Short story for L0la_P0p 's writing contest!

Julia shot out of the leaf she'd been sleeping on. "It's Bug Gathering Day!" she remembered. Her mother immediately started fussing over her, asking if all her spots were in their places, if her coat was shiny, if her wings were spotless. The usual.

–Mooom, I'm fine!- she replied, waving her antennae. The long leaf where they made their home was peppered with all kinds of ladybugs. Big ones, small ones, medium ones. Just ladybugs. She hadn't ever met anyone else.

–Sweetie, you know it's your first Gathering of the Bugs.  There are rules you need to follow! First of all...

–I know. I know. Stay away from the wasps. And the flies. And the beetles. It's almost like you want me to stay away from everyone-

–Nonsense, darling. You can make polite conversation, just don't give away our secrets. Understood?

She flicked her wings, and her mother sighed, flying off. Julia peered out of the leaf, admiring the Garden. "That's the Magnolia Tree," she thought, gazing at the enormous branches stretching into the sky, far beyond any bug's sight. "That's where we'll all meet up." She turned around. "And that's the Rose Bush, where the wasps live." She shuddered. Wasps were scary.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a huge beetle's wings. "Must be our chaperone," she mused, as the black beetle poised on the leaf's edge. It bobbed under the beetle's weight, making Julia and her neighbors jump.

–Alright- the beetle spoke, with a low, gravelly tone- I'm Castiel, and I will be escorting you today. Everyone here?

The ladybugs nodded, some clearly terrified of the beetle. Castiel buzzed, turning to lead their path, when Julia suddenly remembered.

–Wait! My mother's still around there!

Castiel scratched at the leaf's tip in annoyance.

–Fine. Go get her then. I won't stand around much longer.

Julia waved her antennae, promptly flying off the leaf. "Castiel is terrifying..." she thought. How could a bug ever survive with that sheer weight? And he was the size of three full-grown ladybugs! And his buzz was so loud, she'd had to cover up her...

–Ow! Hey, who are you?

Julia screeched, realizing she'd flown right into someone's path.

–I'm so sorry... who are you? Where am I?

She suddenly realized she was standing right in front of an ant. Leaves covered the sky above her, and she could smell earth all around. "Woah..." she thought. "I flew right into the Ant's Nest. Or at least, near the entrance."

Everyone knew the true Ant's Nest was an underground maze that no bug could travail. As so, the entrance was sometimes regarded as the ants' home, or so her mother said. "Mother!" she remembered. "I'm supposed to find Mother..."

But the ant kept waving at her. She'd never seen an ant before – not even in passing. Ants were ground creatures. They couldn't fly. She wondered how that must feel. Never riding the currents, never feeling the wind under their wings...

–Hello? Are you a deaf ladybug? That's certainly a new one.- He started making signs, tapping his feet and waving his antennae.

–No! I'm not deaf.- Julia shook herself in laughter.- I'm... actually going to the Bug Gathering right now. Or at least I was supposed to...

–You get distracted easily, don't you?- The ant nudged her playfully.

–Um, well, I...- Julia didn't know what to say. This bug was so different from her mother's teachings! Remember, sweetie, ants are quiet and cowardly. They don't talk much, so they're not much of a threat. Wasps, on the other hand...

–What's your name?

–Julia.- At least that would never change. Everything else seemed to be spinning out of control. Any moment now, wasps would stop being at war with the rest of the Garden, beetles would shrink three sizes, and flies would quit eating trash from the Giant Ones!

–Cool! I'm Oscar.

–Um, well, goodbye, Oscar.- She shook herself and readied her wings. Mother would never approve of her talking to an ant – let alone a funny, playful ant that talked just like everyone else. The sooner she forgot about this, the better.

–You sure you don't want me to show you the way? It's pretty far from here. I was actually going to the Bug Gathering too, just to hear the Wasp Queen talk.

–Oh, um... You could. Or you could not. Anyway, I gotta go.- She flew off in a hurry, trying not to think about what had just happened.

