Out of the cold streets of Denmohwel they trudged on. One child with one parent. Coming from all corners of the city, each pair was driven by the same need, and the same failing. They made their journey in silence. It was a choice that could not be taken back. Some of the children knew what to expect. Most did not. All that Garek knew was that something was deeply bothering his father. Food had been scarce lately, but it always was. He was used to it. Already smaller than most of his peers, Garek had learned that hunger was simply a way of life. He had always shared with his little brother and sister. He had watched with joy as they had grown past him. He had felt a duty as the oldest to make sure they had been provided for. Even if it meant that he was the one who went to bed with pain in his stomach. Maybe his father was still upset at him about the shipyards. Last week, he had tried to move supplies with his father. In the end, the grueling physical work had been too much for him. He had gotten himself and his father beaten. He looked back to that day with equal parts fury and shame. But he had made up for it in his own way. He had cleaned the entire house. H hade made sure everyone was kept happy and smiling. He liked to think of himself as the caretaker of his family. Even more so now that he was to turn thirteen in a few days. He was to become a man. He wondered if where his father was taking him had anything to do with that. Maybe some kind of ritual he did not know about? If it were a test, he knew that he must pass it. He would not let his father down a second time. As they had approached their destination, the street had become more and more crowded. Everyone seemed to be going the same way as them. The people in the crowd were mostly human, but Garek made out a large number of other species. Regardless of what race they were, they all had their child with them, who seemed to be just as confused as he was. Where could they possibly be going? And what could he possibly have in common with a Turrek boy? The crowd was deathly quiet. Before they had left, Garek’s father had given him a hug and told him that he was from that point forbidden to speak. It looked like all of the other children had been given the same instruction. When it was so dense that it became difficult to move with any speed, Garek spotted their destination. It was an opening in the large, brick building. The masses piled through this entrance; quiet in their movements and sullen in their expressions. As they approached, the young boy noticed a gentle breeze wafting through the gaping hole. The mist had left a slight sheen on the surface of the bricks that still hung down over the opening, making the entrance look like a mouth with gleaming, jagged teeth.
As they passed under it into the darkness, Garek looked up at his father’s face one last time. What he saw there made him shiver. For what seemed like an eternity, they followed the crowd through the darkness. The stench of rags and sweat filled his nostrils. He could not tell who or what pressed up against him, but those behind were always pushing forward, quickening the pace. They navigated more by feel than by site. Finally, after what seemed like an endless journey, the tunnel opened into a gigantic chamber. A single source of light, a crack in the ceiling that let in the moon, left a pale, blue hue throughout the area. Garek moved with his father through the dense sea of people and stopped when there was no possibility of making their way any deeper in. There, they waited. For what, he was not sure. But he could make out the tense sense of anticipation in the dimply-lit faces of the adults around him. The children mostly seem scarred and lost. Being honest with himself, he admitted that he was a well. But he was resolved. He would be a man. He would show no fear. Suddenly, the crowd’s attention shifted. Everyone looked up, and Garek noticed their eyes grow wide. Children screamed, and were quickly silenced by their parent. Garek looked up slowly, intent on keeping his composure. He saw the strangest, and most beautiful site of his life. A large web, made of strands as thick as his arm, laced the entire ceiling. The moonlight gleamed off of its surface, and cast intricate shadows across the walls of the chamber. Then, the web began to vibrate. From deep in the shadows of the ceiling, a creature emerged. At first it could be taken for a monstrous spider, the size of a small house. But as the thing came closer, and moved into the moonlight at the center of the web, it’s true nature was revealed. Whatever this creature was, it was at least partly human. It’s eyes were that of a woman’s, a hazel green that shined against the night. It’s legs ended in spiny, long fingered hands. And there was something else…the way it moved. Its sudden, sharp jerkiness was offset by an almost feminine grace. It paused, and looked down upon the gathering of people. It’s eyes swept through the crowd. For a moment, they rested on Garek. His breath caught in his throat. Then the thing was moving again, positioning itself upon the web. Garek made himself breath. When their eyes had met, he had felt something. A craving. A terrible, undeniable craving.
The creature lifted one long, graceful limb and stretched it until it rested on a particularly thick strand of web. It then ran it’s boney fingers across. As the strand vibrated, the chamber filled with a deep, thunderous note. Garek’s eyes widened in disbelief. The spider-thing then set another limb upon a smaller strand. Once again, it strummed. A higher, piercing noted echoed through the chamber. It was beautiful. Garek stood transfixed as the creature stretched forth yet more of it’s limbs, and began to play. The melody was one of childhood. Playing hide and seek with friends, watching a bee zip from flower to flower on a hot day. Making believe that you were a great warrior, and challenging those around you to take part in your adventures. The love in your mothers eyes as she held you in her lap. The joy in your father’s as he taught you something new. These were the things that Garek remembered. He did not notice as his father lifted him up high above his head. He did not notice as the strand came down to pull him up into the great web. And he did not notice as he was wrapped up into a warm cocoon, and fangs pierced his flesh. Neither did any of the other children. And the parents shuffled out of the building, tears stinging their eyes. But they knew that this was a better way than starvation. They knew that their children had died happy. And most of all, they knew that in Denmohwel, the weak could never survive.