Day 53


    ''I won. I survived.'' Damien''s heartflutteredat the realization. The sudden collapse had distracted him from the moment of triumph. His foe was vanquished, his survival guaranteed. At least for the moment. His crafty plan and the strength of his insects had overcome a seeminglyinsurmountablegap between them, and now his domain had more than doubled. He had added nearly a thousand mammals to his lair, gathered new plants, and his core throbbed with power. As he gazed upon the corpse of a valiant foe, satisfaction and confidence swelled within him, and then an idea sprang forth. He knew just how to celebrate.


    Day 54


    ''Keep going.'' Damien urged, his pets were absolutely obedient, but they were growing impatient. The more they resisted his will, the larger a strain it was on him to maintain order. Without his authority, all of these creatures would tear each-other apart. It was the natural order of things, and it served to empower the strong andextinguishthe weak. Ajax continued to chip away at the crystal, yet it was agonizingly slow.


    ''Go and help him. Tear that crystal apart.'' he called to one hundred of his mightiest red ants.


    ''Fuck'' Damien cursed as the gem raced to the ground below, and Ajax sensed his master''s distress. He leapt out into the air after it trailing a strand of silk, desperate to stop its fall. Ajax hurtled through the air after the doomed gem, gaining on it ever so slightly as they came closer and closer to the jagged crystals strewn over the ground below. Ajax stretched out his forelegs, and touched it with his claw before the silken thread snapped taught, bringing him to a jerking halt just a few inches short of the jutting shards of crystal. The glittering sapphire gem slammed into a large crystal fragment at full speed.