The Rainlands: Grand Delusion

Chapter 19: Direwolves

Levi bent in closer, trying to get a better view. He homed in on one of the damp spots. There was a little dot inside. Is that...getting bigger?

"Hey Jasmine?" Levi called out, still bending in closer. Jasmine looked over, finally catching the tone of concern.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" She started to get up when Levi reared back, reaching out with his leg and stamping down on the shirt. He smashed his boot into it over and over, mashing the fabric. "Levi! What's wrong?!"

"It was in there!" Levi shouted, still stamping on the shirt. Jasmine rushed over, a knife materializing in her hand.

"What was in there? Levi tell me what's going on!" Confused, she stood there watching him stamp until finally, with a shaky breath, he raised the bottom of his foot to look at the sole of his boot. "I don't see anything on there. Wait...what's that?"

She crouched, spotting a bit of green goo. Levi nudged his shirt. There was something inside. A little bulge appeared, about the size of a nut. It was misshapen but Levi gingerly pushed it out with his boot. When it landed, Jasmine gasped and they both recoiled.

"By the Raingods, that's not...what is that?" She moved in for a closer look. "It looks almost like a...no, it definitely was a spider. But I've never seen one this big before. Or this colour." Levi shuddered, remembering that he had been about to put his shirt back on. Jasmine glanced at him. "It's still just a bug though. Didn't know you were so scared of them."

"You don't understand, it had it's head through the stitches in my shirt. When it saw me, it started to squeeze through. It had this...this stinger. As long as this-!" Levi waggled his index finger, squeezing the last joint. "Scared the crap out of me. I know it sounds crazy, but I swear it's true."

Jasmine looked at him and then the pile of goop which was all that remained of the spider. "I believe you. I'm just wondering how something that big got into your shirt without you noticing. You sure you're okay?"

"I checked everywhere. I don't get how it got in there." He examined the floor of the alcove, but it was all hard rock, and completely clear, nothing but the shirt was on it. "I don't want to put it back on."

"Well it's not like you have any others. What are you just going to walk around shirtless until we get to the next city?" Jasmine snorted and Levi got the impression she was amused. "Here, I'll check it over, make sure there's not any other surprises in there."

She picked his shirt up, looked all around, prodded it a few times then handed it back to Levi. He took it gingerly, still a little bit afraid. There was a mysterious speck of green on the inside. That's so gross! Levi didn't want to put it on. But after turning it around over and over, he couldn't find anything else wrong with it. Slipping it over his head, he grimaced and walked to the edge of the alcove, listening to the sound of the rain. Though the pattering of the drops was more aggressive than any storm he had seen before, and he knew that there was something wrong with the water, he still took comfort that the sound was the same. Even this far from Eastrain, even in this storm, at least there's something familiar.

"Do you hear that?" Jasmine called from the alcove floor.

"What?" Levi cocked his head, hearing nothing but the sound of the rain. Jasmine turned her fox mask to Levi.

"Listen!" She whispered. He stopped making noises, his eyes trying to pierce through the fog and rain. What is that? There is something out there...I can hear it!