Prologue

"And that's it for Raida..."

An old ariados with a faded carapace set down a tan leather sack with a group of similar sacks. Each one sat below a corresponding name and so far, only one name was left without a sack with the latest one finished. He had been working hard throughout the day and while the rest of his workers had all left for the night, he was still stuck inside the small post office sorting mail. He hated this part of the job but he didn't want to be doing anything else in his age. He certainly wasn't going to traverse the continent on mail carts or deliver mail around the large city he called home.

That reminds me... he thought.

He glanced over to his desk nearby and grimaced. It was overflowing with mail, with more packages and such overflowing crates nearby. There was simply no way to have it all delivered tomorrow and had to plan accordingly. He estimated a half-hour more of work to finish up before heading home.

"Just one more sack and I can leave..." he said with a shake of his head.

He adjusted the flat cap on his head, making sure the web keeping it there was strong. He hated the cap but he, like all his employees, was required to wear a uniform. Between a cap or a scarf, he easily rather have the cap despite hating the damn thing- he wasn't wearing any scarfs anytime soon.

"I need to retire soon. This is just getting too tedious for me these days..."

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Hmm?" the knocking puzzled him. They had been closed for two hours at this point, something shared by other businesses in the area. The only business still open was the local tavern, and it was always open. Who would be knocking now and why? A drunk? He decided it was best to ignore it but a part of him didn't want to.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

He blinked. He wanted to answer. His curiosity burned despite his age but he had no clue whether their intentions were the best. Stealing mail is lucrative to those who know what to look for and there were no witnesses nearby, unless one counted the nearest tavern.

"OPEN UP! PLEASE!" a muted voice shouted. He silently huffed. It's not a drunk at least, he thought with a snicker. A plus but also a minus. The previous thought stood out- they could be a robber and he was an old disease-maker. He was mostly in no shape to fight. He could still spin a strong web and that was enough to stop anyone.

Another set of knocks rapped the front door. They aren't going away, he thought.

Whoever it was, knew someone was inside.

"I'll be right there sir!" he said. Defeated by his better senses, he walked out of the sorting room and down the hall into the storefront. As he did, the banging continued. He started to despise whoever it was, good intentions or no- it was rude to bang down on a door with such force.

He carefully placed a strong web on the door while unlocking the main latch. He hoped it was more than enough to keep them out while letting him talk. The moment he unhooked the latch, the person on the other side pushed the door open.

"PLEASE LET ME IN!" they yelled.

Despite the lack of light from the fire-stone street lamps, dim as they are, he could tell that in the face trying to shove its way through was one of a houndour. A fire-breather, fuck me. he thought with a grumble. It just had to be a damn fire-breather. The peoples that can burn my webs and my own body to ash.

"Yes sir, what is that brings you here today?" he asked as kindly as possible. All the while, the houndour was hell-bent on getting through the small crack available. He silently thanked whoever made the door and its frame for being able to withstand a raging hydreigon if needed. Not their fire's of course, but their sheer weight.

"I need something delivered! It's nothing big! Please! Just…" the hound looked about in a panic. "J-just let me in, please!"

He was wary of the tone the hound in front of was using. Panic. Fear. Regret. A hint of something bitter. Likely deceit. It made him squint at the hound in front of him.

He hated liars.

"Well, you have to come back in the m-"

"No! Nonononononono!" the houndour shouted, pushing harder and harder against the door. He swore he could see ember's leave the houndour's mouth. "You have to let me! Please! Let me in!"

He snorted. Did this fire-breather lose his eyesight? Did he not notice every store was closed? Did he even know what time it was? He sighed and decided that the fire-breather in front of him may just be a little tipsy.

"We're closed, like every other store on this street." he plainly stated. "Come back in the morning when we're open. We open at six-thirty sharp."

"B-but uhh…" the houndour stopped pressing and looked up and about. He watched the houndour stutter in thought, clearly looking for something to say. He noticed when his eyes fixated on the sign above the door with the company logo: the signature three white slashes with the test "Quick Claw Couriers" underneath. "Umm…"

"Umm?" he asked mockingly. He was growing tired of this dog's antics.

