My biggest apologies! I'm never promising dates again T_T
When was the last time I updated? A million years ago? True that! Well I'm thanking those of you that stayed faithful in me coming back and HERE I AM! If you want to thank anyone for this next update thank yourselves! Your reviews and follows made me come back ^^.
SPECIAL THANKS!
Jenni Li
Go over to her and give her a thank you hug for me! She updated a story I have been following that I loved and I was so happy! Happy me makes happy stories! That sounds cheesy.
So again, I've been in and out of depression and anxiety lately! Especially School! When they say, "Junior year is hard!" always listen to the warning T_T OMG! Trigonometry and APUSH and I'm not smart sooooo….and I work! No time….no time means no relaxation…means no stories. Sorry :(
-CALL ALL SPIDER RIDERS!-
CHAPTER TEN: ANGER AND WAVERING FRIENDSHIP
The morning was crispy. It was a calm and quiet fall morning. Squirrels(1) scurried about gathering nuts and nutrition, stocking up for the upcoming winter. Leaves on the colorful and odd looking trees grew from its normal hues of purple and blue to the autumn colors of red, yellow, and orange, falling to the ground, shedding in anticipation of winter.
Breaking the calm, the sky above this particular hill of trees and squirrels, came a droning sound, like a river, then a muffled volume explosion. A black void, making a distinct difference of colors in the sky, shredded the Arachnian sky, then the void itself began to rip the same way a cocoon slit open on a butterfly's first day. From the pitch black void fell a bundle of men (and women and a child.) One landing on top of each other until everyone formed a ugly dog pile heap on the ground.
"Oh…Ouch…"
"Get off me!"
"My back! My poor old back…"
"Uhh foo i mm ma mouh !(Your foot is in my mouth)"
It took a while before everyone untangled themselves. There was a sigh of relief when the issue was resolved. Corona turned her head. She watched from where she sat, in the distant mountains, she saw the kingdom. It stood strong and proud on the pink floral shaped mountain. In a matter of hours…they would be home at last…
The guards raised their spears and saluted the incoming heroes, the spider riders. "It's good to be home!" There was a hearty tone of excitement in Corona's voice and Sparkle rode in quickly, in front of everyone, "I can't wait to tell Lily about my adventure!" and sped away.
In the back, there was little talk. Walking silently between two just as silent bodies, Hunter eyed Sparkle jealously. She can be so carefree at that age. My parents were DEAD at that age… Drake and Leric exchanged glances, knowing the look in Hunter's eyes.
It was around midnight by the time they reached the interior of the castle where the bedrooms and guest rooms were. "Man! I'm spent! That was a real long travel!" exclaimed Magma as he stretched his arms above his head. Igneous rolled his eyes in a playful scolding manner. "We are suppose to be the best of the best Prince Lumen has to offer as soldiers and you are tired from a little WALK? Whatever happened to traveling across the land to fight the invectids. Where's the brute that lived in a forest for a decade(2)?"
The tone was heavy. The atmosphere was heavy. Except everyone was laughing, being playful, being happy. How could they be so happy when there is a war, decimating his homeland! Endangering the graves of his parents. Hunter stood with glaring eyes, mixed with emotions of hatred and anger...and betrayal. He felt lost in this crowd of smiling bumbling teens he called friends. He turned heel and walked towards his room, even telling Shadow to not follow him, in which the spider merely nodded in obedience with concern sitting in every part of his vision as he watched his rider walk away silently, without the others knowing, to a guest room. Not his own room, a random guest room so that the others would not find or follow him, least when they even noticed his leave.
Leric nudged his father and pointed in Hunter's exiting direction. "Go to him. The child is feeling lost, like a koi in a pond of frogs. Go." Leric nodded at his father and walked away towards him.
Hunter stood by the window. Clouds had started to form and rain was to be expected of coming soon. To his right was his foster brother, sitting at the edge of the bed staring at the floor. It was a awkward situation, but then again, what silence is not awakward? Hunter sighed "I'm so confused."
