Eager to get started, Nin awoke early the next morning after barely sleeping and left the colony. Heading away from the rising sun, she quickly crossed the blacktop sections and settled into a comfortable running rhythm. There were no others about at this early hour. The foragers were likely just starting their morning meal, she thought.
She was making good progress through the cool morning air as she neared the outer boundary of the foraging grounds. From here, she would be in unfamiliar territory. She ramped up her vigilance to avoid rushing headlong into a spider’s web, or the mouth of a lizard looking for an early morning snack.
The ground ahead rose in a gentle incline, which was topped by a vast expanse of grass. There were several patches of grass near the Rising Sun colony. But they were tiny compared to this ocean of green.
The foragers always avoided these areas. Once inside, they became a bewildering maze of interlocking grass blades. Without a horizon for visual reference, it was easy to become disoriented and lost. Most of the foragers who entered these traps were doomed to circle aimlessly, never to be seen again.
Nin turned left, skirting the green labyrinth, even though the detour would add considerable distance to her travels. She left pheromone markers whenever the route changed direction, so she could find her way home on the return trip.
After spending most of the day travelling perpendicular to her planned direction of travel, Nin was getting tired. A growing hunger began to dull her senses. As was generally the case with highly manicured fields of grass, the greener they were, the less likely there would be any edible food to forage. And this particular section was an unnaturally deep shade of green. She resolved to carry on but at a much reduced speed, to conserve her energy until she found sustenance.
Up ahead she could just make out what appeared to be the corner of the grassy expanse. She wouldn’t be able to determine if this was the end of her detour until she could get past the corner and see the route ahead.
Finally, she rounded the corner, anxious to see what lay ahead. There was a sudden impact, a collision with something moving towards her, fast. She immediately assumed a defensive stance, ready to fight to the death with whatever it was. The image confronting her was eerily familiar. It reminded her of the images she had seen numerous times while drinking from pools of water, her reflection. She was momentarily frozen by indecision.
Her mirror image reared up in an attack posture, waving its antennae and clacking its mandibles. Next would be a release of pheromones, calling the entire colony to battle. An assault was imminent.
Nin was mesmerized by this forager, doing exactly she would have done in defense of her own colony if faced with an intruder. In an attempt to de-escalate the conflict, she stepped back and gestured with her antennae, ”You look like me.”
Her opponent seemed to relax slightly. Assuming a less aggressive posture, she said “You don’t belong here.” Then dropping her fighting stance altogether, she cocked her head slightly to one side and asked, “Where are you from?”
Nin answered “I’m from the Rising Sun colony. It’s a long day’s travel, east of here.”
Her interviewer seemed to connect that bit of information with the sudden appearance of an intruder, who looked just like her. “Oh, that explains it. We are related.”
Nin tried to piece together how that was possible. “Are we … sisters?”
“No. More like distant cousins. Our queen is a descendant from the Second Sun queens. It is said that the Rising Sun queens were also descendant from this bloodline.”
At the mention of the lost colony, Nin grew hopeful for some more information to help her in her quest. “Can you tell me anything about Second Sun? Do you know how to get there from here?”
There was a meaningful hesitation before the forager answered, “It is forbidden to travel to Second Sun.” It seemed that this colony was subject to a similar suppression of the facts about Second Sun as her home colony. What was it about the lost colony that inspired so much fear and secrecy? Nin decided to establish a polite rapport with her cousin before pressing for more information about Second Sun.
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“Why is your home called Winter Sun?” Every colony included some reference to the sun in their names. This was due to the importance of the sun in determining the daily and seasonal rhythms of life in the colonies.
“It is because the sun shines on the colony throughout the day during the depths of winter. It keeps us warm enough to continue foraging almost year round.”
Nin thought of how desperate conditions were back at her home. Scorching heat in the summer, when the sun hung in the northern sky and freezing cold during the winter. This was thanks to several inconveniently placed trees, which shaded the colony during the winter months, yet provided no shade in summer. Hers was an unlucky colony indeed.
Her counterpart said, “I’m called Doon.’ What are you called?”
