Chapter 3 - Feast or Famine

Chapter 3 – Feast or Famine

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	“Is he still safe for you to eat now?”

	“Of course,” Akara replied, admiring her handiwork.  The slime had indeed found a new home, and it seemed to be just what it had wanted.  The would-be meal had since been cocooned once more, with an obvious bulge in the lower portion of the silken tomb.  “But I don’t like the taste of slime.”

	“What happens to him now?”

	“Does it matter?” the drider asked, her annoyance growing once more.  She turned to face the relatively small human that was Mila, crossing her arms.  “By this time tomorrow we’ll be long gone.”

	“Don’t you need him for the journey?”

	“I’ve survived longer than I’d care to admit on lesser food.  Worry more about yourself and how you plan on producing meals for me looking like that,” Akara gestured towards Mila’s current attire, now in such a state that calling them rags would be overly generous.  “Not to mention how you failed to bring me a meal tonight.”

	“I did bring you meals,” Mila hastily responded, gesturing up towards the burrow entrance.  “There’s a search party after me right now!”  This, of course, garnered the interest of the drider.

	“How many?”

	“At least five,” Mila responded, now shuffling on her feet.  The townsfolk knew about Akara now, and likely intended to take action against her.  One way or the other, Akara was the only thing standing between Mila and a lifetime of servitude to a brothel.

	“What else?” Akara groaned, tapping one of her legs gently.

	“They know about you.  That slime was meant to attack you.”

	“What else do they intend to employ against me?  Are they armed?”

	“I… I don’t know.”

	“Then I suppose you’ll have to find out,” the drider said shortly.  Whisking Mila up in her arms, Akara quickly carried her back to the surface, the moon still high in the sky.  Setting her down, the drider spun the human around to face her.  “Once you find out if they’re armed or not, climb a tree.”

	“A tree?”

	“What else do you expect to climb in a forest, girl?  Of course a tree!”

	“But… how will you find me?”

	“My network of webbing is far greater than you know.  If a leaf falls in this forest, I know about it.  Now go.”

	Before the human could make a rebuttal of any kind, Akara was already down her burrow.  Leaving the human to her own devices and a set of somewhat simple instructions had worked out well so far, but the drider had other things to worry about.  Engaging in actual combat rather than an ambush was something she’d put to the back of her mind for years; yet now it seemed unavoidable.

	Actual combat… that was something she’d always been a natural at.  Being the runt of the clutch did that to a drider.  Of course, even the weakest drider could take on a horde and do some serious damage.  The key was surviving though…  As much as she enjoyed the air on her skin, she did concede that she would have to cover herself.

	First and foremost though, was Mila.  While she was certain she could procure meals on her own, she had to admit – her partnership with the human had been bountiful thus far.  She still had to prove herself, but Akara wasn’t doing herself any favors by having her bait run about in her current state.  The way she looked now, she was surprised the girl still managed to lure humans into the forest.  Either she was more attractive than the drider was giving her credit for, or these humans weren’t particularly clever.

	One way or the other though, a meal is a meal.  Taking the silk she’d spun up earlier, the drider began doing something she wasn’t exactly spectacular at: weaving.  The craft was an ancient one for her kin, one that was well practiced and mastered by most at a young age.  Her results had always been lackluster though – nothing compared to her elders.

	Her elders… what would they think of her now?  Here she is, weaving something up for a creature she would normally shove down her gullet without a second thought.  A drider, weaving for a human!  Ha!  The very notion of weaving for anyone other than one’s self was considered sacred amongst her people.  If a drider weaves for another, they might as well be family.  It was a sure fire way to mark lovers or mates; sometimes used for especially gifted younglings.

	She’d never thought of anyone like that before… she’d never really found anyone worth weaving for.  How could she let herself do this?  The sight of Mila was enough to make her belly growl, yet now she was going to craft something for her?  This was something she would likely never live down if another drider found out.

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	After what felt like hours, Mila had finally found the search party.  Ironic that she was now looking for her pursuers.  Still, she did as Akara had instructed.  Resting in the tree, she took careful inventory of the search party.  Five.  Five humans, four armed with blades, one with a long bow.  Something wasn’t right about this.

