Unlucky Fate

Shirley's sharp eyes flicked toward the faint rustling sound behind them. Instinctively, his hand went to the hilt of his blade, and he signaled Ezra with a quick motion—Don't move.

Ezra froze, his breath caught in his throat as his lavender eyes darted toward the source of the sound.

Through the faint moonlight filtering down from the canopy, he saw it—a deer stepping cautiously through the barrier.

Its slender legs moved soundlessly across the frost-tipped leaves, ears twitching with every faint noise, and its nose flaring as it sniffed the air. The creature's delicate head turned side to side, its wide, glassy eyes reflecting the faint moonlight.

Ezra's brows furrowed slightly. It got through the barrier… from the outside.

The realization hit both of them at the same time. Things could enter the barrier, but they couldn't leave.

The deer lowered its head, nibbling on a patch of moss as it took slow, deliberate steps forward. It seemed utterly unaware of the two humans frozen nearby, their breath shallow, their bodies rigid with tension.

Shirley's hand slowly released the grip on his weapon, his shoulders relaxing just slightly as he studied the animal.

"It's calm," Ezra whispered faintly, barely loud enough for Shirley to hear.

"Don't get comfortable," Shirley muttered back, his steel-gray eyes locked on the deer. "It might not stay that way."

They both watched in silence as the deer continued to forage, its tail flicking occasionally. Every so often, it would lift its head, ears swiveling, nose twitching, before returning to its grazing.

Ezra's gaze flicked briefly to the barrier, then back to the deer. "If it can leave… maybe we can find a way to—"

Shirley silenced him with a sharp glare, a finger pressed to his lips.

The night air was still, heavy with tension. The distant howls and occasional groans of something far off in the forest seemed to grow quieter, as if the world itself was holding its breath.

The deer's ears perked straight up, its body frozen in place like a statue carved from glass. Ezra's eyes stayed locked on the creature as it hesitated, ears twitching, nose flaring.

But then… it lowered its head again, resuming its grazing as if nothing had happened.

Ezra let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

'Cute'he thought absently, his stomach giving a low, insistent growl. 'It would probably taste good too.'

His mouth began to water at the thought of sizzling venison cooked over an open flame. Maybe with some herbs—if they could find any. He was already mentally crafting a recipe when—

A faint sound, like silk being pulled taut, whispered from above. Ezra's smirk vanished, his senses snapping back to reality as he felt the hair on his neck stand on end. Slowly, cautiously, he looked up.

Descending from the canopy, suspended by thick, glistening strands of web, was a spider—no, a monster. Its massive, glossy black body was the size of a small car, segmented and sleek.

Eight jointed legs twitched as it lowered itself silently toward the deer, each movement deliberate and horrifyingly precise. Its abdomen was bulbous and glistened faintly in the pale moonlight, lined with faint, glowing red markings that pulsed like faint embers.

Its head—or what passed for one—was a nightmare of twisted chitin and clustered, glossy black eyes. Each of those unblinking orbs reflected fragments of moonlight, staring soullessly at the deer below.

Below the eyes, two massive mandibles clicked softly together, oozing faint droplets of something viscous and glistening.

Shirley's steel-gray eyes followed the spider's descent, his expression cold and calculating. His lips barely moved as he whispered, "Don't. Move."

Ezra didn't need to be told twice. Every muscle in his body locked in place, his breaths shallow and silent. His wide eyes were glued to the massive arachnid as it descended closer… and closer… until it was just above the deer.

The deer, blissfully unaware of the looming predator, continued to nibble on a patch of moss. Its fluffy tail flicked, its ears twitched, but it didn't sense the danger that was inches away.

Ezra's hand twitched toward his dagger, but Shirley caught the movement and shook his head sharply. No.

The spider stopped, suspended just a foot above the deer. Its mandibles spread wide, dripping with thick venom that sizzled as it touched the frostbitten leaves below.

For one agonizing second, the deer paused, lifting its head slightly. Its ears turned upward, twitching once, twice—

The spider struck.

Its front legs shot down, piercing the deer's sides like spears. The deer let out a single, shrill scream that was cut short as the spider's mandibles sank into its neck. A sickening squelch filled the air as venom was pumped into the deer's body, its legs twitching once before falling still.

Ezra's stomach twisted in both horror and nausea as he watched the spider hoist the lifeless deer upward, back toward the canopy. The creature's glowing red markings pulsed faintly, casting eerie patterns against the leaves as it ascended, dragging its prize into the shadows above.

The forest fell silent again.

Neither Ezra nor Shirley moved for several minutes. The only sound was Ezra's shallow breathing and the faint creak of tree branches far above.

Finally, Shirley spoke, his voice low and sharp. "We need to move. Now."

Ezra swallowed thickly, forcing himself to nod. "Right… right behind you."

As they carefully stepped away from the area, Ezra couldn't help but glance upward, into the dark canopy where the spider had disappeared. The faint, sticky glisten of webs caught the moonlight, scattered across the trees like a macabre tapestry.

For once, Ezra didn't have a witty remark. The forest had become infinitely more dangerous, and both of them knew it.