✤ Hornet
The beloved daughter of Vyrm and the Deepnest queen Herrah. Following Vyrm's disappearance, she was forced to spend years all on her own, which turned her bitter and difficult to approach. She moved to Dirtmouth following the end of the infection, and eventually joined its Hunters' Guild.
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Info | |
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| Name Pronunciation | /ˈhɔːr.nət/ |
| Name Meaning/Origin | "the one with horns" |
| Nicknames | "Spider" (Lace)
"Red" (Aika) ... |
Personal | |
| Age | 62 years old |
| Sex | Female |
| Gender | Female |
| Pronouns | She/they |
| Orientation | Lesbian |
| Tribe | Hybrid |
| Birthplace | Deepnest |
| Hometown | Dirtmouth |
| Occupation | Hunter |
Appearance | |
| Eye color | ■ Dark puce
■ Tuscan red |
| Height | 1.05m |
| Weight | 21kg |
| Notable Details |
Additional pair of arms (mostly vestigial)
Blue blood Partially leucistic |
Relationships | |
| Partner | Aika (girlfriend)
Lace (girlfriend) |
| Parents | †Herrah (mother)
Vyrm (father) Grimm (stepfather) |
| Siblings | Holly (half-sibling)
Lewk (half-brother) Asta (half-sister) Milo (half-brother) †Ghost of Hallownest (half-sibling) †Unnamed vessels (half-siblings) †Unnamed sibling |
Extra | |
| Voice Claim | Ellie Williams (The Last of Us Part II) |
Hornet is a hunter from Dirtmouth's Hunters' Guild. Not much is known about her to most of the town's residents, ---
Name origin
...Table of Contents
Appearance
Reference sheet
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Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
Background
Early life
Hornet was born to a dalliance between Herrah the Beast, the queen of Deepnest, and The Pale King, the ruler of Hallownest. She was the reason why Herrah agreed to the king's proposition of becoming a dreamer to stop the infection that was plaguing the kingdom; the queen struggled to have children that would survive after hatching, and she was sure that the king's genes would result in a strong child. And she was correct, though Hornet was not the only one in the litter; her only sibling died before hatching, leaving her to be the only surviving offspring of the queen. Despite his own reservations about Deepnest, Vyrm would visit his daughter after she hatched from her egg, ensuring that both Hornet and Herrah had everything they needed.Unfortunately, Herrah's part of the bargain meant that she would not spend a long time with her daughter. Just over a year later, Herrah began her eternal slumber, and little Hornet was moved to The White Palace; consequently, she had very little memories of her mother. The palace was bright and scary, and the only bug she recognized was the king, her father. Thankfully, his own aversion to the bright lights and open rooms meant that she could spend a lot of time with him while he was in his workshop, a place much closer to the one she remembered.
Her early childhood was happy for what it was. After The Pure Vessel was sealed, not too long after Hornet's arrival, the infection went away. Her father was doing the best he could to raise her well, and Hornet felt his love. She remembers a lot from these days. The times she was crying and he comforted her, when she complained about the dresses The White Lady made her wear and he let her choose a more comfortable outfit, when he tucked her in to bed and read her stories, all the toys he made for her. She loved him, he was her role model and her everything. Once she got a little older, she could tell that something was troubling him, but he never brought it up, and she was too young to understand the reasoning behind his behavior.
There was another bug in her life that she recalls with much fondness, and that was Grimm, her father's closest friend. He visited the palace every now and then, and when they met for the first time, little Hornet became obsessed with him. He would show her fire tricks and bring her gifts from distant lands, including a small stuffed toy of a beast she has never heard of before, a gift that she kept with herself to this day. But every time he left, she would wish that he stayed. It was becoming clear that she really wanted to have a second parent, and in her eyes, Grimm fit that role. She could tell that her father was much happier whenever Grimm was around, and the Troupe Master himself was always so kind to him. She felt safe having both of them around, so it hurt that he would only stay for a few days at a time.
