My Heaven

-Tarantulas and Spiders-

By Michael James

Part 1

Saying goodbye

In her home,

while pushing hard...

“Its okay Vira, I swear to you that your child will be healthy.” Vira felt her dying inside of her. “Even if she is dying you need to concentrate on pushing her out.” Kirk was holding her hand. “Vira you need to push.” She was pushing dammit! A few seconds later, Vira heard her daughter crying, The nurse performing the delivery was a shepherd named Silo. She governed friendly giant Tarantulas called Fevers.

Silo wrapped the girl in a blanket and handed her to her parents. As they enjoyed seeing their little one cry. Silo walked into the living room to clean her hands.

“I don't understand why we have to send her away.” Vira told Kirk she would come back to them one day. In fact he could go with her if he wanted. But her forest could surface at any time. “And if her forest sprouted here?” Then one of the two women would eventually die. “I've come to trust Silo, but does she know what she is getting herself into?” Stop worrying, everything was going to be okay.

4 days later,

in the middle of night...

“Stop worrying sir Kirk, we will be fine.” Vira told Silo to let herself get rest from time to time. “I know Vira.” Estella was asleep in Silo's arms. Silo was on top of a Fever and took off into the night. Vira leaned on her husbands shoulder.

“Well that one grew way to fast lets have 8 more.” After hearing those words Kirk could have experienced time standing still. “I apologize, I was just kidding around. There is no need to have that kind of expression on your face.

“I need a minute...” he coughed. Vira hugged him assuring she did not want anymore children for a long time. “That is all well and good, but the image of 8 more children is fresh in my mind. This is a wound that I need to recover from.”

At the edge,

of Vira's forest...

Silo held out her hand and her Fevers stopped. She shouted to whoever had been following them for the last mile. She wanted to know who they were and what they wanted?

“I have no problem with you shepherd of Fevers, but I need the child you are holding.” Mothrie told her coming out of the tree line with Trents all around her. Silo put her fingers to her teeth and gave an attack sound. If she made the same sound again this would be a battle field. “I'm telling you this unpleasant action can be avoided.”

“I'm not giving up my daughter snag. I don't care who you are.” Mothrie was bluffing, she knew if this led to a fight, she would lose. “I will let you leave with your head still attached. That is if you leave right now.” Mothrie saw anger in Silo's expression. She took her Trents and vacated the area.

Silo continued her journey out of the forest. She was now in barren wastelands. She was on a trip to reach the mountain range before Estella activated her power. Her Fever spider could move faster than a bear at full charge.

Silo was near a river several days later. She was washing herself and Estella in the water. No greenery for dozens of miles. Estella was laughing as she was being washed and Silo had a moment of oh crud. Estella's tattoos came into being and her power triggered.

It spread across the land like an explosion. But it wasn't destruction, it was life. A new forest grew in full 35 miles in every direction. The river they were in turned into a massive river. And because Silo was holding Estella, her body was blessed.

Her tattoos were the decorations of lilies and friendly spiders...

Part 2

8 legged terrors

17 years later...

“Mother Silo, are you awake?” Silo opened her eyes in her hammock outside the tree house. She asked Estella what did she need? “Oh mother, don't you want to do more than lay around all day?” Silo reminded her that the two of them ran all over the forest yesterday and last night. A little rest and relaxation was in order. “Oh but, laying around is just so boring. Can we go for another run please?”

“Girl, I will literately fall apart if you keep this up. Perhaps find some friends to play with.” Estella shrugged her shoulders thinking her mom was a lost cause. She did have lots of life in her forest perhaps it was time to call on her subjects. She closed her eyes to sense who was near. She could sense saytors playing near the river. She let her mother sleep and tree ported to where the saytors were.

At first they were wondering why she was even talking to them. It was considered uncommon for a Treon to acknowledge summer life. It got even more awkward when she said she wanted to play. But the oldest girl saytor asked what did she mean by play?

