Tribal

35

Daisy woke up the next morning and noticed that Clover was awake and trying to move around the kitchen to get some food.

"Clover? Shouldn't you be in bed?" Daisy asked.

Clover jumped slightly when she heard Daisy speak.

"Oh! Daisy, sorry, I didn't see you there. Yes, I am supposed to be in bed, but Reed is still sleeping and I didn't want to wake him," Clover said.

"Well then, let me help you. Here, sit. I'll get you something to eat," Daisy said, standing.

Clover sat down at the stone table, and Daisy looked around for where Ivy and Thorn kept their food. She only found a bag of oats.

"Here, I can make you some oatmeal. I'll be quick," Daisy said.

She took a bag of oats and found a bowl in one of the cabinets. Placing the oats in the bowl and filling it with a little water, she placed the mixture over the stone fireplace. Daisy turned and pulled a jar of honey from her bag along with a shaker filled with a brown powder.

"What is that?" Clover asked.

"Oh! This is cinnamon. It is a spice that the Hive has imported from Greenpath," Daisy said.

"Spice? Aren't spices supposed to be, y'know, spicy?" Clover said.

"Cinnamon is a little different. I tend to pair it with honey; it helps bring out more of the cinnamon's sweetness," Daisy said.

She walked over to the stone fireplace and took the bowl out with an oven mitten to protect her hand. Placing the bowl on the table, she mixed a little bit of cinnamon and honey into it and passed it to Clover.

"That should have plenty of good nutrients to keep you healthy. I would have made more than just oatmeal, but I can't find anything else," Daisy said, and went to wash her hands in the bathroom.

"Don't worry, this is actually quite good," Clover said.

As she was eating, Daisy sat down across the table and began to ask a few questions.

"So, I wanted to ask you about Ash," Clover paused when Daisy spoke.

"What did you want to know?" Clover asked.

"What was he like before Shade?" Daisy said.

"He has always been a very composed man. He never raised his voice or got angry, even when me and Acacia were doing dumb things. He loved helping people and preferred to talk things out rather than immediately resorting to violence. He was a role model for many males in the tribe; he was highly intelligent both emotionally and mentally. But when push comes to shove, he is one of our greatest warriors. I always wanted to be more like him; he always acted so mature and refined despite the fact that Aunt Violet was the most barbaric Mantis Lord ever. I remember when she would train him; from the moment he could hold a spear, she had him hunt fungal ogres. Needless to say, he never came back without at least one injury. Aunt Violet always just told him to shake it off; mother usually helped patch up his wounds. Not even my own training was that harsh; mother made sure to only put as much on me as she thought I could take. Of course, I always tried to push myself to be better; Aunt Violet would scold Ash. 'Why can't you be more like your cousin Clover?' She would shout at him. She called it tough love; I always called it bad parenting," Clover looked at her bowl.

"Wow, he must have had a hard time growing up," Daisy said.

"You'd think, right? But no, every insult, every bruise, cut, or burn. No matter what he suffered, he always used it as an excuse to get even stronger. Eventually, he rose to the top of our ranks; he became Aunt Violet's best soldier. She couldn't be more proud; she would brag about his strength to anyone who would listen. Then when the three of us became lords ourselves, he dropped the ferocious warrior facade and revealed his true strength, his mind. He is resilient and fearless, with the strength, speed, and reflexes to match. Me and Acacia were blessed with natural strength, but that is only because female mantises are naturally stronger than males. But even with that said, if we stop training for even a month, Ash would surpass us easily," Clover bragged about her cousin.