Chapter 6: Hard Questions
A few days later, Amun was walking through the forest looking for more meat and hosts to bring back for his queen. Things had become even worse than before which made him worry. Amun had been travelling farther and farther in attempts to find food and hosts for their eggs with nothing to show for it. Thankfully the fish had been plentiful enough to keep all their appetites satisfied, but nothing more. He knew it would not last forever, that something would have to change and soon. As he continued his walk, his mind was at ease knowing that Emilia was safe with Bobby within the cave.
Bobby had gone through her molting cycles with lightning speed and grown to a full sized drone in only a day! She also learned English at an alarming rate, which made things for Emilia and Amun rather easy. However, it also meant that her mental curiosity was never satisfied, she craved knowledge and wanted to explore her new world a bit too much. They both had to keep a close eye on her so she did not wonder off. It made Amun smile, she was a hand full but he loved every moment he had with his little daughter. She had a great personality and took after Emilia.
Amun paused to look around, seeing nothing, not a trace of a pheromone in sight. He let out a large sigh and continued on. He was farther than he had ever been from the cave that they called home, which made him worry. He knew that it would take him the better part of the day to run back if there was an emergency. Which reminded him to test his mental link with Emilia. He cleared his mind and reached out to her. At first there was nothing, but eventually he found her. It was more like finding a candle in the blackness of night, small and hard to focus on. But once it was found, you could just make it out. At this distance, Amun knew that he would not be able to hear her words, but could just make out the feelings of peace and calm. He knew that everything was alright.
He took a quick look around before picking a direction to take when suddenly he felt something else in the back of his mind. A presence that he knew o too well, and one that he was not happy to feel.
"Bobby...what are you doing?" He said with a bit of anger in his voice. He turned to face a tree that was off to his left. He stared at it a moment before a tail began to flick from side to side from behind it. When bobby knew that she had been found, she slowly emerged from behind the tree.
"How did you know!?" She exclaimed as she made her way onto a branch that extended towards him. Amun took the few steps to come to her tree.
"I am linked to you, I can feel where you are, you know this. More importantly, I know you are not with Emilia! You are suppose to be watching her." Bobby could tell that he was upset and curled her tail around herself as she sat upon the large branch in the tree.
"She said I could go, that being trapped inside was not good. I wanted to explore with you." Amun could tell that she was not lying, but he was still concerned for his Queen who was still suspended by the resin armatures. He let out another large sign, knowing that Emilia probably did not want Bobby to grow bored in the cave.
"Come then little one, let us see what we can find today." He said as he turned his back to her. Bobby knew that Amun was showing her his back in order to leap upon it, so she did. He felt the impact of the Xeno upon his back and felt her crawl upon his rib cage until she settled down around one of the tubes on his back. She wrapped her tail securely around his appendage encase it became a bumpy ride. From her vantage point, she could still see over top of his shoulder, which was very important for her.
.
"Father, are we looking for fish?" She asked as Amun continued his walk. The comment made him smile. Today he was determined to find at least one host to bring back to Emilia. Where the queen loved Bobby and would always care for her, Emilia still wished to have a few more daughters within their hive. So Amun would help all he could.
"Today we are looking for hosts, Bobby. Animals that are large enough to be impregnated." He felt a wave of confusion from his daughter.
"What is erm-pregnate?" She asked as she made her way from his back to the top of his crown. It made no difference to him where she way, her weight was no burden.
"Impregnate. It means to fertilize someone. In our case, your sisters will be placed inside another creature to be born."
"Ooo...what is fertilize?"
"It is when someone is ready to have children."
"Ooo...so you fertilized momm-"
"Oook I think that's something you and Mother should talk about." Amun said cut her off, not really in the mood for the birds and the bees talk quite yet. He was truly amazed at how fast his first born was growing and learning. It was hard to keep up some days. In all honesty, Bobby would most likely work things like this out on her own, so Amun would let it be.
They continued their walk through the woods while chatting with one another. Bobby was asking every question she could think of about the world she was now a part of. She seemed rather curious as to where he and Emilia had come from and why they were so different from herself.
