Now, having made up my mind, the real question was...how does one go about approached a spider-woman.

I chose the casual ‘check this out’ approach. That meant that I fished around on the ground for something of interest and took it over to her like some strange mating offering. I wish I was still back home. There, all I had to say was “hey, wanna count my augments?”.

“Hey Nel, check this out,” I called as I approached her from around the fire.

She looked up from the flames and squinted to see what I held in my hand. The firelight cast deep shadows across my palm and she had to come real close (see my genius plan at work?) to see.

“Uhh, that is a very nice twig.” She said, trying to sound amazed and failing miserably.

“Thanks!” My acting skills are awesome and my amazement sounded real. “I found it on the ground over there.”

Nel nodded slowly as if suddenly understanding something. She started to gently push me towards the hammock she had hung and I thought my plan was working even better than I had anticipated but then she opened her mouth and I realized how very wrong I was.

“I understand. That is an amazing twig. Perhaps you should rest, you’ve had a long day and must be having trouble understanding everything that is going on around you. Saza told me some people cannot handle such sudden change and that their minds can snap from the strain.”

“Yea-Wait! What?”

Nel continued to push me towards the hammock as she spoke in that slow soothing tone you use on wild animals. (I’m a little ashamed to admit it but it was working and I was feeling remarkably calm). “There is no shame in it, Champion. It has happened to more men than you. Perhaps rest and a good warm meal in the morning will help you feel better. I will take the watch tonight, have no fear, you are safe here.”

“No, I’m fine. Nel...Nel! I’m fine!” I had to dig my heels in but finally, she stopped. She could have also stopped because I was at the hammock and she was trying to figure out how to manipulate my rather large frame up and into it.

“Nel, I haven’t gone insane from the stress,” I explained quickly, my plans falling apart around me. “Who even does that? Snaps and starts to marvel at a twig he found on the ground…”

Nel looked pointedly at the twig I still held.

“Oh for fuck's sake,” I growled, dropping the stupid thing and putting both hands on Nel’s shoulders. “Listen, forget the twig, I was just looking for an excuse to get close to you.”

Nel looked up at me, the fire behind her illuminating the loose strands of hair and turned them into golden threads while casting her face and front into dark shadows. Only her eyes shined and I watched her blink as she asked quietly. “And why would you need to do that?”

Was it my imagination or was she leaning against my grip trying to get closer to me?

“I wanted to get closer to you because...well...uhh...you see you’re very attractive...that is to say…” Oh my god! I can hear myself. What the hell is wrong with me?

“Fuck it!” I growled releasing my grip on her shoulders and instead wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close.

Her gasp of shock was silenced as I leaned down to kiss her. Her lips were soft and warm beneath my own and I unconsciously pulled her tighter to me.

What shocked me was the intensity of her response.

She moaned a low throaty sound that curled my toes as she grabbed my shirt, fisting the material, and pulled me tighter against her. She kissed back with a ferocious passion that drove any other thought from my head but the sensation of her mouth on mine, her tongue darting out to tease mine before retreating.

One of my hands ran down her spine, playing across the fabric of her top before finding the smooth satin warmth of her skin. My other hand moved up her neck, sliding through the silky strands of her hair, to stop at the back of her head and hold her in place as our kiss depend.

She tasted of spice and life and her body radiated heat under my frenzied touch. I ran a hand over the swell of her hips, my rough fingers dimpling the naked flesh at her waist. Nel moaned again and pressed herself tighter against me, her own hands moving under my shirt to run along my abs and up to my chest.

I followed her example, my own hand moving back up her body, tracing the contours of her stomach muscles before brushed against the bottom swell of her breasts. The fabric of her top was rough under my hands and I wanted to tear it off, with my teeth if I had to, and I must have growled because Nel pulled away from me slightly.

I caught the flash of teeth as she smiled at me, her forehead pressed against mine.

“Finally!” She hissed at me. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you to do that Alexander?”

I responded by kissing the side of her neck and she let out a low gentle sigh, her hand running through my short hair before pushing against my chest. Reluctant but accepting I stepped back, the night suddenly feeling cold without her body warmth. My hands still rested on the swell of her hips and It took all my self-control not to pull her back to me.

“I do not think my first time should be in a quick tumble in the woods while we hunt down a strange disease that turns Denvii into forgotten,” She whispered, though she didn’t sound certain.