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She barely managed to make her way to the Magnolia Tree. Sure, not with her shiniest coat. Her wings? Far from spotless. But at least she was all in one piece. "I mean, the Magnolia Tree's shadow can be seen branch-lengths away," she reasoned. "It's pretty hard to miss it."

–Julia! Where have you been?!

Her mother's overbearing presence wasn't hard to miss, either. She was practically screaming at the top of her lungs. Julia sighed. The Bug Gathering had already begun. She landed on the Ladybug Branch, making sure to get a clear view of the Bird House where the representatives spoke.

Castiel, the huge beetle, shot her a look from his seat.

–I saw you talking to that ant- he hissed. Julia looked around wildly. Thankfully, her mother didn't seem to hear. She nudged closed to him, hoping to clarify things.

–I wasn't...- she tried to explain, but Castiel cut her off.

–I saw. You're lucky I won't tell my superiors about this. Cross-species interaction is exactly what has been making the Wasps angry. Do you want to be the cause of a war?!

Julia jumped in terror.- I was just talking... It won't happen again. I promise.- The Wasps and their stingers were a threat to everyone. It was said the Wasp Queen once made a Giant One run away in fear with the power of her sting. Probably an exaggeration, but no one knew for sure.

She also wasn't sure she would keep that promise...

Julia would never admit it, but something about the ant – Oscar – had drawn her in. Maybe it was the fact that he was so different from the ants she'd been thought about? Maybe it was his personality...

–Attention, everyone. I will not repeat this twice. If every bug here does not obey these commands, the armistice will be over.

Julia and her neighbors buzzed in fear. "The Wasp Queen!"

–We've had reports of cross-species interaction- she continued on.- A fly named Marco has been routinely interacting with a pill bug named Vincent, which will surely guarantee a punishment. Don't you think?- Her syrupy tone made the other representatives wave their antennae in agreement.

–Good- she cooed.- Wouldn't want to have the same fate as the Bees.

Julia shuddered. She had no idea the Wasp Queen was so intimidating up close. And she had no idea what trouble she'd been in for merely talking to Oscar.

–Meeting dismissed.- She and her entourage flew out, the buzz of their wings echoing through the branches.

"Woah..." Julia thought. "If anybody had seen us..." Hold on a minute. If Castiel had somehow heard them talking... then more bugs might have too. She had to warn Oscar!

It wasn't that she wanted to see him again... she just had to warn him and leave. Nothing personal. Now that the Wasps had left, it was the perfect time! "Where do the Ants sit?" It was probably somewhere on the ground. The Ladybug Branch wasn't very high, so...

She plummeted, opening her wings at the last second for a smooth landing. Taking off again, she surveyed the land. "Pill bugs, no. Centipedes, no. Spiders? No, no! Where are the ants?" Her mother had probably noticed she was gone at this point.

"There!" She spotted a sea of black, clustered next to a hole in the ground. Probably one of the entrances to the Nest. She poised on the ground, wondering how anyone down here could get a clear view of the Bird House.

She spotted Oscar, sitting with two others. Hoping her red coat wasn't too noticeable, she tried signaling at him from behind a mound of earth. "Hey!" she whispered. "It's me!"

He said something to his companions and bounded off.

–Julia? What are you doing here?

–I... I came to warn you!- She tried not to feel too happy hearing his voice again.- The Wasp Queen is crazy! If anybody sees us talking, they'll...

–I already know all that!- He twitched in laughter.- So what you're saying is, you came to warn me, by talking to me, that they'll punish us if they see us talking?

–I...- Embarassment pricked at Julia's wingtips.- I didn't think it through...

–You just wanted to see me, didn't you?- he teased.-Alright. If you really want to warn me, you and I can meet up in the Ferns. Then you can give me all the details of your warning.- He winked.

Julia almost fainted.