"You-Your motto!" the houndour finally managed to bark out. "T-the Quick Claw Couriers m-motto! Rain o-or shine! D-day or night!"

He watched the houndour struggle to recite more of the motto. He rolled his eyes in irritation. 'This guy has had too much to drink tonight. Must be one of them workers for those new manufactures or something.'

"Yes, that is part of out motto." he responded with a shake of his head. This houndour was making him regret answering the door more and more. "And?"

"It's wouldn't be right to l-leave me out here! You guys are the only ones that can help! Please! I beg you- it's nothing big!"

The elderly postmaster blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. He hadn't expected the motto of Quick Claw Couriers to be used against him in such a way. He expected a litany of pathetic excuses straight out of desperate man's mouth. Using the words of his company twisted it all on him. It left him little choice- especially if left and began to talk.

And talk amongst dark-walkers always went far.

"Alright. I'll let you in. Please be patient." the ariados gently pressed the door shut as the houndour poured out a mass of thank you's and praises to him. He took a moment to unlock the door and unlatch it. Once more, the houndour shoved his way in, almost crushing the spider. "Watch yourself. I'm doing you a favor- don't make me take back my word and send you out."

"Oh, please sir I… I-I…" he watched the hound look about the room, taking in every word, every sign, every decoration he could. It gave him time to check the houndour out in more detail.

He stood short for his kind, not that they all didn't. He knew of some that stood on two legs, somehow, through learning from an early age but he wasn't one of them. This was just some houndour runt with a package on his back. The twine holding it there ended at his mouth.

In all other regards, he was plain. His fur was well-kempt, his eyes were a soft red, and the skull on his head was polished. He could see that claws on his forelimbs were long yet dull so not to cause any unneeded pain. The only clothing he wore was a wrapping around his feet to keep his pads clean and fresh, something not uncommon to any monster that walked on pads. He didn't because he was an ariados- he had clawed, virtually armored legs to walk on, not weak, meaty pads.

He was pulled from his observations with a yell from him, "I need you to d-deliver something!" the dog stomped his fore-paws onto the ground. He could see he was nervous but his eyes shown some irritation. He didn't trust those eyes or him in general. "Puh-please!"

"Well, that is what we do here." he flatly commented. "What is it anyways? A letter? A parcel? A package?"

The houndour jumped. He watched him look about again before looking down at his paws. Eyes wide, he watched him nervously pulled at the twine just below his mouth to drop the package off his back. The dog then slid it over to him with a push of his snout, giving him view of what it was: a plain red box, small enough to fit within the dog's mouth.

He tilted his head at the sight. He had expected something more grandeur or suspicious. It gave him a feeling he didn't like staring at it but visually, it was obscenely…

Normal.

"Okay, so where is this little guy going?" he asked. He almost didn't want to but he had to. "Can't deliver it without knowing that."

"Uh…" the houndour gulped nervously. "It's… it's not around here…"

"Is it now? Color me surprised." he said sardonically. He knew that. There was no way he came here to get something so minor delivered within this city.

'That would be absurd.' he thought to himself. 'Then again, this city attracts the insane. Only one of maybe five "cities" in this world after all.'

"It isn't it's…" the houndour stopped and looked down and away.

He tilted his head in suspicion, cap almost falling off but caught at the last second. As he reapplied the webbing to keep it there, he observed the hound closely. He hadn't noticed before but the houndour was shaking, if only slightly. He knew he was nervous and lying. Just how nervous was he about lying though?

"Cirown." the houndour mumbled. He grimaced.

"Excuse me? I didn't catch that." he growled. This dog had become more frustrating by the second. "Speak up."

"Ciron Town." the houndour repeated.

"Ciron Town huh? That's pretty far. Almost the next province over."

"I know… I…" the houndour paused then sighed. He slid a leg back and hunched slightly. "I need it there soon."

"Soon?" He snorted. That was an absurd thing to think. "Well, I can estimate it'll be there possibly be next Kingsday. Maybe next Ravnday if you're lucky."

The hound jumped back, shocked. "M-more than a week?"

