Relocation

*Resin* · 07-18-2020, 03:50 PM

Resin had been talking with her daughter, Iolaire, about starting their own set of bee hives. It would provide honey for the pack and it would aid in the pollination of Iolaire's garden immensely. That would benefit all in both the Armada and Ashen, since the packs were so closely entwined. The one-eyed woman could see no down side to her daughter crafting and cultivating hives. It would be time consuming though. If Io was intent on traveling and having children, maybe it wasn't the right time to go out hunting for bees. Well... that was where Resin came in.

Having mentioned possibly hunting down some bees, Io had crafted a special box that would house the swarm until they were transplanted into their new home. Taking a hive from one place to another seemed like a good idea, but it was tricky. They bees had to be open and receptive to their move to take hold and stay. Resin had learned more about bees in the last few weeks than she'd ever known in her entire life. They were incredibly intricate creatures. It amazed the woman that her daughter knew so much about them. Iolaire's mind was like a sponge and she was eternally curious. Even from the time that she was a child, she wanted to know everything about everything. Whereas some children had questions, Iolaire's never ceased. She had been an annoying child, really. It had worked out in the end. Resin was quite proud of her now.

With the small cart that the little caribou usually pulled hitched to herself, Resin set out into the world. She knew that there was a hive nearby. It was a big, healthy hive and she had passed it many times. Unlike most bees that formed their homes in trees or on cliffs, this hive had laid down roots in the ground. Their combs were attached to sheets of slate rock. It was an odd sight, but it would make it much easier to collect the bees, she thought. Rather than having to climb upwards into some sort of tree or up a cliff, she had merely to slide some rocks aside and dig around for a queen.

That was another thing. In a hive of thousands and thousands of tiny, flying insects, how was she supposed to single out one lone bee? Resin had then had to sit there and listen to the different types of bees in a hive. Io had described them each and explained their duties. Apparently, the queen would be hidden at the center and would be a very long bodied insect. She wouldn't possess stripes like the others and would be a soft, golden brown in color. The maned woman had set her mouth in a hard line. Collecting bees in the evening with waning light, looking for a single bee. It sounded... great. Yep.

The cart rattled along until she reached the beach. The cliff walls reached up along the edge and the rocks along the bottom were her target. This hive was rather large and she hoped that it would be as docile as promised. As she waited for the sunlight to wane and night to begin taking hold, the woman prepared. Unhitching herself from the cart, she moved around the area collecting driftwood for a fire. Using her sharp teeth and powerful jaws, the dame broke up the wood and piled it nearby. With the flint that Io had given her, she created sparks, starting a small fire after several tries. She wasn't really good at that sort of thing, but she'd managed.

Pulling the box from the cart, Resin opened the top in preparation for her task. She got all of her supplies and laid them nearby. The big fae blew lightly, pumping smoke down into the crevice that held the hive. She waited for the dull throb of buzzing to tamp down before she began to slide the slate slabs aside. Carefully so as not to injure the bees within, Resin peeled away layers of rock, placing them in a stack beside her. Her moves were slow and methodical. Quick movements would further serve to agitate the bees.

Once the undulating mass of bees was exposed to both herself and the night sky, Resin draped an oiled skin over her body and pulled it tight around her. It would serve to keep the been from clinging to her fur. Taking up a chunk of comb with her claws, she used the light from the fire to search for the queen. Not seeing the long insect on the first chunk of comb, she knocked the stunned bees into the box and placed the comb upon a second skin. Again and again, she pulled out pieces of comb, searching for the queen. After a time, Resin believed that she had failed somehow, but then, on the very last piece...

A single golden eye landed upon a long, soft brown bee. Carefully, Resin reached out one claw, letting the queen crawl into it. Gently, she placed the queen into the box before shaking the comb into it, sending other bees landing within. The lid was replaced into the box carefully so that she didn't squish any of the insects. The heavy box was then hefted once again into the cart. She wrapped up the honeycomb that she'd extracted. She'd take that back with her so Iolaire could harvest the honey. Any stragglers that hadn't made it into the box would follow the scent of the queen to what Resin hoped would be their new home.

-----

The following day, Resin and Iolaire introduced the swarm to the boxes that Io had created. They carefully placed the queen within and, with that done, the rest of the hive made their way within gradually. Almost instantly, the bees began to flit from plant to plant, loading themselves with the pollen from the various flowers that spattered the curved garden. The two women shared a glance and Io nodded. With hope, this would now be their hive. Resin had agreed to help care for them as well. It was amusing when she came to the realization that she was looking forward to caring for the bees. Perhaps, in time, she would be as learned as Io when it came to the little flying creatures.

"Speech"

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