only the Epilogue to go!
Chapter 13
The BBS was being assaulted by four sliglets, HIS brood. Tok was biting and clawing at the BBS's face. The other three were doing the same on other parts of his body. Now, any other time this scene would be hilarious, but right now Spider was horrified.
"Gerroff you vermits!" the BBS howled as he tried to knock the sliglets off.
"Spider!" he heard Tok cry, "Get 'em! Get 'em now!"
Spider, snapping back to his senses, complies.
"Move!" he yelled as he lunged. His brood hastily complied and Spider managed to seize the BBS by the throat with his jaws. The BBS made a couple gurgle noises and had a look of shock on his face, he tried to pull Spider off, but Spider held firm, tightening his grip. The sliglets watched from a safe distance as the BBS weakened and finally collapsed. Spider kept his grip on the BBS's throat for a moment longer, making sure he was dead. He let go and weakly padded over to his brood.
"Any of yer hurt?" Spider asked, panting heavily.
"No Spider, we are all fine." Bas answered.
"Good..." Spider managed to say before collapsing and blacking out due to pain and exhaustion....
Spider woke up a bit later. He was in a med hut and he shuddered. Even after all this time he still hated medics. His wounds were all bandaged up and he saw his brood beside him.
"He's awake!" Bas called to the others.
"Oh Spider, we were worried 'bout yer." Ner said as he hugged him.
"Yer gave us a bit of a scare there, we thought we were going ter lose yer fer a moment there." Rik commented.
"Why...," Spider started with a slight growl, "did yer disobey? I told yer ter run back ter the village!"
"If we didn't come back and jump that bistich yer would've been killed." Tok said, a little surprised at his anger.
"I would have gladly died if I was sure yer would have been safe!"
"Spider...," Bas started, "we appreciate yer protecting and raising us, but we're not sliglets anymore. We are young sligs and we are old enough to make our own decisions. We are no longer jus’ yer brood; we are yer pack. We not only see yer as our father, we see yer as our fellow pack mate as well. And pack mates look out fer each other, no matter the danger or the risk. We all need each other and that is why we disobeyed."
"My...pack..." Spider said, letting it sink in, "I...never thought I would have my own pack before..."
"Well there's a first time fer everything, isn't there Spide?" Nerik said as he padded in and jumped up on to the bed next to him. "I think yer would make a great Alpha."
"Scrawny..." Spider said with a smile, "Yer really think I would?"
"Hey..." Nerik yanked half-heartedly on one of Spider's face tentacles, "I told yer...it's Nerik now. And yes I really think that yer would."
"Aw...yer always be Scrawny ter me..."
"Well it don' look like it would suit me anymore now does it?" Nerik laughed.
"Guess not....hmmm." Spider thought a moment, "We need a pack name..."
"How 'bout 'The Spiders'?" Ner suggested.
"Ain't that a bit on the obvious side?" Spider said, raising a brow.
"Not really, yer an ambush predator, yer like ter set traps, and yer like to slink around in the dark; all are traits of real spiders." Nerik said with a smirk, "And I bet, under yer guidance, yer pack mates will learn how ter der those things just as well as yer."
"Yer right," Spider said with a chuckle, "'The Spider's' it is then."
A small cheer then went up in the group...
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