,” the other soldier explained.

“Listen, she’s not old enough for that. She’s only seventeen—” he was cut off by a stern voice.

“That’s plenty old to serve,” the soldier holding the board said before continuing, “but maybe her name goes missing from the drafting list ‘cause of a clerical error, if you get what I mean.” A glimmer of hope sparkled in Bara’s eyes when he realized he might be able to get his niece out of fighting in the war. All the soldier wanted was a bribe. Then he remembered he was poor and that hope died a tiny bit.

Maybe a small bribe will be fine, Bara thought to himself.

“I understand. Give me a moment,” he said to the soldiers. A few moments later he returned with all the cash he could muster up, holding it out in his hand to the soldier.

“That’s all?” the soldier said with a look of disgust.

“I’m sorry, this is all I—” for the third time, Bara was cut off by the soldiers.

“We’re here today as a courtesy. We’ll be here tomorrow to pick her up,” the soldier said, rejecting Bara’s offer before turning around and leaving with the other soldier. Bara closed the door and went back inside while his head swirled with emotion. Mostly dread.

His eyes became full and a tear dripped down his cheek, but he wiped it away with his arm and centered his thoughts.

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I’ll wait till she wakes up to tell her, Bara thought. Meanwhile, Eva had stayed hidden and seen the entire exchange. Through her, Isabelle had as well.

When Fae woke up, she made her way to the fireplace to cook breakfast. That’s unless her uncle made it first which was usually the case.

As expected, Fae saw that her uncle made breakfast first. She could smell it, too, and it smelled delicious. He had always been an excellent cook and Fae was very, very grateful for that.

"That smells delicious," Fae commented to her uncle who was putting some soup in a bowl and buns on a plate for her.

“Thank you. Here you go,” Bara said as he handed the breakfast to Fae. She took it without hesitation. Both of them sat down at the wooden table to eat their meals with Bo and Eva looming nearby.

“Fae, this morning some soldiers came to the door. They said you’ve been drafted for the war and they’ll be here to pick you up tomorrow,” Bara said. Fae stopped eating and stared at her uncle.

“Are you serious?” she asked him.

“Yes, I am. But if you don’t want to go I’ll figure out a way around it,” he said.

I… don’t want to go. I want to stay here with you, uncle,” Fae said with a hint of sadness. “But they won’t let me stay, will they?” Her uncle looked towards the ground in silence.

“No, they won’t,” he replied.

“Then it’s okay. I’ll go,” she said with confidence. Her uncle looked even more depressed upon hearing that.

“Are you sure, Fae?” he said.

“I’m sure. I’ll be okay,” she said in a lie to her uncle.

“Alright. I want you to take my sword, then. I used it when I was a soldier and now I want it to protect you as well,” he said. A smile spread across Fae’s face.

“Really?! You mean it? I can have your sword?” Fae said with excitement, bringing a smile to her uncle's face. He got up and walked to another room with Fae close behind. He pulled out his sword from a clumsy pile of old stuff. It was still in its hilt but quite dusty. Fae looked at it with sparkling eyes.

“Wanna go outside and try it out?” her uncle asked.

“Yes!” Fae enthusiastically replied. They walked outside and her uncle handed his sword to its new owner. She pulled it out of its scabbard and wielded it in her hands.

“Careful with that, it’s sharp,” her uncle warned her. “Let’s go hit a tree or something.” The two of them walked to the nearest tree and Fae started wacking it with her new sword.

“Nice swings! You’re a natural. With some proper training you’ll be a decent swordsman, even better than me. I doubt I’m any good anymore, it’s been a long while since I’ve wielded a sword,” Fae’s uncle said.

“Thanks uncle Bara!” she said. He smiled and patted her toned back.

“Of course, Fae.”

The next day the soldiers returned to collect Fae. They had already picked up a few others, maybe five or six in total, who were waiting a good distance away. The female soldier waited with them. While they waited at the door with her uncle, she was saying her goodbyes to Bo and Eva.

“Make sure to take good care of each other. Uncle Bara will take care of you while I’m gone so listen to him. Don’t be naughty. My friends will be stopping to take care of my other pets, too, so be nice to them as well. They’re kind of scared of you,” Fae said to them. She leaned in to kiss them and continued, “I’ll miss you guys.”

“Ready to go?” Bara asked his niece as she approached the door with her longbow, sword, and dagger hanging on her while a light bag was in her hand.

“I’m ready,” she said to him before they gave each other a big warm hug. After the hug finished, Fae looked at the two soldiers and saw they each had a weird look on their faces. It was a mix of fear and shock.

“W-what are those things behind you?” the male soldier asked. Fae turned around and saw Bo and Eva standing there, towering over her. She turned back around to answer the soldier's question.

“Those are my pets, sorry, they must not want me to go,” Fae explained and turned around to face her pets once more. “It’s okay you two. Stay here,” she said as she patted their heads. She turned to her uncle once more.

“Goodbye, uncle,” Fae said to her uncle and walked out the door. She left with the soldiers and the rest of the group, most of whom she recognized.

