Gerhan finally woke up. Blinking slowly, he tried to make sense of his surroundings. Towering above him were gigantic trees, enormous blades of grass, and massive mushrooms that seemed to stretch endlessly toward the sky. The forest felt alive—he could hear birds chirping, the wind rustling through the leaves, and distant roars echoing through the air.
He squinted, his vision strange and distorted. "Why is everything so big?" he muttered, confusion lacing his voice as a gnawing unease settled over him.
Instinctively, Gerhan reached out to touch himself, trying to get a sense of his body. When he lifted what he thought was his hand, he froze. It wasn't a hand. Instead, a segmented ant leg waved stiffly in the air.
"Nah… it's fine," he said, his voice trembling as he tried to reassure himself.
Still, he needed to see more. Twisting his head proved impossible, so he made his way to a nearby droplet of water resting on a leaf. Peering into its reflective surface, his heart sank. Staring back at him was the image of a reddish-brown ant, small and unassuming.
A queen, perhaps, but still an ant.
A loud roar suddenly erupted through the forest, shaking the ground and silencing every living creature. The chirping of birds, the rustle of leaves—all of it stopped. Gerhan froze in place as a massive blue dragon soared overhead, its shimmering scales catching the light in a mesmerizing display.
For a moment, he was completely captivated. The dragon's sheer beauty and overwhelming presence filled him with awe and envy. But that awe quickly turned to despair as reality sank in. He was at the very bottom of the food chain.
Gerhan took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing thoughts. "Okay, calm down, Gerhan. Everything's fine… Just think." He paused, wracking his brain. "What do ants do? Ant hills, right? I need to find workers and build a hill."
Before he could act on the plan, he felt it—a sharp, piercing gaze boring into him. Slowly, he looked up and spotted the source. A bird. Large, predatory, and all too focused on him.
The bird dove without hesitation, its speed terrifying. Gerhan's instincts kicked in, and he jumped, flailing wildly. It was in that moment of panic he realized something incredible.
"I have wings!" he shouted, his voice tinged with both shock and exhilaration. "I freaking have wings!"
Flapping with all his might, he darted through the air, weaving between leaves and branches as the bird gave chase. Its beak snapped dangerously close, the wind from its strikes nearly knocking him off course. Desperation drove him forward, his small body darting and ducking through every obstacle until, finally, the bird gave up.
Panting, Gerhan landed in the safety of a small opening in a tree. The hole was barely large enough for him, likely carved by some worm or insect. He waited, his tiny body trembling as he made sure the bird was gone for good.
When he felt safe enough to emerge, he crawled out and landed softly on the ground. The grass beneath his legs felt cool and damp, dotted with tiny droplets of water that shimmered like dew.
"Forget hills," he muttered to himself. "Those are just giant targets. Tunnels are safer. Underground tunnels." Dumb ants he thought.
He began digging, his legs moving instinctively to carve into the loose soil. The process felt natural, almost too easy, and the deeper he went, the safer he felt.
"This will work," he thought, though doubt lingered in the back of his mind.
He had just started expanding the space into a small chamber when he noticed movement in the distance. A pack of wolves was prowling through the forest, their massive forms casting long shadows across the ground.
Gerhan froze, his heart racing. Did they see him? Surely not. He was far too small to even be considered a snack for them. Still, instinct urged him to move.
Without hesitation, he began digging again, his legs working furiously to create a deeper, longer tunnel. The dirt flew behind him as he burrowed farther down, his mind racing.
Finally, when he was sure he was safe, he stopped to catch his breath. The chamber he had carved out was small but secure, a place where he could regroup and plan.
Lying there in the darkness, Gerhan whispered to himself, "I will survive. I will grow. And one day, I will become the strongest."
The sounds of the forest above continued—a mixture of life and danger. But down here, in his newly made refuge, Gerhan allowed himself a moment of rest. For now, this would do.