Someday I'll stop updating things at 2 a.m. Today is not that day.

Enjoy!

- fbw

Hopper had expected to emerge from this night with a pile of grain, a dead queen, and a squashed rebellion. Instead he found himself grainless, gangless, and with a critically injured princess in his care.

Not to mention that both the queen and the rebellion leader were still alive and well.

A weak cough drew Hopper's attention down to where Dot lay shivering in the crook of his upper right arm. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead and her lavender skin had a grayish hue to it. The combination of a broken wing and the late August chill was getting to her. She needed to get somewhere warm, and fast.

Hopper groaned and massaged his temple. This would be so much easier if he didn't give a damn what happened to the brat. He could leave her here to fend for herself, finish off her friend, and head back to the desert to start rebuilding his gang for next year. Hell, he could even save himself the trouble and skip the middle step entirely. Even if Flik did meet a tragic end, the colony was already aware of its own strength. Hopper would need an entire fleet of grasshoppers to get them under control again.

Was it worth it?

He knew what his father would say. But his father also wouldn't have bandaged his hostage's wing or given her berry juice to ease her pain. In fact, he would never have been in this situation at all, because he would have let Thumper have Dot for a snack the first time around.

Hopper took a final swig of blackberry juice and tossed the empty flesh to the side, relishing the brief warmth that filled his chest and dulled his senses. Fermented fruit had been Pop's go-to remedy for any injury Hopper and Molt had growing up. In hindsight, it explained a lot. It was Hopper's mother who would take the time to bandage their cuts and kiss their bruises.

Hopper wasn't about to do the second one with the kid. It was bad enough that he'd done the first. The splint combined with the berry juice had done the trick for now, but it wouldn't be long before it wore off and she was in a world of pain again.

Then what? He'd indoctrinate her into the gang? Take her home and raise her as his own? Where even was home, anyway? He had no idea if his cowardly gang members had returned to the sombrero or fled somewhere far from where Hopper could find them.

Considering they'd witnessed him crush three of their own under a pile of grain after daring to challenge his orders, it was probably the second one.

Come to think of it, he didn't even know where Molt had ended up. Hopper remembered seeing his brother's flaky exoskeleton floating around the throng of angry ants. As much as Hopper had always resented him for it, he had to admit his brother had a naturally nurturing disposition that would be useful at a time like this. Molt would probably happily adopt the princess if it were up to him.

Hopper recalled the conversation the two of them had had on their way home from the first visit to Ant Island, back in the spring.

"Why'dja have to go and pick on that little ant, huh, Hop?"

"What?"

Hopper turned to see Molt behind him, struggling to fly in a straight line while holding onto Thumper's leash. Their pet had always had an erratic flight pattern, and it became even more so when he was agitated. Leaving the anthill with an empty stomach had clearly made him agitated.

Who could blame him? Hopper was still seething over the morning's turn of events, and his mood wasn't helped by the fact that his stomach reminded him every few seconds. They'd come expecting a feast, and they'd left with hollow stomachs – not to mention an ant with authority issues on their hands.

Had any other gang member asked the question Molt had just asked, Hopper would have knocked him out of the sky without a second thought.

Apparently, Molt didn't realize that.

"I'm just sayin'," he went on, managing to drag Thumper forward until he and Hopper were parallel to each other. "That princess was so small and scared. You had a whole colony of ants to choose from and you had to pick her?"

Hopper rolled his eyes. "That was the point, Molt. She's the princess. It wouldn't have made as much of an impact if it was just a random kid. Plus, she ran right into my hands."

Silence ensued, broken only by the buzzing of wings and Thumper's hangry shrieks. Hopper was on the verge of allowing himself to believe his brother had dropped the issue. And then…

"You weren't really gonna feed her to Thumper, though, were ya?"

Hopper didn't answer at first. He stared straight ahead at a tiny, gray cloud on the horizon. The only interruption in a sea of blue sky.

"Hop?"

He'd been so fueled by rage in the moment that he'd acted on an impulse, plucking the ant girl up from the ground and carrying her towards Thumper like an offering while the rest of the ants – including her mom and sister – watched in horror. He hadn't really known what he was going to do with her, only that in that moment all eyes were on him and the princess. For that brief moment Hopper had held all the power in the room, and it was exhilarating.

But even while mocking her fear, there had been some part of him that registered the look of pure terror in the girl's eyes when he first picked her up, the way she trembled in his grasp as they grew closer to Thumper's snapping jaws. It was the same part that had caused him to stop when the blue ant stepped out of line and ordered him to leave her alone, the part that kept him from going forward until the gap between Dot and Thumper closed.