She did not get to know The Pure Vessel properly before it was sealed away. She found the vessel intimidating, and she was told not to disturb it, so she did not interact with it much. Hornet noticed that those around her did not seem to treat the vessel as another bug, and it never spoke or did anything it was not asked to do. It's as if it was an object, and one she found too unsettling to hang around.
Xero incident
Soon after The Pure Vessel's sealing, Vyrm took Hornet to the City of Tears to accompany him while he was doing business, and to show her the city itself. She found it incredible, though she recalls it being uncomfortably wet (an opinion she still holds today). She was splashing in the puddles as her father was approached by a mysterious bug. Hornet did not pay attention to them, assuming it was just another bug he was supposed to meet, until Vyrm shouted her name and told her to hide. Then, before she could respond, he was attacked by the other bug, and so she listened to his command. Hiding behind an empty merchant cart, she watched as her father fought the bug using soul magic, though with every second he appeared to be weaker; the warrior's blows seemed to impact him more and more. Hornet was scared, she looked around for help, but the city guards were nowhere to be seen. Her dad was struggling, she did not want him to die, and so despite her fear, she ran out of her hiding spot and towards the warrior, grabbing the back of his cloak. Then seconds later, she felt a strong blow to her head, and everything turned dark.The next thing she remembers was the sight of her father, crouched over something on the ground she could not recognize. She cried in pain, feeling her head hurt badly, which made him turn around and run towards her. She recalls seeing red stains all over his robes and his mouth, and a strong smell she could not recall at that moment, then she blacked out again. She woke up later at the palace, in her father's bed with a bandage around her head. Not long after, Vyrm walked in to check on her, but he had an absent look on his face that she noticed quickly. She asked what happened, and he simply told her to rest. She wouldn't realize what happened that day until years later, and she now understands what he did to protect her.
Years of peace
After The Radiance and her infection were sealed away, Hallownest went through a period of relative peace. The kingdom was still struggling after a large population died to the infection, and its inhabitants were still anxious. Even for Hornet, who was safe within the palace, away from the chaos in the other regions, those years were not perfect. After the Queen left the palace, shortly before Pure Vessel was sealed away, her father was especially disoriented - having the kingdom of his shoulders was difficult, and he began hiding away even more often, leaving a lot of the issues for his advisors. As Hornet grew up and became more aware of her surroundings, she started paying more attention to Vyrm's behavior, and with it she grew concerned. She would ask him if he's okay, if there's anything she could do to help, but he kept telling her she shouldn't worry about him. It was frustrating, and as years went on, she realized she was watching her father declining in front of her. Grimm's visits alleviated her worries, Vyrm would brighten up every time he stopped by, but even that did not last long. After a certain point, there was a weird tension between them that she could not explain, it was as if her father suddenly felt anxious around Grimm. And whenever she brought it up, he would quickly change the topic. Growing up quite sheltered, she had no idea it was romantic love, so she assumed it had to do with Vyrm's declining health.There was only one thing Vyrm ever talked to her about when it came to his struggles. At that point, she was more aware of what she did to protect the kingdom, and he would occasionally ask her what she thought about it. She told him that she believed it was for the good of everyone, and in truth, she had no reason to think otherwise. She didn't see the vessels as fully sapient bugs, from what she remembered of The Pure Vessel, they were more similar to a kingsmould than a living bug. She would not change her views until later in her life, though she still believes that it was a necessary evil.
She did not spend all that time at The White Palace, however. Vyrm, seeing her interest in the duties of the Great Knights, and remembering Herrah's gift for Hornet - a specialized nail called The Needle - that he promised to keep safe, decided to organize sparring lessons for her. Unfortunately, Dryya, the most nimble of the Great Knights, left the palace to remain with the Queen, and so Hornet struggled with the more brutish fighting styles of the other knights. Vyrm would not give up, however, and he struck a deal with Queen Vespa of The Hive, a neighboring region which remained sovereign. He offered the queen additional help with dealing with the aftermath of the infection, and in return, Queen Vespa and her knights would train Hornet. This, however, meant that Hornet had to leave the palace for days at a time, to focus on her training.