–Come on. I'm sure your family must be very worried. Besides- he whispered, leaning in- my brother's totally spying on me for the Wasps. So get out, quick!- he said, louder, before returning to his fellow ants.

Julia flew off, hardly beginning to process the events of the last few minutes. "I have a date!" she thought.

"I have a date..."

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The day couldn't arrive any sooner. Julia couldn't sleep that night, her thoughts overrun by Oscar and his irresistible twitching antennae. Not once did she hear the Wasp Queen in her head, sending her off to be eaten by the Giant Ones.

But she was certainly afraid now.

Her mother was off running errands, and her neighbors seemed to be as laid-back as always. The Ladybugs weren't usually watched by the Wasps – they didn't have the Ants' organization, the Spiders' webs or the Beetles' sheer size, so the Queen didn't see them as a threat, which played in Julia's favor. "I can't believe I'm sneaking out to meet an ant..."

The Ferns were quite far away from the rose bush where the Wasps lived, which made them an ideal spot for meeting up in secret. The only downside was they were far away from everything. Oscar would probably take a few minutes to arrive, what with his stubby legs and lack of wings. "No problem for me," Julia thought. She'd never thought less of him for not being able to fly. That would just be silly.

She arrived at the Ferns, gawking at their size. The leaf where she slept was quite big, but the Fern leaves dwarfed everything she'd ever seen. They were almost as large as the Ladybug Branch from yesterday. And their leaves! They looked like several smaller leaves making up a bigger one. In fact, the smaller leaves also seemed to be made up of...

–Julia!

A voice could be heard from the ground. Oscar! She landed beside him, the fern leaves sheltering them. Her heart pounded as their eyes met.

–Oscar! You came!

–Were you worried I wouldn't?- He stepped closer.

–Well, um, I...- Julia began, before realizing it was probably a joke.- How did you get here so quickly without flying?

–There's tunnels underneath everything. And the entrance isn't too far from the Ferns.- He twitched his antennae,  making Julia's heart jump even more.- The Garden is lovely, isn't it?

Julia waved hers in agreement. For a while, they sat together, poised on that fern leaf, watching the sun rise. A warmth rose up in Julia's coat.

–You know, there's something I've been meaning to say-

A scream suddenly rang out from behind them.

Julia's mother.

Julia immediately jumped away from Oscar, terror invading her.- Mother? It's not what it looks like...- Her mother wouldn't take any of it.

–My dear daughter... That heinous ant has infected your mind! You must step away now and renounce him!

Julia twitched in confusion. Then she saw them.

Five full-grown wasps, stingers at the ready. Flying in their direction.

–Did you call them?- Oscar asked, his voice no more than a whisper.

–They were already following you- her mother explained.- I tried to get them off you, but then I come here, and...

They all jumped in fear as the wasps' buzzes became stronger. "The Queen must've sent them," Julia realized with a start. She pressed closer to Oscar. "We're doomed..."

The wasps flew closer and closer, their stingers aggressive, their buzzes even more so.

All of a sudden, a giant figure ran towards them. Its form was massive, its colors garish, its paws as thick as a Magnolia Branch.

A Giant One.

The wasps immediately scattered. Julia heard the leader yelling orders. They regrouped, trying to sting the creature. They failed. Then tried again. And failed one more time. Seeming annoyed, the Giant waved a yellow sort of leaf-thing at them.

They fell dead on the floor with a single touch.

Julia stood, still as a stone, from terror and admiration of the giant, powerful creature. It turned its attention towards them, but didn't raise its weapon. Oscar waved at it with a paw.

The Giant waved back.

Julia's mother screeched, almost fainting from surprise.- I... It seems the Giants do approve of your... thing. How else would they spare you?

–I don't know, Mother. I don't know.

There are many challenges ahead. The Queen still sits on her throne. Julia's mother still dislikes ants with a passion. But today, just today, they can relax. Today, the Giants are on their side.

Julia leaned on Oscar, and they sat on the leaf's tip, enjoying life in the beautiful Garden.