The memories of pain lance through my mind as Oldme wakes, still stunned from the impact. I'm glad we survived, it's so simple to forget that I'm merely watching the actions of my self. Even now, Oldme ravenous hunger threatens me, we must have regenerated after the impact. It hurts... in fact it hurts more than the small cracks I can see in our chitin. It's not good, we must be almost out of stamina, and if that's the case, then well... [General Knowledge 1] is warning me that starving is fully capable of ending me.
We are still on the cliff, a fair distance away from where we started. In fact I think if we went to the ground the pile of waste would be nearby, covered with more food. We need to reach it. We slammed into a small ledge, our web still stretched out and waving in the wind.
Oldme tries to move, but the pain from the broken chitin, and the lack of stamina keeps us from moving. I can feel, and feel fear myself. No, we will be ok, Oldme somehow got out of this and back to the [Purple Hat]. This explains why I had felt so much pain.
Oldme is panicking, but unable to do a thing in our current state. Wait, a tremor through the ground, felt through my legs... I'm not alone, I don't think Oldme notices it. The fear flooding my other self is almost as great as the pain. A bug, but we can't catch a bug in this state.
No, not a bug, I see it creep along the ledge and just into view. Eight legs, an [Arachnid]... not just a spider either, a [Common Spider] just like me, though half my size. It's watching Oldme from safety, lurking close enough to the edge that perception is unlikely.
It takes a few gentle steps forwards, intentionally revealing itself to Oldme once it's clear we aren't in any condition to attack. I feel a little hope and happyness in Oldme and I'm glad for myself. The smaller spider moves forth tentatively, clearly surprised at it's newest visitor. It pokes me... no it pokes the [Sarong] in curiosity... well this spider is likely as [Mindless] as we were before the [Hat].
I admit, if we had met it a little while ago I would have dismissed a [Mindless] spider. But it was [Mindless Body] that got us out and away from the swatters. Oldme was defeated early, and I never had true input... well I made the weapon and armour, but it was [Mindless Body] who carried us out. Something can be said for unthinking instincts I guess.
Unfortunately, those instincts have clearly warded it away from us, it skitters back after it's gently stroking our carapace. The sensation was nice at least, avoiding the clear cracks with it's leg. But it's gone now, to the despair of Oldme.
Oh, it's back already, I barely had lost sight of it, when relief had flooded Oldme. I'm sorry I didn't know that this journey would be so hard for you. I picked the two easiest quests and everything... well at least now we can see were are safe, now I'm looking I can see some of it's webs, we must have landed very near to it's nest.
Oh, I am sorry little one. We are heavy I know, you are doing well dragging us closer to your nest. Oldme is very relieved and is shaking... it feels like the fear is slowly drifting away. It does occure to me that this spider might be planning on eating us, but I get the feeling this was never the plan. [Arachnid Knowledge] suggests that this is normal friendly behavior. Oldme is glad the smaller spiders nest was so close, and I am inclined to agree. We very much got lucky with where the silk brought us, I doubt the smaller spider could have dragged us far.
It's not a cave exactly, more an outcropping of rock, eventually forming the ledge we landed on, and the protrusion our web had caught. The smaller spider does not try to drag us all the way into the nest, stopping just before we reach the web. I am curious about the two small shining stones, but without movement they matter little right now. To pull us up to the web would likely get us tangled right now, so I am glad we stopped. Oldme desires to climb to the center for rest, but we are still too weak.
But when the smaller spider presses a cocooned [Cricket] into our Pedipalps I feel a flood of relief. I had known that we would survive of course, but seeing the assistance felt good. Better than good, it feels wonderful. Huh, what? Oldme is so remarkably happy right now. It's not like the [Cricket] is delicious, it's not bad, and draining it is filling us satisfactory. But it's not that good.