"That is because it takes one King and one Queen to start a hive. Royal jelly is needed from both in order to start making eggs."
"So you were always King?" When she asked her question his stride paused for a heartbeat before continuing on. Bobby picked up on his hesitation. "What is it Daddy?" Amun let out a sign.
"Bobby...I was not always like this. I was like you for a time when I first became a Xenomorph. But...in order to be safe and live my life I needed to change. I had to become stronger so I could rescue Emilia." Flashes of Jolene and the farm ran through his mind, he did his best to hide her from Bobby, thinking that she would become confused with his feelings flooding her mind. But Bobby was cleaver after all.
"Who was she?" The comment made Amun stop in his tracks. He must have let too much slip through their mental link. There was no use in hiding it now.
"She was...someone I loved...very deeply. She helped me when I thought all was lost. We became close." Amun lost the grip on his mental blocks. Memories of the brief time Jolene and Amun spent in the barn came racing back as he remembered her smile. He felt Bobby's mood change. He was not sure if she understood just how important Jolene had been to him, but got the sense that they had been very close.
"You were loved... you tried to start a hive? What happened?" Bobby asked as she laid down upon the surface of his crown. It was then that Amun had wished Bobby had not asked the question. The image of Jolene's lifeless body in his arms on that lonely mountain road pierced his mind like a javelin. The pain, rage and sadness of that day came rushing back. He attempted to suppress his emotions as best he could to protect Bobby. "She is...gone...I am sorry Daddy." Amun reached up and scooped up his first born from atop his crown, bringing her down to his face. Amun looked into Bobbies eyeless face and knew that there were more emotions running through it then he would ever know.
"We were in love, and I will never forget her. And that is the important thing Bobby, remember that. No matter who we lose, we must do all that we can to remember then. It is how they stay alive, in our hearts and our minds." He nuzzled his daughter's face with his own before placing her upon his shoulder. As he started his walk once more, he wanted to lighten the mood. He began to remember all the wonderful moments that he had shared with Jolene. From the first moment he found out that she was a Alien nerd, to when she found him under the deck of her country home. He remembered how happy her smile made him and how he felt when he held her close. Amun could tell that Bobby was enjoying the happy feelings that he was sharing, even thought she could not see his memories.
"Are we in love, Daddy?" Came a question from the little one as she played around upon his back. The question made him mentally laugh.
"We love one another, but it is not the same kind of love Bobby. Ours is a love between family where as I loved Jolene as I love Emilia, it has a bit more involved." He explained.
"Like getting fertilized?" The innocent xenomorph asked.
"Ha ha! Yes Bobby, that is part of that kind of love. Again, maybe ask your mother about this kind of thing. Mayb-" Just then Amun noticed a colour in the distance and stopped. It stood out like a lighthouse in a storm but he could not tell what the pheromones were from. He crouched low and sent his feelings of caution to Bobby who became flat upon his back. Amun watched closely as the cloud of colour slowly began to walk away from their position, whatever it was it had not seen or heard them. Amun took a moment to formulate a plan and decided to use his assets.
"Bobby, use the trees and be silent. I need you to go see what is ahead of us." Without hesitation and a sound, Bobby leapt to the nearest tree branch and made her way up the trunk. She disappeared from his sight, but he could still feel her presence as she made her way from tree to tree with speed. He stayed quiet as his daughter moved to their target within a minute and stopped just above it. Something was wrong, Bobby sent feelings of confusion and wonder back to Amun.
"What is it Bobby? What do you see?" Amun got ready to sprint to her aid if she needed it but her response had him frozen with fear.
"Human...Daddy it's a human!" A shock of fear covered Amun, but he did not hesitate.
"Bobby, get back here right now, be silent and swift. Do not let them see you!" He looked around the forest, hoping to god that there was no one else around that he had not noticed. When he felt that Bobby had not begun to moved his fear grew more and more.
"It doesn't look dangerous Daddy. Maybe he would like to play?" She asked. Amun felt how badly she wanted to go down and meet whoever it was. He had to cut her short.
