Chapter 11: The White Witch and the Wizened Wizard

Michael remained perfectly still; terrified by the way the giant dragon fly Edana spoke as he'd approached the entrance to her lair. He heard the buzz of her three pairs of wings just before she darted out and sped off toward the meadow. He took a moment to confirm she hadn't turned around, and peeked into the large knothole. A passage snaked upward, seeming just large enough for the dragon fly to crawl through while carrying prey with her.

Michael ducked inside and moved quickly while searching about for the other mantis. When his eyes adjusted to the scene inside, he marveled at the dozens of arthropods that had been encased in ice and set within holes in the floor. Something awful-smelling hit his antennae, and they recoiled. Then he spotted the other mantis and his cloaca tightened.

What the hell? She's got that mantis frozen in place, literally! Fuck... that could have been me!

He noticed the other's abdomen still pulsated, so it was breathing. When he drew closer he could tell it was a little larger than him, and its abdomen appeared wider and flatter than his own, along with shorter antennae than his, all of which suggested it was female. To be certain, he peeked below and counted five segments on the underside of its abdomen.

Hmm. Definitely a girl. Shit. I wonder if I can free her?

Starting by targeting the ice holding her back legs, Michael struck out with his forelegs and felt something give slightly.

Rihelah was startled awake when something impacted the icy prison holding her left hind foot. What the?! OH GOD! Another mantis!!

[Stay away!! I'm not... hnnnng... delicious!] She struggled hard, but the ice held fast.

[Stay calm! I'm trying to figure out how to free you. If I can just break the ice, we can get out of here! I can't believe Edana imprisoned you like this!] Michael held up his forelegs in an attempt to placate her.

Rihelah tensed up when she saw the other mantis hold its forelegs up toward her as if ready to strike. Then she processed its words, and stood in shock for a moment before speaking. [You... You're trying to rescue me? Why? Aren't mantids solitary hunters that eat each other?]

Michael cocked his head to one side. [I mean... You aren't wrong about mantids and their habit of eating each other. But it seems both of us are sapient, and I have no intention of eating another thinking being. Rather starve to death than live with something like that, to be honest. My...] Wait. Edana turned out to be a savage, and this one just said something about eating others. Better be careful, Michael. [My name is... uh... Michael. I'm going to try to break the ice holding you.]

[R-really? Uhm... nice to meet you, Michael...] Rihelah blurted out with obvious apprehension in her voice. It figures... Just like on Earth, every other guy here is probably named Michael! Wait. Maybe I am dreaming. That must be it... My brain is just punishing me with his memory! When I wake, the witch is gonna smear that awful crap in my face again!

Michael cocked his head sideways a bit. Strange that she hasn't given me a name. Then again, why would a mantis other than me have a name in the first place? Whatever... At least I may have found a friend, and... Dammit. I need to focus! [Now, let me see if...] Michael struck again. The ice holding Rihelah's leg cracked a little.

[There! It looks like I can-]

The dreaded sound of six wings approached, and Michael engaged his camouflage, moving around to hide himself behind the entrapped mantis.

[Sspeaking to yoursself, little My-kill? If you can sspeak, you can ssip upon your mediccine...] Edana approached and smeared more of that awful substance over Rihelah's mouth.

This fucking bitch! I want to smack her around so badly, but she is just too dangerous! Oh fuck! I hope she fails to notice him... Rihelah pretended to consume some of the substance, holding it inside her mouth despite its horrific flavor. But she did not swallow.

[Yesss. Ssubmit and sspare yoursself the agony of sstarvation!] Edana's voice slammed forcibly into both their minds. Michael had yet to experience whatever this mental attack was, and he nearly faltered as it crashed into his unprepared psyche.

The dragon fly moved to a different portion of the large cavity inside the tree, collected something and dragged it over to their left. The antennae atop Edana's head waved about, and before their eyes a hole opened in the wood, in the same manner a person might open their mouth to speak. She slid the frozen creature into the fresh cavity and blew a small stream of frost breath for a few seconds, encasing it within solid ice.

[Sssleep now, my susstenance. Fear not, little My-kill. Ssubmit properly, and I shall sspare you. Trusst and obey.] Once again Edana's voice had grown cold.

