"I know our first meeting didn’t go well, but please give me another chance."

Ferko gulped. The tiny meadow, surrounded by trees, was too close to the nest. This meant that the place could be seen by others, and his conversation, which he had hoped to keep private, wasn’t unnoticed. A few of those curious ones had already looked out from the tree trunks.

Only silence was his answer. The guy took it as a sign to continue.

"As I said before, my name is Ferko." He made an effort to straighten his stiff shoulders, which was important for making a good impression. Despite the noise, he inhaled deeply and bowed. "I know I lack experience, but I really like your daughter and hope you will approve of our relationship. Please accept this gift."

A sheep laying before him was bleating without stopping. Coming here had already taken enough courage. Talking with this constant interruption made Ferko even more nervous. He raised his head, looking at the wolf ant.

The soldier wolf didn’t hiss right away, like the last time, but his long muzzle grimaced as if he smelled something unpleasant. The wolf stared at the human, then slowly moved its gaze to the sheep. The animal, which Ferko had boldly taken from the barn, raised its voice as if feeling attention from the predator It tried to get up, but its legs were tied. The wolf ant sniffed the sheep, and it bleated desperately. Ferko held his breath, waiting for what would happen next.

But contrary to his expectations, the wolf recoiled and placed its forepaw on the sheep’s muzzle. The animal shuddered and went silent for a second. Then it bleated again. The soldier wolf raised his gaze and looked at Ferko in the eyes. It was the moment the guy had been waiting for. If the gift was not to the predator’s liking, could he still give him a chance?

Kindhearted shook his head.

Startled, Ferko looked at the wolf in bewilderment. He glanced at the four others: three workers and one soldier - who were observing their conversation from a distance. As if noticing the human’s gaze, all four shook their heads.

"Wait," muttered Ferko, "please just give me a cha..."

The hissing stopped him mid-sentence. This was his second attempt, so Ferko reacted quickly. He rushed to the upside-down tree and climbed it in time. A soldier wolf jumped out of the bushes. His claws scratched the grey bark, leaving wide furrows in its wake. The guy exhaled, clutching a branch above his head. Ferko looked at the angry wolf ant, then noticed a familiar she-wolf approaching from the direction of the nest. Kindhearted left a sheep in the meadow and quickly strolled deep into the grove.

Storge followed her father with a gaze. Wolf’s fur stood on end, but he kept his mandibles hidden, unlike Rainstorm. Her brother looked even more peeved than their father. Other wolf ants noticed the queen and returned to their tasks. The swarm had more than enough work to do. There was no need to engage with a human any longer. But Rainstorm stubbornly circled around the tree, occasionally raising his head from time to time and hissing at the guy.

The she-wolf approached him and rubbed her shoulder against his mane.

'Why does this human keep coming? Chase him away.' Despite her efforts, Rainstorm still glared at the tree.

'I’ll deal with him. Just go back.'

Her brother hid his mandibles. Arguing with the queen wouldn’t do any good for the swarm, but Rainstorm shook his head. 'I know you had to make a tough choice. However, Spot would be a much better option. This human can’t be your mate.'

She lowered her head and pushed the soldier wolf towards the nest. Rainstorm said nothing. He walked away without looking back.

Storge raised her head. 'Is it a game?'

"As if... I think I’ve never been so humiliated in my entire life." Although the other wolf ants had left the meadow, Ferko did not hurry to climb down. He carefully looked around, trying to spot any signs of a potential ambush. His caution made perfect sense, and yet Storge abruptly shook her head, as if trying to get rid of invisible water. The guy interpreted this gesture in his own way. Ferko carefully climbed down from the tree. When his feet touched the ground, he asked, "Why does your father hate me so much?"

'He doesn’t hate you. If he did, he wouldn’t simply hiss at you. And Rainstorm wouldn’t simply chase you too.'

"Sitting on a tree is not my thing either," retorted Ferko. "But I guess you have a point."

The she-wolf sat down and glanced at the scared sheep. Most predators had left the meadow, but it still bleated sorrowfully, eager to return to its herd. Storge shook her head again, slowly this time.

'Take it back. Why are you doing all this in the first place?'

"Shouldn’t I be acknowledged by your father in order to be accepted by the swarm?" Asked Ferko.

He only glanced at the sheep. Instead, the guy took a pear from his bag and handed it over to Storge. She raised her right forepaw, then hurriedly lowered it back to the ground. She could smell the sweet aroma coming from the pear’s thin skin. The she-wolf licked her upper lip. Her attempt to fight against temptation soon became meaningless. Ferko used a knife to cut out the middle of the fruit, taking out the seeds and stem. Once again, he handed over the peeled pear. 'Refusing now would be too rude,' thought Storge, trying hard not to notice the strange sensation in her heart, as if a greedy paw clenched it.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

When she finished eating, she finally answered his question. 'No, you should be acknowledged by the queen. That means by me.'

"Does it mean I’m still not accepted by you?"

Ferko waited for another answer, but the she-wolf turned and headed towards the nest. She walked without hurry and stopped right away when the guy called out to her.

"I know I came without warning. But can you turn into a human for a bit? I just want to see you. I mean… I haven’t seen you in a while."

'It’s cold,' Storge cut him off. She understood what he meant perfectly. It had been a week since she last changed into her human form. Her stomach was growing. It was something she could still hide by staying as a wolf ant. Lying so bluntly made her paws itch to hurry back to the queen’s room.

Making an effort, Storge looked around her shoulder. Ferko was taking something from his bag. "Here, take this."

Storge glanced at the piece of green clothing that the guy offered to her.

