In the war chamber, Cinder lays out the plan. Three teams: Miri Solace's caterpillars set decoys on the eastern perimeter to draw guards out. Moss Wren's spiders cut the patrols and force the pill bugs to split their forces.

And Cinder's scouts, with Rook Calder's beetles, move through the old tunnels to hit the storage chambers, break the food line, and run for daylight — timing the strike for the seven-minute gap when the pill bug guard changes shifts, three minutes after the moon hits peak.

Captain Bram Selwick calls it a suicide run and refuses to hand the fate of the colony to children and criminals. Rook demands equity for his kin's shells. Miri demands a share for the caterpillars. Silas, half gray with old wounds, gives them the exact patrol timings from memory. Blaze pitches pill bug mud balls as ammunition.

Note the historian mutters about the Siege of Season Forty-Two. Queen Aureline weighs it all, and delivers her verdict in one line: "We survive together or starve separately." Bram seethes, but holds his ground.

Colony in Danger is a nature adventure story for boys 8-18 — a young fire ant scout, Cinder Marlowe, has just days to figure out why the colony's food is disappearing before everyone starves.

Perfect for kids, tweens, and teens who love animals, survival, and adventure. For fans of Watership Down, the Warriors series, and the world of Empires of the Undergrowth — with real fire-ant science woven through every chapter.

📚 Grab your copy of Colony in Danger: The Fire Ant Kingdom (Book 1) — available now on Amazon: https://us.amazon.com/stores/Reed-Sterling/author/B0H2ZM86WQ

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00:00:00 — The war chamber — Cinder steps up to the stone table
00:02:30 — The three teams: caterpillars, spiders, and scouts
00:06:30 — Rook Calder: "You want us to trust children with the plan?"
00:09:00 — Timing: three minutes after the moon hits peak, seven minutes to strike
00:12:00 — Bram: "It's a suicide run"
00:14:30 — Blaze presents the pill bug mud ball — food AND ammunition
00:17:30 — Rook demands equity — his kin risk their shells, they eat
00:20:00 — Miri demands a share for the caterpillars
00:22:30 — Queen Aureline: "We survive together or starve separately"
00:25:30 — Silas gives the patrol timings from memory
00:28:00 — Rook to Cinder: "You fail, everyone dies"
00:30:00 — Cinder: "We don't fail"
00:31:30 — CH 20 — What Comes Next

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I am the author of serialized fiction books for kids, teens, tweens and young adults, including:

- Brickhaven: A Bricks Fan Fiction Adventure

- Colony In Danger: A Fire Ant Adventure

- Eagle's Edge: A Story of Rome, Gaul and the Making of a Soldier

- Treasure Island: A Classic Adaptation

- Iron Rails & Ruin: A Novel of Steam, Sorcery and the Lawless Montana Territory

📚 All five books -- are now available on Amazon: https://us.amazon.com/stores/Reed-Sterling/author/B0H2ZM86WQ

📖 Wanna check out all five series for yourself? Get all five Chapter 1s free: https://compass-codex.kit.com/middle-school-reader-group

Thank you for listening! This is Reed Sterling. Remember: Never stop exploring unknown worlds.