And one day, when she returned, everything was gone. The palace, her home, her father. Disappeared without a trace.
Father's absence
Hornet was devastated, everything was gone and she had nowhere to go. She sat for a while at what remained of the palace, next to the dead kingsmould. What happened? It has only been a few days, she wasn't away for long, where was everyone? All she had left was her needle, and what she brought to The Hive with her - some clothes, tools and the stuffed toy from Grimm that she kept since early childhood. If her father was gone, then she wished that Grimm was there, at least, though he was away at the time. But she couldn't stay at The Palace Grounds, she had to go somewhere. The Hive was the only place she could think of; there was Deepnest, but she hasn't visited it ever since her mother became a dreamer. She stayed there for a while, under the care of Queen Vespa who, by that point, grew fond of the weaverling.As Hornet learned soon after, her father's disappearance may have been connected to the return of the infection, which was now ravaging the kingdom once more. Vespa advised her to stay in The Hive, as it was one of the few safe places left, but its walls could not protect them forever. Soon enough, the queen herself fell to the infection, and Hornet had no choice but to leave.
She avoided other bugs out of fear of becoming infected herself, and so she began a lonely life of fighting for survival. Throughout all those years, she grew bitter and angry, at the world, at her father for leaving her and at Grimm for not being there for him... or her. The thought that she had no idea what happened to her father was devastating, but as years went on, the sadness was slowly overshadowed by the anger. And on top of all, she found it incredibly difficult to interact with anyone, she was a loner and in her mind, there was no point in making connections. She could get attached, and she knew she wouldn't be able to handle losing anyone else ever again. Instead, she dedicated herself to protecting Hallownest from anything that could harm it, even if she knew it was being consumed from within, as the infection grew stronger every day.
Years passed, and Hornet became a shadow of her childhood self. She struggled with anger issues and a fear of becoming attachment, which made her bitter and quiet. She reached adulthood during that time, but she did not pay attention to it. It was of no difference to her, there was nothing to celebrate. Underneath all that anger, she found it difficult to find any love for her father, though she felt that it was still there - she really missed him, and at times she felt as if she was telling herself she should hate him, even if it didn't feel quite right. She never encountered Grimm again, so she assumed that he simply didn't bother looking for her, unaware that her aversion to contact made her incredibly difficult to locate. She visited Deepnest at one point, hoping to find some comfort at her mother's resting place, even if she barely knew her. Instead, she found it completely overrun by infected beasts, and barely made it out of there alive. It was her only visit there in all the years.
She stumbled upon some vessels throughout that period, usually dead or on the verge of dying. She would promptly finish them off, in part as a way to prevent the void within them from becoming dangerous, but also out of pity. She didn't believe that they felt pain, but she did not like seeing them in that state for reasons she couldn't explain. Then, one day, another vessel showed up. This one seemed strong, she saw it defeat many infected beasts in its path, and so she decided to approach it. It beat her in a fight, and then continued on its mission. Hornet found it fascinating, but she also wanted to keep an eye on it in case it caused trouble to Hallownest. Over time, she realized what it was trying to do - as if still clinging to its purpose, it seemed to look for ways to end the infection. However, she did not intervene or join it, instead she observed it, only briefly interacting with it in The City of Tears. That is until its path led the vessel to Deepnest, where it entered Herrah's dream and ended it, killing her. She, once again, did not intervene, believing that it was necessary for the vessel's mission after learning more about the dreamers. She did not hold much attachment to her mother, though it did bring her pain to see her gone, even if she believed that she would not wake up either way.
