The tunnel was filled with the clamour of industry, of the scraping of claws against earth and the repetitive din of chitin being brought down hard against stone. K’lzik watched as her offspring dug at the tunnel face before her. The larger creatures were hacking at the rock while the smaller ones formed into trails carrying the dislodged pieces back down the steeply sloping passage they had just excavated. Above them, on the ceiling, crawled dozens of spiders whose bodies glowed faintly and whose sole purpose was to provide enough light for those beneath to work by. In the yellowish glare, the eyes of the workers shimmered, forming clusters of twinkling lights which scuttled up and down the tunnel. They worked quickly, frantically almost, not in the businesslike manner of ants but as if each was trying to outdo the other, and to impress their towering queen with their speed and enthusiasm. Many attempted to lift rocks which were too big for them, only to have their load wrenched jealously from their grasp by larger or stronger siblings who would then proudly parade it past the matriarch. K’lzik was oblivious to their exertions; her gaze was firmly fixed on the digging ahead, which lately had become quicker as rock gave way to softer soil, more easily scooped from the wall by scythe like claws. The atmosphere was different here too, despite the heat given off by the mass of bodies there was a definite chill to the air -- something she hadn't experienced for a long, long, time. They must be close now, she thought, and hissed an order that no one was to step onto the surface before her. The amassed creatures turned devotedly and called their acknowledgement with a hundred clicking voices. It appealed to a sense of divine balance, she thought, that since she was the last of her people to descend into the earth, she should be the first to emerge back onto it. Yes, she thought, balance was the right word, and this was just the first step towards it. She imagined a future where all the injustices done to her would be unwound and the natural order of the forest restored. In this, the proper hierarchy, she would be safe, and comfortable, and surrounded by loved ones. The joy of this thought lasted for just a moment before the bitterness returned; there was no divine justice at work here, and all she had loved had died long ago... what was left was the vengeance she had made for herself, and had paid for it with a thousand hardships. She was given no time to consider this further -- the breakthrough came. As the blades of the diggers passed through the last layer of resistance and the soil slid away before them, those hundred voices squealed in pain as light flooded into the tunnel. It was unknown and frightening to her children, a cold painful stab at each of their eyes. K’lzik too recoiled, bringing her right arm across to shield her face. She emitted a piecing scream as her irises stung with the inescapable brightness and her skin felt sheered by a rush of cold surface air. Her fleeing brood crawled about her, seeking reassurance in her closeness. It took several minutes before her eyes grew accustom to this new intensity of light. She was then able to lower the arm from watery eyes and look up to see the silver circle of the moon framed by the opening before her. She looked, half in repulsion, half in wonder, taking in the strangeness of the sight, before angrily bellowing an order that forced the mass of shocked spiders to reluctantly draw away, and to clear a path that she might approach the opening. Kicking away the remaining soil, she stepped out, squinting, into the cool night air. It was a revelation. Here, everything was strange -- the smells, the light, the sensation of openness, the way in which her eight legs sunk deep into the cool, damp, leaf litter. It was enough to make her head spin, and yet, these things were not entirely unfamiliar; somewhere in the depths of her being she felt a conflicting sensation; that all this was normal -- natural. It was as if she was reborn into a world not quite forgotten. She wavered between a smile and a grimace, before the smile eventually won over and she allowed the new atmosphere to rush over her. Evidently, her children did not feel the same; they clustered around the tunnel entrance, occasionally extending out a leg only to withdraw it in confusion at this alien environment. She scowled at their sheepishness, turning away from them to study the scene. Great trees branched out above her, and all around her, the sky shone vast beyond them. It was difficult to take in everything at once; the leaves, the branches, and beyond them the deep night studded with a thousand twinkling stars. It was terrifying, but also invigorating. She didn’t know how long she stood there, staring upwards, before a sound to her right snapped her out of her wonder and made her focus on its source. It was an animal – a small furry thing standing a few meters away and sniffing the air inquisitively with its long snout. It seemed wary, but intrigued by her presence. The appearance of this beast reminded K’lzik why she was here, and she grinned enticingly at the animal, locking her eyes with it’s. Her expression took on a new level of intensity and her tongue protruded slightly from between her teeth. The beast seemed captivated by this leering stare, and looked on uncomprehending as several of her legs reached back to the bulbous abdomen and, with slow repetitive movements, drew out a long strand of silk. The beast continued to stare. With the tips of her legs moving hypnotically in circles, she wove it into a beautiful and delicate pattern. The animal tilted its head, its brown eyes studying the emerging weave-work. Its sleek body shuffled on the spot, and then, as if suddenly registering the danger, it barked in alarm and skidded away in retreat. Too late. She shot a leg forward and launched the sticky bundle, which fanned out and descended to envelope the animal, sending it rolling along the ground, picking up dead leaves as it went. K’lzik walked over to the creature and extricated it from the webbing, lifting the squealing beast by the back of the neck. Its fur was a reddish brown, its bushy tail tipped with white. A name appeared in her mind from some long neglected repository: ‘fox’. The fox struggled in her grasp, yelping its distress. She ignored its protests and hissed another order to the spiders bottlenecked around the tunnel mouth. The call was less harsh this time, and from the assembled throng emerged her youngest. The chubby pink infant half ran, half crawled towards her, leaving behind a fussing escort of arachnid godmothers. It appeared almost Elfen as it waddled clumsily through the trees, and eventually came to steady itself against her hind legs. Only the numerous green eyes gave away its true origins. It giggled as K’lzik squatted down beside it. The fox had stopped yelping but was still twisting and turning frantically against her grasp. She rearranged her hold on it, gripping it firmly by the head and forelegs and offering it forward to the infant, who regarded it with an intrigued gleam in each glassy green eye. “You knowss what to do my child” she said softly. The infant’s mouth opened and the two fangs were revealed, each with a bubble of venom forming at the point. After a slight pause, in which K’lzik prompted her approval, they bit down into the furry neck of the fox which squirmed helplessly under an iron grip. After a second the child withdrew and stared at the animal, it took on a look of astonishment, which turned into a joyful giggle. K’lzik laughed along with it, releasing the animal- which bolted instantly into the forest. “Well doness my child” she said, scoping it into her arms, “And now we waitss a while, we’ll let your poisson take effect” ----------------------- This is part of something I wrote a long time ago, re-read it recently and thought it was alright.