“Well I don't know, play in the river bed. Maybe splash each other a bit or something.” She honored them by wanting to play, but there was status to think about. She was a queen and they were commoners. “Get down...” Yes they belong on their knees. “NO GET DOWN!” Estella caught a different kind of spider in her hand. Right as it was about to bite the saytor girls head off.

This spider was not a fever it was a splinter. A real nasty thing that had wood venom like trents did. Its venom wouldn't effect Estella at all, but it would turn the saytor into a statue.

“Run all of you, run to safety!” She ripped off one side of its legs and as it tried to still win. It spit a large amount of body fluid on her. Marking her for its kind to find easy. “Well shi...” Estella ran into the tree and tree ported around trying to find this things nest. What got her attention though were the saytors being attacked from about 13 of them. Estella chanted a spell to make wood spikes surface and impale them.

“Milady, it hurts!”

“Its okay, you are going to be okay.” Estella came out of the tree to her friend who arm had turned to wood. Estella cut her palm and rubbed her blood on the injury. It negated the wood venom and changed her arm back to flesh. More splinters were coming from the trees. Estella took acorns from her pouch. She breathed on them, then threw them at the splinters. Upon impact the spiders turned into wood. “Come on I'll make sure you all get home safe.”

At the saytor village,

a little bit later...

“Where have you kids been all day?” One mother asked in an angry stern voice. That was when she saw Estella with them. Estella told the village to be silent for a minute. She turned the direction the splinters were coming from. She sucked in a bunch of air and let out a wolf like howl. This howl would scare a lion away.

“Do you all have barrier magic?”

“Yes, we have pyro wielders in our village, but why take an interest now?” The village elder asked being humble. Estella wanted to know what he meant. These things have plagued us for weeks milady. Why take an interest now?”

“Please forgive me” she said with a bow. The elder told her not to bow to commoners, it was not necessary. Estella stood up and told them she was not aware of splinters. She happened upon them while talking to her new friends.

“I see, well may I interest you in some tea in my home. Perhaps I can inform you of the situation.” She took him up on his offer. The whole village circled around the doors and window to the home. Estella sat on a cushion and drank her tea.

“It started almost a month ago. Splinters showed up in the shade of the mountain. They got more and more aggressive as time went by. Almost as if a shepherd were leading them. They have infested our crops and turned our elderly to wood. We even hired a dryad to rid us of them, but we never heard from him again.”

“Well their venom wouldn't affect a dryad, and they are not that hard to kill. It must be a shepherd that is controlling them. I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart. I was unaware these 8 legged terrors were tormenting you all.”

“We understand you cant show favoritism...”

“Its not favoritism if I am helping a new friend survive an ordeal.” The elder thanked her for helping them then. They gave rare medicinal herbs to the dryad as payment. They didn't have much else... “No its like I said I am helping out a friend.”

Part 3

A splinter shepherd

In the splinter nest...

“Well Mr. dryad, got anything to say today?” He looked the splinter shepherd in the eyes. When he gets out of these webs. He was going to rip his freaking head... right off his shoulders. “Oh, I'm so scared. Perhaps I should humble myself before you and beg you to spare me. Oh great dryad who cant move an inch, please spare me.” Then he started to laugh maniacally like a villain. Until he felt the webs tremor under his feet. “It would seem fresh meat has wandered in my nest.”

The splinters around Estella had their heads down in humility. None of them dared attack her. As the shepherd wandered into view. He thought for a brief moment oh shi...

“It is an honor to receive you, your majesty.”

“I'm going to need you to release the dryad that is fueling your webs. Also I want you to pack up and get the hell out of my forest.” She didn't even ask his name? “My apologies, what is your name shepherd?” It was Leev. “Well Leev I'm Estella, this is my forest and I want you gone, now.”

