The late autumn on the swarm’s new territory was colder and shorter than at the previous one. The aphis cows became lazy and sleepy, refusing to move or feed. It was only a matter of time before they went into hibernation. With the ground becoming hard, work on the tunnels ceased. The main priority of the swarm became food storage. Soldiers went hunting every day to help the workers provide enough meat to feed everyone and ferment it using the leaves of upside-down trees.

  In the last days, the swarm was left to its own devices. The queen spent most of her time inside her room, making the bedding with her own plucked fur. Usually, her mate should have done the same. Storge looked at the cloak that Ferko had given her again and again, feeling conflicted. Finally, she decided it was best for her future cubs to use everything.

  When the day came, Kindhearted was right beside her. Feeling feverish and nervous at first, Storge gradually calmed down. Her father’s present and Clear-Eyed’s guidance allowed the delivery to go smoothly. With overwhelming calm, she gazed at the four furry pups that enthusiastically pushed into her belly in search of milk. Storge rested her head on the bedding and moved slightly, helping her offsprings find their first meal.

  Cubless no more.

  She closed her eyes, dozing and lulled by this thought and the stress of delivery. Both her father and Clear-eyed left, letting the queen rest. She didn’t know how long she had been asleep when she felt someone take a look inside her room.

  'Sorry, I woke you up,' Hailstone said shyly at the entrance. He sniffed and glanced at the puppies. 'Congratulations. They look healthy and cute.'

  'Yes, I hope so too,' Storge replied and fell silent. Her anxiety slipped through her thoughts. She felt grateful when her brother pretended not to notice it. Then again, she already knew why he had come, and this made her drop her ears. 'You are leaving, aren’t you?'

  Hailstone nodded. 'I wanted to make sure you gave birth safely before I left for the hive. She is waiting for me.'

  'Then you shouldn’t make her wait any longer.' Storge smiled. It felt like yesterday they were three cubs playing without a care in the world. 'I wish you happiness, brother.'

  'I wish you too, little sister.' Hailstone carefully stepped into the queen’s room and nuzzled her muzzle and mane. 'I’ll visit often.'

  Storge nuzzled back. Even though he did not step back for a while, even though their parting was expected, it felt too short and abrupt. Hailstone returned to the tunnel.

  He glanced back, 'I’m going to stop by the village before I head to the hive.'

  A playful smirk curved his mouth. Storge flinched. 'Don’t tell me you are going… Stop right there!'

  Her movement startled the pups, and she looked down worriedly when they squeaked.

  'Oh, but you are no longer my queen. You cannot order me,' Hailstone laughed, hurrying outside.

  He had already said his farewells to the swarm. Storge was last. The feeling of sadness had left the wolf ant as he ran through the grove, replaced by delight and anticipation. Countless questions raced through his mind, mixed with dreams. What would his life be like in the hive? He had won the queen’s favor, but would he be able to make her happy? Would their future cubs be as cute and lovely as Storge’s?

  'I wish our mother could meet my mate. I’m sure she would like her.'

  The wolf felt the pain of grief touched his heart. Slowly, as time passed and new encounters and emotions occurred, it became more bearable.

  Hailstone stopped at the village boundary. He sniffed and looked around. It was already noon, a time when he would normally sleep in his nest. But for humans, that time was filled with work. This was a small village, and he quickly located Ferko behind the barn. The guy was sitting on an old stump, concentrating on fixing a wheel on a pushcart. Remembering their previous meetings, Hailstone coughed to get the human’s attention.

  Ferko raised his head and put down the tool. He greeted Hailstone, who proudly announced, 'I’m going to live with Graceful Paws in the hive. After all, I’m Graceful Paws’ mate now.'

  Ferko chuckled. "You really do like that name. I’m glad - I wasn’t sure it would suit her."

  Looking at the guy’s smiling face, Hailstone shifted from one front paw to the other. It was difficult to break such news, but it felt unfair to remain silent. Without delay, the wolf announced, 'My sister is well. She has given birth to your cubs.'

  He felt instantly guilty. Ferko froze for a moment. The guy stared at the Hailstone. When he tried to stand up from the stump, he swayed and grabbed onto a pushcart.

  "Wait," muttered Ferko. He paused for another moment before continuing. "What...how? No, I mean..."

  'That’s why she avoided you recently. She didn’t want you to notice.' Hailstone lowered his ears. The next question he asked made him feel dejected. 'Do you regret it?'

  Still holding onto the pushcart, Ferko disheveled his hair.

  "I don’t know what to think. We are the same age, right? Isn’t it too soon for us?"

  He didn’t receive an answer. The wolf found this question too complicated. What Ferko meant for a person’s age could not be applied to a swarm. The guy took several deep breaths. His gaze seemed unfocused, moving from the ground to the wolf, then lifting to glance at the grove. But none of these actions brought him peace of mind. Covering his eyes, he said, "I should talk to my parents first."

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  'Good idea,' Hailstone nodded. 'They are your family, after all.'

  ***

  Like any other person who has a happy family, Hailstone thought that everyone had one. Ferko was less na?ve, yet he underestimated the fear people felt towards magic. He chose a time after dinner when everyone was relaxed, and his siblings were in another room. To soften the impact, he kept some details to himself and didn’t give out the location of the swarm or its nest. But when he told the truth to his apparently calm parents, the house fell silent. A look of shock drained the color from his mother’s face, and father’s composure shattered.

  The father of three children sometimes acted harshly. However, he was a just and reliable man. At least Ferko thought so. The guy didn’t finish explaining when his father jumped out of his chair and grabbed him by the collar. Then the man punched him in the face. Ferko opened his mouth only to receive another blow. The fabric of his shirt ripped; the blood from his nose and split lip dripped onto his clothes. But his father did not stop there. The man dragged his son towards the door, opened it wide and threw Ferko outside.