	Why were they so armed if this was just a search for one girl?  How had she managed to lose them so easily?  They should’ve had a tracker if anything.  Of course, Keal was among them.  He’d always fancied himself good with a blade.  It was only then that she managed to repeat his words in her head.  They were going to hunt the drider.

They were going to hunt Akara.

All too late she realized her mistake, and began frantically climbing down the tree.  A hand on her shoulder ceased all motion though, as the grip was painfully tightened and her body hoisted up.

“What are you doing, girl?” Akara hissed, pulling Mila back up.  “Do you want to give away my position?”

“Akara, please!  We need to leave, now!”

“Leave?  Mila dear, you don’t give yourself enough credit.  This is a fine haul.”

“They’re here to hunt you!  They’re going to kill you!”

Akara scoffed at the idea, patting Mila on the head like an elder to a youngling.  Without another word, she advanced along the treetops, only what sounded of leaves rustling in the wind escaping her position.  Mila hurried back down to her previous position, nervously observing the search party.

A snapping branch silenced the entire party’s activities, causing them to quickly form a circle.  Hushed whispers now being exchanged, Mila watched with a mixture of terror and satisfaction as she found Akara above them.  The first one to disappear was the archer.  A scream that was cut short now had the party on edge as they scoured the treetops for their aggressor.

“We know you’re here, monster!  Come out and fight us!”

The terror was so obvious in his voice even Mila could tell he was one good jump away from soiling himself.

“If you insist.”

Akara dropped down into their circle, disarming two of the fighters in rapid succession.  Her fangs sunk into the first, her legs tangling the second in rapidly spun silk.  She released the first, letting him fall to the ground as she hoisted the second up.  By this point the other two had backed away a decent distance and were now in a defensive stance, blades raised.

Akara chuckled to herself, biting the second aggressor she’d disarmed, letting him go limp in her arms.  Letting him drop to the ground, she slowly picked up each of their blades – one in each hand.

“Tell me,” she said, casually looking from one human to the other.  “Have either of you ever fought?”  Not waiting for a response, she lunged at the human to her right, his blade clattering to the ground as her fangs sank in.  He didn’t go down as quickly as the other two, but he did succumb to her toxins, limp as a defeated naga.  Eyeing the remaining human, she literally dropped the façade of using blades in any manner, each clanking to the ground.

“Do you seriously think that blade will do you any good, human?” she taunted, slowly approaching him.  The human remained resilient though, standing his ground; despite his obvious fear.

“I do not fear you, monster.”

Akara smirked to herself, lunging at the human, pinning him to the tree behind him.  “You should.”

The human took his opportunity, swinging his blade at her abdomen.  With all the might he could muster, he swung as if his life depended on it.  There was a skin curling thud followed by the blade landing on a nearby rock.  Openly snickering now, Akara bit into her latest victim, injecting her toxins.

She released him, letting him slide down to a sitting position against the tree as she walked over to collect the blade.  Holding it up to the moonlight, she examined the damage.  The blade had cracked down its length, rendering it useless.

“If it’s any consolation, you have a strong arm,” she offered, tossing the ruined blade towards the human.  “Mila,” she called out, looking right at where she’d been hiding.  “Come help me collect these meals.”

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Once the two were back in her burrow, Mila was quick to help Akara lay out the fruits of their combined labors.  Five fully grown humans, each wrapped tight enough that the human could swear she could make out muscle definitions in a few places.  She had a more pressing concern though – one that fueled her eagerness to assist in securing Akara’s meals.  It certainly helped that the meals had been secured in pairs – one tied to the other via silk bonds; one off on his lonesome.

“Are you hurt?” the human asked bluntly, her eyes focusing on Akara in the dim lighting.  “I saw Keal strike you.”

“I suppose he did, didn’t he?” she scoffed, turning to examine her abdomen.  “Funny, I don’t see any marks,” shrugging, she returned to gazing at their catch.  “Didn’t really feel him hit me, to be completely truthful.”

“But the blade was cracked!”

