But it was not this proximity that was making this day a special one. The queen herself had ordered her kipekoos, royal kipestas that were more massive and colorful than their fellow kipestas, to warn all the authorities of the kitin-nest. The last time this had happened, a turf war had been declared, which had resulted in the destruction of a neighboring kitin-nest and the death of many members of the colony. So the kinkoo expected another major battle, and as he pushed back the workers who were blocking the road, he was already thinking about how to organize his troops. When the procession finally entered the royal nest, where all had been invited, as the first royal fragrances reached him, the kinkoo felt his shell stiffen. If there was anything that could stimulate him more than the smell of his lord, it was the smell of his mother. Surrounded by a security cordon of kidinaks, the Kitin sovereign, whose yellow and scarlet cranial excrescences were reminiscent of a crown, sat proudly on a huge vegetal carpet, which served as both her throne and her bed, and from which she never rose. However, the place was perfectly clean. A horde of workers was constantly working to maintain the queen's mattress, to clean her gigantic opaline abdomen, and to supply the enormous banquet that was constantly facing her. The banquet consisted largely of mushrooms and meat. Indeed, the Kitins took advantage of the dark and humid galleries that made up their vast territory to transform them into veritable mushroom beds, in which they practiced intensive agriculture. As for meat, it came from hunting animals, but also from breeding, which they practiced to a lesser extent.

But it was not this proximity that was making this day a special one. The queen herself had ordered her kipekoos, royal kipestas that were more massive and colorful than their fellow kipestas, to warn all the authorities of the kitin-nest. The last time this had happened, a turf war had been declared, which had resulted in the destruction of a neighboring kitin-nest and the death of many members of the colony. So the kinkoo expected another major battle, and as he pushed back the workers who were blocking the road, he was already thinking about how to organize his troops. When the procession finally entered the royal nest, where all had been invited, as the first royal fragrances reached him, the kinkoo felt his shell stiffen. If there was anything that could stimulate him more than the smell of his lord, it was the smell of his mother. Surrounded by a security cordon of kidinaks, the Kitin sovereign, whose yellow and scarlet cranial excrescences were reminiscent of a crown, sat proudly on a huge vegetal carpet, which served as both her throne and her bed, and from which she never rose. However, the place was perfectly clean. A horde of workers was constantly working to maintain the queen's mattress, to clean her gigantic opaline abdomen, and to supply the enormous banquet that was constantly facing her. The banquet consisted largely of mushrooms and meat. Indeed, the Kitins took advantage of the dark and humid galleries that made up their vast territory to transform them into veritable mushroom beds, in which they practiced intensive agriculture. As for meat, it came from hunting animals, but also from breeding, which they practiced to a lesser extent.

The kinkoo was trying along to hide his emotions and control the fragrances he was giving off. It was no coincidence that the queen had ordered all of her most important subjects to assemble at the very moment the royal messengers arrived, he was convinced. For between them, the foreign kipekoos represented all the known rulers. While the kitin-nest authorities occasionally did business with other colonies, the kinkoo had never experienced such a gathering. But the myths, as memorized and passed down by the handful of conscious Kitins, referred to two great events that took place long before the queen was born, and which necessitated the formation of a huge Kitin alliance: the Burning Swarm. The first story recounted the war against the Primessences, strange entities that rose from the depths of the Great Egg, and whose intense, unblemished scent was shared, in a much more tenuous way, by all the creatures that lived there, Kitins included. Their power was so overwhelming that the early colonies had to put aside their rivalries for the first time. The Primessences had unique powers that allowed them to control the environment of the Great Egg, to change their appearance at will, to appear and disappear instantly, and to travel wherever they wished within the intricate maze of caverns. However, as soon as the first kitin-nest was invaded and the queen sitting in was eaten, the supernatural creatures headed back to the heart of the Great Egg, ending the conflict. Since this strange episode, the Primessences were showing a profound disinterest in the Kitins. According to the second story, their attention had turned to a greater enemy: the Steriles. These small, bipedal creatures resembled the bouncing primates the Kitins were so fond of, and had strong black shells with a unique, untold smell. Even stranger was the fact that they in no way shared the scent of the Primessences, which permeated every recess of the Great Egg. The explanation probably lay in the fact that the Steriles came from the Matrix, the uncharted territory above the Great Egg. While the Kitins were forbidden to break through the Shell into the Matrix, the Sterile had made many attempts to colonize the Great Egg. To do so, they had tamed gigantic black cylindrical creatures from their world, continuously digging, and burning everything in their path. It was after a major invasion that the Burning Cloud was reformed. Unfortunately, though small and physically very weak, the Steriles had two formidable upper limbs, which could spread death from a distance, and whose power was beyond the Kitins' comprehension. Fortunately, the Primessences did not seem to appreciate the presence of these extraneous invaders and for the opportunity became allies by necessity. But even though the Kitins had long been aware of the carnal bond uniting the Great Egg and the Primessences, they preferred to play it cautious and avoid contact with them. Until then, the kinkoo had never seen Primessences, let alone Steriles. After all, there was no evidence that these strange primates actually existed, and perhaps they were merely simulacra allowing to keep the Kitins away from the Matrix…

The kinkoo was trying along to hide his emotions and control the fragrances he was giving off. It was no coincidence that the queen had ordered all of her most important subjects to assemble at the very moment the royal messengers arrived, he was convinced. For between them, the foreign kipekoos represented all the known rulers. While the kitin-nest authorities occasionally did business with other colonies, the kinkoo had never experienced such a gathering. But the myths, as memorized and passed down by the handful of conscious Kitins, referred to two great events that took place long before the queen was born, and which necessitated the formation of a huge Kitin alliance: the Burning Swarm. The first story recounted the war against the Primessences, strange entities that rose from the depths of the Great Egg, and whose intense, unblemished scent was shared, in a much more tenuous way, by all the creatures that lived there, Kitins included. Their power was so overwhelming that the early colonies had to put aside their rivalries for the first time. The Primessences had unique powers that allowed them to control the environment of the Great Egg, to change their appearance at will, to appear and disappear instantly, and to travel wherever they wished within the intricate maze of caverns. However, as soon as the first kitin-nest was invaded and the queen sitting in was eaten, the supernatural creatures headed back to the heart of the Great Egg, ending the conflict. Since this strange episode, the Primessences were showing a profound disinterest in the Kitins. According to the second story, their attention had turned to a greater enemy: the Steriles. These small, bipedal creatures resembled the bouncing primates the Kitins were so fond of, and had strong black shells with a unique, untold smell. Even stranger was the fact that they in no way shared the scent of the Primessences, which permeated every recess of the Great Egg. The explanation probably lay in the fact that the Steriles came from the Matrix, the uncharted territory above the Great Egg. While the Kitins were forbidden to break through the Shell into the Matrix, the Sterile had made many attempts to colonize the Great Egg. To do so, they had tamed gigantic black cylindrical creatures from their world, continuously digging, and burning everything in their path. It was after a major invasion that the Burning Cloud was reformed. Unfortunately, though small and physically very weak, the Steriles had two formidable upper limbs, which could spread death from a distance, and whose power was beyond the Kitins' comprehension. Fortunately, the Primessences did not seem to appreciate the presence of these extraneous invaders and for the opportunity became allies by necessity. But even though the Kitins had long been aware of the carnal bond uniting the Great Egg and the Primessences, they preferred to play it cautious and avoid contact with them. Until then, the kinkoo had never seen Primessences, let alone Steriles. After all, there was no evidence that these strange primates actually existed, and perhaps they were merely simulacra allowing to keep the Kitins away from the Matrix…