Find Your Wings

Grasshopper Number Two

Grasshopper Number Two

Hopper's Narrative
I was curious now as to what was going through their heads at the moment. I scaled this tree for the time being so that they didn't have to look at me. Not only was our stinging friends on my mind, I was deeply panicked. Not for them but Molt was still lost somewhere... Probably hurt. If only these ants would let me to ask them. All I know that he came this direction. It sure took some time. As if I didn't have enough guilt, I could only really hope that he was okay. I tread along this branch as I looked down at the small clearing below me. I was high in the tree, so hopefully they couldn't see me. I felt some pain, but it was hardly an issue compared to my worries. Too much loss for me to deal with. I definitely likened it to one of those deadly stings.

I stayed by a leaf as I watched them gather safely inside their hill, that looked like it was tucked beside the tree itself. I wondered what they were thinking. Above all, they were scared. I didn't blame them for that. Even though this place was hit with the heat pretty badly, I could imagine how beautiful it could get here. This wasn't no bush yet it was beside a river... which kind of reminded me of home with the birds. As fond as those memories were, they hurt more than anything.

Molt's POV
Strong, spirited and nosy (as it was usual), Molt witnessed an awful lot of chaos not that long ago. The tunnels went darker when the main doorway was blocked off. The ants were yelling, running and barking orders to each other, but he actually proved himself of how much help he could offer by running to the education burrow. That was where many little ants were brought to and kept safe during these raids. They were not okay with the fact that a grasshopper just happened to come in. To them, he was big and strong when he shoved a rock in front of the entrance to keep whatever was out there from coming inside. These young all ran to the back of the burrowed tunnel and hugged each other as he backed up, listening to screams above. Horrified when he heard a set of those terribly sharp wings, the same ones he heard when Flitter was attacked, Molt tried to suppress a horrified gasp. The youth behind all began to snivel and shake, rendering him to look at them. Their terror in their eyes instantly tugged at his heart. Slowly, he shushed them to keep them calm.

"It'll be okay, it will..."

"They came back." cried one little girl. "Mommy's up there."

To him, that sounded just like Speckles (one of Flitter's) which brought him to become more determined. What could he say to comfort her? There was one thing he always did to help fledglings. He got low to the ground on one knee and gave them a smile.

"I know ya ain't used to seein' grasshoppers. Huh? Name's Molt."

"That's a funny name." spoke a little boy among the group of child ants.

"Yeah, yeah, because this!" Molt piped up and easily made a piece of his armor flake off. "It happens all the time." he chuckled before this one little girl curled in the corner caught his eye. "... hey. You okay?"

She was a light blue ant and her growing antennae curled slightly. She tried not to sob.

"My mommy and dad are outside.... Mr Molt, are they gonna take them away?"

"Aw, kid..." the poor locust grieved, stuck. "I ... "

What could he say to comfort her? Suddenly, there came silence which got them all confused. What surprised Molt though was the fact that one of them hugged around his leg, out of fear. Protective, he lowered over the few as he overheard talking in the tunnels. That one word; grasshopper. That instantly gave him the hope that it was Hopper. It had to be.... When the rock that protected them all inside was moved, Molt helped move it back. A female worker and several other ants came in worrying over their children.