CHAPTER XVIII: COLEOPTERANS VS. HYMENOPTERANS
In front of the main tunnel entrance was what looked like the whole colony, and behind them were more beetles surely. Noticeable among the beetles were Weaver, as well as Berry and Quick. Every single beetle was looking at Maula, and to say they looked angry would be an understatement.
'Don't try it!' yelled Maula at them, pointing two of her claws and her stinger. However, none of her fellow hornets shared her bravery.
The second row of beetles climbed on top of the front row. The row behind them climbed on top of them too. They were forming a pyramid – a pyramid of beetles.
Several of the hornets, including Palpatine, were actually looking scared. For once, they actually looked like insects.
'I told you we shouldn't have done this...' mumbled Palpatine, as though he was a little boy aware he faced a whacking.
You see, "your majesty",' said a voice, from behind Maula, 'THIS is what happens to those who question nature.' Looking around, she saw that it wasn't Cora, but Rosie. They were both smirking at Maula.
'Those who question nature,' began Cora.
'Receive a certain punishment,' continued Rosie, standing on top of Cora. They looked quite fearsome together.
'Known as,' said both Rosie and Cora, 'EXILE.'
At that word, the pyramid of beetles attacked, letting out continuous yells. The second-highest layer of beetles opened their shells, flinging the highest layer of beetles straight at the hornets. Then, the new second-highest layer of beetles did exactly the same. They were launching a continuous bombardment – of beetles – straight at the hornets.
Meanwhile, Rosie and Cora hoisted Dim up, Rosie with her hands and Cora with her legs. They were amazed at how well they worked together as a team.
'You've done something right!' they both said to him. He managed to utter a smile, watching the expulsion of the hornets.
No longer surrounded by hornets, the other circus bugs helped in the attack.
'Launch an attack!' yelled Manny running towards the hornets that were now under retreat. Many of the hornets, under sheer numbers, had already been drowned in the swamp.
'Don't run!' yelled Maula after her running companions. 'They're blasted inferiors!'
However, Maula yelped and jumped out of the way of an incoming herd of rhino beetles – they were winning.
To the right, Francis was suddenly ambushed by Amber, who towered above him. She leered at him, but he stood his ground.
'Females aren't so tough!' he yelled at her, jabbing her in her chest. She gasped, clearly shocked.
Without warning, Heimlich and Slim landed behind Francis. All three of them raised a finger, as though to jab her chest again.
Amber jumped backwards, and then took flight, flying after the other hornets that had fled. They were flying across the swamp, back towards the hornet's nest. The dark of the night quickly consumed them. Francis, Slim and Heimlich all slapped hands together.
'Ja, boys rule!' Heimlich exclaimed.
Everyone then turned their attention on Maula, the only hornet left.
'Gaa!' yelled Maula, as a crowd of beetles closed in on her. She buzzed her membrane-built wings and flew upwards, just dodging the crowd of beetles –
And then she rebounded off Weaver, who had been hovering right above her. She fell down into the crowd – who instantly pinned her between several of themselves.
'To the rocks!' yelled Dim, pinning her from behind with his horn.
'To the rocks!' chorused the crowd, walking towards several lone rocks at the edge of the swamp.
Mauls yelled with all her might, and struggled heavily, but her efforts were fruitless. The whole crowd was going, with Francis, Slim, and Manny walking on one side, and Heimlich leaping his huge leaps.
'Put me down, you coleopterans!' roared Maula as they reached the rocks. The crowd responded by dropping her – just as several other beetles rolled two big rocks on her feet, pinning her down. As she gasped, she noticed Manny and Slim in the crowd. They pointed behind her, smiling.
Looking behind, she saw Heimlich jumping on top of the two rocks pinning her feet down. He chuckled at her, giving her a Nazi greeting.
Letting a squirm that was a mix of terror and fury, she looked forward again.
Dim was right in front of her, just out of her reach. Cora and Rosie stood right behind him.
'Enjoy your devouring, Maula!' said Dim, rearing briefly on his hind legs, as though he was a ferocious beast again. Behind him, Rosie and Cora slapped hands together – they finally seemed to have accepted the existence of each other.
