Bug Butt Filler 11

>A bright flash later, you and Chrysalis find yourselves at an entrance to a large forest
>From seemingly out of nowhere, she pulls out a scrap of paper with a path drawn on it
So, we gonna follow that to the "base"?
>She nods
>With nothing else to do, you start walking
>It doesn't take long for you to feel at home, if not a little homesick
>You start recalling the glory days that were your childhood
>When you and your friends would play in the woods off behind the house
>You used to sneak out at night with them sometimes, and explore the forest
>Walking through these woods, while unfamiliar, is comforting
>At least, it would be
>While you walk in reverie, it seems cheese legs isn't so comfortable here
>You would write it off as nervousness in the face of the unknown you were searching for
>But what convinces you otherwise happens soon enough
>You step right onto a dry twig, and of course it snaps
>You hardly notice it, lost in your memories
>But Chrysalis does
Eep!
>She squeaks, and moves closer to you
>...
>You can't help it
Bwahahaha!
>She looks really flustered, but still tries to glare at you
>You lower your laughter to a chuckle, and keep walking
>But you can't resist the chance to tease her
>So the next time she wildly glances around, you pick up a thick, dry leaf
>A few minutes later, you reach one hand behind her head with the leaf
>And crack it, making what sounds to her like a loud snap
>She whips around to try and find the source of the noise
>All she finds is you laughing
Stop that!
>She cries out, but you mostly ignore her and keep laughing
>She keeps yelling at you, angry at you for obvious reasons, but you can't take her seriously when she's so wound up
>Such fun
>Not much longer though, you both shut up
>It would seem you're arriving at the "base"
>There are indeed changelings strewn about
>Their corpses litter the area
>The queen goes from wound tight from fear to sad in grievance
>You stand in silence as she goes to each body, kneel down, and mutter something to each one
>Each mangled corpse had something spoken to them
>It takes her some time, but she takes it
>And you wait
>You know better than to interrupt
>This is serious, unlike the walk here
>When she finishes, she walks back to you
>Muttering to herself
>You listen closely, and you hear her
I'll kill them for this... I'll kill them... I'll...kill them all
>You start to feel a little on edge now
>You haven't seen her this angry before
>Then again, you haven't known her for too long
>In a solemn silence, you help her move the bodies
>Today, you learn new magic
>Magic that you wish you'd learned some other way
>Levitation, to move the bodies
>Another type of psychic force to interact with things and dig the graves
>And after filling the graves with tinder, you learned fire magic
>...
>As the funeral pyres burn, you look to the queen
>The queen of these changelings, who had been slaughtered so innocently
>She had tears forming in her eyes
>Small at first, but they grow
>You take a seat next to her
>She looks at you for a moment
>With eyes full of tears, about to spill over
>Then she looks away, back to the 23 flames
I sent them here
>She says, her voice threatening to crack
There was a changeling who went missing in this forest
>As she speaks, the first tear slowly makes its trail down her face
I twenty two of my own children here.
>The tears now flow at a slow, but steady rate
Sent them to their deaths....
>She sniffles
Look at me... The great queen, crying in front of a stranger....
>You can't help but feel anything other than a sad sympathy
>She must truly treat all of her subjects like her own children
>You can scarcely imagine what she's feeling now, but you do know one thing
>And that's how to comfort someone who's feeling down
>You scoot closer to her, and wrap her into a tender hug
It's ok
>You whisper in her ear
>She looks up at you, tears now streaming down
You didn't know. You couldn't know
>You keep saying things like that to her, holding her tight
>As the flames went on burning, her tears slowly start to fade
>But she never leaves your grasp
>Not even when it started raining
>After a moment or two of raining, you had the brilliant idea to put up a shield over the two of you
>At this point, the queen has fallen asleep in your arms
>When the rain stopped hitting you, she snuggled closer
>It's so cute, you don't have words for it
>You just sigh contentedly, and finish the funeral service by filling the graves the rest of the way with dirt and using the new magic to bring over sizable stones
>On each one, you carve a message into it:
You shall be remembered evermore by your mother, leader, and queen
Farewell
>With that complete, you slowly lay down
>You manage to do so with Chrysalis still cuddled up in your arms
>With a smile on your face, you look to the sky through your shield
>You can see the rain coming down, and hear it as it taps out a rhythm
>Soon, it lulls you into sleep
>A deep, peaceful sleep
>Filled with dreams of your childhood friends; playing games joyfully with you in the woods