Edderkopp - Drider!Loki

Five

Another half day of sodden and sore feet passed before I broke out of the treeline, which stood above a grassy hill that lead to an expanse of field at the bottom of which lay a village.

As I watched the people, so small from the distance, walking around buildings and going about their lives and felt the sunlight hit my face, I near fell to my knees and cried with relief.

Time passed so strangely among the trees that I started to doubt my own mind on how long I have been stumbling through the branches and overgrowth, all while trying to push down the temptation to give up and become another lost soul among the trees.

But now I could be free from the strange enchantment and the paranoia that had grown inside of me about Loki, paranoia which soon shifted into guilt over doubting him and believing that he wanted to harm me.

The guilt didn't last long as relief quickly took its place and my stomach grumbled in eagerness for anything that wasn't nuts or forest found fruit.

Staggering down the hill, almost falling on many occasions, I laughed and cheered and no doubt seemed less than stable to the people as I neared the village, which still seemed a thousand yards away.

The elation at reaching the village was euphoric, it had felt like so long since I'd had human company and paths to walk that didn't run the risk of me tripping over something except my own feet.

It was amazing how much of a luxury a village was to travellers such as myself.

Time flew by that afternoon in a flurry of excitement as I visited shops to restock my supplies and took in some of the marvellous sights that they village had to offer, including a wonderful fountain in the centre that was said to be lucky if you threw in a coin laced with a wish.

After weighing myself down with new items, I went to the local tavern and spent the evening filling my stomach, cleaning up all the forest debris and resting my weary bones in both the warmed water of the tub and a bed that wouldn't be much had I not been spending my nights sleeping on rocks and forest floors.

By that night, I was both buzzed and still exhausted, a combination that found me downstairs in the local bar with fellow travellers, each sharing their own story.

Stories full of woe, danger and thievery.

One traveller was telling a story of her daughter's marriage to a mime in a circus of mystic wonders and I found myself becoming distracted by mental images of Loki in such a setting, surrounded by other outsiders of various species, performing as one family.

"And what of you?"

I flinched when someone nudged my leg from beneath the table, startling me back to reality and into sitting up higher in my seat.

"I'm sorry, pardon?" I frowned, looking around the table to meet the staring eyes of the others.

"W'as your story?" A one-eyed man with teeth so crooked they protruded like tusks grunted at me.

"Oh, it's really not that interesting."

"We've heard stories of one dwarves' fight with a pack of rats," a woman with the most entrancing eyes laughed, "we are more than interested."

I looked around the table again, being met with a round of agreeing nods and eager smiles, their excitement made them all the more imposing and it felt as though they were leaning in closer.

Giving a wry smile and a huffed laugh, I could only shrug.

"There truly isn't, I wanted to leave my home after being fired from a job I was robbed of, so I decided to pack and travel, go somewhere new to start fresh."

"That's it?" The grunter grumbled.

"That's it."

"Nothing happened during these travels?" A rotund, red haired woman pouted.

"Not particularly," I smiled while shaking my head, "unless you count getting lost in the forest looking over the village and sleeping in a cave exciting."

"And you have no tales from the forest?" A hooded figure asked, "not even a wandering spirit?"

"Oh, no!" I laughed with a dismissive wave of my hand, "no such thing."

I lifted my cup and took a sip, licking my lips slowly as I lowered the tankard once again.

Did I dare tell them?

Would it put Loki in any danger if I mentioned him, not even by name but purely by species?

It seemed unlikely considering how deep into the forest he was and it didn't seem like the forest was traversed often, so there should be no harm.

"I mean," I continued with hesitation, "I did get caught in a bad storm and ended up sleeping in a cave with a drider but that's about all."

I let out another wisp of a laugh and picked up my tankard again, taking another mouthful to distract myself as my company stared at me, eyes wide and jaws slack.

"You are jesting," the hooded one said, no humour in their voice.

"Not at all, frightened the life out of me," I smiled at the thought.

"And you escaped with your life?" Red asked, her eyes widen in astonishment.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

They all looked to one another, sharing looks that varied from uncertainty, fear and sadness.

"Tell me," One-Eye started, his voice low and almost sorrowful, "did he give you a name?"

"Yes," I nodded, frowning as my concern grew, "Loki."

"I thought as much," he said with a loaded sigh.

"Why?" I asked, snapping at their secrecy, "what of him?"

The woman with the entrancing eyes held my gaze as the others lowered their heads, appearing as though in prayer.

"There is much to tell about Loki," she replied softly.

"Such as what?"

"Such as how he and his family wound up as they are."