The Golden Harvest
Following a bee as it buzzed away from a flower, Chester and Monia finally located the hive. It was nestled beneath a massive boulder that jutted out of the ground at an angle, surrounded by a swirling cloud of countless bees. There were so many of them that the collective drone of their wings was deafening, making it impossible to hear each other unless they shouted.
"Ugh..." Seeing the sight, Monia finally understood why Chester had warned her that this could be fatal. She hadn't even known bees possessed venom, let alone that honey was literally named after the creatures that made it until today. But looking at that swarming mass, she could easily tell how dangerous they were.
"Bees calm down when they breathe in smoke from burning grass," Chester explained. "So, we'll smoke them out to pacify them, slice off the hive, and make a run for it."
"Y-yes."
"What are you so terrified of?"
"B-but look at them! There are so many!"
"True, it's a massive swarm. The plant life here is incredibly lush, so it makes sense the wildlife would thrive too."
For a survivor, any creature being plump and plentiful was a very good thing. Judging by the sheer volume of bees, the hive was likely much larger than what was visible on the surface. What they could see was just the outer edge; it undoubtedly extended deep into the shadows beneath the boulder.
If they could harvest the whole thing...
Just how long would we be able to feast on honey?
Chester gathered the inner bark they usually used for making rope and began wrapping it around his body. He wrapped his arms, neck, face, and any other exposed skin in double layers of bark for protection. Chester and Monia meticulously inspected each other to ensure there were no gaps in their makeshift armor.
Once their defenses against the stings were secure, they gathered as much damp, water-logged grass as they could find. Next came the fire. While Monia used the pump drill to start a fire, Chester went to a nearby tree and swung his machete. He cut down a long branch, stripping away the twigs and leaves to create a sturdy pole. He split one end of the pole into a cross shape, stuffing it with dry tinder and the damp grass they had gathered. Finally, he secured the split end with a bit of cord to hold everything in place and thrust the tip into the campfire Monia had successfully built.
As the tinder caught fire, the damp, green grass began to smolder, billowing thick plumes of smoke. Chester immediately approached the hive, holding the smoking torch directly beneath it. He then quickly backed away to avoid the agitated bees.
"How long do we have to smoke them?"
"I don't know either. Let's just give them as much as we can."
Chester prepared several more wooden poles to keep the fire going, piling on bundles of green leaves to generate a massive screen of smoke. The smoke grew so thick that the hive was completely obscured from their view. Once he was finished, Chester extinguished the campfire and waited, watching the hive in silence.
"..."
"..."
After a tense silence beneath the rising smoke, the terrifying roar of buzzing wings gradually began to fade. Sensing that the bees had finally quieted down, Chester drew his machete and crept toward the hive. Monia followed close behind, holding a woven basket to catch the harvest.
Bees still filled their vision, drifting lazily in all directions. Some even landed on their bodies. With the constant threat of a sting hanging over them, Monia held the basket wide open. Chester carefully drove his machete into the hive. The blade sliced cleanly through the comb. Chester pried it loose, and a large chunk of the hive tumbled into the basket. With a few more swift, forceful strokes, he knocked down two more large chunks. Then, they spun on their heels and bolted.
Chester grabbed the smoking torch and the basket, tossed his machete inside, and ran. Monia sprinted alongside him, heading straight for the river just as they had planned. Fortunately, none of the bees followed them.
Reaching the river, Chester plunged the burning torches into the water to extinguish them, keeping only one lit. He then used his claw knife to rip away the bark covering his face. Finally able to breathe freely, he gasped for air. Monia frantically tore off her own facial armor.
"Aaaaah! That was so terrifying! So terrifying!"
"Tell me about it. Looks like we got away without a single sting, though."
They unraveled the rest of the bark from their bodies and sat down on the riverbank, waiting for their racing hearts to calm.
"...But it was well worth the trouble."
Chester peered into Monia's basket, admiring the three massive chunks of honeycomb inside. The largest piece was the size of Chester's head, and the other two were nearly as impressive.
"Whoa..."
Monia's eyes sparkled as she watched the thick, golden honey ooze from the comb.
"Oh my gosh! Honey! It's real honey! Honey!"
"Yeah. Heh. Can't believe we actually got it."
"It looks just like liquid gold!"
