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The ground was still. Hornet was polishing her needle, sitting on the doorstep of the home she stayed in. After the defeat of the Radiance, Hornet didn’t really have much else to do. She had done her duty of protecting Hallownest, and now there weren't any goals left for her to accomplish. She had no one in her life, well none that were alive still at least, and no drive to pick up any sort of hobbies or anything like that. She was purposeless now.
She ended up moving into a house in Dirtmouth after the incessant encouragement of the few locals left, and while it was nice to have a proper home to return to at the end of every day, it didn’t do much to satisfy her growing restlessness. She usually spent her days journeying through Hallownest’s ruins aimlessly, it had become a comfortable cycle while protecting Hallownest that she couldn’t really shake. Currently however, Hornet was busy polishing her needle.
It was calming to her, even as the winds in Dirtmouth battered against her. It was an activity she did often in her days of protecting Hallownest, as she had to keep her blade ready for battle, but rarely could she do it in absolute safety. With no infection and a roof over her head, she was living safer than she had ever lived before. It bothered her to no end.
Hornet was so used to having to fight for her life day in and day out, being wary of danger lurking around every corner, and now there was just… none of that. At this point, she could’ve led a calm life if she wanted to, and the mere thought of that was so alien to her. In an effort to achieve this, she tried to socialize with the citizens of Dirtmouth: Elderbug was pleasant company, as were the map shop owners, Sly somewhat less so, but they all seemed like good people. Despite the possibility of making friends, she couldn’t but feel uneasy about her new, calm life. It wasn’t normal to her.
Just as she was thinking these thoughts, Elderbug walked into view down the street. He gave her a light wave and greeted her politely, to which all she could manage was a terse nod and wave back. Somehow just that simple interaction caused her more agony than getting swarmed by dirtcarvers. Just as Elderbug was about to make his way past her house and on his way to whatever he was planning on doing, a distant rumble shook the earth beneath the two of them.
Hornet was immediately on guard at the sudden quake, needle ready to fight whatever made the noise, while Elderbug simply seemed confused by it. Suddenly, another rumble occurred, this one much more intense than the one previous. By this point, the lumaflies in the street lamps were buzzing about restlessly as Hornet became even more on edge. Another rumble, this one powerful enough to shake the tiles that made up the streets of Dirtmouth. Elderbug’s mouth was agape at these bizarre quakes. And then another rumble, one that caused both Hornet and Elderbug to lose their footing, with the latter stumbling to the ground. Hornet was prepared to fight at any moment.
It was then that Hornet took notice of a massive figure in the distance, hobbling towards Dirtmouth. It appeared like nothing Hornet had ever seen before, with lanky limbs and an oddly proportioned body compared to the appearance of most bugs. As it walked forward, the earth shook with every step, revealing the cause of the previous tremors. The quakes had begun getting incredibly intense, but Hornet did not falter. The odd creature was approaching Dirtmouth quickly, and Hornet had to prepare for its arrival. It appeared her job was not yet over.
She had found a new threat to protect Hallownest from.