“No.” She begged his pardon. “I am a resident of lost and the society of treons have rules. I will gladly let the dryad go. But you don't have the authority to evict me or my kind.” Estella was impressed he said that with a strait face. She shouted his pets had been attacking saytor villages and... “That is an easy fix, my children will no longer hunt saytors for food, anything else?” She asked about the valuable herbs. “I will repay that dept 3 fold and I'll go get your dryad.”

several minutes later...

“Let me know if you have anymore grievances.” She wanted to know his name again. “Leev.” He threw the dryad to the ground and bowed to Estella. She took him into a nearby tree and tree ported back home. She had him on her back as she came in.

“Oh good you are back, is there anything you want me to put in your stew?” Silo asked coming in the living room. She didn't gasp at all when she saw the dryad, instead... “I honestly don't think he will fit in the pot, but okay.”

“Mother, we have a huge problem.” She agreed, there was an instant cure for him. “Really what?” A kiss. “You have to be kidding, please tell me you're jest!” Silo told her there was a much more intimate method. Estella didn't want him to die. She lifted his head and told him to “pucker up. This is my first kiss by the way.” She stuck her tongue in his mouth and her saliva cured him in moments.

When he became awake again. He saw a young treon maiden giving him tongue. He freaked out completely. As she pulled away he couldn't understand what just happened. Silo asked him what his name was? He told them it was Bark.

“Okay I'm ready for an explanation, what is a dryad prince doing here?” Estella looked from him to her, from her to him. Prince!? Bark told her majesty to please not look at him like that. “Can someone please tell me what is going on?” Silo shouted loudly!

“I came to a nest of splinters, in the nest was a shepherd named Leev. He had Bark tied up in webs and paralyzed. He told me treon maidens had rules that I was to follow.” Silo looked at her asking what rules? “Apparently I am not allowed to force beings out of my forest.” Silo looked at Bark and then at her. “What?”

“That rule isn't as simple as that. Are you telling me a being of lost told you, that you couldn't hurt him or expel him?” Basically. “Oh my, I must meet this guy.” Bark told her he was a splinter shepherd. “And I am a fever shepherd.”

The next day,

at an empty village...

“Hello! Is anybody around?” Estella looked in the homes and shops, no one was around. She marched over to the nest area of the splinters. The shepherd asked what was it now? “Where are they?” Who? “The saytors, the entire village is deserted!”

“Well it wasn't my doing. I told my subjects to steer clear of that area.” And she was supposed to believe that? “My pets are feasting on goblins north of the nest. We have other sources of food, we don't need to hunt goat people.”

Estella felt satisfied with that answer. She turned and left. As she was almost out of sight. Leev asked Mothrie if this was the wisest plan of action. Because he had doubts.

Part 4

Duel in the great tree

At night in the rain...

“Estella... Estella!” Silo shouted from the tree house deck. She had been gone all day, and now it was raining hard. Silo told her pets to go look for her. Hours later with no let up of rain. A fever tarantula came back with Estella on his back. She looked like she had gotten the hell beaten out of her. She was brought in the home. Silo carried her from the day room to her bed. She got her cleaned up and mended.

Silo's immediate thought was the splinter guy. But no one of his kind would be stupid enough to assault a treon maiden. She needed answers, so she sent all of her fevers out to find the nest this guy was in. And upon entering the nest all of the splinters hissed and backed away from the fevers. Leev walked up to them asking why they were in his nest. A unique fever that could talk told him what happened.

“I had nothing to do with it, that stupid snag has been planning this for months.” The fever tarantulas all hissed at him wanting more answers. “You honestly think you will live to tell your master. You barged into another spiders nest and think your safe?” Leev put his fingers to his lips and gave an attack signal. All but the talking one was turned to wood. “Tell your master to meet me in the highest tree, tomorrow morning.” The fever backed out of the nest and ran away.

Tomorrow morning,

at the base of the tree...

Silo came on top of her strongest fever, ready for battle. She had a spear in her hand and armor made from web steel. Leev did the same only he wore leather armor and had short swords.