"Bobby NOW!" He snapped with anger. Without a word he felt Bobby begin to return through the trees in silence. He followed he presence through the canopy of leaves and needles to make sure she felt his stare. As she spiralled down the nearest tree to Amun, he felt her confusion towards his anger and concern.
"Bobby, if people we do not trust find out we exist, eventually the bad men will come for us. Do you remember me telling you about the people who took Momma's arm?" He was stern but understanding as he talked with his daughter. He knew that she had only been curious. A few times before, both himself and Emilia had explained about the one species that they had to be careful around. How they must avoid contact with them no matter what. Bobby had been warned that the only ones they could trust right now were Steve, Mark, Jenna and Rod. She had yet to meet the four, but Amun would make sure to point them out to her beforehand.
"I remember. She does not like to talk about it..."
"No, she does not. It was a very dark time Bobby."
"Dark? She could not see?" Amun smiled as he was reminded how young she still was. Taking one last glance towards where the human had been, he was glad to see that they had moved on and away from the two. Amun turned to his first born and with both hands, brought her off the tree. He brought her close and nuzzled her head with his.
"Dark can sometimes mean scary or frightful. When something can be described as dark, it is usually connected to the emotions that someone feels while in a dark and scary place." He could feel her mind processing this new information as he placed her upon his head.
"But Daddy...what is dark?" The comment made him pause, not sure what she was asking. Then it dawned upon him, she had lived her whole life as a Xenomorph and had only seen life in a gray scale vision. He mentally laughed when he came to the realization. "What is funny?"
"Nothing ny daughter, it is only that I just realized that you have never been able to see light and dark before. So I guess that darkness would be when you cannot see anything and fear the unknown." He would let her think about what she had just learned for a while and leave her be. In truth, he could do with some silence as well.
Further and further the two went in search for food and hosts. It almost seemed that nothing would be found. Bobby was becoming board and took pleasure in practising her hunting skills on her Father. She was fast becoming frustrated at her Father's ability to sense where she was. Although ,she was getting better at mentally hiding herself presence from him, something that he did not think possible. Still, no matter how hard she tried, Amun would always be able to feel the mind of his daughter.
When Bobby got tired of hunting or playing in the trees, she would spend time crawling around Amun's large body. She took particulate interest in attempting to make her way to the tip of his tail while he walked. It was no easy feat as Amun needed his tail constantly moveing in order to keep his large body balanced. And with the forest having a lack of smooth surfaces, it was quite the challenge for Bobby.
However, she never gave up. It was something that he had noticed about his first born, she did seem to enjoy conquering new challenges and problems. As he searched for animals within the vegetation, he felt her once again near the end of his tail.
"Almost...there...HA!" Amun mentally smiled, knowing and feeling her upon the blade of his tail. "I made it!"
"I am glad little one, you're getting better and better at climbing and I am proud." He could feel a sense of pride glowing from the little one. It was then that Amun halted.
"What's wrong Daddy." Bobby asked, not knowing why they had stopped. Amun looked forward and noticed a large body of water, one that he had not known of. He looked back to Bobby as an idea popped into his mind that would be a fun trick to play. It was that of flicking his tail and launching Bobby far into the middle of the lake. He began to lower his back to get a better angle for the throw when Bobby leapt from his tail onto his back, knowing what her father was about to do. He felt a sense of playfulness from his daughter. "I don't think so Daddy!"
"What? You don't want a bath? It feels good to be in the water." He said as he began his walk again, moving closer to the lake. This one was quite a large swimming hole that stretched for some distance between the two rock cliffs on either side. Amun took a quick glance along the banks of the water to make sure there was no human around before emerging from the tree line.
"I do not want a bath." Bobby stated quite sternly. Amun did not say a word and kept his mental feelings in check. He lowered his head down as if he was moving to take a drink with Bobby still upon his back. When he was bent over well enough, he flicked out the hidden spikes on his back that rested within his rib cage. The little xeno had to time to react before she was flung into the air. She had even attempted to grab onto one of Amun's back tubes but was not fast enough. She screeched as she flew through the air, twisting her tail and body to re-orientate herself to dive into the water. Amun was surprised when he saw her gain her barring quicker than he thought, and preformed an almost perfect dive. The water still broke quite a bit, but not as much as it should have by a creature her size.
