Sheltered Pt. 02

"He's up on the hilltop, seeing how bad this is. One landed near here, down in the lower valley." Theia said, wrapping her arm around the old Arachne's waist. She took Ona's hand and carefully guided her down into the antechamber, just outside of the den. "He should be down soon, I hope..."

"Others are coming," Ona coughed as she settled down just inside the door, unable to go any further. "You're going to have a fair amount of company soon."

"Are you hurt, Ona?" Theia asked, surveying her briefly.

"I'm fine, I'm fine..." Ona said, closing eyes briefly, and waving off Theia's concern. "Wouldn't hurt

to have some water."

Theia nodded and in a few moments, she returned with a tumbler of water and one of her shawls. She gently threw it around Ona's gray shoulders, clasped it with a wooden pin, and gave her the tumbler.

"What was that up there, Ona?" Theia asked, "I've never seen anything like that. It terrified me and the force of it threw Serik and I into an under-hang when we tried to come back down."

Ona said nothing as she held out the tumbler and Theia took it. The old Arachne reached into a worn, leather pouch slung across her hip and took out a bundle of silk cloth. She opened it, corner by corner until it revealed what looked like a small chunk of translucent, green stone.

"This is Moldavite," Ona said, her voice low as though she wanted no one else to hear. "Witchstone, they called it, in the days before. When the sky rains fire, it sometimes comes down with it. Star stuff--the purest kind of magic in solid form. Many things have been made from this--weapons, talismans, artifacts of great power..."

Ona quickly bundled the Witchstone back up in the scrap of silk and urgently pressed it into Theia's hand. Theia felt a warm, tingling sensation in her palm and she looked up at Ona for a moment. Her stomach lurched in what seemed like a nervous fit and her free rubbed at it for a moment before it stopped. Ona's brow furrowed quizzically, but she said nothing.

"It's bad now, what with everything on fire, especially in the deep forest." Ona said, an edge of desperation in her voice, the chitinous claws of her eight, black, spindly legs clicking anxiously on the stone, "but it will get worse. Those who crave power will come for the Witchstones. They're drawn to them like moths to a flame. Terrible wars have been fought over the sites said to contain them, and..."

Ona's eyes seemed to dart wildly around the antechamber now, as if she were reliving a horrible memory that had suddenly clawed its way up from a dusty and long forgotten past.

"If the Black Prince awakens," Ona barely whispered, her voice shaky like dry leaves, "there will only be darkness."

After a moment, Ona seemed to remember where she was, and when she was.

"I'm sorry, my child..." she said, her rheumy violet eyes suddenly sad as she pushed Theia's hand --the one that held the stone--to her chest. "Keep it safe and it will keep you safe."

"I will, Ona." Theia nodded, and slipped the stone in a pocket just inside her leggings. She arranged the shawl around Ona's shoulders a bit more, as the Arachne tiredly curled her legs beneath her. "Rest now, and I'll make you something to eat for later, okay?"

Ona only nodded and her eyes slipped shut. Theia watched over her for a moment and when she was sure that the old Arachne was asleep, she went into the den to put the largest pot they had on the fire. Ona had said more were coming and she was never wrong. They were going to need food and medicine to get them through the night, at least.

"Theia!"

Theia looked up from her tasks to see Serik deftly climbing down the rocks and into the den. When he was down, she ran over and threw her arms around him. He smelled a little like smoke and ash just from being outside.

"I was starting to worry," she said, squeezing him tight, and he grunted in pain.

Theia pulled back and saw a cut just above his clavicle. It was long and oozing blood down his shoulder.

"Some stone caught me on the way down," Serik winced.

"Let me look at it?"

Serik nodded and Theia took his hand, leading him to an area with better light. She opened a chest where she kept extra supplies and dragged over a stool that she could stand on.

"You made it down the tunnels okay, Theia?" Serik asked, his mandibles working anxiously. He winced again as she started cleaning it.

"I made it down fine," she said and smiled when she felt Serik's forelegs wrap around her lower back. "Ona is in the antechamber, asleep. She says we're going to have a lot of company very soon. How bad is it out there?"

"I expect so..." he said, and cursed softly when Theia touched a tender part of his shoulder. "Some of the lower valley is definitely on fire, but it only seems to be around where the crater is. I don't think it will spread. If we stay underground, I think we'll be okay. I couldn't see what was in the center of the crater from here. It just looked... scorched."

Serik grabbed Theia and she let out a squeak as he held her tight with arms and forelegs. Her feet dangled for a moment before they found the stool again.

"We'll get through this," she said softly, as she stroked his hair with her free hand. "And we'll help others get through this, too."

He released her and Theia kissed him softly and then a little deeper. The soft hairs of Serik's chelicerae brushed both sides of her face as his thumbs brushed the sides of her neck, and lingered over the bite marks he'd left.

"Can I bandage your shoulder now?" she smiled softly, as Serik's hands moved up to her cheeks.

"Of course," he said. "I'm just glad you're safe and not hurt..."

Theia gently caressed the back of his hands at her face and kissed his forehead. She stepped down to get a long roll of bandages and Serik cut the length with a claw of his foreleg. In a few moments, Theia was done and his forelegs were still loosely draped around her waist.

"I should've gone down with you when you wanted me to," Serik said, resting his forehead against hers. "I might not have been hurt and... I made you worry. I don't ever want you to worry like that, Theia. I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, Serik.," She murmured and kissed his neck. "You did what you thought you had to do in that moment. I'm surprised neither of us where hurt when we got thrown into the under-hang, especially considering I was vulnerable and completely... naked. You protected me then and again when you told me to go below. That's one of the things I love about you."

"Maybe I'm a little overprotective," he grumbled. "Arachne... can be a bit overprotective sometimes, of our mates. If it's too much just--"

"--No..." Theia said softly. "You saw a threat and needed to size it up. That's nothing to be sorry about."

Serik felt Theia's hands gently lift his face to hers and his heart soared when she gave him the sweetest smile.

"I love you, Serik.," Theia said and softly kissed his lips. "You did good--I'm the one who panicked. I was terrified."

"I was too," Serik admitted, "but.. my only thought was for you and your safety, my beautiful one, my mate."

"I wanted you to be safe too," Theia murmured.

"I know." Serik murmured and stroked her hair.

They stayed in each other's arms, feeling the warmth and comfort of their bodies pressed together for what seemed like a long while. Finally, Serik released Theia and stroked her hair behind her ear.

"Come," he said softly, taking Theia's hand as she stepped down from the stool. "There's much work to be done."

"Could you make Ona a sling?" Theia asked. "I don't like that she's sleeping on cold stone right now."

"Of course, and I'll see if others have arrived."

"Perfect. Thank you." Theia said and kissed Serik softly. "I'll finish up here and I'll come out and see who needs what."

Serik kissed her forehead softly one last time and nodded. Theia watched him go, for a moment, absolutely amazed. If she'd never been out in that rain and twisted her ankle, she would've never met Serik. She would've never become mated to such a brilliant, gentle and loving creature. Theia quickly returned to her tasks, putting the water on and gathering what she thought she might need to take out with her.

The on-coming evening and night promised to be long and exhausting, but Theia drew drew strength from knowing that no matter what happened tonight, no matter how many denizens of the forest they received or if the fires in the forest and valley shifted, Serik would be by her side.

He would always be by her side, and she, his.