This time, her awakening was stunningly different. There was no fog clouding her mind, no questions, and no sense of confusion. After sunset, as always, Bug returned to the barn and had a simple dinner. Usually, she tried to prolong the bowl of porridge for as long as possible, pretending it was a lavish feast with friends and loved ones around her. But this time, impatience completely consumed the girl. She finished the porridge and the stewed vegetables in one gulp, even the sweet peppers she usually hated. Bug waited for a little while until darkness covered the entire village, like a stork hopper swallowing a horn frog, then snuck outside the barn. She knew her surroundings well, so she headed straight for the evergreen hollies. The thick bushes formed a hedge around the fields. She left her clothes there and waited for a few minutes, hiding behind the shrubs. Worried and uncertain, Bug hoped that the magic she had experienced would work itself out, as she had no idea how to change her shape willingly.
Time passed. The girl was trembling from the cold breeze. Trying to distract herself, she started thinking about the swarm. What kind of tasks would she be handling that night? Would they be happy or at least calm enough to greet her? This thought was particularly troubling to her, as it would be weird if someone, a complete stranger, came one day and then disappeared only to return the next night. It was difficult to imagine villagers being friendly toward such a person. She turned her head towards the houses in the distance. Everyone had already finished eating, yet a faint smell of various food remained in the air. She could sense what each household had eaten for dinner: lamb stew for the headman, fried bacon and potatoes for an elderly couple, and even lentil soup for Rasha, one of the bullies.
Realizing that this shouldn't be possible for her usual self, Bug calmly moved into the forest. Once again, she took a stroll, changing her appearance. Although her first walk was foggy and full of bright emotions, she immediately recognized the road. It was so engrossed in hunting, looking for small fish, insects, and frogs that it didn't notice the arrival of the wolf ant. Bug lowered herself and started crawling toward the stork hopper. Strange excitement caused her heart to beat faster. As the distance between them shortened significantly, she leapt, landing beside her prey. Shocked by the predator's sudden appearance, the stork hopper jumped high into the air, flapping its tiny wings, then leaped into the nearest shrubs. Bug burst into laughter and ran towards the nest. Such a silly joke was not part of her usual daily life, and it wasn't only her improved mood, but also the possibility of such action, the combination of agility and speed, which made her feel in the seventh heaven.
She reached the nest when the night was still young. Immediately, one of the soldiers approached her. The last time the whole swarm had gathered around her, but now the soldier sniffed and greeted her. It felt so casual, like she was an old friend who had just gone outside to buy some snacks. The soldier returned to patrol the territory around the nest, and Bug moved towards the entrance. The last time she saw, there were only a few tunnels, and she helped to dig one. Since then, she has been craving to explore the nest.
The “hallway” tunnels were large, just like she remembered. Hearing stories about wolf ants, Bug imagined their home to be like rabbit dens from a children's picture book. She thought the tunnels would be narrow and cramped, but in reality, two workers could walk through the “hallways” simultaneously. Most of the tunnels were "hallways", with only a few being a one-at-a-time walkaway. Considering the animal's size, it was a marvelous construction.
The resting rooms and the queen's room were quite cozy, while other rooms, such as storage and herdrooms, were more spacious. The latter was used for keeping aphid cows, which the workers on shepherd duties took outside for pasture. But the most interesting room for Bug was "kindergarten". It was larger than the resting rooms and looked like a wider version of the "hallway". It would be too big for only the cubs to rest and play, but in reality, one or two adults accompanied the young ones. While inside the nest, they should be perfectly safe, so the presence of adults in the "kindergarten" was not for security, but rather for fun and maybe teaching. Bug wasn't very knowledgeable about wild beasts and didn't know if it was common for social animals to go to such an extent for their young. She only heard stories from hunters that described wolf ants as protective parents. Finding a special room where other adult members of the swarm could play with cubs felt completely different from just hearing a simple description.
She entered the "kindergarten". Two cubs were playing, struggling with each other. Covered in dust, they huffed and squeaked in excitement. The third one was sitting in front of an adult wolf ant. The soldier wolf was slightly raising its front leg. The cub was staring intently at it and trying to get something out from under the large paw with its own tiny one. But alas, its efforts were in vain. Intrigued, Bug stepped closer. Like the youngling, she stared at the paw. The soldier looked at her, then raised the leg, releasing a springy pink feather. An ecstatic pup jumped forward, trying to catch the bouncy feather. The toy flew from its energy to the ceiling of the den. The cub squeaked and jumped again, chasing after the desired prey. Bug laughed at the youngling's pure joy over such a trivial thing. The soldier let out a short laugh too. He stood up and greeted her. Suddenly, she felt shy as if she had interrupted a family scene. She greeted him back and quickly left the room.
