I'm walking backwards, dragging half of the spider with me.

Since I don't know where I am, it makes sense to take food with me to wherever it is that I'm going.

Suddenly, I recognize something.

It's the scent of ants.

And not just any ants - these are the ants from my hill!

I get very excited. What are the odds that I would find my hill again so quickly? Maybe I have a good sense of direction.

Grabbing the spider, I begin to drag it on the path.

Before long, I find an ant from my hill. Dropping the spider, I walk over and touch him with my antennae.

Instead of returning the greeting, he jumps back and clacks his mandibles.

Does he not recognize me?

A flash of realization comes over me. I've grown significantly larger since I last came to this hill. My color has changed. I probably don't even smell like an ant from my own hill.

What should I do? I'm a worker ant! I can't just start my own hill (for obvious reasons).

Stepping away, I have an idea. I walk back over to my prey and drag it over to him.

He senses it with his antennae, and they perk up.

Yes!

Grabbing it with his mandibles, he begins laboriously pulling it along the path. It looks rather difficult, as even half of a spider is still much bigger than him.

This is where I come in.

Standing next to him, I bite onto the spider and help him pull.

His suspicious behaviour has all but disappeared.

As I thought, the first priority of a worker ant - such as myself - is to defend the hill. The second priority is to bring food back to the hill. And my spider fits both of those.

There's no reason that the worker should distrust me anymore.

Let's go back to the hill!

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

On the way back, several more workers find us and grab on to the spider, helping as much as they can.

It should be noted that it takes several ants to be as long as its legs.

It's actually a very large spider. I had thought it small in comparison to what I was used to, but if I'm bigger than I used to be, it makes sense that everything else is smaller.

After some time, we make it back to the hill. It's swarming with hundreds of workers, and many of them notice the large spider - and the unusual ant helping to drag it.

We make it to the top of the hill, and then I realize a problem.

This spider is simply too big to fit into the entrance.

Well, we can always eat it here.

I open my mandibles and take a bite.

It doesn't have a bad taste.

It's actually quite good.

Noticing my behaviour, the other ants mob the spider.

Hey, this was my kill, wasn't it?

I go in for another bite, and to my surprise, there isn't any spider left.

Wow, we eat fast, don't we?

[what, is going, on]

I recognize the sense. Didn't the Cosmic call it telepathy? I suppose it's just queen communication.

[I came back to the hill. I killed a spider!]

There's a short silence, and then the queen drags her body out of the entrance.

Many of the ants back away. The queen is a sacred presence.

After a moment, she asks;

[where, is it, the spider?]

I'm a little abashed.

[We just finished eating it.]

She clacks her mandibles.

[you, unfamiliar. not, hill ant]

I'm stunned. Yes, the workers don't recognize me, but the queen gave birth to me! Surely she would know who I was.

I recover. Well, I can still help my hill. Even if I am unfortunately not known.

[I can help the hill. I can defend it for the queen!]

She considers it, the surrounding ants watching her expectedly.

Please read the mood.

[you, protect hill.]

It's a huge relief. I can't be an ant if I have no hill. I begin walking towards the entrance.

She bristles, mandibles clacking.

[you, cannot, enter. stay, outside.]

Oh. I didn't expect that.