POBee 387.3 - Generous Butcher-Bee |
A deer ran through a Flower Meadow as fast as it could. A buzzing cloud of butcher bee soldiers pursued it, their sharp mandibles clacking as they raced after their prey. The deer ran towards one of the few small trees in the meadow, the only place that might offer some shelter from airborne predators.
But as it approached, a butcher bee glaiver shot out of the canopy in a full speed dive, swinging her massive claws. The glaiver’s claws slashed through the deer’s neck, bring the mundane creature down in a single instant.
The butcher soldiers happily spun around the corpse, but they did not approach it yet. Instead, a cloud of bloodsucking workers and soldiers flew in and covered the corpse, draining it of much of its blood before it spilled away into the ground. Once they had finished, the butcher glaiver and soldiers worked together to pick up the corpse and fly it back to the nest.
When they arrived, the First Butcher let out another wave of happy pheromones. The new meats King had added to their home were amazing, incredible! The butchers now had so much meat that the big meat sisters didn’t need to give them any these days! And with the big glaivers that could easily hunt big meats, the butchers were hunting so efficiently they could give meat back to both the big meat sisters and the spider meat sisters!
That was why the glaiver and soldiers now started cutting up the new big meat, separating its skin, cutting it open, and removing the organs like the big meat sisters taught them! The big meat sisters said it would help the meat taste better and keep longer. First Butcher hadn’t really noticed that, but she did notice that it made it much easier for the workers to gather the meat! They didn’t all have to crawl through the eyes to reach the meat!
All in all, almost everything was amazing and incredible for First Butcher’s hive. They had more meat than they could even use, they had lots of honey from the flower sisters, and they had so many hunters they could help the flower sisters defend the hives! Her hive could grow as big as she wanted and now she could help other sisters grow their hives too!
The only thing First Butcher could possibly want now was meat with a bit more mana in it. Now that her hive was well and truly established, she was starting to think about raising new queens. But new queens needed meat honey with lots of mana and since the meat they were hunting was mundane, the butchers had to add the mana in themselves. It was a bit hard to get enough mana into the meat, First Butcher had to use up most of her own and her workers’ mana just to raise a glaiver. Meats that had their own mana would not only cut down on the mana her hive needed to supply, they would also be better at accepting mana if the honey needed more.
The flower sisters had given her lots of honey filled with mana, but flower honey was only useful to First Butcher’s hive as food for grown bees. They could use the flower honey to replenish their own mana, but they needed meat honey to raise new bees and to evolve into bigger bees. The flower sisters tried offering their pollen, but the pollen wasn’t as nutritious and missing key components the butcher larvae needed to grow strong. First Butcher could use the pollen to help, but at the end of the day her children needed meat.
But the lack of magical meat didn’t bother First Butcher. She and her butcher and blood sisters had already been given so much by King, the hive of hives, and the big meat sisters, she couldn’t possible ask for more! Finding magical meats would be her job, after all, she was the butcher bee! Hers was a hive of hunters, born to search for meats and bring them down! Soon, she would work with Fourth-Seventh Flower Sister and send her hunters out into the Beyond! Then, they would find magical meats, not only for her own hive, but to share with all of her sisters!
“Hi there, we have some special meat and blood for you. Enjoy!”
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First Butcher took one look at the meat and began zipping around at maximum speed, spreading happy pheromones all across the butcher and blood nests. This meat was amazing, incredible! Even from a distance, she could feel the powerful mana emanating from the flesh, resonating in her core and her stomach and tickling her instincts. This meat and mana came from a powerful hunter, and so it would be perfect for evolving stronger hunters of her own…or for raising new queens. The butchers could then expand and take the hunt to the Beyond, where the big meat sisters said magical meats were hiding.
King really was best king like the flower sisters always said! First Butcher had just realized she needed magical meat and King had already provided it! This really was the best hive she could ever ask for!
And King, amazing and incredible being that he was, had also provided special blood for the blood sisters. First Butcher had spoken with First Blood Sister on the issue herself, the blood sisters needed magical blood just like the butchers needed magical meat. She was incredibly happy that her little blood sisters had what they needed too.
And so the butchers got to work. King and the big meat sisters had already cut the magical meat into convenient pieces, so First Butcher just had to help divide it up between the butcher sisters. She realized, though, that there was quite a lot of meat. She and the other butcher hives could consume it all eventually, particularly as they didn’t mind meat “spoiling” as the big meat sisters called it…but First Butcher quickly came up with another idea.
King had shared this meat with her, so she should share this meat with all of her sisters!
When a scout reported the spider meat sisters had come to hunt their own meats, First Butcher took off, followed by her hive. She arrived just as the spider meat sisters were attaching webs to their bows and getting ready to hunt. The First Spider Meat Sister danced and waved at her approach.
“First Butcher, hi!”
“First Spider Meat Sister, hi! Have meat to give!”
First Butcher had her hive bring some of the magical meats to the spider meat sisters. However, contrary to her expectations, the First Spider Meat Sister frowned.
“But…this meat strong. We didn’t hunt, not our prey. Can’t take.”
First Butcher knew what to say, though!
“Is ok! Hive of hives and big meat sisters shared lots of meat and honey when hive new! Hive of hives doesn’t hunt alone, hunts together and shares meat! Didn’t hunt magical meat either, King gave! Spider meat sisters should take and grow strong, then can hunt more meats to share with hive of hives!”
First Spider Meat Sister blinked.
“That’s…right? Hive of hives does? King said? Then…ok! Will take! Thanks!”
First Butcher zipped about.
“Will share with all sisters! Then all can hunt together!”
First Spider Meat Sister blinked again, then turned around to look at the other spider meat sisters.
“Share…with all sisters? Hmmm…well, ok. If First Butcher says so…”
A bit later, another sister who First Butcher knew needed meat arrived to hunt, so once again she had her hive gather excess magical meat and fly off to meat them. When she arrived at the shortcut to the room, she found the Firstborn Sister and her flower sister knights, along with the big shiny meat sister. The Firstborn Sister didn’t need to hunt meats, but the big shiny meat sister did and apparently liked hunting with the Firstborn Sister.
“Hi Firstborn Sister! Hi Big Shiny Meat Sister! Have magical meat for! Can give?”
King said the big shiny meat sister didn’t like it when bees got too close. But Firstborn Sister was close, so First Butcher decided to ask her. The Firstborn Sister danced a salute before replying.
“Hi First of the First Butcher, yes, can! Will tell dragon not to hurt!”
First Butcher spread happy pheromones, then waited for Firstborn Sister to talk with the big shiny meat sister. A moment later, the big shiny meat sister lay down on the ground and Firstborn Sister told them it was ok to approach. First Butcher had her hive place the magical meat in front of the big shiny meat sister.
The big shiny meat sister sniffed the meat, then perked up and began devouring it. After finishing, the big shiny meat sister exhaled a big breath that made a bunch of sparkles. She then look at First Butcher, then to Firstborn Sister and started rumbling. Firstborn Sister danced with the big shiny meat sister, then turned to dance with First Butcher.
“Dragon thanks for meat. Ok with First Butcher’s hive getting close. Want to hunt with? Was practicing diving with dragon.”
First Butcher spread happy pheromones.
“Ok! Big Shiny Meat Sister looks like good hunter, can catch lots of meats together!”
And so, First Butcher’s hive began to hunt with Firstborn Sister’s hive and the big shiny meat sister…and subsequently realized neither Firstborn Sister nor big shiny meat sister knew how to hunt, so started to teach them instead. First Butcher was well-pleased, for it was yet another way she could start to give back to all of her sisters, meat and bee alike.