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Across her time in Pharloom, at least so far, there weren’t very many things that Hornet would say she particularly enjoyed. In fact, there were more things she would rather forget about entirely than otherwise. Despite this, many of the enjoyable parts were capable of outweighing the unpleasant things. Bosses that she admittedly had a lot of fun fighting, areas that were very peaceful all things considered, and a handful of bugs whose presence she very much enjoyed were most the reasons Hornet didn’t despise this kingdom.
But, there was one more thing that was perhaps even better than all of those other things combined, the Flea Caravan.
Hornet has been wandering off the set path for a time, as she has gotten lost in her own mind. The aimless stroll through the area that she didn’t have marked on her map yet gets cut off abruptly as she finds a dead end. She shakes herself out of her half-conscious state and finds a curious sight before her.
It’s a strange, insanely fluffy creature that she has never seen before. More than that, it seems to be stuck, squirming profusely as it tries to escape its rocky cage. Hornet suppresses a large grin as she frees the adorable little thing. After it is freed, Hornet immediately brings it into her arms and buries her mask in its impeccable fur. She hadn’t felt this much pure joy in so long that she had forgotten what it was like. Something could sneak up on her and end her without her even flinching.
All good things must come to an end though, she knew that well enough, and this time is no different. She lets go of her new friend, a little unwillingly. It makes an “awoo” sound that totally doesn’t melt Hornet’s heart before flying off. She silently hopes she sees either it or more of its kind in the future.
The first time she had encountered a flea, Hornet was over the moon ecstatic. Seeing it made her feel as if everything she had gone through up until that point was worth it, made her feel like she was a kid again, asking her father if she could get her own plush toy. She thought that if there was a way she could get a plush replica of one of the fleas that she would do anything and everything in her power to obtain one.
After the flea had left she shoved that thought down as far as she could in her mind, something like that was simply childish and unbecoming of someone of her status. Unbeknownst to her, that thought would later have the chance to resurface.
Hornet finds herself wondering where that little critter she had encountered flew off to. She is currently wandering around the Marrow, charting areas she hasn’t been to, and finds what looks to be a sign. This sign has an image on it that, upon further investigation, looks just like the creature she was just thinking about. Underneath the picture are some words that read, “The Flea Caravan.”
Aha, they are fleas! Seeing this sign causes Hornet to become almost overwhelmed with excitement as she very nearly dashes into the Flea Caravan. Almost as soon as she starts jogging she is met by the sight of the fleas!
There are three standing on the ground, as well as the one from before that she had freed hovering above them contentedly. She walked up to one of the delightful creatures, trying to calm her racing mind so as to be capable of forming proper sentences. As she greeted the flea who introduced himself as Fleamaster Mooshka, she was incapable of suppressing the wide grin that had formed on her face.
Mooshka notices the look on her face and asks, “Would you like to touch my fur? I don’t mind.”
Hornet’s eyes widen and she eagerly nods before hugging the flea and buries her face in his luxurious fluff. She feels as though she has reached heaven! Could this get any better?
The other two ground fleas had also allowed her the same pleasure, causing her to almost start squealing with joy. She did everything she could to not commit such an act of improperness. Once she was on her way again, and had gotten a distance away where she was sure she wouldn’t be heard, she finally released all of the fuzzy feelings she was keeping under control and burst into a giggle fit until she could regather her composure.
Once that was over she quickly got back on track and continued on her path.
After rescuing all of the fleas in the area (she went through and double checked everything to be sure), Hornet takes a deep breath to try to calm herself before heading to check on the Flea Caravan. The deep breath is to make sure she doesn’t start shaking with anticipation. The area that the Caravan actually inhabits looks the same as it did when Hornet first found it. All that has changed is the fact that there are more fleas in the air.
She approaches Mooshka to converse with him. “Greetings Fleamaster, I am pleased with the number of lost fleas I have been able to find.”
The flea chuckled before replying, "As am I, Miss Hornet. Ah, that reminds me, we have prepared a pot of delicious flea brew. Because of your generosity in helping us find our lost kin I would like to offer as much of it to you as you’d enjoy.”
Hornet blushes at the offer and simply says, “It was no trouble at all, I assure you. It brings me great pleasure to see that my contributions have not been in vain. I must also admit that your offer is unnecessary, as I require little sustenance.”
“That is alright, it was only an offer of course. Well, now that there are no more fleas to be found around here, we shall depart. You are welcome to join us if you so wish; it would bring us great comfort to know that a capable warrior is in our midst and ready to assist if danger should come.”
This new offer startles Hornet and she takes a moment to really understand what it is that he said. Once it registers, her face lights up and she impatiently agrees.
Traveling with these wonderful creatures is indescribable. If Hornet could, she would, without hesitation, drop everything else and focus entirely on the fleas, acting as if nothing else matters. She knows that isn’t an option and that it’s foolish to think it ever could be, nevertheless, she wishes it could be.
