The Untimely End of the Ant Norns

I finally had some time to return to my Creatures 2 Ant Norns, and Atta promptly greeted me with a very tired expression. She was alone, while the males decided to head off to explore Albia. The bat in the background looked somewhat suspicious… Had it been some sort of vampire who had taken some of her essence along with it? She actually went so far as to pluck it from the air to investigate it a little further! No harm was done, and it was the bat who was more afraid than young Atta. She enjoyed the open foraging all about her, but I was about to find out just what was making her so tired and hungry. Not that it was much of a surprise, since Norns are quite predictable!

Sure enough, Atta was pregnant with her first child! Her age might raise concern for some, but Ant Norns were designed to have shorter life spans. Breeding actually extends the lives of females, while it decreases the life spans of males. It’s a very unique idea that C-Rex implemented, and it really emphasizes the idea of having a queen. Atta was having a little trouble adjusting to her new role, but she had the sense enough to eat when she really needed to. I couldn’t exactly say the same for the males, though.

Atta tried to lay her egg in peace, but I had a little giggle about the timing of the learning machine! It looked like she was describing herself as some sort of egg dispensor, which was something she clearly was not pleased about! The location of this population meant that picking up any eggs would require the incubator, which was located leagues away. Fortunately, I had placed Neptune’s Womb nearby, which effectively created an incubator in the midst of the main population. Atta watched her egg sail off in the safety of the hand’s grasp. She took the liberty to enjoy a quick nap, which was just what I would have ordered!

I discovered that Azure was the father of this first baby, and I found him sharing his excitement with a fellow ant! His newly sprouted wings gave him a very unique appearance, although it also meant that his life was quickly flashing by. My one oversight was the sheer size of the region I chose: The lower level of Creatures 2 between the garden and volcano seemed like a great place, but it actually meant that everyone was far too spread out. Atta was on her own, and no one seemed all that interested in going near her! To make matters worse, she had taken to fainting, and needed a few emergency revivals. My fault for not practicing Creatures 2 Norn care!

Although Norman was not the father of the first natural baby Norn, he took on a very active role in teaching little Rix all about the world! Norman hovered over the baby… Mostly figuratively, but I could just imagine him floating off the ground for a bit to make sure the coast was clear for the little one. Rix enjoyed all of the attention, and only had a smile and kind word to share with his adoptive parent. My experience has shown that Norns typically take a very hands-off approach with their offspring, and normally treat them as mere acquaintances. Norman might not have been a true parent, but he did an amazing job of teaching Rix how to eat and behave.

Then… My world took a turn for the worse. I found poor Flik caught in an episode of Albia’s Twilight Zone. He was literally frozen in this fearful position, only he would sway back and forth. His pain and fear levels were through the roof, and he was apparently prevented from moving. I attributed the problem to the Volcano Garden, but removing it only made matters worse. Sadly, it looked like I would have to start over. In time, all of my Ant Norns died off. I still blame the issues on operator error, rather than an issue with my Norns! A fresh population will be on its way soon enough!