Painted White

Fall came. Fall goes. And then, the fall comes back.

It was a favorite time for the community, and the relief from the freezing cold brought by their last visitor was as abound as the falling leaves. The reports of the lack of Hunters brought even more joy, and it felt as if peace was going to be a mainstay. For Tholan, it brought about a familiar stage of paranoia.

He was keeping an eye out for the spiders.

This was a time for festivities, as the harvest brought about a bounty that would last them even through the winter as their storages were filled, and their fresh water was collected from the river pouring out a rushing torrent from the mountains. However, this was a time when the pests would invade their homes, and all precautions and preparations against such were being considered and carried out. Some pests, like rodents and birds, were saved for meat, while bugs from ants to large beetles were either crushed or scooped up and placed back outside. Garrold, the community leader, suggested leaving the insects be, as the house spiders could take care of them. "Spider's gotta eat, too."

This idea, however, didn't sit well with Tholan. It felt silly, a young and strong fighter and protector being scared of an arachnid, but he hadn't quite gotten over his phobia since childhood. Even Garrold and Lindia teased him for such, remarking how he had faced down a team of Hunters and a cannibalistic abomination while shivering over a spider just being itself. "It's more scared of you than you are of it," they would tell him. Then they would recommend facing his fear, get exposed to the animals over time, and he would be fine.

Tholan had just finished cleaning his house after helping out in the fields in the morning and was thanking his community's patron deity that he hadn't come across anything with more than four legs. Still, every cobweb gave him pause, and a simple string or even hair follicle had him sweep a room more than once. He was about to head out the door with a new dust collection to give back to the wild when Lindia rushed inside:

"Love, have you seen either Petro or Feina?"

Tholan paused; today was another push for potential resources, and the oldest couple had volunteered to venture out. Everyone was told to avoid the Blue Man clearing, as that area was considered a hot zone (more like a cold zone, Tholan had joked), and some even thought it cursed; Garrld reassured everyone that it was to let the corpse be, as the forest would claim the body as the soul was now at peace. This meant that the couple would have to push further into the darkened woods, away from the mountains and dangerously close to potential Hunter grounds, usually used for camping and trapping. Petro and Feina, however, were the most experienced, and no worries were made over their decision even though Garrold told them both to exercise extra caution, even telling them to return before midnight. The fact that Lindia had to ask was a clear indication that something went wrong.

"Everyone, remain calm!" Garrold ordered the crowd that gathered outside his house, as many a concern was passed. "Listen, listen! Yes, Petro and Feina have not returned yet, that could mean a number of things. They could have been forced to hide out, as there are reports of Hunters camping near the lake as well as the river for deer game, even ducks, and they might be avoiding detection. Or maybe they found a new resource, and they are just delayed in setting up a temporary entrenchment. Or, most likely, one of them got injured, and they're taking things carefully. Everyone, just continue with your day, go back to your chores or play. Tholan, Lindia, come here!"

Typical, Tholan thought, but at least he would get away from any potential "skitter-critters" - a reference he called the children who liked to prank him with fake spiders.

Garrold ordered them both in the general direction of the elder couple, stating, "Whatever is going on, you just bring back those two. Don't get caught, don't get seen, don't fight unless you have to, just find Petro and Feina! And hurry; their children are worried." Tholan and Lindia agreed, and quickly set out with their packs of water, preserved meat, bandages and medicine, and a couple knives and hatchets. Both also took a couple spears, bows, and a couple quivers of arrows just in case they came across any predators. Tholan brought more matches and rubbing alcohol, just in case.

A few hours had passed, and they were practically a stone's throw away from the lake when they came across a red crux. This one had been set up years ago, and Lindia leaned forward and sniffed the wood. "They were here," she reported, and Tholan looked around. There were definite tracks on the ground...

A strand landed on him. He quickly grabbed it out of reaction, and thought it was from the forest itself. He tried to throw it to the ground, but it stuck to him.

He pulled it, but it got stuck to his other hand and even his jacket. Finally, he rolled it up and was able to huck it away from him when he saw more strands, these ones already on the ground. He soon made out distinct tracks of humanoids, moving directly to the lake, along with...something else. He looked at the earth; these were claw marks, but nothing he was familiar with. These, too, were heading for the direction of the lake...as if following the humanoids.

Tholan and Lindia stepped out of a place of strange dreams and found themselves face-to-face with the aftermath of a nightmare; there was an encampment of Hunters. The keeyword being, "was". The tents were either spilled in different directions, or had collapsed where they once stood, almost like someone stomped on them. Equipment was littered all about, from fishing lines to rifles, some even snapped in half. And then...the bodies.

