Disclaimer: I don't own The Future is Wild or any of its characters.

Character(s) from the Show: Lance, Nix, and the other beetles

Note: I've gotten two reviews that asked for different animals. So I figured I'll make the first requested animal from Neo-byzantium, then the second one for Anna Cole.

Now for this chappy:
It was said in the previous chappy that revenge isn't the typical way of insects. But perhaps a familiar Falconfly has been pushed a little too far when it comes to a certain Spitfire Beetle...This chappy will be the first to be entirely told in the third person POV.

Those stinkin beetles.Lance thought hatefully as he ate his meal of False Spitfire Bird. Because of Nix, he's lost two of his prey within a single year, an occurrence that's never happened to him as a top predator. The first time was when he was trying to kill the giant, two legged thing and the second time was when he was hunting a Spitfire Bird. What would be next?

He hovered back a bit and stared distractedly at the remains of his prey. He was one of the few Falconflies to be able to tell the difference between both species of Spitfire Birds. He'd noticed on his first hunt as a youngster that the False ones were louder and lacked the obvious petrels of the true Spitfire. Though it didn't matter much, as he'll quite happily eat both. The differences only showed how careful he has to be.

Now that he was thinking about the Spitfire Birds, he thought to the one he attempted to kill not too long ago. That one he was so close to subduing, so close to impaling it...so close he had already tasted his victory. A single second more and he would've been the one to feast on its flesh. But no, Nix and his friends had to ruin it! Probably didn't even kill it, judging by the fact that the beetles were practically friends with the bird.

Lance growled and stabbed at his food's body with his harpoon limbs, venting out his anger. How he wanted to kill those beetles, especially the obvious leader of the group. But it was against the natural order of the forest for Falconflies to kill Spitfire Beetles purposely. It was also a code that kept him from stealing his prey back from the beetles. It was to be expected, that law. Both insect species preyed on the same food source, so an agreement had to be made between them.

An agreement Lance wished had never been made. Then he'll be able to show those puny bugs what happens when you messed with him.

He stopped his assault on the carcass and gave a sigh, his fiery hot anger leaving with it. Left inside was a freezing cold feeling of fury instead. He'll get payback whether it was against the rules or not. Those beetles had messed with him for the last time...

But it'll have to wait as he heard a voice. "Lance? Where are you?" He recognized the voice as belonging to his leader, Blazer. He called back and the older Falconfly spotted him and flew closer. This bug was obviously different than the normal. To show his leadership, the coloring of his thorax was white instead of light brown.

Seeing the remains, Blazer nodded. "I see you had a successful day." No other Falconfly was told that, since everyday was a successful day. But Lance had told Blazer about the beetle that screwed up what could've been a grand feast, given the size of the unknown creature he was hunting. He had also said how he expected the beetle to mess up another hunt one day. Blazer had reassured him that it was probably a one time thing.

And now...

"That beetle I told you about," he started with a shake of his head. "Ruined another hunt just a few minutes ago."

Blazer cocked his head, harpoon legs twitching. "Is that so?"

"Yeah. I was chasing a Spitfire Bird and they took it from me. That beetle leader of theirs used the Food Rule against me, but I have a feeling that they didn't kill that bird at all."

"What makes you think that?" The Falconfly leader questioned curiously. Lance had to force the answer out, for it disgusted him greatly.

"They were friends of the bird." At this, Blazer jolted back in shock, his jaws wide open. "Exactly." Lance pointed out with a sickened tone.

Befriending a bird is one of the biggest taboos for the insects of the Antarctic Forest. Make friends with food, then you bond with the food. Then you can't eat the food. Then before you know it you've changed your diet and influencing others to do the same and that's bound to ruin the natural way of things. No way was Lance going to let Nix do that.

Apparently, that's what Blazer thought as well. "Lance, I need you to find that beetle of yours and fix his ways before things get out of claw."

"Me?" Lance exclaimed in surprise, moving backwards. When Blazer nodded, Lance's astonishment gave way to satisfaction. Perhaps this was the perfect opportunity for him to 'fix' that insect's 'ways' and get rid of that defiant beetle once and for all...He spread his two jaws wide in a Falconfly smile. "No problem..."