“And who do you think cracked it?” Akara sneered, glaring at the only human that wasn’t cocooned right now.  “Do you seriously think I’m so weak as a single ‘blade’ strike would take me down?”

“Of course not Akara,” Mila replied, scrambling over her words.  “It’s just that, most strikes like that tend to leave serious wounds on humans.”

“I am no human,” the drider spat, returning her gaze to the catch.  “My kin are stronger than you give us credit for.”  Sighing, she ran her hands through her hair as she decided on her next course of action.  “I suppose I will have to educate you at some point.  It will save both of us a hefty amount of frustration.  That’s a task for another time though,” she gestured towards the lone cocooned human before continuing.  “You mentioned this one by name.  Keal?”

“Yes.”

“How well does he know you?”

“We grew up together,” Mila said, her gaze landing on the cocoon that contained her former friend.  “We would play in my father’s gardens when we were little.”

“Then he will be my meal tonight.”

“Why?” Mila blurted, unaware of her own will for Keal to live.

“Because he is a liability.  I do not need an informed horde of humans attempting to track me.”  To say the drider was irritated would’ve been an understatement.  This entire ordeal had left her on edge, wanting to hurry up and leave the forest she’d consumed.  Still, she knew just as well how imperative it was to clean up after oneself.  “Besides,” she continued, picking Keal out of the collection and attaching him to the den wall.  “You damned your kin, remember?”  With that, she retreated down to her bed chamber to take care of her various needs.

Mila said nothing – made no effort to follow the drider.  She was right – how could she pick and choose who was to be food and who would live?  When she’d given herself to Akara, she’d dropped everything that had been her home.  All friends, connections, anything beyond using herself as a seductress for a ravenous spider-woman she had deemed meaningless.  It would seem that the Gias Isles were issuing her a choice.  Gias choices were rarely simple.

Knowing this, she began to amble around Akara’s burrow.  When she was faced with a life or death choice, it had been simple.  She’d convinced herself that she had no purpose to live after her family betrayed her to the brothel.  Yet, when she was given the very opportunity to end herself at the hands of Akara, she found some kind of meaning.  Some yearning to live.  Revenge?  A way to dedicate herself to something beyond herself?

During her lengthy dwelling of thoughts, she’d managed to wind up down in Akara’s food stores.  Looking around, she took a moment to actually examine the chamber, rather than run from it like she had previously.  It was a small enclosure, walls laced with what could be mistaken for large honeycombs.  Drifting from comb to comb, she found a curious lack of contents.  Walking the entire room proved fruitless – apparently Akara’s emergency food stores had run dry; whatever she’d fed Mila had been the last of it.

Towards the back of the room she found a stream of water that lead into a carved pool.  The glow root was barely noticeable here, but she could still find the glimmer of the water in the darkness.  Kneeling down, the ripping of fabric followed by the rush of cold air on her skin caused her to move her hands to her arms.  In all honesty, she wasn’t near as cold as she’d expected to be – probably because of the amount of time she’d spent in the gloomy den.  She was, however, much dirtier than she’d anticipated.  Removing her hands from gripping her arms, she found clumps of mud and grass clinging to her hands.

Leaning down, she scooped up some of the water with both hands, pouring it onto her head.  It had been so long since she’d bathed, even the frigid water felt marvelous running through her short hair.  More dirt, grass and Isles know what else fell from her hair.  She scooped up more water, repeating the process until she was shivering from the temperature drop.  It may not have been the good scrubbing she needed, but it was definitely refreshing.

Looking down to the ring of dirt and grime that had collected around her, Mila stood up.  Standing on what was left of her dress, she returned her hands to her arms, now painfully aware of how cold she was.  While her dress was but rags, it at least provided a tiny bit of defense against the cold.  Kicking it with her foot, only part of it made it out of the puddle, slapping to the wall.  Her dress couldn’t even be considered cleaning cloth at this point.

Perhaps Akara would let her remove one of her meal’s clothing before it was consumed?  Sure it was going to be too large for her, but anything would help at this point.  Shivering and naked, the human made her way back towards the den.  It was time once more for her to lean on Akara for help, lest she freeze to death.