However, Hornet did not follow every footstep the vessel had taken. There were days where she could not find it, or her own life got in the way. She did not follow the vessel to Dirtmouth, though she noticed that it returned holding a charm that she could've sworn she recognized from its appearance. It did not matter, however, as one day, the vessel disappeared after entering the Royal Waterways. She assumed it must have found another exit and she would encounter it again. A few days later, however, she noticed a change in the air. The same population of infected vengeflies she avoided for a while, now showed no signs of the disease, acting noticeably less aggresive. She did not think too much about it, until she began noticing more strange changes. Then, unexpectedly, as she was walking past the Temple of The Black Egg, she heard rumbling coming from the inside. She instinctively reached for her needle, ready to strike, but her eyes widened as she realized what she just saw. The Pure Vessel, stumbling out of the temple, collapsed on its knees right in front of her.
Sibling reunion
Hornet was confused, she believed the vessel died years ago when the infection returned. For some reason, it did not succumb to the disease, and now ot seemed healthy. Or at the very least, not infected - she quickly noticed the black substance leaking out of their right eye, and where its right arm was supposed to be. She was unsure what to do; she still believed vessels to be incapable of feeling pain, and yet she could sense that the one in front of her was suffering. After the initial shock, she sheathed her needle and helped the vessel up with the intention of leading it to the closest settlement she could think of - Dirtmouth. Maybe someone there could help her.The climb to the surface was tough, moving through the well was impossible so she had to find tunnels that would lead her there, and the vessels size made it even more of a challenge. Eventually, she reached the town. She could see lights in the windows of some of them, but she decided to stop at an abandoned hut, somewhere on its outskirts. Before reaching it, however, she saw a peculiar shape in the distance, near the way leading to the Howling Cliffs. It didn't take her long to recognize the symbols on the tents, and without a second thought, she took the vessel there. She never met the Troupe, but she knew they were associated with Grimm. And if they were in the town, then it must mean she would find him there too.
Their reunion was awkward to say the least, Grimm was clearly shocked to see her, but she did not waste time. She ignored questions about herself or her father, instead she asked Grimm to take the vessel in and help them while she prepared shelter for them in the town. Grimm didn't object. Hornet had a lot she wanted to say to him, she could barely contain her anger at seeing him, but at that moment she knew the vessel needed help. Not to mention, the fact that she was concerned for the well-being of something she previously perceived as basically an object was a lot to take in, and she needed to be alone to process her thoughts.
Over the next few weeks, she would stop by Grimm's tent to check on the vessel, or Hollow as that's what Grimm would start calling it. He insisted on treating Hollow as a fellow bug, referring to it by "they", which Hornet found a tad strange at first, but she didn't argue with it. Moreover, Grimm insisted she spent more time with her sibling, and despite all the anger building up whenever she was around him, she agreed. Over that time, she learned a lot about Hollow. They showed actual emotions, to the best of their capability, and were very interested in her. She watched in silence as Grimm behaved around them, showing a lot of patience and kindness for them. She also realized that in some ways, Hollow was like a child. They did not know much about the world, it was only thanks to Grimm that they even learned to communicate, albeit in a very simple manner. The first words they wrote that were addressed to her made her realize that she was wrong about them, and all the other vessels. The implications of it were difficult to accept, she realized that she ended a lot of vessel lives throughout the years, and it made her feel shame when looking Hollow in the eyes. But there was some solace to the newfound knowledge. She wasn't alone, she still had a sibling. Grimm would eventually leave as he always does, but Hollow would still be there. And she knew she had to be there for them. They had no one else.
Or so she thought until Zote, a particularly annoying bug that Hollow for some reason befriended, one day returned to the town and told her of a beast he saw in Greenpath. A beast which apparently looked just like her father.
