Chapter 11: Guidance

The next day, all thirty of the Xenomorphs that made up Amun and Emilia's hive were gathered inside their cave, watching in excitement. As instructed, every one of them stayed in utter silence so that Amun could guide Scarlett and Rowena through the process of building their cocoons. However,that did not mean that all was calm. Every one of his daughters were shifting position as they watched, flicking tails, or climbing on walls to get a better view. For being perfectly silent, it spoke louder than words every could. Amun sat with his two selected daughters in front of him, guiding them through the first process.

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"This will be weird and a bit..embarrassing. But it will get easier I promise." Scarlett and Rowena looked to each other before looking back to their father. Amun began to describe what a Praetorian looked like.

"Picture a Queen that is a lot smaller, maybe only twice the size you are now. With a large crown, like your mothers. A bit longer tail, and more muscle like me. Now picture your own body changing from what it is now, into this new form. Focus hard on that for a moment." The entire cave stopped moving and watched the two drones as they stat perfectly still. It was a few minutes later, but Amun was happy when he saw drool starting to flow from Rowena's mouth. Soon after, Scarlett began to drool as well.

"Father? what is thi-" Scarlett's question was cut short when a stomach full of building resin came forth from her mouth. She did not even attempt to catch it with her hand, but let it impact the stone floor. Amun felt a wave of embarrassment from his daughter. It was not a moment later that Rowena brought up her first batch of resin, but caught the sticky substance in her hands.

"This is what you must make your cocoon out of. I believe it is a specific type of resin that helps with the metamorphosis process." His two daughters looked up at him just before they both produced another batch of resin, this time Scarlett caught the building material as well. "Use it to build a small dome around yourself until you are fully enclosed." He explained.

He watched as his daughters began to build their protective shells, one mouth full at a time. As he watched, flashes of his past came to play gentle through his mind. When he had made his cocoon to become king and how Jolene had stayed with him as he would with his daughters. As he watched his daughters he was reminded of the feeling of love and care that he had felt with her for the brief time that they shared together. He was reminded of her smile and her smell and how she had felt in his arms. He was reminded that she had been taken from him. Amun was not the only one to feel this.

Emilia's tail wrapped gently wrapped around him and squeezed against his hard exoskeleton. Amun kept his gaze forward, not wanting her to realize where his pain was coming from, but her knew her better.

"I know you miss her, this must bring back memories no?" She mentally asked him and only him. Amun nodded not saying a word. She placed her only hand upon one of his. "She would have been proud." He silently agreed, Jolene would have loved to have seen this.

As the King and Queen watched the walls of the cocoons continue to be built around their daughters, the sadness they shared was overtaken by joy. Two of their daughters were becoming so much more than they could ask for and they were so very proud. Just before the last of the resin was placed, Amun and Emilia moved to look at their daughters as Drones one last time. Scarlett and Rowena both looked up through the small holes at the top of the dome.

"Will it hurt, Father?" Scarlett asked, he words lined with a small amount of fear that struck Amun.

"No, I promise it does not hurt, you have nothing to fear. I will not leave your side, either of you." He said as he looked to both of his daughters.

"Will I be as beautiful as you Mother?" Rowena asked. Emilia let out a short huff before bringing her face close to her cocoon.

"You already are my daughter, both of you. You already are." The comment brought purrs of happiness from both of them. The two royal Xenomorphs backed away to let them finish their work and were filled with joy as the last of the cocoon was sealed. Amun began to let out a low growl, which Emilia joined into soon after it began. Soon all of the hive was following their parents in the hymn of joy that they made for Scarlett and Rowena. To most it would sounds terrifying, but if they listened long enough, they would hear the beautiful layers of sound and harmonics that could never be achieved by humans. It was a lovely sound to which the two daughters fell asleep to, dreaming of change and power.

It was a few days later when Emilia entered the cave to once again see Amun curled up around the two cocoons that held his daughters. He had not moved from that spot, just as he had promised. So it fell onto Emilia to take care of him. She approached and noticed that he was meditating, she thought it was a better description for what they had called sleep, so she was careful not to make too much noise as to shock him awake. They had found it rather like waking from a nightmare and was not the best way to wake up. So she softly ran her hand along his crown to rouse him back, which he did so slowly.

"Hello." He said as he stretched. "Did I sleep in?" His question was answered by Emilia pulling his face towards hers with her one hand. She extended her second jaw into his mouth, which he gladly took into his. She then gave him the large amount of water that she had brought back to him, knowing he would enjoy it. After she had given him every last drop, she pulled away and nuzzled his face with her own. "Thank you my dear."

"You are more than welcome. How are they?" She asked as she looked down at the cocoons that were much larger than they had been. With Amun's guidance, Scarlett and Rowena had done extraordinarily well at beginning their metamorphosis.

"They are doing wonderfully! I do not think it will be much longer because they are not changing as much as I had to. We shall see them soon." He said with happiness covering every word. He felt Emilia smile. That was when Emilia noticed something move on his back. She had not noticed that Abby had been curled upon him, taking a nap.

"Well now, have you been keeping your Father company?" Emilia asked as she reached over and plucked her daughter up from Amun's back.

"I couldn't sleep last night, Sara moves too much and likes to sleep beside me." Emilia mentally let out a laugh, because she knew it to be true.

