POBear 172.1 - Bear-Bee Careful Communication
Paisijik walked forward at a steady pace, holding a bowl with both hands. All eyes were on her, the other karnuq beekeepers ceased all their work to watch her. Two of the human prisoners were here, and even the Tower Keeper came to watch.
By now she had discarded most of her winter gear, with only a lighter fur coat draped loosely around her. Not only was the gear painfully unsuited for the Tower’s climate, but Paisijik also believed it to be unnecessary. If she had done this right, the bees wouldn’t sting her…at least not enough to threaten her life. If she was wrong, then she did not believe the gear would save her if the hive truly intended her harm. And if it did…she’d prefer to be able to run away as quickly as possible.
Besides, the bees seemed to react slightly less aggressively to the furless humans than they did to her. At first she thought that was limited to the Tower Keeper, but it also seemed to apply to the others as well to some degree. So, she tried removing some of the gear and showing some of her less-furred parts…and found that the bees allowed her closer. She wasn’t sure how to feel about that, but that didn’t stop her from taking maximum advantage of it.
She lifted the bowl as the bees began to hover around her. The human prisoner had revealed that the bees also appreciated simple water. That had been much appreciated advice, as she didn’t think she could convince to Chief to hand over honeydew on a daily basis. Paisijik had experimented a bit and found water mixed with a bit of either honeydew or sweet fruit juices worked nearly as well as pure honeydew. The bees also appreciated blocks of salt; she had carried one along with the bowl last time. Today, though, she needed her hands free.
She smiled as the bees began to land on her bowl and lap up the liquid.
“Hello, little bees. Working hard today?”
The bees mostly ignored her but at least one or two of the workers flying in the air seemed to react to her voice. She had been speaking aloud every time she fed them in hopes that they might form a positive association to the sound. Anything she could try to do to set them at ease.
She walked right up to the hive and opened the roof of the beehouse. She had moved a bit closer each day when feeding the bees. Two days ago, she had finally reached the hive. Yesterday, she had attempted to open the hive and check on the brood as the Tower Keeper taught her. The guards had nearly attacked her again, but since she had not harmed the brood and provided the guards with generous honeydew helpings to boot, they had ultimately allowed it.
Today would be the moment of truth. To find out just how far the bees would tolerate her. To see if they could truly develop a symbiotic relationship.