It's like we just put on another [Sarong] everything feels warm and safe. More than I would expect anyways. I don't understand, but watch as Oldme finishes the food, discards the waste, and then slowly climbs up into the nest. A warm bubbly feeling fills us this place feels almost as safe as the [Purple Hat] I wonder what is going on. In any case, I don't feel unsafe, and [Mindless Body] is co-operating as we get ready to rest and recuperate. The Little One clambers up a few moments later to join us, bringing another cocoon and leaving it within arms reach. I recognize a bursts of warmth at that, not unlike when the [Serpent] fought the [Unending] and saved us. Perhaps a beneficial social effect? I will have to study that, but after we rest.
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We shift as Little One brushes our carapace gently, a happy feeling of safety and warmth bubbling up from the start of our rest. This is nice, I am hurting significantly less. Little One is busy stroking my thorax, careful to avoid the cracks. It's a nice sensation, and I shiver at it's touch. Oldme is pleased, and reaches out for the nearby bug, a [Grub] this time... a good one as well, fat and juicy, little of the husk is left once we drain it dry. It is a good way to wake, is this also Social, it feel similar, but better than when the Swatters were freaking us out.
We stay in the restful web for a while like that, Oldme healing slowly, Little One occasionally moving to grab another bug. It shares a few with us, but needs significantly less stamina it seems. Oldme is very happy with it, and I agree, I wish we had invited it back to our nest, we have better webs and more food. Perhaps coaxing it out of this crevasse is hard, I have certainly seen enough danger around to last a lifetime. Oldme tries to move after a while, but pain lances through our entire body. We cannot move, that could be a problem.
Thankfully Little-One is unhurt, and much smaller, it's barely eating the food it has, so we should be good for a while, we are both very thankful to it for taking care of us... wow, that was warm, what are you doing... oh, Little-One has moved in front of us, and raised it's pedipalps and front legs. It sways to each side, it's legs jittering as if trying to dodge a Swatter. What do you want? I am confused, it is making no... Ah, Oldme is not confused. We can't move, but Oldme raises up our own front legs and pedipalps, jittering them to each side in a playful mimic of Little-One. Little-One is clearly pleased, the [Mindless] spider whirling in a way we cannot, and raising up it's other legs and jittering in time. What fun, Oldme cannot whirl, but we do raise up several legs and jitter them, not nearly so nicely as our host.
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The pain has gone down, so perhaps that was a way of caring for aches, it was fun regardless. Thank you Little-One you do it well... and thanks for the [Cricket]. As we receive the gift Oldme brushes it's chitin, just to one side of it's black eyes. We consume it ravenously, with a rest we should finally have enough stamina to move once more.
Little-One moves closer once we have eaten, Oldme let's it get up real close, sitting next to me, legs on one side in between mine. I feel a bubbling of happiness in Oldme... I also like the companionship, Little-One soft chitin pressing against me and it's warmth seeping through. I guess it also wants to rest, and we listen to the wind blowing. This is nice, just like inside [Hat]
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Legs don't hurt anymore, I am up molting. Little-One is disturbed by my movements. Oldme knows how to escape the molt, though [Arachnid Knowledge] says we were not due for another soon. The cracked chitin falls off in large chunks, Little-One helps pulling the old discarded parts of our legs and body. Soon we are free, and Old-me stretches out. This is so much better, Little-One seems bouncy, clearly happy that we can move once more. We will have to see how to move it to our wonderful [Purple Hat].
Oh, it's moving again, jittering, and this time wiggling all of it's body. [Arachnid Knowledge] says this is a dance. Just watching Little-One feels good, really good. Oldme is already wiggling, our legs jittering as we move around the nest in opposite to Little-One. After quite a while of inaction, being free to move is wonderful, Oldme jitters and wiggles instinctively, not even aware of all our movements, perhaps this has something to do with [Mindless Body] or our Id. I shiver as Little-one dances close and strokes along my sternum, rearing my larger body as it dances close, it's legs moving and rubbing against my own. My current body shivers from the memories of my old. Little-One seems to know just what to do and where to touch.
Clearly both of us feel energized by the contact, and we spin and whirl together in a odd harmony, our bodies seeming to know what each others are going to do. Little-one caresses my pedipalps, running it's own along them during a moment of particularly close contact. My thorax pulses in time with it's movements, and I feel Oldme folds struggling to pull in enough air. It bellows in and out through the hole. I don't understand, and Oldme is nearly delirious, we should maybe stop.
