In the quiet following the exodus of the majority, the struggles of the remaining few could be heard quite clearly. In a hollowed-out log, five soon-to-be traveling companions first encountered each other.
The unlikely group included a centipede, a caterpillar, a mantis, a beetle and a cricket. Emergencies dictate rapid acquaintanceships and so the discovery of the ironic commonality which brought them together was both immediate and sobering. They were alike because they were different.
The caterpillar was sightless; the mantis could not walk; the beetle was not very alert; the cricket was deaf; and the centipede had but ninety-nine legs. Though physically diverse, mentally they were bound by their mutual will to survive. They remained in the tree for several hours getting to know each other's strengths and constructed their escape plan.
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