Albert wanted to feel that sensation again. The very next second, however, Peach—who was usually so obedient—suddenly opened its mouth, clamped down on that soft, fleshy thing, and gulped it down in one loud chomp.
"…Peach!" Albert almost cried out.
Peach smacked its lips, utterly unresponsive.
Albert had no time to deal with it anyway.
Another person sprang to mind—Hayes. He had no idea how Hayes was doing.
Albert's heart lurched violently. Struggling to rise within the chamber that had already been compressed into a narrow crevice, he turned back, desperately searching for Hayes.
He hadn't even managed to brush half of Hayes's paw when the ant queen suddenly erupted into a heavy fit of coughing.
A powerful blast of air slammed into Albert, hurling him away.
In the next instant, his body crashed down onto the muddy, damp ground of the ant nest, light flooding his vision.
…He was out again.
The ant queen's enormous, rotund body continued to emit a faint pearly glow.