Heimlich readied himself on the boulder, ready to jump, when a noise rumbled in the distance.
'Vhat?' he said, looking up. Everyone else stopped cheering too. While Maula still looked scared, all the others looked worried. Everyone else looked around, but Dim looked pass the rocks that were holding Maula.
There was something blue and dark rearing up and down in the background of the swamp. It loomed closer, but only when it was just three inches away did Dim realise what it was. Widening his eyes, he turned around quickly.
'Flood!' he yelled, quickly grabbing a leg of Cora and a hand of Rosie, but the crowd had only just turned to run when –
WASH!
The flood struck, lashing at the crowd. The backwash rang with the sound of a gun, when another wave attacked. The beetles were running everywhere, yelling amidst the sound of the waves.
Another wave struck out, almost like it whipped the crowd. The crowd started running towards the tunnel entrance, getting crowded, as it was single-file entrance. The King and Queen quickly got in as more and more beetles got it. A giant wave was approaching, one which threatened to drown the whole clearing.
Finding her gripping on the ground, Maula made herself look up from where she was still pinned.
Looking ahead, she saw Cora and Rosie rushing to Dim. Rosie held him by his head, while Cora supported him from behind. That was it – no more fooling around. She had to KILL him.
She snarled, realizing that the rocks had become dislodged by the waves that had missed her, but Heimlich was still keeping them pinned down.
Suddenly, a giant wave lunged upon them. Heimlich wobbled upon the boulder, and fell forward.
Upon that, Maula instantly grabbed him and, using him as a pole vault, flung herself up, catapulting the boulder off her. She then darted at Dim, reading her claws and stinger in mid-shot.
Dim, Cora and Rosie looked up at the incoming hazard, and only had time to look horrified before –
WHAM!
Clubbing Rosie and Cora aside, Maula looped around in mid-air, flying towards the swamp with Dim in her grasp by his back left foot.
'Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!' screamed Dim, as Maula reached the swamp and flew upwards to avoid another wave.
'No!' yelled Cora, looking at Maula as she grew smaller. However, Rosie wasted no time in mourning.
'Come on! Don't let her get away!' yelled Manny, taking flight. Francis, looking angry, flew behind him, holding Slim as a weapon.
'Rraagh!' yelled Weaver, buzzing his hard wings and flying off, having quickly scooped up Rosie and Heimlich on top of himself.
Ahh-waaahhhhh,' Dim moaned, as Maula looped around, aware that Francis and Manny were right behind her. He opened his shell and tried to buzz his wings, but they still wouldn't fly – he was trapped!
Maula snarled as she flew down and then quickly up, hoping to avoid her pursuers. But Manny and Francis were closing in, and Weaver was just two inches behind them.
Gaining up on Maula, Manny flew to her left, Francis and Slim to her right. They both prepared to grab her. Maula glanced at both of them, and tightened her grip on Dim, who was still scared out of his wits.
In one move, Manny and Francis both launched themselves at Maula – only for Maula to stop flying for a second, so that they instead crashed into each other. The tangle that was Manny, Slim and Francis had only just fallen when Maula flew overhead again. However, that move had cost her – Weaver was only now an inch behind Maula.
They had now reached the big tree, the chase taking its path through the giant branches.
'Wa-Wait!' screamed Dim, as Maula kept flying. 'You guys – help me!'
'Launch mir!' ordered Heimlich to Rosie. Without hesitating, and in one move, Rosie secured Heimlich in a wad of web rope, and threw him forwards.
Heimlich just about managed to land on top of Maula's stinger, and before she could react –
'Nehmen Sie dieses!' he yelled, pulling Maula's lower arms as hard as he could. She veered left and right in her flight path, trying to throw him off.
'Ahh! Let go of me, you larva lepidopteran!'
'Nie!'
With one of his spare hands, Heimlich reached forwards and, while still straining Maula, secured one of his hands around Dim's feet. In the bracing wind of fast-wing-flight, he pulled, and –
Dim's other leg came free of Maula's hand.