"Ciron Town is at the border between this province and Province Karandel. For someone not in a rush, that's a walk of at least three days. And that's just walking."

"Wah-what d-do you mean?"

"You have to triple that amount of time for carts. They're slow and make frequent stops. And that nine days is if," he got closer to the houndour and narrowed his eyes at him. "IF the cart goes through the Dark Forest which means heading down one of the officially made paths. Only in that scenario, it's less than two weeks but most of our carts don't go that way. Too risky."

"B-but I need to get t-this over there by the e-end of this week!"

"I can't make promises it will get there quickly but it's the truth. I'm sorry. It just won't." he replied truthfully.

It was sudden but he could feel it. The houndour's expression faltered a little. His mouth twitched. His eyes shone for a moment. He could see the hound tense up as a light squeak escaped his lips.

"Is…" he wiped at his mouth with his free paw. "Is there no way to get it there faster?"

He contemplated his "customer's" request. Normally there wasn't a faster way. Usually he'd recommend a flyer but those were absurdly expensive when it came to deliveries, even small ones. Other courier services would probably give him the same answer he did but charge him more for a fake "speedy" delivery. He may be an elderly spider but he was one with honor and he refused to scam people for the service provided. Beside that, Quick Claw Couriers had a reputation to keep and it was his duty to uphold it.

In the end, he knew of only one method that could potentially help the houndour in front of him but he knew it was risky. Still, he had no choice. He didn't look like he was leaving anytime soon and seemed irritated. He'd rather live until retirement, not be burnt to ashes.

"Well, there… there is one way." he finally admitted. The houndour perked up.

"Really?"

"I could send out one of my couriers to personally deliver the package themselves. I know my couriers. They're quick and reliable. The downside is that it's risky. Who knows what would happen to them so-"

The houndour slammed his hand onto the counter, cutting the spider off.

"I don't care! As long as it fast!" he held up the box once more. "This needs to arrive in Ciron Town by the end of the week!"

"Why?" inquired the spider.

"H-huh?" the houndour stepped back, confused. "What… what do you mean why?"

"Why does it need to arrive so quickly anyways? I'm sure it'll be fine going the slow way." he replied. He noticed the houndour focus on him for only a moment. Upon matching him, the hound looked away. "Besides, it's much cheaper."

The houndour stomped on the floor, angry. "W-well, thu-they need it!"

"They?"

He saw that the question pierced right through the dark monster. He didn't know whether or not the houndour would answer him. The look on his face had turned from nervous to a faded anger. A sort of anger reserved for when one feels threatened. He assumed he might attack at any moment or threaten him and prepared to fight. He wasn't going to die laying down. Before his eyes, however, the houndour suddenly shook his head and groaned.

"It's for someone close to me!" the houndour blurted out. He stared at him curiously. Was this really his best attempt at a lie as it was pathetic at best. He could've done better. "T-they… it… it's for s-something special is all…" he trailed off as he lost momentum in his words.

"What kind of special?" he asked. The hound gulped.

"Uh… uhhh… a-a special day w-with someone… o-once in a l-lifetime..."

"Ah, I see." he said aloud. He noticed the odd houndour's pupils shrink in horror but he didn't mind it. He was getting tired of these excuses and games. If he wasn't going to make up a valid excuse, he might as well lend a hand. Anything to make him go away. he thought.

"S-see what…?" the odd houndour mumbled.

"Why didn't you say it was bridal gift?" he clarified. "It'd all make sense then."

"Oh… umm…" the houndour sighed in relief. He had to hold back a chuckle at his relief. He needed the person he was lying to, to help him with his lie. Pathetic. "I was really busy today and well… I forgot to mail this for my cousin's wedding."

"Oh well that can't do. I'll certainly have this little guy on the way by tomorrow, don't you worry. It'll cost extra of course but I can send it to be hand-delivered by one of my couriers. I give an estimate of Moonsday for arrival."

"Only three days!?" he nodded with a clack of his fangs. "Oh, thank you so much!" yelped the houndour. He offered up his right forelimb to the hound, who shook it vigorously when offered. "I can't tell you how much this means to me!"