--

Morning the next day, Lance landed on a branch high in a Spitfire tree and looked down at the Spitfire Beetle foursome that had taken to their flower position. They didn't know the Falconfly was there and he'd like to keep it that way. He didn't want to be given away. At least not yet.

He's been thinking of his plan all through the night. He decided it was best to respect any laws and not physically harm the beetles. Instead, he'll use that rule they used against him...against them. He'll kill every Flutterbird that comes to visit the flowers before the beetles can catch anything. They won't be able to get their food back from him. It won't be long before they starve to death...or grow so weak, Lance can destroy them with his own defense being the act of 'mercy killing' to put them out of their misery. There was no rules against that.

Until then, he waited, listening in on the beetles petty little conversations. And there was one question that caught his attention quite keenly.

"Do you think Rena's okay, Nix?" one of the beetles asked. Lance cocked his head curiously. Rena? Who was that again? He's heard the name before...but where?

Ah yes. Lance's memory went. That was the name of that bird. He tensed. He knew these beetles didn't kill that avian. The thought that they had tricked him reignited his anger and it was he could do to keep himself from storming down there and spearing each and every one of them.

Nix fluttered his wings. "Of course. We all know how scrappy she is."

It still disturbs Lance how they say the bird's gender. That was the start of bonding after all. An 'it' is exactly what it is...an 'it'. Give it a gender, then 'it' becomes something. That wasn't right.

"We do, but...she can't even fly anymore." another beetle said. "What if another Falconfly finds her and...?"

Nix didn't sound the least bit concerned. "There's a rule against that."

Lance absent-mindedly nodded in vague agreement. Falconflies never hunted wounded prey. To do so was extremely cowardly and not at all fun, since the bird can't put up a chase worth their time. Hunting is as much about fun as it is about food. Besides, the more effort one puts in the kill, the better it tastes...

The beetles got quiet as wing beats sounded, ready to start their ambush. Lance also prepared himself for his own ambush, harpoon limbs jerking restlessly. A Spitfire Bird appeared from the surrounding foliage and immediately set to work lapping nectar from the flowers. Lance waited until he saw the beetles tense as the bird approached them, then struck...

He launched himself and slammed into the bird, killing it instantly as he drove his sharp weapons into its chest. Both predator and prey tumbled to the ground, Lance keeping hold with his grasping claws. Hitting the forest floor, they rolled for a second before coming to a stop. Orange and black feathers gently fell like dead leaves.

"Hey!" He heard from the beetles. "That was ours!"

"Says you." Lance growled, looking back over his wing at them. The beetles recognized him immediately and sighed, but they said nothing and reluctantly went back into flower formation. Lance chuckled and proceeded to eat some of his catch. He heard sour mutterings from one of the beetles and took it to be an insult. He snapped his gaze back to them. "What'd you say?!"

Nix was quick to defend his friend. "Nothing."

Lance huffed, turning back to his breakfast. "That's what I thought."

There was another chirping and yet another Spitfire was approaching from the opposite side of the clearing. Lance watched quietly, unnoticed by the bird at the moment. Nix and his posse tried again to set up an ambush. It would've worked had Lance not taken to the air and lunge at the bird, killing it as well.

"What're you doing?!" Nix yelled. "Stop that!"

The Falconfly scoffed, glaring at the beetles. "Make me."

The smaller insects looked at each other, then back at Lance. They sighed dejectedly, their antennae lowering. Fighting the Falconfly would be a losing battle. Although they outnumber the aggressive predator, one of the beetles is bound to be killed in the process, which means starvation for the others. Not knowing what else to do, they once again set up position.

It was going to be a very long day...

--

A few days past and the beetles is still being forced to fast. Every single time a Spitfire Bird came within range, Lance will steal it from the air or drive it away, essentially leaving the beetles with nothing. They couldn't even scavenge from his food since he'll chase them off before they could take a single bite.

Lance never let up on them. He was determined to starve the foursome and was doing a pretty decent job. The beetles are getting slower and weaker, and they slept more and more.

The Falconfly pretended to leave every dusk, but in reality, he circled back unseen and settled on his branch to keep watch on the beetles at night, making sure they never tried to catch the nocturnal Flutterbirds that moved along the base of the tree. Of course, Lance slept comfortably during most of the night, waking when he picked up movements or sounds from the smaller insects.