Rihelah shivered again while Michael did his best to resist the same urge.

Edana exited the tree, and Michael renewed his efforts to free the other mantis as soon as the sound of her three pairs of wings faded. Rihelah spat out the horrid paste.

[Let's get you out of here! As soon as I break these bonds, follow me out. I know a place nearby where we can hide. I think this Edana sleeps at night, so we might be able to sneak away after dark.]

Rihelah said nothing, but nodded her assent.

With three quick strikes each, he managed to free all four of her walking legs. However, he damaged the first two quite badly. The actual foot portions along with their gripping claws had snapped clean off. For her part, Rihelah didn't make a sound. Her feet were completely numb, and she had no idea she was missing anything.

Her forelegs had been secured down with the entire spiny tibia locked into a much-larger icy prison than the smaller feet. The left leg took eight strikes and eleven for the right. However, he did manage at last to break Rihelah free. To his amazement, her hind feet had regrown by the time he freed her forelegs.

They ran together toward the exit, freezing in place when they heard the dreaded wings return once again. Both mantids shook for a moment, then Michael held up one of his forelegs in a manner as if to say, “shhhh... don't say anything.” Rihelah nodded while shaking in fear.

Michael climbed up above her and just a bit farther toward the exit, readying himself to attack. Fuck it. There's no hiding from her now! I am not going down without a fight!

Edana landed and began trundling inward and upward, hauling some frozen victim with two of her legs. She stopped when she noticed Rihelah.

[Foolish child. It sseemss I musst- AHHH!!]

Michael had surged forward unseen, driving the longest spine of each tibia directly into Edana's compound eyes upon her dragon-shaped head before pulling them out and marveling for a split second at the fact that his attack had actually succeeded. Both mantids scurried to the side when a sinister bluish light appeared in Edana's open maw. Horrid frost breath surged into the cavity as they both scrambled over her and out, onto the tree. Michael deactivated his camouflage and pointed toward the other tree he'd previously hidden in, then jumped for it. Rihelah hesitated for half a second, then followed suit.

[LOATHESSOME LITTLE CREATURE! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BEAUTIFUL EYES?!! ESSCAPE SHOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSSIBLE!]

[Piss off and die, you sad old hag!!] Rihelah spat venomously while she plummeted toward the ground.

[I offered you the honor of sserving me! Now you shall meet your end, ssmall, wretched Mantiss. Ssince you refuse to learn your placce, you shall sserve me as food!! Ssylvan bodies heal quickly, and nothing shall sssave you from thiss one's wrath! Thiss is my foressst!!] A blast of frost exited the tree, reaching much farther than anything either of them had witnessed before.

Touching down upon the leaf-litter of the forest floor, Rihelah skittered after her rescuer as fast as she could. Her only thought was freedom. The further I can get from that evil hag's lair, the better!

Michael darted around all the obstacles he'd noted while moving toward Edana's tree before, and Rihelah followed close behind. Neither said a word as they ran. Then they heard Edana's wings and both of them stopped, hidden by a large bush slightly resembling Manzanita, but with much thicker foliage. Above them, a large spider rested at the center of a huge orb web.

Both mantids remained silent and motionless, while the ominous buzzing of Edana's wings flitted about overhead.

Their nemesis patrolled in ever-wider circles around her tree, and they were shocked when Edana slammed head-first into the trunk of a nearby sapling, falling to the ground. Despite their tormentor's misfortune, neither dared to move, lest they betray their position. Michael's first strike had been lucky, but the dragon fly was far too deadly for either of them to take head-on.

[CURSSE YOU, VILE LITTLE MISSSCREANT!! I SHALL FIND YOU!]

Edana sent, clearly enraged as she took to the air once more. Her flight was less graceful, and she slammed into her own tree just a few seconds later, plummeting to the ground again. Rihelah saw her lying upside-down, legs flailing and twitching in the air. There was a brownish streak from a nearby bush, as something raced over to Edana's prone form and attacked.