'Got hem!' yelled Heimlich. Rosie jerked back on the spider web, pulling Heimlich off Maula –
But without support, Heimlich and Dim instantly fell down, pulling Rosie and Weaver with them. Before they could do anything –
CRASH!
Weaver was stuck between two branches, with Heimlich and Dim handing below by the spider web, drifting in the storm.
Weaver strained, but he was wedged tight in the space between two huge twigs of wood.
'I'm stuck!' he yelled.
Lightning struck in the distance, and something flashed by. Dim looked around – he couldn't see Maula anywhere, but he was sure she was somewhere close by.
'Rosie! Reel us in!' yelled Dim. Against Heimlich weight, Rosie slowly pulled up the rope – they were already halfway up.
Something whizzed by near Dim. He couldn't see anything, but he knew something was close.
'Rosie! Hurry!' said Dim. Rosie pulled the rope up as fast as she could; Heimlich was just coming within reach of her.
'Gotcha!' she whooped, and then –
Maula attacked out of nowhere, lashing Rosie with her stinger. Rosie let go of the rope in agony, and Heimlich and Dim fell down again.
Maula flew down with then, and quickly plucked Dim from Heimlich's grasp; leaving the larva lepidopteran swinging below Weaver and Rosie, she flew upwards.
'No!' yelled Dim in defeat as Maula flew out of the tree's branches and they were swallowed by the darkness.
Weaver strained again in the position he was stuck in, but he didn't even budge.
Heimlich let out a sigh. 'Ve Germans neffur win...'
Maula had flown really high now, and hardly anything was visible in any direction other than total darkness.
She could see the hornet's nest in the distance. Once she got there, with hornet backups, she could make up a new plan –
'Augh!' said Maula, as something rammed her from behind, causing her to let go of Dim. Looking down, she saw him falling – and then something swoop over him, picking him up with her legs. It was Cora!
Maula changed direction and flew after them, her stinger arched over her body, ready for action.
Cora had secured her legs around Dim's shell plates, maintaining a very firm grip on him. She looked down at him as they flew.
'Dim, I –'
Maula appeared behind them, lashing her stinger. Cora only just dodged the attack; she quickly flew right and down, but Maula was catching up – her slimmer body gave her a speed boost.
Somehow, they ended flying right over the swamp. Two tidal waves loomed on both sides, threatening to drown them easily.
'Keep going!' yelled Dim over the roar of the waves.
'I'm trying!' Cora yelled back.
Maula was only a centimetre behind them, veering left and right, following them like a homing missile. Her stinger got just a millimeter from Dim's body when –
The wave collapsed, just missing them. Maula hovered upwards, saving herself, but losing speed.
Cora and Dim had reached a tree in the island, but they were much lower down this time, among the tree roots snaking around the bubbly water. She flew upwards, just flying over a large tree branch about 15 feet above the swamp –
Maula struck out again, and this time, her aim was true; in a way. She had been aiming for Dim, but Cora had shielded him. She lost his grip on him, dropping him on the edge of the tree branch, and she flew overhead, getting stuck – much like Weaver – between a part where the branch branched into two separate twigs. Looking from where Dim had landed, she strained, facing Dim with a look of terror, but wasn't able to break free.
'Come on!' whined Francis, straining, with Manny, to pull Slim from a huge tangle of twigs, where they had crashed into.
Francis quickly shoved Slim further in, and then, in one swift move, yanked him back out again, scattering loose twigs everywhere.
'Let's go!' yelled Manny. Francis hoisted Slim between his two arms, and the three of them flew off to catch up with Weaver, Rosie and Heimlich.
Maula stepped closer, snarling with every step. This only served to make her look like a part-devil, part-monster hornet. Of course, I had first hand-experience in feeling like a monster, but it was questionable whether she felt like a monster. Something told me she had never even considered the matter...
Just as I was finding my grip on the branch (which was only about as wide as I was), Maula reached me. But instead of using her stinger, she lashed out with her claws, cutting deep cuts in my face. I felt the blood seeping everywhere
I let out a scream, but what did it matter? Cora was trapped, and there was no way around Maula without flying, which I was incapable of doing.
