Find Your Wings

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Blade's POV
Blade gasped for air as pain surged through his entire body after having been brutally mutilated by no other than a grasshopper. The one he had sworn to kill but was too cowardly to do so. Now he was paying for his stupidity. He feared his Queen to an extent, as did the rest of the hive which now was falling into shambles as he bled. He looked forward after examining his wound, seeing not one, but two grasshoppers. His former captive had returned, in a fright over his injured brother. Hopper, the scarred one was down while he frightfully looked up when he noticed Blade starting to pull himself up. The younger locust protectively stood over Hopper looking very perturbed as a start.

"Back off." was the fierce order which even surprised him.

Hopper's Narrative
I was in a state of pain, but Molt's voice made me hesitate. It sounded so different, so... wrong to me. His voice leaked with anguish, something that was held back... something I never realized. It made hate rise up within me so fast. With all I had left, I had to turn and look, only to see the injured Blade slowly advancing. There far below on the ground was the green hue of a lurking snake... I had my brother's wrist in a tight grip, not letting him get closer to the dangerous hornet. Right then I knew Molt wasn't going to obey me anymore. We were both broken, just the same way. Down below on the ground level, I was able to spy the greenish hue of that snake as it slithered through towards unsuspecting fallen soldiers far beyond this tree.

Too hurt to speak, I simply had to press my brother behind me as I painfully began to stand up. It was clear to me, us, that Blade could hear the screams of his kind. This was a tragedy for him and a victory for us...

"Don't bother... don't you dare bother." my voice felt like it was grating out of my throat. "How does it feel now?"

"You may have taken me down, but you're no match against our Queen..."

"Are you so sure about that...?"

I merely glanced down before smirking at my enemy to where this hungry beast continued to strike at aimless hornets that fell injured from the Finch's defensive attacks. It knew where the nest was now and its scales were impenetrable, also with it being lightning quick. Blade looked below, knowing that I had him. It was over. When I watched him begin to tremble with rage while setting those fiery eyes on the both of us, I kept myself between him and Molt. I squeezed Molt's wrist, silently telling him that he was going to jump away. I gave him a glare as he shoved him away.... Blade jumped quickly to grab one of us, but I purposely shoved him off. He grabbed hold onto my back, forcing me to have to fly. Molt landed safely on a nearby limb, looking on in horror.

My wing may have been ripped to a point, but it was still able to keep me in the air for a good amount of time. With the extra weight on my back, I had to yell out in agony while Blade tried a hand to yank at my antennae. I pulled my head down, sharply to dive down to the deadly massacre below. Blade hollered when I grabbed his wing with my better arm to thrust him off my pain filled back. With a roar, I bucked him off, having him fly off and hit the rough, scaly back of a hungry grass snake. Blade tried to recover, only to have the weight of the snake's body roll half way over him. He saw the head of it, with black piercing eyes with a quick tongue spewing out at him out of a flash of bright green.

As soon as I got him off of me, I landed hard on a dead blade of grass. I hoped the captives weren't eaten along with the rest of these things, but my injuries were starting to get the best of me. The flight made it all worse, yet all the more worth it to me....

Blade tried to squirm out before the great snake curled up and struck near his head. He gave one last cry before the snake made the last move... which ended those piercing cries in an instant.