He crouched, unseen among the bark of the tree. So long as he didn't move, it was unlikely any of the ants would spot him.
Not that he felt like moving yet anyways. Today had brought all sorts of rare sights, such as witnessing the partial collapse of an ant tunnel network. Even stranger than that was the tiny, ant-sized human, who was still being grilled by the superiors of the colony. Only one of the ants, Prince-Consort Flik, seemed to be trying to reason with them and convince them to take it easy on her.
Kiara was younger than Kady had expected, after first seeing her earlier that morning when he was sneaking towards his spy spot. She looked very close to his own age. Being shrunk to bug size, she wasn't as monstrous as humans tended to look.
He glanced to the side. Despite his spot being mostly safe, the ants still sent a patrol to check up and down the tree, at least once per day. They would be coming soon, and he had to leave.
Extending his wings, the young cicada took flight, first up into the boughs of the tree, then pointed himself north. The hideout was more than a half-mile up the river from Ant Island; a sturdy march for a grasshopper to do under an hour, but a brisk walk for a cicada like Kady.
The hideout was little more than a shallow hole dug into the side of the riverbank, above flood-line during rains. The abandoned nest of some animal, now inhabited by what was left of Hopper's old gang. The two 'guards' barely looked up when Kady returned, too absorbed in their card game. Inside the other grasshoppers weren't much better, all in varying states of idle chatter, activity, or napping to pass the time.
Except for the ones who attended the new leaders of Hopper's gang. The cicada woman lounging in a chair, holding her drink aloft while it was refilled, sat up and splashed the grasshopper who was pouring when she saw Kady.
"There you are!" She crooned, flying over and giving her son a kiss on both cheeks. "Darling little Kady, back so soon, you must have something very important to report?" The sharp tips of her fingers dug into his face, just a little.
"The ants' tunnels collapsed, exposing a huge section to the air," Kady reported. "And I saw Kiara."
"Fantastic!" Chakira turned around to the second new leader of the grasshoppers, further at the back of the den, working on a strange map. "Did you hear that, my love? We found Kiara!"
Chipendale turned, his teeth bared in a grin. "About bloody time."