"Oh?" Leric perked up at the, finally, broken silence, "about what?"
"You know what I'm talking about!" muttered the younger teen in a suddenly angered tone.
"I won't know if you don't tell me!" Leric usually got his brother to explain more that way. To pretend to not know, usually gets you the most information, that is, if Hunter was even in the mood to share and vent his little issue with Leric.
Hunter sighed, a deep, heavy, angered, and very very tired sigh "Fine." He tored his eyes away from the window, not that he was even looking at anything. His gaze was far away. Sitting down next to Leric, for a second he looked decades more older than he actually was. Was it the way he sat in his tired form, tired mentally? Only 15...
"I'm lost." Hunter began in a voice just as far away as his gaze. Drake had hit a point. "Everyone is smiling. I'm not. Everyone is laughing, I'm not. I fought their war for them with a smile plastered on my face. It wasn't even a fake smile. It was real. I feel so selfish though. I fought their war, none of them were complaining, none of them looked sad. They had problems too. They pulled through with no problem. I'm pretty sure they have more problems then me. Corona...Corona didn't even know who she was or what her past was!"
Hunter shook his head at himself, mentally punching himself, like it was painful to tell his story of his. He continued as Leric listening, like the wise older brother he was, "Then...then it was me! The Oracle offered to take me to the outer world again as a thank you for solving the issue in the inner world. I was, once again, face to face with a war, this time my war. I know it's not just me. The Mad King plans on eliminating anyone, of this entire world, who dares to stand in his way..."
Hunter stopped aruptly like he was about to spew something he was not suppose to. "I have a reason for this war. A reason that burns hatred worse than anyone's else." He got up and left. "I am..." he shook his head, "Not time yet. I can't tell you. I will though...It will be soon too.." he left the room and headed off to goddess knows where.
Leric just sat. He stared at the floor, the floor that he got to know so well during the duration of that conversation. "Hunter has something to say. It's big...but he hasn't told me yet." he tele-communated to his father mentally. "Like...his whole past or something. Father...You're...right...Hunter probably isn't someone we think he is..."
The conversation with giggles and laughter ended as soon as Lumen annouced the time. "It's 1 am! I'm tired...There will be a war meeting in the morning...We need to be well...*YAWN* rested...I need to go tell Sparkle too, or at least her lady in waiting, to come tomorrow."
"Where is Hunter?" Aqune asked. That got everyone's attention. "He's nowhere to be seen"
"He left...a looooong time ago when you all ignored the fact that he seemed on edge." announced Shadow bitterly. He pawed the floor with his front arm(3). He growled something about, being too happy at an inappropriate time before leaving the area. The hall remained silent as everyone cleared and went to bed.
"Hunter's not here…"
"Maybe he's late…"
"It's been an hour already…"
He wasn't here. The meeting had begun at nine in the morning and there was not a single trace of the redheaded boy. They even went to his usual bedroom, knowing fully well he had went to a different room the night before, but just in case…but he wasn't there. He wasn't anywhere in the castle.
"I…guess the meeting will just have to go on without him." Said Lumen.
"BUT! This is Hunter's war! We're here to help him and he's not even here!" Pounded a red faced Corona. There was a uproar of anger and Leric and Drake merely sat. They sat away from the angry crowd next to the princess, who was just as nervous. Lumen, however sat, his usual lazy self, in his throne, head perched on his hand looking bored. His exclusion from the mob conversation seemed to affect the group. There was a embarrassed cough as everyone took a seat, which seemed to please Lumen and calmed Leric, Drake and Sparkle down.
