early in the morning | travelling merchants

  She crept through the undergrowth so elegantly, closing in on the cart, spidering limbs easing her past the many snares, pits, & other traps set for intruders. She, now settled in the shadows of an ancient willow, recounts how many frogs she had startled on her way to this newcomer-- a newcomer who, unwittingly, broken through the finest strand of her webbing of the massive net woven through this portion of the land. Three frogs? Four? Such small things.. Will she startle this furry stranger too?

  Legs glinting in the light of the sun setting over the horizon, she steps down into the defined clearing marking the border of Tanglewood. Her sprawling legs sink uncomfortably into the mud beneath her considerable weight. Itsy lifts one leg & begins to clean it between her mandibles as she listens to the merchant's greeting. The leg is considered for a moment before settling back onto the ground so she may reply.

"Reed & Goatus?" Her voice is cool & clear, with a slight lilt to it. "I am Itsy; welcome to the festering swamps of Tanglewood. Good evening to you. I have my silk to trade. Golden & rich as the sunlight glinting on morning dew, able to be woven into fanciful items or works of art for your pleasure."

  The spider edges closer, abdomen twitching, hind legs reaching between her spinnerets to produce a thick length of her dryest silk. It does, indeed, match her description, resembling a rope of gold. She deftly rolls this into a ball & offers the smooth, soft orb to Reed as the foremost set of her many eyes scan the cart for items of interest. "I observe you wear clothing, Reed & Goatus, are these made by humans?"