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Today mantis Zlik has turned bright green. In fact, he was able to colour his chitinous*** clothes constantly in any colour in order to merge with the environment, become invisible and unnoticed for his enimies. But now he has turned green with anger because he got hungry.

He has not been able to catch a single midge, even the smallest one for the whole day and the reason for that was a huge cloud that covered half the sky. All the delicious little insects have hidden somewhere and have no desire to crawl, fly and frolic.

There is only one thing to do. I’ll have to go to the clearing, to the house where the giant people live and scare their fluffy kitten. Of course, this animal is a hundred times bigger than the largest mantis, but it snorts so funny and runs away when Zlik gets on his hind legs, and begins to swing its fore prehensile claws from side to side, that it would a sin to miss such a pleasure. Zlik did not understand that kitten Blacky was not at all afraid of the mantis, he just did not know how to behave. Should he swat him with the paw or bite right away? His mother taught him never to mess with weird things. It’s better to run away, it may be poisonous!

When Zlik came to the clearing, he did not find the kitten, but he saw a flickering light on a rotten stump.

– Wow! my dinner itself invites me to have it, – the hungry mantis rejoiced, – Well, this is a fine thing! I wonder if I eat up a firefly, will my belly also start glowing? However, it doesn’t matter now, I’ll go and catch it first, and only then I’ll think how to turn off his bright flashlight forever.

Zlik rushed to the stump with all his might. Another two seconds and poor little Floky (it was her) is going be in the prehensile clutches of the dreadful predator and she will not have time to show the way to the insects hurrying home.

Fortunately, an ant called Gingy stopped the predator’s way.

– Don’t you dare offend the little ones! – he squeaked and menacingly wiggled his antennae.

Zlik was taken aback for a minute, snapped his terrible paws-claws and muttered:

– I’ll eat the firefly for the main course and you for dessert. If you want to survive, run along while the going is good.

– No way! We, ants, are the strongest in the world!

– Ha, ha! Some small ant is stronger than me? I am going to catch you with these paws! – and the mantis got angry to such an extent that he turned bright red, despite the fact that such a colour was atypical for his breed.

– Let’s compete! – suggested the ant, – how much do you weigh?

Zlik sat down on his hind legs in surprise:

– Well, probably ten grams, maybe more. You know, we have a problem with scales in the forest.

– And I – just one gram, – Gingy pointed with his paw at the fallen leaf, – Can you see it? It’s ten times heavier than me. But I’m going to pick it up right now and carry it. If you claim that you are stronger, then you will have to lift and carry that twig over there, it weighs a hundred grams. If you manage to do it, you will win, if not, it turns out that I am stronger.

– Guys, don’t you need a judge? Floky sat down bravely next to the mantis and folded her wings.

– Anyway, I’m the strongest, Zlik kept grumbling, – what if I’ll eat both of you and then you’ll know who is the strongest here.

– You’re not strong, you’re just mean, Floky said.

– He is angry because he is hungry, – the ant supported the new friend, – Take and chew this stalk, there is delicious and nourishing juice inside it. We always do this when we’re hungry.

– And also he is angry, because he has no friends! When you have friends, you don’t get angry at all, Floky continued the conversation and suddenly hugged the big guy. The mantis immediately turned pink from her gentle touch and, stammering, said:

– No one wants to keep company with me. As soon as they see me, they immediately run away or hide themselves.

– Do you want us to be your friends? – the firefly and the ant asked all together. Zlik nodded in approval.

– Mind, you must never eat us! Deal? – Gingy wanted to say something else, but the mantis was not listening to him. He picked up his new friends with his front paws and rushed to a large oak leaf.

Heavy raindrops chased after him, but Zlik was quicker.

*** Chitinous covering is an upper and the the thinnest layer of the arthropods.