As Adon and the spiders left the royal property for the first time, the air whistling all around them, there was a period of peaceful silence, while all three arthropods enjoyed the view.

For both spiders, it was their first time outside of the palace grounds, and Adon wanted to let them relish the experience of traveling beyond what they had known as the horizon.

They briskly flew over the small number of buildings that separated the palace garden from the forest, along with Wayn’s city wall. The views were of what Adon thought of as medieval architecture, which reminded him of history books and previous lives spent in medieval settings, but he hoped the sights were novel for the spiders. Samson only remembered his immediate previous life as a human in a technologically advanced society, as far as Adon recalled, and Goldie’s memories of her past lives seemed to be even more limited.

The blessed quiet continued on for some minutes further, until the trio had flown beyond the city limits and entered the forest’s edge.

I can’t see the palace anymore, Samson sent excitedly. He had turned his body partway around on Adon’s back, to keep the city and palace out of his blind spot, and Adon found the position made the flight slightly more awkward. It gave the butterfly the bad feeling that he might drop his brother if he took a particularly sharp turn.

Please keep hands, feet, and heads inside the hovercraft at all times, Adon sent, trying to maintain a humorous tone. We do not offer refunds if you suffer a severe concussion after you smack into a tree.

What if we just fall from a great height? Goldie sent back, trying and failing to match Adon’s tone. She was clearly at least a bit afraid of actually falling.

Adon considered pointing out that at her size and weight, she was unlikely to take significant damage unless she fell from much higher up, but he thought better of it. That sort of practical information wasn’t going to be reassuring. He had learned that much about others in his relatively short life.

If you just fall from a great height, then we will offer you a full refund, Adon sent instead, his inner voice smooth and businesslike. That’s our bad!

The three arthropods shared a telepathic chuckle at that. The tension palpably defused.

And the flight continued on.

This scenery is beautiful, Adon, Samson sent after a few more minutes had passed.

Adon had lost himself in the environment, too, almost forgetting what the invertebrates were in the forest for, in his pleasure at being back in the great outdoors. The gorgeous plant life that was either evergreen or turning to beautiful autumn colors was stunning.

Yes, it is, Goldie agreed. Hard to believe I waited my whole life to see it.

I hope it was worth the wait, Adon sent.

Goldie sent a quiet message that Adon recognized reached his mind alone.

I was probably meant to die defending my eggs alongside Red or to become food for them, in truth, Adon, she transmitted. Everything after Samson and his siblings was born is just gravy. Perhaps that is why I am not so afraid to die for a friend now.

Adon did not know what he wanted to say back to that, so he said nothing for a few seconds. He knew it was a discussion that loomed over this trip like the Sword of Damocles, but he had no desire to engage right now. Perhaps he would feel better about fighting alongside Goldie once he saw how strong she had become—or once he had helped her become stronger.

This break from the ease of palace life had more than one purpose, after all.

It struck Adon that if he determined that Goldie was not strong enough to participate in the war to come, and she refused to stay out of it, he could simply leave her and Samson behind in the forest. The spiders could not fly, had no way of covering ground quickly, and would probably have difficulty even knowing which direction to walk in, unless Adon flew in a completely straight line.

It would be an ugly trick to play on his friend and his brother, but it might keep them out of danger. He would have to bring her children to wherever he left her, so that she could take care of them.

But with his perfect memory, finding the location a second time would be feasible for him too.

Let’s not think about that right now, he thought. That was a worst case scenario option, almost unthinkable.

Thank you, Goldie, he sent. I hope it does not come to that, but thank you.

Adon slowed his flight, began to curve the trajectory of movement slightly, and shifted his attention to the ground, using only his Simple Eyes to keep track of any obstacles that might loom ahead of him.

He sought creatures that might pose a decent challenge for Samson. Strengthening the little spider was the top priority.

Knowing his little brother, Adon felt confident that Samson would choose to challenge the mystical void that Adon had shown him again soon, even if it was dangerous—even if Samson had sworn to himself that he would not attempt it. Samson had always been more ambitious and driven than Adon. Determined.

Usually it was a good thing.

Adon saw rabbits and foxes in the area of forest directly below, and he considered what he should start Samson out fighting.

Maybe I should slowly escalate the power of the creatures he fights over time, he thought. Killing a mountain lion or something wouldn’t be possible for him now, and I think it might reduce the Evolution Points he gets for killing smaller prey in future anyway. So maybe I should start with something really small…

Samson, what’s the biggest thing you’ve killed since you were born into this life? Adon sent after thinking a bit.

The biggest thing I’ve killed? Samson sounded slightly surprised by the question. Well, I guess I’ve been a bit sheltered. I don’t think I killed anything other than insects since I hatched.

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

Okay, excellent! Adon transmitted quickly.

The butterfly angled his body downward and took himself into an immediate dive.

Wait, why did you ask me that? Samson asked in a slightly worried tone.

I think he’s going to find you something to fight, Goldie replied lightly.

Yes, but what? Samson sent.

Then Adon was touching down lightly on the side of a tree, a few feet above the ground. He landed silently, barely impacting. None of the creatures scampering around below changed its activity in response to the butterfly landing in their midst.

Adon, what am I supposed to be fighting? Samson transmitted again, his tone impatient.

The butterfly pointed with his antennae.

Down there, Adon sent. There’s a field mouse.