Maula kicked out, pushing my further backwards; I was at the very corner of the branch – another centimetre and I'd fall off.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cora pick up a small twig with her mouth, as though she was going to spit it out. My eyes widened when I realized what she was trying to do. Please don't do it!
Too late; just as Maula was about to push me, Cora shot the twig straight at Maula's back. It whizzed right through her twin pairs of membrane wings, rendering them useless. That was good – without the power of flight, a hornet's stinger was too heavy and cumbersome to be of any use. But it was also bad.
Maula whipped around, and noticed Cora. She confirmed my fears, and marched off towards where Cora was trapped, leaving me alone.
The willpower to help a friend in need rose inside me like a dragon, and I got up and charged at Maula.
Just as she was about to attack Cora – who was whimpering as the devil-like hornet approached her – I rammed her with my horn, almost pushing her off the branch to my right. She just about regained her balance, and launched herself at me, but I reared back on my hind legs again and launched myself at her two.
Still on my hind legs, my front legs had locked against her claws, with which she was shielding her body. For a split-second, she showed a spasm of fear, as which I smirked, letting my guard down; this was a big mistake.
She shoved me off her, quickly, almost forcing me to back-flip – and then, before I could do anything – she jumped in the air, spinning a full 360 degrees, pushing me off with her stinger.
I fell backwards, falling off the branch we had been brawling on. I fell down only briefly as – somehow, against all the odds – I managed to secure my two front legs between two tiny twigs only a foot or so below the big branch.
Looking down at me from above, Maula laughed again, a high, completely cold, evil laugh. There was no question now – she was truly Satan.
Looking below where I was hanging, I saw why Maula was laughing – the American alligator, the same one from before, was at the bottom of the swamp, looking up at us, snapping it's gigantic jaws. As a vertebrate, it may be a monster, but at least it wasn't evil, like the hymenopteran standing above me on the branch, laughing.
'Almost there...' strained Rosie, watching as Francis, Slim and Manny pulled Weaver with all their might.
'Gu on!' cheered Heimlich (who was now secured in Weaver legs, just like Dim had previously done), for he had jerked a bit there.
Francis flew out from Weaver, quickly turned around to face him, and then suddenly rammed him, pushing him free from where he had been wedged. He buzzed his wings again, ready to fly.
'Let's catch up!' commandeered Rosie. All six of them flew off, determined with all their might to catch up to Dim and Maula. Rosie prayed that he wasn't dead yet... if he was, it would be her fault.
The alligator jumped out of the water, its front jaws only just missing my hind legs – I had had to hold them in the air to avoid being mauled to death.
Speaking of beasts, Maula was still above me, her mouth bleeding. Her body heaved up and down with her breathing, which hid a badly-contained external grudge.
There was only one way out of this, but it was impossible; I was trying to help myself, and not a friend. I lowered my head – it was hopeless.
Suddenly I heard wing flapping. Looking to my right, I saw Weaver, Rosie, and everyone else a good distance off. They very barely visible, but I could tell they were coming towards us.
I closed my eyes and concentrated. This was it; the twigs that I was hanging by were straining.
Above me Maula, expression turned to one of mild surprise and curiosity. Now!
The twigs I was holding on to snapped – and at exactly the same moment, I opened my shell and flew upwards, coming level-to-level with Maula.
Her pause of surprise cost her. I swung my body around in a circle, clubbing her off the branch in almost exactly the same method she had done. I landed on the branch, and looked down, watching.
Maula fell down and, with a THUMP, landed on a thick branch below. She slowly looked up again, watching me watching her.
Again, her pause of surprise cost her. As the alligator below also watched, the branch she was on strained, and snapped.
Flailing and screaming, Maula fell through the air, right down to the alligator.
The alligator smiled and smirked, snapping its jaws as Maula's body came closer. It opened its mouth wide, and –
Approximate Chapter Running Time: 01:19-01:26
German translation: mir=me, Nehmen Sie dieses!=Take this!, Nie!=No!