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Among freeborn changelings, surnames aren't something they are hatched with, they are something that are earned for service both mundane and unusual. The nomadic queenless swarm survives in the badlands by every 'ling knowing their place and performing their duties flawlessly, a prospect made more challenging without the oversight and group coordination provided by a hive queen.

Meander was just curious. She wanted to be an explorer, not a tunneler. Unfortunately, her attempts to find new resources and uncover new pathways through subterranean caverns lead to her nearly flooding the lower levels when she blundered upon an underground river while tunneling in a direction not indicated on her orders.

The loss of time and effort when the tunnel she should have been lengthening had to be abandoned earned her a surname. She became the 37th Gadfly, an 'honor' which saw her ejected to the surface and the passage collapsed behind her. Solitude is nightmarish for any 'ling, freeborn or hiveborn, and Meander found herself wandering almost mindlessly in horror of her new 'life' as an outcast.

Continuing her streak of brilliant decisions, she followed a lazy brook because the sound of it was soothing to her frazzled nerves. It lead her into a forest which she had no name for. Everfree isn't a nice place to be after dusk, especially for a lone 'ling who has no idea of its dangers.

Upvotes at import: 104 | Stars at import: 66
Posted previously at: 2015-03-21T15:32:39 | Posted previously by: Arcade Fever