Chapter 1 – Part 4

The spider moved quietly along the tree branch, it’s inch-long mandibles quivering silently as it crept up on its prey. As wide across as a serving plate, its long legs moved quickly and efficiently towards the smell that made the long hairs around its nose slits twitch. Baby squirrels, high in their nest, made tiny sucking sounds as they nursed from their mother.

A drop of poison glistened on the spider’s mandibles. Not only was it far larger and far more intelligent than any of its kind found in this part of the Eldeen Reaches, it was far more venomous. Not two days ago it had been a companion to a young druid that sought to bring early winter to the Aundarian forces.

That young druid had been splintered into smoking scraps of flesh by a lightning bolt. The spider had fed off of its former master once it emerged from hiding.

But it enjoyed live flesh more. It enjoyed the fear and cries of smaller animals writhing beneath it. The spider was not normal it many ways. Ever since it had fled into a sacred site for the Children of Winter after it hatched, it liked to feed even when it was not hungry.

The squirrels nest shook as the mother sensed something coming near. The spider hurried, closing the gap quickly.

When it was barely inches away from the nest, its many eyes saw a goblin appear from behind the leaves. The spider did not have enough time to register shock at the sudden appearance of the goblin before the leather-clad humanoid that had been hiding in the trees shoved a knife through it.