Chapter Text
The Forgotten Crossroads were usually quiet, following the ebbing of the infection and its caustic tendrils. The beasts roaming the sprawling caverns were generally timid or placid, with only the bolder vengeflies as the usual culprits for picking fights and causing trouble.
Hornet supposed this was not too different than usual, in that regard.
The Vengefly King hovered in the air, the thrum of its wing-beats deafening. It had lost track of Lace as she leapt about the cave, quicker than it could follow, and instead stared down Hornet with furious, beady eyes. It was bleeding in a dozen places, trickles of blue hemolymph flicking off its wings as it hung in the damp air of the cavern. Hornet palmed a throwing knife, twisting to dart away as she threw it, the blade finding its mark just below the creature’s mandible. Too shallow to kill, its thick chitin protecting it, the Vengefly King screeched horribly in response and dove after her, its jaws gaping.
Abruptly, a flash of white darted in from Hornets left, and the creature was knocked off course, Lace’s pin stabbing deep into its thorax before she again leapt away, casting a quick look to Hornet as she did. Lace was more cautious against such a foe than she was in her usual duels, a hit-and-run strategy playing to her advantageous speed. The beast screeched again, twisting in the air to switch targets, intent on chasing the much more nimble Lace despite the futility.
Its hunting strategy was simplistic, used to swooping down on placid tiktiks and hapless travellers, the latter being their reason for hunting the beast. It was no match for either of them, let alone the pair working in concert. The hunt would be finished quickly, at this pace.
Their eyes met again briefly as Lace scored another hit.
Months of slowly growing accustomed to each other, of arguments and laughter and the occasional deeper discussion had made them a formidable team. Larger threats, challenges in the slow but determined reconstruction of the kingdom, cautious meetings with survivors and newcomers alike, each had been met and overcome, familiarity growing slowly into genuine friendship. Tension remained, but long gone were the days of cautious politeness, of strange, ill-fitting deference that was both forced and instinctive, of waiting for the final straw that would break the tenuous peace they had carved out for themselves.
No longer a lone sentinel of a dead kingdom, Hornet found herself grateful for Lace’s company more often than not. It was strange, having someone who she did not count the days with, an ally and friend so constant that her decades spent alone felt distant. How long had it been since she trusted another like this? Someone to look for, one who looked for her in return? A partner to share these moments with, when her blood ran hot with the thrill of the hunt.
Such longing thoughts led to dangerous ideas. Hornet brushed them aside with practised discipline, focusing instead on the beast in front of her.
Another throwing knife lodged into the gap between the Vengefly King’s body and head, and Hornet watched it turn to her with tense focus. She adjusted her grip on her needle, bending her knees slightly in preparation for its next attack.
With a shower of dust and spittle, the Vengefly King shrieked again and charged, its jaws gaping wide in the hopes it would this time catch her. Hornet darted up and over its attack, kicking off its head and spinning to throw her needle at its retreating back. Able to clawline to it, she landed with her claws sinking into its thick shell, finding gaps made by their weapons. It screamed, thrashing and losing altitude from the additional weight. Hemolymph soaked her claws, the scent disgustingly mouthwatering.
Moments before it smashed into the ground, Hornet kicked off, spinning through the air to land on a nearby rocky ledge as the beast crashed into the stones with a sickening crunch. It thrashed, kicking up a cloud of dust as its wings buzzed with the attempt to take off once more. Lifting her needle, Hornet made to leap onto it and was distracted by a manic cry.
From somewhere above, Lace plummeted onto it, stabbing her pin into its skull with a wet crack. The beast twitched violently once, before finally going still.
Withdrawing her pin with a flourish, Lace planted a foot on the creature's head and bowed, a cheeky grin on her face. Blue stained her coat and claws from the battle, a splash of colour against her pale palette. She stood proud over her kill, glowing with success as she looked down at Hornet.
Struck by the sight, Hornet stared at her with open admiration. Pride and affection and an instinctive pull mixing into something she had thought long dead. A deep rumble kicked to life in her chest, an embarrassingly genuine response.
Before she could silence the purr, Lace laughed at her.
"How savage you are, growling like a beast even after our victory! Do you think to fight me next, spider?" Lace teased, flicking the lingering hemolymph from her pin. Hornet coughed, looking away hastily.
Savage, indeed.
"Forgive me, I was caught in the moment. Excellent work, Pale one, such a succinct victory plays to your advantage," Hornet replied quickly, hiding her fluster. Lace preened at the compliment, hopping down and bowing with an ostentatious flourish. Ever one to make a performance, she straightened and cracked a mandible off the carcass, offering it to Hornet with an arrogant grin.
“Of course it does. I’m sure you don’t mind carrying such a gruesome trophy for me? Consider it a gift from my hunt,” she giggled, waggling the still-dripping jaw.
“Our hunt, Pale one,” Hornet corrected with no real ire, accepting the mandible and inspecting it. Gifting prey was not a custom Lace would be familiar with, she reasoned, and Hornet let the act slide without comment. Lace shrugged, proving the point, and turned to leave without sparing the corpse another look.
“Semantics.” She brushed at a stain on her coat with a grimace. “I’m sure you can handle delivering the message to Dirtmouth. I will be at the hot spring, unless you care to join me?”
Slinging the jaw over her shoulder easily, Hornet followed without thinking, only catching herself when Lace shot her a wink. Hornet huffed a quiet laugh at the audacity, ignoring the long forgotten flutter in her gut.
She doesn’t mean it, Hornet insisted to herself.