The Praying Mantis is the tiger of the insect world. The mere sight of one could usually strike fear into the hearts of most insects, especially the more uncultured ones who still saw them as the ultimate predator. Some of them relished this fear, treating it as a sign of respect. Which was why the Bug City was such an insult to them.

“Are you gonna pay or not?” The beetle asked. “I took you halfway across town, you don’t think I’m gonna do it for free, do ya?”

There were three of them; two males and a female, and there might be more to come. The eldest male stepped towards the beetle, glaring at him in a particularly deadly manner.

“Don’t you know what we are?” he hissed. “Don’t you know what we could do to you?”

“Yeah. You could rip me off, but I’m not falling for it, pal. Now pay up, or I’ll set my mates on you.”

“We’re not afraid of beetles.” Said the younger male.

“Oh, yeah? Are you scared of the cops?”“We fear nothing.”

“Oh, very brave. Now pay up!” He stuck out his foreleg. “Come on.”It happened so fast, he didn’t see it coming.

The female mantis stepped forward. The beetle smiled, thinking she was going to pay and stop all this messing about. She raised her arm, the sharp edges glinting in the dim light. Then there was a swish, like a knife cutting through air. Then a blast of pain. When the beetle looked down, his foreleg was gone. It lay on the floor, cut off at the joint. He stared at it in silent terror, but the three mantids stayed eerily calm.

“We shall not pay for such rudeness.” Said the female who had amputated him. “And I hope, for your own sake, that you never treat our kind like this again.” She turned to her companions. “Let’s go. We’re almost there.”

The three stalked off, leaving the beetle staring after them. He watched them leaving the shadows, heading for the main road. Then shadow overtook him, and he fainted.

“Are you sure this is the right place, Arenea?” the younger mantis asked. “It certainly doesn’t look like the sort of place a mantis might like.”

“You saw the poster, Jonas.” She replied, glancing around and silently agreeing. “You know he’s here.”

“How do you know he’s the right guy?”

“Trust me, I’d recognise him anywhere.”

The older mantis unrolled the poster that had brought them here in the first place. “He does bear a noteable resemblance.”“He’s my brother. He would.” Arenea snatched the paper from his hand and studied it carefully. She read the name of the circus one more time, commiting it to memory.

“It’s got to be nearby.” Jonas commented. “There’s another poster over there. Look, it’s got an arrow on it.”The older mantis nodded. “That mayfly did say it was here, and he looked far too scared to be lying.” He nodded in the direction of the arrow. “Let’s go.”

Arenea nodded, and the three set up. It wasn’t long before the huge tent loomed over them. Jonas stepped over to the sign beside it.

“Should we go in?” he asked.

Arenea shook her head. “We’ll never have a decent conversation in there; can’t you hear the noise? No, let’s head over to the tents. He’ll join us sooner or later.”

The two males obliged; secretly, Jonas would have liked to see the circus, but who was he to contradict their leader? Silently, the two males made their way around the tent. As she followed them, Arenea quickly scanned the sign, making sure for herself.

P.T FLEA’S WORLD-FAMOUS BUG CIRCUS! The sign declared.

Yes, the mantis thought. Here he is.