The world was… big.
That was the first real thought he had as he ventured further away from the safety of his little rock. The sky stretched overhead like an endless canvas, the trees towered above like silent giants, and every rustle of the leaves sent shivers down his segmented body. It was strange, having all this space around him yet feeling so small—insignificant even.
But even more confusing was the fact that he couldn't remember his own name.
He scuttled over the rocky ground, pausing to try and concentrate. He had a name, didn't he? His old name. He was sure of it. But for some reason, every time he tried to recall it, his mind drew a blank. It was frustrating, like reaching for something just out of his grasp. He closed his eyes—well, he thought he did—and tried to focus harder.
What was it?
Nothing. Just an empty void where his name should've been. He dwelled on it for a moment, growing more irritated by the second. How do I forget something like that? His name was part of who he was—or rather, who he had been.
Eventually, he sighed—or made a dry clicking noise that he assumed was the equivalent. He quickly shrugged it off, figuring it was some side effect from reincarnation. Maybe the process had scrambled his brain a little. Who knows what kind of mystical nonsense was involved in turning a middle-aged man into a tiny scorpion?
Still, he needed something to call himself. He wasn't about to go through life as 'Nameless Scorpion #5.'
Dozens of names flashed through his mind. Some sounded too serious, others too ridiculous. For a brief second, he thought about naming himself after some cool fantasy hero, but even that felt… strange. He wasn't exactly a knight in shining armor anymore.
His thoughts wandered back to his new body—his black and blue scales gleaming in the light. Black and blue, huh? He stared at his reflection in the water for a moment, watching his tiny legs and pincers move.
Blue.
The name settled in his mind. It wasn't fancy or profound, but it worked. Simple, easy to remember, and it fit. He had the look, after all.
"Alright," he thought with an internal shrug. "Guess I'm Blue now."
With that minor identity crisis out of the way, Blue moved carefully, his tiny legs scuttling along the uneven ground as he made his way through the tall grass. Every sound made him tense—was that a predator? A gust of wind? The buzzing of some oversized insect? He didn't know, but his instincts told him to stay low, to remain cautious.
He peered up at a large tree in the distance. Something moved within the shadows of its branches, too far away for him to see clearly. Some monstrous thing, no doubt. Nope, he thought, quickly turning in the opposite direction. "Definitely not going that way."
Instead, he focused on the ground in front of him. Small movements caught his eye. Tiny insects crawled about—his new prey. At first, the idea of hunting insects was bizarre. In his past life, he'd been the type to gently catch a bug and toss it outside, not kill it. But here, things were different. Survival demanded sacrifice, and besides… he was hungry.
His black and blue-scaled body crouched low, his pincers extending as he spotted a small beetle making its way across the dirt. With a practiced precision he didn't realize he had, he struck. His pincers grabbed the beetle, snapping it cleanly in half. Without hesitation, he ate it, and to his surprise, it didn't taste bad—kind of crunchy, almost like popcorn.
Okay, weird, but I can live with that.
Blue continued his hunt, taking down smaller insects with relative ease. The thrill of it was strangely satisfying, his natural instincts taking over as he fed. It wasn't glamorous, but it kept him going, and for now, that was enough.
However, not everything in this world was content to let him be. As Blue prowled through the tall grass, he caught sight of something that made his heart—or whatever he had in place of one—skip a beat.
Other scorpions.
They were larger than him, their dark exoskeletons gleaming in the faint sunlight. They moved with purpose, their tails arching menacingly behind them. Blue watched them from a distance, hiding in the grass, his curiosity piqued.
Wait, are they like me?
A sense of excitement bubbled up inside him. Maybe he wasn't alone after all. Maybe they were other reincarnated people, like him! Scorpion buddies! He could work with that.
Cautiously, Blue scurried toward them, making sure not to draw too much attention to himself. He was smaller, yes, but they didn't seem too different from him—well, aside from their size. He watched as they moved, interacting with each other, almost like a pack.
But as soon as he got too close, one of them noticed. Its tail snapped to attention, and it turned its head toward him, its pincers clicking angrily. The others followed suit, and suddenly, all eyes—or rather, whatever they had for eyes—were on him.
Blue froze. "Uh, hey guys," he thought, maybe if I just act casual, they'll—
The largest one lunged at him.
Blue barely had time to react. He leapt backward, his tail instinctively curling up to defend himself. Okay, definitely not scorpion buddies!
The other scorpions hissed at him, their tails raised high in threat. One charged at him, snapping its pincers menacingly. Blue dodged, his small body darting to the side. He wasn't about to let them bully him. He was already dead once, no way was he going to let some aggressive overgrown bugs finish him off now.
The scuffle was… well, to an outsider, it might've looked cute. Tiny pincers clicked against tiny pincers as Blue tried to fend off the attackers. His movements were fast but clumsy, still getting used to his body. His tail lashed out, missing his mark by an embarrassing distance, but he managed to avoid most of their attacks in return.
One of the scorpions tried to get behind him, but Blue spun around, his pincers clamping down on the other's tail. The scorpion hissed, pulling back, but Blue wasn't letting go. He yanked it forward, sending the other scorpion tumbling across the dirt.
Haha! Take that!
For a split second, Blue felt invincible. His pincers clicked triumphantly. But then the largest of the group charged, and Blue barely had time to duck before its stinger came down hard where his head had been.
He scrambled back, his tail whipping around to strike. This time, it hit its mark. His venomous stinger plunged into the scorpion's leg, and the creature recoiled in pain, hissing in fury. Blue quickly scurried away, taking the opportunity to put some distance between them.
I really didn't want to fight you guys, but you started it!
The other scorpions gathered themselves, but they didn't seem eager to continue the fight. Maybe it was the sting, or maybe they just didn't see him as worth the effort, but after a few tense moments, they turned and scuttled off into the distance, leaving Blue behind.
He watched them go, his heart still racing. That could've gone worse, he thought. At least I didn't die. Again.
Blue let out a sigh—if scorpions could sigh—and crawled toward a nearby rock, climbing underneath it for some much-needed shelter. His body was still shaking from the scuffle, but he felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
Sure, he was tiny. Sure, he was still figuring out what the hell was going on. But he'd survived. And for now, that was enough.
As he settled in under the rock, the world outside seemed a little less terrifying.
Okay, he thought, curling his tail close, I think I can do this.