"It's nothing but the service of us here at Quick Claw Couriers. No need to thank me or my workers." he sighed and pulled out a form. I hate this part. He quickly jotted a few things down and held it up to the houndour. "Now, I ask you to simply fill this out."

The houndour gingerly took the form in his paws and stared at it for a moment. He watched his red eyes shift from the top to the bottom of the form where he knew the hound would look up and question him. Sure enough, he did, giving the him a queried look.

"Three-hundred twenty draga?"

He nodded. "Yes, well…" he feigned a nervous laugh, if only to trick the dog into thinking he was sincere. "It's because of the express rate plus a few fees and the service fee for having to send one of my couriers across the province. I'm going to have to make sure they have money to spend- unless you want them to sleep under the stars?"

"Oh, nononnono!" he exclaimed. The hound bent down and tugged at his foot wrapping. He pulled out a few coins from within and held them up. "Here! Keep the change!"

"Hmm." the spider took the coins and examined them. Each one was one-hundred draga coin. Six in total. "Are you sure? There's a good four-hundred extra here."

"I'm sure! Consider it a thank you!" the houndour said with a smile. The way he smiled made him suspicious but he said nothing. No reason to aggravate an odd character like that.

As he put away the money, the houndour finished up the form and handed it back to the old spider.

"Thanks again! You can't tell how relieved I am you're doing this!" said the houndour.

"No need to thank me. Just doing what we do here best at Quick Claw Couriers."

"Oh please! You deserve much for this!" his words made him cringe. Something in them felt wrong despite how innocent it sounded. The houndour began to leave, bowing as he did. "A nice night to you sir!"

"And to you as well. Stay safe!"

The sound of simple click was all the postmaster needed for him to let out a breath he didn't even know how he was holding it, being a spider and all. Even then, he couldn't shake off the feeling of this encounter and the package. Just a glance at the left behind package, even when wrapped in a cherry red paper, gave him a vibe of something. Something he didn't like.

Something wrong.

"What did I get myself into?" he gently spun a cradle to rest the package in- he dared not touch it himself. "If only I'd finish my work earlier…"

Despite knowing well not to damage goods, he cared less about this one and drug it along the hardwood floor; all the way back to the sorting room. He stopped right next to the desk, still piled with mail with much on his mind. All of it surrounding the odd houndour and the package he brought in.

A strange package. An odd character. Clearly didn't know more than where this thing was going. Had no excuses. Came almost at midnight.

He cursed quietly. He hated situations like this. Whoever was forcing him to shove this onto me was smart: they sent a fire-breather that can defeat any web I spin and kill me if I didn't comply. Sent him in at night when no one was around- too sudden for me to report it to anyone higher. Even dressed up the package so it looked inconspicuous.

The entire scenario made him shake. It made him growl. It made him angry. He had been used. Whatever was being sent, was not in someone's best interests. Certainly not in the interest of the authorities.

"I can't just send it with any of them…" he admitted to himself. There was no way he could just send it with any courier. "They all have lives to live and sending them away into danger…"

He turned and looked at the sacks along the wall. He contemplated each name that sat square above each one. Every name he thought of, he thought of excuse after excuse of why they shouldn't deliver it until he got the last name. The one that still had no bag under it.

"Kodi…" he said with a sigh.

He had little excuses for her. While she was an excellent, hard-working girl in all regards; she was, in all accounts from everyone who worked here, a loner. She lived with her pack, yes, but had no mate, which meant no kittens to her name, no friends, and struck up little talk with the other couriers. All the other couriers had a range of family and friends and he shuddered at the thought of some of them disappearing. A few had litters to support and others had more than that. One even had grandkits.

It was a hard choice to make but he had to make one in the end.

"I'm sorry Kodi…"

He walked away with the strange package in tow to the rest of the unorganized mail. He quickly set to work organizing Kodi's deliveries, package in mind.

"I hope my sake and hers, this will not be something I regret."

With a flick of a pen and a sigh, he added the suspicious package it to her register.