Rihelah's eargina detected the sound of crunching, followed by the horrid blast of Edana's Frost-Breath... like compressed air out of a nozzle. A whitish plume had enveloped the struggling pair and blasted half the tree in which Edana made her lair, freezing leaves, twigs, and even branches as large as eight centimeters in diameter. Both mantids shook in terror at the display of power.

Edana crawled out of the cloud, and began to climb her tree. Two of her six shimmering wings had been broken, both on her left side. The long, rodent-like creature which had attacked Edana stood motionless, tiny fangs bared, now little more than a frozen statue.

Michael saw their chance. He snuck carefully around the glowing orb web, and out the other side of the bush, away from Edana's tree, followed closely by Rihelah.

They hid within the next bush and watched, while Edana continued to slowly ascend toward her lair. When the evil dragon fly had finally hauled herself inside, they crept once again, toward a nearby stand of taller weeds. Less than a minute later, Michael led her into the knothole in which he had taken refuge from the bird.

Neither spoke as they both backed as far away from the entrance as possible. Rihelah found herself pressed against her rescuer's side, and it made her nervous. Why did things turn out this way?? He did save me, and he seems nice. But this Michael's still a mantis! A predator who might suddenly decide I'm tasty! If he were to latch onto me while I'm distracted...

Michael experienced similar thoughts, but the danger presented by Edana and the bigger predators outside kept his worries regarding the mantis next to him down to a minimum. Thus a tense acceptance of their current predicament reigned and the two proceeded to carefully examine one another in the gloom and silence using eyes and antennae.

Sika burst through the last set of trees and scoured over the remains of the hollowed log for a few moments, flitting this way and that while calling out with telepathy. [Michael?! Michael, are you here??]

Stepping onto the log itself, she stood up to her full height after a moment. “Michael! It's Sika! I'm sorry I forgot you! Please respond! I can protect you!”

She dashed around, looking everywhere around the log and calling out repeatedly, but there came no answer. Tears of frustration welled in her eyes as she clenched her fists tightly, her face going slightly numb. Sionella is going to have my head for this...

Unseen by the pair of mantids, a fully-winged bluish-white dragon fly landed at the frost-covered entrance of the lair where Rihelah had been imprisoned. The entrance widened significantly and it made its way inside. A loud, angry blast of cold resounded within before the huge dragon fly emerged a moment later and zipped away bearing an icy captive.

Within their knothole, both Michael and Rihelah recognized the terrible sound of Edana's frost breath, followed by the telltale sound of functional dragon fly wings. They huddled closer together, both trembling with fear. But the sound of those wings disappeared, and that terrible voice did not enter their minds as both had expected it to.

Roughly six hours passed before either dared to speak. When the light outside began to wane at last, Rihelah turned toward him and sent a mental whisper.

[Michael. Do you think it's safe for us to leave this place?]

[I don't know. It's possible she's waiting out there for us to show ourselves. Probably best if we wait until at least one hour after dark. That said, I was chased by some primate-like creature the other night; roughly twice Edana's size. Damn thing was highly intelligent and very persistent. Even seemed to hold a grudge after I evaded its first attempt to capture me. Its night vision and ability to spot motion in the dark were terrifying, to say the least. I suppose we are in a situation where we must choose between evils in a way. All of this said, I think it's obvious we have no desire to attack or eat one another. If either of us held such thoughts, we'd have already done so. At least, that's what I think.] Michael kept his eyes focused upon the exit to their hideaway.

Rihelah looked down thoughtfully, [I have no idea when will be best for us to flee, but I do believe you're correct regarding that last point. I could never stomach the idea of cannibalism. Especially since you're a thinking being and I owe you my life. I am grateful, you know? Thank you for saving me from that terrible creature, Michael. I just hope we survive long enough to laugh about this one day! Oh, I almost forgot to ask; are you the same mantis who tried to speak with me the other day before I learned telepathy?]

[Yep, that was me! You know, it's funny... The way you speak reminds me of someone I once knew...]

[I could say the same! Not that there's anything wrong with the way you speak. In fact, for me it's nostalgic and comforting.] She looked toward him and smiled inwardly.

Michael looked back at her, [Glad to hear it. Well, I say we risk it and sneak away before those horrible little primates wake up. If we encounter one, we won't make it back to the meadow alive. Their night-vision is too keen. Then again, I'm certain that meadow is exactly where Edana is expecting us to hide.]

