Hello. I made this little piece for the March Madness Contest in Aria's Afterlife. A day in the life of who ever we choose. Enjoy!
Oh and I own nothing.
Something woke her. It had been an age since she had been woken by something other than her children. Too long in her opinion.
She used to be roused often by the rumblings above and the meaty creatures who seemed to worship her. Those ridiculous little creatures who deemed it necessary to try to kill her children for sport. Despite that, they were tasty morsels, even when covered in the sharp rock that makes them hard to digest. She remembered the light cycles when she was young and she could fill her stomach on them and their offerings.
With those memories running through her mind, she settling down and returned to her slumber.
Something woke her again. So soon? It couldn't have been long. She had just returned to her rest. She should explore this nuisance that seemed to enjoy disturbing her so frequently.
She hadn't moved in a while, which was necessary when meals were few and far between, so she stretched her body in preparation. It felt good to stretch all of her unused muscles then flex them into readiness. The feel of the cool moist sand and soil shifting across her body was soothing as she shifted around then glided forward.
Leaving her well used bed, she hummed her presence through the densely compacted ground and felt for a response from her children. Ah, her children. They were any mother's pride and joy though they lacked great sense on how and when to take on the meaty creatures who summoned them. Many a time had she warned them about when to hunt and play, but rarely was she listened to. She loved her children dearly but she could not be held responsible for their stupidity. Why weren't they answering in return?
A distant vibration caught her attention. It was…different. It was low, vast, consumed the ground around it, and felt, wrong. She remembered her mother telling her stories of her mother's mother and the time the great creatures destroyed all the others above. She had said their vibrations had consumed everything around them. Then they were heard of no more, leaving nothing but the basic creatures that only served as food for years. It seemed though now, those great creatures had returned.
She moved out from her home which nothing, not even her children, was allowed to enter. It was given to her by her mother, and her mother before her. It was deep underground. Deeper than any creature above had ever dug. The closest they had been able to reach was what they called a shrine. She didn't know what they used it for, but they used to leave the offerings that she would gladly take, even if she didn't need them. She would bring what ever was offered back to her home to keep for when she was hungry. There was something in the sand and soil that kept her findings fresh over many cycles of the light above.
Moving into open ground, she hummed to sense her surroundings and found them open and unhindered for her movement. Starting off slow to reacquaint herself to her movements, she advanced towards the surface where the lovely mixture of soil and sand becomes just the loose sand she can easily maneuver in. She rapidly picked up pace, enjoying the long missed feeling of being caressed by the land.
Her mother would bring her near the boundaries of their realm every light cycle, often breaching the surface to bask in the heat of the light. It was a peaceful time with her mother. The meaty creatures were plentiful and loved to play games with her and her mother. Food was abundant and a great joy to hunt. Her light cycles were filled with racing across the lands, chasing what ever creatures she came across. She had often played with her mother's children, then later her own children deep underground where the ancient lava caverns still stood. It had been the most joyous time of her life.
Breaking the surface, she felt the light hit her, instantly warming her body. Feeling energized, she put on a burst of speed and glided across the surface of the sand. She was exhilarated at the freedom she felt as she aimlessly raced in any direction she chose. After a time, she slowed to a crawl and eventually stopped. The light was strong, warm, and very welcome but it made her lazy and the energy she had expended was tiring her a bit. She remembered her mother showing her the joy of resting on the surface and she decided to revisit that joy.
Flexing and stretching her body once more, she settled into the giving sand and wondered why she had never had a daughter to share this joy with. Speaking of her children, she still hadn't heard from any of them. Languidly, she inhaled and hummed once more through the ground beneath her. Waiting for a response, her breathing began to deepen as she basked in the memories of a better time until she drifted off to sleep.
Something woke her yet again. Shifting, she felt for what had disturbed her rest. Some time had passed, not much by the location of the light.
Flexing a bit, she stilled to sense what stirred her. She felt many things while lying there. A group of climbing creatures that amused her whenever she allowed them to play on her, rocks falling a short distance from their perch up high, and was that…? Yes it was. A clutch of harvesters. A dozen or so of them. Just a few would appease her appetite over the next few light cycles and- No, she wanted to find out what has been so rudely waking her.
Thinking of that, there was the great creature's vibrations again. Diving underground, she headed towards the sounds of the creature and noticed they were coming from the old tunnels. She knew those tunnels from when her mother first brought her to the ceremonies. The meaty creatures used to summon her mother to play with them along with her children. And when it was her turn, she was summoned to the fun, as were her own children.
It was a sad light cycle when the horrible explosions erupted. They were so loud that they drove her deep underground. When they had stopped, she found many of her children dead from the noise for they were not fast enough. She mourned their loss but there was nothing she could do for them. She would always have more.
Upon further inspection, she found many of the creatures that had lived above gone. Some she missed, like the walking beasts she could easily eat when she was too lazy to hunt. And others she did not, like the little pests that liked to attack her from the air when she happened to rest close to their nests.
Approaching the tunnels and grounds around them, she thought of all the times she and her children had raced each other around the structures the meaty creatures had created. Even after the ceremonies had long passed, she would spend long spans of time looping herself around, through, under, and over the stones that stood as long as she could remember. The twists and sudden turns she took as she increased her pace to speeds her children couldn't keep up with, always left her energized and thrilled to be alive.
Her attention was taken by the sound of something moving fast across the surface. It held a loud tone to it that waxed and waned at random intervals while sending a mix of vibrations through the ground. It kept- no, there were two of them. What were they doing? One was following the other and it was almost if they were racing…. Yes, they were. They were racing each other. She hadn't raced in an age. Listening and feeling their movements she began to become restless with energy. Her body bunched in anticipation, she hummed her desire to join the race above her.
