Wow this is ooooold. I decided a while back to make a species of my own, which eventually led to the creation of these little guys.

They're called Ticks, their names coming from the fact that they drain the energy from the food they devour. They operate something similar to a hive or colony; From left to right we have:

Drone: Standard worker, carries out various tasks such as looking after the hive/colony, caring for newborns or the eggs in the nursery, and distributing food amongst the others. They're versitile as they are hard workers, and are almost always seen doing something rather than nothing (unless they're asleep, of course). They will often accompany the soldiers to forage for food should a hunt turn out unsucessful.

Soldier: The hunters of the entire colony, built to hunt down, subdue and/or kill anything if needed. Much more stronger than the drones, they are able to do the heavy lifting of the colony. While their primary job is to hunt, often times a drone or two will accompany them just in case their prey manages to escape, in wich they will assist in moving any heavy objects or defending the drones should an enemy threaten them.

And finally, we have the King, or Monarch: The King's job is to keep the hive/colony prosperous and ensure its survival. They direct the drones and soldiers to do their jobs accordingly, but will help either party if needed. Dispite popular belief, the King does not act as the primary source to birth eggs. While they can, every member of the colony is capable to laying their own eggs, leading to a steady population growth. The King also has total authority over the rest of the Ticks - he emits various sounds, pheromoes and energy signals that direct each Tick to their job. It's only when the King dies or is overthrown when another Tick takes that role.

The egg is just an example of what a Tick egg usually looks like. However, a different variant will affect how the egg will appear. They all, however, keep that transparency where you can see the growing embryo inside.

All Ticks are androgynous, but will switch to a specific gender if needed. The color of their bodies dictates their diet as well as their location. The variant above are a type of Tick that preys solely on living creatures such as animals and humans.

So! I wasn't going to do much with these little guys until my best buddy inspired me otherwise. Now I plan to do a lot more with 'em!