Whelm

As the hunters surged within
The roof began to fall
Fractured chitin underfoot
Whilst ichor soaked the halls.

Then gathering, the pack reformed
For once they'd all consumed
They flooded from the earth in which
The hive was now a tomb.

A rushing mass of fur and claws
The host would move as one
Provided each could keep apace
Those creatures feared none.

Each component of the whole
A spoke, for now, that linked
Dispensable—when it should break
The rest would let it sink.

When river's water blocked their path
They lingered over moss
A chain of stones bound shore to bank
And each would have to cross.

They navigated snout to tail
The smallest one was knocked
As treacherous waters surged
It shattered on the rocks.

One component of the whole
A spoke, that now, had snapped
Dispensable—it served no use
The others would adapt.

Silently, it understood
And, broken beyond mend
It watched the other hunters leave
Then waited for the end.