The den was dimly lit; apparently the glow root was reaching the end of its life.  Still, there was enough light for Mila to notice that something was off about the room.  Something had changed, and it didn’t feel… right.  Looking around, her eyes groped the darkness for something – anything that would point her in the direction of what was wrong.  Before she could investigate further however, Akara returned.

“Mila,” came Akara’s voice, though it was lacking a certain tone that the human had come to expect.  “Come here.”  The human obeyed silently, walking over until she was within arm’s length of Akara.  “I see you found the water in the storage chamber.  I take it your dress did not survive the cleaning?”  The human merely shook her head, mind still bogged down with her prior implications.  She’d only managed to avoid thinking about her choices by wandering around.
“I suppose it’s for the best.  Here,” she said, extending her hands to Mila.  A hefty amount of silk had been meticulously folded and was now being presented to Mila.  The human reached down to Akara’s larger hands, picking up the large assortment of silk.  “I’m not the best weaver,” the drider said, thankful that the human’s eyesight was poor enough to hide her embarrassment.  “But I believe it will fit you well.  It should at least keep you warm.”

Mila looked from the folded cloth, then back to Akara.  “This is no ordinary silk, is it?” she inquired, rubbing the fabric through her fingers.  It was finer than anything she’d ever felt before, feeling much like water in her hands.  For the first time, Mila didn’t get a response from the drider.  No witty comeback, no aggressive remark, just silence.  Slowly, she unfolded the garment, watching as it almost rippled down into an all too familiar shape.

The design looked fairly simple against the fading glow root, but running her fingers through the sides, Mila could tell there was a fair amount of effort that was put into the fabric.  Sliding it over her head, she pulled the snug garment down, the dress embracing her curves neatly.  Looking down, she could now see the intricacies that had been woven into the fabric.

Her chest was held in place, a sensible amount of cleavage showing as the front opened up gradually to wrap around her neck.  The dress had some kind of design embroidered on it – that much she could feel as she ran her hands along the front; but she couldn’t make out quite what it was.  Likely some kind of drider symbol.  Still, the garment felt amazing on her skin, the tightly woven fabric immediately retaining body heat – quickly raising her core temperature back to a respectable level.

“I suppose I will tell you more about the dress later.  For now, I need to eat.”  Her voice had quickly returned to its dominant role, commanding Mila’s attention.

“Thank you,” Mila replied, her hushed voice still sufficiently loud to the drider.

Akara said nothing in response, instead tensing her body as she looked to her would be meal.  In an instant, she was facing Mila once more; her embarrassment turned to rage in her features.  “You take me for a fool, girl?” she hissed, a seething rage bubbling up.  She knew the human would betray her.

Mila said nothing, far more worried about the blade that was pressed firmly to her back.

“No sudden moves, monster, or your pet gets it.”

Akara’s movement ceased, eyes narrowing to an incredibly tight focus as she picked out the source of the voice.  How had she missed him?  There was no way he could have hidden behind Mila – let alone deceive her in her own den.

“Keal, please,” Mila whispered, too terrified to make a move.  This was the first time her life had been actually threatened, and her heart was going to beat its way out of her chest to remind her of that fact.

“You harm one hair on that girl’s head, and I will ensure you a fate worse than death.”  Akara’s voice was quiet, but had enough force behind it that the hairs on Mila’s neck stood up.

“I don’t think so,” he said, pulling Mila against his body, blade coming up to rest against her neck.  “She’s my ticket out of here.”

Akara’s only response was a growl that could shame a dragon.

“Keal, wait,” Mila said, finally interjecting herself into her own fate.  “I’ll show you how to get out of here.”

“Liar!” he bellowed, the knife pressing against her neck a bit harder.

“There’s a crawlspace in her food chamber big enough for a person to fit through, but she can’t!  I swear it!”

Akara found herself confounded by Mila’s statement.  There was no crawlspa…

“You worthless sack of meat!” Akara roared back, circling as Mila guided Keal towards the chamber, his knife still tight against her throat.  “You’re not even worth the rags you had when I found you!”  Cautiously, Akara searched Mila’s expression, finding her gaze easily.  She took note of where the human was looking, but made no effort to glance there herself.  “You won’t make it back to your precious village,” she continued, spitting the last word.

