Shios Hive

t a l ' s a m ' n a (Noun.)

the almighty ruler of the Shios people

Brotte watched the chaos below with a frown. He had always used to be a part of the preparation but was now stuck with the two aliens. One was breathing heavily far from the edge, whilst the other sat right beside him with curious eyes. The large pieces of glass that shielded her eyes would sometimes, like now, have a glare that made it hard to tell her expression. He had seen glass be made before by a hive near the Elloche beaches, but never as clear or reflective. It was always muddy with a touch of natural colors.

She was watching him the same way that their Tal'Sam'Na looked at a shiny new ore that he could take credit for. The only reason she was here was because Meylaani was bored of not having the same access to the aliens as Brotte had. He wasn't disappointed in the lack of time he had with them; he was disappointed that their leader would so easily introduce the Shios people to danger.

The female beside him tapped his shoulder, effectively pulling him away from his brooding expression. She spoke something in her language and pointed towards the rushing water at the center of the hive. Their alien language was much softer than their own. It was easy to sleep on the days that he was stuck in their ugly home. He had decided that her language was the only thing he would find enjoyable about them. He had also decided that it was alright to sleep whilst they are working, but maybe that was just because the sounds were like a lullaby compared to the buzz of the hive. The alien cocked her head to the side, so he finally let his gaze slip to what she was pointing at.

The water was the reason that they were all gathered in the main nest. The rains only came once a month, so when it happens the Shios people would thank the skies and plea for an extra downfall. All of his people were allergic to the water when it was in the motion of falling down, but they weren't the only. Many creatures sought refuge in their tunnels when the rains came, which made the rains an effective trap that was given to them by the clouds. He can still hear the elders nagging his poor ears when he was only a few cycles old. They had promised that they remembered times when the rains came as a daily occurrence, which was something many prayed for. If it happened once in the time of our people, couldn't it happen again?

El'on nudge at him again and, this time, her tame baby delaterrow added a growl to also catch his attention. He didn't even know how she got away with befriending it without facing the death roll of its mother. The female pressed a palm to her chest to repeat her name, then pointed towards the water. So she wanted to know its name? He was sure that these aliens knowing too much would be a bad situation for his people. Like them attempting to know their language would mean that they could listen into their private affairs, but it wasn't up to him. It was up to Meylaani.

"Arelleane eht," he grumbled, pointing at the water since her pointer had fallen back to her side. He continued to add on an explanation, even though she had no understanding, "Ereh era uoy nosaer eht."

"Arelleane eht," she pronounced with good accuracy. It was odd that she was able to create the same sounds without much difficulty, while he knew he and his people struggled to repeat their names. Still, he nodded and patted her head in praise similar to how he would congratulate one of the young. Then she spoke again, quickly in her own language. He wouldn't be able to keep up, even if he knew what the words meant. She demanded the attention she already had again, then pointed to her tame creature that she often called Selcouth. He spoke his name for the beast to which she repeated again, "Delaterrow?" She pouted to herself, hooking the finger she used to point at her chin.

He huffed at her actions, turning to look back at the floor where their leader was giving out directions. Who would do what, that's what he was doing. Since they now had "honored guests" for this Arelleane, nothing was supposed to go wrong. He noticed that a strong brute took his spot this year. His name was Mon'gallmory, if Brotte wasn't mistaken, and he had thrown a smug smirk in Brotte's direction. Poor brainless muck was going to have a rude awakening if he kept up that act.

The alien pulled his attention away from the bottom floor again with another tap. She pointed at the vines that served as a decoration and sometimes a meal, though that was only if they were desperate. Meat was always a preferred meal choice. "Seniv," he gave her.

They played the naming game for a long while, before she had already pointed at everything around the hive. When that happened, she pulled the distressed male towards the edge and became to relay all of the information his way. In the beginning, when he was still watching them from the caps of sevenoras, he had pondered if M'lo and El'on were mates. If that was true, M'lo should have never allowed another male into his home, so the theory was quickly disproven. From the time he had spent with them, he could often see that M'lo had a long way before being able to get close to the female in that way. Brotte had no option but to feel bad. No doubt they were the only two aliens to invade their home.

The male was still trying to calm himself down, but he didn't hesitate to give Brotte a hostile glance. It made a smirk flash on to his expression. He didn't know what made the puny M'lo dislike him, but he found it funny that he was so publicly trying to challenge him. Maybe he would have to help teach the boy how rankings were made in their community. Then he turned to the excited female that was ranting to him and he decided against it. Surely the female would hold a grudge if he killed her companion.

The ritual would start soon, so his attention would be diverted either way. Whilst El'on and M'lo would study his people's ways, he would be studying them. Whether he enjoyed their presence or not, their sparkly-eyed reactions to what was his made him want to puff out his chest with pride. These were his traditions. His people's hard work. At least now the show wasn't going to be put to waste.

It was clear the gods weren't listening, so maybe these aliens would finally give them the appreciation they deserved.