Walking to the Future

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"Deep within the lush conifer forest, a Deer grazes upon the ample vegetation around him. Mammals have flourished since the lands have been reclaimed from the oceans after they dried up, allowing lush green paradises to form.

We see the image of a white-tail-like deer grazing, nibbling on grass in the forest, soon coming upon a log eating some berries on what appears to be branches.

"However, every paradise….hides a monster within."

As the deer nibbles on the berries, suddenly the log seemingly comes to life, a pair of vice jaws appear from under the dirt and snag the deer by the neck as it screams in fright before being dragged into the darkness of the forest by the mysterious ambush predator.

Chapter 3: The Jaws of Death

We are shown a mountain valley filled with swamp lands and forests, a waterfall in the background feeding a large river.

"Earth, 50 million years after man. This beautiful oasis before us is one of many that have now blessed our world following man's extinction. With the Seas retreating from the change in orbit, a few large continents have been formed from the earthquakes and volcanic tremors that proceeded.

We see mountains and inactive volcano, above a jungle mixed with plains with tall grass, flowers, and ferns.

"This is what was once Antarctica believe it or not, and the once frozen wasteland has become the heart of this planet, feeding new and old forms of life, thanks in no small part to the large amount of oxygen now filling it. The last traces of radiation and excessive carbon dioxide from our Armageddon have vanished. Never has the world had so much pure air since Permian era, and just as well, never has the world seen a terror that has risen from this gift, in the form of a familiar face."

We see out of the grassy plains rustling, soon a large ant-like insect appears out of the grass.

"This is Myranex, a giant red ant. He's the size of a lion and with an appetite to match."

The giant ant begins to devour some of the grass with its mandibles and jaw.

"It might seem shocking that the once harmless sugar ants that infested our countertops have grown so massive, but this evolutionary leap can be attributed to the very air itself. Myranex is now part of a group of Athropods not scene since an era before the dinosaurs. They grew massive exoskeletons thanks to extreme amount of oxygen in the air due to the climate shift that killed many seas. There's in fact 40% more oxygen now than when we humans existed, which has fueled the growth of other once familiar faces, such as scorpions and spiders."

We see images of a gigantic daddy long legs spiders grazing on tree tops and a scorpion the size of dog eating branches that fall below it.

"Believe it or not, many of these frightening monster-like arthropods, have evolved to become omnivores. Giants like the Gargantua spider, primarily feed on treetops and berries which aid smaller creatures like scorpions and mammals."

"This is not to say they aren't threats to other life in these lush jungles and swamplands. Omnivores eat ANYTHING, even each other if given the chance."

Two scorpions begin fighting over a branch filled with ferns on it dropped by a Gargantua Spider, stabbing each other with their stingers as their pincers clasp together.

"Food may plenty for the scorpions, but greed can overtake more than just man. These little monsters luckily don't have green eyes or even eyes to be stabbed. They use special fibers on their six legs to detect objects and tremors in the ground to find food, merely using the lightbulb size stingers they wield for either self-defense or as pushing contests, considering the scorpions armor is too tough to be pierced by their own kind."

One scorpion uses its stinger however to flip the rival, leaving it struggling as its six legs flail as it begins to sink in the mud a bit.

"However, such defenses can be their greatest weakness as well. This scorpion is like a turtle on its shell now, its armor now trapping it in the mud, unable to balance itself back underfoot, leaving him quit vulnerable to something more dangerous than a rival scorpion." He says as the rival soon scurries away from the lodged enemy, who's torso is soon caught and gripped by a pair of jaws from a Myrenax, before being snapped in half, white and red blood gushing from both sides as the ant clicks its jaws, its tiny mouth behind them opening and closing rapidly.

"Myranex too can sense vibrations in the ground, using a pair of antenna's it brushes onto the floor as it walks.

We see a pair of long red antenna's sliding off the muddy ground.

"They often times use them to pose as twigs while waiting in ambush for herbivores to eat, but instead this male picked up the scorpions distress from its flailing, and was rewarded a lobster-like dinner as a result."

The ant begins to thrash the corpses pieces, gulping down white meat and blood.

"But after these creatures make a kill, much like their tiny ancestors, they'll take some of the food back to their hive. Myranex form colonies like their ancestors, but these giants have something far more secure than the desert sands they made hills and tomb out of for defense."

We see a scene near a mountain, a series of caves alongside its sides, several other Myranex going in and out of them.

