Hive Mind
Short story that I wrote for a contest. Got second place in it~ Possible expansion, not sure yet.
A sleek head raised up from the underbrush to the far off harmony of cracking branches; the noise reaching the slim creature's auditroy senses as it turned it's eyeless head towards the origin of the disturbance. A guttural rumble escaped the snake-like creature's tapered snout as it lowered its head into its hidden resting place once more, the spines that jutted from the back of its head making a soft scraping sound against the branches. The noise was no threat to it, the source being too distant. It curled up around itself to sleep, letting the constant pushes of the hive lull it into slumber's dark embrace.
Dawn broke over the horizon, splashing the trees that blanketed the terrain with an array of bright colors. The light spilled through the foliage to the forest floor below, signalling the start of a new day and the end of the reign of the nocturnal creatures until dusk arrived once more. Small animals burst from their hiding places and the forest became alive with activity as the sun began to warm up the air.
'Awaken.' Something stirred amidst a tangle of fallen branches and the underbrush that grew up around them. The same slender creature that had kept watch the evening before raised its head again, a few clicking noises emanating from its concealed maw. Small slits on either side of the elongated diamond shaped head opened ever so slightly, allowing the creature to survey its surroundings. Its smooth, dark brown skin blended in wonderfully to the forest floor, seeming to shimmer with the different hues that surrounded it. The creature stretched its long, blade-like arms and hands over its head, and then it extended similar dark brown, bat-like wings out from its spine, relaxing every joint along its long body.
As it began to move, more and more of the other animals started to keep away from it. They were afraid of it. It understood their fear, as the creature was not a natural part of this environment. Not only that, but it was a lot bigger than most anything else the native animals had ever seen. At full stretch, it was nine feet long, though it usually stood only four feet off the ground with the rest of its body used to propel itself along the forest floor. It's one of the invaders, the animals chattered to each other. It was more dangerous than the nocturnal predators and it moved during the day. It was silent as it moved and left little trace of where it had been. It's a hunter, the animals said, and a deadly one at that. They had seen the spines protruding from other animals throughout the forest before the invader had reached its victim to feed. Yes, they had ample reason to fear it, but this was not its home, nor did it have any intention on staying for long.
'Calm thyselves, creatures. We only hunt when we are hungry and that is not so at the moment. I will be out of your territory shortly.' The creature's meaning fell on deaf ears, as the animals in the area only heard its noises as a threat and they scattered. With a shake of its narrow head, the creature slithered from its hiding place, stopping a few feet out from it to think. 'I, not we. -I- am not part of the hive. Deyadoran Vyll Naceralle calls none his master.' He continued onward, leaving his resting place for the night behind him in the morning light.