Ruling Weirdos - New Friends

The young boy scampered playfully through the forest trees. He had no shoes on but didn't seem to mind the leaves or rocks as he went along his way. His pants were torn near the bottom and looked well-worn as did his shirt. His brown hair was an unruly mess and needed a good trimming but the boy just pushed it out from his eyes. It was always falling back over his eyes but he didn't care, he was free, able to enjoy the world as he saw fit.

The boy came to a stop in front of a large tree bearing bright red, round objects. He cocked his head quizzically, looking at the things that grew on the tree. Within moments he was climbing the tree, grabbing a couple of the objects before dropping down to the ground. He sat down, placing his back to the tree as he studied his new find. The boy had never seen an apple before. He had been born after such things became less common since the town that he had lived in had no trees like this.

The boy though had an instinct for picking out edible food and nothing about these things seemed wrong to him. He bit into one cautiously, remembering the distasteful lettuce his providers had fed to him one day. His cautious expression turned to joy though as the sweet juice hit his taste buds and he ate the remaining object with gusto. As he was eating the second red thing, a low growl froze him in place. A pair of wolves had sniffed him out and were slowly pacing in a half-circle, watching him.

It was the first time he had seen these creatures since leaving his town but he had heard their howls before. He stood up slowly, holding the half-eaten red thing in one hand and the third in his other hand. The wolves attacked without warning, streaking across the distance in silence. The boy cried out in fear, throwing the half-eaten apple ineffectively as he crossed his arms over his face. There was a crash and yelps of pain as something heavy blundered through the trees, striking the wolves.

The young boy peeked through his arms and then let them drop to his sides. There it was again, the giant creature from before. It had eight legs and an upper body like a woman. She used one leg to grab one of the wolves and smash onto the ground. The other wolf managed to escape being grabbed and sped off without stopping. The spider woman turned toward the boy, looking at him with her emerald green eyes. The boy felt no fear unlike the first time he had seen her. She had been the one that had rescued him, though at the time, it had seemed like she was attacking his providers.

But here she was again and although she had killed the one wolf with ease, she made no threatening gestures towards him. "Thank you," the young boy said. Not knowing what else to do, he held out the third apple to the spider woman. She moved delicately towards him, deliberately slow as she plucked the apple from his outstretched hand. She passed it to her hands, bowing slightly towards the boy before biting into the red thing. The boy had expected her teeth to be like fangs but he saw that they were normal like his.

He moved slowly toward the spider woman. She noticed his movements and bent lower down to the ground so that she was eye level with the boy. She ate the red thing, allowing him to touch her. "Why did you save me?" the boy asked, looking at her from the corner of his eyes. She was beautiful and scary at the same time, her dark black curls falling down to cover her breasts. The human part of her was free of the black hair that covered her spider legs. "Your powers brought me to you." The boy looked at the spider woman in surprise. "I don't have any powers. I'm just a boy!"

"The magic in you allows us to communicate. You are like me, before the transformation. Your magic called out to me to help you escape." "You mean...I'm going to be like you?" the boy asked. The spider woman nodded, tossing the red thing away. She stroked his face, pushing the hair out from his eyes. "The transformation is a few years away for you but I will stay with you and help you. You have nothing to fear," she said. The boy gazed at the spider woman anew, looking at her while trying to see how he would look. It wouldn't be so bad. He had always hoped to be something special, to have magic of his own.

"Come, we have a great distance to travel," the spider woman said. "What? We're we going?" "There is trouble in the air. The demons are beginning to gather up the humans around these parts. If we're to be safe, we must go to one of the kingdoms." "But why? Won't the others try to hurt you?" The spider woman smiled, taking a few steps back from the boy. Without a word she transformed in front of him, the legs disappearing until she had only two. Tight-fitting clothes formed around her body, black like her hair had been. "We're shape-shifters although we can only transform into spiders," she said.

The boy stood transfixed, excited at the idea of this new power that waited for him to transform. She changed back into her half-spider form and then picked up the boy. "This will be faster and safer if I stay like this," she said to him. He nodded, looking back at the slain body of the wolf. "What's your name?" he asked her. "Lydia," she answered with a smile. "That's a pretty name. I'm Michael, but I like Mike better." Lydia laughed, her laughter sounded like chimes in the wind. "Ok, Mike. Let's get going." Mike settled into her arms, glad to have a new friend as they made their way west into the setting sun.