I knew, just knew, that if I kept trying she wouldn’t stop me. She wanted it as much as I did.

“Alexander,” I muttered.

“No. Nel.” She said, laughing as she pointed at herself. “Are you sure you haven’t gone insane?”

“I was just reminding myself that I wanted to be different. Thus the name change.”

Nel stepped forward, tiptoeing a little, her hands flat against my chest as she kissed me lightly on the lips. “You don’t mind waiting,” She asked. “At least until all of this is over?”

Be different. Be better.

“I’ll wait.” I stepped back. “In more ways than one. There aren’t any cold showers in the middle of the forest after all.”

-

Against my protests, Nel took the first watch so I settled down in the hammock and thought about what had just happened as my bed swayed back and forth gently. There wasn’t much to think about though. We had kissed, a very sexually charged kiss but what happens from here? I have not a clue. Crap, was I meant to kiss her goodnight? Kiss her good morning? Not touch her till she wanted me to? Were we in a relationship?

I doubted the last one. It was just a kiss.

-

There had been a fundamental shift in our relationship. That much was obvious now that we walked together in the light of day. It hadn’t started like that this morning when I woke her up after my watch and we broke camp. Other than a few smiles and a brief contact of her hands on my jaw we had acted much the same as we had the previous day. That is to say that Nel broke camp while I tried, and failed, to help.

The longer we traveled though the more apparent the change. It was subtle at first, barely noticeable, even on my end, but when I did notice them they stuck out like a sore thumb. Nel touched me more. It was casual: a light brush against my arm as she moved past me, a light grip on my shoulder as she used me for balance, a light hand running along the small of my back as she slid around me. Each touch felt like an electric spike to the brain and left tingling trails of fire along my skin.

I thought it was just her until I did my usual ogle and had to fight back the urge to pounce on her like a hungry animal. The sway of her hips, and the tightness of her pants, the shape of her legs, all of seemed so much more…inviting now that a part of me knew I could get it and would get it.

Needless to say, I spent most of the morning walking through the forest in a near-constant state of arousal. That meant that I tripped on just about everything and stubbed my toe on everything else. It was almost to the stage where I was tempted to jump into the creek, bad smell be damned, just to cool off.

“We’re getting close,” Nel said as we followed a bend in the brook. “The Grove is just up ahead.”

I boosted my hearing, shifting my sack and axe on my back at the same time, and stopped walking so I could hear better.

“I don’t hear anything,” I said. Nel sighed in relief and I felt like a dick for saying the next part but she needed to know. “I mean I hear nothing. There’s no sound other than the water flowing and the trees moving.”

“Oh Aeris,” Nel said, her hand clenching as she tried to keep the tremor from her voice. “please don’t let them be dead.”

“You wanna wait here?”

She took a deep breath, straightened her spine, and shook her head. “No. We’ve come all this way to get answers, I won’t shy away now.”

“That’s my girl!” I said before realizing what I said and what it could mean. I opened my mouth to utter some nonsense but Nel gave me a pleased smile so I shut my mouth. “Just let me go first, okay?”

I shrugged the axe from its sheath on my back, it had a loop of leather around the handle and a sort of pocket for one of the blades that rested near my left hip. I’d found it in the Alpha’s room while looking for metal and Rima had shown me how to wear it. To remove the axe I just had to grip it near the head and pull sideways, the head coming out of the pocket and the handle sliding down and out of the loop.

It was heavy enough that I had to lean it on my shoulder and I worried about cutting off an ear but the fact that I looked totally badass outweighed my fear of disfiguration and I dropped my sack on the ground. I’d come get it later.

Nel shrugged off her pack, setting it down next to my gear, and placed a hand on the pommel of her dagger. After adjusting her satchel so it rested more snuggly against her side she nodded at me and I continued on.

No way was I not expecting trouble and I eyed the trees with all the trepidation they deserved. I was fairly confident that armed with the cutting edge of the axe I could take down a mutated Messenger if I had to.

I caught a stronger whiff of rot, which was saying something since I’d pretty much gotten used to it, having traveled next to the waterway all day.

I caught sight of thatched roofs through the trees as we made our way forward. The Grove was exactly what I had imagined. Okay, maybe not exactly, but it was close.

