The day was growing late, and Raka had been searching for somewhere to lay her head when something most unfortunate had happened. Her elegant, long horns had gotten tangled in the gnarly branches of a low hanging tree. She attempted to tug her horns free when with an awful ‘ping’ one of her precious gems snapped off and went flying. Gasping, she jerked forward in the direction it had gotten. Forgetting, momentarily, about her predicament. She was wretched backwards and let out a pained yelp. 


She gave her horns a more delicate tug, wiggling her head every which way. But nothing seemed to help. She was well and truly stuck. Desperately, she scanned the forest floor in the hopes of finding her sentimental stone.

Spider had been weaving through the drooping boughs of a willow tree, batting absentmindedly at the leaves, when a pained yelp catches their attention. they lift their chin, ears angling forward as they attempt to discern the direction it'd come from. they're in a bit of a weird mood, something vaguely contemplative and almost sulky, perhaps pre-emptive to a bad mood, and this is a welcome distraction - though if someone's in pain, perhaps that isn't exactly kind to say. it's not too hard the find the source of the noise; the girl is large, after all, with a jewel-bright pelt and antlers so large they have Spider's mouth flopping open in surprise. as they approach, something shiny catches their attention, and their gaze lands on a small stone tied to a string lying limply on the ground. scooping it up, Spider steps directly into the girl's view, slowly taking in the situation. she appears stuck, and a second near-identical gem hangs from her antler, differing only in colour. "hello,"  Spider chirps, voice muffled around the string. the gem hangs from their jaw, swaying gently in the evening breeze. "is this yours, then?"

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

She found the gem when the shape of a little black wolf came into view, and picked it up. She tensed, eying the wolf more wearily than she usually would. That gem was important to her, and there was little she could do if they decided to take it. “It is!” She said, voice rising with a tinge of hope. Perhaps this wolf had come along just in time. “My father gave that to me the day my eyes opened.” she explained, offering them a slightly-anxious smile. “Would you perhaps be able to do me a small favour, friend?” She asked, pulling down as much as she could. The branches bowed, but didn’t break or free her. Her knees were almost touching the ground. “Do you think you could hop on my back and see if you could work some of these branches free?” "Speech"

my father gave that to me the day my eyes opened. "oh."  Spider tilts their head, peering into the girl's face with interest. "i guess it does kind of match,"  they remark, lifting the gem up to compare it to her eyes. they're a brilliant colour, as blue as her pelt is orange. very pretty. they listen as the girl makes her request, gaze travelling up to where her antlers are tangled amidst the willow branches. yikes, that has to hurt. "every favour i do is small," Spider reasons, baring their teeth in a cheeky grin. "ya know, because of my size."  they place the gem down carefully, ensuring it's far enough that it won't get crushed if a struggle ensues. "but sure, i'll help."  gathering power into their haunches, they spring up onto the girl's back and clamber across her shoulders, using them as a platform of sorts. "wow, you're really stuck,"  they remark, eyeing the branches critically. they seem to be caught around her horns, wound tight and resistant to force. indeed, this will be a careful process. with a final little hop, Spider makes it onto the girl's head and starts unpicking the branches, using a culmination of teeth and claws. "you know," they begin conversationally, voice once again muffled - though this time by a branch - "i've never been on someone's head before."

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

As the little wolf came close enough to pair into her eyes, she blinked with surprise at their own. For a moment, she thought they had four before two blinked, and two remained the same. It was a pretty impressive illusion. “I’ve seen eyes like that before on butterfly wings” she commented, and then laughed at Spider’s joke. “Does that make every favour I do big?” she asked. She could feel herself relaxing already. This stranger was taking care with her gem, and seemed genuinely interested in helping her. Now, instead of stress, she was feeling excitement.

She felt the moment they jumped on her back, and made her way up her spine. It was an odd sort of experience, feeling little paws digging in as they clambered up. “I really am” she agreed, if a touch dryly. “I’ve never had someone on my head before. I never thought i’d be excited to have someone on my head before” She said with a grin. “I’m Karaka by the way, or Raka to my friends”


"Words"

the process is slow going, but Spider finds satisfaction in the methodical untangling of the branches, the little pulse of triumph every time a branch slips free and the girl is just that tiny bit closer to freedom. as they work they keep one ear on the conversation, glad for the distraction. how terribly boring would it be if they had to do all this in silence! “you’re welcome, in that case,” they tease, glancing briefly down at their companion. “i imagine not everyone has such a wonderful first experience.” for surely most circumstances requiring head-mounting had to be unpleasant, after all. perhaps an ambush?

they’re about thee-quarters of the way through when the girl offers her name. Karaka. it’s nice, a pleasant meshing of sounds that ends on a satisfying note. “are we friends, then?” Spider prods, leaning closer as they saw at a particularly stubborn branch. they’re almost done! “i guess we have to be after all this, hm?” they giggle, though there’s a strained element to it as they lean even closer to the branch, sweat beads on their brow, exertion trembling through their fore paws. “my…name…is Spid-ahh!” the last branch snaps free and sends them tumbling forward, and they only just manage to catch themselves on Raka’s horns as they fall. a squeal rips from their throat as they dangle from the girl’s horns, forepaws wrapped around it while their back paws dangle perilously through the air. “um…please help?”

