Chapter 4
Winter was unusually cold that year.
Yuki watched her husband carefully, looking for signs of any kind of trouble.
Both of them kept what happened a secret. Not even the rest of their clan knew about it.
He didn't show it (as he was good at hiding his emotions if he wanted to) but Kama could feel it when the eggs hatched two weeks later.
It was a very small feeling, but he could most definitely feel the wriggling of the kikaichu larva. He was not sure whether to be intrigued or disgusted by the sensation. He didn't have much time to think it over, because within another week he could feel that that they had pupated and become small, juvenile beetles (as the wriggling sensation disappeared and was replaced by a slight vibration and prickly feeling). He did not know how long they would take to grow to full size, all he did know about that was they should be ready to leave his body by the end of three months, and would leave as the first warm hints of Spring came.
The young inside him, which he figured there to be at least 3000-some of, finally responded to his attempts to talk to them by the end of the second month. He was quite surprised at what they said…
Wo dat there is?
…eh?
Hehee!
Did you hear something?
We dunno…
Like talking to a child…he mused with a slight laugh.
His first thing was to ask them to not take so much of his chakra, as he had been feeling weak and unable to practice his ninjutsu properly. They seemed to happily comply for the most part. He still felt weak…but it was a most definite change for the better.
By the end of the third month, Kama was looking forward to the little kikaichu leaving in a few weeks, for his muscles in his torso ached from their increased movement and size. Yet…he had somewhat grown to like their interesting vibrations…and they had since learned to speak quite clearly and only when spoken to.
It was nearing close to spring, but the last frost had not yet come.
"I'll be back soon," Kama kissed his wife on the lips. Yuri was now quite obviously pregnant, and figured she was due by mid-Spring.
"Be careful," she nodded with a smile.
Kama carefully plucked herbs from a plot of moss on the ground in the forest. This certain herb only grew in the late winter months. As he was going about his work a, sudden jolt ran through him, he looked up, alert.
…
Something is coming
…
He looked around, jumping to his feet. He had never felt the kikaichu warn him of something before…
He didn't have time to think, as he was knocked down from behind, a massive weight felling him to the ground. He moaned from the wind getting knocked out of him, and looked up to see a muscular, tan body circling back around in the clearing.
It was a mountain lion. A large one.
His body froze stiff with fear. He dared not reach for his knife, a sudden move may make the cat strike. He figured on using a ninjutsu technique to transform and confuse the cat…but…
The cat lunged forward, fangs bared.
His achy body could not react as fast as he usually could. It still would not have mattered, his had not caught his breath, his muscles fell limp under his commands to get up and run away. It was then that he felt a massive angry vibration well up from his chest, so much so that it became audible to outside ears. He cried out. His skin ripped open in a number of places, from which a very unhappy-sounding swarm of destruction bugs poured out. Albeit only 3000-some, it was enough to stop the cat mid-strike as they swarmed onto it, giving Kama just enough time to roll out of its path. The cat thwacked to the ground, and rolled to a stop.
Within 10 seconds it stopped writhing and screeching.
It was dead.