“I am sick to death of you high profile women haunting my steps.” Silo asked who he was getting orders from? “A snag with a huge vendetta against treon maidens. To be sporting I'll let you climb the tree first.” Silo asked the snags name? “Mothrie.”

She and her tarantula climbed up the huge tree and hid in the branches. Leev came up going twice as fast. She wasn't hidden well enough because he came right at her.

Her fever jumped from one large branch to another. Leev cut the web the fever was using to swing. Silo almost went off the tree right then. She caught a branch and her fever got footing on the trunk. The splinter was coming down right at them full speed. The fever waited this time. Right when it was time to strike. The fevers leg hit Leev his mount. Then attacked the splinter on its own.

Leev threw a ball of webbing with a detonator inside. Your basic web grenade. It hit Silo's weapon dead on. Her spear went flying over to the far end of the tree. Yet she didn't seem upset. He threw another and it blocked her mount from his with a wall of webs. He called to his pet to come get him. Silo told her pet to go for him.

The fever was slower than the splinter and Leev was using that. He had an advantage over her by far or did he. As the splinter picked up his master. Silo was real close. She tapped her mount on the hip with her hand. It shot webbing to all 8 hands and fell on the enemy. The splinter was caught in the webs and fell to the ground. Leev's mount was disqualified because it exited the tree.

“You think that you have won because you beat my pet!?” Silo asked him where Mothrie was? If he told her the truth she would leave him alive? “Ha! I am not so weak that I cant get out of this mess. Come at me with everything you have.”

“You can not hope to win, now tell me where she is.” He told her he had no clue where she was. The night before the storm she left his nest and didn't tell him where she was going. His best guess is using this fight to strike the maiden while she isn't protected! “Estella!”

“Where do you think you are going? We are still fighting, if you flee you are forfeit.” Silo quickly took a dagger from her belt and with a precise aim hit him in the neck with it. Leev fell to the ground dead. Silo asked her friend to hurry as fast as she could to her home. Her pet jumped out of the tree and slowed its descent with webs.

In her home,

19 minutes later...

“Estella...” Silo came busting through the door. What she saw made her cringe. Mothrie was tied up with webs. Her long nose was broken as were her arms. Estella was standing over her with a kitchen knife. “Alright, I'm ready for an explanation...”

Part 5

Saving the saytors

12 minutes ago...

“You stupid little wench, did you really think you were going to go unchallenged?” Mothrie was trying to break Estella's neck. She was on top of her in her bedroom. Not only the neck, but after Estella dropped her shield. Mothrie's poison would enter through physical contact. Estella had enough of this by now.

“You think you got me, snag?” Estella's hands were on Mothrie's arms. Two branches grew from Estella's palms and went through like tissue paper. Upon the stabbing, Treon sap went into her body and weakened her considerably.

“What did you do to me!?” Mothrie shouted in pain.

“Where are the saytors, snag?” What? “Where is the village of saytors?” Mothrie saw in Estella's eyes that she was ready to kill. Mothrie was upfront with her, the saytors were bait to lure her out. “You bit..!” She swung her fist into Mothrie's face hard enough to break her nose. Estella then went into a savage rage and beat Mothrie to a pulp.

Back to now...

“Estella, I'm glad you are alive and well as can be expected. But please drop the knife. The snag's life will forever haunt you.” Mothrie asked how could she convince her spare her? Estella asked once again where were the villagers!? “They're dead, I had my help throw them into a pit!” She went from incredibly pis... off, to crying. Estella dropped the knife and her butt hit the floor. Mothrie saw a chance she cut the webs and bailed out a window. Silo walked up to her, got on her knee and held her tight.

The next week,

in a black dress...

“I'm sorry, I could not be there for you all.” Estella said to the graves of every saytor that was found. Silo wore a black spider silk dress as well. She told the girl this was showing favoritism, but Estella didn't care. She was heart broken they died because of her.

“Is there anything I can do?”

“I want to train a snag hunter...”