The Test
The Dridder Forest was its usual dark and eerie self. It was late-afternoon in the forest, and the various predators and carnivorous plants were ready to catch their evening meal. Most of them having caught and finished digesting their snack of whatever unfortunate creature happened to stumble upon them.
Possios was one such predator. She was fifty feet tall from her legs to her head. She had light brown hair that stopped just below her ears, and deep blue eyes that many of her prey found captivating; her skin was a fair tone. She wore nothing over her chest, leaving her stomach and breasts exposed, adding even more to her captivation.
The young Dridder woman sat high on her web, out of sight of her dinner to be. She made her hunting ground on the edge of the forest, where it was brighter, but still somewhat dark if you went in far enough. She chose it because anyone wandering into the forest would likely bump into her first, providing her with a higher frequency of food than other creatures.
Another reason was so that she could try and catch a Human. She had heard her friends say how great they were, tasting even better than Nekos. While Possios thought Nekos tasted great, she wanted to put the theory to the test. She had seen Humans before, and knew what they looked like, but never got to swallow many of them, only a handful in her lifetime. Either another Dridder or another predator gulped them down whenever she encountered one. This was, of course, before she set up residence at the eastern edge of the forest.
The trees that she occupied were not the white, petrified, lifeless trees that an adventurer would find deeper in the forest, they had healthy bark, and plenty of life in them. These trees gave the illusion of a regular forest; many have gone in expecting nothing more than a dark forest. This illusion has resulted in hundreds losing their lives. Ignorance was not bliss in this case, but a curse.
As she sat silently in the tree, she listened to the world around her eyes examining the forest, constantly on alert for any vibrations on her web.
000
Triplum stood at the tree line of the Dridder forest. As a Rosic Neko, he had to pass the Rosic test. The Rosic Test was simply going out into the Jungle, find a predator that could easily eat you (which wasn’t very hard in Felarya), and play a song with such skill that they didn’t want to eat you anymore.
Triplum had been walking for days to reach the forest. He had encountered more than one predator certainly, but they were warm-ups. Practice predators for his true test. Most of the other Rosics had proven themselves with Naga, harpies, a few even managed to play for a mermaid. But as far as he knew, no one had played for a Dridder, they were thought to be simply too far away and not worth the risk of getting eaten en route. As he looked into the gradual darkness of the forest, he began to have second thoughts.
What if the Dridder eats me? What if I get eaten by a plant? Or on the way back?
He had made it this far, he couldn’t turn back now. Either he would walk out of the forest with proof he played for a Dridder, or one lucky Dridder would be enjoying him as their dinner. With reassuring thoughts in mind, he put his left foot in front of his right, then his right in front of his left.
I’ll make it. I’ve practiced all my life I –will- make it out of this alive. I can do this. Just pretend they aren’t there.
Within minutes he found what was obviously a Dridder’s web, spread out across a few feet between two trees; a thicker bundle of webbing led out of sight of where he was standing. It looked a little thin, barely visible, but very easy to walk into accidently. He sighed, figuring this was a good a place as any to prove himself. Reaching out, he paused, uncertainty once again entering his mind. This time he felt as if someone was watching him. This was true of course, but he didn’t know it yet.
The owner of the web was sitting in a tree above him. Quiet as a mouse and still as a statue, Possios sat and observed him. She was curious about him, as he seemed to be holding what looked like a flute in his right hand. It took a moment, but the mysterious Neko reached out and shook the web gently. She of course felt it. Her reaction was hesitant. Normally she would jump to her prey and trap them between her and her web, but she decided that this time she would take a different approach. She stood up, and walked down the pathway of webbing to the strange Neko.
“Hello there.” She said plainly. “Are you lost or were you trying to find me in particular? Not many of you walk up to the first web they see and give it a good shake without reason.”
Triplum was naturally terrified. He tried his best to make constant eye contact with Possios and remain calm as she climbed down her web and stopped only a couple feet in front of him, and state his reason for being there before the spider-woman gave him a new one.
