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!

her present stage of growth, this strike had almost no power behind it all, causing Crinis to feel a little depressed when she

ago that her blobby associate couldn't recognise what was going on, so the worker continued to extend her leg to prod at her companion, trying

mind, the two monsters spend so much time in proximity that they may as well continue to stick together. 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

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 the master tolerated this little pest to ride upon their

of insistent prodding Vibrant was rewarded when the little blob reached out with its

Oof!

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 her really thinking about it and the seniors' words

little worker had yet to spend any points

and more interested in talking to the senior and asking questions. It probably wouldn't be long until she went against her instincts and purchased an

the duo set off! Scrabbling up the internal shaft of the nest and out into the

after all the blob monster had no concept of where

she was able to faintly sense the other monster who

naturally could see the huge monster who followed her senior around. Right now he was sitting on top of a creature who looked somewhat similar to the one inside their chamber. The smaller, pinkish creature looked extremely uncomfortable being crushed by the much larger monster but Vibrant didn't have any sympathy. She even walked closer and snipped at the creatures hand with her

Take that!

The giant monster reached down with one hand and knocks the creature lying

and forth a few times, still clacking her mandibles

reach out with a few more tentacles to grip onto the shifting ant she was stuck

them were distracted at the same time by the alluring scent

Where was it?!

her skin. She extended a few tentacles and wiggled them furiously in the air, trying to pick up