Worm

**Worm** is a female baboon who was one of Stinger's Strongbranches, along with Frog, Grass, Fly, Fang, and Thorn.

## Biography

### *Code of Honor*

At Worm's first appearance, she is limping. She says to Frog that her tarantula bite still hurts, and she wished that it had bitten her sister since she deserved it. When Thorn suggests that she see if there is a way through a bunch of prickly scrubs, she sneers at him and says that perhaps she will listen to him when he had actually completed his Feat to become a Strongbranch.

When Fang boasts that he had to lift a boulder bigger than the Crown Stone with a baboon sitting on top as his Feat, Worm mutters under her breath that he is a liar.

Later, Fly and Grass bring back pawfuls of sweetpulp, and Worm brightens up as she wonders aloud where the two Strongbranches found it. Fly starts by saying that they didn't *find* it, and Grass finishes by saying that Beetle had a stash near Tall Trees and he wasn't going to use it anyway, so they put it to use. When Frog refuses to eat the fermented fruit, Worm giggles that she is extremely boring.

When the Brightforest Troop has to cross the fallen mgunga tree to get across the river, Snail falls in, and Thorn and Frog have to rescue her, since Worm, along with the other Strongbranches, is staring at them with dazed eyes, which is a negative effect of the sweetpulp.

When Stinger talks to Sleekfriend, and Sleekfriend eyes the baboons, Worm draws herself up menacingly while Grass chews arrogantly on his stalk and Fly grins to expose his chipped teeth. The zebra gulps nervously and asks what brought Stinger to the zebras. After Stinger's speech, Sleekfriend comments that a Great Gathering could be very problematic. In response, Stinger slants his gaze, Worm puffs herself up more, Fang crunches up a passing beetle in his teeth, and Fly grins even harder.

Later, Stinger invites his Strongbranches to eat with him, as he claims they must keep their strength up to protect him and the Brightforest Troop because there are many rough days ahead. Worm barks as a passing Deeproot baboon, yelling that she needed leaves for her foot, where the tarantula bit her. The Deeproot darts away to his stores and comes back with an armful of date palm leaves. Worm growls that she needs softer solanum leaves before the day is over. Thorn thinks that she is such a bully, and all of the Strongbranches are, except for Frog.

The Strongbranches are crouching beside Stinger, who is gulping down a fat caterpillar. He says they need to talk about what they are going to do about the monkeys. Worm suggests that they chase them down and massacre them. When Stinger refuses all suggestions and says they should talk to Great Father, Worm, Fly, Grass, and Fang gape at him. Worm says they can't let the monkeys get away with the things they have done to Brightforest Troop.

When Stinger tells Great Father his problem, and Stronghide tells him to fight the monkeys, Stinger shoots Fly and Grass a withering glare and struts away the watering hole. Worm and Grass are giggling and saying sarcastic remarks about the rhino.

It is nighttime, and the Moon Reading is occurring. After the ritual, Stinger waves a paw and says that Jackfruit and Pod are just being sour because their son is a murderer and that nobody takes them seriously. He says there is a much bigger troublemaker that he saw just that night. When Worm asks him who, Stinger says that Starleaf is frightening the troop by telling them rubbish, even though it is tradition. He claims she is causing dangerous alarm among the baboons. When Grass suggests that the troop get rid of her for good, Worm hoots that there is nothing better for Brightforest Troop, and they *all* know what's best. Soon, all of the Strongbranches cheer for Stinger.

When the troop settles in the hyena den, Grass shoves some dik-dik flesh into Thorn's paws, and he pushes it away. Fly sniggers that he probably didn't want the Strongbranches to tell Stinger that he was rebellious, and Worm elbows him sharply. This is when Thorn growls and crams the meat into his mouth, to discover that dung is hidden inside.

Thorn comes back from hiding Starleaf, and Grass asks him where he was. When he answers by saying that he took care of the wise old baboon, the others gasp, and Fly shoves him sharply, hissing that the job belonged to all of the Strongbranches. Worm pulls Thorn's shoulder fur viciously, calling him selfish. Worm brags that Bug Middleleaf tried to take the best figs that morning, but Worm stopped her. She specifically recalls telling the Middleleaf that they can no longer push them around because they are a Strongbranch and "think again" if they can still treat her like a Deeproot.

When the other Strongbranches ask for the details of how Thorn finished off Starleaf, he tells them it is none of their business. Grass growls that he is as boring as Frog and that he wants details. Worm agrees, saying that he can't take the job for himself and then refuse to tell the story.

Later, when the baboons are sitting around outside the hyena den, Worm and the others vividly describe how they chased the monkeys into the trees, where they swung on the branches and then fell. Worm grins cheerfully, saying that they probably wouldn't bother the baboons for a while.

After this, Stinger disbands the Council and tells his loyal Strongbranches to stand in their place. He announces that they will oversee and assist the former Council baboons with their duties. Worm orders Mango to find fresh bedding for the Strongbranches. Mango protests, saying that it isn't her job, and Worm says with a menacing sweetness that it is her duty now, unless she wants to be driven out of the troop.

When the Strongbranches are eating, Thorn bites into a spiky melon from the Deeproot stash. Worm finds him, and surprised, asks him if they are now thieving from the supplies, and Thorn says yes. He says they are Strongbranches, after all, so they should have access to all of the food. After they are all drugged by the sweetpulp, Worm mumbles an unintelligible question, answered by only a giggle.

Later again, when Thorn fails to kill Stinger and is "exposed" by him in front of all of Bravelands in the form of a gathering, Worm brings forward a corpse but stumbles on a wildebeest's hoof and drops whatever she is carrying, which turns out to be the dead body of Starleaf. The crowd gasps. When Fearless takes him away, the other Strongbranches are by his side. Worm struts by the lion's flanks.

### *Blood and Bone*

When Fearless comes to talk to Stinger, Stinger is heard demanding Worm to get out of his sight until he's "found Berry and ripped Thorn limb from limb," which he then takes back, stating that he wants to kill Thorn himself.

During the Great Battle, Worm and Splinter jump in front of Fearless before he could attack Titan. Fearless's thoughts direct towards how he remembered playing and laughing with Worm and Splinter but realizes that he has no choice but to fight them. He dodges "their snarling snouts and vicious claws," then bites Worm's shoulder before flinging her away.