Once again a queen, Winter has a budding army and plenty to offer them to keep them loyal. Besides expanding her territory, she is using her forces to chase specific creatures for reasons nobody knows. None of them seem to be connected.
The changes...
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A vibration in the web heralded the creature she was now expecting. The Aria bore a close resemblance to a spider, but the face, shell and size of a Drakon gave away its closest relative. Its abdomen was round like a fruit and as big as curled-up Whipper. Four long legs navigated the web, while a third pair tucked like Drakon's claws against the creature's chest. Reaching her, the Aria reached out and plucked her wing experimentally. Sethral played dead. Her species-class teacher, Arling, had always been fascinated by these creatures. She could not for the life of her see why.
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The Aria was cutting her free now, binding her with new strands as it went. She could not struggle; the creature would paralyze her if she did. Silk wound across her back, strapping her wings to her sides. Her body lurched free. The Aria lowered her to the ground on a silk rope and dragged her to a tree. There it stopped, chattering.
Sethral quickly deduced its problem. She was a great deal heavier than a Kitsai, this species' counterpart and primary prey, but the Aria wanted her up the tree. After several tries with climbing and silk ropes, it began to snip the cords on one side of her body. Was it letting her go?
Sharp mouthpart tips pinched her side in one place, then another. Nope, it wanted to start eating her right here and now.
The ropes on her back legs were loose. Sethral snapped them with a kick and kicked at the Aria's face. It leaped back, hissing. Then it lunged. Sethral felt mouthpart tips break skin and screamed while she still could. Even a Lesland patrol was better than this. Her voice gave out as the poison spread, making her muscles go limp.
The Aria flipped her back over. With another hiss, it scuttled into the forest. It returned dragging a fallen branch. Sethral felt it land on top of her, and heard the creature retreating to find another one. She cursed the intelligence of the entire Drakon family.