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It would confuse her even more if she was followed. Fortunately, neither soldier nor cubs did so. Bug decided that she had explored the nest enough for one night. Now it was time to work. She looked for other workers and one invited her outside. Bug still didn't fully understand how their communication worked, but she could read and distinguish various signals. They were so different from human words, short and vague. She could understand the wolves' "language" but knew too little about their way of life. Oh, how she wished she had paid more attention to the hunter's tales. Bug needed this knowledge so that she could better understand her new friends and be useful to the swarm. Alas, during those days, she pitied more the hunters' game.
For now, she followed the worker and joined the group outside the nest. There were about five of them, including two young adults. It didn't look like they were gathering to dig new tunnels. The workers moved deep into the forest. Bug followed the group, looking around. Time flew quickly by while she was exploring the nest. Now the moon was shining brightly. The group of wolves were running through the dark forest. If anyone had told her about this sight a while ago, she would have imagined a dismal and frightening scene. But now, when she was among the wolves, Bugs felt her heart beating with excitement. She breathed in the chilly night air and caught dozens of smells: the slightly damp aroma of the soil under her paws, the scent of late leaves turning yellow on trees and bushes, the whiff of other creatures hiding in branches or thick shrubs, and the smell of wolf ants running alongside her - it was a fantastic bouquet of information Bug had never experienced before. Living her whole life relying mainly on sight, she felt a little dizzy, as if she had drunk a glass of fortified wine the old man had once given her when she turned eighteen. It took her some effort to overcome the dizziness and keep up with the group. Luckily, the wolf ants slowed down.
They reached the edge of the forest. The animals lowered their heads. Before she could see their target, she felt a whiff. Bug sniffed the air. The smell was bright and new, and it reminded her of horses with a sliver of sweet flower scent. She stepped forward onto the large meadow surrounded by tall trees. Even though she had never seen the grazing animals alive, Bug instantly recognized them. Flydeers, one of the few local species that humans were fond of. The object of her task became clear - hunting.
The herd, around twelve adult animals and four fawns, noticed wolf ants. They gathered closer to each other, leaving almost no open space between their decorated with cream color stripes sides. Bug had never been on a human hunt, let alone a wolf ant's. Nevertheless, she understood her companion's intention. They wanted to move the herd, make the prey flee, and pick off the weak ones. Running would make fighting back impossible, but the plan was difficult to enforce. Flydeers didn't run. The gathered animals slowly waved their long tails with tassels, their antlers and hooves were ready to strike the attackers. The predators circled around them, trying to pressure the hunted ones with false lunges.
The huge stag, the leader of the herd, took one step forward. Its horizontal pupils followed the predators' movements. Choosing the perfect time, the stag lowered its head and with a bellow spread the membrane between its antlers. A large pair of yellow eyes stared at the wolves. As enchanted, they stared back. Other flydeers followed the leader's example. Now the predators were surrounded ones. A frightening scent filled Bug's nostrils. As a human, she had never experienced it before, but she was instantly scared. Her companions also backed away in fear. The stag approached them, causing the group of predators to slowly retreat. 'But what is that smell? Where does it come from?'
With an effort, Bug finally looked away from "the eyes" and glanced at her surroundings. The magic was broken. She could clearly see flydeers, fake eyes patterns, scared wolf ants. The stench was probably also part of the flydeer’s defense weapon, though she had never heard of it before. Hunters didn't mention the smell, but maybe they couldn't feel it at all. 'The hunt will fail at this rate. This won't do'. Even though Bug had never hunted anything before, she was already used to this strong and fast body. She felt it could easily defeat an adult human - the power she could never dream of in her weak and clumsy human form. Making sure that the animals were distracted by their chasing tactics against wolves, Bug crept around the stag. She sniffed, focusing on finding the right target. The smell made it difficult, but she still found it. The doe that was sick for the past few days was the weakest member of the herd.
Bug moved towards her target and lunged. Scared by the sudden attack, the doe tried to leap away but bumped into another deer. Confusion spread through the herd. It was time to give a signal. However, she couldn't talk. Puzzled by this obvious outcome, Bug felt her mandibles appear out of the tubercles on her muzzle. She remembered her first encounter with the swarm and raised her head, hissing. The sound fascinated her. It seemed almost magical that she could produce such a noise.
Despite the delay, her signal did not go in vain. Wolf ants broke out of the enchanted eye patterns and turned their attention to the sick doe. Flydeers took flight. The predators chased them, focused on the prey that Bug had chosen. It did not take long for them to surround and kill the deer. Bug approached the doe with a ripped throat. The wolves were grateful, and she could feel their approval and contentment. "And they hunted down the one I chose; they approved my choice." Despite the gruesome sight of the dead animal, Bug's heart was racing and the blood in her veins felt hot. The black fur stood on end - the feeling she had never experienced before overtook her like a spring flood. Unlike the peaceful happiness of being with her mother, this was violent excitement. This was pure jubilation.