About five were laid about, though a couple were ripped wide open and almost made the count seven. Another was apparently stabbed with bolts and was lying near the treeline as if running away from whatever had done this. A third was also near the trees, but appeared to have been broken from being thrown to the trunk that he was lying under. And the fourth... Tholan was reminded of a potato sack after it had been emptied as he examined this cadaver. Two gaping holes were in the abdomen, and the only moisture was a strange liquid that smelled awful (along with whatever smell was left in the remains of the guts). There were more of these strange, sticky strands-

"Over here!" Lindia called out.

Tholan rushed to her and found Feina lying within one of the collapsed tents. She twitched when Lindia laid a hand upon her and stared into the eyes of the younger patrollers. She stuttered, "P...p-p...Pe-tro...it-it...it took P-Pe...Petro..."

"What took him? Where?" asked Tholan.

Feina's eyes were rolling to the back of her head and her mouth shut, but she managed to point with her right hand to the north. "She's gone in shock, love," remarked Lindia. "I'll get her to the community."

"Check for any injuries, and then go," responded Tholan. "I'll find Petro."

Walking north, he stopped to pick the strands off of his feet. And then, he stepped on another strand that actually stretched further into the woods. It was taunt, like it was intentionally stuck there. As he pulled, it stretched and waved, and he followed the line first with his eyes, and then with his body. Rumor was given that this direction led to a cave system, once home to nomads and bears, but having been abandoned for one reason or another. Something else had now moved in.

Moving forward with utmost caution, he saw more strands, this time as taunt as the introductory string, and even moving up the trees. Before the rock formations supposedly leading to the caves, a strange formation was sticking out, white like a bedsheet yet set up in a familiar design...

He came closer. It was a crux! One of their old cruxes, set up years ago by none other than Petro himself! But why would Petro come back here? The better question, and more concerning question on Tholan's mind, was what dragged him back here? He touched the crux, and the white strands stuck to his hand. Finally, he recognized it for what it was.

Spider silk.

He breathed heavily, his neck-hairs standing on end. He looked around again; the webbing was everywhere in this vicinity! Even the ground had strands, stretched and laid out like a chessboard, and he was standing in the middle of it. He looked around carefully, moving slowly...

A faint sound was heard, one that an ordinary human might miss or take as a faint gust of wind. Tholan, however, made out the distinct sound of someone in distress, an elder male's voice moaning in pain. As carefully as possible, he moved among the strands and pressed on.

The rumor was true; here was the cave system! Tholan noticed that these weren't natural, but might have been mines from decades ago, maybe even centuries. More strands were spread across the mines, all but one large entrance laying down from the slope that he stood upon. Another moan was heard, definitely coming from the entrance, and Tholan carefully moved down the slope to the entrance. He checked inside, and saw nothing resembling a trap. He looked closer for any spiders, however large or small they might be. There were corpses of the arachnids, stuck onto the strands and left to starve, but not much else moved here except-

"Petro!" Tholan called out to something that shifted inside. The shifter, in response, moaned again. Tholan ran inside, checking around the corners and even the ceiling as he hurriedly made his way to the elder patroller. Petro was moving one arm while the other appeared to be paralyzed, especially with more of those bolts from before. Tholan looked closer and saw that these weren't bolts. They were quills! Large, barbed quills. Large, urticating hairs...

Petro grabbed him. "F-Feina!" he gasped. "W-what did, where i-is...?"

Tholan removed his hand and held it. "She's alive. Lindia's with her. I'm getting you out of here."

Petro shook his head. "N...no, s-save Feina, save y-yourself, g-get out, boy, it wi-ill come-"

The light from the entrance was suddenly swallowed, and Tholan's hair seemed to try and escape without him. Petro gasped again, and Tholan slowly looked over his shoulder.

More light was swallowed away, unable to peer fully around the giant now making its way back into its home. Its claws slowly reached out from legs as thick as gate poles and gripped either rock or dirt, while its quill-covered body swayed slowly up and down like a calm ocean tide. Dark orbs stared upon him as what looked like glowing circles from within swayed left and right before centering on him.

His childhood appeared before his eyes; a simple game amongst the other children, testing their noses with "hide-and-seek". Not far from their community, he had already found three others and tagged them, sending them back home. He ran to the trees, smelling a potential fourth candidate. It was then that he came upon what he thought was a white tree. The smell was stronger here, and he ran to the tree, eager to climb it and tag his next victim. When he felt his hands stick onto the trunk, he assumed that it was sap and he pulled.

