Teen Ink

Part 1: The Adventure; Chapter 1: The Capture

The stream trickled lightly in the canyon, disrupting the quiet noise. Birds chirped, adding their small song to the chorus. A small figure crawled across the bank, leaving miniature footprints in the mud. Her heavy load left a mark as she dragged the leaf by the stem. She arrived to the colony, depositing the leaf on the food load. The damp scent of the stream wafted to her, making her think of the great flood that occurred a few years before, wiping out the ant hills of the Red Desert.
The ant’s small kingdom meant a great deal to her, and she devoted herself to finding food, and protecting the young, even if it meant her life would be spent. Despite its small size, the kingdom of Queen Superba was the most prominent of the ants in the canyon, with her sister, Acacia, to the east higher up in the canyon.
“Primax, where have you been?” a worker asked as she scuttled towards Primax.
“I just brought in my daily amount of food for us adults, and now I must go find some food for the larvae.” Primax said to the other worker. The ant nodded and followed Primax into the cool canyon.
“What kind of larvae are we getting today?” the second ant questioned, clicking her mandibles together.
“Well, Millet, the beetles are running low. I think we should search for worms along the bank.” Primax said. Millet turned her head towards the stream, watching for some rocks so they could cross and search for food. Primax’s antennae twitched as she picked up some pheromones.
“Funnel-Web ahead. He’s hunting, Millet. Stay close.” Primax said to the smaller bulldog ant. Millet nodded her head and started to cross the river, jumping from one stone to the other.
They were almost to the other bank when a wave of water smacked into the ants.
“Millet! Millet where are you?!” Primax shrieked. She fought against the water, but smacked into a rock. Millet popped up a few inches over.
“Primax, help me!” Millet screamed, struggling against the rubber gloved hand that plucked her from the rock. Primax plunged back into the water, kicking towards the human’s boot. The water was not even to the man’s ankle, but to Primax and her sister, it seemed like a very deep river.
Another gloved hand pulled Primax from the water. She looked over to see Millet curving her stinger towards a ripped spot in the rubber.
“Millet! Stop! Stop!!!!” Primax screamed, trying to get Millet’s attention as the human holding her pulled out a corkboard and pin. “Millet! Stop struggling! Please!”
Her plea was unheard. The man plunged the pin through Millet’s abdomen, ending her struggling. Primax screamed, and was dropped into a plastic container.
“You killed her! You killed my sister, you great ugly brute! Let me out!” Primax shrieked. The humans stalked back to the nest, and caught a few more ants, pinning them to boards and putting some in other containers.
Primax banged her head against the container until she passed out, screaming all the while for her sister, her mother and queen, and her very life.