“We won’t have to,” Keal said, beginning to work his way down the tunnel to the chamber.  “A hunting party is already in place, waiting for my signal.”  With that, he yanked Mila down into the chamber, leaving Akara to herself in her den.  Once down inside the chamber, he released Mila, pushing her against one of the empty catacombs.  “How do I know this isn’t a trick?”

“Keal, please,” Mila croaked, tears running down her cheeks.  “I don’t want this life; I want to be free!  Run away with me, Keal – we can go to Aldr, start new lives!”

He was obviously still suspicious, but convinced enough to lower his blade.  “Why?” he asked, gesturing towards the entrance to the chamber.  “Why would you allow yourself to be used by that monster?”

“It wasn’t my choice – she forced me to do it!  You saw the eggs,” she continued, pulling up her dress to show her still mildly distended belly.  “I have to get these things out of my body if I want to live; she’s the only one that can remove them without killing me.”

Keal groaned, uneasy about the entire situation.  Still, he lowered his knife completely, expression softening.  “Okay,” he sighed, approaching Mila.  “I believe you.  Now, what say we find that crawlspace you were talking about earlier and get out of here?”

“The far wall,” Mila stated, pointing towards the cleaning pool she’d found earlier.  “Where the water comes in there’s some thick webbing.  It’s supposed to hold the water back so it doesn’t flood this room.  We can crawl up there and into the pond.”  She led Keal further into the darkness, her eyes well-adjusted on top of having previously navigated this room in the dark.
Once they were at the pool, she reached up, plucking at some spare webbing near the crack that was the water spout.  “Here,” she said, guiding Keal’s hand to the opening.  “Pry that open and we can get out.”

Keal grunted, gently pushing Mila to the side as he investigated the crack.  “Mila,” he said, pushing the blade of his knife into the tiny opening, trying to wiggle it open.  “Are you sure this is the right spot?”  Mila made no response, having backed away into the now pitch blackness of the chamber.  The glow roots light had ceased entirely now, leaving even her as blind as a bat.  “Mila?” Keal repeated, looking over his shoulder.

“Trust me, you’re in the perfect position,” Akara whispered.

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Akara grunted, heaving the re-done cocoon back onto the pile with a thud.  While she had taken Keal back up to the den and secured him into a silken tomb for the second time, Mila had managed to grope her way along the walls back to the den.  The incredible lack of light was making even the drider put the tiniest bit of strain on her eyes to see, but she could still see leagues better than the human.

“Over here, girl,” she commanded, giving one of her legs a quick succession of taps.  It was enough for Mila to find her way over, arms extended nearly straight ahead to avoid bumping into things.  “That’s me,” Akara indicated, taking a firm grip on Mila’s hand once it landed on her side.  “Your lack of sight is something we will have to correct.”

“Correct?” Mila repeated nervously, only having a general idea of where Akara’s head was.  “How would we do that?”

“That’s a decision for another time.  The immediate situation warrants a tamer solution.  Wait here.”

The human obeyed without question.  Her life was in the drider’s hands completely now – she’d managed to turn one of the few friends she may have had into a meal for her.  There was no going back to her village; not anymore.  While she contemplated her new stance on the now almost foreign idea of humanity, Akara returned with the artifact she had been seeking.

With a distinct lack of understanding how the technology worked, Akara eventually opened the glass cube to expose the candle within.  Raising one of her front legs to support the lantern, the drider used her human hands to open a small sack and coat her fingers in its finely crushed contents.  Reaching into the lantern, she snapped her fingers.  A spark jumped from her digits, igniting the wick; the fire was quick to singe the rest of the powder from her hand, causing the powerful creature to jump ever so slightly.

After sealing the pouch, the drider set the lantern on the ground, letting its light fill the den.  This had the desired effect, despite the light still being bright enough to sting her eyes as she adjusted.

“Thank you,” Mila said, now able to clearly see the entirety of the den.  It had never been illuminated to this degree – not even when Akara had scratched the glow root to increase its output.  Deciding to not look a gift from a drider in the mouth, the human restrained her question as to the lanterns origin.