  Before the guy could get up, he heard his father’s angry shouting, "Disgusting! Licentiousness brat! Even if we live like outcasts, we’re still human beings. Don’t you have an ounce of pride or common sense?!"

  Ferko wiped the blood off his face. Still, a few drops slid into his mouth, filling it with a metallic taste and making his head spin. He had countless things he wanted to say in his defense. The best thing would be to ask for forgiveness. This usually calmed his father’s anger. However, at that moment, Ferko felt no remorse.

  "But they are your grandchildren..."

  He didn’t even finish a single sentence. The man towering above him stepped outside and delivered a kick.

  "Don’t you understand that you have crossed the taboo line?" asked his father, glaring at Ferko, holding his hurt stomach. "Get out! And never come back. If I even sense you near this village, you are dead!"

  “Don’t you understand that you have crossed the taboo line?" asked his father, glaring at Ferko, holding his hurt stomach. "Get out! And never come back. If I ever sense you near this village, you will be dead!"

  For the next few minutes, Ferko was alone. The silence, after the screams, rang in his head, reinforced by the darkness of early evening. He rose from the ground and waited for a while. There was still hope. And he was right. The door opened, and his mother appeared. But his heart sank. The woman’s hands, wrinkled from hard work and washing clothes in cold water, were full of bag and a jacket. She handed them to him. Her face, deformed by the nymph’s magic years ago, elongated and covered with skin growths, shook.

  "Here, take this," mother gave him a shoulder bag. Even without looking, just by the weight, he understood right away that inside were his books and albums. Both his parents decided to erase his very existence from the house. Mother’s face was twisted with pain and sorrow.

  Ferko raised his arms, but she rejected his clumsy attempt to hug her, saying firmly, "Don’t. And please don’t come back. We’re not family anymore."

  She walked inside the house and shut the door, not turning back even once and leaving him alone.

  The rustling sound coming from another house made Ferko flinch. Grabbing the bag and jacket, he hurried away from the village. There were few people here, but they knew each other well. Hearing the screams, others would surely become curious. And learning about his crime, they would turn their backs on him too.

  He climbed the slope and ran. The trail he took often during the last few months turned hostile in the dark, unfamiliar. The bushes and tree branches clung to his clothes, slapping his face. Ferko stopped only when he reached the river. He sat down there, catching his breath. The shallow water was covered with thin ice. He’d run so hard he was sweating and could see his breath in the cold air. Once he stopped, he felt cold. Ferko put on the jacket and sniffled his nose. He was too afraid of his father to even think about returning.

  An hour passed. Staring at the water or the grove did not help the guy to find a solution. The evening turned into night, dropping the temperature even further. Ferko stood up and threw the bag over his shoulder. As he walked toward the familiar part of the grove, his legs felt numb. Although he had been there before several times, the guy hesitated to go further than the upside-down tree that had saved him twice. He stopped, listening intently. But only night birds flew from one tree to another.

  He spotted an old spider tree before stepping on the meadow it grew on. And right away, he felt intense gazes directed at him. Ferko shuddered when a shadow appeared from behind his back. A soldier wolf glared at the human with his mandibles released, and its sharp ends were right next to Ferko’s face. But before the beast could hiss, it stepped back. The guy looked around. From the shrubs, several pairs of golden eyes were staring at him. His bruises were already covered in a blood crust, but he thought that if the beasts still smelled the blood. Kindhearted approached the human.

  The soldier wolf didn’t look hostile, but he also didn’t radiate joy and friendliness like Hailstone usually does. Ferko cautiously took a step, then another one. He clenched the handle of his shoulder bag, trying to hide the shaking of his hands. The swarm’s eyes were fixed on him, making him feel colder than the weather actually is. He spotted a hole between the spider tree’s roots. The guy glanced at Kindhearted. The soldier wolf was following in his footsteps. Considering it as permission, Ferko lowered himself on all fours and crawled into the hole.

  The tunnel was larger than he expected, and long enough to start feeling anxious and claustrophobic. When a wolf’s muzzle suddenly appeared from a side tunnel, Ferko jumped back, hitting the ceiling with his head. The wolf snorted and retreated. Calming his racing heart, Ferko crawled further. He started to worry if he would ever find the queen or even get out of this labyrinth, when he finally felt like someone was calling out to him. The man finally reached a den, an oval-shaped room that was spacious enough to accommodate two soldier wolves.

  'Hailstone really couldn’t keep his thoughts shut.'

  Storge was lying on a bedding made of black fur, and the cloak she had been gifted. She looked well and Ferko glanced at her belly. The scene reminded him of the times when the village dogs gave birth to pups. It seemed surreal, watching the wolf cubs’ sides rise and fall in peaceful sleep, and thinking of them as half-human.

  "Why didn’t you tell me?"

  The question that bothered him received a hurtful answer.

  'Because me and my swarm can raise them.'

  The she-wolf glanced at his bruised face and lay her head on the bedding. 'Go back. This is not a place for humans.'

  Ferko crawled closer and sat down beside her.

  "I can’t. For many reasons."

  Storge closed her eyes. Despite looking fine, she was actually tired. 'Do as you wish,' she answered before falling asleep.

  Carefully, trying not to wake them, Ferko took off his bag. He looked at the wolf cubs again. They were sniffling in their sleep; their eyes were shut tightly. 'She has zero faith in me,' a bitter thought ate him away. 'But it’s alright. I still need to grow in so many ways if I want to help and protect her and our children. Those furry tiny pups are my children.'

  Exhausted by the events of the day and lulled by the cubs’ sniffling, Ferko fell asleep leaning against the wall of the den.