Prologue

 

Not so long ago a young boy was lying on his stomach, reading about knights and soldiers, when he noticed a tiny white egg on one of the pages.

 

From this egg an ant emerged, and the boy trained it to walk on two feet, use swords and carry a shield. The ant’s name was Moresby.

But tragedy struck! A fierce storm swept across the land. It picked up Moresby from his shelter and carried him far away.

Moresby is still trying to get home today and everywhere he travels his legend grows.

It is the legend of an ant who defends the rights of lesser insects, who vanquishes evil.

 

This is the tale of Moresby and…..

 

 

The Gladiator Arena

 

Sometimes Moresby travels the road with his good friend, a Chinese cricket by the name of Kim Long.

 

Even though the sun was high in the sky, the small track that Moresby and his friend, Kim Long Cricket, crawled along was dark. The long, thin grass on either side folded over the top of the pathway, making it a gloomy tunnel.

‘Do you see those ants,’ whispered Kim Long, ‘above our heads and off to the side?’

‘They’ve been following us for ten minutes now. There are fifty of them.’

‘Is there anything we can do?’

‘The path is too narrow for you to jump. If by some chance you managed to break through the roof, they’d be all over you in seconds. If we come across a clearing I’ll climb onto your back and you can jump us out of here.’

‘Why haven’t they attacked? I do not like to wait for the rabbit to die, before we catch it Moresby!’

‘We are their prisoners already Kim!’

For fifteen minutes the two friends trudged along in silence, occasionally catching glimpses of the ants shadowing them. They rounded a corner and came to a grass doorway where twenty ants bristled angrily. They immediately dashed behind Moresby and Kim Long, and pushed them forward.

Moresby planted his feet and locked eyes with the nearest ant. ‘What is this place?’ he asked.

The ant put his head down and mumbled, ‘You will find out.’

Moresby sighed, and let himself be moved along. The door led to an open, dust-filled area, with an interleaved grass roof. In this area were thousands of ants, clustered around wooden cages, which held many mini-beasts. Moresby saw an earwig, wildly thrashing its tail. There were several large bull-ants, and an ant lion, which Moresby stared at in wonder. A cicada momentarily broke free and buzzed its wings furiously but after a short flight it hit the side wall and came down heavily. Three dozen ants, which had been trailing along below, threw themselves upon it, and carried it to a cage.   Because of the thick dust in the air, Moresby could only make out dim shapes on the far side of the area.

A group of ants moved directly towards them.

‘They are in cell fourteen,’ said an officious, greasy, little ant. ‘This way!’

As he spoke, Moresby and Kim Long were prodded to a rickety wooden cage.

Moresby entered, followed by Kim Long, whose long legs just managed to squeeze inside. The door closed, but rather than being locked, five ants stood guard outside.

‘I don’t understand what is happening here!’ said Moresby.

There were many bugs not in cages, which were allowed to roam free. They included aphids, leaf hoppers and small caterpillars – all gentle, slow-moving creatures.

Suddenly, a rhinoceros beetle lumbered through one of the entrances. It swung its large head from side to side, stirring up more dust. Then it charged. It was slow moving, so only a few ants were caught off guard, and sent flying. Dozens of other swarmed forwards, clinging to each side of its head and back. Ants punched at its legs and feet until it collapsed under the weight of numbers and was dragged into a cage. The ants slammed and tied the door with grass. The rhinoceros beetle regained its feet and butted the cage, which shook badly while twenty ants stood outside and steadied it.

Even though Moresby and Kim Long were prisoners, they were largely forgotten about. The cage was little more than a holding pen. Its sides were made of thin brown sticks, held together with a weak glue of regurgitated bark – parts of the frame had already come unstuck.

The larger area, which housed the cages, had sides made of tightly knitted grass, around which were twenty doorways. Moresby and Kim Long had entered through one of them earlier. The huge, grass roof was supported on a central pillar of hardened mud. The cross-hatched roof distorted the light and, together with the dust, created a murky, liquid air.

An hour later, amidst much shouting and confusion, a hundred elite soldier ants raced to one side of the entrances and formed two tight circles around it.

