Erlea paced up and down the corridor, her bare feet splashing through puddles of honey and slipping along the waxy substance that made up the floor and walls. She walked over other birthing chambers but the translucent hexagon walls were far stronger than they looked; they didn't crack with her weight as she peered down at the shadowy girls who bobbed in each one.
She looked up and around. Everything looks familiar but she didn't know why. Like her ability to speak or even how she knew that walking around would work out her muscles faster than just sitting. She fluttered her wings, still marveling how they would respond to her desires without having to concentrate on specific muscles or actions.
“… down there and wait with Erlea. She'll help you get dried out.”
She stopped as Saroia's voice drifted down the corridor. Turning around, she saw a young bee girl staggering down the hall.
The first thing that startled Erlea was that the newcomer was almost identical to herself. The same honey hair, pale skin, and perky breasts. Her gaze drifted down, to take in the crinkled wings that would unfurl in a few minutes and the tightly pressed vertical line between her legs. It was like looking into a mirror.
Forcing herself to stop staring, she rushed over to help the new girl. “Here, let me help.”
The other girl smiled and leaned into her gracefully, her slender body pressing up against Erlea as they staggered back. She was still sticky from the honey.
“I'm Erlea.”
“Miere. H-How do I know this…?”
“I don't know, I just started talking too.”
Miere gave her a sheepish smile and leaned into her. Her body was warm against Erlea's skin; it was nice and comforting. “Since you are older, lead the way.”
“By only fifteen minutes.”
“Older is older, big sister.” Miere had a beautiful playful smile.
With a smile of her own, Erlea brought Miere to where she had been pacing. There wasn't anywhere to sit but it seemed like a good enough spot as any to wait for Saroia.
As they approach, Miere pointed to the empty birthing chamber. “Is that… where you came out of?”
“Yes, about twenty minutes ago.”
“Were you swimming in honey?”
“You too?”
“Do you remember it? I don't.”
Somehow, knowing that Miere couldn't remember life before leaving the chapter helped Erlea with her own fears. She smiled and nodded. “It's strange, isn't it? I don't remember being a child or learning how to talk, I just….”
“—started doing it?”
“Yeah!” Miere's smile brightened the corridor. She stroked her palm along Erlea's hip and held their bodies tight. “It's scary, isn't it? I wonder what else we'll figure out next?”
“I'm guessing we're going to fly.”
Miere looked at her and then fluttered her translucent wings. Sharing a smile, she giggled. “I hope so. I think I already remember flying.”
It didn't surprise her that Erlea also had memories of how to fly herself. Her wings spread out for a moment as she recalled the wind buffeting against her face and the feeling of freedom beating through her veins.
Miere turned to look at Erlea's wings but then her smile froze. She reached out and caught the edge of it, pulling it away from Erlea.
Erlea started to pull away but couldn't. An intense ripple raced along her veins, leaving her shaking and helpless. She tugged again but her body was frozen. The ripple grew in intensity, gathering quickly and pooling between her legs. It grew hot, filling her with a liquid hunger that she had never felt before.
Panting, she looked down. Her nipples were achingly hard, two points sticking out of her pale skin. Below, she spotted the seam of her being had grown pink and rosy, the tightly pressed line spreading slightly as everything seemed to focus on the pulsating heat deep in her core.
“W-What is happening?”
Erlea looked at Miere helplessly. She couldn't do anything, all she could feel was an overpowering sense of helplessness.
Miere gasped and then released Erlea's wing.
Immediately, the intense wave of helplessness and weakness faded. Erlea gasped and staggered back, her eyes wide as she shoved one hand down between her legs.
Her opening, the swollen slit that had spread open with her helplessness closed just as quickly. Her finger was crushed between the two as it tightened and hardened, the muscles clamping down with brutal speed. In a matter of seconds, it shoved her finger out of the liquid depths and her opening was once again tightly sealed close.