Father's return
It didn't take her long to track the supposed beast. In fact, it was so easy, she was surprised that she hasn't encountered it before. Normally she would not take the time to investigate, beasts moving territory were nothing new, and with the infection gone, the hunting ranges would inevitably change. But Zote's words couldn't leave her mind, she had to know. And as she followed strange footsteps to a little cavern hidden in all the moss, with her needle unsheathed, she realized that her suspiction was correct.In front of her was her father. The king of Hallownest who disappeared nearly four decades prior, now feeding on a beast carcass. His glow was gone, the exquisite robes were now nothing more than a dirty, torn cloak. He looked stronger than she remembered, she could tell he gained weight. Then he turned around, and the first thing she noticed was the bandage wrapped around his forehead, stained by blood and pus. She looked him in the eyes, now wide-open in shock. He got up from the ground, wiping the blood from his mouth, and she twitched at the sound of his voice. Her head was buzzing with all kinds of conflicting emotions, but she couldn't say anything. He began apologizing to her, his voice trembling, and as he moved closer, she raised her needle, which made him stop. She stared at him for a while, and then finally sheathed her weapon and told him to follow her.
She took him to Dirtmouth, to the house she now occupied with Hollow. When they got there, she took him to a spare room with a bed. Then she treated the wound on his forehead with some of the medicine meant for Hollow, after which she took him to another room, where he could wash himself and his cloak. Throughout the whole time, she didn't say anything, despite his numerous attempts at apologizing. When he was done, she took him to the kitchen and poured him some of the stew she made earlier that day. As she was watching him eat, she felt a lot of anger building up in her head, and as she watched him eat, she felt as if she would explode at any moment. Somehow, that did not happen. Perhaps she was still in too much shock at seeing him.
When he finished eating, he thanked her, and then slowly walked out of the kitchen towards his designated room. She followed him, and noticed he stopped by Hollow's room. Before he asked her what was inside (to which she likely wouldn't have answered anyway), the door opened. She didn't know what to expect from their reunion, but it certainly wasn't that - her father looked terrified, and yet despite that, Hollow simply walked up to him and put their hand on his shoulder. Hornet was genuinely baffled at their reaction, everything inside her was screaming in surprise. After all they've been through, the years of neglect from him, they simply welcomed him? Where was the anger she herself felt, where was the grudge she expected them to hold? She quickly left the scene and returned to her room, and only then she let her emotions loose as she angrily threw her needle and her tool bag across the room. Despite all of it, however, she could tell it wasn't just fury clouding her mind. Somewhere deep inside, she was so glad to see her father again. And yet, she couldn't find the strength in her to embrace that feeling, all she could think of was how angry she was.
After the wave of anger passed, she decided to go outside for a walk to collect her thoughts. She noticed her father was still in Hollow's room, but didn't check what they were doing. The fresh air of the outdoors had a calming effect on her, so it would be long before she returned home. She didn't see Vyrm anywhere, so she assumed he was still where she left him - for the better, as she thought, the sight of her would only bring all the anger back. She decided to simply go to her room, but before she did, she took a blanket and an old pillow and brought them to his temporary room. It was cold this time of year, and after spending so much time cleaning and treating his wound, she'd rather him not freeze to death. A few days later, when Vyrm revealed to her that the vessel now went under a different name, Holly, which they decided on after spending more time together, she scoffed at him, but started using the new name with no opposition. She was upset at Vyrm, but she had to admit that the name suited the vessel better.
Strained relationship
Vyrm's return shook the peace of her new life with Holly. Whenever she saw him, and especially when he attempted to apologize to her for the tenth time that week, she got irrationally angry. At first, she ignored him, but over time that became difficult. She still remembers the first time she lashed out at him, it was over his clumsy attempts at helping her with cooking. She still recalls his surprised expression, and the defeated look on his face as he left the room. It didn't bring her joy to shout at him, but at least he left her alone. Unfortunately, this pattern would continue, and before she realized, she was yelling at him over the smallest misstep. This only got worse after she found out he was meeting Grimm, for reasons she didn't fully understand, the idea of them being together infuriated her. Perhaps she still felt betrayed by Grimm and the fact he never bothered to look for her, or maybe the most vindictive part of her personality didn't want them to be happy and suffer alone like she did.Their relationship suffered during this period, Hornet struggled to keep her rage in check, and it was clear all the hostility had an effect on Vyrm. He apparead scared whenever Hornet was in the same room as him, and when she yelled at him, he cowered and froze in panic, or began hyperventilating and shaking. There were times Hornet felt like she crossed the line, but she had no idea how to act and would simply just leave him alone. The arguments culminated one day, where she got so angry at him that she shouted at him that "it would be easier if he died". She wasn't aware of how it came across until he silently agreed with her, revealed that he tried, and apologized for failing. It was then she realized how he interpreted the words, and inn a rare moment of clarity, she looked at him, horrified at his confession. She was too stunned to say anything, and ran out of the room.
