I woke blearily to find I was back in the cabin by the wall. They had laid me on a pile of sheets in a corner of the kitchen not too far away from the door. My body ached badly, and I wasn't aware of how much time had passed since I lost consciousness. I twitched my feelers experimentally, even my sense of smell seemed dull, burned out by the fire that coursed through me during that fight. Old memories flared once more, and I eased my body and let my mind sink into their images.

     The humans had called it haunting, my people just knew it as something all of us were capable of. I saw through the eyes of warriors and workers alike, felt the same lightning that lit up my body and theirs. We could expend a lot of energy to speed ourselves up for a few seconds, increasing our rate of perception and movement to slow the world to a crawl around us. Where I saw myself fighting the raiders, the humans probably only perceived a blur of motion, killed before they knew what had happened. But the cost was great. I was born of the worker caste, like all others. Workers could only do that once? Maybe twice if they were particularly vivacious, before passing out and potentially dying. But I was still here.

     After the memories and new information settled, I slipped mercifully back into sleep for a while, losing even more time. When I awoke again my body still ached with exertion, but I could move once more. I flexed my feelers and turned my head to see the rest of the room. Kip stood at the table next to Irah, working on some roots and plants to be eaten. Ob'haad wasn't here at the moment, but I smelled him. I tried to speak, but It came as more a crackling hum. I was so very thirsty. Kip and Irah started at the sound, but kip quickly grabbed a pitcher and knelt next to me.

     "Thank'n the gods! Yer alive! Why'd you have to go runnin out and fightin like that huh? Scared me half to death ya did!" She said agitated things, but her tone and expression seemed happy as she tilted the pitcher for me to drink. Cool water soothed me, refreshing my voice and replenishing my body. "It is natural to defend the hive from intruders. I was surprised more did not attack the invaders." Kip sighed and set down the pitcher, resting her hand between my feelers. It was then that Ob'haad entered the kitchen, looking towards Kip and I he smiled. "So our wood haunt's been back from the dead, eh?" He said, walking over to sit on the ground besides Kip.

     "I'd been thinkin ya nearly passed on after what'n ya did to those bandits. You saved ma skin there, gave me 'nuff time to round the guards too. I figure you helped save a bunch o people Opal." He said, resting his hand on one of my fore limbs. "Thank ya Opal. Ya proved to be an ally o the people ere, riskin yer life like that." Kip beamed up at him and he smiled back at the girl. "You two are welcome to stay ere, if'n that's what ya be wantin. The town's folk know whatcha did fer us. Nobody's a disagreein even if we ain't never heard o a wood haunt living amongst the common folk." I lifted me head a little to look directly at Ob'haad. "You will take care of kip?" I asked. "O'course we are!" Irah called as she brought the assortment of cooked roots and a few scant lumps of meat over to me. "I happened to have been growin fond o her whils't ya were snoozin ere by the door." 

     I greedily tore into the offered food, tearing and gulping it all down in a matter of minutes. After I had finished eating I felt tired and rested down on that little nest of coverings again. "How long was I gone for?" I asked, resting my head on the cool soft cloth. Kip responded "You were gone for three days. We weren't even sure ya were gonna wake after what it took from ya." Three days. It would be a little while before I could even attempt that again. But for now I was safe, and so was Kip. I had found a place for her amongst her own. My mind began slipping into sleep as the final question echoed in my mind. But where do I go from here?