Hopper shook his head and focused again on the cloud. A single cloud that could mean the difference between sunny skies and a thunderstorm. Beside him, Molt waited for an answer.

Finally it came.

"I'll do whatever it takes to keep those ants in line."

Hopper looked again at the sleeping princess and felt an inner twinge at the sight of her damaged wing. His earlier actions may have caused some emotional scarring – a nightmare or two, maybe – but this had crossed a line he'd never intended to.

And the look on her face when she'd realized what happened…the way she'd wept until she couldn't anymore...Hopper couldn't get it out of his mind. He'd practically force-fed her the rest of the berry juice, partly to help with the pain but mostly because watching her sleep was much easier than watching her cry.

"My, isn't this an intriguing combination."

A cold sensation crept down Hopper's spine. The voice, smooth as silk and equally as sinister, came from behind. He drew Dot's sleeping form closer to his chest and shielded her with his two opposite arms before turning around.

Something was moving in the darkness, emerging from beneath the root Hopper had been resting against only moments before. It wasn't until it stepped into a patch of moonlight that he could see it was a spider. A big spider. Its thick body was the color of a shadow and its movements were slow and precise.

Hopper had seen only a handful of spiders like this in his lifetime. He wasn't an expert on the species, but he knew of at least one type of insect they preferred to have on the menu.

The spider's mouth curved into a smile below its gleaming eyes. "My apologies for startling you," he purred, reaching a long, hairy arm out in greeting. "The name's Wolf. And you are…?"

Hopper took a step backward, turning his body ever so slightly to the right as he did. Four of the Wolf's hands flew to his mouth as a look of mock apology came over him.

"Oh, I almost forgot about the little one. Mustn't wake a sleeping princess, hm?" He chuckled at the shock that must have been apparent on Hopper's face. "I've been listening to the two of you for some time now, and I was just so fascinated by what I heard that I had to come out and see it for myself. A grasshopper and a royal ant. How on Ant Island did that come to be? And, more importantly…"

With the arm that was still extended, Wolf pointed a crooked finger at the makeshift splint protruding from between Hopper's arms.

"How did that come to be?"

Hopper covered Dot's exposed wings with his hand and swallowed the feelings of guilt resurfacing. He knew one of the tactics spiders often used on their prey was distraction. The particularly sadistic ones loved to find their victim's weaknesses and exploit them for fun.

"What do you want?" he asked in a low voice.

The spider pouted. "My, he's a touchy one," he said, withdrawing his leg and taking eight half-steps backward. "I just want to know the story, that's all. I've lived around this tree long enough to know that your kind usually aren't around this time of year."

Wolf grinned darkly. "I've also been around long enough to know who she is, and I'm guessing from the little...accident that you're not family friends and this isn't a babysitting trip."

Hopper clenched his fists. There was something different about hearing the implication from someone else's mouth. "It's not what you think," he growled. "It's not even about her, it's about–"

His attempt at self-justification was interrupted by an exaggerated yawn. "Oh, I couldn't care less who or what it's about," Wolf said. "And I couldn't care less if that little tear was an accident or not."

Hopper relaxed his fists. "You said you wanted to hear the story."

The spider shrugged. "I lied. Stories are boring. Besides, I already know everything I need to know about this situation. Ants are incessant talkers, you know. They'll tell you their whole life's story if they think it'll bide them some time before becoming a meal."

Hopper suppressed the urge to shudder. "If you're here for a meal, haven't you had it yet?" he demanded. "What are we standing around talking for?"

He was well aware that the spider had been steadily advancing toward them during the entirety of their conversation. It was why he'd turned and started moving backwards in a slow semi-circle, growing ever so slowly closer to the root where they'd both started.

Wolf stopped and clapped two of his hands in delight. "Oh, so feisty! I love it when they have a kick to them."

Hopper didn't like the look that came into the spider's eyes.

"You see, my dear, I'm just not that hungry tonight. You look like someone who would put up a fight, and I don't feel like working for my food tonight." Wolf ran his tongue along his fangs as he fixed his eyes on Dot. "She, on the other hand, would make a perfect midnight snack."

Hopper froze mid-step.

"What?" he asked, stupidly.

All this time he'd been preparing to fight Wolf off at any moment, knowing that grasshoppers were a common part of his diet.

He hadn't been prepared for this.

Four pairs of eyes rolled.

"Oh, like you have room to judge," Wolf scoffed. "Look, if you think about it, this is the most humane way to get her off your hands. She's still sleeping off the berry juice, so she'll hardly even feel it. You can leave her in my care and go back to wherever it is you came from."

