I'm upset.

I didn't know that I could be upset. It's an emotion reserved for queens, so it makes sense that I haven't felt it before now. What doesn't make sense is why I can feel it now.

Annoyed, I turned and immediately paused.

Where am I?

I raise my antennae and try to find a trail, but nothing comes up. I strain for a scent, but I get nothing.

I snap my mandibles together as loudly as I can, furious.

This is all that Cosmic's fault. Normally, I would find my way back to the hill using my memory and scents, but he likely carried me to wherever I am now.

Well, there's no point in being upset at a person who isn't around.

I pick a direction and begin to walk.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Sometime later, I heard a slight sound. It's a remarkably clear noise. I probably wouldn't have noticed it a few days ago, but my senses have sharpened along with my mind.

I raise my antennae, trying to sense where the noise had come from.

A strange feeling came over me. It felt as if an invisible mist were covering the grass around me, but I knew where the grass was. It was as if my eyes had become the air.

It was so disorienting that I failed to notice the form approaching me in the back.

I was struck hard, and I flew away. My view spins, and the sensation of permeating vision disappears.

Landing on my back, my legs flail for a moment. A foot hooks a piece of grass and I flip back over.

I look at my opponent and instantly back away.

It's a spider.

It's much bigger than I am, and its hide looks tough. Its hairy mandibles moved quickly, and its eyes stared at me with hostility.

I really don't stand a chance. It's a small spider compared to some of the ones my hill has defeated in the past, but there is no hill behind me this time. I am completely alone.

There is no time to think. The spider lunges with breakneck speed and bites onto my back. I brace myself, ready for the end.

Nothing happens.

After a short moment, the spider lets go and backs away. I crane my head around and look at my carapace.

Whose shell is this?

My body has changed color from a brown to a deep black, and I gently shine with strength. There is no mark on my back from where the spider bit me.

Do I actually stand a chance here?

I lower myself and clack my mandibles. The spider takes a slight step backward. It's probably never been in this situation, and can't really believe that an ant is challenging him.

Lunging forwards, I open my mandibles and bite.

A black veil of energy surrounds my mouth, and the bite expands enormously. The spider began to turn, trying to run, and the veil tore it in half. Blue blood spewed from the wound, and the spider collapsed.

I stand for a second, mandibles half open.

What the heck was that?