“I- I’m T- Triplum. A R- Rosic Neko.” He choked out, trying to calm himself down. He had some success. Just stare at her eyes. He reminded himself. “As a test of my skill, I have to find a predator and play them a song. No one’s ever played for a Dridder as far as I know. In the Dridder forest. I thought I could be one of the first.”
Possios was a bit surprised by his response. Her guess was that he was a random Neko that wandered into the forest. She had heard of the Rosic Nekos and their mastery of music. Supposedly it was the best in Felarya. She decided to give the man a chance. Her stomach growled in disagreement.
This caused Triplum to take a step back out of fear. “P- Please. At least let me try and prove myself. Music soothes the savage stomach as they say.”
Possios giggled a bit. She had no intention of eating Triplum before giving him a chance to play a song. “It’s ok. I just haven’t eaten dinner yet, but go ahead. Play a song for me.”
Triplum sighed to himself in relief. He brought his flute up to his mouth, closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Just pretend she isn’t there. Imagine you’re practicing back at the village.
Triplum let the flow of the music take him, as he played he felt calm, at peace. each note was played like he had rehearsed it for years (Which he had). The song was chosen carefully. A song that would give her a feeling of joy, knowing that the best way to get out of the situation alive would be to play a song that would soothe that which was the Dridder’s savage stomach.
000
He stopped playing after five minutes. Triplum had given his best effort in playing perfectly, putting his heart into every flat, sharp and accidental, but whether it was enough to keep Possios from eating him was yet to be seen. He lowered the flute and opened his eyes, looking up to meet Possios’ gaze. She had her arms folded and they were resting against her chest. Just underneath her breasts.
Possios thought the young and aspiring Neko played well. The tune and melody of his piece brought forth small waves of joy. Even without lyrics it was powerful. She really liked it, resulting in a small smile forming on her lips.
Her stomach then growled again, causing his heart to sink in sadness. All the years of lessons, the countless hours of practice, had it all gone to waste? Had he really been practicing his entire life, put all his hours and days… into becoming one of many among this Dridder’s meals? His mind was racing in panic.
“While my stomach might not agree… I’m going to say you’ve passed the test. Unless you ask, I’m not eating you.” She said while still giving him a warm smile.
Triplum nearly fainted when he heard her words. He had done what no other Rosic had done. He braved the dangers of the Felaryan jungle, played for a Dridder, and convinced her not to eat him. He returned Possios’ smile and bowed. Assuming he made it back to the village alive, he had become one of the first, to have a Dridder, as the judge for his Rosic test. The Great Marshes were merely practice tests compared to this. The occasional slug girl or Naga he encountered there, while not his objective, would have given enough proof to turn around and head home to start his new life.
“Thank you, mad ‘am. I- I’m glad you enjoyed it. I only now require proof of playing for you. It’s part of the test. I don’t need anything fancy, just some webbing would do.”
“Firstly, call me Possios. Secondly, I can try to weave you something that doesn’t look like you just picked it up off the ground. The only problem is, it’ll take a couple hours, and buy the time I finish it’ll be night. I can offer you a safe night’s sleep if you’re interested.”
“How do I know you won’t eat me? Forgive my doubtfulness; I’ve just never slept in the company of a Dridder before.”
“I won’t eat you. You have my word. Besides, I figure I owe you for the song.”
Triplum wasn’t sure he should trust Possios. While the jungle at night was certainly dangerous, sleeping in a Dridder’s web could be a more lethal decision, but a safe place to sleep for the night was a fair trade for a well preformed song in his mind.
“Better the predator you know than the one you don’t know. I’ll take you up on your offer. I assume I’ll be on your web?”
Possios nodded. “In a cocoon to be specific. Trust me; it’s safer than just lying out in the open. It will give anyone that happens to come by the thought of you being my next meal. ” She said as she extended her hand to Triplum.
He took her hand as her stomach growled once more, giving him an instant feeing of fear. He stepped back.
She giggled.”Don’t worry, I’ll eat something soon; and as tasty as you look, you’re not on my menu.”
