Lazarus

The shimmering ants streamed forth from their many nest entrances. They emerged into the sun with great speed, rapidly flooding the bare earth outside of the nest. It was their that they gathered, and gather they did. All the many thousands of ants had answered the call to arms, and as they did so, the lieutenants were there with them, shouting and herding, all to arrange them in terrifying ant units.

Among the smaller ants, the ant majors came. They lumbered out, feet stomping on the hard ground, heads packed with muscle and swaying as they moved into position, as if dancing to some war dance only the ants knew. When the great beasts had gotten into position, the lieutenants ordered a handful of ants onto them. Lieutenant Mand directed a few ants from her unit onto the M ajor ant, and with a "Yes Ma'am!" they leapt onto the nearest Major, whom they would ride into battle and fling themselves off of at first contact with the enemy.

The summons had been answered with remarkable speed, and by now there were only a handful of ants yet to get into position. The Shimmering army, arranged all as one like this was a truly terrifying sight. With golden armour shining in the light, with mandibles sharp and at the ready, with the sheer size of their force, the ants felt that if there was ever a time for fighting the Red Menace, now was that time.

With spirits high and the tantalising scent of victory in the air, the ants shuffled in their positions, anxious to being the fighting. Nevertheless, they knew what must first happen before they could set off down the path of vengeance. One of the Queens would address the army. They could not fighting, for they were too valuable to colony survival; even stepping outside was a greatly avoided act for the royal, as it meant exposure to predators, but with the entire colony assembled and ready for war, one Queen had agreed to grant her royal blessing for just a moment, safe with the knowledge that no predator would dare attack her while in such a protected situation.

The ants grew silent as the Queen and the Royal Guard cam slowly out of the nest. No-one moved from their unit, all standing to attention with bated breath for her first words. The Queen moved to slightly higher ground, being guided and protected by her bodyguards. She stood over the army now. She looked out at them all, and began to speak.

"My warriors, I have told you all what we must do to prevent the Red Menace from further threatening our lands. You all know your purpose, and on this day, you will achieve that purpose, I am sure. I wish you luck, strength and courage in battle, and I give you all my royal blessing. I have full confidence in your ability, and know that you shall return home clutching victory between your mandibles."

With those words, the Queen, paused, looked out at her army once more, and made her way back into the nest. When she was gone, an ant that had been by her side on the rock, stepped forward. This was Supreme General Antisia, the great leader of all Shimmering forces. She was famed throughout the ant world for her strategic prowess and ability. She had led the Secure Border initiative and galvanised mass support for 'Operation Shimmering Strength', a military operation that had seen Shimmering influence greatly expand in the ant world. Now she stood before the army, ready to led them into battle.

"Lieutenants!" she said, voice charged with deadly purpose. "You all know the plan. On this day, we protect the colony. We fulfil our combined duty to the colony. This day will go down in history beside the most triumphant of days. You soldiers may have only heard of great deeds carried out by Shimmering Warriors, but this is your chance to go down in history. This is your chance to join the greats, the heroes, those that sacrificed all for the common good. Let us march!" She scampered down from the rock and charged forward. The rest of the army followed her letting loose a wild cry that shot into the air.

Just as she was speaking, a horde of red ants erupted from the undergrowth. They were a fearsome sight to behold but with acting swiftly, the Shimmering army turned to face them, quickly recovering from the surprise of the counter-attack. Luckily there was enough of a gap still left for the now defending ants to position themselves appropriately. As the red ants crashed against the lines of the yellow ants, Supreme General Antisia ordered the major ants forward. With their heavy bodies and many ants holding on, they ripped into the invaders, using their great heads to batter ants out of the way.

Following them, the infantry of the yellow ants pushed forward, spraying acid and dodging enemy attacks. Despite the vigour with which they defended their nest, the Red Menace had superior numbers, and every time one of them was killed, two Shimmering ants seemed to go down amid the crush of bodies. Seeing that a frontal attack would not be in the yellow ant's favour, Supreme General Antisia ordered several units of ants around the sides of the red army, forcing the invaders to fight on three sides. Next, she grabbed on to her Major ant and urged her own unit of elite ants forward, sweeping around the battle.

Situated near the back of the Red Menace forces, the commander of their army shouted orders in an attempt to direct the fighting. Then, like a bullet, the Supreme General and she unit crashed through the leader's own unit, slaying ants left and right. Within a few minutes, Antisia held aloft the head of the Red Menace commander. She let out a cry of encouragement to her troops, and the Red Menace soldiers watched in horror. Now, not only had their leader been killed, but they were fighting a loosing battle on three sides.

One by one, the red ants began to buckle under the pressure, turning around and heading for the only side which wasn't blocked by the ever-advancing wall of yellow ants. As the first few went, a chain-rout ensued as more and more red ants turned and tried to flee.

"Onward!" the Supreme General cried. "Do not let one ant among them get away. We have the advantage and it must be pressed!