(GN = Gender neutral. sorry you asked for all three but I could only do one because I've never written poly relationships before kdjsixnso also this is part one of two so)

You had been exploring the Fungal Wastes for hours now. Your father, the Hunter, had sent you down into the fungi-filled realm to search for the new species he had heard was down there. Because he was growing inable to hunt, he wanted to pass down his legacy to you when he died, and you had gladly accepted his will. Except for one thing.

You were terrified.

You had never been the bravest creature, always being a little shaky before taking down a foe. Your father had noticed, but he didn't seem to mind. Yet.

"Waahhh!" Called a Shroomal Warrior from across the path. You jumped at the sudden intrusion into your thoughts, but you were able to regain your stance and take it down. You sat down, ready to eat.

"Eugh." You scrunched up your nose in disgust. The mushroom was inedible, filled with deadly infection. Almost everything you had hunted in these wastes had the same, unfortunate surprise. You were starving. But you weren't giving up yet. You couldn't let your father down. You don't know what you would possibly do if you didn't find the hidden tribe-species-whatever. He would be so disappointed.

"How much longer will I have to search?" You said to no one in particular, continuing your walk deeper into the wastes. But you didn't think you'd have to look for much longer, because an unknown sound hissed from a small hole in the wall. You practically skipped over to the opening, barely fitting your tall body through it. Beyond a small pool of acid sat a thin, fragile creature with defined features and claws that looked like they could deliver a swift blow.

"Hello?" You called to it. No response came. After a moment of decision, you stepped over the pool and stood in front of the creature, you being just slightly taller than it.

"Why, hello there! I'm Y/N-" You were cut off by the creature lunging at you with its sharp claws. Just barely leaping out of the way, you decided to just pass it by. Something about these bugs interested you, called to you, as if there was something more to them. You didn't want to hurt them if you didn't have to.

Wandering further, you found that the creature you encountered earlier was a mantis, and they were actually an older warrior. The younger ones have wings, and have the ability to fly at you with their sharp stingers. You managed to find their village, which was the heart of the mantis tribe. Although they were all hostile towards you, you refused to fight back. There was still that calling, that tugging feeling that these creatures weren't bad, and that you needed to keep exploring. Something told you that the mantis tribe wasn't just an anarchy, and that there was someone in charge. You had to meet them. It wasn't an option.

"Oh, hello there!" You said. You were sitting beneath a ledge, lost in your own thoughts when a young mantis had flown down towards you. Your heart started to beat faster. Had they finally accepted you? Were you a foe no longer to these beautiful creatures? These thoughts faded when you notices it wasn't flying towards you, more like drifting down to the ground that happened to be by you. Wasting no time, you reached your gentle hand towards the mantis and touched its wing. The wing was torn, somehow, and therefore it could not fly. You weren't sure what to do exactly, but leaving it there was not an option.

"Don't worry, little warrior, I'm going to get you somewhere safe." You said to it, knowing you wouldn't get a response. Slowly as to make sure you didn't harm it more, you scooped it up into your arms and carried it through the village. You passed an elder warrior, expecting to be attacked, but received nothing. You were grateful for that, but you weren't looking where you were going and fell down into a gap in the floor. You did not scream, but you wanted to. Before you knew it, you hit the ground and blacked out.

×××

You had been lying in a bed for what felt like days. You had no clue where you were or why you were there, and the only thing you remember was falling with the young warrior in your arms. You'd been wanting to get up, to see where you were, to make sure the mantis was okay, but you were A) scared to get up and B) you were hurting in places you've never hurt before.

"They're not fine, they're clearly hurt!" You heard a strong female voice from the next room. In your time of rest, you had never once heard a voice apart from the one in your head. It sounded like an argument was going on.

"Okay, maybe they are, but does that mean we have to keep them here?" A similar voice responded. It sounded almost as if one person was arguing with themselves, but somehow you knew that wasn't the case.