Triplum decided to show some trust and let Possios take him up onto her web. He laid down on the strong silk, and began to wonder if he would live through the night as Possios started to encase him in a cocoon. It felt… strange. Like a blanket was slowly being put over him. The warmth slowly crept up to his neck. Only his head was exposed to open air. Possios was skilled enough at using her spinnerets to weave the silk loose enough so that his blood flow wasn’t restricted. It surprised him that he felt fairly comfortable, despite his proximity to a spider-woman that could swallow him easily if she wanted to.
She looked to him when she was finished.
“Now that you’re secure, I’m going off to hunt. Hopefully I’ll be back soon. Sleep well.” She then climbed down from her web and went beyond Triplum’s line of vision, outside the forest. The feeling of hunger was strong inside her.
Triplum lay there, listening to the sounds of the forest as she departed. Now it was only him, and the noises of the various animals from the nearby river, and the nocturnal creatures of the Dridder forest. The occasional evil sounding laugh could be heard as well, sending shivers down his spine.
000
Possios returned from her hunt not even an hour later with a slightly swollen belly. She had caught a group of several Tomthumbs and a Neko. They were found resting along the bank of the Motamo River, taking shelter under a layer of leaves at the base of a tree. Since Possios was more visually acute than others of her kind, she was able spot them when she got their scent. They were struggling quite nicely in her belly.
“Triplum? Are you still here?” She asked as she climbed back onto her web, ready to get to work on weaving something for the young Rosic now that she caught herself some dinner. By now it was dark enough that Triplum couldn’t see his hostess clearly. He saw the outline of her form and felt her move closer to him, but that was it.
“I’m here.” He responded, Still in his cocoon.
“I’ll get started on your proof then. It should be ready by morning.”
“Not to sound ungrateful, but say again how I know that you won’t eat me in my sleep?”
“As I said before; I owe you something in return for the song, you have my word that I’m not eating you. My word is something I don’t go back on. You’ll be safe.”
This caused a feeling of relief and safety to come over Triplum, something he hadn’t felt much of in the recent days. No lesser predator would come near a sleeping Dridder at night, even when she had “prey” in her web. At least that’s what he hoped.
He thought it best to get some sleep before he left in the morning. It would take a few days to get back to the village and begin his new life: Putting his talents to good use, making a living, and potentially finding a mate. While he was tempted to wait up and watch until Possios had finished her work, his trip back would require just as much if not more energy than his trip to the Dridder forest. Triplum let the tiredness of the past few days overtake him, and sleep came swiftly. It was well earned.
Possios looked over to him not too long later, and she smiled at him. He’s very brave to have come this far. I guess Rosics really do live up to their reputation. I wonder what I should weave?
000
When morning came and the sun rose enough to stir her, Possios rubbed her eyes and stretched her numerous legs. She yawned and took a look around. Triplum was in the same spot he was last night. It appeared that she had woken first. His eyes were still shut and his breathing was barely noticeable.
She had expected that he had survived the night, granted her first thought when she saw him lying there was “Breakfast in bed”. Her mouth salivated at the thought, but her mind quickly caught up and overrode such actions.
Possios knelt down and shook the Neko’s shoulder to wake him. “Hey, it’s morning.” She said simply. He stirred a bit. “I’ve got what you need.” She grabbed her final product from a branch off one of the trees her web connected to.
Triplum slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He attempted to rub the sleep out of his eyes, but his arms were still pinned to his sides by the cocoon, and the lack of movement during sleep had made his limbs a bit stiff. He stretched as well as he could, yawning while doing so, he was quite pleased to wake up and see trees and vegetation around him, rather than the deadly confines of Possios’ stomach, which he noticed was once again flat.
When her words hit his ears, he looked in her direction and watched her take what looked like a ball of web off a branch and hold it in her right hand. “What is it?” he asked.
“It’s a bag. I noticed that you didn’t exactly carry a large type of bag with you. I figured you could something extra on your trip back.”
This response surprised Triplum. He was expecting something modest like a woven square or mass of some kind. The bag looked to be woven tightly. She clearly put effort into making it. He decided it could be used to hold any additional fruit or edible plants he came across.
“Thank you, Possios. I’ll make good use of it. I can see that you put a lot of time into it.”