"So…this war…"
Drake took charge in answering that, "This war is…a mad man's war. A king whose greed corrupted his mind, he wants to take the world with him to hell." Drake paused looking around, gazing into everyone's souls, making the riders look away from his feeling cold. "He is powerful. Very powerful. Yes. He DOES know of this inner world." Aqune sat up in alert as well as some of the others. "If you can guess his motives, he wants the entire universe at his mercy. Gods, demons, humans, dragons…" he pointed at the sky, "The living particles, one celled living creatures, anything that is considered alive and living, he wants under his control. It's only some time…no maybe even soon before he comes in here."
That stunned everyone, "…there will be another meeting tonight, no tomorrow morning." Lumen got up, and walked out.
It was evening and the oracle sun had started to turn dark. The air was still crisp and cool, but not yet cold enough to call winter yet. "Hunter…" Leric muttered under his breath in concern. "I couldn't find you all day. Were you in here ALL day?" Leric sat down at the fountain. The garden was illuminating from the fireflies(4) that fluttered about. There were many of them, some just flying about, some clung onto the trees and flowers. It was the only light source, but there were many of them. Many fireflies that fluttered the skies in a carefree and relaxed way.
"Not all day…obviously…" Hunter replied. If he had been in the Arachnian castle garden all day, the spider riders whom had been looking, searching the castle all day from top to bottom, would have looked in the garden.
"Time…"
"What?"
"Time…I'm running out of time…" Hunter mumbled in a whispered angry tone.
"…You know, everyone has been angry all day. Father told them how, in time, the King would come searching to take over the inner world. The King would bring chaos to the inner world and ultimately take the place if them Oracle…and.." he turned to the idly sitting Hunter who just stared at the flowers and the fireflies flying around the garden, "everyone has been angry at you too, Hunter…" continued Leric.
"Let them be angry."
"They are trying to help you and you keep pushing them away."
"Were you even listening to me last night, Leric? When I told you I felt enough guilt?" The red headed spider rider got up abruptly and turned to his brother. "I'll go…tomorrow…to the meeting…" The boy walked away, leaving Leric in yet another awkward, lonely situation.
"Hunter!" the Corona got up as Hunter showed up in the meeting room. Even Lumen raised a brow at the entering boy. He looked tired, and that made everyone feel guilty about the fact that they were even angry. He was late once again, an hour late to be exact. Hunter sat next to his mentor and father. He didn't look at any of his friends, not even glancing at Leric. He was fidgeting in his seat, uncomfortable.
"Welcome back, Hunter," stated Lumen calmly. "As I was saying…since I can't spare any soldiers we need an alternative."
Igneous explained, in case Hunter had questions, he coughed to get attention, "We need as many soldiers as possible. There is a war, yes, but there are crimes in our kingdom as well. Not only crimes, but many issues needed to be tended. As Master Drake, " he looked at the man who returned a nod, "had said…the Mad King is not only trying to rid of the people in his own, the outer, world, but he wants the entire universe at his mercy, no? He will try to send soldiers into the inner world or even himself. We need all the protection and all the assurance possible that our citizens and our home will be safe from his attacks."
Lumen held his hand up to signify that he would speak, "We do…have one alternative. There are the invectids. We aren't what one would called FRIENDS, but we are not fighting and are on good terms as well. I am sure they would be willing to fight with us.
Suddenly, Hunter stood up and glanced at his father. His father merely glanced back, without another gesture Hunter left the room. "Hu-!" Drake raised his hand to stop Corona. "Let him be."
"Did we upset him?" Sparkle mumbled in a squeaky and nervous voice.
"Maybe he's not happy about the fact that our soldiers are not helping him or that he doesn't believe we CAN help!" Corona groaned, with a hint of anger.
Her spider sighed, "I doubt that Hunter is as greedy as you're picturing him these couple of days…"
"Maybe he doubts the invectids. I mean he was the one who fought them after all."
It was Leric who found Hunter. He was in the garden again, but hidden in the tall patches of fall flowers. He wasn't near the fountain this time. Hunter sat on the dirt ground of the garden. He stared at a orb in his hands.
