ORDIMANT - TIMELINE #8712209

(Timeline Tuesday #21)

Ordimants are small insects with shells that offer a variety of patterns in red and green. They are approximately the size of a spherical Christmas tree ordainment, which this species uses to its advantage. These similarities between the ordimant and a typical holiday ordainment are not accidental, but rather a keen survival adaption which has served the species well.

These creatures have an incredibly fast life cycle, living for a single year before spawning a new brood of ordimants and promptly dying off. This process begins when the eggs of an ordimant are laid deep within the flesh of a fir tree, typically in an area that is used for Christmas tree farming. It is unknown how ordimants know which trees to choose, but by vast majority these trees are chopped down and used for holiday celebrations.

Once an infested tree is brought inside and exposed to heat, ordimant eggs begin to hatch. The insects crawl forth, growing rapidly overnight and reaching their full size within twelve hours. Typically, an ordimant brood contains seven to ten creatures, each with a unique design upon their abdomen. As ordimants grow larger and become easier to spot, they find safety in deception by blending in with similar tree ordainments. The creatures do this by using a silver carapace loop at the tail of their body to grip Christmas tree branches and hang inconspicuously like decorations.

Ordimants do not move during the day, spending this time fast asleep as these creatures are naturally nocturnal. Once night falls, however, the insects will climb down from their perch and hunt around for food. They are scavengers, but prefer sugar as a main source of sustenance. Typically, ordimants will find their way into the kitchen of a home and consume cookies, pies or other seasonal desserts before returning to the tree around sunrise.

After the winter season, ordimants will leave their decorative perches and find their way back outside, often by sneaking through open windows or cracked doors. They do this by following cold air trails. Once outside, ordimants will immediately find a new tree to lay their eggs deep within, then promptly perish from the gelid temperatures. A year later, this cycle begins again.