[I agree. Perhaps it's best if we take advantage of the early twilight, when nocturnal predators are still waking and diurnal creatures like Edana will be less-likely to spot us. While the meadow may be where she expects to find us, it's also the best location for us to remain hidden and find prey. I definitely need to eat soon, and there are lots of lovely aphids out there. Besides, I'm certain both of us could stand to work on our levels.] Rihelah pointed out.

Michael's antennae stood up straight. So levels are something everyone gets in this world! Fascinating... [Let's head out, then. I am able to camouflage myself very well, though it looks like your chitin was not exactly designed for hiding. Still, I will do what I can to protect you. At the very least, I have that attack skill I used on Edana. Safety in numbers, right?]

[Right! Can I ask that you lead the way? I was unconscious when Edana abducted me, and so I have no clue where we need to go.]

Michael nodded. [Follow alongside me and stay close. I'll do my best to get us there safely. Let's do our best to stay alert and be smart about our movements. Ducking from bush to bush seemed to work well earlier, so that's part of my plan.] He poked his head out of the knothole slowly, allowing his vision time to adjust to the fading daylight outside.

For a full minute Michael observed. [I haven't spotted any danger yet, but I am still scanning branches above in case there are insectivorous birds lurking. The reason I knew about this place to begin with is that I fled in here while being chased by one not long before we got away from Edana. Blue-winged with a dark gray body. Its beak was massive, and the damned thing seemed specialized for killing and eating arthropods. Right! Seems like it's all-clear for now. Let's head out as soon as you allow your eyes time to adjust.]

It only took thirty seconds after they left the knothole for a predator to spot and give chase after Rihelah. She sighed to herself. [Um. Do you see the-]

[Yep. Don't worry. I'll intercept it and we can kill it together.]

Unfortunately for the little leaping spider, it did fail to notice Michael, who snapped it up as it was preparing to pounce at Rihelah. She faced Michael and gripped another portion of the spider while both chewed into it from opposite sides, swiftly ending its life.

Group kill of Leaping Spider Level 8. Experience Split.

Michael looked at his companion. [We don't have time to mess around with this thing. I say we each cut off one of its front legs and chew on those as we move.]

She nodded, they did so quickly, and moved on with their tasty spider-leg treats.

[These are delicious!] Rihelah quietly raved when they'd stopped briefly amidst the low-hanging leaves of a deciduous sapling.

[Fearless enough to keep you on your toes, but yeah, the little bastards sure do taste good!] Michael remarked as they darted from the sapling's cover to a nearby bush.

[Spitting spiders are also tasty, though I cannot in good conscience recommend the experience of fighting one...] Rihelah's voice lowered in pitch as she spoke the second half of her sentence. The sun's remaining light was fading fast. Bird calls and songs had ceased, replaced by the high trill of insects.

Michael looked at her. [I take it you had a bit of trouble with one?]

[To put it mildly, yes.] She said quietly.

Both their heads turned quickly to the right, then tracked a huge moth as it passed overhead.

[I fought a carnivorous moth today in that same knothole where we hid.] Michael said absent-mindedly.

[Tasty?]

[Hardly. Its tiny scales were a damned nuisance.]

[Mm.] Rihelah acknowledged. [Michael, do you know anything about how to create spells?]

[Uh. Nope. I can learn one spell if I find myself a teacher, it seems. But my evolution says nothing about creating my own.]

[So you also evolved? I... I may have chosen poorly. I can learn four spells, but I have to create those myself, and I have absolutely no idea what to do! I tried for hours to figure it out, to no avail. My body was changed in a way that will likely attract attention, even though it'd obviously be best if I were able to avoid notice. Things are... a little frustrating.]

[Mmm.] Michael was quiet for a moment, then responded, [You're my first friend. Your appearance is rather striking. You're actually very pretty, if I'm being honest. I don't know how to help with the magic thing, but I'll do my best to protect you! I met some humans earlier today. At least one of them seemed to know how to use magic. So, if we can find them again then perhaps you will find the answers you're looking for?]

[There are humans in the forest?!] Rihelah felt a pang of dread.