'I don’t need it. I have fur.'

"Still, you’re right. It’s getting colder. You need to keep your body warm, or you might catch a cold," Ferko said, standing on one knee and covering her back with a piece of cloth. He lightly tied the strings, ensuring that the fabric would not fall off. "It’s a cloak. You can wear it however you like. It will not feel tight around your neck like a collar."

Despite his words, the cloak burned Storge’s conscience worse than Iphrita’s fire. She shook her head, but the strings kept the clothes on her back.

'Take the animal and go back. The sun had already risen, I had to return to my nest.'

She-wolf quickly left the meadow, heading in the direction that most of her swarm had gone. She did not wait for the guy’s answer, nor did she comment on his gift. Ferko watched her running figure as the green fabric fluttered around her movements. He glanced at the lightening sky from the sun, then turned towards a sheep. Before the guy could throw the sheep over his shoulder, another soldier wolf jumped onto the meadow.

Ferko flinched and moved towards the tree. Almost instantly, he stopped and exhaled.

"Don’t scare me like that. You know your brother gives me a hard time."

Hailstone sat down and scratched his cheek with his hind leg. 'I thought you two were playing.'

"Your family has a strange view of games." Ferko reached out to the wolf and scratched behind his ears. Hailstone squinted his eyes in pleasure. He let himself relax, then suddenly recoiled.

'We have no time for this!' stated the wolf to the surprised guy. 'Hurry, you need to come up with another plan! The last one didn’t help me.'

At the mention of their previous attempt to impress the queen of the hive, Ferko averted his gaze. Hailstone was confident that drawing was the key to winning his lady’s heart. Unfortunately, his mandibles had only broken the pencils. Then Ferko came up with an idea. The two went to an area with high grass near the hive. While Ferko guided, Hailstone cut down the grass, leaving a pattern in the field. Their plan was for the queen to look down from the hive onto the area and gaze at a romantic image.

However, the soldier wolves did not appreciate the intruders messing with their territory. The two accomplices fled before the plan was finished. Ferko was sure it would still work, but when Hailstone asked him to draw it out on paper, another problem with the plan became apparent. The wolf stared at the image, then shook his head.

"It’s a heart," explained Ferko, and Hailstone laughed at his words.

'Silly, a heart doesn’t look like that at all.'

Now pondering what to do, Ferko scratched his head. Wolf ants were not familiar with human symbols.

"I’m not sure human romantic actions can help you win the heart of a female wolf," Ferko confessed his concerns.

But Hailstone remained unshaken. 'You promised me. I know you can think of something.'

"Fine," gave up Ferko. "I have an idea, but I need to go back to the village first. Let’s meet in the evening after sunset."

***

It wasn’t too hard to return the sheep, pretending that it had wandered away from the herd. Sneaking into the evening was more challenging. His constant leaves, regardless of how good the excuse, got on his father’s nerves. To Ferko’s relief, Hailstone’s curiosity led to an endless stream of questions. At least in this way, the guy could distract himself from worrying about his own family.

"Say, didn’t you like any human girl?" Ferko asked when they could already see the hive.

The wolf froze, gaping at Ferko. 'No way! Humans are so…' he stopped in time and corrected himself. 'Don’t take it personally, but they don’t even have fur... What’s the plan?'

Hailstone changed the topic, avoiding looking at the guy in the eye. Ferko did not argue with his views and took a bouquet from his shoulder bag.

"Give it to her. Girls like flowers."

Before he could add anything, Hailstone beamed brighter than the stars in the night sky.

'Right! Father and Rainstorm said to give her food. But this might work better. It is so fresh and new!'

His sincere words made Ferko’s cheeks red. The wolf jumped twice and carefully took the bouquet in its mouth.

'Wish me luck!'

"Good luck," whispered Ferko, but the soldier wolf was already running towards the hive. Hailstone leaped and turned around in the air to let the guy know he had heard him. Ferko laughed at the stunt. The powerful beast resembled a love-struck teenager.

Looking at Hailstone, Ferko lowered his head and hid in the high grass. He held his breath as he noticed the queen slowly approaching the intruder. At least, the soldier wolves were only watching for now.

'What are you doing?'

The familiar voice in his head made Ferko turn around. She-wolf followed them, already without a cloak. Noticing his glance at her back, Storge shook her head. 'I left it in the nest. It would be uncomfortable to walk around in it.'

Ferko nodded. It made perfect sense that the clothes could get stuck in the bushes or get turned by a sturdy branch. He took another present out of the bag and handed it to the she-wolf. She sniffed at the green stem with tiny yellow flowers on it. It smelled sweet like a honey.

'What is this?' she asked, recoiling.

"Goldenrod."

Storge sighed. This response did not answer her query. 'You do know I’m not a honey squirrel.'

For a moment, Ferko looked back at her with a flower in his hand. Then realization struck him and he protested, "No, no, it’s not for eating, it’s..." He paused, trying to find the words, then Ferko smiled, "It’s beautiful, just like your eyes."

The she-wolf tilted her head. The idea of comparing someone’s eyes to flowers never crossed her mind. She glanced behind the guy, and her attention made him turn around.

While they talked, the two wolves from different swarms approached each other. The queen kept her head low, feeling an unfamiliar smell coming from a soldier wolf. With the bouquet in his mouth, Hailstone winked at the she-wolf and pointed at the flowers with his eyes.

"I definitely didn’t teach him that," commented Ferko upon seeing this. He could hear the hive’s queen hissing.

Storge grinned at the sight of her brother’s courting attempts. 'Let’s go. He wouldn’t like us to witness his shameful escape.'