Rested and recovered strength, the swarm left the hive and moved north-west. According to their hosts, the land there was free of wolf ants and had trees. Both conditions sounded perfect. The possibility of becoming neighbors with a friendly swarm was another reason to look into the future with hope. They separated from the grey mane queen and her accompanying soldiers at the border overnight. Despite sadness, Hailstone tried only to look forward without slowing others down. He was the one who most wanted to settle close to the hive.

The moon was still high in the sky, but they could already smell the familiar fragrance of the rocky trees. Encouraged by this, the swarm increased their pace and, before sunrise, reached the grove. Storge started to check the ground. It was not the same quality as at their nest, but it was far better than the loose soil of the grasslands. There were many unfamiliar smells around, and they would have to look for food sources and ensure that there were no predators that they could not handle. But it was a success.

Storge walked into the grove, counting rocky trees among the others that she had seen for the first time. Her brothers and Spot followed her, playing tag. Unlike them, Kindhearted remained serious, examining the surroundings. While the others were relaxed and happy, he concentrated on making sure nothing would harm his children. His tense protectiveness even seemed a bit excessive. But that was only true until the smell of an unfamiliar creature appeared and grew stronger with every step they took. Something was approaching the swarm.

Kindhearted unleashed his mandibles and hissed. The father's behavior confused Storge. The smell was unknown to her, but it was still a single creature. She turned to the direction of the stranger. Minutes of waiting felt too long. While Storge was thinking whether to give in to curiosity or continue on their way to find a new nest, the other wolf ants behaved weirdly. They were nervous and looked in the opposite direction from their queen, workers even whimpered sadly. Storge exchanged glances with her brothers. The three of them were the only ones unaffected by the stranger's smell.

Finally, the rustling sound of moving branches and footsteps on soft grass came closer. Storge stared at a narrow path that the grove's animals usually took. A tall creature walked towards the swarm. It resembled a human in its manner of walking on two feet and having a flat face. But it was slimmer and taller than the men Storge had met so far. Its arms and legs were thin and looked fragile, like dry tree branches. It had no fur or hair, but instead, the back of its head had a crest with a thin red membrane. The entire body of the creature was covered in sharp amber scales. It reminded Storge of the sparkling fish she saw in the creek's water. The softer and smaller golden scales were on its face and hands. Unlike humans, it didn't have much clothing, which only covered its torso and feet. Storge didn't recognize the smell of its clothes. They were made from materials she didn't know about.

The creature looked at the swarm in front of it, and Storge felt its discontent and a glimpse of surprise. It hadn't expected to stumble upon anyone. The black eyes stared at the wolf's queen. The third eye on her forehead opened and squinted. Then Storge heard a voice filled with rage and disgust.

"Magic Snatcher!"

Behind the creature, a fire appeared suddenly, swinging like a whirlpool on the water's surface. And at the same time, the swarm moved forward, protecting their queen. A hissing sound filled the silence. Storge froze for a moment, awed by the creature she had never seen or heard of before. But the unexpected danger to her family brought her back to her senses. She touched her father lightly. He did not question her command. Neither did any of the others. The swarm allowed her through, and she once again faced the creature.

All this time, the creature looked at the scene. The fire shrank, until it finally vanished into the air. Only a faint scent of the flames, like a trace left on the path after a heavy rain, remained as a warning of its power.

Storge took a few steps towards the creature. Being close, she could gather more information through smell. It was a woman, much older than herself or even her mother. And she was absurdly powerful. 'So far, I thought only humans could create fire, but this one was somehow different.' The queen touched the creature's clothes. They were incredibly soft, similar to a spider web.

All this time, the stranger looked down at the curious wolf. The swarm waited patiently, still ready to rush to the rescue if anything dangerous happened.

"You are not an ordinary being," finally said the woman. When she opened her mouth, lines of small, sharp teeth could be seen. "Who are you?"

The queen tilted her head, trying to think of a way to answer this question. She could only think of how she communicated with her family, but there was no way for this creature to sense her pheromones or interpret sounds and gestures.

"I see now," the scaled creature moved her face close to the queen. Black eyes stared deep into the wolf's golden ones. Then a grinding sound, as if claws were sliding over stone, came out of the woman's mouth, startling the swarm. "Hilarious! So that was their response. They were stuck, and in order to move further, they accepted human blood. Haartu had outsmarted us all. Indeed, what a cunning kind."

She looked at Storge. The she-wolf blinked, as if trying to avoid her intent gaze. Even though the queen was good at reading others' thoughts and feelings, she couldn't understand this creature.