“Nin. I’m a forager like you.” She was grateful to be moving beyond their initial confrontation.
“What are you doing so far away from your colony?”
“I’m searching for Second Sun. If I find it, I hope to determine if it’s possible for the Rising Sun colony to reoccupy it. It is our ancestral home.” By not elaborating too much, Nin hoped that Doon might feel compelled to fill in some of the blanks for her.
Doon said “Its exact location isn’t known, but there are rumors that it’s southwest of here. She pointed towards the southern edge of the setting sun and said, “Just about over there.”
Nin followed her indication and asked, “Just to the left of the sun?”
Doon said “Yes, at the southern edge of the sun during this time of year. You see it, right?”
Nin said, “Yes” and then asked about any expected dangers on the route to Second Sun.
Doon said “We don’t know much about the dangers, but many died there. It is said to be a cursed colony. No one is allowed to travel there anymore.” Nin recognized this familiar, “don’t ask, don’t tell” narrative, when it came to Second Sun.
It was getting late and the sun hung low in the sky. She needed to get moving if she was going to find a safe place to spend the night. Hoping to avoid more detouring, Nin asked to be allowed to pass through Winter Sun’s territory.
Doon said yes, and even offered to escort her to the edge of the Winter Sun territory. Nin couldn’t believe her luck, permission and an escort. But she didn’t want to distract Doon from her foraging duties. Back at Rising Sun, it was a serious offense to neglect one’s foraging for any reason.
However, Doon assured her that it was not a problem. “Don’t worry, we are fortunate to have generous food reserves here. Besides, you are from a related colony. I’m obligated to assist you.”
Now that it was settled, Doon dabbed some pheromones onto Nin’s head and explained, “This will ensure that everyone recognizes you as one of us. Come on, let’s go.”
Doon led the way down a broad corridor, between two huge expanses of grass. They traveled past a steady stream of foragers moving in the opposite direction. They each carried huge loads of food items, presumably heading back to the colony. Nin was familiar with the routine. Deposit a load of food at the colony entrance, then head back out for more. Although, one obvious difference was that the average load here was much larger than those at Rising Sun.
After making good progress for a couple of hours, they approached the perimeter of the colony’s territory. Nin was lagging behind her escort. Having eaten nothing since early morning and after traveling such a distance, her energy reserves were depleted.
Nin asked Doon to stop. “I can’t keep up with you anymore. I need to rest for a bit.” Nin lowered herself down to the dusty ground to take the weight off of her tired legs.
It was clear to Doon, that what her guest really needed, was some food and a good night’s rest. “Come on. Get up and follow me. There’s a temporary shelter nearby.” She helped her sluggish cousin up and onto her feet. They made their way slowly to the top of a slight mound of earth that was too symmetrical to be a natural feature. Nin realized this was the entrance to an underground structure.
Doon explained “This was built to expand our foraging territory. Food can be collected from a greater area and temporarily stored here. Foragers can shelter overnight, then return to the colony the next day.” Nin was impressed by the innovative thinking behind creating such shelters. Clearly, Winter Sun benefitted from an enlightened leadership.
Drawing Nin’s attention to the setting sun, just above a grove of pine trees, Doon said “The sun will set between the two tallest trees in that grove. Tomorrow, you will start off directly towards the southernmost tree. If the rumors are correct, Second Sun lays in that direction.” Nin tried to fix the two trees in her memory through a haze of exhaustion.
Doon led the way down through a system of tunnels. Shortly they came to a chamber stocked with food. A few foragers were present, enjoying their dinnertime meal. Those colony members present, briefly acknowledged Doon’s greeting and returned to their dinner. Thanks to the pheromone marker Nin was wearing, they scarcely noticed the stranger in their midst.
Nin didn’t need any prompting to begin replenishing her energy stores. She began eating voraciously. The leaf cuttings contained just the right amount of moisture to satisfy not only her hunger, but her thirst as well.
After eating her fill, a groggy Nin wanted nothing more than to lay down and sleep. However, since protocol forbade sleeping in the meal chamber, Doon led her into an adjacent sleeping space. She was asleep as soon as she stopped moving.