Parthenium stifled a giggle as Legion shifted shape once again. It wasn't that she was laughing at them. But the new hybrid-bat shape that emerged was kind of goofy-looking, and even cute. If she were to see a bat looking like this in real life, she might want to--in colloquial terms--put it in her pocket.

As for Legion's questions, her first instinct was to blurt out Yes! to both. The more friends, the better! ... But a twinge of fearful uncertainty stabbed through her. What if there did turn out to be danger on the way? Her bat friends couldn't use magic. They were just ordinary bats, living their lives in a world with big scary predators out there. Heck, even Parthenium was bigger than her bat friends.

"I don't think... they like to adventure much," she finally said, a mournful tone creeping into her voice. "They don't come with me when I go far from home," which was why she so rarely did. It was a lonely world without them--! "And they're kind of shy, and don't use magic. I don't want something to happen to them if it's risky. Maybe we can bring back something interesting for them, though!" What would be out there that the bats might like? Maybe a colorful rock, or some pretty plants?

Maybe something that she had never even imagined before!

"Should we go?" she asked, nervous but excited, rising to her paws and tilting her head at Legion. "I've never been out this far before. Which way should we go--?"

F E V E R F E W
Will you stay with me?

@Legion

Legion buzzed excitedly.

No bats--they understood, and it showed in the nodding of Legion's current bat-form.

"Toward the cold place, right-? We need to go this way, then," and they started a strange... locomotion, toward Polaris. It'd be wrong to call it walking, or flying. The whole swarm was sort of shuffling excitedly forward without remembering to move the 'bat shape' itself--possibly because they weren't really sure how to work the wings.

"We go through Polaris, and then... " they pressed forward, toward the cave. "...We think there's a cold tunnel and the cold cave's beyond that! And then the warm place-?" they asked, glancing to Parthenium--as if asking for confirmation that this was, indeed, the travel plan.

Their queen's sense of dread grew, but the drones hardly noticed.

@Parthenium

Parthenium's heart raced as she trotted after Legion. There was the sense of venturing into the unknown, of going forth--brave, curious, and with a wide open mind--to greet whatever might await them, and it made her so jittery she could hardly keep all the energy in. In contrast to Legion's odd, levitation-like movement, Parthenium was all over the place: tail wagging furiously, occasionally adding in a little jump as she trotted, getting sidetracked for a brief moment to smell the sweet moss before running forward to catch up again. When they drew closer to Polaris, the air itself seemed to glow, and Parthenium stuck out her tongue as if trying to see if the brilliant blue light had taste.

"Mhm!" She bobbed her head vigorously in response to Legion's travel plans. "I'll follow you! Ooh, I can't wait to see what's outside Orion! Oh! And if it gets very cold maybe we can huddle together! I have lots of fur. Fur is warm, I think!"

F E V E R F E W
Will you stay with me?

@Legion

'Legion was determined to get to fifteen posts-'

Legion flickered closer to the exit into Polaris in fits and starts of humming mites. Nervousness shimmered through them, rippling their attempt at keeping a batlike form. Whatever symbiotic relationship held the Queen to her drones was tested, stretched; fear and excitement warred in them precisely as it would in a singular creature. As it was, it seemed, in Parthenium.

"...We thank you. We have never done it, but--perhaps we can hide in your fur. If we buzz quite a lot, it may keep us both warmer!"

This was hopeful--and uncertain. But it seemed to make sense, at least, to them.

At the very edge of the tunnel they paused again, mites creeping around the corner in a slightly more vague, faint haze, as though uncertainty broke their stability apart just a little. And they peered, attempting to cast their magic forward to ensure that all was safe.

To their sight, all was clear. Yes, there were pockets of fungus here and there, as there would be everywhere--small stretches of natural mycelium--but none of the distorted, clustered chunks that usually indicated a Mother infestation. "It is safe," they said. "...We think."

DO you wanna pop up a new thread? Either somewhere en route for funsies or in Leo or whatever? I'm down for anything! ...Can't remember if we already decided...


@Parthenium

"That is such an interesting idea," Parthenium beamed. "I bet buzzing's like... exponential shivering, if there are so many of you all doing it together!" She didn't really know what exponential meant, exactly, but she thought it had the right word-vibes for the subject matter. Hopefully she didn't just use a totally nonsensical word for the situation!

She bounded toward the glowing end of the tunnel, but skidded to a stop behind Legion when they paused. Oh, yes--she had nearly forgotten to be cautious! She, too, cast her magic outward, looking for any possible threat, but everything looked normal: plenty of white film covering all habitable surfaces, as she expected, but no large clumps nearby that would indicate anything waiting to ambush them.

"Yup, I checked, too!" she informed Legion, tail wagging. "All clear, I think!"

And then trotted forward--into the unknown.

F E V E R F E W
Will you stay with me?

exit

@Legion so sorry for the delay in reply! We could do a new thread in cepheus or leo, whichever you prefer? one of the places attached to ursa!

Exponential shivering, the swarm noted with admiration. That was a good phrase--an intelligent-sounding, scientific sort of phrase--and they dedicated it at once to memory. They'd use that one in the future, they decided, if anyone ever asked what 'buzzing' was, in general.

"Yes! That is good!"

Then they followed along--their shadowy bat-form crouching, excited, behind Parthenium. When the all-clear was announced they swept out, a little bolder, keeping an eye on the cave ahead--and tentatively striking out alongside her.

exit Legion