Metamorphosis
Requiem of the Moth S02 E01
Start here if you are new to this serial story or need a recap of season one. This chapter is an interlude that can be read on its own. It also kicks off season two!
Content warnings1
It is so small that the naked eye misses it, so fleeting that it exudes no tell-tale odour. It has been planted, lying in wait for days when one larva approaches it on a slender leaf. With the next bite the larva takes, the egg is swallowed along with the greenery.
The larva carries the egg around the clearing as it munches on dewy leaves and moss. The foliage grows on stone and a thin layer of soil, washed into the cave in meltwater trickles and streams. It is pale and soaks up all the light it can get.
That is enough to nurture a small army of larvae. They, in turn, are enough to nurture a handful of eggs.
The larvae do not grow as fat as previous cohorts but as they live in the moment, this does not concern them. When they are as fat as they will ever get, they climb to high places: a spindly branch, a fleshy leaf, an ominous rock formation. They wrap themselves in silk cloaks to transform.
The eggs, growing fat with their hosts, have hatched and begun eating their way through their hosts' bodies. Everything the larvae have devoured to gather energy for their transformation, the parasites take away.
Still, they know to leave just enough. Their hosts must be kept alive to perform one last act.
They are allowed to transform, weak as they are, and stretch their wings to the glistening ceiling. They are allowed to take flight, buffeted by the breeze through the cracks. They will not survive much longer but they are allowed to taste the air, ride the wind that pushes them deeper under the mountain, and seek flickering warm light.
When the moths are caught, they are little more than husks. The parasites have hollowed them out and will break their skins soon. More delicious hosts are waiting in the depths.
Author Notes
Welcome to the second arc of my low fantasy, high intrigue serial Requiem of the Moth! Have you missed Yun and Usira? Fret not, I am working on the next chapters as we speak. I will also add a proper index for this serial soon, with a blurb and pretty banner and all that. Unfortunately I still haven't figured out a good work-writing-rest balance, especially when work gets busy. Still, I thought I would at least offer this small morsel to you as a taste of what's to come… soon.
How did you like it? It certainly was an interesting challenge writing from the point of view of larvae, moth and parasites. It's hard to say how moths and other insects perceive the world—their sight must be very different from ours, and their sense of smell doesn't reside in the nose (they don't even have one) but all over their body!
For this arc, I am diving deeper into moths and their place in the animal kingdom, creating an even more high-stakes mystery for Yun and Usira to clash over. I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am!
Moths, parasites