As he sent the message, the little brown creature below moved slightly, chewing on a small green chunk of exposed plant root.

A field mouse? Samson repeated.

Oh, you can do it, Sammy! Goldie sent excitedly. I wish your little brothers and sisters could be here to see this…

Yeah, I guess I can, Samson sent. Honestly, I was imagining something much bigger.

So, I was thinking about this, and I think we need to treat hunting sort of like climbing a ladder, Adon sent. You move up one step at a time. By the end of this trip, the idea is that I’ll have you hunting creatures as strong as the ones I fight. Or maybe not by the end of this trip—but eventually, you know? What do you think?

You’re the expert, Adon, Samson replied.

Thank you for making a plan for us, Goldie transmitted. I assume you also intend for me to participate—once Samson and I are at a similar level.

Yes, as soon as Samson has grown a bit stronger, Adon sent.

I think—I think I could evolve if I get a couple kills under my belt, Samson sent, his inner voice shaking slightly with excitement. I’ve been looking at the Evolution Store.

Very exciting, sent Goldie.

Just have to drop down onto that mouse and get started, Adon added.

Samson began walking over to the side of Adon’s wing, but as the spider crossed from the stable solid surface of Adon’s back onto the gossamer of the butterfly wing, Samson slipped almost immediately and began to slide downward. Fortunately, Adon reacted quickly, curling his wing at the edges to make a cup shape so that Samson didn’t slide all the way off and fall to the ground.

It would not have been the most auspicious way to begin the hunt.

Finally, pulling himself along the side of Adon’s wing, Samson managed to drag his body to the area of edge that overlooked the area of ground where the field mouse stood.

Easy-peasy, Adon heard Samson thinking. Just give myself a little push, land on its back…

Sensing Samson’s hesitation, Adon quickly flipped the edge of his wing flat. With the edge he had been gripping suddenly yanked from his reach, the spider went tumbling straight down, while Goldie looked on from her position on Adon’s back.

Did you do that on purpose? she asked.

He’s my brother, Adon sent slightly defensively. Sometimes he needs to be tossed into things. He’s really good at thinking on his feet.

As they were exchanging words, Samson landed in the middle of the field mouse’s back. Moving perhaps by pure instinct, the spider quickly leaned in and sank his fangs into the mouse’s flesh directly adjacent to the spinal column.

The mouse, which had merely twitched with the impact of the tiny spider’s landing, began to writhe and whip its body back and forth like a mechanical bull as soon as it felt the sting of Samson’s fangs.

Samson lost his flimsy purchase on the field mouse’s body and went flying into the same tree that Adon was perched on. His body hit with an insubstantial thud and rolled down the wood, back toward the field mouse.

The mouse was running away at that point, and Adon took off again, flying to cut off its retreat.

As he neared the ground, Goldie leaped off of Adon’s back. He pushed Mana into his wings and, with a single flap, he blew the mouse toward Samson.

You’re not getting out of this, Adon thought.

The mouse tumbled across the ground, blown off its feet, and before it could regain its footing, Samson was on it again, biting its soft underbelly and injecting venom over and over again.

To its credit, the mouse understood that its immediate threat was the tiny spider. It reached out with its forelimbs and grabbed Samson by two of his legs. With a vicious yank from both sides, one of Samson’s legs tore off at the joint where it met the body, while the other snapped in two.

Adon saw goo trickle from the holes, but he resisted the urge to help. The Evolution Points would be greater if Samson overcame this challenge by himself, Adon was fairly certain.

Use your Mana, dumbass! Adon sent.

Samson immediately glowed brightly, his whole body reinforced, and the mouse’s scrabbling claws failed to do any further damage.

Goldie rushed toward her son, heedless of Adon’s thought process.

Goldie, stop! he sent.

She slowed but did not quite stop until she was closer to her son and the field mouse.

Samson’s adversary turned to face the much larger spider that had rushed toward him—Goldie was significantly larger than the little mouse—and Samson took that moment to leap in again and sink his fangs into the mouse again. This time, the bites sank into the mouse’s rib cage. Again and again, the tiny spider injected his venom.

The mouse swung its left forelimb like a club and connected with the spider’s body, sending Samson rolling away. The mouse seemed to be aware that it could not harm the spider with its claws anymore, so it was just trying to get distance now.

But even as Samson’s body tumbled across the ground like a little bowling ball, the mouse’s body seized up. Spasms of pain rippled through the tiny ball of fur. It clawed at the places on its stomach and rib cage where Samson had landed his bites, and where the claws dug into the mouse’s flesh, Adon saw bits of flesh and fur come away.

The flesh underneath looked slightly rotten to Adon’s eye.

Wow, Adon thought. Samson’s venom is already pretty potent, huh?

Then his view was obscured as Samson charged back into close range and leaped into the mouse’s face.

Adon could not see what happened next very directly, but it appeared to him that Samson was injecting venom directly into the mouse’s eyes.

There was a horrendous shrieking from the rodent’s tiny lungs, and it flailed again and sent the spider tumbling a short distance away.

But the renewed motion from the mouse was short-lived.

Adon saw its little nails claw at its face, though unlike the body, the mouse did not tear into its own eyes where Samson had apparently injected his venom this time.

Then the mouse lowered its claws. They clenched and unclenched. The mouse released a final, pathetic squeak with what seemed to be its last breath of air. And all was still.