It was much larger than the Pack’s village with at least twenty buildings smattered around a very large clearing. Plots of vegetable farms and neat lines of fruit trees filled most of the available space, broken up only by wooden fences painted bright colors and covered with creepers that looked heavy with some pod-like vegetable.

A small winding dirt road made its way around to each home and through the gardens. Where it crossed the brook that ran through the middle of it all, a small stone bridge could be seen.

The Grove was also completely and utterly silent. Nothing moved in the whole village.

Nel walked passed me, her head turning from side to side as she tried to look at everything at once.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when she yelled “Glen!”

Her voice echoed across the clearing before silence once more reigned.

“What are you doing?” I hissed. Looking around for the onslaught of vines I was sure was coming.

“Trying to get a reaction,” Nel said at a more reasonable volume. “If we’re going to get attacked I’d prefer it to be here then when we’re stuck in the middle of the Grove.”

She had a good point. That still didn’t stop me from jumping when she yelled out again.

“Springflower!”

That was the name I had been trying to remember yesterday! Springflower. See, hippy-dippy.

We both stood there waiting for something, anything, to happen and when it didn’t I turned to Nel and gave her a shrug.

“I suppose we head in?”

“Keep an eye out for anything strange.” She reminded me. I nodded my understanding.

I led the way through a tomato garden to the home behind. The plants came up to my chest with fruits the size of my fist and colored a deep, rich red. Using a boot I pushed at the base of the door, expecting the slab of wood to open with a creak like in some creepy holovid horror flick but it remained motionless.

“Perhaps you should try the doorknob?” Nel suggested from behind me.

I took the time to look back and scowl at her. The woman had the cheek to smile.

The door was unlocked and opened soundlessly under my touch. The interior was lit by the sunlight coming through the windows. A simple large room that doubled as both a living room and kitchen, if my guess was correct. A plain wooden table with four seats took up most of the space, thick woven mats of reed covered the floor. Herbs rested on the window sills in clay pots, and more hung from ropes and baskets in the exposed rafters.

“You take that room, I’ll take the other,” I said.

“Scream if you need help,” Nel said before I could. She went towards one of the doors. I went to the other one.

“Empty,” Nel said.

I looked at the empty bedroom, taking note of the furniture and knick-knacks around the room before turning away. “Mine's empty as well.”

Nel let out a sigh of relief.

“You’re happy no one is here?” I asked, confused.

“No bodies.” Nel shrugged and led the way out of the house and back through the garden. “It could mean no one died.”

We stood on the dirt road and I looked around.

“Strange though.” I thought I saw movement in the window of a house just down the road but it was a curtain swaying gently in the breeze. “The Messenger was all mutated. The Pack was massacred and their Alpha along with most of the others were changed into Forgotten…and now this…a Grove of Dryads all gone. No signs of a struggle or foul play.”

A thought struck me and I hung my head, praying Nel would have an answer that would satisfy me.

“Hey Nel, I’m going to ask you a question. Feel free to say ‘Alexander, don’t be silly. You’re wrong’ okay?”

“Alexander, you silly little thing, you’re wrong,” Nel said, a naughty little twinkle in her eye that made me want to pull her close and kiss her.

“Would you say we buried the whole Pack?”

“Of course, Rima and you helped drag the last body back yourself remember?”

“No, I mean, do you think the whole Pack was slaughtered and we buried them or is it possible that a few may have…left?”

I saw Nel’s eyes widen at the implication. “Fuck,” she said. The first time I’ve ever heard her swear. If I didn’t feel like little icy fingers were running down my spine I would have laughed.

“Give me a moment.” She closed her eyes, her brows scrunched up with concern. Her lips parted as she muttered to herself and I leaned forward to hear. She was counting. The longer she was at it the deeper her frown got.

“Fuck,” she said again after five tense minutes.

“What?”

“I could be wrong, I hardly interacted with the Pack so I don’t think I’ve seen all of them, and some were too mutated to match with previous memories but,” she hesitated, looking up at me with concern. “I think you’re right. I don’t think we buried all of them.”

“Did you just go through the memory of burying them and compare each body with that of the Pack from a previous time you’d seen them?” I asked, thoroughly impressed.

“Gift of replay, remember?”

“Still…very impressive. And not a little sexy.”

“You choose to flirt at the most inopportune times,” Nel said, motioning around us at the Ghost Grove.

I waved away her concerns before moving to resume our search. The next two homes were just as empty and cold as the first.