‘Something big is happening,’ whispered Kim Long, aware of the silence, the feeling of expectation that had fallen over their captors. ‘The longer the night lasts, the more our dreams will be.’

The doorway burst open as three screeching fire ants charged in – metallic and robotic in their actions.

Kim Long inhaled sharply. ‘What are they?’

The fire ants moved quickly, climbing onto each other, and toppling forwards. Over the top of the elite guard! Attacking them from behind! But already, a hundred large soldier ants swarmed over them, five or six to each leg, straining to spread them out, and staying away from the snapping jaws. In this way the fire ants were overpowered, and dragged to sturdy cages.

‘I’ve heard of fire ants,’ said Moresby. ‘They work together, with precision and ruthlessness. They are invaders to this country, decimating bull ant colonies with ease. They are tireless killing machines.’

‘Those cages won’t hold them,’ said Kim Long.

The fire ants were already cutting away at and tearing chunks of wood from the stick cages.

‘Each day has so many hours Moresby. Why is it getting dark?’ asked Kim Long suddenly.

Moresby looked up. What had been a canopy of light filtering through the network of grass was being extinguished by ants. A thousand ants were climbing over the roof of the enormous cavern, and watching between the gaps.

‘Looks like we have an audience,’ Kim Long laughed nervously. ‘I don’t like the look of this Moresby.’

Moresby scowled. ‘An audience to see what?’

The fire ants continued to attack their cages and the hundreds of soldier ants ran to the doorways and pushed out of the arena. They were joined by the guards of the cages. The doors were closed. The arena was complete!

‘Listen carefully Kim. The audience is here to see us fight. This is a fighting arena.’

Kim Long and Moresby stepped out of their cage. Around the arena, other mini-beasts were doing the same. Only the fire ants were still secure, but they ripped savagely at their cages.

‘The fire ants will kill us!’ said Kim Long.

‘They obviously think so,’ said Moresby, pointing to the ants above them, from where increasingly loud shouts came.

‘We must get back into the safety of our cage?’ said Kim Long.

‘Follow me!’ Moresby ran to the middle of the arena and shouted, ‘Listen to me! We must stand together otherwise the fire ants will cut us down.’

The mini-beasts that were previously held captive, looked towards him and then at the fire ants. Even though many did not understand his language, they sensed his meaning. Others simply followed the crowd and assembled in front of him.

Moresby grabbed his sword and shield, ready for an attack when a large bull-ant charged over.

‘I with you,’ stammered the bull-ant. ‘I with you! Fire ants kill us.’

Across the far side of the arena, the ant-lion was trying to dig into the ground. The rhinoceros beetle rammed the walls without any success. The earwig roamed this way and that. A millipede crawled slowly along to Moresby’s assembly.

A fire ant had its head out of the cage, and started to rip apart the door.

‘We must work quickly,’ urged Moresby. ‘The strength of the fire ants and their size, and ability to work together makes them an unbeatable force but we have a chance. This way quickly!’ He ran towards the mud pillar in the middle of the arena. ‘I need a tunnel going up into this pillar. Now!’

As Moresby, Cri-ong, and a large number of burrowing insects scratched at the pillar, trying to etch out a tunnel, Kim Long kicked the dirt away from where they were digging.

‘One of the fire ants is out!’ yelled Moresby. ‘Dig quicker.’

The fire ant that was free suddenly stood still and its antennae twitched. It   ran across the clearing to where the ant lion was, but the ant lion burrowed quickly into the sand. The crowd of ants on the roof let out a wild cheer as the fire-ant marched into the pit and straddled the sand, pushing its pincers into the ground, again and again. After a moment the fire-ant let out a scream, when it realised it had lost its prey.

‘Two of the fire ants are out now,’ yelled Kim Long.

The second fire-ant raised its jaws defiantly at the assembled insects, but it did not attack; instead it turned to help free the third.

‘Hurry,’ urged Kim Long.

Moresby and the burrowing bugs were well hidden in their tunnel in the arena pole, and still furiously digging.

‘They are all out,’ called Kim Long. ‘Here they come.’