[Yeah. Huge compared to us. But at least they didn't seem interested in killing me. They were friends with these giant ants...] Michael went on to give her a brief rundown of his encounter with ants and humans while they continued to creep toward the meadow.

[I see. Definitely not what I was expecting from... you know... creatures so large!] Then again, if this is some sort of video-game world, perhaps my mind was just uploaded into a server? It's entirely possible this whole world was made by humans, and I am nothing more than a conscious program. That might explain the presence of humans, the fact I was reborn as an arthropod that also exists on Earth, and... Hmm. It actually makes a lot of sense if I think of it in that way. Would that mean Michael is an NPC? Unlikely. His responses are far too organic and realistic for that...

The last of daylight's glow had fled, and the meadow's edge lay just ahead. They made the final dash together, crossing the last meter of relatively-open ground at a dead sprint before disappearing into the tall grass. For a few minutes they scrambled inward, each of them eager to place a buffer between themselves and the forest. Once he felt somewhat safe Michael slowed his pace, and Rihelah did as well.

[Feels good to be where we can hide again! Do you wanna hunt together? Two pairs of eyes are better than one for spotting both food and danger, after all...] His voice grew quiet, then tapered off at the end, his antennae drooping slightly as if he expected her to reject his idea.

Rihelah's antennae perked up in response. [I was about to ask you the same thing, Michael! Of course I want to!]

Michael's antennae stood at attention to match hers and he gestured upward toward a younger stand of grass nearby, that was almost completely covered in aphids. [Shall we?]

She nodded, and together they stalked slowly upward through the grass while keeping relatively close to one another.

Rihelah eyed her new companion for a brief moment. Why do I feel so at ease with another mantis immediately after our first meeting? Granted, he did rescue me from that psychotic dragon fly... Still, I know next to nothing about him. Plus, there's the fact that it's likely he is just as young as I am. If that is the case, then it must necessarily follow that this telepathy skill somehow translates the sender's intent accurately for the recipient. While I have years of learning from my previous life, it's all but certain Michael has none at all prior to being hatched. My odd isekai situation is likely unique. Moreover, it's essentially impossible he is actually thinking in English; a language that logically has no chance of existing in this world outside of my very foreign mind. That said, there does seem to be something familiar about him and his personality... It would be amazing if it turned out he was also...

Hah! Fat chance, Rihelah. Dream on...

The wind picked up just a little from behind them, and the shadowy grasses around the pair swayed gently while they continued working their way toward the unsuspecting aphids. The darkness of early night deepened further as clouds rolled in to obscure the starlight.

They reached the aphids and carefully plucked one after another up, devouring their small prey while keeping careful watch for larger predators. The aphids were all very low level, and so neither managed to gain a level. Within twenty minutes both had eaten their fill.

With the onset of a serious food-coma threatening, Rihelah spoke up. [I feel a little groggy after eating. I think I should find a place to rest, Michael. Will you keep watch?]

[Can do. We can take turns. Always having a pair of eyes looking out for danger seems like the logical thing. Agreed?] Michael responded.

[Agreed! Let's find some suitable location. Preferably one that is well-hidden but provides ample visibility.] Rihelah nodded.

Michael cocked his head sideways for a moment, then looked at her. [I think remaining near these aphids may be a wise choice. The young shoots of grass are just covered with them. Predators are likely to focus upon those rather than bothering with each other. At least, that's something I observed previously. I think it's probably a case of carnivores seeking the most efficient source of food. Why would they bother attacking something that can fight back when there's risk-free protein on offer?]

[Your argument makes a lot of sense... Okay! However, I do have one concern; I don't wish to be visible from above! If Edana comes back...] She shuddered a little.

Michael nodded. [You're in good company! No complaints.]

He is awfully knowledgeable and rational for a young mantis. It strikes me as odd. Still... Perhaps this is just what it's like to be a newborn sapient arthropod on this magical world? Hah! I obviously have a lot to learn!

Rihelah found herself a stable perch beneath a wide blade of grass, where she would be shielded from view from above, and settled in to rest while Michael found himself a location nearer the stem the leaf was attached to and enjoyed his own full belly while watching over her.

