The sisters

         Our Queen-Mother commanded us to explore new lands. My sisters and I forged forward, an unstoppable army breed for war. We would find our Queen-Mother that which she required, fresh feeding grounds. Our brood would feast. Our younglings would grow. The next generation would take its place among the chosen and become warrior goddesses of their own.

         As we searched we wandered through the field we came across a gargantuan structure. It reached up to the heavens and blotted out the sun. We explored the foundation, finding a secret passage under the citidel. The way was shrouded in darkness and seemed lost in time. We conviened, and my sisters and I decided we would venture into the endless dark and find what we required. Only one sister was concerned.

         "Cannoness, are we to dive blindly into the dark? I serve the Queen-Mother too and long to see the brood chambers filled. But if we all find our end within these ramparts no one will return to sing our tale and no one will bring our Queen-Mother nourishment. We will have failed," she said.

         I considered her words. She was not fearful, for death in the service of the Queen-Mother was the highest honor. Her advice rang with wisdom, however. I would have been a fool not to heed her sage words.

         "Very well. We shall divide our forces. One-Third shall venture back into the forest in search of food. The others shall descend into the endless dark and seek glory and honor!"

         "Hurah!" came a cheer from my sisters.

         The strongest of us descended. We felt the darkness enclose us as our eyes failed and our other senses became heightened. The passage was moist and dry at the same time. My warriors and I walked softly but we were ready for war. We groped along and then from the darkness in the distance came a light.

         "Forward Sisters, to battle!" I cried.

         We breached into a vast opening. The ground beneath us was made of wood and seemed as endless as the dark had been. We moved quickly, for we could no longer see the sun but only the light that came down from above. The light seemed to come from eons away.

         There were strange structures. One made terrible rumbling noises and the smell of heat spread across the floor like a foul blanket. In the center was a square mountain that would defy any others, but my sisters had been bred and shaped by an unbroken line of Queen-Mothersa. The spirit of the Queen-Mother spoke to me and I commanded my party to scale the mountain.

         The side of the mountain looked as wood as well, but it was made of a slick material which made the climb that much more worthy. We ascended quickly as the daughters of the Queen-Mother should. As we reached the peak we heard a loud whooshing sound that seemed to move from left to right. As we ascended over the crest we saw the monstrosity. Dark sorcery had imbue a machine of metal with the power of the very wind itself.

         "What foul trickery is this!" yelled one of my sisters.

         "It is the wailing doom!" another cried.

         "Hold fast," I commanded. I could see the prize as red and as ripe as Eve's garden. The fruit was gigantic and would feed the broods for a week. I could see the skin had been cut away and the pale brownish flesh sat awaiting us. I could smell the sweetness in the air and my own stomach rumbled.
         
         "To me my sisters! Strike for the Queen-Mother and the brood! Charge!"

         We swept forward like a tidal wave and reached the fruit in moments, ripping chunks of the lush pulp and devouring them with glee. We gorged ourselves and we felt the power of the gods coursing through our veins. When we had our fill I commanded the sisters to carve the fruit into pieces. We would carry them back to the brood and return with reinforcements.

         But destiny had other plans.

         The attack came swiftly and was almost silent. Our enemy struck with a hiss and the ferocity of death incarnate poisoning us and rarefying the very air we breathed.

         "Form a line sisters! Purge those who would face the eternal sisterhood!" but I could see it was too late. The poison coursed through our veins as the fruit did moments before. My sisters could fight blade and steel but not the foul rotting poisoned breath of death. Upon that field of battle I gazed upward at the unfamiliar sky, never once seeing the face of that which doomed my sisters and sealed our fates. We never saw the face of death-bringer.

         As my life left my body I knew we had served our Queen-Mother well. We could all die with honor. Perhaps, tonight, in the halls of the warrior-goddesses they shall sing our song and tell our tale. Tonight I knew my sisters would toast to us, for it is better to die for the Queen-Mother then live for yourself. As my life left my body and my spirit prepared to ascend to the hall of the warriors I heard one... final... cry...
         "Mom, Ryan left his apple on the counter and there are ants everywhere."

         "Did you spray them?"

         "Yes! Ugh, Ryan is such a pig!"