Blue found himself wandering through the village again the next day, scuttling between the tall grass and shadowy corners, doing his best not to be noticed by any of the humans. It was strangely peaceful, in a way—being in the midst of people but not having to actually interact with them. He could observe, listen, and explore at his leisure. It wasn't like he had much else to do, after all.
As he crawled through the dirt near the edge of one of the houses, he spotted a small gap in the wall, just large enough for him to squeeze through. Perfect, he thought, creeping inside without hesitation. What awaited him was… well, pretty standard. It was a simple house with wooden floors and sparse furniture—a table, a few chairs, a bed tucked into the corner. Nothing particularly exciting, though he did take a moment to scurry up one of the legs of the table, peeking at the items scattered across its surface. Some were bits of food, others were tools—nothing useful for a scorpion.
Well, that was underwhelming, he mused as he slipped back out the way he came in.
He moved through the village, finding more small gaps in the walls of various buildings to explore. The next house he ventured into smelled… different. Warm, sweet, and somehow comforting. His pincers twitched as he climbed up onto a counter, his tiny body passing by what appeared to be an oven. He sniffed the air, and there it was—freshly baked bread, still steaming from the oven.
Ahh, a bakery!
Blue's mandibles clicked excitedly, but he knew better than to stick around for too long. The humans inside were busy working, and he wasn't about to get caught stealing food—or worse, mistaken for a pest. He slipped back out, making a mental note to return at some point. Maybe they'd drop a crumb or two.
Next, he found himself inside what seemed like a small workshop. The air was filled with the sound of metal clanging, and the faint smell of smoke lingered in the air. Blue crawled up the side of a bench and peered over, watching a burly man hammer away at a piece of glowing metal.
Huh. Blacksmith, I guess.
He stayed just long enough to see the man plunge the hot metal into a bucket of water, steam hissing up around it, before scuttling away again. He wasn't keen on sticking around places with open flames and heavy tools. Too dangerous for a little guy like him.
But the next building he found left him completely baffled.
Inside, he saw small humans—children, he assumed—scattered around the room, playing with toys, napping on blankets, and generally causing chaos. There was one older woman, clearly in charge, who was trying to wrangle them all into some semblance of order.
Is this… a daycare?
Blue tilted his head—or at least, he imagined he did. It wasn't exactly the kind of place he expected to find in a village like this, but hey, even fantasy worlds needed someone to watch the kids, right? He watched for a bit longer, amused by the sight of one child stuffing an entire loaf of bread into their mouth, before deciding he'd seen enough.
As he slipped out of the building, he made sure to stick to the shadows, careful not to draw attention to himself. He had gotten pretty good at avoiding the humans, though it was tricky sometimes. He had followed a few of them throughout the day, listening in on their conversations, trying to make sense of their strange language. He still didn't understand any of it, but certain phrases were starting to sound familiar. Maybe, with enough time, he'd figure it out.
Note to self: learn the language so I don't spend my whole existence playing scorpion charades.
While scuttling around near the edge of the village, something shiny caught his eye. There, nestled in the grass beneath a tree, was another fruit—similar to the one he'd found the previous day. Its surface was smooth and glossy, with that same deep purple color and veins of green and blue running through it. Blue clicked his pincers thoughtfully.
Another one of these, huh?
Without much hesitation, he approached the fruit and took a bite. It tasted just as sweet as the first one, but this time, there was no strange sensation inside his body. No sudden burst of energy or feeling of something shifting within him. It was just… fruit. Still, it was delicious, and it filled him up, so he wasn't complaining.
Satisfied, Blue decided to venture closer to the center of the village, weaving through the grass as he kept a watchful eye on the humans nearby. Most of them didn't notice him, too caught up in their work or conversations. He crept closer to a group of villagers chatting near the well, crouching low to avoid detection. He still couldn't understand what they were saying, but he listened anyway, hoping that eventually, something would click.
As Blue scurried along, he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings as much as he should've been, and before he knew it, he had wandered a bit too close to a small human—a young girl, no older than five or six. She was playing with a doll, humming to herself, when her eyes suddenly fell on Blue.
For a moment, there was complete silence. Blue froze, his pincers half-raised in a defensive posture. The girl's eyes widened, and her lip began to tremble, as if she were about to cry.
Oh no. Oh no, no, no!
Blue panicked, unsure of what to do. If she screamed, it would alert the entire village, and the last thing he needed was a mob of humans coming after him with brooms and shoes. Desperate to diffuse the situation, Blue did the only thing he could think of: he danced.
With as much grace as a tiny scorpion could muster, Blue raised his pincers and began wiggling his body from side to side. His tail bobbed up and down in time with the movement, and he clicked his pincers in what he hoped was a playful way.
The little girl stared at him, her tears halting as she watched his odd little performance. For a moment, Blue feared it wasn't working, but then, to his surprise, she began to giggle. The sound was small at first, but soon, she was laughing, clapping her hands in delight at the sight of the scorpion doing what could only be described as a very awkward dance.
Blue let out a sigh of relief—well, as much of a sigh as a scorpion could manage—and lowered his pincers, his little dance coming to an end. The girl crouched down, peering at him with wide eyes as she began talking excitedly, her words still a complete mystery to him.
I really need to figure out this language thing, he thought, watching her curiously.
The girl continued talking to him, her voice filled with excitement, but Blue had no idea what she was saying. So, he tried a different approach. He raised one of his pincers and gestured toward the other children playing nearby, then pointed toward her parents, who were just out of view. Using all four of his limbs and his tail, he tried to pantomime some kind of message, though it probably looked more like he was flailing around.
Still, the girl seemed to get the idea. She nodded, still giggling, before standing up and running back toward the other kids.
Blue watched her go, his body relaxing now that the danger had passed. He scuttled off into the grass, making sure to stay out of sight as he continued exploring the village. As he settled down in a quiet corner, the events of the day replayed in his mind.
Okay, he thought, that could've gone a lot worse.
With the village quieting down as the sun began to set, Blue decided to call it a day. He curled up in a hidden spot near the bakery, the warmth of the building's ovens keeping him comfortable as he closed his eyes—or whatever scorpions did to rest.
It had been a strange day, full of little discoveries and small victories. But for now, Blue was content. He had survived another day without getting squished, and that was more than enough.