THUNK! THUNK!
Human axes with blades the size of a palace fell onto the ice-hole trees' gnarled trunks. Although to bees they were trees that towered high above, to humans, they were akin to grass.
Perhaps they should've brought scythes or knives instead.
Each axe blow cut a tree into pieces and left deep gouges in the ice that surrounded them. To my relief, the trunks weren't harder than the steel the axes were made of.
However, after a single blow, the woodcutters had to step away from the trees again. They were shivering hard, while the surviving trees sped up their growth again!
Now they were reaching the waist-height of humans and growing beyond that…
'Workharder, have you seen this—right, you can't. Tell our forces to start bonfires with the prepared fuel, but do it far away from the trees. The woodcutters will need to warm up a lot. Get them hot drinks, too!'
'Will do, Father. Drinks, drinks—now this is a great idea. Bees could use a warm snack, too.'
