It was beginning to get dark when we arrived. None of my children were looking any better than they had before, but as we were getting ready to get going back home, I noticed something I really didn't like.

In the distance... was smoke. A large billowing of black smoke. The road that we were following that passed through the jumi village which led to my own heavily shrubbed savanna-like forest was very twisted and bendy, and followed even slight inclined hills. I couldn't decide entirely if that smoke came from my forest or the village or wherever, but I had a really bad feeling that it did. I did know that the ocean was that way, so it couldn't be that far, and I didn't think there was anything else around.

My forest was definitely on fire. What else could it be? I wanted to rush back, but since some of my children were still injured, I couldn't rush off like that. Then again, who would light my home on fire? The jumi commander wouldn't, the villagers nearby wouldn't. Something else was going on here... I couldn't waste time. We would have to split up!

"Malas, go home right now. Get there as fast as you can. Two of you that aren't hurt, you have to pull the cart and keep your siblings safe. Anyone injured stay on the cart or walk alongside it if you can. Everyone else, we need to get home immediately."

"Parent? What is happening?" Djraine asked me.

"Our home is on fire. Remember the smoke from when you used to rest on my chest in our previous life together, how it made you frightened when I was cooking? That is happening, but even worse. Our home will be no more if we do not get there quickly. Even if we do get there, it might already be too late."

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Aneis looked at me with a strange look, but the position of her eight slender legs told me she was at least worried.

"I know. I know you hate it when your web gets disturbed, you always have. I remember when I had to clean your cage when you were only a pet of mine, and you got very unhappy. Keep that feeling and let's use it to make our home safe again."

Malas had luckily already begun to wander off, though I doubt he'd get there before me. Sun wasn't coming, Cletus and Shore weren't looking good. Laina, Mels, and Dulcet were staying behind, but luckily Sting and Bander were coming. Sting couldn't actually sting, but his claws were still pretty potent- Emperor scorpions prized their huge claws more than their weak tails anyway.

...

The five of us began a quickened pace, with me in front and between the others. Malas would catch up, I guess. I was right in assuming he wouldn't go as quickly as we did. Hopefully he wouldn't get lost!

It was already dark, and the pale light of the stars above weren't illuminating as well as I'd like due to the cloud cover. Some stars peeked through in patches, but it just wasn't enough. My lantern didn't seem to help all that much either, but at least we were able to keep from walking into each other or into holes in the road and things like that.

The jumi village lay before us, dark and quiet. We got through it effortlessly, not making a sound as we did so. Nothing else made any noise either... there was a fire crackling in front of us. It was still around a mile away, but I could tell that one of the trees had caught fire and burned itself enough to be overcome by its own weight and collapsed. Getting closer, only a half mile away now, I could see figures moving around the blaze.

People. There were people there, that had lit my forest on fire and destroyed all trace of our spiderweb walking path we put so much work into, and whoever it was was dancing and drinking around the remains of my calm demeanor.