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Evening was short in the hills, the dark came down quickly, and
with it, on this night, the wet breath of a coming storm. Rain was in the
air, but it had not fallen yet, a mist swept across the gnolls camp and
a light fog came rolling in.
Poisonspite, for all her great bulk, moved through the forest like
a dream. The wind aided her, gave the rustling of the bushes a reason less
ominous than her approach. Her sisters encircled the camp, Darkweb took
to the trees and prepared to send her rope-thick webs down upon the
sleeping camp. The blueskins were hidden far back down the slope, they
fought only to protect their lives or nests, but they served their
purpose well, being trackers of unquestioned skill. Poisonspite and her
sisters were strength enough to take their revenge.
A gnoll wandered off into the woods, a spot where a stony ledge
overhung a sudden fall. Butterfly lay bellow the rock and as the
gnoll crouched above her, she reared up and sunk her fangs deep into
its back. She held off poisoning the gnoll, instead she pushed it to the
ground and used her mandibles to snip off its head. It had not made a
sound and its thrashing limbs were held fast beneath the spiders bulbous
abdomen.
She crept forward across the ledge and entered into the camp
before her sisters. Sevenlegs lay across on the camps eastern edge,
she watched as her huge sister appeared and leapt out upon two gnolls.
"Drat her, the great cow." she clicked.
One gnoll took the brunt of Butterfly's weight, a leg snapped
and an outthrust arm, the other gnoll rolled aside and howled. The
entire camp was on its feet, gnolls rushed from their lean-to's and
tents, some were tangled in dark thick strands which flew from the trees
above. Poisonspite rushed out, she bit a shoulder and pumped a quick dose
of poison into the wound, the gnoll swooned and fell, half-conscious while
the poison took its hold.
The gnolls were turned to face the two monstrous spiders, one had
brought out a bow and shot an arrow up into the trees where Darkweb
hid and shot back her strands of web. Sevenlegs bounded into the camp, she
knocked down several gnolls but did not pay them any mind. Overhead she
heard her sister shriek as an arrow sunk home, she gave a final leap and
knocked the archer down. She put a heavy leg on the gnolls chest and
stared it in the face before she bit and tore open its hairy throat.
Axes and swords, cut into Butterfly's sides, she felt a stinging
blow that caused a rear leg to droop. She spun and brushed away the gnolls
who plagued her and fell upon two which had come at her from behind. A
long spear jabbed up and nearly took out a facet of her eye, but she
shifted with great agility. The spear just grazed her head, Butterfly
struck out, quick as a snake, and bit the gnolls arm. Her fangs went
through and scraped the bone, she pulled back and tore the limb free
from the socket, she had to shake her head to free her fangs from the
severed arm. The other gnoll cut her with its sword while she killed
its companion.
Three spiders rushed about the camp and sent the defenders running
out into the night. They tangled into webs strung between the trees,
Darkweb had come down and sought out these gnolls. She entwined any that
still struggled and then jabbed them with her poisoned fangs. Back at the
camp the last gnolls fell, one armed with an axe left wide cuts in
Poisonspite, but her sisters caught the gnoll, one bit from either side,
and pulled it limb from limb.
Few gnolls were dead, most were poisoned, Darkweb returned and
went to work immediately. She used her webs to bind the gnolls then string
them high up into the trees to age.
* * *
(To Be Continued)