Moresby appeared from the base of the tunnel. ‘Can you distract them Kim? We need more time.’

The three fire ants had sensed Kim Long watching them, and had decided to kill him, but as they drew near he leaped low and powerfully, to the far side of the arena. The fire ants followed him but were distracted by the rhinoceros beetle and turned to attack it. The audience on the roof cheered.

The rhinoceros beetle swung its head and ran at the fire-ants, but it was too slow. They clambered over it and attacked relentlessly, going for the small gaps underneath its heavy armour. Despite its huge size, and its powerful muscles, it soon fell to the savage biting. The crowd cheered at the fire ants’ show of ruthlessness. The rhinoceros beetle staggered and fell onto its side. It would have been killed had not Kim Long entered the fray. He landed heavily on a fire-ant’s abdomen and pushed it hard into the dirt as he leaped away. The three enraged fire-ants raced after him.

Cri-ong, and the other smaller beasts had now dug half way up the pillar and were tunneling outwards again, trying to make a window to the arena.

‘Are you sure this is what you want?’ asked one of the insects, wondering if it was best to stay hidden in the pillar.

‘We are almost there. Keep tunneling another window.’

Moresby crawled down the tunnel and over insects that pushed dirt away.

‘Get out now,’ he called, ‘and hide in the cages and stay low.’

The fire ants’ attention was all on Kim Long. They chased him around the arena, wearing him out, as he leaped from one place to another. They learnt quickly and positioned themselves so he had less time to rest after landing.

When Moresby crawled from the bottom of the pillar he saw Kim Long stumble and the closest fire ant charge towards him.

‘Over here,’ called Moresby.

Kim kicked sideways to get to his feet and jumped.

‘I can escape no more Moresby. I am spent.’

The fire ants were running towards them. A panicked look crossed his face.

‘Draw from your reserves my friend. Jump once more and stay clear. Our plan unfolds.’

The nearest fire ant was within striking distance now so Kim Long leaped over him. The fire ant lifted its head to pincer into Kim’s exposed belly, but Moresby stabbed at its lower jaw with his sword.

The crowd roared.

The fire ant screamed in shock, more than pain. Its eyes burned hatred at the little ant facing it. It brought its head down at Morseby trying to hammer him into the ground, but Moresby had already run beneath it. The fire ant twisted its abdomen forward, knocking Moresby in front again. It two forelegs swung in from each side, trying to pincer Moresby, but he slashed at one and then the other with his swords.

The fire ant screamed, and his companions abandoned all thought of Kim Long, and ran at Moresby.

Moresby leaped backwards, turning in the air and twisting around so that he landed, running from the fire ant. Like the spokes of a wheel, the three fire-ants were centred at him. Moresby dived into the small hole at the base of the pillar.   One fire ant attacked the hole where Moresby had disappeared and tore aside chunks of dried mud. The second fire-ant saw Moresby’s face at a window further up the pillar. It leaped at the hole and also attacked it. And when Moresby’s face appeared again, at another window, the third fire ant took up the assault.

Minutes later the whole pillar was unstable. The roof structure, carrying thousands of smaller ants, tilted. The fire ants kept up their savage attack. Moresby and his small band kept tunnelling, making the pillar even less stable.

A moment later it collapsed. The grass roof tore. Hundreds of ants tumbled into the arena. With ants falling upon them, the fire ants swung about to confront their new enemies.

Moresby and the other captives surged out from their hiding places and past a number of the ants, who were focused on stopping the fire ants. Ants still tumbled off the roof, and soldier ants stormed in to help them.

A number of entrances were now open. Moresby, Kim Long, and a small band of bugs crawled into the passage and ran along for many hours, until they were once again, under the blue sky.

The bugs that had been freed, with Cri-ong among them, turned to Moresby and Kim Long, and lowered their feelers in a sign of respect and friendship.

‘Live long and die quickly,’ Cri-ong said.

Moresby knew the bull-ant expression well and that its meaning was of friendship. He turned his back on the bull-ant as a sign of trust, and he and Kim Long continued on their quest.

 

The legend grew of Moresby and his friend Kim Long, who had defeated the fires, by collapsing the skies.