"The mountains are the epitome of defense. The Myranex's jaws are so strong they can actually chew solid rock and create burrows to form hives. Suitable for large colonies of giant insects of 20 or more. And they all revolve around a lead female, resting in her chambers."

Narrator says as within a mountain, in the deepest room in the chamber, rests a large female Myranex.

"Female Myranex spend much of their days withheld in these chamber rooms, their wings on their back merely uses in emergencies to retreat and find new homes when necessary. Why leave your home to hunt even, when a queen can a bountiful feast brought to her by her minions."

A male brings her a dead dear which she begins to nibble on.

"Our females role, much like modern ants, is to provide the next generation before she is eventually usurped by another female she births or from a rival clan. Notice within her room likes a dirt mount much like the tiny ones we see in our yards today. The female uses this to insulate her larval eggs." He says as we see a large dirt mound in the room with dozens of football sized larval eggs with 1 tiny ant inside each of them like embryos.

Next we see the Myranex who killed the scorpion begin to head towards the mountain chamber with half the scorpion meet clenched in its jaws.

"It is the job of the males to protect her as she feeds the growth of the next generation and too feed her so she has the strength to do so, however, their cumbersome size makes them usually slow ambush predators, leaving them and their kills vulnerable to theft from other faster predators."

The Myranex's scorpion is soon grasped of its jaws by a giant dragonfly, its huge falcon sized wings flapping fast as it toggle wars with the giant ant.

"Meganeura is an eagle sized dragonfly, not seen since the Permian era. They excel at ambush, usually feasting on lizards and small burrow cats, but this giant of the sky now has his eyes on the Myranex's prize." He says as the toggle war continues, before the ant twists its head and throws off the dragonfly, then drops the scorpion and tries to bite the fly.

"Myranex may be slow and grounded, but it has the more dangerous jaws. A single snap could tear this insect apart. But Meganeura has the edge with one certain trait….Speed." He says as the Dragonfly darts around the ant, disorienting it as it vainly tries to tackle and bite it, turning around and leaving the scorpion corpse vulnerable to be snatched as the insect darts around the ant and grabs it and flies off.

"This Myrenax will disappoint his queen tonight, while our victorious dragonfly will be satisfied with his stolen meal." He says as the fly lands on a treetop and devours the scorpion meat.

Next we see more waterfalls and swamp lands.

"Arthropods and insects aren't the only ones to benefit from the humidity and rainfall these lush jungles and swamps were born from, fish have found a new home to replace the seas they lost as did crocodiles and amphibians."

We see schools of fish in a lake swimming around as a giant salamander and later a crocodile some of them.

"These creatures are still water bound, but have adapted to change their natural skin pigment to match the murky swamp waters they live in, helping excel at ambushing their prey. In this world, the art of stealth, not size, is what rules."

We next see a small lynx-like cat appear near the waters edge. Is waits patiently before swiftly pawing the water, snatching a small salmon in its claws and biting down to trap it in its jaws, before quickly running off before a crocodile bursts out the water and snaps at it, narrowly missing.

"Other animals like Felines, such as this Lynx, who have managed to survive the climate change, need to rely on speed and their claws to make a kill. Still, no matter how powerful or fast these creatures of land or water grow they are still nothing compared to the forces at work planning their downfall."

We soon see a mountain begin to emit smoke, streams of lava soon shown nearby.

"Volcanic activity, brought out by the earthquakes the formed the continents and gave these animals land to live, are a constant threat, as are the changes in climate their eruptions sometimes bring. Smoke contaminates the air, suffocating anything within its vicinity. For the arthropods who rely on pure oxygen to fuel their large armored skins growth, this a dangerous situation."

We see a scorpion begin to spasm as it inhales some smoke.

"This poor creature normally has his armor suck in oxygen for its lungs, but now all the smoke is poisoning him, leaving him and many like him that rely on these hills for protection to meet their doom." He says as several scorpions, Meganeura, and even a Myrenax's corpse are shown lying dead.

"The increase of heat in the air, also generates many storm clouds that darken the skies. For creatures like the insects and athropods, who rely on dry skin to sense disturbances and breath smoothly, these rains are a detriment. But for the water bound creatures of the swamps, they serve to expand their domains, putting our Athropod apex's on the chopping block as crocs and amphibians move seize their thrones."

