Life in the nest continued to flow as smoothly as Teena's river waters. The sudden appearance of a Kindhearted carrying a haggard Bug caused a burst of surprise in the swarm's daily routine. She was worried that her human form might make the wolves cautious of her. Indeed, they were puzzled at first. When the animals approached the girl, they sniffed her head to toe. Feeling the familiar scent, they calmed down, and after this initial recognition, the wolves did not mind her change. Later, when Bug wandered around the nest in her human form, any wolf that approached her would just sniff and greet her before continuing on their way. Despite knowing that they could see pretty well, it seems like the smell played a bigger role and indicated her relationship with the nest.

When the first commotion had calmed down, Kindhearted took the girl to one of the resting rooms. Here, on the soft layer of grass, the girl finally fell into a deep slumber. When she awoke, Creek was sitting by her side. The worker, whom Bug first met at the creek and followed to the nest, was holding a rose-like mushroom in his mandibles. When she sat down, the wolf placed the mushroom on her lap. The girl touched his shoulder, lightly rubbing it with her hand to imitate a thanking gesture. Pleased, the wolf licked her hand and then left the room. Bug ate the mushroom. Its taste was bland, but she had seen it a few times before. Wolves used it as medicine to heal wounds and prevent infections. The elderly couple never even shared herbs with her, let alone expensive antibiotics. But the girl had heard about its effects. The rose-shaped mushroom was similar to human creations she had never tried before.

In the next few days, she continued to change into a human during the day. She spent her time in the nest sleeping and occasionally visiting the "kindergarten" to look after the cubs. Most of her injuries healed quickly, but the broken wrist took longer. When the swelling went down, the stiffness and pain remained. Even after several weeks after the execution, when the bones had healed, it still felt like they hadn't healed in the correct alignment. The stiffness remained. It would sadden the girl if she continued to live among humans. But in the nest, it didn't cause much discomfort. Her dress had no buttons, and she didn't know how to write. So, the injury didn't affect these small actions, as she simply didn't perform them. Only when she cleaned the wolf ants' fur from fleas and ticks, Bug felt pain and remorse about her hand. Now that the girl was in human form, she put to use her fingers' dexterity. The news about her skill spread throughout the nest like fire, and wolves came to visit her not only to bring food and medicine but also to get their hide free from parasites

Once during Bug's stroll, Pushing Queen poked her, as usual. Although in her wolf form she wouldn't mind it, her human body was weak, and she fell on the ground from the push. The wolves were confused by her sudden frailty. One of the workers hurried to offer her a rose mushroom. The queen didn't poke her again for several weeks after that. All these small gestures of concern and recognition filled the girl with happiness.

Resting and healing, the days passed in this peaceful way. At first, Bug feared that humans might come to avenge the wounded. But they didn't. The village had no soldiers or weapons to fight the swarm, and the army was too busy guarding the walls. Lack of death casualties was enough for the capital to turn a blind eye to the attack. The loss of the hunchback was not a loss at all. 'They probably think I'm dead. I hope they do' thought Bug, getting ready to sleep. The days grew colder, but it was warm inside the nest. Healed and full of strength, she was prepared to start work the next night.

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But when she woke up, something felt strange. She blinked a few times, her eyelids still heavy from sleep. She stood up and stretched. At that moment, Bug understood what it was that felt so strange - she had changed her form. This was the first time it had happened during sleep. However, on the other hand, it was convenient, so she didn't pay much attention to it and walked out of the nest.

The soldiers on guard duty tonight were Dawn and Blizzard. She named them so because the first one liked to patrol until the late dawn and greet the morning sun, while the second one had white hair among the black fur. Bug headed to greet them and froze in her steps. She was used to looking up at the soldiers, but now her eyes were at the same level. She was almost the same size as those huge wolves. Bug sat down and touched her neck with her paw. The thick black mane covered her neck and shoulders now. Without knowing, she changed into a soldier during her sleep, which lasted for two days, as it turned out.

A complicated word she had heard from hunters a few times popped up in her mind - metamorphosis. It meant the transformation of wolf ants, who were going through a change from workers to soldiers. At the time, Bug didn't fully understand the process, but she liked the sound of the word, so she remembered it. Males changed after reaching a certain age, but females in the swarm were all workers, except for the queen. 'It's not like I'm older than others, so there must be another reason.' For now, Bug accepted her new reality without questioning it any further.

Her becoming a soldier led to expected and unexpected results. It was obvious that she had a new set of tasks to perform. She had to concentrate on guarding the nest and its inhabitants. And to Bug's surprise, she could now stay in wolf form for as long as she wanted and change whenever she wanted. With this freedom, she spent most of her time in her wolf's form.

What wasn't expected was that Kindhearted began to show signs of affection towards her in a peculiar manner. He was always friendly, but now he often invited her to play by nibbling her muzzle, offered the best pieces from the hunt, and even nuzzled affectionately in her mane. Although Bug hadn't studied wolf ants from books, she could guess at what all these things meant, and it confused her.

She certainly liked him. But what kind of love could she offer him? A sense of camaraderie as a fellow soldier? Kinship with the swarm?

In the human world, she had seen weddings and couples flirting. Certainly, nothing of that kind could be found among wolves. His courting rituals amused her. Kindhearted couldn't promise her forever. His gifts were just food. Yet, she couldn't completely refuse his efforts. It worried her, as she questioned her own sanity. From any female perspective, he was a fine mate. That is, from the swarm's perspective. Was she swayed by the wolf's feelings inside her? But if so, why did she question those feelings in the first place?

It was the day when they were both in the "kindergarten" when she suddenly realized. The way he treated the younglings as if they were his own, his patience with their silly games - that's what touched her heart so long ago. The day this huge beast saved her from falling into the wolf's pit and the day it gently took her away from the village, like a lost cub.

So, when Kindhearted once again shyly nuzzled against her neck, she licked him back for the first time. The burden on her heart was finally lifted.