—

Fae was sitting on the ground with the soldiers and the other conscripts around a campfire they had built to cook a stew for the evening. The two soldier’s horses were tied up to some trees nearby. Fae was eating stew out of her bowl when she had a strange feeling. She turned around and peered into the darkness of the forest but nothing was there. Unconvinced, set her soup down and stood up. She walked into the dark of the forest where she couldn’t see anything but the campfire. Her heart was pounding as she felt something brush up against her upper arm. She turned towards it and reached her hand out. Among the darkness Fae felt a large creature but she knew what it was, Bo or Eva.

“What are you doing here?!” she whispered loudly. “I told you to stay home!” She heard some chittering responses and realized both of them were there, not just one. “Go home!” She gently pushed them to try and encourage them to leave, but they didn’t budge from where they stood.

“Fae, are you okay out there?” she heard one of the soldiers call out to her a few minutes later. Fae sighed.

“Yes, I’m alright!” she called back before turning back to Bo and Eva. “You’re really not gonna go back home, huh?” She paused awaiting an answer that she knew would never come. “Alright, then come on. Let’s get out of the darkness.” Fae grabbed both of them by their hands and dragged them back to the campfire with the others who were finishing their meals and preparing to go to sleep.

As soon as Fae came out of the darkness of the forest with her pets in tow, everyone in the camp was on high alert. They all turned to look in her direction while Fae fixed her gaze on the closest soldier to her, the female soldier.

“Uh, so this is Bo and Eva. They’re my pets, it looks like they followed me,” Fae explained to the group. The male soldier wasn't too shocked, having seen them earlier. The silence that followed was deafening followed by a quick clamor for weapons.

“Those monstrosities are your pets?! What are those things!?” the female soldier asked with her shortsword held in her hand, violently shaking.

“I don’t really know what they are, but they are my pets. They won’t hurt you! I told them to go home but they won’t,” Fae said.

“Well try again! We aren’t supposed to pick up pets!” the female soldier shouted. The creatures emitted a frightening hiss and whipped their tails in the air with a crackling sound after she said that, something that almost made the soldier wet herself as she was trembling in her boots.

“They won’t listen to me when I tell them to go home,” Fae said again. The female soldier contemplated what to do.

“Fine! Just keep them away from me. I’m not gonna feed them, either. Especially with the few supplies we have,” she said.

“Oh, that’s alright. They’ll eat almost anything,” Fae replied.

That’s even more frightening, the female soldier thought as she imagined them slicing through her with their enormous claws and huge jaws. The other soldier spoke up with a hint of fear in his throat. He still hasn't gotten used to them and deeply regretted his unfortunate luck.

“Your pets can tag along with us. It’ll be good to have some extra guards while we sleep,” he said while silently acknowledging to themselves to keep one eye open while sleeping.

“Thanks! I really appreciate it,” Fae said and turned to her creatures. “Okay you two, now go lie down and be nice.” They did as they were told and lied down at opposite sides on the edge of the camp, blending into the darkness with a scary amount of accuracy. The people closest to them moved their bed rolls further away out of fear of being murdered in their sleep. The campfire was put out and everyone except the soldier left on watch went to sleep.

Night passed and dawn broke on the horizon. The group left the campsite with their two new companions. They all look disheveled and tired with baggy eyes from the lack of sleep. The only one who had a decent night’s sleep was Fae.

—

Isabelle walked out of the towering structure she called home. The morning sun warmed her face as she yawned and stretched.

“Ah, it feels so nice out. I love summer,” she said.

She was preparing to leave her new home with a two thousand large army of her creatures. She had overheard through Bo and Eva—Isabelle’s creatures that Fae kept as pets—that Fae was to be drafted to fight in a war. Isabelle could only watch from afar as the soldiers had come to pick her up. Fae clearly didn’t want to take Bo and Eva with her, for obvious reasons. But Isabelle wasn’t willing to let her line of communication be lost, so she had them stalk her as she went along with the soldiers. She was thankful they got accepted and didn’t have to stalk Fae from afar, even though it made the soldiers and draftees uncomfortable. However, there was still one major concern Isabelle had about her plan.

I have enough creature’s to form an army, but they’ve never fought against real soldiers. Or people. I have no idea how they’ll fare. I want to help this girl, but I don’t know if I can, Isabelle thought. But I’ve got to try. I can at least do that.

Her soldiers were skittering around inside and outside the hive, gathering provisions for the long journey. When they were done, they stood outside and waited in an unordered mass per their commanders orders as Isabelle inspected the hive and made sure all was well. After all, this was her new home and she wanted to be sure it would be safe while she was gone. It was a dangerous gamble, but she was only taking the fully grown creatures and leaving all the ones that were still developing. She would be leaving the broodmothers, too, and they could easily defend her home while she was away. The fully grown ones were over twenty feet tall, after all.

She left the hive and her loyal soldiers immediately cleared a path for her. They formed rows and columns at each side, at her request. She walked to the front and began the slow march.