Of Beetles and Guardians: What a Real-Life Stag Beetle Taught Me About Purpose

On July 8, 2025, I had a strange, quiet encounter.

There, clinging to a post, was a stag beetle—its glossy body like burnished armor, its curved mandibles lifted like antlers. It looked noble. Intentional. Almost like it had somewhere important to be.

Only days earlier, I had released Mockwing Mayhem, the first book in the Grobugs series—a middle-grade fantasy about magical bug guardians who descend from the stars to protect children from shadowy creatures called Grimlings.

Here’s the thing: there’s no stag beetle-type Grobug in the book. I hadn’t researched them at all. This moment… caught me off guard.

So I looked the beetle up.

And what I discovered amazed me.

🌱 The Secret Life of the Stag Beetle Larva

Before a stag beetle becomes a fearsome, antler-jawed adult, it spends the majority of its life underground—not as a beetle at all, but as a larva.

These pale, curled grubs live quietly in rotting wood for up to five or six years. They chew through decay, break down old growth, and return nutrients to the forest floor. Their work is invisible, but essential.

And they’re not just feeding. They’re waiting. Growing. Preparing to transform into something entirely new.

That hit me hard.

Because in Mockwing Mayhem, Grobugs also begin in a hidden, often forgotten state. Before they fall to Earth as tiny Wigglers, they travel through the stars as Star Worms—glowing trails of magic and potential, seeking the place they’re meant to be. Sometimes it takes years. Sometimes they drift for ages, silent and unnoticed.

Both the stag beetle and the Grobug start out in long, unseen journeys—underground or among the stars. Both emerge transformed, ready to fulfill a purpose they were made for.

And somehow… I hadn’t known that until after the book was done.

✨ Magic and Mission: The Grobug Parallel

Grobugs are fictional, of course—but their mission is just as important in their world.

They fall from the stars, grow into tiny fighters, and awaken their special powers—called Starglow—to defend children from the invisible threats that stalk them in fear and loneliness. They live in hidden hollows and tangled trees. They act when no one is looking.

They were never meant to be flashy.

They were meant to be there.

Just like the stag beetle larva. Just like all the unseen helpers in this world who dig, protect, and nurture without ever getting a spotlight.

🌌 Wonder Hides in Dark Places

Seeing that beetle felt like a message—maybe even a blessing. As if the real world wanted to whisper:

“Yes. Even this is part of the story.”

Real and imagined creatures… both with quiet beginnings. Both with big missions. Both with transformations that don’t come quickly—but matter deeply when they arrive.

Whether in soil or starlight, purpose often begins in silence.

And sometimes, when you’re not looking, the world hands you a mirror in the shape of a beetle.

🐛 Want to Meet the Grobugs?

If you're curious about the magical guardians in Mockwing Mayhem, you're invited to step into the Grove. The Grobugs are waiting—small but brave, soft but fierce, hidden but ready to rise.

📘 Mockwing Mayhem is available now.

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