War

The message was stinging in its clarity. My antennae reverberated with my...our charge. There was a repository of food waiting behind the enemy line. We were to break through the line and return to the colony with supplies. I had been waiting a long time to be so nobly tasked. The others twitched with excitement as we waited for the dawn. I could not help but join in with my own nervous pacing.

The sun rose and our bodies warmed. We began our march toward the target. I followed close and tight behind the Sister in front of me. We would get this thing done simply because Mother wanted it done. I moved my legs without fatigue, confident in my own strength. The Pathfinders began to slow and our signals from them became less frequent. They signaled only the things they knew and we were now approaching an unknown.

I saw the first enemy combatant as I made my way through a clearing in the grass. It was a great golden thing, bulbous and reeking. I had sensed the toxicity from several clicks back but as I marched up to it the stink was overwhelming. It was a guard, I guessed. It was meant to impede our mission. Nothing was allowed to impede our mission.

I surveyed the leviathan pollutant before me. It swayed in the breeze and it’s roots were buried in soil that gave toxic signals. The earth around it was freshly disturbed. My antennae tingled with irritation as I detected its vulnerability. I gathered the creature had just been bothered and I wondered if it would live through its ordeal. Perhaps it was already defeated. I saw white pellets of some sort, though I smelled no purpose in them. The yearning roots were still clustered too close together. I could sense their cramped positioning and discontent.

This was a weakness in the enemy front, provided we could wait. We couldn’t wait, however. Mother wanted this done. We set about patrolling the perimeter and meticulously skirted around our orange-maned, ill-fated enemy, probing every possible inlet. We would circumnavigate this challenge and already the tinges of food were dancing their quiet chemical tantalizations through the air.

Then all hell broke loose and the Sisters broke formation. A massive dumb-eyed creature towered above us. It reeked of copper and immediately thrust a wet nose toward us, curls of dirt hitting us as it exhaled. I felt the blast, uncomfortably rich with moisture and heat that was overwhelming in its scent. I felt my mind scramble to identify all of the elements heaved against my exoskeleton. I moved in and felt the thing pause as I climbed its reeking face. The fibers were perfect for gripping. Sisters were already joining behind me as I grasped the strange creature and envisioned Mother. I drove my pincers in as deep as possible, knowing other Sisters were doing the same.

I was thrown by the beast and realized I was separated from my colony. I scrambled to recognize our trail, straining my antennae to maximum sensitivity. I knew I was now closer to the Colony than our battleground. I would not disappoint the Sisters or Mother. My mouth was already hurting but I scaled a blade of grass for an aerial view of the war. I saw the creature, ridiculous as it was, with its thorax brushing against the tall grass. Two massive and ugly soft creatures were present.

“Stop eating the ants,” one said.

“Let her do it. It’s the only productive thing that rat dog does. About time she did something other than piss on the rug.”

I didn’t have time for this. I rushed back down the leaf and hurried along the contrail. As I approached, I saw the true horrors of the attack. Bodies were crushed into the soil, legs poking out and still twitching. Sisters were rapidly heading back to the Colony and I watched in horror as one was enveloped by a disgusting pink protrusion from the beast’s face. Afterward the ground bore a small indentation, slick with slime, indicating the direction of the assault. The Sister was gone. The others were not following our original path, avoiding it to hide from the creature raining hell from above.

I knew what to do. I was far enough away to follow the original contrail back to the Colony. I waited anxiously for the other Sisters and worried about Mother’s disappointment. Many arrived back, stressed out and unable to stop pacing. I knew we would wait for the flower to die and try our attack again. This was war and we would win it for Mother.