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

“I believe we are. I think I’d only let friends climb around on my head” She said, laughter in her voice. This was definitely a strange predicament she had gotten herself into. But perhaps she could spin it into some sort of story down the line. The wolf gives their name at the same time as they snap a branch and start to tumble. Only a lucky grab onto her horns keeps them from falling.

Raka grunted in surprise and struggled with the sudden imbalance at the weight of the wolf on one side of her body. Her horns were almost entirely free now, and she had to step carefully backwards to ensure she didn’t rectangle herself. At the same time, she turned her head fully to the side, so that Spider could be deposited onto her back. “Oh no, Spid-ahh! Are you okay?” she asked them.


"Words"

they breathe a deep sigh as they climb onto Raka's back, shakily releasing her horn. and after patting themselves down to ensure no injuries have been sustained, Spider gives a low, relieved whistle. "that was close! thanks, Raka." they quickly scramble back onto her head, determined to finish the job. "oh, and it's Spid-er. you know, like the bug?" all it takes is a few more tugs, and they manage to clear the last of the branches from Raka's horns, allowing the girl to move freely once more. "there you go!" they announce, patting Raka's neck with a paw. "i've saved you from the evil willow tree." sliding down her neck, Spider jumps nimbly to the ground and shakes a few stray leaves from their pelt, smirking up at their new friend. "maybe consider living underground, though - no trees to tangle with there."

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

“I know, silly” Raka giggled as Spider pointed out their name a little more clearly to her. After returning Spider to their perch on her back, they immediately finish the job. Freeing her horns with a finishing pat of their paw. “I should hire you, you can ride around on my back all day and keep me out of trouble.” She teased. Spider was conveniently sized for just the job.

When they hopped off her back, she gave the small wolf a little bow. “And my thanks to you, Hero Spider.” She said. Now that she was free, the first thing she did was look for her missing gem. She found where Spider had carefully placed it easily enough. She walked around with her head almost comically low - she really didn’t want to tangle her horns again moments after getting her freedom. “I suppose if I lived underground, I’d do a passable impression of a sunrise”


"Words"

"you won't think me much of a hero when you hear my list of demands," Spider announces, affecting a greatly exaggerated voice, one with posh drawling tones. "for saving you, you now owe me a debt. you shall carry my prey for me wherever i go, and kiss my feet every morning...and...and..." they break off, brows scrunching in thought. what else should they demand? "um...collect pretty flowers for me!" yes, that sounds appropriately servile. they hold their act only a moment longer before breaking into laughter, eyes dancing with mirth. at Raka's assertion, they nod their approval, gaze raking over her intricate pelt. "more than passable," they assure her. "you practically glow, Raka."  and how true that is. Spider doesn't think they've ever met anyone so eye-catching. "you're like a...a firefly!"  

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

Raka pretended to settle into an easy pose as she waited to hear this ‘list of demands’ “Do you like to walk your prey far?” She couldn’t but tease them as they began. At the next, she dramatically flopped to the ground in front of Spider, and swiped at their paw, grabbing it closer to her so she could dramatically kiss it.

She released Spiders paw a moment later, her cheeky grin back in place. “I could collect pretty flowers for you, I could carry them too. In fact, I could just leave them in my antlers, and we can pretend they’re for you…” She pulled herself back off her belly, and settled on her rump as she looked at the much smaller wolf. “Awww, thanks. A firefly, I like that. You know, you're like… a Spider.” Okay, so she was having far too much fun teasing them. But so many wolves she met were a lot more uptight than this. She didn’t have many chances to have so much fun - not since she had left her littermates.


"Words"

Spider pokes out their tongue, adopting a deliberately confused disposition. “me…remind you of a spider? how could that possibly be?” oh, they like this girl! she’s so fun, and her antlers are maybe the coolest pair they’ve ever seen! speaking of which…”can i ask you something?” they prompt, voice taking on a gentler tone. they can’t be sure if this is a sensitive topic, after all. “where did you get your stones?” they indicate the singular one still hanging from Raka’s antler with a flick of their tail, eyeing it curiously. “it’s only…you seemed pretty relieved when i found it.” sure, they’re pretty - but is that all they are? or is there a deeper meaning attached?

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

“Of course” She agreed, dropping her silly posture and looking at Spider with an open smile. She was curious to hear what was on his mind, and only grinned wider as they turned her attention to her antlers - and the adornment that could be found there- she gently cusped one of her gems between the claws of a paw.

She was more than happy to speak of something she was so proud of. “Each stone I carry is a story, a part of my life. The blue one speaks of the first day I opened my eyes. The silver one marks my first kiss” She explained, a hint of warmth entering her cheeks as she mentioned Absinth by proxy.


"Words"

Spider listens with an encouraging smile, leaning forward to better observe the stones as Raka begins to speak. their eyes catch on them, admiring the contrast between the bright blue stone and the more subdued, silver one. each is eye-catching in it’s own way, made all the more intriguing by Raka’s explanations. her important life moments are represented by pretty stones? how cool is that!

“so…a first kiss, huh?” Spider hums, waggling their brows. “how romantic.” they flutter their lashes with great exaggeration, delighted at the opportunity to tease their new friend. it’s how they show affection, after all. “give me the juicy details! are they hot? ooo, did they give you butterflies!” that’s something that’s supposed to happen when you kiss a bunch, right?

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.