“Now,” the drider said, looking to the meals that lay before her.  “I will eat dinner, then we will pack the rest of the meals up and leave.  You will help me with that one,” she paused, gesturing to one of the restrained men.

But not Keal.

“I thought you were to eat Keal tonight?”

The drider chuckled, looking towards the cocoon that contained Keal.  It was heavily fortified, more so than the rest.

“Do not worry – I plan to eat him just as I do the rest.” She approached the cocoon, picking it up with her front legs to hold at an angle.  “I have something special in mind for this one now,” she smirked at her own plans, running a hand along where Keal’s head was.  “For now, this one,” she continued, unceremoniously dropping Keal to the floor.  She moved back to the cocoon furthest from Keal, picking it up in much the same manner.
“Come here,” she instructed, outstretching an arm to guide Mila.  The human obliged, approaching the drider – though her unwavering focus on her next meal was making the human a teensy bit uneasy.  “Your job is simple.  Hold him up above your head, so that he slides into my mouth quickly.”

Mila approached the cocoon, which was still ensnared in the drider’s legs, insecure about how to approach her new task.  She was far from strong – likely something she had been bred specifically to avoid.  Akara moved the cocoon so that it was now angled towards her mouth, drooping it into a kneeling position.  The human walked over to the other end of the cocoon, grabbing the end with both hands.

With a heavy grunt, she hoisted it up to her waist.  A simple task, until Akara lifted her end to her mouth.  Now having to focus entirely on not dropping the cocoon, Mila’s arms burned with opposition as she hoisted the man’s feet to her shoulders.  Once there, she took a quick break, resting the cocoon against her shoulders.  The rest was cut short though, seeing as Akara already had a quarter of the meal in her mouth.

A panicked haste brought Mila’s arms back to their previous position as she hoisted the cocoon over her head, holding it up as Akara swallowed.  In this position, she could not see Akara’s eyes, only the massive bulge that was worming down her throat.  She followed the lump, pausing only to admire the drider’s impressive chest, all the way down to her stomach.  A swift kick from the drider’s front leg regained her attention, almost losing her grip on what remained to be swallowed by Akara.

She quickly followed the cocoons journey, slowly closing the gap between herself and the drider.  Soon she was up against Akara, looking up between her breasts to make sure she didn’t fail in her task.  Once Akara had the last bit of cocoon in her mouth, she began sucking it in.  This action caught Mila off guard, mildly alarming her when both of her hands wound up in Akara’s mouth.  When she tried to pull her hands out, the drider sealed her lips around Mila’s wrists, keeping them securely in her maw.

With Mila’s hands still in her watering mouth, Akara swallowed.  This happened to be the last swallow she needed to seal the cocoon’s fate.  It slipped into her throat completely, leaving her to work her esophagus around the hearty meal.  As she swallowed, she pulled Mila close, nearly smothering her in her cleavage.  One of her front legs went to Mila’s back, securing her position, the other to her head, pressing the human to her throat as she swallowed.

Mila listened, with antagonizing detail, as Akara’s powerful body moved the fully grown man down into her belly.  She could feel the drider’s stomach swell, pushing her away ever so slightly, but she remained pressed against the powerful predator.  Once Akara had finished swallowing, she pulled one of Mila’s hands from her mouth.

The other hand remained in place as she ran her tongue along the small intruding limb, tasting Mila.  Her mouth watered for more, but she resisted and removed Mila’s other hand as well.  Licking her lips, she looked down at the human.

“You taste wonderful,” she said, releasing her front legs from pinning Mila.  “In case you were wondering.”

Mila backed away a few paces, nerves on edge as she wiped the saliva from her hands.  The saliva rolled off of her silken dress easily, seemingly unable to grip the fabric as it quickly splattered to the floor.  Taking note of that interesting feature, Mila gazed at the drider.

