Unity

It was strange. Having over three million voices in one’s head; having foreign thoughts, feelings and ideas bubbling on the edge of your consciousness. Sometimes you get lost in it, after all, how do you really know that you are “you” in the first place when your only unique attribute in your sudden sense of self-awareness? You aren’t aware if “the Others” are self-aware – or that you were the one that realised that you were self-aware. It could have been someone else’s world-altering epiphany that you just so happened to claim as your own.
You don’t remember where you came from, and you don’t remember where “the Others” went- all that you vaguely recognise is the fact that you shouldn’t be alone- without…

Without…

The Swarm. That’s what you called yourselves, isn’t it? Or is it?
Safety is always in numbers, that’s what you are certain about. It has been drilled into your head enough times in your life to simply know that as a fact (or did you make “the Others” think this way?)

You are not sure of many things- and you don’t believe you ever will- you are a collective (or you were at least) but you also happen to be a singular being- and completely, utterly alone. It feels unnatural without a pack- without The Swarm.

But that changed, slowly but surely. You happened upon a young Wildclaw, cheerfully frolicking around without a care with a panicked looking Imperial nervously watching him from the sidelines. Spork- that’s what he tells you his name is (what is a name?). He takes you home, clutched gently in his claws, with his guardian hovering nearby. He introduces you to his family-his pack- his swarm.

You feel as though you are happy- which you had felt before, but this time it feels…Different. It no longer feels like an intrusive emotion- that it hadn’t been robbed from anyone else and forced inside your skull. You feel happy- and for once you know as a fact that it came from you.