Swampy reeds bug challenge

[Spacestar TheThundersuncat]

Creatures have a lifespan of 96 days, childhood phases are at minimum - one day. 

Females without a mate can never touch the ground. They'll always have to fly from tree to tree. No healing. Predators and the enviroment are deadly. 

All thorns must be cleared and the blood line survive for a win. Only wanderers can clear them.

Starting with the lovely Eltael, our hemophilic vampire queen.

As you can see, Notaku is incapable of flight.  Istael is their enslaved thrall and companion. She has no free will of her own.

A rogue male appears. Istael doesn't like him, but she will need an heir. However, soon a better option rears its head. 

We don't have much food now, so no invites. In 8 days, she'll give birth. Hopefully, it will have rained by then.

And it did. Istael gives birth to a crippled baby boy. The Queen is angry. She may as well have taken a rogue!

However, she has her own child to care for. A blood red Lenisel opens her eyes. 

Soon enough, she matures into a beautiful bat, forever confined to high ground until she finds true love. Rogues of course, seek to interrupt. 

The tribe feast on a sky-shrieker. An interesting individual appears.

The rogues agree.

[Spacestar TheThundersuncat]

 

Istael spots a handsome male. Unfortunately, the rogues were faster a day ago. 

I'm not sure what they're doing, but it appears to be plotting my doom. A flightless was born, a female one.  Eltael names her Goldenheart for the strenght she will need to bear this fate.

Meanwhile, Taremi has all grown up. Taremi, who seemed icredibly boy-ish five seconds ago. Ash spreads through her heart and a burning sensation engulfes the bat. Faster than wings can carry, she splashes into the shores. It's no use. The light of dawn arrives. The blood of a vampire and those of mortals intermixed always brings death. 

Istael is send to protect Goldenheart. 

The rogues lurk.

But poison is a mighty weapon.

In the end, they win. They always do. Istael is forced to suffer her fate instead.

But, what?

It ran away! Istael quickly becomes pregnant with her blue flame's child. Goldenheart is protected by thorns.

A strange wanderer joins.

But another is found bleeding to death. Istael quickly rushes to Notaku, not a heart beat too late.

Her otherwise useless son almost dies a distraction. However, turned off by the derpsnout, it approaches a very slow bat. Together, they barely manage to kill the predator. Two swipes from a monster that size mean sure death.

But they forgot about someone

Now both females are cornered.

[Spacestar TheThundersuncat]

The platypus becomes pregnant. Again.

The child is more than paw less.

Meanwhile, Goldenheart is being lead away to a saver spot. The tree rule is really frustrating at this point. Pandapana will also join the can't-catch-food-that's-right-in-front-of-you operation.

One more wanderer is found. And one more bearyena. Had she went that way alone, she'd be dead now. Pandapana is admiring the yellow mortal who hasn't moved from this spot since her birth.

Not a single berry left the bush, either. Poor guy. What she doesn't admire is the oddly persistent rogue male. He's been circling her sister from day one.

All others eventually disappear into the grasses. But no, not this one.

A few good swipes later, he still persists. Sister Nr. 3 also has a consistent admirer. Despite looking much more like dad, she can fly.

And the childhood days are over. The trees call. He's always there, waiting for a misclick.

 

[Spacestar TheThundersuncat]

Goldenheart has taken to snacking the bugs off yellowpaw. The big nosed wanderer is not impressed.

But they have food that way. And the rogue can use some swipes.

Sister Nr. 4 loves the shores. I hit that poor guy by instinct. With 6 rogues around, it's easy to lose track.

Sister 7 in total is flightless again. I can't protect her, though. This is going to hurt.

Especially now. 

Pandapana is unimpressed by this one's attempts at courting.

Not that he cares. Come to think of it, he's sticking awfully close to her at this point. Has he finally moved on from Goldenheart?

Oh, well. With Nr 7 alive, I can't breed the matriarch, either. Damn the limit and that rogue male. They're practically swarming the island.

The interesting wanderer and Nr 7 die. Sister Nr. 5 is born to sit in some tree.

[Spacestar TheThundersuncat]

Lenisel just looks so permanently grumpy. Not only can she reach none of these bugs, but there are snaill all over her.

And then there's this misclick. Almosy right into that stalker rogue. You can always sense him, but he doesn't like to appear within sight.

It be so fitting to give Nr 4 hammertail to mutate. Only, it's against the rules. This beauty appears.

And sticks around for a long while until there is space. Out of mercy, the nicheling gods intervene and make her infertile. Not that the rogues care. She's apparently super attractive.

I made a mistake and hit this guy earlier with the matriarch. 16 days off her lifespan. Outch.

Cursed swamp frogs.

And murderous bearyenas!

[Spacestar TheThundersuncat]

Aside from the continuous swap of wanderers, everything's business as usual again. No murders and no swamp frogs.

Pandapana is warding glowheart's suiters off with a stick.

The stalker rogue creeps into daylight for once. Sister Nr 6 is born (or 8 in total). Bearyenas are hunted down.

For some reason, one clawed guy's a magnet. Nr. 4 also kills the bluebread. She got some hits in while it was over Orange's head and a stone.

Mr. Bat finally has enough and hops tile for the tile to kill the persistent rogue. I hate to say it, but he's family by now. Still, he needs to go, but escapes from Notaku's wrath by a few days worth of life. Goldenheart would outlive her protectors soon enough. 

A bearyena spawned right in front of them and killed defenseless yellowpaw. Istael died naturally two days later, as she took too much damage in her youth.

Goldenheart was alone for a while as the rogues had migrated to the other side of the island. Soon, all thorns were cleared and wanderers became obsolete. However, it was not meant to last. Sisters "7 and 8" were born. (Or 9 and 10). Goldenheart just couldn't outrun the rogues anymore. Too soon, she burst into ashes. On the same day, her mother passed away.

I tried to avoid it for as long as possible, but there's going to be incest. Their parents had passed on very different immunity genes from child to child, so all that was needed for success was a male. 9,10 and 11 followed. All girls. Dad passed away, the challenge is lost.