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"Should I end it all here? Then again, I have so many questions. Follow me, we'll talk at my place."

The woman turned around and walked away, without even sparing a single glance to confirm that they were following her. Her words and actions left Storge bewildered. Trusting humans was absolutely out of the question. But mother never mentioned this kind of creature. The queen looked at her swarm. They were also confused, but at the same time, they accepted her decision. 'It should harm in learning more about this creature and maybe about the place we will call home.

They followed the woman, keeping a small distance between them. The swarm crossed the grove and arrived at the meadow. Here, a large rocky tree stood. By the size of its trunk and height, it was older than any of the trees near their previous nest. When the scaled creature approached the tree, stairs formed from its bark. Before following the woman, Storge asked her family to wait at the meadow and get some rest. Climbing these thin stairs would be much easier in her human form. However, since the day she went to find medicine for her father, Storge didn't change into a human even once. And even now, despite the hardships, she refused to be anything but a wolf.

Climbing for a few minutes, she reached the entrance to the trunk. It reminded her of the hollows of squirrels where they store honey. Unlike the animal's shelter, the house of the scaled creature looked spacious and cozy. The furniture was made from the same bark, with some parts made from metal, like table legs. In the middle of the room, there was a hearth with a small but warm fire. It didn't produce smoke and didn't damage nearby things or the floor. Several bunches of dried grass and fruit were hanging from the ceiling. While she-wolf looked around, the woman sat in a chair with high back made from intertwined branches. A bowl full of water moved on its own and settled in front of Storge. She sniffed it and drank from it.

When she quelled her thirst, Storge sat down on a colorful piece of cloth laid on the floor. She left her swarm outside the house but hoped it wouldn't take too long to learn about this creature. They still needed to find a place to stay, and certainly it shouldn't be too close to this tree house, regardless of what their relationship would be like in the future. The queen still didn't understand how the creature could understand her or what magic creatures they were talking about, but curiosity got the better of her and she followed the woman here.

"I see. You can't speak."

Storge's ears flinched. The woman they met caught up really quickly.

"Looks like your mind is more advanced than an animal's. Though, the semi-mindful creatures like Haartu are intelligent beings to begin with. But still, they can't talk. And I assume you, as a half-breed, can't do this either."

'Half breed? She talks about strange things. Come to think of it, she said something about magic… magic catchers?' Storge glanced at the bowl with water left over, then looked again at the scaled creature. 'Does she feel it through the smell?'

"That's because I can read your mind if I put it simply. It's blurry, but I can grasp the gist of it. And regarding Magic Snatchers..." the woman's face grimaced. She spat out the next words with hatred and disgust. "Half-breeds that humans create. They covet our magic so much that they kidnap and rape us just to get a scrap of it in their hands."

Even though those words were not about her, Storge felt hurt and frustrated. That was not how she and her siblings were born. Her mother deeply loved Kindhearted; she wept so much when he was wounded.

The memories had struck the queen with grief and pain. It hadn't been long since she had had to leave her mother and part of the swarm behind. Even though Storge knew there was no way her mother could be alive, and that sacrifice had been necessary, the unbearable guilt didn't leave her.

A metal jug moved to the small table next to the woman and poured some liquid into her cup.

"Now I'm even more curious about you. To think of it, humans never really thought of Haartu as someone who could be used to create Magic Snatchers. But on the other hand, falling in love with one is even weirder." She drank the red-colored liquid and added, "If you wish, you can stay on this land. I rarely leave my house, and when I do, I usually visit the west."

The woman went silent. Her black eyes stared at the wall past the queen. She remained like this for some time without blinking, as if pondering the next words. Uncomfortable under her gaze, Storge stood up. Maybe it was a signal for her to leave. But when she took a step towards the exit, the woman started speaking again.

"Yes, you should stay. It will be interesting to observe you, even if it doesn't last long."

Storge looked back at the creature. 'What does this mean? Why won't it last long?'

The woman blinked and all three of her black eyes sparkled. Storge felt how surprised the creature was at her questions. She presumed the queen already knew the answer.

"You are growing much faster than humans do. You have a much shorter life expectancy than normal people."

'I don't understand. I'm growing like any wolf ant, I think.'

The scaled creature took another sip from its cup. Just like the jug, it was made of metal and had engraved flowers and plants on its walls. While Storge was impatiently waiting for clarification, the woman took her time finishing her drink. She returned the cup to the table and then said, "If humans can experience a full change of seasons around 70 times, you will only get to see 10."