Stop and Smell the Roses

It all began when Aslatiel decided to stop and smell the roses. Literally. There were roses everywhere. Aunt Iolaire called them wild roses, the first to show their faces after the cold and snow of winter. They weren't those dark red ones that ladies seemed to like. They were pale pink and the petals were sparse and more widespread. Indy told her that different fighters had different smells. Then she heard someone in passing tell someone else to stop and smell the roses. So she did. Big mistake.

The small girl, still tiny though she was almost full grown, lowered her dusty brown nose to the pink petals and took a big inhale. It didn't go how she planned. First, the little yellow parts in the middle tickled her nose. Asla sneezed loudly, landing on her rump from the force of it. Second, she'd angered a bee. It stabbed her hard on the edge of her sensitive little nose with its stinger. Tears filled her big purple eyes and she placed both paws over her wounded nose. That little bastard!

The stinger was still lodged in her nose, so Asla carefully used her claws to pluck it free. The pain thrummed through her nose anew and a few of the built up tears rolled down pale cream cheeks. The wound was beginning to swell and she could feel her heartbeat within it. Her nose was hot to the touch. Was she having some sort of reaction to the sting? The girl wasn't sure. What she was sure of, however, was that she was angry.

How dare that little bug hurt her!? Looking around for the bee that had done it, she eventually saw its lifeless body laying on the grass in front of her. The girl released a growl of frustration. Not only had it stung her, but it died before she could kill it? Ohhhh no. She would have her revenge. She would have her revenge and it would be sweet. Her bloodthirsty nature would make sure of that. Already her creative little minds was thinking of ideas. She had to find the hive first.

Aslatiel waited until a few more bees showed up to roll around in the pollen of the wild roses. She chose one and did her best to follow it. Trailing along behind the yellow and brown striped insect, she eventually lost it, much to her dismay. As the girl grumbled, she realized that she could hear a dull throbbing sound. A neverending buzz. Asla lifted her gaze and saw loads of bees coming and going from one particular tree. Dark ears perked as she stepped around the tree. There was a great opening in the front as though the tree had been struck by lightning long ago. That's where the bees were going. Tons of them. Dark lips peeled back from sharp little teeth. This was going to be great.

Leaving the orchard, Aslatiel made her way back home. She needed something to help get exact her revenge. Sure, these bees didn't sting her, but someone had to pay. Recently her father and aunt had crafted lanterns out of some glass jars that Asla and her father had found. They were hanging up here and there throughout the territory. Sneakily, Asla stole one. She took a coal from the fire as well. There was a prance in her step as she made her way back to the orchard.

Spilling the coal onto the ground, the girl fed it sticks and grass until she had a small fire going. With a stick, she used the coal to light the stick within the jar. The little candle that her aunt made flickered to life. Here would be the tricky part. Asla carefully scooped some of the embers from her fire into the jar. The wax was melting fast, but that was just fine. A fire raged inside the jar. Grasping it from the bottom so that she didn't burn her paws, Aslatiel hurled the burning jar into the hole in the tree. The glass shattered and hopefully the fire would catch.

The girl waited, ears peeked and eyes alert. If the fire went out, all of her efforts would be for naught. Ahh... but the first tendrils of smoke began drifting upwards through the mouth of the tree. Excitement filled the girl. She wondered absently if bees screamed.

Suddenly, the tree went up in flames. Uh oh... Well, what did she expect? The tree was engulfed, but a swarm of angry bees came tearing out of the tree. They seemed to know that she was the cause behind the demise of their brethren. The swarm came straight at her. The first sting to her ear brought a yelp from the girl. Turning tail, she ran as fast as her legs would carry her. The bees were fast as well. She received many stings as she ran. The more stings she received, the more bees seemed to chase her.

Terror took hold of Asla. She was covered in stings and there didn't seem to be an end in sight. Oh, but wait! The river! Completely ignoring her immense fear of water, Aslatiel dove head first into the moving body of water. Clumsily, she swam along underwater, making her way towards the bank. Hopefully the bees didn't follow her.

Finally, the girl had to come up for air. Breaking the surface, she took a deep breath and quickly ducked her head once more. She hadn't seen any bees. Again she lifted her head out of the water, one purple eye scanning her surroundings. No bees!

Swimming to the bank, the battered girl crawled out of the river. She was a mess. Asla was covered in stings. One eye was swollen shut. Her whole body was on fire and everything was swelling up and painful. She whimpered and began to crawl back home. She needed her aunt to help her. She needed a hug from mom. She needed to remember to never stop and smell the roses. The bees had surely won the day.