Citizen 90 Karosa

Karosa was one of the rare few winter births. In a world where seasons are preordained months in advance, most rexals simply choose to lay their eggs during the spring and summer. This made sense on its face: there would be plenty of food, comfortable temperatures, and easy travel should anything go wrong. However, there were lessons only the cold could bring. Not lessons of hardship, no, but lessons of compassion, of sharing, of the bonds which hold rexals together. This is the time in which Karosa was born, and the times she remembered most clearly.

It was Karosa’s first snowfall, at least the first one she could remember. To her, it was as if the entire landscape had changed, familiar landmarks buried under dunes of cold, white sand.

“Mum,” a tiny Karosa asked, barely a year old, “what happens to the bees?” Yes, her mother too was a beekeeper, and an old one at that.

With a gentle smile, her mother explained, “They’ll huddle together for warmth in the center of the hive. They don’t have blankets like you or I, you see, so that’s how they keep warm.”

Karosa’s little eyes widened as she imagined she and hee parents huddling in the snow for warmth like the bees. “What? They must be so cold!” She cried, and her mother’s expression softened.

“That’s just the way it is, honey. They’re animals, they know what to do. Now come on, dinner is ready. Slow roasted pork tonight.” Giving her a gentle boop on the top of her head, her mother walked into the dining room, her gray fuzzy tail trailing behind her.

Karosa’s stomach growled- how she loved roast pork! But, even as she followed her mother, she couldn’t help but glance out the window towards the apiaries. Her heart broke for them.

Wait. She stopped walking, staring out the window with a sudden realization. An idea was brewing in her mind, one she’d need to keep secret- her parents would never let her do something as silly as this. But what did they know? She’d help those bees, as best as she was able!

“Rosa, honey, we’ve set the table. Come and join us.” Her mother called, snapping her out of her planning.

“Coming!!” She called, scampering away. Nervousness rose within her- would her delay in eating somehow give away her plans? Well, no matter. Her master plan was hatched, and there would be no going back.

—-

It was now nighttime, and Karosa had put herself to bed with little fuss, curling up under the covers to sleep. Or at least, that’s what her parents would be thinking. In reality, her whole body was buzzing with too much pent up righteous fervor to ever sleep. She listened ever so carefully for the faint sounds of her parent’s chatter to stop, and then for the telltale sound of her father’s loud snoring. After a few minutes of tense, alert waiting, Karosa stole out of bed.

The bees had no blankets? She would simply give them to them.

With a few hard tugs, the quilt on her bed came off, trailing along the floor. She stopped and listened for signs of her parents waking up, the sound of the blanket rustling as loud as a roaring waterfall to her. But, thankfully, no footsteps came. She repeated this process of dragging, stopping, and waiting, all the way out through to the back door. She pushed against it and-

It was locked. Of course it was, they couldn’t let the chill in, right? But Karosa could barely reach the handle standing on her hind legs. How could she open it without noise?

No. She’d gone too far to let something as simple as a door defeat her! Rising up on her hind legs, she scrabbled and strained for the handle, finally making contact with one of her claws and-

“Darling, what are you doing?” Her mother asked with barely held back laughter. Karosa yelped and whipped around, eyes wide with surprise and fear. She tried to speak, but all that came out was stammering.

“I, uh, w-well… you said the bees were, uh, cold..? So I thought, uh,” Karosa grew quiet as her mom watched her intently, “I thought… they’d need the blankets more than I did.”

Her mother stared. Karosa looked down at her feet, burning with shame. Then, suddenly, her mother began to laugh. “Oh,” she chuckled, peals of laughter spilling out, “oh, dear-“

“A-Am I in trouble?” Karosa asked, voice small.

Her mother collected herself, eyes filled with love and mirth. “No, no. You’ve got a good heart, Rosa. Tomorrow we can go out, and I’ll show you how warm the hives are, alright?” She came and nuzzled Karosa, who was glad to be unpunished. “Though… your technique needs work. Sleeping hatchlings don’t giggle.”

Karosa smiled sheepishly. “Oh.”

Author: cnida