the final Chapter *grin*
Chapter 15
Spider was padding along in the forest not far from the village. His brood was scampering about beside him, getting into mini play fights as they went. He chuckled as he lifted a hand out of the way of two of them as the tumbled about. He had managed to teach the trio to respond to certain calls, so he could manage them more easily.
He suddenly stopped when he caught a very familiar scent on the breeze, a scent he thought he would never smell again.
It can't be...can it? He thought, his heart in his throat. He couldn't take it; he had to find out. He called to his brood and they immediately stopped their antics and trotted up to him. He told them to follow, and he bounded off, looking back on occasion to insure they were keeping up...
Scrawny and Zig were just entering the village when Scrawny suddenly stopped in mid step, a look of surprise on his face.
"What's wrong Nerik?" Zig asked, pausing.
Scrawny lowered his snout to the ground sniffing, trying to determine if he really smelled who he thought he did. However there were too many other scents about, and he couldn't pinpoint.
"Nothing..." Scrawny finally said sadly as he lifted his head back up, "Jus' my nose playing tricks on me...Let's go on."
"Alright." Zig said as they continued on toward Bea's hut...
Spider stopped abruptly, and lowered his head sniffing the ground. The scent was very strong, like it was just put there.
It has to be him...He's alive! He thought, tears welling up in his eyes. Then, joy filling his heart, he lifted his head and howled.
Scrawny suddenly jerked back around, not believing what he just heard.
"What the frag was that?" Zig said.
"I don’ believe it…,” Scrawny muttered, 'Cuse me a mo..." He then suddenly scampered off back in the direction they had just come from.
"Huh? Nerik where are yer going!?" Zig said as he watched Scrawny run off, "ah frag it...what’s gotten into ‘em?"
Scrawny ran, his heart pounding with excitement. He rounded a corner and saw someone he thought he would never seen again....
At first the two friends just stared at each other, taking in that they were really seeing each other for the first time in a long time. Then they both ran toward each other, meeting halfway. Scrawny leaped onto Spider’s chest and Spider rolled onto his back, embracing each other. Both were crying their eyes out in joy. Scrawny suddenly let go and started pounding on Spider's chest.
"You bistich! How dare yer give me a near heart attack yer disappearing on me like that! Making me think yer were dead all this time!" Scrawny honked.
"I missed yer Scrawny." Spider said with a smile, Scrawny's blows not even affecting him.
"Yer big lug," Scrawny gave him a playful punch in the face, "I missed yer to." Scrawny suddenly found himself being jumped by a trio sliglets, knocking him off of Spider. "What the frag!?" he cried.
With a laugh Spider give a call, and the sliglets got off of Scrawny, but they still were scowling at him.
"They thought yer were attacking me." Spider said, still laughing.
"Who!? What!?" Scrawny said confused.
"This is my brood." Spider explained as he righted himself, "I found 'em and I'm raising 'em."
"Who'd da thought..." Scrawny said scratching his head.
"Yah I know." Spider smiled, “I haven’t come up with names fer them yet…”
"Uh huh." Scrawny was still trying to take this all in, "That reminds me...I'm called Nerik now."
"Nerik?" Spider thought a moment; the name was familiar. Then it dawned on him, "Nerik as in my fathers assistant!?" he said surprised. Scrawny merely nodded. "If so then...why didn't yer tell me who yer were before?"
"At the time I felt it was best that yer didn't know, especially considering your mental state at the time. By the time we had escaped, I had become so accustomed to being called 'Scrawny' that I had practically forgotten what my real name was."
"I see, hmmm...” Spider looked thoughtful for a moment.
“Yer thinking…yer know that is dangerous.” Scrawny teased.
“Ya ya I know.” Spider waved a hand. He looked at his brood, still looking thoughtful. They had calmed down now; having realized Scrawny wasn’t a threat. Two of them were wrestling; the third seemed more interested in Scrawny, his whip in particular.
“This ain’t a plaything kid.” Scrawny said as he moved the whip to his other shoulder.
“What’s with the whip anyway?” Spider asked.
“It’s a method of transportation fer me and also something fer me ter use on any trouble makers.”
“Ah…Anyway…I think I thought up names fer these little twerps.”
“And those are?”
“Bas, Ner, and Rik.”
Scrawny thought a moment. “Hey yer named one after Bastek and the other two…aw Spide yer shouldn’t have…”
Spider pushed his head up against Scrawny’s chest in an affectionate gesture as he said, “Yer mean a lot ter me Scrawny…If it weren’t fer yer I won’t even be here right now…”
“Ain’t that the truth kid?” Scrawny said as he embraced him, “ain’t that the truth…”
They spoke a long time; remembering old times, telling each what they have been doing.
Bea and Zig both watched them for a while; smiling, glad they were able to reunite two friends….
What was I refering to with that last sentence? Who knows, I just thought it up at the last sec *grin*
Coming Next...'Pack of the Spider'
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