You could just go home, you know. Your dad isn't there.

That was what Dot had said to him earlier. In spite of everything he'd done until that moment, the kid still somehow believed Hopper wouldn't allow real harm to come to her.

But then he had. And he'd been the one who caused it.

Hopper could make a splint and numb the pain with berry juice, but he couldn't mend a broken wing. Only time and rest would do that. If the princess didn't get that, she would never fly again. Even if she did, there was a small chance the damage would be permanent. Would giving her over to Wolf now be an act of mercy?

There was a distant flash of heat lightning followed by a faint roll of thunder, the only remnants of the storm. Hopper guessed that it was close to midnight by now. Most of the predators he and the gang had to avoid during their flights to and from the island were asleep by now. It would be a good time to start the flight back to the sombrero.

A good time to get rid of the baggage. Pop's voice sounded strangely similar to his own. You want a last chance to leave the colony hurting? You're holding it in your arms.

Hopper looked up to see eight eyes glittering back at him. It was apparent that Wolf had no doubt which choice he was going to make. He was already reaching his arms out, waiting for Dot to be delivered into his hands.

You can leave her in my care and go back to wherever it is you came from.

Both the princess and the spider had invited him to go home. Only one did it out of a ridiculous belief that there was something good still inside of him.

Hopper slowly withdrew the arms that were covering Dot and looked down. She stirred at the sudden exposure to the cold and nestled deeper into the crook of his arm, then reached up to rest one tiny hand on his chest.

Hopper felt something come over him, something he hadn't felt since before his dad disappeared and his mother died. He tucked Dot beneath his arms again, then looked up at Wolf.

"I can go home," he said. "But I'm gonna get her home first."

Wolf smiled.

"As you wish," he replied, and then he sprang.

Hopper dove to the side. He felt the hairs on Wolf's leg brush against his ankle as the spider landed with a hiss, then spun around just in time to see him pounce again. He scrambled backwards, nearly tripping over his own feet in the process but somehow remaining upright and out of Wolf's reach.

And then his heel hit something slick and he was on his back in a puddle of blackberry juice, staring up at the sky. Wolf's dark face appeared, blotting the stars from his vision.

"The deal's still on the table," Wolf said. "But the longer we do this dance, the more likely she is to wake up before the meal, and that won't be a pleasant experience for anyone."

Something dripped onto Hopper's cheek and began to burn. He bit down hard on his lip.

Wolf's eyes flashed with glee. "Well, except for me."

"Go to hell."

Hopper knew what game they were playing. By this point Wolf could easily have snatched the ant from his grasp or devoured both of them if he wanted to, but he was the type of creature that preferred to play games with his food first.

What he didn't know was that grasshoppers could play games, too. As soon as Hopper hit the ground, he had felt beneath him until his fingers found something soft and slimy. Now he just had to wait for the right moment.

"Last chance, my friend," Wolf said, rising on his back legs so he towered above them. Is this what it felt like to be an ant? "You can leave the girl with me, move on with your life and start looking for your runaway gang members. I know for a fact that you're gonna need to replace a couple of them, anyway."

Replace?

Hopper could feel his poker face breaking as he realized the meaning behind Wolf's words.

"No," he breathed.

The spider's mouth twisted into a sickening smile.

Grief and fury battled inside of Hopper. His gang was a bunch of dolts, but they were his dolts. He might have casually offed one or two over the years to teach the rest a lesson, but that was his call to make. They were the closest thing he had to family. One of them was family.

Had Molt been Wolf's last meal?

Hopper swallowed the bile rising in his throat and closed his fingers around the secret weapon. Now this was personal.

Wolf was coming steadily closer, his fangs gleaming with venom. He cackled as another burning drop landed on Hopper's hand, the one that was shielding Dot.

"Which one should I start with, hm?" Wolf asked, licking his lips and giving one of Dot's antennae a sharp tug. The princess squirmed in her sleep.

It was time.

Hopper swung his arm up with a roar and smashed the rotten berry into the spider's eyes.

Wolf reared back with a shriek and clawed at his eyes. Hopper jumped up and began flying as fast as he could toward the opening beneath the root's arch. He didn't know where he was going, just that he had to get himself and Dot as far from here as possible. He would come back for vengeance once he got the kid to safety.

A sudden cry caused him to glance down. The splint attached to Dot's wing was jutting out at an odd angle, and the pain had woken her up. He shifted the arm holding her in an attempt to reposition it, then looked up just in time to see the water droplets suspended in mid-air.

"Oh, sh—"

He was interrupted mid-swear by a mouthful of web.