"I told her to find her way upon me if that happened again, it bothers me not." Amun said as he stood and stretched. Emilia watched as his head came to the top of the cave, not letting him extend his lets to the fullest. She knew that his body was aching a bit from not being outside.

"Why not go outside from a bit, nothing too long love." She told him as she placed Abby on her shoulder. She watched as Amun looked towards the cave entrance and then back to the two cocoons at his feet. He let out a long sigh.

"I will be alright, they tend to get a bit frightened when I move away from them. They can feel me rather strongly from within. I do not want them to be scared." As she listened to his explanation, Emilia knew it to be true. She placed her hand under his chin and brought him close for a kiss, which he gladly returned.

"I will see if we can find you something to eat, it's been a few months hasn't it? Amun thought for a moment, had it really been that long?

"I could use a little something, if it is not too much of a bother." Emilia smiled.

"Abby, why don't you go ask Bobby and Thea to take you to the farm to get your Father something? Maybe a goat? Something that would not be too hard to bring back." She watched as a very excited Abby leapt from her back and shot out of the cave with not a word. Amun had to laughed.

"She has been wanting to go for a while now, I figure it is a good way to let you rest alone." Emilia explained. She then moved and curled up beside one of the cocoons on the cave floor. She focused on the alien inside and connected with Rowena, feeling her thoughts and sending her all the comfort she could. Amun then curled up around Scarlett's cocoon and did the same. Reminding her of what a Praetorian looked like. And there they stayed, enjoying each others company in silence as they mentally connected with their daughters.

It was only a few days later when Emilia was playing with Katrina, Suzanna and Michele near the river when she felt something from Amun. A sense of excitement and urgency that she knew was from one reason.

"Everyone, back to the hive! Your sisters are coming!" She reached out as far as she could to tell everyone of her daughters. Emilia took off towards their home as speed, an army of Xenomorph's gathering around her. She ran as other drons and runners gathered in behind her as well as leap from tree to tree. There was so much mental chatter from her daughters that she could not make sense of it all. So she focused on the forest in front of her. Once she was within range of Amun, she reached out for her King. "Is it time?" She almost yelled in excitement.

"Yes yes! Come quick, Rowena is already cracking her cocoon!" With that, Emilia, and the rest of her hive, picked up the pace. They all reached the cave entrance in record time and all at once! Emilia was glad to see that her daughters moved aside and waited for her to enter first, knowing how much this meant to her. She crawled her way into the small tunnel, even knocking her head upon the stone because she was going too fast. She did not care! She wanted to be with her daughters as they came back into the world.

Once she was able to stand in the larger cavern, she wasted no time in moving towards the two cocoons that Amun was sitting by. She did not take her eyes off the gently moving surfaces as she joined her King. She was too excited as the wet, hard shells of both the cocoons moved upwards and began to give way. They both watched as shell and exoskeleton made their way into the cave air and felt it for the first time. Amun watched as a cloud of colours exploded from the cocoon, revealing his daughters to him in such a wonderful display. To a human it would have looked discussing, but to him and his hive, it was beautiful.

Scarlett stood up and out of her shell, where as Rowena slowly rolled out and onto the cave floor. Both of the girls were covered with a thick layer of slime. Thankfully because Scarlett had stood, she was not covered in dirt as Rowena now was. They stretched their sore joints in their own ways before looking around the cave at the rest of their sisters. Their bodies had undergone a perfect transformation into the larger predator and protector of the hive. Their crowned heads showing traits of both Emilia and Amun within their designs. Their muscles reflected their father, but their grace and movements were clearly from Emilia. Rowena finally got to her feet and started to rub the dirt from her new exoskeleton. Amun watched her closely, knowing what she would end up doing. His thoughts were cut short by a sweet, kind voice that he was beyond glad to hear.

"Hello Mother, Father. How do we look?" Asked Scarlett as she stood to her full height of twelve feet, attempting to showing off a bit. It was Emilia who moved first and brought her face towards her daughters for a closer look.

"You look beautiful my daughter, simply beautiful." She said as she looked upon her new royal guards. Rowena was still attempting to remove dirt from herself. However, just as Amun had suspected, she started to scratch. She began by rubbing her face rather hard to remove the slime and the most outer layer of her exoskeleton. She then slowly moved her way to her new crown, rubbing each part she could. Amun could feel how good it felt through their mental link. He also had to laugh, Emilia noticed that he was feeling something and had to ask.

"What's so funny?" She said as she looked to him for an answer. He simply replied by pointing down to Rowena, who was now attempting to use her tail to scratch the furthest part of her crown. "O..."

"Brings back memories no? I never really had a good chance to get rid of my outer layer when I came from my first cocoon." As he spoke, he felt a bit of sadness and guilt from Emilia, knowing that she was responsible for that. "It is alright Emilia, nothing to worry over. Daughters, would someone like to give our new royal guards a hand?" He addressed the Xeno's that lined every surface of the cave. Without a word, the nearest of his daughters moved and began to rub Rowena and Scarlett from head to toe.

"Ooo...o that feels so good." Rowena finally said as five of her sisters began to help scratch her back and head. She then proceeded to purr loudly, Scarlett join in the trumpeting of pleasure as she was gladly touched by her sisters. Amun then let out a low thrum, which was joined by Emilia. Shortly after the rest of the hive greeted their sisters with the same hymn of sounds that they had heard just before they had fallen asleep. Only this time, their new Praetorians joined their family.