Her anger outburtsts didn't stop after that argument, but with every one, she started to feel ashamed of her behavior more and more. She had good reasons to be angry at him, but it wasn't making her feel any better, and deep down she knew that she missed him and didn't want him gone. So what was she even doing? Worst of all, she had no idea how to stop, the anger was stronger than her, and by the time she could regain control, it was too late. She tried to brush it away and simply avoid him to prevent it from happening, but it was clear that their relationship wouldn't improve for as long as her feelings remained unresolved.
The biggest turning point happened when Vyrm nearly lost his life in the Grimmkin incident. Hornet was the one to stitch the wound on his back after the attack, and it left her frantic. He was bleeding out in front of her, it felt like he would take his last breath at any moment. Thankfully, he was saved in time, but that sight would haunt her for days afterwards. Hornet visited his bed once while he was asleep, and she sat next to him and cried. All this time she treated him so horribly, but the incident showed her how much she would miss him if he was gone. Things felt hopeless, she felt like it was too late to fix their relationship, but she wanted to try. She couldn't bear the thought that he could've died thinking she despised him, so she wanted to show him that she cares.
Her pride didn't allow her to talk to Grimm about this before, but now she knew she had to. Out of everyone in Dirtmouth, he was the only bug she knew could help her. She was unpleasant to him at pretty much every occasion, but she hoped that he wouldn't reject her. To her relief, it's almost as if she never said a single bad word to him - he was welcoming and patient when she told him what was troubling her, and even offered to help her. Hornet realized that she might have treated him too harshly, and for a moment she saw a glimpse of the asme Grimm she remembered from her childhood - the mysterious but fascinating figure she saw as one of her fathers. She rejected the last thought at the time, but she accepted his offer. She would begin visiting him every day, either to talk, or to spar with him to release all the pent up anger. And as weeks and months passed, she began seeing results. She was less prone to outbursts, and she was able to use some of the techniques Grimm showed her at maintaining her composure. This allowed her to actually talk to Vyrm, and it broke her heart that he seemed so terrified of it every time.
It took years for them to mend their relationship, though even now, Vyrm acts very careful around her. He asks her more than he asks anyone else if she's okay with him keeping her company, and he gets visibly tense whenever she shows anger, even if it's not directed at him. But compared to the first few years after their reunion, it's far more clear that she cares about him, even if she sometimes struggles to put it into words. Instead, she found little acts of service to be the best way for her to show her care for Vyrm and for the family, especially cooking, which she found to be an activity that really helped her relax her nerves.
