Scouting with Camilla

It's but a couple minutes before you pass over your crater. However, to your surprise, you think you spot a bit of blue in its center as you continue in the direction you think the hornets came from. You don't hold Camilla particularly close, opting for holding her waist just above her scabbard as her bow, quiver, and sack of food rests between you. It's a quiet flight, but it gives you more time to think.

After what feels like another fifteen or so minutes (it's difficult to keep track of time up here), you spot a squadron of hornets in the distance. Deciding to play it cautiously, you descend to just above the canopy to avoid being outright spotted. The hornets seem to be going perpendicular to you, so you begin heading in the direction they came from before you feel Camilla tap your arm and point toward them with her spear. Inferring her meaning, you turn back toward them, now safely behind them so they're even less likely to spot you. You tail them for quite a bit, gathering that they seem to be making a circle around a center point further to the northeast. As if to confirm your suspicion, the squadron turns suddenly, making a beeline for where you were thinking their base might be.

It isn't long before you spot a structure popping up over the trees. As you get closer, you begin taking note of more and more hornets buzzing around the rocky structure. Once again being cautious, you begin heading below the tree line, landing mostly 'normally', this time, and with Camilla taking a few more steps to slow herself down.

"We can take a break for now, but make sure to stay out of sight." She sets her spear up against a tree and pulls out the food sack, tossing you a small loaf of bread. "Eat up." She pulls out some for herself as well and takes a bite out of it.

You eat silently at first, but your curiosity gets the better of you. "Captain, you said 'before three months are up' before. What'd you mean by that?"

Her look turns to confusion for a moment before responding. "You should know. That's probably the most time I'll have before I start being unfit for combat, so we'll need to take care of the hive before then."

Three months...shit, she's referring to the first trimester, but she doesn't know! You facepalm. "There's a problem with your math, Cap, and it's me. Pregnancies I induce only last a month. If it goes proportionally, we'll probably have a week before you're 'unfit'."

Her eyes go wide for a moment before she shakes her head. "Change of plan. Eat on the move. Carry this." She tosses the whole bag of food to you as she wolfs down her loaf and picks up her spear. You similarly wolf down your bread and follow her as you both stick to the shadows below the canopy.

You carefully approach the hive, occasionally spotting a squadron of hornets above and covering Camilla with one of your black wings to help her hide. She seems confused when you do so the first time, and a bit fidgety the second, but by the third time, she's nearly grabbing for your wing before you spot the squadrons overhead. The buzzing by becomes more and more common as you get closer to the hive, and you two spend more and more time in close quarters, eventually moving with her as if you're under a feathery umbrella. Your walking is slow, as you need to stop every time a hornet passes overhead, but you are eventually able to spot the base of the rocky tower. Even from a couple hundred feet away, you're able to spot a handful of hornets with their lances and shields standing on guard.

"It's not as big as last time, probably a thousand or so if we're lucky. If we kill the queen, they'll be a lot easier to kill off. C'mon." She crouch-walks closer.

"Wait, hold on, what are we doing?" You grab her shoulder to stop her. "I thought we were just scouting."

"That was when we had three months. Besides, we're just going after the queen." She shakes you off and keeps sneaking closer.