The Forgotten Hero

V - The Price of Peace

The darkness of the jungle spun by in a blur. Branches whipped and scratched at Liana's legs and arms, but she ignored them all.

Heaving through shallow breaths, she desperately ran as fast as she could, knowing the enormous spider was closing in. Its powerful legs hammered the ground, each one searching for her as it knocked over trees and threw out mud and rocks in its wake.

Her legs burned, though she would not slow down. She jumped over logs and ducked under branches, not knowing where the next obstacle would be until it was before her.

A thick leg skewed the ground beside her, throwing her to the side. Crying out, she pushed off against a tree and kept moving.

The rattling hisses of the giant spider followed her, seeming to penetrate her mind.

Another leg stabbed the ground in front of her rising foot, and she fell forward, rolling and scrambling in the mud. She turned on her back, utterly exhausted, to see the great orbs of the spider close in on her. From its small mouth came a green glow, matching its eyes. Its shuddering hisses echoed through the jungle–or through her mind. She could see the ridges within the mouth as it opened wider, luminous bile dripping from it.

Suddenly something disturbed the air above them.

"No! No!" came a familiar screech.

Hooky spun and darted back and forth through the air, his bat-like wings flapping furiously.

"No!" he barked, growling and hissing.

The great eyes of the spider rose and blinked.

Liana lay there, waiting for the spider to strike and end the courageous Hooky, who was darting around like an incessant fly.

The spider hissed. It considered the squealing Hooky, and then, to Liana's great surprise, it backed away into the night. Its glowing eyes rose up into the trees, and disappeared in the darkness above.

Hooky lowered to her, moving slower now. His small shoulders also heaved, and his eyes were wide.

"O-kay," he said softly. It sounded the most human Liana had heard him yet. His tongue whipped out and ran along his fat lips, and he smiled at her, blinking.

Liana would have laughed, were it not for the sheer terror she had just experienced.

As Hooky led her back to the hut, she hugged herself, soaked from sweat and shivering in the cold night.

Not even attempting to go back to sleep, she lay awake for the rest of the night, unable to stop the traumatic images in her mind.

Hooky lay down in the front room, between her and Jerrim; she could see his furry tail from behind a box. Even though she could hear his soft snores, she felt that the creature remained there to look out for them.

It was around the time of the early morning birds' songs that she eventually drifted to sleep.

***

When she groggily awoke the next morning, she was surprised–and elated–to see Jerrim on his feet.

He pretended not to see her at first, which gave her the impression that he had just been watching her. He always pretended to ignore her when he had been caught staring at her.

She rose to her feet and went to him, fighting the throbbing in her head.

When she hugged him, he let out a suppressed groan, and she realised she had squeezed him too tight.

Stepping back, Jerrim moved his hands to her waist and looked at her, that sorrowful look in his eyes. She offered him a weak smile and turned away, not wanting to hold his gaze for too long. She let the rest go unsaid.