The white strands suddenly came off the tree, now bound onto his palms, and he pulled even more. The strands became more numerous, and even more were stretched off of a large overlaying branch hanging above Tholan. Suddenly, the strands snapped, and a few dark, black objects fell upon him. In shock, he fell over, the strands lying atop him. He sat up, and upon his chest was a large spider, a tarantula that was as surprised as he was. It rushed his face, and he screamed. The visage of the tarantula filled his view.

This thing was almost a thousand times bigger than that tarantula - an ultrantula. It was not curious, it was not scared, it wasn't going to defend itself. No, it was going to kill both him and Petro. Fear was seeping into Tholan's being, having his life literally flash before his eyes-

Lindia. Garrold. The children. The community. Those flashed before his eyes. So did those Hunters, that abomination, the red cruxes and the blue corpse...

Petro moaned in pain again. This seemed to break through the fear that held Tholan. He stared back at the ultrantula, gritting his teeth. Already, his muscles grew, his clothes tore, and his power was found again. He was not dying here, and neither was Petro! No one else was dying! This defiance surged into a roar, and the ultrantula pounced!

Tholan dropped his spear and grabbed the now-outstretched fangs. The giant arachnid pushed him to the wall, and he used his left foot as a brace from being completely pressed. As strong as he was, he was still fighting against a greater mass, one trying to get him underneath it so that gravity, too, would be on its side. What's more, that same smelly liquid was pouring out of its fangs; a drop already landed on his right forearm, and he could feel irritation and, following, a great itching sensation. There was no time left; while bracing with his left foot on the wall, his right foot came up and delivered a powerful front kick between the fangs, on the chelicerae. The ultrantula relented, backing up a few feet, giving Tholan a few seconds of reprieve. Again, the spider charged, but Tholan quickly ducked under it, missing the fangs by an inch. The spider stopped and backed up again, but Tholan rolled and stayed underneath it. It backed up to the left, and then to the right, but Tholan stayed underneath it despite his now larger size. He scratched at the the spider's underside-

The ultrantula jumped and landed on the wall where it almost pinned Tholan earlier. It quickly turned to him, and he stood up. The light bent around his being, filling the cave, and the ultrantula shifted to a darker part. Tholan, in turn, backed away and had the light of the entrance between him and the spider. It hissed a loud and curt response, and then started crawling up to the ceiling. Tholan moved underneath it, and it released its grip and fell upon him. But Tholan jumped back, drawing it into the light and having it force itself back.

Petro shifted uncomfortably, attracting the ultrantula. It moved towards its nearly unconscious prey, and Tholan, waving his arms, cried out, "No, over here!" Immediately, the ultrantula turned its thorax to him, and started kicking its quills. Tholan dodged almost all the bolt-like barbs, with one digging shallowly into his forearm. He rushed forward and bit deeply into one of the spinnerets. Another hiss, and the ultrantula actually managed to fling him off, albeit with one less spinneret.

He shook himself, and then spat out the piece. The ultrantula, illuminated by the entrance light, now turned to him again but was not setting up a strike. He understood; it was in pain, reluctant, and almost out of stamina. He, too, was in pain, but he was patient and still raring to go. And as if his patron deity was smiling upon him, he saw his spear within reach. But what to do?

Another memory came to him, this one a lesson of a war from long ago.

Petro shifted again, and the ultrantula turned to him. Taking advantage of the act, Tholan reached out and grabbed his spear. The spider turned back to him, and pounced once more!

Throwing the spear would be a waste, and stabbing at it wasn't enough since his claws could barely scratch past the exoskeleton. No, now the ground and gravity were going to be his friends. He braced the butt with his right foot, and the point waited. The hunter became the hunted, as the sharp metal went straight into its mouth. The pained hiss barely made it past the head, the fangs bit down and were deflected by the round shaft, and the butt was dug into the ground, in turn burying the sharp point further into its target. A blue liquid now poured forth from within, smelling strongly of copper, and the pedipalps started swinging, hitting Tholan a couple times. It felt like a superheavyweight boxer was giving him haymakers, but he wasn't feeling anything except rage. With renewed strength, he pushed the shaft further up.

It was done; the ultrantula slumped down dead, its movements were now just death twitches. The glowing circles that once stared intensely at him were now darkened, possibly from internal bleeding. Tholan pulled his spear out, and then sat down as he felt nauseous from the punching he had received. After about a minute, he stood back up and walked over to Petro. The elder was still alive. "Petro," Tholan exhaled, "let's get you home."