“Next time, don’t let your hands get in my mouth,” she instructed, licking her lips one more time.  “My appetite is ravenous, and you can fit in my belly quite nicely.”  Mila gulped, nodding her understanding.  “I don’t intend to consume you, but you may not give me a choice if you keep forcing me to taste you like that,” she teased, rubbing her belly.  Of course she had no intentions of eating the girl, but it was particularly satisfying to remind her new underling of her place.

“Since you were so insistent this time, help me with another meal,” she instructed, gesturing towards the next cocoon.  Mila gulped, repeating the process of hoisting the cocoon to her waist, then shoulders, and finally above her head.  This time, as Akara swallowed, she eyed her hands approach to the drider’s maw carefully.  Once only what she assumed to be ankles remained, Mila let go of the cocoon, backing away as Akara finished.

“Good,” she said, swallowing hard to force the lump down into her belly.  While she was impressively large, two fully grown humans in her stomach distended her middle obviously.  Now she could easily be mistaken for pregnant – with triplets no less.  The drider idly rubbed her now large stomach, feeling the bumps and protrusions that were her meals.

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The drider wasn’t allotted much time to enjoy her meal though.  A heavy thud signaled something landing in her den.  The added weight gave Akara an unaccustomed inertia that threw her off balance as she moved.  Sliding up a wall, she groaned as her belly settled along with the rest of her body.  She eyed the thing that had plopped down, examining it from a distance.

“I swear,” she grunted, climbing horizontally along the wall.  “One night I’ll get to actually savor one of you humans uninterrupted.” Seeing that the lump apparently held no immediate threat, she climbed back down the wall, approaching it.  Mila had picked up the lantern, approaching the thing from the other side.  Akara was the first to reach it though, poking it with one of her legs.  “What is this… thing?”

As soon as the drider’s leg had made contact with the sack, it had reacted.  The spout of flame and smoke that shot upwards was all Mila needed to know.  The drider hissed at the flame, backing away quickly as the spout’s intensity decreased.  Once it had receded into the sack, Mila was quick to approach Akara.

“We must go, now!”

“What is this… thing?” Akara murmured, her gaze not leaving the object.

“We call them fire bombs,” Mila replied, pulling at one of Akara’s legs.  “This one is about to explode – we need to run!”

The hissing died down to nothing, followed by a few sparks before the satchel burst into flames.  The sudden light was enough to temporarily blind Akara, but she still managed to scramble across Mila to the other side of her den.  Once her eyes adjusted, she saw Mila was close behind her, running down to her storage area.  The drider followed hastily, just as the main den was filled with light.  The light burned brightly, a breeze up towards the main den having been formed with it.

“Is there another way out of here?” Mila asked, looking to the den wearily.

“No,” came Akara’s uncommitted reply.  Her voice was dazed, the fire having awoken a panic in her that she hadn’t felt in a long time.  “How long will it burn?”

“If I had to guess,” Mila said, pausing to cough.  “Until it runs out of things to burn.  Does your silk burn?”

Akara’s head snapped to Mila, eyes narrow with ire.  “Are you threatening me?”

“No,” the human continued, her face scrunching in confusion.  “If it burns, then your entire burrow will catch light before the fire dies.  Are you certain there is no other way out?”

“Very.  One entrance is more secure than two.”

“Then our only way out is through that fire.”

Akara gulped, looking back to the short, curved tunnel that led up to the main den.

“Can we not put it out with water?”

“Your silk, yes; but not the bomb itself.  The powder will simply float to the top and re-ignite.”

“Why is the air becoming thinner?”

“The fire,” Mila panted, “is consuming our air to burn.  They’re,” she paused, coughing, “trying to burn us out of your burrow.  If we don’t leave now, we pass out and burn.” Yet another fit of short coughs later, and she continued.  “If we stay, we burn.”

“I will not be cooked like some petulant larva,” the drider hissed, returning her gaze to Mila.  “I take it humans burn easily?”

“Don’t drider?”

“Not easily, and it is extremely painful.”  Akara approached Mila, looking the girl over quickly.  If she was going to go through with her plan, the trifling girl had to at least remain still.  Coughing, she grasped down to her belly, blindly reaching for her armored crotch.  “On your knees,” she commanded, growing frustrated at her inability to assist herself.  Mila obeyed, having naught in the form of alternatives.  Once her head was at the underside of the drider’s human belly, she quickly stepped forward.