Little-One makes a motion that makes us shudder, Oldme is uncertain what it wants as am I. Does it want to dance more, is it hungry, or has the charged dance made it need a rest. Oldme want my aid, but I have no idea what is happening. Little-One spins us around the web in a final dance, then starts drawing web from it's spinneret.
Oldme exclaims in excitement in our memories to my confusion, our thorax pulsing faster and our folds heaving in and out air. I'm confused, and I feel conflicted, what is going on. Oldme desired it to climb us, and Little-One strokes us once more before beginning exactly that. I see it's spinneret dripping into the wrapped web.
Suddenly it makes sense, [Arachnid Knowledge] explains and I nearly recoil. No, Oldme, we need to leave, we can't. We are in too much danger, we have too many things we need to do... we can't do that to him... we can't do that to us, and who knows if the [Hat] will work after. But for all my cries of despair and horror, this has already happened, and Oldme is enthralled in the dance.
I feel my current body shudder as he makes his way up my old one, my thorax throbs in fear while Oldme throbs without. Little-One is [Mindless] he doesn't understand what he is doing... and neither does my delirious past self. His gentle rubs along my thorax make it throb faster, and he climbs up high onto my back... his webbed pedipalps leave lingering and slightly wet touches, his legs press against it until my thorax feels like it's going to explode. I beg my memory to stop this, but neither could ever respond.
Gently Little-One strokes my copulatory openings, bringing a shudder to both my memory and real body, coaxing open each of them in turn. Oldme stops standing, resting our torso on the web, and my current body collapses to the ground as well. Little-One runs the tip of its pedipalps along the openings, making sure we are ready. I make another pointless plea to long gone memories before he presses his pedipalps into me, pushing the little wet balls of web in ever so slowly. Our bodies shudder, and Oldme squirms, the feeling of him entering is... well it is mundane, but both of us can feel [Mindless Body] instincts kicking in, our desire for Little-One efforts incredible.
He is inside me, pressing the web deeper and deeper, I feel him fully enter both of my openings, Little-Ones skill superior to others. Neither of us has done this before, but both of us know how, he plays our body like an expert, deeper and deeper until his pedipalps breach my spermatheca. We shudder again, as he presses the wet and sticky web into the cavity inside our body... slowly and languidly unwinding it from his pedipalps. It's like he is lingering intentionally, like he knows that our dance is soon to end.
I sob as Oldme cries in joy, her comprehension lacking. Little-One finally lets go of each web, then doses them once more with his essence. The action nearly knocks Oldme out, and sends my own mind reeling, our instincts pulsing along with our filled pulsing thorax. Little-One is so gently pulling out, his work having ended. We almost don't notice, Oldme breath is drawn in through her folds rapidly while mine is exhaled with much greater force. I can't change anything now, I beg and plead with memories, but Oldme can't hear, driven mad with instinct as Little-One withdraws from her openings, letting them seal up and tighten around his essence.
Oldme instincts are sated in all but one respect, I watch in horror as we whirl and dance around Little-One, our fangs plunging through his eye, our pedipalps holding his body steady as we tear his head from it. Little-One end is mercifully short, he felt nothing, certainly nothing as Oldme cocoons his ended body instinctively, already dissolving his to consume. I can't tear my eyes away as we bite down on his body and drain and drain until little is left but his husk. I feel sorrow, I feel sadness, and I do not know how to express them. But Little-One is ended, and when Oldme recovers she will grieve like I do.
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It is unpleasant to rise to the sobs of Oldme. Realizing what is done the moment our eyes open to the pale husked Little-One. She repeats my earlier thoughts, she sobs, she begs, she cries to me that it is not fair. We shall name him Little Dancer, for he danced so very well. She does not stop as she packs away what she find in his web, taking a stone wrapped in his web, and another stone so shiny he did not. She departs and returns, begging to be wrong, asking that I can help.
But it changes nothing, Little-Dancer has ended, and we carry what is left.