"Oh! Hello there Mother… I, uh, didn't expect to see you here!"
"In the brood chambers, child? Where else would I be?"
I can almost sense another thwack coming… The first one really hurt! She's had a serious increase to her physical stats since her evolution. I rub the top of my head with an antenna as I quickly ponder my response.
"Wherever you want to be, Mother?"
THWACK!
Ouch!
"You wouldn't be suggesting I would skip out on my duty to the Colony, would you?"
"Of course not! Who would ever think of such a thing?!"
Dangit, Mother! My poor head! What did I even do? Turning around to face my overbearing parent, I take a chance to see how she's been faring. She looks fine, no wounds or scarring to mar her carapace. That ever-present twinkle in her eye is still apparent, as is the unusual level of force she's able to generate with her antennae. There must be a 'mother' perk buried in the system somewhere that grants bonus damage when disciplining children, otherwise it just doesn't make sense.
"If you're mad at me, Mother, then please just tell me what I've done," I capitulate.
I've once again evaded my responsibilities and brought danger down on the Colony. A few knocks on the head are the least of what I deserve. Instead, the Queen
child.
a funny way of showing it…" I
was that? I didn't quite
uh. It's nice to see you in such good health! Managing to
hunt in order to secure my own Biomass. The prey in the nearby
the council members'
going to assume
The Queen sighs.
and I don't really want to say no, even if I do think it's a bit of a waste. Those children could all
She shouldn't.
you'd find that every member of your escort
guarding the Queen? Almost every ant in the Colony would be delighted to have the chance. I've no doubt that every member of her guards was carefully chosen to be the best at what they do. No way the council would leave the health of their Mother
with brood. Dozens of brood tenders pick amongst the little grubs, ensuring that each is fed and cleaned, ready to take on the next step
growth has exploded," I tip an antenna at the young, "are we still making
first nest during the pupal stage. When they emerge they are taken through the training program before they enter
once the population started to explode. Must be hard for them to
are being laid each day right now, could it be as many as a thousand a day?! That would
mentioned to me once," the Queen informs me, "I believe that the creation of two new nests is
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