They’ve been underground their entire lives. The world outside is enormous. And it is trying to kill them.

In this episode, Cinder, Blaze, and Thistle emerge from the maintenance tunnel at dawn into the outside world for the first time. Thistle immediately begins mapping landmarks. Blaze leads through the dense grass. They detour around a colony of black ants defending their territory. They encounter a vast puddle. They build a leaf boat. Then Silas Venn appears behind them — and reveals he planted the shell evidence to make someone investigate. Then a water strider approaches. And the four ants paddle for their lives.

Colony in Danger Part One ends here. The adventure continues in Part Two.

📖 Buy the full Colony in Danger Part 1 audiobook: Coming Soon!
📧 Free Ant Codex field reports: https://compass-codex.kit.com/ant-codex-subscribe

The world is bigger and more dangerous than anything the colony could have taught them. Grass stems become a forest. A puddle becomes an ocean. And trust — built across seven episodes — gets tested when Silas’ secret is revealed.

This reluctant reader and homeschool audiobook series concludes Part One with the four ants on open water, a water strider bearing down on them, and a mission that is only just beginning.

Fire ant behavior in this episode: real foraging and navigation strategies, including
landmark mapping and scent-trail use.

Part Two of Colony in Danger is coming. Subscribe so you don’t miss it!!

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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.