He Who Nurtures had slept. He had awoken. And now he tries to return to his role.
But where are the young? Does another hold that role? even moments from waking he could tell that the layout of the hive has changed. And with the flows and structures as they are. On exiting his pod he had almost gotten caught in whatever flow paths were built through this section of the hive. But to continue to his role he needed to
Understand the location of centers within the hive. To find the locations of the young and the pods yet unborn. To understand how the young would move through the hive. How others moved through the hive. And roles available to the young.
And for all these, and other problems born of these there is an efficient path towards a solution. First, he would call a guide.
He would not be caught in the flow-paths so he crawled to the net carefully, and reached a hanging fiber, no it was designed. A tassel of some sort, he held it and felt its flow. So that was how they called for the guides. So he slowed his thinking. And he waited.
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Zur is She Who Names. And in her role she travels through the hive, encountering and interacting with others she passes.
And at this point, she flies through a path, and she feels another, She slows stops, and returns to that one. It doesn't take much notice of her presence, no, it cannot stop moving, writhing in imaginary pain, in reaction to invisible others. Constant movement in it's body and in it's thoughts.. As if it cannot stop moving, and It still does not contact her to communicate.
Zur grips its tendrils, somewhat more firmly than necessary, and inquires, What bothers, Uxim?
It reaches back, attempts to communicate struggles, moves. And then Inquires, I am Uxim?
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Uxim is a name. It is how I shall think of you as not just an other. For you resemble Ur-im in how you spend time in thought and reach and move to shape the world when doing so.
But Zur realized something in this similarity. The resemblance spread to the lack of communication ability. And there was something, many things. Missing from Uxim, it was neither him nor her.
Where is its pod?
And Uxim was lost, it did not know.
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And a scout passed by and wondered why this one was here. And it Was He Who Nurtures The Young. Where are the young?
A guide might know, but He Who Flies knows the movements of He Who Minimized Flows. That one has a better image of the hive. He shall be brought to them.
But it is not the scout's role.
But an important task is potentially going unaddressed, and the scout can share thought and effort to fulfill that missing task. Otherwise, a part of the hive shall go unworking. Does He Who Explores remember the cost of that?
And so they begin on their way.
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And here was a young one without a pod, with thoughts and communications similar to Ur-im more than others. And even then not so much.
But since the path through the flow is untraceable to them, Zur brings Uxim to eat, at least to delay stupor.
How is it that Zur did not realize this earlier? How will Uxim be shaped by its name?
Uxim sends Gratitude. She is thankful for her name. As it is all she has. But what is a pod?
It is what she had awakened within.
But she remembers it barely in passing, moving and shaking herself off from it, being swept away and following the flow as is...
As it seemed the right way to move. But then, a feeling of tearing. Of pain, she had to leave the flow before it...
It would do Uxim well to focus on memories she did not want to lose, but she needed store them in these shards so that she would not exhaust herself and fall into stupor without a pod.
She barely understood. But she took the shards, and tried. And failed.
And Zur noticed one more thing. Uxim struggled to move without the sail glider. Her tendrils, damaged. Yet flight...
It was natural to her.
Zur knew who she needed.
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And so He is brought to He Who Minimizes Flow, and He WHo Flies, and he acquires a map of the hive, and how to call the He Who Guide Flight. He might be needed. But there is still a piece of understanding missing.
How would the young move through the new hive?