The houndour ran down the street with a panicked look on his face. Occasionally, he glanced behind him. No matter where he looked, he always saw the same in the corner of his vision. A pair of eyes. Always following him. Always looking at him.

He turned into an alley and banged straight into a crate. Standing up, a dark figure greeted him a head taller than him. Their eyes shone red, like the ones from before. A smirk appeared, baring all their teeth in their sharp glory for the hound to see.

"Why are you running? You're not leaving the area without seeing me are you?" a snicker tore into the houndour's hearing. "Or… are you trying desperately to meet someone you always wanted to?"

"N-no… no…" he said. He whimpered a little as he stepped back. "P-please I just…"

The figure stomped down on his left foreleg. It took incredible strength not to scream in pain as they did. The figure snickered once more as they lifted their foot of his leg.

"Stop trying to run you fool. The agreement made is absolute. You'll see them when allowed." the figure's smile dropped, and they looked away. "But that's not up to me to decide. That's up to him."

"Mmm…" he moaned in defeat. He knew he had no power or say. Not anymore and not for some time.

"You know what else is up to him?" the figure then asked. He looked up to see their red eyes glaring at him. "Whether we stay or go."

He stared up with wide-eyes. The figure in front of him held no smile, no laughter, and no signs of arrogance. Just a grimace and a somewhat saddened look. He knew. They knew. Both knew the same thing. It was a sobering thought.

"I… I don't want to be sent away…" tears formed in his eyes. His paws dug into to the soft earth, leaving small divots. He couldn't help but be emotional at the thought of leaving the region before he did what he wanted- what he needed to do. "I don't want to go… I have to see them..."

"Mmm… I know." the figure walked past him and looked down the street towards the post office. They watched the old spider close and lock the front door then walk around the corner, out of view. "I don't want to go either, honestly."

"So... I'm not in trouble am I…?" he asked.

"No…" the figure looked back at the sobbing houndour. The ground under him was wet from his tears. They couldn't help but feel sympathetic for the hound. "You're a lucky one- for now, at least. He shouldn't be that angry anyways. You did your part." they admitted.

"I did, didn't I?" he said as he stood up. He wiped a tear away as he forced a smile. "Is it enough?"

"I'd say no." the figure bluntly pointed out. His smile dropped into a frown. "It's best you go back to him and try to kiss his ass as much as you can. Get on his good side. Become a favorite of his."

"R-right. I will." he took the time breath slowly, ending his flow of tears. "I guess... I'll be seeing you then."

"That you will."

He quietly slipped away, leaving the figure alone in the alley.

A minute after he left, the figure sighed. The thoughts roamed but they decided it was best to push them away for now. With a shake of their head, they walked further in. Upon seeing a perfect stack of boxes, they jumped up to the rooftops. They looked out at the city before them and smiled.

It was large and sprawling, rising and falling with the hills the buildings were haphazardly built on. Buildings of all sorts of shapes and sizes nestled up to one another up to the walls in the distance. Atop the taller hills were buildings of much more grandeur. The tallest hill held a castle instead of a manor- one that they intently focused on for a moment.

'A sign of the changing times.' they thought. 'Or really, a sign of this land's progress. Who knew conquest would lead to all this?'

They went back to glancing at the city around them, taking in the soft orange glow of the fire-stone lit street lamps aloft every street. The city was an affront to how towns used to be built: small, open, and relaxed. She missed those days but they were ending. Cities rose above towns as guilds becoming more than just for exploration and as new goods began to be traded.

Even then, they loved the city. The entire idea of it was amazing. It had much of what they loved to see these days. People. Architecture. Food. Comfort.

Light.

"This city… such lovely light." escaped as a whisper from their mouth. The figure pulled at a cloth around their neck and covered their mouth with it. Doing so freed a small yellow gem-like marking just below her neck to the night air. At the same time, one could easily see a lack of an apple in her throat. "If I could, I'd stand here for as long as I can..."

Suddenly, she felt a pull. A call. She sighed and took a deep breath, taking in as much the city air as she could before letting out slowly, enjoying the smells. She muttered "Nakari…" before disappearing into the shadows of the alley below.