She's really something... How can a baby mantis from this world speak in a way that makes my 24 years of learning on Earth seem like they mean nothing at all? It's strange. But it's also convenient... If we had no means of communication, would she still be my ally? Based on what I knew of mantids from Earth I would have assumed she would try to eat anything that approached her, including me...

The rising moon peeked through the patchy clouds, illuminating the stem in front of Michael. It reminded him of the young poplar tree they had carved their initials into as children, and he began using the point of his right foreleg's tibia to etch the same letters into the grass stem. I wonder how Rihelah is doing back on Earth? If I was reincarnated right away, I'm sure she is working happily on some bio-science research. I hope so. Probably best if she meets someone new, forgets about me and never learns that I died.

He looked at the finished symbol. Michael Elliott Rihelah Starjibi, with the ME above and the RS directly below. MERS. Heh. It's morbidly hilarious that MERS eventually became the acronym for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, the damnable disease that was once thought under control, but now is killing so many people on Earth after it mutated enough for its infectivity to overcome all efforts at controlling it. Maybe Rihelah is helping with work that can lead to a real vaccine one day. She would probably feel pretty good about that... Heh. She was always a good person. I miss her.

Michael stared in silent sadness at the symbol he'd carved, carefully tracing its outline until the moonlight was once again obscured by the clouds. I can never go back, and I'll never see her again. Besides, I'm a freaking insect, now. There wouldn't be any chance for me with her even if I could return. Probably just get stomped on, swatted or sprayed to death for being an insect before I could even find her. I need to let her go...

He looked behind him at the other mantis. I guess this is my life, now. It could be worse, all things considered. She may be covered in the equivalent of reflective paint and is likely impossible to keep hidden, but she can hold a decent conversation. At the very least, I'm not alone! I wonder what other mantids are like, and how many of us are out here... A single ootheca on Earth usually hatches out between 50-400 nymphs, and a female mantis can lay multiple ooths during her lifetime there. In that case, it wouldn't be out of the question to meet others of our kind in the near future! Here's hoping they're as friendly and cooperative as her...

Around four hours later and after having dropped close to a dozen “presents” from his backside toward anything unfortunate enough to lay below him, a slight cracking sound from his companion grabbed Michael's attention.

[Mmmichael... what... is happening? My body, it... feels strange.] Her speech sounded intoxicated, her abdomen pulsated strongly, and the back of her thorax appeared slightly deformed.

Realization dawned upon Michael. [You're molting!]

[I... that's inconvenient.] She replied rather sluggishly.

For the next three minutes Michael watched in fascination as she completely exited her old exoskeleton and ended up dangling from the tip of her abdomen while her new and larger “skin” began to harden.

That was much faster than my pet mantids! They usually took close to forty minutes to molt! This world sure is amazing...

Rihelah stared at her status update for a moment.

Mantid Magus 1st Instar has advanced to Mantid Magus 2nd Instar! (3.2cm, Tiny) +2 STR, +1 AGI

HP: 91/91 (+5HP/min.)

MP: 116/116 (+5MP/min.)

STR 16

AGI 14

INT 38

Well, I'm happy that I am larger! ...Sort of. I'll be stronger when fighting other arthropods, but it will also be harder for me to hide! Damn... Rihelah's glaring lack of any magics frustrated her once again.

Michael's antennae trembled as they drank in her fresh, intoxicating scent. While her subtle smell wasn't exactly the same as what he remembered from the freshly-washed bodies of human women his past self had been intimate with, it was close enough. It stirred something primal within him and that made him want to protect her even more.

Rihelah sighed to herself while carefully stretching her new, longer legs and antennae, [Mmmm... That feels so much better!] I even smell nice! Wow. If this actually is some kind of game-world, the programmers really nailed it! This whole experience is almost too lifelike. Hmph. If it is a game-world, why did they allow pain to be just as severe as it is in real life?

While there had been movement all around them during the night, thus far Michael had been spared the need to actively defend her. That changed when Rihelah's scent was picked up by a roaming beetle with very large mandibles. Nearly eight times Rihelah's new size, it struck fear into the hearts of both young mantids.