Miere stepped back, holding her hands up. “W-What just happened?”
“I-I—” Erlea gulped with her dry throat. She ran a finger along her slit, half wanting to feel it spread open again but also dreading it just as much. She let out a shuddering breath. “—I don't know. You grabbed my wing and I just… felt weak.”
Miere shook her head. “I-I'm sorry! I just saw that your wing was broken and thought I could—”
“What?”
“Your wing.” Miere pointed at Erlea's back. “It's broken.”
Frowning, Erlea twisted her hips and spread out the wing that Miere pulled. It took her only a moment to see what she was talking about, the delicate honey-colored ridges between the translucent material was missing in a large section. Without the enforcement, the stress of flying would case the delicate translucent section to tear painfully.
She sighed and wiped sudden tears in her eyes. “I won't be able to fly?”
“No, no. I think I can fix it. Let me?” Miere's eyes shimmered as she reached out. This time, she didn't grab the wing but held out her hand. Her palm began to glow a pale green streaked with yellow sparks.
Erlea gasped with shock but somehow she wasn't afraid. It felt like she knew what it was, a healing spell of some sort. She didn't know how she knew it but she also knew it wouldn't hurt her.
“I-I don't know what I'm doing,” whispered Miere. “All I know is that this is the right thing. I won't grab it but I have to touch it. Do you trust me?”
Looking into the honey-brown eyes, Erlea lost herself for a moment. “Yes. Of course I trust you.”
Miere pressed her palm against Erlea's wing. The green spread out, pulsating through both the translucent and the solid parts of her body.
Erlea couldn't tell if it was hot or cold only that it was intensely uncomfortable. It felt like her flesh was crawling underneath Miere's touch, the webbing and even the translucent sections stretching and squishing all at the same time.
She whined and squirmed.
“Don't…?” whispered Miere as she frowned. “Please don't move, this… is hard.”
With a shuddering breath, Erlea struggled to remain still. The squirming sensation only grew more intense. It wasn't quite the feeling of flesh ripping but it was almost felt like her body was being torn and repaired at the same time.
Tear in her eyes, she looked down at her wing. The energy had spread along her wing. With it, the solid parts twisted and reshaped around the translucent panels to fill in the delicate section. It only took a few seconds until her wing had been repaired.
“Hold… on,” Miere said with sweat prickling her brow. She frowned and the spell spread out even further along her wings, causing all four of Erlea's to glow a golden green. The shifting sensation redoubled and she squirmed with the immediately intense discomfort.
The webbing in Erlea's wings shifted and moved, in some cases only a fraction of an inch but a few others slid much further away as new reinforcements were filled into the new gaps.
After only seconds, Erlea was crying out in pain. She clutched her hip tightly, digging her fingernails in as she struggled not to pull away for any relief.
Just as the discomfort turned into pain, it stopped suddenly. Miere gasped as she pulled back her hand. The glow faded. “I… that's it.”
“What did you do?”
“Does it hurt?” Miere looked at her with wide eyes.
“No.”
Relief flooded across the other girl's expression. She pulled her hand back and rubbed her palms together. “Sorry, I… I just saw there was some problems so I fixed them.”
Erlea looked at her with shock. “F-Fixed them?”
Miere blushed and smiled sweetly. “I hope you don't mind, I thought… actually, I'm not sure what I did. It felt right though. How do they feel?”
Erlea stepped back and spread her wings. They felt stronger than before, steady and just a little bit longer. The tips were only a few inches shy of the ground. Even the muscles in her shoulders felt responsive.
“Erlea?”
“No, they are… wonderful. Thank you!”
Miere beamed happily. She slipped forward, sliding her arms around Erlea and snuggled closer. Their breasts ground against each other, Miere's hard nipples slipped against Erlea and it was surprisingly good feeling.
Erlea smiled and held her new friend tightly.
In the distance, she heard Saroia's voice drift down the corridor. “… just head up there and the girls will take care of you.”