"Cheetu, you're going to be getting a replacement officer once the new batch of eggs hatch, is that right?" Peggy asks, jotting down a list of the missing ants.
"Yep yep! Bihorn borrowed my squadron for his mission and they were all wiped clean out. I work better by myself so I don't really care, but someone to do the grunt work would be great!" Cheetu chirps, stretching his legs while halfheartedly listening to Peggy's monotonous rambling.
"Alright thank you Cheetu, that's all the information I need." Peggy stands, concluding his work for the day. Not even bidding a goodbye, Cheetu runs off and out of the nest, yearning to stretch his legs.
'There is nothing in the animal kingdom that beats me in speed... I'm the King of Speed!'
Hyped up, Cheetu runs laps around the NGL before deciding to fulfill his quota for the day.
'The Queen's appetite is growing by the day... it's a miracle the squadrons are able to keep up... no one's able to beat my efficiency!'
Once he had successfully brought his quota back to the Queen, Cheetu climbs up to one of the high spires of the nest, dangling his feet off the ledge as he admires the setting sun.
'The King of Speed... I like the sound of that...'
Just as he was reminiscing over his awesome speed, Cheetu catches something flit past him from his peripheral vision.
Up.
Down.
Sideways.
Backwards?!
Standing up, Cheetu watches the blur move around the sky at an astonishing speed. In all directions this mystery entity flew, eventually landing on a nearby spire.
Taken aback, Cheetu stands with mouth agape at the scene before him.
Their sharp wings, their colorfully vibrant body, and how could he forget... their speed.
Cheetu didn't know how to react. His fleeting fantasy... crushed in an instant. He could feel it. The unmistakable feeling of jealousy brewing inside him.
The anger.
The envy.
It consumed him, and he wanted nothing more than to squash that arrogant ant under his thumb... a suiting end for the smallest bird in the animal kingdom.
The hummingbird.
Before he could act on his urges, Cheetu flinches as the static voice of Peggy can be heard ringing inside his head.
'Cheetu. Cheetu! Come in. Your new officer has been born. Please report to the main room at once!'
Rolling his eyes, Cheetu decides to leave the hummingbird for later. Hopping down from the ledge, Cheetu swings himself into the nest and casually walks over to Peggy's location... he didn't want to seem too eager to meet his new officer.
What he saw when he arrived made him indescribably angry.
There they were, standing casually next to Peggy, like nothing had just happened.
"Meet Y/N. You'll be in charge of an experimental squad Cheetu. It'll just be you and Y/N." Peggy introduces.
"No. No, no, no!" Cheetu exclaims, shaking his head fervently as he crosses his arms.
Tilting their head in confusion, Y/N flies over to Cheetu in a blink of an eye. Hovering in midair, Y/N leans to peer into Cheetu's face.
"A cheetah huh? We'd make quite the team then~" Y/N chuckles, flying a quick loop around the expansive room.
"Y/N, get down here!" Peggy shouts. "I still need to explain your roll!!"
Obliging at once, Peggy smiles to himself to know at least one of the two ants before him were at least a smidge complacent.
"You'll be assisting Cheetu here with fulfilling his daily quota for the Queen. She's requesting a hundred humans per day, but that number has been growing as she prepares for the King's birth."
Nodding their head, Y/N draws their wings in and claps their hands in delight. "Sounds good!"
"You'll be starting tomorrow, Cheetu has finished for today." Peggy says, leaving to go attend to his squad.
Once alone, Cheetu immediately lunges for Y/N.
Quick on their feet, Y/N spreads their wings and flies in the air, hovering just out of Cheetu's reach.
"What're you doing!?" Y/N yelps.
"I'm supposed to be the King of Speed! Get down here!!" Cheetu retorts, trying his hardest to jump up to Y/N to no avail.
Hearing his childish confession, Y/N starts to laugh, flying circles around Cheetu to taunt him. "You can't be serious! The 'King of Speed'!?"
"I'm the fastest in the animal kingdom, not you!"
Humming to themself, Y/N continues flying around. "You're awfully self centered. Comparatively, hummingbirds and cheetahs move at approximately the same speed. Cry all you want, I can't change how I was born." Y/N muses.
"Be the 'King of Speed' all you want. I don't care." Y/N mocks. "Doesn't change the fact you're inferior~"
"I challenge you to a race, first thing tomorrow. First one to bring back fifty humans for the Queen wins!" Cheetu shouts, pointing his finger accusingly at Y/N.
Finding the scene amusing, Y/N leans down in midair so their face is mere inches from Cheetu's.
"You're on~"
~•~•~ The next morning ~•~•~
"Cheetu are you ready!?" Y/N shouts excitedly, copying Cheetu's stretches in a obviously mocking way.
"Almost. I'd like to set a condition."
"Oh?~" Y/N coos, their interest piqued.
"If you win, I'll single-handedly take care of your portion of the quota for the rest of time, and vice versa. Deal?"
Giggling, Y/N spreads their wings, letting the sunlight reflect off the transparent surface.
"Deal."
Without another word, the two race off.
'I should have the advantage... Y/N hasn't been out of the nest before... they won't find a populated village if they continue that way!'
Humming to themself, Y/N flies about, landing when they see a village off in the distance. They take their time walking over, figuring they have Cheetu easily beat.
'Shit... it's been raided. I guess I'll just have to fly out further.'
Sighing dejectedly, Y/N continues their flight. They wind up flying so far they pass the border of the NGL, eyes gleaming with excitement when they spot a settlement off in the distance.
'Alright... I've got my quota... but how do I take them back!?'
Y/N sits on the pile of bodies, deliberating over their best course of action.
'That's it! I can use their bedsheets to make a net and carry them all! The problem is... time. I wonder how Cheetu is moving all his humans...'
Meanwhile, confident in his abilities, Cheetu was transporting a couple humans at a time back to the nest, running back and forth between the nest and the village he raided.
'Even with this cumbersome tactic I'll still beat Y/N for sure! Time to reclaim my title!!'
Their race was close.
Y/N carried fifty humans, flying all the way back across the border, quickly running out of stamina. Cheetu on the other hand was also running out of stamina, his endurance put to a true test sprinting back and forth.
By the time the nest was in sight for Y/N, Cheetu only had a single trip left.
'Almost there!!' The two thought simultaneously.
With a second wind, they rush back to the meeting spot... the main room they first met in.
Peggy, who was unsuspectingly tallying the quota for his own squadron, was nearly blown down as the two rush past him, dumping their fills off on the growing pile.
"Ha! I won!" Y/N declares proudly.
"You're out of your mind, that was totally me by miles!" Cheetu protests.
Turning around in unison, the two look at Peggy, subconsciously deeming him the referee of the situation.
"It was a tie." He responds rather flustered by their sudden appearance.
Adrenaline levels crashing down, Y/N and Cheetu both fall to the ground exhausted. Slumping on to each other, the two pant as they fight to regain their breath.
"Same time... tomorrow... I'll win... for sure!..." Cheetu declares between gasps for breath.
Chuckling to himself, Peggy mocks the two. "See, Y/N isn't all that bad, just look how expeditiously you filled your quota~"