"Can you two calm down? It's not that big a deal. They aren't infected, so it's not like they're going to come out any second and kill us." Said a third voice. They were arguing over... you? Your heart started racing once more. It sounded like two wanted to keep you here. That's a good sign! But you still had no clue who's shelter you were in.

"Oh, please! How would you know? Whatever, I'm going to bed. You two figure things out yourselves, since you obviously care so much." The second voice spat, then apparently left, although you could hear no footsteps. All was quiet after that. After many, many moments of pondering, you decided to finally get up and see who was keeping you alive. You struggled onto your feet, kept one hand along the wall and walked down the hallway into another room.

"Oh, you're awake!" Came the first voice from earlier. You looked around to find where the voice originated, and you were not disappointed to see a tall, strong mantis warrior standing by a pot on what looked like a stove. She looked similar to the many other mantises that lived in the village, but there was something different about her. She had long, pointed horns on the top of her head that resembled that of the Hollow Knight's. You remembered that she had spoken to you, and didn't want to seem rude.

"Sorry! I, uh... I heard you and two others arguing after I woke and wanted to see who was keeping me here. Oh, and the young warrior! Is he okay??" You asked, becoming more and more frantic. The mantis in front of you chuckled, her expression starting to warm.

"Yes, he's alright. We were able to patch up his wing and send him off." She answered. You nodded, the panic in your expression fading. She turned back to the pot in front of her, then poured some of the substance in it into a small bowl.

"Is that-"

"Soup." She answered, cutting you off. "We're not crazy, bloodthirsty creatures." The mantis laughed, causing you to smile a bit. "Would you like some? You have been out for a while."

"I guess." You answer, as she hands you the bowl. You take it and begin to head back to your room.

"I never caught your name, you know." Her voice caused you to turn back around, your expression passive but your heart and mind racing.

"My name is Y/N, and uh... yours?" You responded. The mantis did a small bow as a greeting.

"Ray. My sisters, Silen and Klo, and I are known as the Mantis Lords here in our village." She stated. You realized you looked like a rude doofus, so you returned the bow. Then the new information clicked with the rest in your head.

"Wait, so you're in charge of the whole village?" You asked. Ray nodded.

"We have been for a long time. The Pale King, ehh.. we have a separate civilization from the rest of Hallownest. Everywhere else, everyone seems to worship him. They have no mind of their own. We didn't exactly support that way of thinking, so when he asked for us to be under his rule, we declined. Now we're just on our own." She explained. You decided that that made total sense, and it would explain why they were way down at the bottom of the Wastes. You nodded, then decided now was a good time to turn back and walk towards your room. But of course, being the clumsy thing you were, you tripped and broke the bowl, the soup getting all over the floor.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. I'm so clumsy... here. I'll clean it up." You turned around and started to pick up the pieces that had been shattered, your hands shaking in embarrassment. But much to your surprise, Ray didn't get mad. She bent over to help you clean up the pieces, but said nothing. There was a moment where you grabbed a shard while Ray grabbed the same one, causing her to place her claw over your hand. You looked up and met her gaze, your face a bright red while hers only slightly pink.

"Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry!" You got up, removing your hand and placing the pieces on a table.

"It's fine, it's really not that big of a deal. I'll clean up the soup. You get some rest." Ray stated, standing up from her crouched position and placing her claw on your shoulder. You were still flustered, so all you could do was nod and speed walk to your room. You softly closed the door behind you, then flopped down on your bed. Everything that had happened that day was still freshly swimming in your mind, but the thing that stood out to you was Ray. She was so different from every other bug you had met. She actually cared about people, and she didn't want to hurt you. And you didn't want to admit it, but she was beautiful. Her whole kind fascinated you, and you knew that, but she stood out especially. After laying down for a while, lost in your thoughts, you had finally fallen asleep, the last thing in your mind being Ray.

(to be continued menwhshshehfodh)