Introduction: The Moon
Chica began her journey like any other; patrolling her barrier islands and sand dunes next to the gulf of Mexico. She finds a piece of a monster she loathes, an unwelcome stain on her shore. A pale sheen of moonlight on its surface being the only pleasant thing she could find upon the object. Somewhere she could hear two curlews crying in the distance, eventually to fade away.

Chapter 1: Temperance
Chica is quick to find a place where this thing belonged. She's been keen on observing the humans here protect their shore, too - picking up the pieces of what their kin had discarded. When pushing the hunk of metal and cork to join the other black plastic bags, Chica finds a familiar flower beneath the table; with paper-thin white petals and needle-point leaves. This does not belong here. She nudges the flower onto her snout, its prickles tugging comfortably on her coarse fur.

Chapter 2: Judgement
Despite being what she was, Chica preferred to not enter the ocean. Unpredictable and turbid, she found its unruliness unsettling. Still, she felt compelled to step into the water, and made her way south to Brazos island. From there she made it to the mouth of the Rio Grande, and sat beneath the canopy of a mesquite tree with other prickly cousins - including a patch of the same flower she delivered to the island. While lifting her head from the ground after placing the flower amongst its kind, a small ant she recognized caught her eye. It was perched precariously on the shaggy bark of the mesquite. Somewhere in the mists of her memories as a beetle, she could recall seeing this ant's kin in the sand dunes she pupated in. The ant must have recognized this too, as it let Chica nudge itself onto her snout.

Chapter 3: Strength
Though the ant was minuscule compared to Chica, the weight of its presence made her feel more grounded to the sand than she had in a long time. Of course, no words were exchanged between the two bugs, but none were needed as she carried her passenger to their place of origin. Chica and the ant eyed the sandpipers and plovers squeak and peep above them, flying in close proximity to the ocean in search of a meal for them and their nestlings. She soon approached her familiar sand dunes, where sea oats and marsh fimbry wafted gently in the wind. Sand-packed tire tracks bisected the beach, so dense that Chica's feet left no mark as she padded across to the ant's home. There, she found her passenger's kind, and laid her body onto the sand, its warmth seeping into her fur. With her head lowered, the ant's sisters quickly approached, antennae wiggling amongst each other. Chica did not understand what they were saying to one another, she had forgotten that language long ago; but she couldn't help but feel the ocean well into her eyes as the ants came to her nose and spoke to her too.

Flora & Fauna
Temnothorax misomoschus
Northern curlew (Numenius borealis)
Prickly poppy (Argemone sp.)
Mesquite (Prosopis sp.)
Sea oats (Uniola paniculata)
Erect prickly pear (Opuntia dillenii)