We see rains bring forth more lakes and rivers from once dry plains and rocky streets, followed by a pair of Meganeura getting snatched and eaten by a pair of crocodiles attacking from the waters, as one shows its face to the screen and hisses as its slit eyes narrow.

"Not all Arthropods are so helpless to the change in climates, the Myranex have their cave homes and high grounds to avoid the floods and lava flows where they can dine in peace…..at least till a threat in the form of a familiar face attacks their home.

We see the hive eating on assorted carcasses and berries from tree branches, before their heads dart alert as they uplift their antenna's from the ground. Out of the holes of the hive that illuminate the caves of the mountains, more Myranex suddenly appear.

"A rival colony of Miranex have come to the hive, looking to usurp this clan of their home to avoid the elements. Their primary target is the queen, if they successfully kill her, the males that are spared from the onslaught will transfer their loyalty to the rival clan's queen, bringing their order into chaos for a while. With the rain seasons upon them, this could spell disaster for all of them." He says as we see countless male Myranex charge at each other, wrestling or biting each other with their jaws. Many have their heads bitten off, one male even being gripped from behind by another as his opponent in front snaps him in half with his own jaws. The queen quivers in her hive chamber, backing towards her nest as she sees a male approach her room.

The screen goes blank as dirt from the collision of more males creates a cloud that covers it.

Morning…..the sun rises.

"Dawn reveals the outcome of this turf war."

We see a hive gorging on members of their on species, out of the cave, a smaller queen is dragged out, neck broken. Then our Queen is shown in her chamber, nuzzling her nest.

"The hive has successfully protected their queen and defeated the rival clan. The resident Queens troops have preserved her throne."

We see a few large males, followed by a duo of smaller females with wings.

"Still, not all wars come with just loss, much like when a lion takes over a pride, juvenile females will be tolerated in the clan as they can be ready to mate soon. Female Myrenax that don't get devoured by their mother in fights often outsource to other clans who accept them. This helps prevent inbreeding."

We then see inside the body of one the females, three sacs are shown.

"Myrenax have three wombs within them, this allows them to mate successfully with several different males, thus diversifying the gene pool. One day the females of these births will compete for top queen, either in this mound or another."

We see the outside of the caves, raining on a dark night a while later. Then we see the Myranex females lay larvae into their own mounds. Soon Myranex begin to eat some Larvae..

"Another benefit to the spreading of breeding amongst clans, is that when food isn't plentiful, such when rain waters trap inside their hives, the colony can eat the smaller lavae, giving them needed protein and ensuring the strongest young are born to give their hive a better chance at survival. But sadly, forces beyond their control have now sealed this hives fate."

We see the save begin to tremble as a tremor shakes the hive, many Myrenax becoming disoriented as the walls begin to crack, lava soon spewing out of the cracks.

"The nearby volcano has spread volcanic activity underground as well, the hives mountain has become an active volcano once more, flooding the chambers with lava and smoke." He says as the hive that doesn't get immediately submerged in the lava scamper to outside the caves but pause at the entrance. "With the heavy rainfall the ants only have two choices, suffocate in watery skies, or become consumed by the fiery rock within their home….now the giant Ants sanctuary has become their tomb, as the volcanic eruption smothers them in lava and ash."

The next morning is shown. A charred forest is shown, some deer and a Gargantua roasted and covered in ash.

"With such an oxygen rich atmosphere, the lava quickly spreads fire and explosions that rocked the landscape, killing thousands including the giant spiders. The era of the giant insects and arthropods is nearing its end once more. With constant rains and fires the landscape will continue to change, replacing the large trees that pumped so much oxygen into the atmosphere with more plains and smaller ferns, forcing the bugs to once more diminish in size to adapt to the less oxygen they relied on for growth. Soon their throne would be usurped by more waterbound and adaptable animals." He says as we then see a giant salamander swallow a fish whole in a lake.

"Creatures like this giant Axolotl and crocodiles who can hide from the flames underwater as their home expands can easily thrive with the change, as too can mammals adapted to hide underground."

We then see the lynx emerge from a burrow, its shovel like claws digging itself out before it soon rushes over and begins feasting on a Gargantua that was killed in the fire.

"And with the plains that expand from the climate change, a new breed of mammals with will be ready to once more dominate the Earth. Felines may have been oppressed these last few million years, but they'll soon grow to become the kings of these planes, ready to kill any challenge to their supremacy with a deadly weapon in their mouths."

We then see a large saber-toothed lion with tiger stripes roar into the camera before biting down into the neck of a deer.