Chrysalis

Nothing was happening and Vibrant was getting hungry. Since she had snapped at the pink creatures ankle her senior and the creature had been very still, looking at each other for several Torpor worth of time.

The young ant worker could somehow tell that there was something happening though she couldn't say how she knew, or even what it was exactly that she did know. She simply felt that her powerful senior worker and the strange creature were engaged in some kind exchange that she had no way of participating in.

So she was bored.

At first she tried nipping at her senior, her mandibles scratching against the others tough carapace, but there was no reaction. Not to mention that the exercise probably hurt her face more than it hurt the other!

How did this ant get so strong?!

Vibrant had always been able to sense it, even as a larvae, that this individual was different, special. She could feel a powerful vibe from the other, something that made her want to follow and learn.

However, that didn't do much to alleviate the current situation. After deciding that nothing much was going to happen anytime soon, the little ant climbed up onto the seniors back in order to commune with her fellow traveller.

As a creature without any sensory input other than touch, Crinis had no idea what was happening. Everything was still and quiet, there wasn't any movement that she could sense and her master was close by. In her growth stage there wasn't anything else that the little creature could hope for.

Idly, the little monster tugged on the shining thread in her consciousness that connected her to the creature who had created her. A constant sense of distance and position came to her through this thread, alerting her about wherever her master happened to be, as well as the occasional words when she was spoken to.

Crinis felt she could probably talk back, but so far hadn't really felt any urge to. She had been tempted a few times, but eventually decided that she didn't have anything that important to say. At this stage of her life it only important that eat and grow so that she could become useful.

Suddenly the little monster felt a tugging on one of her tentacles!

of reflex the Jelly like monster unfolded two more tentacles from her main body and lashed out with them. At her present stage of growth, this strike had

out long ago that her blobby associate couldn't recognise what was going on, so the worker continued to extend her leg

The human concept of friendship wouldn't apply to monsters, they simply didn't think that way, but comfort or companionship, these were things that they were fully capable of feeling towards a monster not of

was able to work out who was annoying her and internally sighed. This pesky creature had interacted with Crinis before. The blob knew from experience that this irritating creature wouldn't leave her alone until she gave in. Crinis had no idea why

of insistent prodding Vibrant was rewarded when the little blob reached out with its tentacles and gradually dragged

Oof!

blob was growing so quickly but she had to remain small?! Once again the worker pondered the words of her wise senior about mutation. She had frequently heard a 'voice' speaking to her when eating and she roughly grasped the idea of Biomass and spending it. Her instincts prompted her to spend her Biomass in ways without

worker had yet to spend

interested in talking to the senior and asking questions. It probably

her passenger in position the duo set off! Scrabbling up the internal shaft

was much more subdued, after all the blob monster had no concept of where they were. She was comforted however by the faint awareness of the

the link between herself and her master but much weaker, she was able to faintly sense the other monster who

a creature who looked somewhat similar to the one inside their chamber. The smaller, pinkish creature looked extremely uncomfortable

Take that!

mandibles angrily. The giant monster reached down with one hand and knocks the creature lying beneath it with one fist, causing it to grunt in

a few times, still clacking her mandibles

with a few more tentacles to grip onto the

were distracted at the same time

Where was it?!

her skin. She extended a few tentacles and wiggled them furiously