After returning to the nest, Storge dove into work, despite the sun still being high in the sky. The cows they had brought laid eggs in the herdroom. It was a good start, but it would take time before they hatched and the herd grew bigger. As for now, the swarm could not rely on three cows to survive the winter. The workers were busy storing food, postponing work on tunnels and new storage rooms. Being few in number, even the soldiers took part in hunting regularly. However, their food supplies would only last a few weeks at most, a fact that worried the queen.

Hailstone was missing. Once again, he headed to Iphrita’s house. Storge looked towards the south, where the scaled woman lived. She had been avoiding her since their last conversation. It was childish of her, as it solved nothing, but Storge’s head was already filled with heavy and disturbing thoughts.

She only slept for a few hours, and it didn’t bring her any freshness. It was still too early to leave the nest, but the queen went outside, anyway. She had been turning and tossing around for a while without falling asleep yet. Waiting outside for others to wake up would be more pleasant than staying alone and anxiously in the queen’s room.

The sun slowly leaned towards the horizon, coloring the sky in orange. Storge yawned and stretched her back. She wanted to sit down, but a familiar scent made her stop. Spot followed her outside of the nest. She greeted him and moved away a bit, but he approached her and started nuzzling her mane. Storge recoiled and turned away from the wolf soldier. It should have been enough for her to make her intentions clear, but Spot didn’t give up. He walked around and even tried to nibble at her muzzle. The queen ran away from him. Spot followed her. She could feel his excitement and joy, which made her feel worse.

'I don’t want to play, Spot!' almost screamed Storge.

Storge almost screamed. His persistence irritated her. Feeling like being dropped into a corner, she resorted to a last resort and changed into her human form. This finally had an effect. The wolf soldier stopped, keeping his distance and looking at her in confusion. Storge sighed. She didn’t want to hurt her friend, but his courtship seemed endless. They both flinched and turned their heads when they heard a rustling noise. They were not the only ones who left the nest.

Kindhearted gently pushed Spot on the shoulder, moving him away from his daughter. The young wolf ant decided to listen to his advice and walked away. When he walked back to the nest, Kindhearted sat down beside Storge. She followed his example and placed her hand on his thick mane, stroking the black, silky fur.

'I know he’s a nice mate, but I just can’t see him as anything more than a friend or family. I’m sorry.'

She knew that what she was apologizing for was much worse than simply rejecting a fine wolf ant. But voicing her true feelings out loud was too much. 'How can I admit that I’m still attracted to humans, when the first person I was interested in nearly killed dad and led to mom’s death and our exile?'

Storge couldn’t face her father with these thoughts in mind. The wolf put his paw on her lap, forcing her to turn to him. He couldn’t talk or communicate thoughts, but his eyes were filled with understanding and kindness. He never scolded his children for their silly antics. Storge knew that he would never hate her or be disappointed. Hurting him by her choice was something she was afraid of.

But despite her feelings, she had a responsibility to the swarm.

***

The sky slowly darkened, with a red line stretching across the horizon. Leaving behind the awakening wolves, Storge walked through the grove. She had finally made a decision. It was a necessary thing to do, and yet her pace was slow and her head felt empty. At this time, humans should have been hiding under the safety of their houses. The chance of meeting was slim.

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Or at least she thought so until a familiar smell appeared near the river. He was in the grove. Storge paused, shifting from one forepaw to another. A brief change to her human form after a long time felt confusing. Considering the metamorphosis she had gone through to become a queen, it would not be strange for her to grow in her human form too. But even a quick glance was enough to understand how much she had grown. She became closer to the young woman she had seen in an outsider’s village than to teenagers from the forest near her birth nest. This kind of rapid change made her feel uncomfortable.

However, this also meant that her plan should be successful. Storge picked up a familiar smell and followed it. Suddenly, her heart started racing, as if she were on the hunt chasing a flydeer. 'He is in some sense my prey now,' thought Storge, increasing her pace.

Her keen nose never failed her. The queen found Ferko when he was climbing down an upside-down tree. 'Didn’t he learn his lesson?' The rhetorical question could not receive an answer. With a few careful movements, Ferko finally reached the ground. As soon as his feet touched the grass, he turned and looked at Storge. His laugh made her startle.

"Do you have a sixth sense or something? But I can’t give you everything. You will need to be content with just a small portion."

Only now did she notice the jar in the guy’s hands. His assumption that she had approached him for honey caused the queen’s ears to drop down. And once again, he misunderstood this gesture. Ferko approached the she-wolf and asked, "What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

She shook her head, then froze. Was it wise to reveal that she understood human speech? But such thoughts sounded ridiculous compared to what she had planned. Storge looked up. The guy was accustomed to her strangeness and, to the queen’s relief, didn’t mind her gesture. He patted the she-wolf’s head, then opened the jar. The sweet smell of honey filled her nostrils. Ferko bit his lower lip, thinking about something. Then he tore a large rhomboid leaf from the bottom branch of a rocky tree and scooped it into the jar.

Storge stared at his actions, sitting on the grass. When the guy offered her a leaf, the temptation was too strong to refuse. She started to lick the honey off the leaf. It tasted sweeter than the candy Diego had brought her a few months ago. Her wet nose touched Ferko’s hand. A few drops of honey were on his index finger. Whether it was the sweetness of the treat or the weight of everything that had been weighing on her for months, Storge grew bold and licked those drops, too. He laughed at the ticklish sensation. But then he froze, staring in bewilderment at her.

There was no perfect moment to put the plan into action. Any moment could go wrong. But at least for now, the night was slowly falling on the grove and they were both away from the village. With these thoughts in mind, Storge changed her form. A faint sweetness lingered where she had licked off the human’s finger honey drops. Anticipating his surprise, she looked up at his face.

The guy’s blue eyes were indeed wide open. But the moment she looked at him, Ferko snapped out of his stupor. He hurriedly turned his head away, covering his eyes with his hands, and recoiled from Storge. Blocking his own vision was a bad idea. Ferko tripped almost immediately and fell on his back. He groaned and sat up, rubbing his hurt back. The moment he opened his eyes, Storge was in front of him.

"Wait… Wait!" the guy uttered, squeezing his eyes shut.

Looking at his flushed face, Storge moved closer. She could feel how tense the guy was. When she placed her hand on his chest, it felt like his heart was thundering, like the hooves of countless horned animals running away. Storge frowned. 'Why is he so scared? If anything, he should be even more scared when I approach him like a wolf ant.' This kind of behavior was confusing. Especially his stubborn attempts to not look at her.

'This is going nowhere.' A simple stare and even placing her hand on his chest did nothing.

Storge leaned forward and nuzzled into the guy’s neck. He flinched and mumbled something, asking her to wait again. Waiting was not in Storge’s plan. She remembered the mating ritual that the couple in the village had done and pressed her lips against Ferko’s.

'Just calm down. I promise not to harm you,' the queen focused, conveying her thoughts.

Finally, it made him open his eyes. His mouth was shut and his face was still red, but at least he finally looked at her. 'That’s much better,' thought Storge, and repeated her previous action. 'Seems like he has no experience in courting either. But this shouldn’t be too complicated.'

Was it her calming thoughts, or her persistent efforts that brought her reward? Whatever it was, Ferko began to reciprocate her actions. Storge felt a fleeting moment of triumph before her racing heart betrayed her at the guy’s touch.