Your ears, located on your abdomen, ache at the sudden, booming noise coming from another gigantic god. You position your wings to dampen the noise as much as you can and elect to remain motionless. It will conserve what little energy you have left, since you haven't eaten in hours.

"Riddle me this," booms the original god, "what did one layer of soil say to the other?"

The other giant doesn't answer right away. It seems like he's waiting. Or thinking. You remain still.

"Pleased...to leaf...you?"

A sigh. "I'm rooting for you. Idiot. Go outside and gather up some dirt."

The ground shakes. The other giant is leaving. You are alone with the original.

You wonder if you can crawl out. Flying seems unproductive. Your wings twitch, but remain folded against your back as you scuttle towards one edge of the invisible barrier. You press your two front legs to the barrier once you collide with it, searching for any traction your tarsal claws can latch onto. There is some, but not a lot.

You begin to ascend. Slow and steady. Higher and higher.

You collide with the topmost barrier. You press your feet along the edges, searching for freedom. There is none to be found. You remain there on the wall, antenna twitching.

"Adventurous little thing, aren't you," booms the original giant. You press your wings tight against your ears again and remain frozen. One of his huge appendages taps your barrier. The vibrations overwhelm you and your grip slackens. You slide down a little before you're able to catch yourself. "Bit the hell out of me, too. If you weren't such a lovely shade of green, you'd be paste under my boot."

You have no idea what any of those noises mean. Your antennae twitch. He taps on the barrier again, and you slide down to the bottom of your prison. You manage to twist your body to land upright before you fall and expose your soft bits again.

Suddenly: terrain. You are enveloped by earth. It's wet and soft and smells weird. You wiggle around until you breach the surface, then stand on top and survey the scene.

It's dirt! Some snacks are crawling around in it. You are a hungry, opportunistic hunter. You catch and eat some prey — assorted worms, larvae, and another, tiny beetle — and feel comfortably full. You won't need to eat again for at least an hour or two. No sticks to crawl on that you can see. Just more dirt inside your barrier prison. Maybe you can —

Thunk

You hit the dirt after trying to fly out of the invisible barrier again. Your wings twitch before they fold against your back, hidden under your vivid, emerald elytra once more.

The appendages return. Huge and slow and oily. You scuttle away, as far as the barrier will allow. Your mandibles, which you've just used to consume your meal, flex in warning to make you seem scary and dissuade attack. Now that you've eaten, you are full of energy and ready to fight for your life.

The appendages don't touch you. They stick something into the soil. A stick. You immediately crawl onto your new vantage point and assess the situation.

Still in an invisible prison. But now you're Up, so it's tolerable, if a little cold.

The sun activates overhead. Nevermind. There's dirt, a space to be Up, warmth, and seemingly no bats or birds or other predators to hide from except the huge appendages. This is an adequate home.

You stay on the stick, relaxing your mandibles and letting your antennae alert you to any environmental changes while you take a much-deserved rest. A nice, long rest. The longest rest you've ever rested at one time. Fifteen whole minutes.

--

Weeks pass. The world outside the Barrier is noisy. Gigantic God comes and goes frequently, and the other giants pass by without paying your enclosure any mind. Gigantic God has a designation, an identifier. It means nothing to you, but you know the sound of it now. Riddler.

You have one, too. Given to you by the giant. It means nothing to you, but when that specific sound reaches you, you know you're about to receive food.

"Query," the god calls. You shuffle down your perching stick until your six legs hit the dirt, then wait patiently for food to arrive.

Instead of a delicious spread of bugs, however, the fat appendages return, radiating heat and smelling unappetizing as they lay flat against the earth. You don't move.

"Come on, little thing. Come here."

The noises he makes at you mean nothing. You don't move. You don't see or smell any food. It's just appendage. You are disinterest — ATTACK!!!!!!!!!!

The appendages scoop you from where you stand upon the earth!!! Your mandibles get to work, and you find the first patch of soft flesh and bite down! You are a warrior! You will not die here!!

"Ow! Query, quit it!"

The appendages encircle your body, preventing escape. You hunker down, making sure all of your softest bits are inaccessible. You feel yourself moving. Maybe out of your invisible barrier.

Yes, that is the case... The appendages open up and deposit you in a different, larger enclosure. There's more dirt and sticks. There are even a couple rocks for you to scuttle under when water falls from the sky!

"There," grouches your gigantic captor, "ungrateful brat. You're lucky you're beautiful."

You wander the new terrain for a while, unable to process what the gigantic being says. You crawl up a new stick. It's tall and nice. Later, you will check out the other sticks, too. Multiple ways to get Up are always good. You wonder if...

Thunk

You hit the top of the New Barrier and fall to the dirt below. You are on your back again, and the appendages have reappeared. They flip you upright and then retreat. You're beginning to think the appendages might not be a threat, despite their hugeness. They don't taste good, so maybe you will not bite anymore.

Riddler is gone, now. You feel the vibrations under your feet as the gigantic god walks away, and his booming voice yelling at other giants. Something something Batman. You don't know what any of it means.

You find some larvae in the dirt and eat. All is well.

--

Months pass. Riddler talks to you all the time. His large appendages touch you more, too. If you do not bite the appendages when they take you from the dirt, the giant gives you food. You learn to tolerate this arrangement. The appendages are dry and warm. You spend a lot of time on them lately.