They set up camp in Greymoor and get the pot of flea brew out. The sight is tempting to Hornet and she tells Mooshka that she has reconsidered his first offer and would very much like some of the beverage. At that the fleamaster is delighted and makes sure she knows that if she ever runs out and wants more that she is welcome to refill as many times as she deems necessary.
The flea brew was surprisingly good and Hornet found herself wandering back to the Flea Caravan for refills multiple times. She only allowed herself to if she had found at least one more lost flea beforehand though. All of the lost fleas in that general area were found and the Caravan moved to the Blasted Steps (Hornet was once again ecstatic about traveling with them). She continued on her journey all the same without very much happening in regards to the fleas.
Hornet finds herself in a place that’s unlike anywhere else she’s been to in Pharloom, as in it’s like almost every place she’s been to in some way; it has sections that are reminiscent of other areas across the kingdom. As she explores this strange place, she comes across a room that reminds her of Greymoor. What catches her attention instantly though, is the fact that a large cage is in here. The beast inhabiting the cage is more intriguing still; it houses a very large and very fluffy flea.
The hunter becomes enraged at the fact that someone had trapped this marvelous creature. She immediately begins to try and find a way to free it. Her first thought is that it probably requires a key to unlock, but on further investigation discovers that the cage is very brittle. She is easily able to destroy the bars with just her needle and it comes crashing down.
She has to mentally restrain herself from leaping at the giant flea and letting its thick coat envelop her. Instead of making the “awo” sound that she had come to expect from these fleas, it howls, irritated by something that Hornet can’t quite pinpoint. It then charges at her; Hornet only thinking about how it’s movements are similar to the Savage Beastfly, an enemy that was infuriating. Hornet dodges the attack effortlessly before, regrettably, striking back.
After a bit of back and forth, the flea is sent reeling before it lifts its head. Hornet assumes it was only stunned and keeps her guard up before seeing that it has apparently returned to its senses. It lifts back into the air with a booming “awoo” that, once again, definitely does not melt Hornet’s heart before it flies away. The weaver, left standing there awkwardly, feels a slight disappointment that she wasn’t able to pet it before remembering that she would have all the time in the world to visit it at the Caravan. With that in mind, she once again sets off.
Encountering the large flea was an experience that she didn’t want to forget. She later returned to the Flea Caravan with the excuse that it was to refill her stock of brew, but that wasn’t even able to convince herself. She had asked Mooshka if there was a way to get the large creature to come down to which he was happy to teach her.
After an attempt at calling it that was honestly embarrassing she was successful in coaxing the absolute beast of a flea down to the ground so she could pet it. Sinking into the mountain of fur it had was so wonderful that it almost made Hornet forget what her main objective was (This time she was incapable of holding back her squeals, which just added to her appreciation of the creatures fluff as it muffled the sounds that came from her mouth). She thought that this was the apex of her entire existence, that nothing else would ever be able to compare, which just meant she was unprepared for what would happen next.
The Putrified Ducts are certainly… something. It isn’t as bad as a place like Bilewater but it is definitely up there. That is to say that this place sucks. Hornet is merely wandering about when all of a sudden she finds herself on the sharp end of a weapon. From its color, Hornet quickly guesses that it’s some kind of large beast’s tooth. When she looks at the person wielding the tooth though, her whole perspective shifts.
It’s a flea, from the looks of her, fluffy brown fur that’s to die for and everything. She also only has one working eye, as there is a very large X shaped scar over the other. She growls, a low warning, before speaking, “Bug not flea. Why must you bother me? This spot is mine, fair fought and earned.”
Hornet raises her arms in a gesture that she hopes the flea warrior would recognize before choosing her words carefully. “I mean you no harm, flea. It was merely fate that brought me to this place. There were no signs of a bug such as yourself that could have warned me. If that had been the case, I would’ve been careful to stay out of your territory. Still, I have met many of your kind, most of which were stuck in rather unfortunate places. I have freed all that I have found and they were all able to make it to the Caravan. Do you know of its existence?" On the inside, Hornet so badly wants to pet this new flea’s fur, but knows that it would be undignified for both of them.
The warrior lowers her weapon after a moment of thought. “Grr, if caravan is close, then protect it I must.”
For some unfathomable reason, the way this flea growls sends pleasant shivers down Hornet’s spine. After remembering something she asks, “If I may, flea, what is it that you wish to be called?”
“Grr, Vog,” is the simple reply she gets. Vog… Hornet is sure that she won’t be forgetting this name anytime soon.
She says her goodbyes to the flea warrior before departing, being confident that she would be able to make her way to the Caravan on her own. She then proceeds to head all the way to Bellhart and to her bellhome and flops onto her bed, screaming into the pillow as she tries to comprehend the reason why she had struggled to get her words out when she had spoken with Vog. She couldn’t stop thinking of how the sight of the flea had caused her heart’s beating to rapidly increase in speed or how she longs to cuddle with her. Wait, what was that last part? Oh, she somewhat understands now. She is now blushing prominently, thankful for the privacy of her bellhome.