He watched as the black creature disappeared under the surface of moving gray surface as the waves began to go still. After a moment of silence, he mentally reached out for her and came up with nothing. She was doing a good job of hiding again. He focused a bit more, calming his mind, reaching through the surface of the lake. When he finally found the mental touch of his daughter, it was his turn for a surprise. He found Bobby as she was only a few feet in front of him within the water. She swam hard and fast before breaking the surface and lunging towards the King. She landed upon his face and grabbed on tight, wrapping her tail around his jaw.
"GOT YOU!"
"O no! I've got a facehugger attached to me! Whatever will I do to get it off!" He said as he began to flail about, pretending to be in pain. He began to stumble into the water, trying to playfully remove his daughter from his face. "And it smells bad! It needs a bath!" He said as he plunged himself into the cool, clean, mountain water and let his body go limp.
"He he he, you're being silly Daddy!"
"Don't tell Mommy ok? She's no fun."
"Promise!" Bobby detached herself from Amun's face and began to swim around him. Amun slowly righted himself in the water as his daughter darted between his limbs, tail and back spikes. He could feel the joy that she was having as she played in the water. The two swam together for a short while and just enjoyed the freedom they had. A while later Amun moved to the shallows and stood where the water was at his knees.
He took a deep breath and slowly let it loose, letting his happiness flow into bobby who was still swimming around his feet. He walked the length of the shore of the small lake until he and Bobby were on the far end. He had scanned the forest as they travelled and not spotted a single animal in the area. He had hoped that there would have been something near the source of water. Starting to lose hope that his hive would ever grow to the size him and Emilia would like, he let out a long sigh.
"Daddy? What's wrong?" Amun had not done a very good job of hiding his worry. He felt his daughter begin to crawl up his leg until she rested upon his shoulder. Amun tilted his crown towards her and gentle nuzzled her.
"I had hoped that we would find some animals this far from the nest. It seems we are not lucky today, come little one, let us go home."It took the two quite the while to travel back to the cave they had made their home, but it was not without good conversation. Amun spent the entire trip answering every question Bobby could throw at him. From what trees were, to why the sun was warm and how they could not see it. He was so proud at the speed at which she was taking in all his knowledge.
As the rounded the large rocks which formed the entrance of their cave, Bobby leapt from her perch on his crown and quickly made her way into the cave. Amun, not being able to navigate the small tunnel as easily, took his time as he entered. Once inside he was greeted with a beautiful, slumbering queen. It was easy to tell that she was asleep from her steady breathing and that her face retracted up into her crown. As Amun approached he felt a confused feeling from Bobby who was somewhere behind Emilia.
The feeling brought himself to quietly walked past the suspended queen to see what his daughter was up to. He was shocked at what he saw he moved closer to his first born. In front of Bobby was a mountain lion, unconscious, with a facehugger gripping tight to its skull! A smile over took Amun.
"How daddy?" Where did it come from?" Bobby said as she stalked around the sleeping creature, examining every part of it. Amun thought for a moment but was cut off from a sleepy voice that spoke in his mind.
"It wondered in here a few hours ago, I had one of the eggs open up and sent the face hugger after it once it was deep enough inside the cave." Emilia explained from behind Amun. He turned in time to see her face emerge from her crown. She then turned to look over her shoulder at him. He could see the mist of teal pheromones giving away her happiness. He reinforced it with his own mental feelings. Amun looked back to Bobby who was poking the side of the sleeping lion with her tail.
"Leave it be Bobby, let the hugger do its work in peace. Soon you will have a sister to play with." The statement sank in and Bobby began to prance around the sleeping animal in glee.
"A sister! A sister! I cannot wait!" Amun and Emilia both let out a mental chuckles as they watched Bobby in her excitement. Amun felt something wrap around his wrist and looked down to see Emilia's tail. His gazed moved to hers as she pulled him towards her. Amun knew what she wanted and came to rest his crown against hers.
"Welcome back my King." She whispered.
"My Queen."