Their progress slowed until they ceased movement. Why? They didn't seem serious about their race. Maybe she should show them how it was done.
Rushing forward, she made her way towards them. She wanted to surprise them, but in her overzealous approach she breached the surface too soon and they began their race again. It didn't matter, she was ready to play.
They were fast, but she could catch them. She whipped around twists and turns, following them at speeds she hadn't reached since she was young. She was gaining speed and approaching them with such excitement she sung her joy at the thrill coursing through her body.
She was closing the distance between herself and the one trailing behind. As she drew closer, the race began to feel more like a hunt. Indeed their game had turned into a hunt as they were fleeing while she chased. Normally she would be annoyed at her opponent's change in game but she didn't mind this time. She would just have to play with them before she made her final move.
Following, she half-heartedly nipped at their fast turning legs. As she did this, she could hear creatures inside her opponent giving off short shouts. Hmmmm, it seemed what she was chasing was one of those machines the meaty creatures controlled. These machines, if she remembered correctly, held the meaty creatures inside. She relished the panic she sensed in the sound of their cries. And was that-? Oh, yes, others sounded just as enthusiastic at the chase as she was. The fun she could have, yet she did not have the desire to continue this for long.
Trailing off, she quieted and took in their movements, anticipating their path. They were heading around a corner that lead to open ground where she could easily take them. Anticipation coursed through her again until she noticed them stopping. It was as if they knew she was waiting for them and wanted to take the surprise away. Oh well.
She darted forward, almost flying through the sand. Deciding to go after the easier target, she aimed for the one that was trailing behind, passing the other close enough that she could have caressed it. Her target wasn't even giving up a fight as she charged it, skimming the surface. She sung a short note of victory right before she attacked, driving her prey into the stone structure that it sat in front of.
Singing her excitement of catching the first machine she turned around to gauge the location of the other. Humming her pleasure as it fled, she tensed to follow but quickly stopped when she heard the song and hum of one of her children. Instantly she headed towards her child, wondering why it had taken so long for it to respond to her call.
The ground she found herself gliding through felt wrong, as if all the life she and her children loved in it had been removed. Why? How long had she slumbered to have missed something as important as this? Her children would have answers.
The child she found was one of the few that still remained from her first nests shortly after her own mother had passed. Her child hummed his greeting, love, and subjectivity as she approached and caressed along his length. He had grown since last she knew him, closer to her own size than her other children. For him to have grown so much and still be alive after all this time told her he had heeded her instructions for survival. It was refreshing to know one of her children had actually listened to her. Perhaps she would choose him to be her mate. If he produced good nests with her, then she would even consider him to give her a daughter.
Once their greeting was completed, she sang her questions of what had happened in her absence and what he told her in response did not warm her.
The great creatures that her mother spoke of had returned and were now hunting her children. When the they had arrived, her children had defended her territory with little success. They did not only kill her children, they did something to them, made them change into something they were not. No longer a part of her. They appeared to follow the great creatures until death took them, which came quickly once they changed. These deaths did not deter the great creatures from continuing their hunt of her children and killing them without celebration.
Listening to her child's song of sorrow and anger, she mourned the loss bitterly. There were too many that she would never feel or hear again. Her child before her sung to her again telling her where her surviving children hid deep underground from those who hunted them. Hunger was the only thing that could drive them out now.
She screamed her rage deep into the ground. Her children were being driven into hiding, only to emerge to hunt. It was a disgrace to her and her mother and her mother's mother. How could she let this happen? Why hadn't her children come to her? How dare these things bring such shame upon them all?
Through her fury, a powerful vibration ripped through the ground. It coursed through her entire body, sending waves of pleasure from her head down to the tip of her tail. She knew that thrumming. The meaty creatures were summoning her.
Feeling the vibration coursing through her again, she breached the surface. The tremors that sent shivers down her spine kept coming and she revelled in the familiarity of them until the great creature's own vibrations tainted the pureness of her happiness. She was getting tired of the great creature intruding on her territory and her joy. It was time to remove this creature from her home. Growling out her intent, she headed for the origin of both vibrations, where the great creature stood.
The steady beat of the welcomed vibrations encouraged her on her path as she picked up speed. Rising above the ground, she sung her challenge for all to hear then sunk back into the sand so hard it ripped at her body. She could feel the great creature moving towards her then releasing it's own low, single noted song in answer to her challenge.
Rising above the ground once more, she sung her promise of retribution for what it and its kind had done to hers. Diving back under the surface, she felt heat struggling to penetrate the ground deep enough to reach her. She smelled the immediate burning of the sand above her but she remained unscathed. Was that what the great creature used on her children?
Bursting out of the ground, she screeched her fury just before colliding with the great creature. Surprisingly it did not fall from the collision as she expected it to. It held it's ground against her weight and pushed back against her assault. For a moment nothing happened as she strained her entire body searching for the momentum to gain the advantage in leverage.
Slowly she gained control over the battle. As the great creature took a step back to regain its stance, she saw her opportunity. Her muscles tensed as she prepared to strike only to have her body pulled forward and through the air. Unable to counter such an attack, she was swung around and suddenly collided with one of the large structures, causing her to scream out in pain and anger.
Realizing her mistake, she quickly recovered from the unexpected blow and moved to withdraw back below the surface. With her senses honed on the great creature above, she maneuvered at a speed she never knew she could reach, to position herself for her next attack.
She hummed a promise to the children that she had lost and to those still with her. She will rid this world of the creatures that have been hunting them. This was her home and her mother's home, and her mother before her. It was her responsibility to protect it and her children. No longer was she going to rest below the sands. No longer was she going to let her children die.
She was the mother of all thresher maws. She was Kalros. And she was going to thrive again.