Find Your Wings

Melancholy

Colony's POV
The days went on as though there were hardly attacks in the first place. Yet it left them worried that there was something else going on. The young Princess though had more pressure on her shoulders now that her mother was expecting her last pupa as the weeks wore on. The Captain of the Island was always hard at work yet he barely spoke to them day by day. This summer had to be the strangest one, by far, by starting to trust another species with their safety. Although many workers were still unsure about the grasshoppers, but one thing was for certain. No one complained out loud in front of him, or argued... as if they were living in fear. Hopper was strong and stony at first glance. Due to the brutality of his fighting, the ants knew that he deserved respect, as if he was an ever watching bird prone to snatching one of them tightly into his beak. That kind of fear was natural among all kinds, even though his protection was reason for something unknown to them. It was something the Princess was starting to notice during the grasshopper's stay here. It was sure that Molt knew a lot of things, yet even he was not keen to just opening up on his stony brother's behalf. She as well as everyone else in her colony were just beginning to know Hopper. So far, his deeds showed that he was trustworthy.

Yet Atta took notice on other things as well. Hopper hardly spoke unless it was a concern or a sighting. She was always too curious for her own good, but it worried her that he remained so shut off most of the time. Perhaps it was just how he was since he didn't like being bothered, so much as to be ordered to do something. During a safe time period, she would only go up to the mouth of the anthill which was right beside his personal burrow. It was known that he disliked being inside the tunnels as they were too narrow and tight. Even for Molt, but he was more social with the colony members than Hopper. On this day, however, she needed to speak with him about an important matter regarding defense. The water search did not seem to change much during these hard weeks, but worries and questions flooded the princess since her mother was on leave.

Molt, on the other hand, was adjusting to life here on this lonely island, as one of the far reaching foragers as it was his forte, next to helping the young. Hopper put his two cents in as his reference after certain experience with another species. Hopper never spoken of which though. But Dr. Flora wanted everyone to be careful if word ever got out to the Captain that Molt once mentioned hummingbirds. That was when the concern began to take over the learning Princess.

Hopper thought of her as hopeless, if she remembered correctly, as she stuttered and lost track of her thoughts when under pressure. Atta, for one, knew that she was hopeless to an extent. She truly didn't believe that she would be the right Queen for this colony. Now the colony looked up to her for the most crucial decisions. With the threat of the hornets still underway, along with the hope of finding water that would suffice for the time being, the last issue was food.

So one day, when work was being done and the Council (lacking Thorny) went out of their way to help her. The day was overbearing as usual and the few foragers they had left had to have drinking breaks. Demand for water was growing even fiercer now. Life was living separately. Other kins hardly did anything together, such as conversing or even spending any time together, unless one needed help from the other or danger was coming.

Hopper's Narrative
Of course, I was accustomed to being left alone. As much as I enjoyed it, I was certain this colony was prone to making rumors. Molt may have been the open one, but I certainly was not that type. Especially now when I was in the process of finding a way to get to this hive. Finding it, was more like it. If I was to ever find it, I had to travel again, leaving this Island as easy pickings. I was just in the middle of my rounds, scouting out and checking the perimeter when the princess seemed to fly my way. I spotted her intended direction and hid for a moment between two rocks. She landed not to far off, looking for me. Feeling mischief tug at me, I slowly scaled up the stone before clearing my throat. She spun around, just as jumpy as my brother.