A close call
...Meeting Rost
Hornet never saw herself as a fan of beasts. She hunted them for food and other materials, and while she respected them enough to kill them as painlessly as possible, she never thought she'd gain much fondness for them. In her eyes, they were either to be hunted, or to be avoided. So when she went on a hunting trip to Greenpath and stumbled upon a dead hunter, and a creature sitting next to it, she assumed it was a scavenger. The creature hissed at her, and she was about to leave it to its meal, when she looked back and noticed it curled around the dead bug. She was surprised enough to stop, and after a moment, she carefully moved back towards it. She heard before that some hunters had beast companions, but she hasn't seen one prior to that. Judging by the beast's behavior, it must have been tamed - it did not treat the dead body as a meal, and seemed protective of it. She slowly approached the beast, trying to act as non-threatening as possible. The beast growled, but it stayed by its owner's body. Hornet took the opportunity to take a better look at both of them. The beast was quite large, with feathery structures on its head that made it look like a flower, though now they were pulled back as the beast stared at her with uncertainty. She noticed a pair of small arms which reminded her of the claws of the Mantis Tribe. The dead bug next to it had gnarly injured, and was covered in blood that appeared fresh. Whatever killed it, couldn't have been far away.And just as the thought crossed her mind, a large Elder Baldur walked out of the moss bushes right next to her. Hornet froze in fear, the memory of being attacked by one still fresh in her mind. The beast seemed angry, and as she returned to senses, she barely avoided a long sweep of its giant claws. As she looked back, the Baldur crawled towards the dead bug. The smaller creature next to it hissed in fear, and only as it backed away did Hornet notice that its back leg was injured. If she was smart, she would've escaped and leave the Baldur to its meal, but for some reason she picked up her Needle and attacked the beast. The smaller creature joined her, as if it understood that she wasn't an enemy, and together they managed to bring the Baldur down.
Afterwards, Hornet buried the dead bug, embedding their weapon into the grave, and she packed up her things and she headed back home. She was tired and needed a shower to wash away the dirt and blood. She took a few steps, and realized that something was following her. She turned around, ready to strike in self-defense, only to realize it was the flower-y critter. It was limping, but it seemed dead set on following her. Hornet tried to shoo it away, but it kept coming back. She started losing her patience, and after the fourth time of trying to chase it away, she threw a rock towards it and watched with satisfaction as it ran into the bushes. She continued her walk, listening for footsteps behind her, and was glad that she couldn't hear anything. That is until she reached the Forgotten Crossroads, and as she looked behind her, the creature was there again. Hornet was about to shout at it, but then she noticed it was holding something in its mouth. A pouch, just like hers. She looked at her belt, and realized it was actually her pouch. She must've lost it when she reached for the rock to throw it at the creature. Suddenly, she felt really embarrassed, especially when the creature walked up to her and placed the pouch right in front of her feet. She swallowed her pride and apologized to the beast as if it was another bug. For some reason, she felt she owed the creature a favor, so she told it to follow her. She figured that the least she could do was treat its injury, and after that, she would figure out what to do.
She let the creature stay in her room for a few days to make sure their leg is healing. Vyrm was uncertain whether it's a good idea, and Grimm voiced his disapproval of letting a wild, dirty creature into the house, especially with a small pup around (since this was a few months after Lewk was born). However, days turned into weeks, and Hornet admittedly got attached to the beast. She asked around town if anyone knew what the creature was, and she learned from an old hunter that it was a Mantis Hound, a creature often raised from young to be a hunting companion. The bug told her that once a Mantis Hound trusts someone, it is the most loyal companion one could ever ask for. Hornet felt lucky that the Hound chose to trust her, and she decided that she wanted to keep it, regardless of what Vyrm and Grimm are going to say. As expected, they weren't happy about it, but she told them she would train it and that it wouldn't cause issues. They decided to give her a chance, but warned her that if it misbehaves, they won't let it stay in the house.
The Hound, later discovered to be female and named Rost (per Holly's suggestion), proved to be a valuable addition to the family. She joined Hornet during hunting trips, where she showcased her hunting skills, she displayed a lot of affection towards her, Holly and even little Lewk, which made Grimm warm up to her. She was even taught to carry things on command, which Vyrm soon found to be very helpful whenever he needed help in the workshop. Despite the prior concerns, everyone agreed that she can stay, much to Hornet's delight. After all this time, she finally had company which did not bother her with conversations, but would still stay with her and let her vent whenever she needed it.
Hunter's Guild
...Meeting Lace
...The exchange
...Present day
...General characteristics
Special abilities
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.Gender identity & sexuality
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
