Читать книгу Little Ants Adventures - Валерий Ларченко - Страница 4

Their first challenge arose when they came upon a hollow log bridging a murky puddle. The log seemed like the safest path forward, but as they carefully crawled across, they didn’t notice the gleaming eyes lurking in the shadows.

A group of jewel beetles, their iridescent shells gleaming menacingly, emerged from cracks in the log. The beetles clicked their mandibles in unison, their leader rasping,

'Trespassers! This is *our* log. You’ll have to pay a toll.'

'We have nothing to pay with,' Irra said, her antennae trembling. 'Please, we just want to pass.'

The beetles closed in, surrounding the little ants.

Frra raised his twig-spear with a determined look. 'Stay behind me, Irra,' he whispered.

Before the beetles could pounce, Irra suddenly had an idea. 'Wait!' she shouted, holding up her pouch. 'We have nectar crumbs. Enough for everyone to share!'

The lure of the sweet treat distracted the beetles momentarily, giving Irra and Frra just enough time to spring into action.

While the beetles scrambled for the crumbs, the two ants leaped off the log and landed safely on a clump of moss below, tumbling into one another but alive.

Frra grinned. 'Nice thinking, Irra. See? I told you we make a good team.'