The Spider and the Butterfly

Chapter Ten

The butterfly sobbed, trying to break free from the grasshopper's grasp. "I have to try! We can't let him die, Sage! We just can't! No!" She fell to her knees. "FANG!!!"

Thankfully, the spider had just enough strength left in his body to propel his body out of the water and onto the shore. He was coughing up water and gagging. Daisy ran to him. "Fang!" she cried, embracing him. "I thought I lost you..."

Fang, after refilling his lungs with oxygen, gave her a weak smile. "I'm not going anywhere, Daisy...but boy, was that a close one..."

Dot walked up to him. "I take back everything bad I said about you, you beautiful spider!" The ladybug bowed and knelt by one of Fang's legs. "Please, forgive me. I was only looking out for Daisy, and thought you wanted to eat her. I'm sorry."

Fang smiled and held Dot's hand. "Apology accepted, spots. You just didn't know the reason why I couldn't eat her, and you were only being a good friend. I'm not angry at all." They smiled at each other.

Sage asked, "Why can't you eat her?"

The spider twirled his fingers. "Well, there's an obvious reason...and then, a not-so obvious one. First things first, though. We must go hide somewhere safe."

Dot nodded in agreement. "Yes, and you're both terribly injured. Thankfully, I know how to treat wasp stings and burns. I wish I had brought my aloe vera cream with me today, so for now, mud will have to suffice."

Fang led the way through the dark landscape. "Stay very close to me and keep your voices down," he warned.

"Why?" Sage asked. "I don't think those wasps followed us after we jumped off the cliff."

"It isn't the wasps I'm worried about."

The bugs were genuinely confused.

Before long, they found a miniature cliffside to rest under. Fang gathered some leaves and used them as blankets for his friends. He kept looking around them nervously, peering into the growing darkness as though he were searching for something.

Daisy whispered, "I'm so cold. Can we make a fire, Fang?"

The spider shook his head. "I'm sorry, Daisy. Those leaves will have to do. We can't risk drawing attention to ourselves. This area is very dangerous, but it was the only place I could think of that the wasps wouldn't dare follow us."

Dot huddled closely with the group. She seemed scared all of a sudden. "What are you talking about?" she asked quietly. "Do you know where we are?"

Fang cast a few more concerned looks around him before he leaned back against the cliffside's wall. Then he spoke: "A long time ago, I used to hunt here as a spiderling. My mother and siblings, along with many other roving bands of spiders of all varieties, lived here, bred here, and hunted here." He stared at the others before continuing:

"This land used to be covered in nothing but cobwebs. The trees, the bushes, everything. It had gotten so overrun with spiders and their webs that eventually the sun got blocked out. That's why we started calling it Gossamer Forest. Only nightshade seemed to thrive and grow around here afterwards. The problem was, without any other plant to eat, the insects either died out or migrated up there in the plains of Ridpath and beyond. And once the bugs started leaving, so did the spiders. The recluses, the longlegs, the orb weavers and jumpers...everyone gone. All except one."

Fang crept forward, glancing over his shoulder. Then he said softly, "A black widow still lives here. She eats any insect unfortunate enough to fall down here, and when times got tough back in my day, she started eating other spiders as well. She, uh...just so happens to be the same widow I dated once. And something tells me she wouldn't be too happy to see me again."

Dot was absolutely horrified. "Out of the frying pan into the fire," she murmured. "How can this get any worse? Is there a way out of this accursed forest, Fang?"

The spider nodded. "Yes, but we'll have to go through her territory in order to find our way back around to Ridpath. You must be incredibly silent and do everything I tell you. Because if she so much as feels the slightest of vibrations, she's coming for us. Do you understand?"

Daisy looked at Dot and Sage. They were wide-eyed and scared, but they nodded. The sooner they were out of here, the better. "Good," Fang said. "My wounds hurt very much, Dot. May I have some of that mud, please?"

The ladybug obliged, applying the mud to the wasp stings on Fang's arms, back, and chest. Daisy coated her neck with some of the stuff, enjoying the coolness of it against the burn marks on her. She sat there by Fang as they stared out into the shadowy darkness beyond them.

"I'm so sorry for frightening you back there, Daisy..." Fang spoke up. "I have no idea what came over me. I could have hurt you..." He seemed despondent.

The butterfly snuggled up against him. "But you didn't. I'm fine now. And...I still trust you." Fang stared down at her. "You trust me?" he asked. Daisy nodded.

There was some silence before Fang said, "There was another reason I didn't eat you. When I was young, my mother made it a point to me and my siblings to never waste. Whatever we caught in our web, we ate. No exceptions. Well, she had caught a little moth in the web one day. And she appointed me to be the one to finish it off with a bite. But...as I approached the little moth, she looked up at me, crying and shaking. I stopped in my tracks.

"I don't know what it was that made me reconsider killing the moth. Maybe it was her desperate and frantic will to live as she struggled in our web, or maybe it was just that single look she gave me. With her eyes, she was begging for mercy, knowing very well what kind of creature I was and that I didn't have to show her any. But I did. I unwrapped her delicate little wings and she flew away."

Fang paused, looking out into the landscape. Daisy waited. Finally, the spider continued: "My mother wasn't happy at all. She, uh...she bit me."

Daisy gasped.

Closing his eyes, Fang said, "I guess that's what I deserved for showing empathy, right? Maybe my mother was trying to teach me that showing any signs of weakness or love for an inferior species would lead to them taking advantage of me. Or to be a better hunter. Still, I couldn't feel my legs for a couple of days afterwards. It's just...well...you kind of reminded me of that moth, Daisy. And I decided this time around, my mother wasn't there to boss me around anymore. So in case we don't make it out of this mess, I just wanted you to know that I'm very happy to have met you, and I'm glad I decided to give you a chance and...and show kindness to you. Best decision I've ever made."

Fang opened his eyes, waiting for Daisy's reaction. The butterfly kissed him on the cheek, much to his surprise. "I'm glad you did, too..." she said. "You're my best friend."

The spider cradled her in his arms. "Best friend," he murmured. "I like that." He leaned against the cliffside again and smiled warmly down at Daisy, who covered his body with one wing. "Let's get some rest, Daisy."

"Alright," she whispered. "Sleep well, Fang."

Fang's hand stroked her cheek until she fell asleep. "She trusts me," he said to himself. Heart fluttering, the spider smiled even more as he drifted off to sleep himself. Then it started to rain.