Leaving the insects

Spidaract stands tall at the edge of the village, his black eyes scanning the dense shadows between mushroom stalks. Eight-legged creatures crawl across mushrooms and mosses, releasing a scent that aligns with their new king as a sign of approval.

They know.

Not that anyone told them, but they understand.

The two foreign figures walking beside their king, a human boy and a human girl, aren’t enemies. They are his companions and friends.

Spidaract then releases a scent that can’t be described by humans’ language, subtle but commanding, a tone only insects of Velkath understand. It means: humans are no longer our enemies, but don’t expect them to act according to our cultures.

The muamons, the factions with unparalleled strength, press their heads into the ground in obedience. The enarmons, the factions that have uncountable numbers, are still buzzing in anxiety, but their queen hums once in agreement. The arachnas, the species of great minds, embrace this new-found harmony.

…

At a guests’ room in the arachnas' living area, Arthur has just woken up. He stretches, breathing in the rich, earthy air.

“It smells weird here,” he mutters.

Asa swats a drifting spore from her hair. “We’re sleeping in an underground insect kingdom built from webs and mushrooms. What did you expect? Perfume?”

“I mean…yeah, Spidaract says the rules are known through scent, right?” He says.

“That’s…fair.”

The arachnas’ living area, buried within massive fungal trunks and hidden pathways, is nothing like Arthur imagined.

Soft-glowing orbs dangle from silk threads in the ceilings. Floors are made entirely from mushrooms’ caps but springy and clean. Arachnas come and go - some crawling on the walls, some on the ground and others on the ceiling - but always orderly, always giving way to others. A slow, silent rhythm pulses through the entire place like a heartbeat.

Arthur watches a pair of arachnas carry a weird moss-covered substance, then smashes it to make a kind of healing powder.

A young arachna passes him, clicking its limbs in greeting, trying to imitate Arthur’s way of speaking. Somehow, he feels it is heart-warming.

He never thought he’d be this relaxed in a village full of “monsters”.

But here he is.

…

After their wounds are fully recovered, Arthur and Asa are sitting on a ledge made of curved bark and silk. Beneath them, the village glows with steady light.

“So,” Asa says, nudging his arm, “no more ‘hero’ and ‘monsters’?”

Arthur sighs. “You don’t need to repeat that everyday.”

“So…would we wait for him for a while or just go now?”

“A king has his own responsibility, we can’t expect him to show up.”

Asa’s smile starts to disappear. “Right...”

The silence stretches.

“But waiting for a few minutes wouldn’t harm anyone,” Arthur adds.

“See, I knew you guys were always best friends,” Asa says while jokingly patting Arthur on the head like a mother and her child.

Arthur shrugs it off, but he doesn’t deny her .

…

Spidaract doesn’t speak for a long time.

He sits near the edge of the village, his limbs relaxed, his back to a wall of web. The enarmon queen rests nearby, her broken antennae slowly healing.

She leans toward him, humming a series of tones that just the kings and queens of this place understand with a series of meanings: approval, farewell, encouragement.

She was the queen of all enarmons after all.

She’s ready to act in his place. To be the link between their colony and humanity, while he continues the adventure of his life.

Spidaract stands up, he lowers his head to express his gratitude, then leaves Velkath.

…

As dawn rises, Arthur and Asa tighten their packs. They leave the arachna village slowly, unsure if anyone will stop them.

They don’t get far.

Spidaract drops down from above, limbs outstretched in a neat, elegant descent.

“You’re late,” Arthur says.

“Better than doesn’t come,” Spidaract replies.

Arthur breaks into a smile.

They set off together, the three of them.

Arthur walks ahead, humming something tuneless.

Asa trails beside Spidaract, pointing out odd mushrooms and trying to learn their names.

Spidaract says nothing. He looks back at the village, then follows his comrades back to Tanerag.