You sit and eat as the giant god talks to you. When your antennae twitch, or you open your wings without flying away, Riddler gives you more food. You are pleasing the gigantic god. Flying away seems less than ideal when you can simply show off your colorful body for a meal you didn't have to hunt yourself.

When Riddler puts you back in your enclosure, you crawl up a stick and use your large eyes to watch him leave. The ground vibrates as he walks. Maybe the appendages will come back after a long rest. Ten minutes. Maybe fifteen if you want to treat yourself.

--

The environment is too hot and too noisy. You do not know the word for fire, only instinctually aware that the flames licking at the edge of your invisible barrier are not conducive to staying alive.

For the first time in months, you try to fly to freedom. You collide with the top of the barrier and hit the dirt again. No appendage comes to help flip you over, so you waste precious energy doing it yourself.

The sounds of chaos increase. You crawl under a rock. It ends up being the smartest move, because a deafening explosion sends your enclosure flying across the warehouse in which you've spent the last six months of your life. It hits the ground and shatters. The rock you've clung to flips and slides across the ground, with you safely perched on top.

You are disoriented. You crawl away from the scattered rocks and sticks and earth, feet touching the concrete floor of the warehouse. You search for alternate cover amidst the vibrating floor and rushing bodies of the gigantic gods.

"BATMAN," is shouted. A word you recognize but cannot place meaning to. "DON'T STEP ON IT, DON'T!"

An enormous boot lies before you. It's jet black and attached to a giant you do not recognize. Riddler is lying on the ground, next to a pile of fire. His large appendages are bound and bloody. Not appealing to crawl onto for food right now. Perhaps it could act as shelter amidst this confusing time.

"Don't squash my beetle, Batman," Riddler pleads, "I'll disarm the stupid bomb, no riddles, no puzzles; just don't crush Query. Don't be an asshole."

No response from the giant with the large, black boot. You start to walk around it, giving it a couple inches of berth.

"Bat — Bruce. Don't crush my damn beetle."

The large boot is gone. An appendage appears. It's unfamiliar in both color and texture. It's not the huge appendages you have learned to crawl and sit and, in rare moments, rest on. It scoops you up, smelling of leather and metal. You bite. It curls to completely envelop you.

"DON'T —"

"Calm down." The gigantic god holding you is moving and talking. It's a lower tone that almost vibrates. You press your wings against your ears. "Give me your hand, Ed."

You're passed from one hand to another. This one is familiar. Warm. Slick from blood. You use your leg to sweep a little into your mouth. Not your usual food, but you are an opportunistic feeder.

One of the huge appendages curls to brush against your back, featherlight if not shaky. Riddler started doing this a couple weeks ago, whilst you ate from his palm. You bit him for it twice, then eventually stopped minding when no pain came from continued contact.

"Edward. The detonators."

"Yeah, yeah..."

You are completely encased by Familiar Appendages. You settle down in the darkness and continue feeding off the blood resting underfoot. The Hot Danger has passed, now. You are somewhere safe, waiting to be put back in your enclosure so you can perch on a stick again.

This does not happen again for some time. You are moved to a tiny pouch against Riddler's chest. You can feel his body heat and huge, thumping heartbeat. It's loud. There are flashing lights and you move a lot. Every time you get the idea to fly away, a huge appendage covers the top of the pouch and the gigantic god mumbles more things you can't give meaning to.

"Don't go, Query. Don't go."

You flex your wings. An appendage gently, terribly gently, brushes against your back. You re-fold your wings and settle into the new, tiny enclosure.

"Don't go."

You don't go.

--

You're relocated several times in the coming days. Words you will never understand such as "emotional support beetle" and "yes, it can have dirt as long as Ivy isn't in the same wing" phase in and out of the air. For several days, you don't see Riddler and are left in a tiny, ceramic mug with a lid to collect dust in an evidence locker. When you are remembered and found again, you are so very hungry and tired. You do not resist any appendages moving or inspecting you, and you cannot muster the strength to eat the larvae presented to you.

Riddler sits you in his palm and gently rubs. Gently rubs. Gently rubs your elytra. Words you don't understand roll quietly past your ears, so faint you have to nudge your wings to uncover them.

"I'm sorry. They forgot about you but I didn't. I didn't forget, Query, I made them look until they found you. I have you, now, Query. You have to eat. You have to try to eat. Please try, Query. It's your favorite. Please try to eat, Query. Be a good beetle. Please, Query, try."

The vibrations are. Nice.

You draw upon your last reserves to grasp the larvae and draw it into position for your mandibles. The murmuring gets louder, more excitable.

You eat.

You flutter your wings, but make no effort to fly away. A thumb brushes against your back, proud and reverent.

You have to rest.

--

The new enclosure is very cozy. There is dirt, and many sticks, and rocks, and moss, and a heat lamp, and no invisible top barrier.

You fly out of the enclosure when you pick up on a familiar sound.

"Query!"

The appendage is outstretched, flat for you to land on. You walk across the familiar, warm skin and directly under the thumb waiting to pet you.

Riddler mutters praise you can't comprehend. You don't need to.

You are a bright green Tiger Beetle. Your preferred climate is somewhere dry and hot. You are a predatory creature with a violent streak a mile long, and at your top speed you can move at just above 5 miles an hour.

None of this matters because you are a beloved pet living in luxury. A gigantic god scooped you up off the ground after almost stomping you to death and brought you with him into his loud, warm world. It's here you remain, with all the food and enrichment and adoration you could possibly need.