A Worthy Opponent (HunterxHunter)

Chapter 31: A Spider's Lair

He smiled. "I can see what Bisky goes on about. You hardly think about yourself or well-being."

"Ha. Which is why I appreciate your efforts to take care of me. And the group. I don't think I'll ever meet another person who brings tea when I'm tired, hurt, upset, or even just sitting by a fire. You are definitely going to stay in my future."

He turned to me with utter sincerity. "Do you mean that, Cinta?"

"Like you said, I'm not the best liar am I?"

"Terrible." He chuckled.

Though we fumbled in the conversation, our senses still tuned in to our surroundings. My hand constantly pressed against the trees' rough bark. My calloused fingers embedded within the cracks, anticipating distant vibrations from its webs. We continued diligently in quiet  movements, changing directions towards the strongest signals. Ahmad pointed out hidden webs here and there so I could familiarize myself. Unlike normal spiders, the webs were thick and opaque, reflecting a mossy dark green that blended in with vines. When I focused hard enough, I could detect the paralyzing chemicals radiating off it. Prickling my nose. He also told me to stay away from the eggs because the mother used it to root out its surroundings. It was fascinating...but it was also death.

"It's almost impossible to tell if it has red eyes because of its flowered head," he started. "But because it has appeared under a full moon, and is quite unique in its power, I don't doubt for a second it's working for Riv. In fact, I have a feeling he'll control the spider soon to find us since he lost his main camera if he hasn't already."

"And maybe capture us..." I inspected every rigid tree as quickly as possible. A small breeze carried a few scents to my nose. Bitter, damp fertilizer.

"I know you can protect yourself but I'd hate to lose you." Ahmad crouched near me yet hadn't met my eyes.

His comment took me by surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Well...I—I'm not sure." His head buried into his hand. "I don't know why I said that. Nevermind."

I thought for a moment as I placed a hand on the tree to hold myself and smiled. "Then I'll guess it's because we can relate." That excited feeling when we traveled. When we discovered new things. The moment I entered the jungle I was already guessing about him. Wanting to follow him. We could have been closer friends had we met earlier.

"I thought so...did you—and you don't have to talk about it—but did you lose your mother too?" He asked slowly trying to meet my eyes.

"How did you know?"

"I picked up on something when you mentioned it was just you and your father. Then Kurapika mentioned it in the argument last night... sorry."

"Oh..." My fingers curled in. "Yes...her and my little sister. Because of Riv."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Both our legs perched on the branch. His shoulders tilted towards me though he looked onward.

"What was your mother like?" I asked him.

He laughed. "She was actually a lot like you. You both have brown skin, the same thick hair. Her eyes were green, however. And mainly, she was always looking at the bright side of things. She always encouraged me to never be afraid. She always ran into danger with my father and I..." Ahmad took a deep breath. "And then my father would scold her for being reckless, but we knew we couldn't stop her." He wiped his face. My smile faded as his eyes fell to concern. "Raine...I wasn't so generous before. I was rather cold with the new people I had to lead. My father had lost his touch since she was gone and I had to take on more than I could handle, losing people by the minute to careless mistakes. But when my father said it was my turn to go alone, that he needed a break, it was you who reminded me of her, as if it was a sign for me to keep pushing through. You made me want to be adventurous again to its fullest."