The humid night air hung heavy in the evergreen forest. Moonlight struggled to enter the dense canopy. It cast long, twisting shadows that danced on the forest floor. This was the realm of danger and cruelty, a place where only the strong survived.
Tonight, however, a different kind of danger stalked the forest. The Venom Legion, an elite extermination unit of the ant colony, patrolled with a silent intensity. Their glossy black bodies moved with practiced ease, flitting from shadow to shadow.
"Stay sharp, everyone!" Vice General Vermos' mandibles clicked sharply, his voice a rasp in the stillness.
A ripple of clicks and chirps ran through the ranks. This was their first mission in a long time, a chance to finally break free from the stifling routine of the ant colony. Tonight, they were hunters.
Murmurs broke out among the legionnaires. Tonight's target: the beetles. The audacity of the insects to attack the colony and hurt a general.