After taking some time to fully understand her feelings she continued on her quest, all the while not being able to entirely get Vog off her mind. She was always somewhere in the back of her mind. That determination in her voice as she had announced that she would protect the other fleas. That fur that Hornet would do anything if it meant she could feel it. She had, at some point, made a mental note to ask the burly flea whether she would mind her fur being touched or not.
When she returns to the Flea Caravan after avoiding them, (because of Vog) she can’t quite focus on the words Fleamaster Mooshka says to her, eyes wandering slightly until she realizes what she’s doing and stops, not wanting to seem disrespectful. She tries to focus and accidentally cuts off the flea as she asks for a refill of the flea brew. She blinks and instantly apologizes for rudely interrupting him. He just shrugs and does as she asked. Hornet looks away, ashamed of herself for such disgraceful behavior.
When her eyes lock onto a certain flea in the crowd she blushes and attempts to look at anything else. Embarrassingly, she can’t seem to manage that, continuing to stare as she screams at herself mentally. She suddenly feels her legs moving her over to the now protector and before she can do anything to stop it, she’s right there. She feels the heat in her face rising as she gets the flea’s attention and starts to speak, while trying to make sure she doesn’t stutter. “Greetings, Vog. I am pleased that you were able to find the Caravan on your own.”
Her face is most certainly red by now and Vog seems to notice that. “Grr, you good, bug?”
Hornet only now realized that she hadn’t told this bug her name, and even more than that, she appears to genuinely be concerned for her health. She pauses before replying, “I assure you, I am in very good health, you need not worry yourself. Also, I see it necessary to inform you that my name is Hornet.” It takes all of her willpower (and that’s a lot) for her to not just tackle the other bug.
Vog clears her throat (or at least that’s what she assumed it was) and looks away briefly before speaking again, “Yes, good.” She then decides to change the topic. “All loft fleas been found. Good cause for celebrations.”
Hornet is secretly very glad for this change. “I too am pleased with this achievement.”
They sunk into an uncomfortable silence for a minute before Hornet blurted out, “Can I touch your fur?” completely ditching her formal speaking pattern by accident.
Vog is visibly taken aback by this and blushes, almost as much as the hunter is. She stutters in an out-of-character fashion before, even more out-of-character, whispering, “Alright, I allow it.”
Hornet didn’t know she was capable of blushing even more than she already was, but lo and behold. Hesitantly, she gets closer to the flea and, after another moment of hesitation, plunges her claw into Vog’s fur. Its texture is unexpected, but at the same time is totally expected. It’s coarse but not rough, soft but not velvety; it’s, frankly, perfect. Hornet momentarily forgets how much of a nervous wreck she was just a few moments ago and gets closer, burying her face in the fluff. She doesn’t notice the way Vog’s fluff seems to heat up. Nor the fact that she has begun to let out a low rumbling sound from deep in her chest. She’s experiencing too much bliss for those other things to be of any concern.
Vog, meanwhile, isn’t sure what she should be doing right now, she’s too flustered to think properly. The other’s purring doesn’t help that either. Despite the fact that her face is burning, this, whatever it is, feels nice, really nice. She comes to the conclusion that the best thing to do right now is wrap her arms around the small hunter.
Hornet is shocked back into reality as she feels strong arms wrap around her, realizing what she just did. She freezes and is unable to escape the flea warrior’s grasp. She stutters as she lifts her face out of Vog’s fur, babbling incoherently. When she looks at the face of Vog, instead of anything Hornet expects, she looks awe-struck, even a bit disappointed that she has stopped petting her fur.
Out of embarrassment and her brain short-circuiting, Hornet sinks back into Vog’s comforting fur. This seems to please her as she “grrs,” the sound causing Hornet to shiver pleasantly. She stops thinking again and lets out the same purr as she did just a minute ago.
After that mess was over (neither of them wanted it to end) the two just talked for a while, Hornet trying to help Vog understand what it was that she was feeling. They came to an agreement that they would try out the whole “being girlfriends” thing and if either of them was made uncomfortable by it at any point they would stop. That never happened though.
Hornet is cuddling with her girlfriend after a long day. Earlier she had found a strange creature in Bilewater. She had passed by that room before but hadn’t noticed it until this day. It reminded her of a… thing she had encountered in Shellwood and had completed a quest for. After taking the creature to the thing she immediately regretted it. That strange creature had turned out to be a parasite. The only way she could get rid of said parasite was… painful, to put it lightly. After that traumatic experience, Hornet decided to halt her quest so she could properly recover (well, at least as much as she would allow herself to).
For now, all that is on her mind is the wonderful flea she’s leaning against. After a comfortable silence, Vog says, “Love you,” in a low voice that causes her to smile softly and whisper back, “I love you too.”