Leric sighed sitting down next to his mysterious, and lately distant, brother. "You know…" he said, "you could have provided a reason to leave, nn?" He ruffled the youngster's hair, who swatted him away. "It's rude…in front of Prince Lumen…"
"You felt that no?" Hunter asked. He wasn't even listening. "That strong pulse?"
"You know what it is?"
Hunter held out the orb. It was a small orb that fit into his palm. It was clear, like a crystal ball, and slightly blue in hue. Inside the orb, burned strongly and unwaveringly a bright red flame that danced in the sphere. "It was me…I…I'm not human…"
Leric chuckled, "I wan't expecting you to be…father and I…the moment we took you in, we knew you were something different. Not different in a bad way though, different in a way…like….like you were superior to us both, like a god.."
"A dragon…" Hunter corrected. "I'm a dragon. We rule the skies…." There was a sudden pulse of anger which pained Leric, "…sorry…." Muttered Hunter, "It's just…soon…we will be wiped out. We will be the first race to be wiped out. The King…he wants us as his slaves, then he will continue to wreck all of mankind. "Everyone has time…I…my kin…we don't have time! I don't have time!"
Hunter got up and said, "If…If nothing will change. If they can't make up their mind soon…" He turned his back to Leric. "If time stands in my way…I WILL DO THIS ALONE!" he stormed off.
Leric shook his head, "Kid keeps walking out on me!"
Corona had enough…she got up from the bed she had been laying for the past 3 hours. She had had enough of Hunter's attitude. First he kept all this from his friends, then he refuses to talk to them, then he makes up with them all, then he's all cold again and now…now this Mad King guy is coming to the inner world and is going to kill them all and destroy the oracle, and Hunter? Hunter just ups and leaves in the middle of the meeting. They had done nothing to upset him! He didn't even go to the first meeting! What is up with that?!
Aqune sensed her sister's anger and tried to calm her down, "I'm sure Hunter's just on edge."
"On edge?! We were fighting Mantid and we were never on edge!"
"Yes we wer—"
"Ok but Hunter's 'on edge' is worse than ours! His attitude! It's so rude! He kept it from us! It's his own fault! Why is he trying to push his problems on us?!" he roared. The blonde ran out of her room and went to Hunter's. She knew he wouldn't be foolish enough to be in his room, but still. She needed to vent. Maybe he would be there after all.
The unanswered pounding on Hunter's door answered that. She growled and pounded the door again until I finally gave away and opened.
The sight was bothersome. Hunter's room was a mess. The bedsheets were turned, the pillows flung about and the glass window was broken. There were burn marks and scratches on the walls and bed. One of the two beds were overturned.
There was a note on the desk, "Time ran out. I'm doing this on my own. Don't' look for me. I'll be fine." It was signed in Hunter's handwriting and the note was in Hunter's handwriting. What was worse was the manacle. Hunter's manacle, his proof of being a spider rider. It was shattered like someone grow too big and bursted out. It laided on top of the note, like it was placed there.
Hunter was gone…
So there you go. The suspense! Do you think Hunter was brutally kidnapped or do you think he transformed and left?
Notes:
I don't know if there are even seasons in the inner world or if there are even creatures like squirrels. Let's just pretend there is to set the "crispy fall season mood"
I don't know how long Magma was in the Forgotten Forest but let's say it's an exaggerated length of time.
I don't know if a spider has what we call a front paw, it's his arm. I always thought a spider has 6 legs and the two up front were his two arms.
Again, I have never seen any other creatures besides the spiders and the invectids. I don't know if there are any fireflies or even any normal looking trees and flowers in arachna, but these fireflies are your average normal tiny flies with their butts light on fire. They are NOT like the invectids where the bugs are human sized O_o.
Okay…I will never promise again, but since people are reviewing again, I guess you guys are still interested in the story. I hope your faith in me hasn't wavered. I really worked hard on his chapter. It's so much more professional then my childish writing back then. I would not be writing this if not for you faithful fans. Thank You!
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