He was having a lot of fun. He took to making a game of inventing new hunting strategies and testing them out on the visiting birds. Speaking of the birds, they were arriving at this tree less often. Word probably went out on how he was practically holding this part of the forest hostage. Although he did kill the majority of the Flutterbirds that came by, he would sometimes lose interest in killing and simply scare them into retreat.

The beetles had tried to speak to him about the matter, asking why he was doing this to them and why won't he just go back home. Lance would ignore their questions and instead, would make a mock charge in their direction and thus, making them go silent in fear.

One night, Lance stirred from his sleep to hear the beetles talking. Shaking his head to rid the sleepiness he felt, he listened to what they were talking about.

"Nix. We can't take it anymore." one of the beetles said in its high pitched voice. "Why don't we just leave...find a new tree?"

Nix sighed. "The Falconfly will just end up finding us again. He seems intent on doing whatever he's doing."

"He's starving us. We need to get away while we still can. Tonight maybe." another beetle replied. Lance lifted his body quietly off the branch, ready to follow them if they were to leave. He's not going to leave them alone until Nix collapses and not get back up.

"Fly off now, and we'll be half blind." Nix pointed out. Spitfire Beetles can't see all too well in the dark. They can fly in the night hours, but it wasn't preferred. He thought of another point and quickly brought it up. "And if Rena gets better, how will she find us if we leave?"

"She's a Spitfire Bird. She goes anywhere that has flowers. Chances are, we'll see her again." the third one said. Nix sighed again.

"We'll fly as soon as there is enough light to see with. Earlier than when the Falconflies wake up. We'll sneak off and find ourselves a new home." he decided. The others nodded in agreement.

So did Lance...

--

First light. It was so early that the dawn chorus hadn't even started yet. Lance watched as the beetles opened their wings and took to the air. Spitfire Beetles were naturally slower than Falconflies when it came to flying. The smaller of the insects very rarely flew, there was usually no need. All they did was climb trees and jumped.

Lance waited until they were out of view before taking flight, careful to stay hidden in the canopy. The beetles were so slow that he had to hold his impatience at bay. A few times, he lost sight of them and had to circle back and search for them through the branches and leaves.

The beetles were slower than usual. It was obvious that they horribly weakened from their lack of food. A couple of times one of them would fall to the ground and Lance would smirk as the others helped their fallen comrade back into the air. Then, something happened that made the large predator feel genuinely delighted.

Nix collapsed in the leaf litter and, as usual, the others landed nearby and nudged him to his feet. Nix tried to fly again, but was so exhausted he could barely beat his wings. He persisted nonetheless and failed each time.

"It's no use..." Nix muttered. He tried to crawl along the ground, but instead, sank down limply. One of his six legs tried to move and only flinched. "...I can't get up."

"Yes, you can, Nix. Just concentrate." one of the beetles said, sounding on the verge of panic. This was something they feared most. Not only was they losing a member of their hunting group, but they were losing their friend and leader. They had to help him, or they were all doomed.

"Come on. Get up, Nix." another one muttered. When Nix didn't respond, they gathered around and pushed their body to his, trying to support him physically and mentally.

"It's no use..." Nix repeated dully, antennae lowering against his head.

Lance chuckled, seeing that his plan of revenge was working. The beetles heard and looked up in surprise. Lance flew lower and glared at each of them in turn, turning his hostile gaze on Nix last. "Just as I was hoping for. This is what happens when you ruin my hunts and shatter my reputation as a flawless predator."

Nix said nothing, now learning why he was having this fate. That was something at least. He knew he wasn't going to last much longer and neither would his beetle friends. His mind wandered to Rena and hoped that she would be okay without him and the others.

Everyone watched him as he made one last strain to move. It wasn't made to fly or walk or even stand...but to flip over onto his back. That was something that he succeeded in. In this position, it looked like he had just jumped from an ambush position, missed his target, and fell...something that happens everyday of his life.

He always got up though and wasted no time climbing back up the tree to try again. But would he get up this time...?

"Nix?" His posse asked in concern. Said beetle didn't say anything and his dark eyes seemed to have clouded over. It was obvious what had happened...

