Itsy Bitsy Spider (Wendy's Woes)

"Wendy! There's worms in the garden!"
The energetic announcement rips Wendy awake from her novel. She looks up from her book and sees none other than Abigail standing in the doorway, half covered in dirt and water. The smile on her face is constant.
"Come on, Wendy!" Abigail hurries to Wendy's bedside and gently but firmly grabs her hand, pulling her away from the comforts of her isolation. Wendy doesn't deny her twin sister, she leaves the book on the bed and follows along.
As the duo run through the house, despite Jack's constant reminders to do otherwise for their safety, Wendy feels the excitement in Abigail spread to her. She smiles and releases Abigail's hand, running faster than her to the outdoors. Once the bright rays of the morning sun hit her face, Wendy regrets her choice. Even with her smile and soft giggle, she shields herself from the sun and waits for Abigail to meet her.

"Over here!" Wendy follows Abigail's voice while covering her eyes. "Keep going... Stop!"

When Wendy opens her eyes, they fill with wonder and joy. Caterpillars, bigger than her fingers, slowly chew and crawl across their garden of flowers. Wendy kneels down and gets her face as close to the caterpillars as possible; Abigail does the same. From nearby, Jack chuckles at the action and murmurs to them.
"Beautiful, aren't they? If we're lucky they'll choose to place their cocoons here. Perhaps then we can watch them grow into butterflies!"
"Really!?" Abigail raises her head and rushes to Jack for a barrage of questions. "Do you think they're going to stay here!? Will we need to help them!? What if we made them little houses?!"
Abigail's excited questions persist but Wendy continues to examine the green creatures. One of them slowly crawls up the stem of a moonflower before reaching a leaf. There, it remains motionless, seeming to return Wendy's gaze. Slowly, she extends her finger to the leaf and waits. And by some miracle, the caterpillar climbs onto Wendy's finger.
"Abigail." Wendy returns to standing and moves her finger towards her family. "Look."
"Wooooahh!!! It likes you, Wendy!" Abigail's smile seems to grow tenfold. "I want one! How do you make it like you, Wendy!?"
"I don't know." She admits, continuing to stare at the small creature. "It seems calm."
As Wendy focuses on the green, yellow and black bug, feeling its strange feet and occasional movements, a faint rhyme comes to her.

Spurned in the garden you are,
To feast upon the leaves of flowers.
Yet loved like a star
You somehow refuse to cower.

"Mademoiselle Wendy?"
Wendy looks up. She sees Warly standing in the entrance of her tent. He holds a glass filled with asparagazpacho.
"I'm awake." She can tell he wasn't sure, especially with her sitting upright and looking forward at nothing. "Thank you, Warly. You can leave it on the ground."
The chef nods, leaves the drink in her tent and leaves. Wendy sighs and looks around her. If only dreams could last a lifetime.

———

"Mm, hey Wendy, are you gonna finish that?"

She looks over to a Webber with his face stuffed with puffed potato soufflé. It covers some of the fur on his face, more food will only make him look messier. But looking down at her meal, Wendy sees it untouched.
She passes the dish to Webber, he hums brightly while taking it in his claws. As he continues to scarf down the food, Wendy can't help but stare at him. Her eyes remain unchanging despite the darkness that surrounds them and the exhaustion that weighs them down. A small thought comes to her as she watches Webber eat.

Puffed potato soufflé,
How much of you can I eat in a day?
How strange it seems to me
We can live so easily.

"Thank you for the food, Wendy!"
She nods while Webber finishes the meal. As he wipes the residue off his face with his hand, he meets Wendy's gaze. For a moment they stare blankly.
But when Webber gives Wendy a warm hug, she finds herself shooken up. His love leaves her too soon, leaving her cold. He walks back to his tent as the night slowly approaches. For a moment, Wendy remains still.
Walking back to her tent, Wendy's thoughts dwell on the hug. They dwell on Webber.