He awoke, covered in sweat. He shivered; the night had gotten quite cold despite being late October. The spider was still asleep, or so he thought as he prepared his bags to leave.
"Take the rest of the banana with you, mate." she said, startling him. "You'll need it, there's not much you can eat between here and Queensland."
Pleoni flicked his ears in thanks, tucking the remaining half of a banana neatly into a side pouch he'd noticed on the bag.
"Also, in case no one told you, banana peal can be used to fix scratches in wood. Seal that bark tribal you have in your bag. You may need it later on."
Pleoni stared at her wide-eyed, unsure how she knew about the bark tribal.
"I had to make sure you were legitimate, mate, and not a stolen items dealer."
Seeing his confusion, the spider explained gently. "All things marked with the Queensland Mangrove are at risk. If I had to wager, you went to the luthier because you recovered it in a damaged state, correct?"
Pleoni nodded.
"Figures. Probably damaged by looters?" she asked again.
Pleoni flicked his ears and shrugged.
"Unfortunately, a common thing. I ate the last thief I caught in my web, so consider yourself lucky!"
Pleoni's eyes got wide and he wavered. Eating bats was illegal according to the treaty, though eating thieves was not technically wrong.
MORE IS COMING—APRIL 2018
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The Queensland Mangrove
ФэнтезиA lone bat returns to the grove of trees where he was raised. What he finds may alter his path forever. This is a short story to be featured in my upcoming book. All rights are reserved.
