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It was Amber Whitecloud who first introduced Basil to Shamrock. Or vice versa, depending on who tells the story. This was also a few years before Basil took the position of Tunnel Construction Supervisor. Basil was just seventeen years old, and did very little socializing. He'd mostly stay to himself, work his day, and head home each evening, at times with nary a word.
Some of his co-workers thought he was a little peculiar because of his lack of socializing, which may have compounded things with them later on when he eventually took the supervisor position. Others just got used to him being off in his own tunnel. It wasn't that he made efforts to avoid working with others, actually, this he did quite well. He just didn't socialize much.
So it was after some time of Amber observing Basil that she decided to befriend him. However, this story isn't about Amber, but how she introduced Shamrock to the quiet beige ant.
Amber and Shamrock knew each other since the middle age classes, roughly the equivalent of 'junior high' or 'Middle School' for humans. Shamrock was in many ways the opposite of Basil in outward appearances. While Basil preferred to stay inside, working devotedly in the tunnels, Shamrock much preferred being in the outdoors. In fact, it was rumored that Basil has some sort of fear of the outside, but as little as he socialized...
On the other hand, if one were to look a little closer, they just might notice that Shamrock and Basil actually had quite a bit in common. Such as the amount of time both spent in personal contemplation. While one may have considered what was better in getting a stubborn root, or very large rock out of the way without destroying the entire substructure of a tunnel, the other was always looking for better ways to survive away from the colony. How different herbs, plants even mushrooms could be used. Both were very devoted to their hobbies, their passions.
Both in their own ways made efforts on trying to understand the world around them, and even more interestingly, what made people react the way they did. Neither may have been terribly social, in fact social gatherings would be one of the last places either ant would be caught dead at.
Basil the tunneler, Shamrock the explorer. Yet both would find very common interests and personality traits.
It was one of those unusual circumstances that the two ants managed to meet. Shamrock came limping home one day, having had an unfortunate run in with a group of wasps, and the accidental discovery of their territory just a mere two days away from West River. This incident would also be the catalyst of how the council would choose Shamrock to do a lot of the exploring for West River Colony.
After spending barely half of the time he was told he needed to recover from the injured ankle, Shamrock was hobbling around the colony when he bumped into Amber. Shamrock and Amber spoke for some time, with major emphasis on his feeling confined. The word somehow struck a cord with Amber, who then thought it might be interesting to see if she could get Basil and Shamrock together.
After a bit of talk of this quiet, thin beige ant, Shamrock agreed to meet him. Shamrock really didn't think he'd have anything in common with this 'Basil Harvestwatcher' and was essentially doing this favor for Amber as a friend. In fact, Shamrock felt like he was on a 'charity errand' and was really pretty reluctant, but decided to go ahead anyway.
They arrived at the North Tunnel of eleven eighteen, where Basil was hard at work. At least he had a devotion to his duty, or enjoyed the activity as it appeared to the two visiting ants due to the solid whacks and flying dirt and rocks that emminated from the area. Most other ants had by now left that branch of the tunnel, and began working elsewhere.
This 'practice of hard work' was actually an ant letting of steam. Digging and tunneling he deeply enjoyed, producing results; having to have reached a certain length of digging, or producing a certain amount of rocks and dirt wasn't, and just a short time before he was 'lectured' as he would put it 'in doing a better job'. Well, digging this hard /would/ produce results. He reached a new record for his team that day.
Timing for the visit was well planned, as it was right about the time for the lunch hour to begin. All three ants picked a 'fork in the tunnel' to sit, eat grain, and drink drops of dew from acorn caps. The workers of West River were always well hydrated and well fed. Shamrock and Basil were a little quiet to each other, with Shamrock looking perhaps a little uncomfortable in his surrounds.
Basil looked on to this 'outdoor' ant with curiosity, and after several minutes of conversation, he inquired about the 'anxious looks' Shamrock was showing. It turned out that Shamrock had a certain degree of claustrophobia, but would be darned if he would give in to it. Basil then commented on his fear of the outdoors, and an incident as a child of a bird in a tree near the colony. The bird never really came close, but it was close enough to Basil to want to stay indoors as a child.
The fears he had were only compounded by a situation while harvesting where he actually did a little exploring himself and got caught in a rainstorm, then managed to get stuck in a puddle of mud, and an area of rising water that raised until it reached just below his chin. Having wandered so far away from the area, he was out of antenna shot, and it took the better part of a day before anyone wandering around the area found him.