‘So, we’re going to work under the assumption that part of the Pack and possibly the whole Grove of Dryads are still alive, they’re just….what, abducted? running from the disease?”

“I prefer to think of it that way than to believe they are all dead.”

I could see Nel’s point of view so I didn’t argue. No one just ups and leaves their life behind, at least not without a good reason. But she didn’t want to believe her friends were dead and who was I to rain on her parade. One way or the other we were going to get to the bottom of this and she’d have her answers then.

The next house was half-hidden by apple trees, each tree overburdened with fruit. I jumped straight up and snagged one. With a smile at Nel that was all teeth, I took a bite, expecting the sweet juices to explode in my mouth. Instead, I gagged and coughed, spitting out the foul-tasting flesh of the apple.

Nel was right there, pounding on my back as I spat some more and coughed up an artificial lung.

“Oh fuck!” I said between coughs. “That's fucking nasty!”

Nel picked up the apple from where I had dropped it and turned it over to look at the bite mark. It’s bright red skin that looked so delicious and sweet hid flesh that was black and rotten. Her eyes went wide and she dropped the fruit before dashing over to me, both her hands rooting around inside her satchel.

“Give me a torch,” I growled. “I’m going to burn that whole fucking tree down!”

“Here!” She said, shoving a leather flask of water into my hands. “Rinse your mouth out, Quick!”

Ahhh, she was so kind. I took a swig, swirling the warm water around my mouth before spitting it off to the side.

“Again!” She said, forcing my hand up towards my mouth. “Make sure you don’t swallow any of it.”

“Okay, Okay. Jeez!” I did it all again then smiled at her. “Is my breath really that bad?”

“I think I know what happened and if my theory is correct I don't want you getting infected!” Nel said, her eyes darting over my face as she turned my head this way and that. “The fruit! The water! The Messenger! It all makes sense!”

“Explain, please.”

She was practically bouncing in place, her hands moving in agitated flicks as she thought through her theory.

“The disease is spreading through the water and contaminating the ground. These trees, all of them, draw the water up through the ground and it must be infecting the fruits. When the Dryads eat it they get infected.”

“Sure, but I don’t see how they wouldn’t notice. That stuff is nasty.”

“Because what you ate was concentrated. What happens if only a little of the disease is present in the fruit at a time, or if it takes time to grow and manifest itself? The whole village would be consuming it without even knowing.”

“Okay, but how does that explain the Messenger?”

“Think about what I told you, the Messenger waits in the ground until it is needed, hunting worms and insects and other things. If the ground and water are contaminated then it stands to reason that the Messenger would also get contaminated.”

I nodded along, it was making sense but there were still holes in her logic. “But then why was it near the Brood?”

Nel gnawed on her lip in that adorable way she does before smiling. “The Dryads needed to send a message to us, perhaps they began to show symptoms of the disease…the Messenger’s infection grew to maturity as it traveled until it forgot what it was meant to do. Instead of reaching the Brood it stopped short and only focused on food.”

“Okay, your making sense.” I thought about it for a second then sighed. “But then what about the Pack? The infection can’t have spread all the way there, or we would have seen more signs along the way.”

“I’ve told you this as well, the Pack hunts in the woods surrounding the Citrus Pools, and we’ve already seen…and smelt…it there. Their hunts can last for days and they would drink from the water and eat the Citrus Nuts.”

“Ahhh, but they would smell it,” I said. I was enjoying playing the devil's advocate. “Wolves have a great sense of smell after all.”

“During the earliest stages, if this…disease…stays dormant, it could be present in the water and the smell of the Citrus Nuts would mask it until it was too late.”

“Would the Alpha be in the hunting party?”

Nel scoffed. “Of course. He has to be, he also has to catch the most and eat the most and work the most.”

“Meaning he would get hot the most and probably drink the most.” I finished for her.

She nodded and I sighed.

“So if the whole Grove has been infected that means they’re all Forgotten…which means we are fucked.”

“No. If that was the case then we would have been attacked by now. As Nature Spirits they would view this all as their territory and we would have been dealt with most viciously.”

“But you just said the whole village could be infected and the infection or disease or whatever makes the Denvii into Forgotten…so if we're saying that half the Pack and the whole Grove left, while being infected...then what does that mean?”

Nel looked at me and shrugged. “How should I know? You're the Champion.”

Great. It's the blind leading the blind.