And with it, Lance felt as if a huge burden has been lifted. No more of that lousy beetle to ruin his days. The Falconfly turned and flew off...leaving the remaining trio to face their grim fate...together at their friend's side...

--

"Lance, where have you been?" Blazer asked, looking up from his lunch, when Lance finally got back to the Falconfly nest. The younger insect smiled.

"I was taking care of some business regarding the beetles. They won't be bothering me anymore. That's a promise." Lance reported. Blazer nodded.

"Good. Glad you worked things out." he muttered before glancing at his meal. "Want some?" he offered. Lance was hungry, as he didn't find any Flutterbirds along the way here. But he shook his head.

"No. I'll hunt my own real quick. I'll be back to discuss more on the beetles soon." Again Blazer nodded and Lance flew back outside, circling the area before heading towards the stream to drink. It was there that he found something of interest.

A Spitfire Bird on the bank. Flutterbirds never set foot on the ground, at least he never heard of one doing so. Maybe it was getting a drink, as that is what it seemed to be doing, bending down and lapping water into its beak. Still, all the other birds drank in flight, swooping down and dipping their beaks into the stream. What was up with this one?

He found out when the bird stretched out its wings. One of them was gashed...a wound inflicted perhaps a few days ago. It was healing, but not enough for the bird to fly. Lance was about to disregard it when he caught its scent. Falconflies didn't rely heavily on smell, they hunted mainly by sight. This explained the small size of their antennae when it was compared to those of the beetles. Also, long antennae would hinder flight and Falconflies have to be swift if they're to survive.

However, the smell was strong and he recognized it. This bird was probably one of those he's chased off near the tree. No...he remembered something about that wound. He himself injured a Spitfire Bird on the wing...That Spifire Bird Nix and his gang had stolen from him.

With a jolt, he understood. This was the bird that the beetles saved. This was the friend of Nix. This was the bird the beetles ultimately sacrificed themselves for...Lance huffed, then grinned. Time to reclaim what was his...

It was against the law to kill wounded birds. But it was also against the law to kill Spitfire Beetles. Lance figured that he wasn't one to follow the rules...And that was good enough for him. Besides, he wounded this bird to begin with. Might as well finish what he started...

He charged and the bird turned at the sound of his wings, however it could only let out a squawk as he came closer...

Direct hit...

--

"...Lance!....Lance!..."

Lance smiled in his sleep, not paying much attention to the outside words. The voice calling to him was familiar, Blazer most likely. But he didn't want to wake up right now, the sensation of revenge was too good to end. The dream was very vivid, right down to the sweet taste of Flutterbird flesh. Tasted even better given the circumstances. However, no matter how much he tried to stay in this state of unconsciousness imagination, it just wasn't possible...

Waking, Lance grunted and looked about groggily, finding himself inside the nest. He's slept in, and he could see the concerned expression on his leader's face, head tilted with jaws firmly closed and antennae vibrating slightly. It was rare for Lance to sleep in and that's probably why the older Falconfly was a bit worried. Afterall, the younger insect was a valued member of the colony, he would be second-in-command if there was such a thing.

"Are you feeling well?" Blazer asked. Lance nodded with a yawn, getting to his claws to shake himself off.

"Yeah. With the dream I was having, I couldn't be any better." he reassured. The white-marked wasp watched him for a moment before giving a nod back.

"Alright." He takes to a hover. "Well, now that you're awake, perhaps you feel up to having that little chat with your beetle friend, get some sense into him."

Again Lance yawned and he thought for a moment. He was still having that lingering sleepy feel...and with it came a temporary hold on his anger. And 'temporary' is used to its fullest extent. He can deal with the beetle later, but for now...For now, revenge can wait just a bit longer for the sake of one rewarding activity.

"Permission to do so later in the day after I'm fully rested?" he requested formally with a grin. Blazer chuckled at the method it was asked and flew past the other colony members towards the nest entrance.

"Permission granted." he played along and with that, he went out to hunt. Lance yawned for the third time and laid himself on his soft bed of moss and fluffy down from his avian victims. Curling up comfortably and undisturbed by the other Falconflies, he slowly drifted back to sleep....

And his mind treated him with a replay....

I would've submitted this much sooner, but I had some difficulties...But it's here now and I'm gonna try to work on the next chapter ASAP!