A story that somewhat models/simulates the way ants and ant colonies work, but using real humans and magic.
Basically, there are multiple distinct colonies all inside the same contained area.
- One colony only allows one type of inhabitant. They’ll fight you to the death if you’re the wrong species and you try to cross their territory or settle there.
- Others will challenge you, but you can actually win that challenge. If so, then they’ll respect you and you have “earned” the right to be with them, and they’ll collaborate.
- Others will completely ignore the existence of other colonies.
The most important rule here is that this behavior is fixed, pre-programmed, already decided. It is completely known how many scouts each colonoy will sent, and when, and where, and exactly how they explore, how they’ll react to potential threats. It’s already decided (biologically speaking, in their brain).
And then … something happens for which they have no reaction. No program. Or someone tries to accomplish something for which they have to bend their colony’s rules.
Other ideas:
- What if evolution did not exist? In other words: mutation does not happen. Creatures will never ever randomly change for whatever reason. Which means, when circumstances change, no animal can actually survive and adapt right?
- Or evolution exists in this world, just not using genes (the method we know). Maybe creatures mutate/adapt at every full moon. Maybe creatures adapt by eating a different creature and taking over their properties, or simply beating another craeture in a challenge. => It’s a more magical/fantastical perspective on evolution, potentially more horror too.
A different name should surely be used than “The Ant Colonies”.