Queen Potter (The Potter Xenomorph Saga: Book 1)

Home?

Home?

As she kneels there, Arry watches as a tiny, featherless, version of the avian crawls out of the pile of ash. Carefully cleaning the ash away from it with a talon, she studies it intently as it squarks angrily at her. With a thought, she transforms and climbs back into her ovipositor. There she starts laying a very special adoption egg. As clearly the standard face hugger would swallow the small avian, that can survive having its head bitten off. Arry can see that it is growing rapidly, so she's not so worried about how small she makes it. As she finishes, raggedy feathers are starting to grow in, so she quickly climbs back down and returns to her humanoid form. Reaching into the egg, she feels the face hugger wrap itself around a finger before she pulls it out.

Fawkes can't believe it, she was doing a favour for her human by locating the child he misplaced 10 years ago. When she appeared, something killed her before she could even register her location. Unexpected burnings were always so uncomfortable. Then whatever it was stares at her from inches away. Well, it looks human so it could be the child, though she thought they grew slower than that. Then it grows into a monster and climbs up some awful creature before settling itself on top of it. Not liking the feeling she's getting, Fawkes tries to grow faster, to get to the point she can flame away. Two burnings in one day would be worth it, and, when she's recovered, she can have a loud word with her human. Oh, she thinks weakly, it lays eggs, why would it suddenly be laying eggs?

"No, no, no no no no, no. There's no way you're bring that thing anywhere close to me. Keep away or I'll mmmmph."

Weakly she tries to burn whatever it is, but it just holds onto her head harder, so she goes limp, very aware that she is at her most vulnerable at this moment in time. Whatever parasite she's been implanted with, can be burnt out later, she just has to survive to later. It detaches not too long later, and she coughs up the tube. Her stomach is bloated with whatever it left behind, but she can't cough it out. Tiredly she fights to say awake so that she can flame out as soon as she's recovered enough. It's a few hours later that she realises with a panic that the thing is getting smaller and part of her. The thing watches her in interest as she weakly bursts into flame, to no avail. It's still too early for another burning, and that also means she can't use the flame to travel. No longer having the energy to stay awake, she falls asleep in the puddle of ash.

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As Fawkes wakes up to the sound of a room full of people talking loudly to each other, she calls "Would you shut up, some of us are recovering from an unexpected burning day."

As everyone shuts up she lays her head down on the side of the nest, and then opens her eyes in alarm. Someone has wrapped some clothing into a nest and placed her in it. What becomes more alarming is the fact she's in a room on her own.

"I'm glad to see you're awake. I'm Arry, your new Queen. Who are you?"

"I'm Ptiana though my human calls me Fawkes."

"Hello Ptiana, why did you appear in my laying chamber?"

Ptiana can't help herself as she answers, "I was doing a favour for my human, he lost a male child 10 years ago. I followed the magic from one of his devices. It was obviously incorrect my Queen." - Where did that come from? – "What has happened to me? Why am I sharing so much?"

"You're part of my hive now, and I'm your Queen." Ptiana grumps as Arry obviously thinks that explains everything. In fairness, it probably does.

Arry continues, "I hope you don't mind, we moved you from your burnt pile, as you were rather small and I didn't want you to be stepped on accidentally."

Ptiana suddenly realises something, "How comes you can understand me?"

Arry sounds confused, "You're part of the hive, that means your memories are part of the hive too."