Being very curious of why Shamrock would venture his way into a tunnel despite his fear intrigued Basil deeply. Shamrock's explanation was simple. Friendship. If a friend asked him of any favor, unless it was absolutely impossible, he would do it. Regardless of how he felt. He cared and cherished his friends that much. Shamrock was also very particular about whom he considered a friend.
Amber knew of his loyalty of friendship, but was deeply touched that he would do this for her. This was also the first time she was made aware of Shamrocks phobia.
But it was Basil that was most struck by this idea. Oh, he had a few 'friends' that were really no more than what most ants would consider to be on the same level as he would, 'casual acquaintances'.
Basil invited Shamrock to return to visit, when his lunch break was over. Shamrock agreed.
Shamrock later spoke to Amber, and made some observations about Basil that very few other ants ever did. Shamrock found Basil's devotion to duty both impressive, and personally motivating. He later found out that it was due to frustration that he was working so hard that day, but even in subsequent visits would stand and observe Basil, and listen to him speak of certain techniques and procedures, finding it fascination to watch how he worked and spoke of his passion for tunneling.
After knowing what efforts and sacrifices Shamrock made in coming to visit him in the tunnels, Basil decided to make efforts to try to overcome a little of his fear of the outdoors. At first it was to just talk or have lunch at the entrance of the colony, but in time Basil managed to get to the harvest area, and even the river gorge's edge without entrepidation, and discovered a whole new world around him.
Shamrock could go on and on about adventures to the outside world, and Basil became more and more interested in what he heard. Basil even at one time suggested to Shamrock to write his adventured down so that others could read them, but Shamrock would shrug the idea off, climbing to not be much of a writer.
In short time, Basil and Shamrock became the closest of friends.
Both ants would make efforts to see each other at least every few days despite their jobs and the obvious conflicting nature of their passions, so a number of visits would be either outside in front of the colonies entrance, or in the round about areas. Shamrock did visit Basil at his work now and then, and Basil even went so far as to walk with Shamrock to the edge of the trail that leads north of the colony to where the area of dense foliage began.
Before long, the explorations of Shamrock was overheard by Princess Anise, who was also very taken by the explorer ant, and in time they also became very close. Basil found this 'romantic relationship' between his very close friend and the Queen's daughter little more than a trifle interesting, certainly not of any value to him. Basil never intended on marriage for himself. Actually, even dating was off his list.
However, there was one other notable difference between Basil and Shamrock's association and the one between Shamrock and Anise. Basil never really worried about his friend, but Anise certainly did. Anise felt that both Shamrock's actions and his adventuresome personality a little worrisome at times, but most of what he did never really did merit more than the occasional conversation. At least of the troubles and risks that /did/ get to her.
Many were hidden from her, which at times would filter to her in rumor and such, but by the time she began to worry, he has already been assigned as one of the colonies official 'Long Distance scouts' selected by the council, and she really had no final say. Besides, it might look rather awkward to her mom, and she had no desire to cause problems with the person she not very often had contact with anyway.
As time progressed, the Princess became aware of that a degree of Shamrock's adventures were not reaching her antenna, so she inquired of Basil to obtain the information she desired, and for the most part he did if to help keep the princess's nerves unraveled. Basil many times told Anise there was nothing to worry about, that he was capable, competent explorer. And this worked well, until the time when Shamrock was gone for a considerable period of days. This time Shamrock was even allusive to Basil about many of the details.
Two weeks later would become one of the most horrifying and heart rending days of Basil's life. Shamrock had enlisted Basil's help, and before he was able to get any real detail, Shamrock was killed in an act of revenge by a bug that was out for blood and protecting his honor. Basil was devastated by the events, which was only compounded by the accusations by Princess Anise afterwards. Basil became very reclusive and for many days simply stayed in his chamber, reporting too ill to even work. With the help of his family, he managed to pull out of his grief stricken state to a degree, but from that point on, decided he would make his best effort to never get close to another person again.
So... with pick in hand, he stayed secluded in his tunnel, working each day until his superiors began to inquire of him to take the position of 'Tunnel Construction Supervisor'. A job he would refuse to accept for a period of four months, until he finally gave up and took the job.
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