A few stray bees buzzed nearby, but Chester easily swatted them away with the remaining torch. Once he was sure they were safe, he doused the last torch in the river.
Bees themselves don't have much meat on them.
But the larvae inside the comb were a different story. Those were edible. They didn't have any venom, making them no different from grubs. Chester sliced off a small piece of the honeycomb with his machete and handed it to Monia.
"Oh, wow. Do I... just eat it like this?"
"Yeah. Just pop it in your mouth and chew."
Cutting a piece for himself, they both popped the honeycomb into their mouths. As their teeth crushed the waxy comb, an explosion of rich, sweet honey flooded their mouths.
Oh. This is even better than the honey I had back home.
With such magnificent flowers and bees on this island, it was only natural that the honey would be superior.
...Though maybe it's because I'm getting older, but this is almost overwhelmingly sweet.
The honey was so intensely sweet it practically made Chester's teeth ache. It felt less like he was eating honey and more like his mouth was being assaulted by pure sugar.
Still, honey is good for you. I should bear it and eat up.
Since ancient times, honey had been praised as a cure-all and a precious treasure. To reap its health benefits, it was best to eat as much as possible whenever the opportunity arose.
By the time Chester managed to swallow his piece, Monia was still chewing with a look of absolute ecstasy. She was so deeply moved that tears streamed down her face, and a bit of honey-sweetened drool escaped the corner of her mouth.
"Mmmph! Mmm-hmmm-mmph!!"
"What are you even saying?"
"Mmmph-mm-mmph!"
He wished she would speak human language. Monia kept trying to talk while chewing, but Chester couldn't make out a single syllable.
"Ooooh-aaah-muuuh!!"
She looks like a cavewoman.
Monia stuffed another piece of honeycomb into her mouth and began to writhe in sheer delight.
"Hnnngh!!"
After savoring the honey for what felt like an eternity, she finally swallowed and gasped.
"This is incredible! Absolutely incredible! It's hands down the most delicious honey I've ever tasted in my entire life!"
"Is it?"
"Yes! Ah, it felt like my soul was ascending to heaven! A golden wave of pure sunshine, cradled inside a delicate, hexagonal jewelry box so perfect it's hard to believe it was made by nature!"
Chester sliced the honeycomb again with his machete.
"The moment I chewed it, the thrill of crushing that little jewelry box combined with the dizzying rush of the golden wave... It instantly filled my entire body and made my very soul tremble!"
Examining the sliced comb, Chester spotted some larvae inside. He popped that section into his mouth first and chewed.
"Even after the honey is gone, the sweet, lingering fragrance remains in the comb, allowing me to quietly savor its gentle departure. The bittersweet sorrow of that farewell naturally beckons me to take another bite!"
Finding the honey dreadfully sweet, Chester scooped some river water into his canteen and took a long drink. Monia, meanwhile, continued her poetic praise. Chester squeezed a chunk of honeycomb, letting the honey drip into his water, and took a sip. Monia twirled around, still singing praises to the honey. With the sweetness diluted, the honey-water was much easier to drink. Chester nodded in satisfaction and gulped it down.
"Ah... I felt like I was being dragged to heaven against my will!"
Once Monia's incredibly long-winded review finally concluded, Chester cut another small piece of honeycomb and held it out to her. As the honeycomb neared her face, Monia reflexively lunged forward with her mouth open, not even bothering to use her hands.
Before she could bite it, Chester flicked his wrist upward, pulling the honeycomb out of reach. He stared at Monia as her teeth snapped shut on empty air.
Her eyes have completely lost it.
He moved the honeycomb to the side, and Monia's head followed it. He moved it to the other side, and her head snapped back. Up, down, right, left, up, up, down, up, right, left, left, right. With every movement of the honeycomb, Monia's head and body twitched in perfect sync.
"...What are you doing?"
Watching Monia suppress her primal urge like a well-trained dog, Chester felt a sudden wave of exhaustion and simply handed her the piece. Monia's face lit up. She grabbed Chester's hand tightly and began to lick the honey that had dripped onto his fingers.
"Mmm..."
"..."
Chester watched her eagerly clean his fingers one by one, then glanced down at the remaining honeycomb in the basket.
I need to ration this so she doesn't eat it all.
The honey harvest had been a resounding success. Unfortunately, the price of that success was Monia's intellect regressing to that of a wild beast.