A time before the tooth.

            “Ch’loi?”  It was the voice of the Great Primary.  The voice of the benefactor.  The voice of the Fire-maker’s .. originator.  There was no cast for “Father.”  The Harvester-known-as-Ch’Loi struggled with the concept.  ‘Kin’ it understood.  It had many kin.  This was a type of kin.  A special type with special privileges and bonding rituals.  The Harvester-known-as-Ch’loi had never been held and gripped as the benefactor had held it, like a restraint..yet with gentleness.  As if the benefactor was giving something instead of taking.  Sharing.  Not in the harvester way.  Not the way the hive took a harvester’s bounty from its crop.  Not with a frenzy of pain but with…  Again the wall of silence.  The Harvester-now-known-as-Ch’loi wished for the words of the Fire-maker.  New words that brought back old meanings.  There were no fires of ideas and concepts without words.

            “Ch’loi?” the voice said again.  “Can you hear me?  I thought you said…”

            A new voice, the primary of the physicians, “it will take some time, the hardware, if you will, is sound, the mind must learn to use it.  Make new connections from the brain to the…”

            Without thinking the Harvester-known-as-Ch’loi cast, “Not thee.”  A sound frightened it!  It jumped, or tried to.  Something held it down.  It strained, it was so weak.

            “Good Yah have mercy!  The bonds..!”

            “Will hold, Sire.  Amazing!  So quickly!  Truly a beautiful piece of engineering!”

            “Ch’loi, you must not be afraid.  I am with you.”  The Harvester-known-as-Ch’loi ceased struggling.  “Your eyes are… not ready yet.  Much of your body is different now.  How do you feel?”

            It wanted to slash, “No!” but its arms were held fast. 

            “How do you feel?  Tell me, are you in pain?”

            It wanted to chop.

            “Use words, Ch’loi.  You have them now.”

            “Hoort.”  The sound made it jump again.  It was so loud!  So close!  It happened when she cast!

            “How much, Ch’loi, how much do you hurt?  Is it bad?  Would you like to sleep instead?”  Strain.  “I feel your arm trying to answer, use your mouth.  Learn to use it.  It will take practice.  Is it bad, the hurt?  Do you want to sleep?”

            “No.”  Only a little jump.  “Not ..thleep.”  It felt now the organ that made the sound.  It moved and was ..filled with something, something new and flexible and it could feel itself, touch things.  The Harvester-called-Ch’loi explored this little cave with the flexible organ and realized, “Not tooth!”

            “Yes, we took that out.  It wasn’t a part of you, not what you were, what you were meant to be.”

            “How..trink?”

            “You will learn, you will learn how to drink and eat!  Do you remember eating?  There will be many things to learn, to discover.  Most can wait till your strong.  But tell me, Ch’loi, what do you remember?  Do you remember a time before this was done to you?  Before the tooth?”

            “No.  Tooth alway.  Need alway.”

            “You don’t remember a home?  A mother or a father?  You don’t remember where you came from?  What you were?”

            “No.  Tooth alway.  Need alway.”

            “You don’t remember a time before the tooth, a time when you were.. a little girl?”