“I spent a good four hours on it. It’s the first thing I’ve actually weaved skillfully. I’m glad you like it. I just imagined I was making a very, very, small web, so consequently it ended up very tightly woven. It should hold more than a few pounds of fruit.”
The bag itself was purely white. At the top was a stick curved into a circle that served as something for the string to hold onto so it could hold things properly without spilling. There was a single strap of a rougher material connected to the top. Triplum couldn’t identify it. It looked to be light brown in color.
“You’d probably like to be on your way. Let me just get you out of your cocoon.”
She stood over Triplum’s silk prison and attempted to pull the webbing at his chest apart with her hands, it didn’t move. She tried again, this time pulling harder. Again nothing happened. “Sorry about this. Cocoons are designed to be occupied by someone that I plan to eat.” She tried starting at his feet, but she had little more success there than his chest. “Sineria that’s strong…” An idea then came to mind. There was a brief pause. “I’ve got an idea. I’ll be right back.”
She climbed to the section of her web that was hidden from normal view. It was there that she kept a small stash of various items she had acquired from previous and long since digested meals or simply finding them in her travels. She searched through the small pile of things and pulled out a worn dagger. It wasn’t roughed up to the point where it was useless; the blade was still fairly sharp, Perhaps it was even sharp enough to cut through her own webbing… She took the dagger in her hand and went back to the imprisoned Neko.
“This should help.” She said as she presented the dagger “I’m going to try and cut you out.”
Triplum was obviously worried. He had no idea if Possios could use a knife skillfully enough to cut just the cocoon wall and not his own flesh. And if it didn’t work, would he have to become her breakfast? Surely she was hungry, and a tasty Neko was already on her web and ready to eat.
“And if it doesn’t work?” he asked, fearing the worst.
“You’ll be breakfast.” She said confirming Triplum’s fears as she positioned the knife at his feet. “Thought I’d, rather it not it have to come to that. Now hold still.”
She began slicing into the cocoon. She made an incision about four inches long in between his feet. She then set the knife beside her, and tried to pull the webbing apart. This time she found it much easier and made quick work of the homemade prison.
Within moments the young musician was free. Tiny bits of web stuck to his fur, but they would only serve as further proof of his adventure. His body was now simply tangled in her web, but that was taken care of within minutes.
As he stood on the forest floor for the first time in over ten hours, he looked at Possios seemingly for the first time, instead of concentrating on her upper half; he took all of her body into his vision. She did not seem so deadly. Were she a Neko, he might have liked her. Perhaps the last few hours of staying with her had nullified his earlier feelings of terror? Or maybe the experience had hardened him?
Either way, the hard part of the trial was over. All he had to do now was make it back across the Motamo River and through the marshes alive and he was home free. If he got back, he would become the most recent member of his family to become a true Rosic. He could hang his head high in the village; knowing the personal victory of hiking through the marshes twice, experiencing a long brush with death, and having solid proof of his deeds. He held the newly woven bag in his right hand, and placed his flute inside. He was pleasantly surprised that it was woven so tightly, that it could hold a flute with the circumference of only a few centimeters.
Triplum looked to Possios again and spoke.
“Thank you, Poss. Thank you for giving me a life back home. All the years I spent practicing and rehearsing served their purpose, I’m very grateful that you decided I was skilled enough to avoid becoming dinner.”
She let out a small giggle in response. “I’m flattered. As tasty as you looked last night, even right now, I’m glad that I didn’t eat you. I won’t lie though; I almost did before you woke up.” She smiled “Good luck on your trip back. If you ever find yourself lacking an audience, try and find me. I’d like to hear you play again.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks again, for everything.” He gave a polite bow and walked away from the young Dridder. His journey back to the village, and adulthood, had begun….
(Thanks to Darkone and Darth_Nergal for beta reading. Any constructive criticism is welcome.)
Subject: Mr. I's archive of stories 
Thu Nov 21, 2013 10:49 pm
Now biggie right? Other than that, great fic!! Loved both the characters of Possios and Triplum. They both acted their natures rather well. I do hope somebody can help guide poor Triplum home. o.o; A walk through the Ixtapal Marshes as well as the forest near Moyuk Hills can be dangerous even for a Rosiac Neko.