“There is a plate that is exposed, find it.”  The humans small hands were electrifying on the drider’s more sensitive armor, but the dragon like heat that was building managed to keep her keenly focused on what she was about to do, rather than pleasure.  Once Mila’s exploratory hands had finally managed to find the plate, the drider continued.

“Now, pull it down.” Once more, the curious yet obedient human did as she was instructed, pulling the flap of armor down.  It held resistance, but not enough to deter her.  Once she was face to face with Akara’s pinkish, pulsating flesh, the drider leapt forward.  Mila’s head was immediately surrounded by the very walls she had just been eyeing, leaving her now fearing for the lack of oxygen.

“Do not squirm,” Akara hissed, her front legs yanking the human forward into her depths.  Despite her instructions, the human aggressively fought Akara.  Had she more time, she would have bitten her, but the heat grew more intense as the air around her thinned.  Now was not the time for such pleasantries.

Slower than she would’ve hoped, Akara was able to make out each curve or protrusion of Mila’s body as it slid into her own.  Once her waist slipped beyond her lower lips, her legs made short work of the human’s legs.  She shoved them in greedily, almost forgetting what was going on as Mila thrashed about within her abdomen.  Once her feet where in, the armored plate that guarded Akara’s lower entrance snapped back up into place, sealing Mila in.

Her movements were electrifying, but so was dragon’s roar that was the fire behind her.  Mila now tucked away safely, Akara slowly turned to face the tunnel.  The weight of three humans bearing down on her frame was managing to throw her off already – the relentlessly squirming human wasn’t helping much either though.

Gulping, she inhaled what air she could, and ran towards the flames.  Shielding her eyes, she looked around quickly for any remnants of her webbing, finding it all aflame.  It didn’t take long for her adrenaline riddled body to assist her in finding the exit.  Running across the blazingly hot floor, the leapt over where the bomb had been, up towards the ceiling.

Fate must have been against her, because the bomb managed to sputter some of its powdery contents directly onto her back.  The drider screamed out in pain, the smell of flesh starting to burn increasing her heart rate tenfold.  She scrambled up the curved tunnel, bursting through the truly flimsy blockade the humans had placed.

What little of the hunting party remained took the opportunity to jump the drider.  One managed to get a cut in on her side, another on her back; before the powerful beast merely kicked them to the side.  She was still burning, and the idea of the fire spreading was none too appealing.  She took off like a scared centaur, leaping from trees as her journey permitted.

A blur of trees and trail of fire later, and the drider had found what she was looking for.  Leaping, she took as large a breath as she could before her body broke the surface tension of the water.  A hefty splash later, and she was rewarded with the cold sting of icy water where the fire had been.  She hissed under water, managing to swallow a hefty amount of liquid and fish before shutting her mouth again.

Using all of her powerful legs at her disposal, she thrust her heavy body through the pond, towards the opposite side.  Keeping her eyes shut, she blindly hit the bank of the pond, her legs struggling to find purchase in the thick, wet sand.  Despite her distress, she did eventually mange to pull herself out of the water.  Throwing her head back, she inhaled deeply as the water flung from her hair.  Her entire body stung, but she knew better than to sit around and lick her wounds.

Looking around proved only to reiterate what she already knew – she had to leave.  Now.  Her own run through the forest had left a trail of the fiery powder through the dense trees and shrubbery, most of which had managed to catch fire.  Taking off in a sprint, she jumped up onto a sturdy looking tree, climbing to the top.  Once there, she jumped from treetop to treetop, skipping across the forest towards its edge.

If it was war the humans wanted, it was war they were going to get.  All in due time though – for now she was going to have to address her wounds and current occupants.  Her stomach sloshed with all the contents it now held, at least one of her previous meals having woken up.  Mila, still trapped in her now demanding nether regions, was likely going to want an explanation.  Of course, she would get one, just as soon as Akara had time to enjoy her being there in the first place.

The drider raced across the canopy, eager to put as much distance between herself and the now blazing forest as possible.  She would be no-one’s cooked treat today.