The shiny carapace of the fast-moving creature gleamed in the waning moonlight as it scrambled upward upon a nearby stem, antennae waving about madly as it sought to locate the source of the odor that had caught its attention. Both of them tracked its approach with their highly-mobile heads.

Michael practically whispered his tense telepathic message to her, [Be completely still. Here's hoping we can avoid being found! I will fight this thing if I have to, but...]

[Okay...] Rihelah failed while trying to keep the worry out of her tone.

Michael kept himself carefully pointed toward the huge beetle as it moved to and fro across various stems and blades of grass. He swayed with the gentle motion of the grass as he maintained his aim toward the determined hunter. When it drew closer, its bulk sending tremors through their stem, both of them tensed up and prepared for the worst.

Michael almost launched himself forward in a surprise attack when the beetle instead located a large gathering of aphids upon a nearby tuft of grass blades and began to macerate them with reckless abandon. Michael and Rihelah looked on in fascination as the beetle chomped into five or six aphids at a time. Its shiny exoskeleton refracted the tiniest bit of steely-blue from the setting moon's meager reddish light.

[How in the world is it managing to keep from dropping them while it chews? This is so... why can I not look away?] Rihelah remarked, absent-mindedly.

Michael's focus remained upon the beetle, [I'm just glad it found the aphids. If it hadn't...]

[Mmm. Not likely we would have made it out alive. That beetle can probably run faster than us. Look at its eyes; they are enormous. Its mandibles are nearly as long as I am. If we'd been spotted...] Rihelah shuddered a little as she hung there waiting for her exoskeleton to harden.

Thirty minutes later, the beetle had apparently eaten its fill and climbed lazily back down toward the ground before disappearing from view into the gloom below.

Michael relaxed at last while Rihelah allowed herself to test her new legs. She lightly gripped the blade of grass for a moment, finding that her foot-claws were still slightly spongy. With a sigh, she released her hold for the moment to continue allowing her exoskeleton to cure.

They rested together in silence for another half hour before Rihelah spoke up again. [I wonder how long it will take before I'm safe to use my new skin?]

[Hmmm. I'd say around one hour, if my experience was any indication. I had thought it would take longer, but it wasn't so bad. Maybe plan on two hours for everything to fully harden, but you should be able to move around already.] Michael responded.

Rihelah's antennae perked up visibly, reminding Michael of a cat's ears while she gripped the grass with her feet once again. After a moment of testing she extricated her abdomen's tip from her old skin at last. [Ahhh, that feels so much better!] He is handy to have around, and... WAIT! HOURS? How in the hell can he know what an hour is unless-

The light of an open flame flickered into view as it cast moving shadows through the grass while a crunching sound approached from the direction of the meadow's center. Michael subconsciously activated his camouflage.

The ground and grass shook as one to the rhythm of heavy footfalls. Both mantids scurried together through the grass and out of the way of a large leather boot that crushed the grass upon which they'd just been standing. A grinning, grizzled old man's face abruptly looked down upon the sparkling form of Rihelah with raised eyebrows. He knelt and held the torch overhead before his smile broadened, leathery lips sliding back to reveal a tangle of unkempt teeth that reeked of halitosis. A bony right hand pointed one finger in her direction, and both of the mantids were suddenly overcome with cold as spikes of frost grew from the foliage to which they clung. Aphids rained down from the surrounding grass as they lost their grip amid the overwhelming decrease in temperature. That knobbly old hand reached down to gently pluck her up as Rihelah's terrified mind shut down and her vision darkened. The footfalls resumed while the human chuckled to himself and bundled her into a small ceramic jar which he stuffed into one of his many coat-pockets. The wiry, bearded old man whistled a tuneless melody to himself as he lightly patted the pocket containing Rihelah's jar with glee and continued along his way.

[Hel... Hello?] Michael called out weakly once his body had recovered enough for his mind to regain consciousness. [Are you there?? I can't see a damn thing... Please, let me know if you're okay. I'm...] He winced. [I'm still here!]

There came no answer while Michael's vision slowly cleared. After his body thawed enough, he ran around frantically in search of his first and only real friend in this new world. Instead, the tiny mantis found himself utterly alone once more.