[Long story ahead! Click for more.]

Keme
Dedicated to Jorogumo, the forest's resident Lady Spider and Keme's adopted mother.

He is sitting on the tallest rock in the playground, observing his surroundings. The forest is quiet today; the silence is almost deafening, he thinks, with a half-smile. The feathers on the crow mask on his face flutter as a light wind stirs, the golden pelt ruffling along with it. Keme raises his head, having caught a sudden scent on the wind. He turns to find a deer there.
"Good day..." He greets, rather awkwardly. His social skills had never been up to par.
"...Would you...care to hear a story?" The deer nods in acquiescence, and he sits down comfortably, beginning in a quiet voice.
"The story of the Spider and her Fly. Dedicated to our resident spider..." A smile.

"Long ago, there lived a spider. She lived in the crook of a great tree, an oak of ancient size. This spider had lived there for some years, along with a few relatives, which she did not associate with much. She was happy there; the flies were plentiful and the seasons were not harsh. Each day passed calmly in the shade of the great oak.

Occasionally, the spider would venture away from her nest. She would creep through the grass to her favorite rock. She would dream of her future, of her little spider children. She never told anybody about this; spiders weren't sentimental! Most would think that she was strange.

One day when she came back, she found an old friend waiting for her. Spiders didn't have names, not really. They just knew. The friend called her over. The young spider looked at her friend, noticing the lines of worry. Her friend spoke in a quiet voice.
"Where have you been? Somebody's calling all the spiders together."
"Nowhere," the spider answered.
"Well, hurry. Everybody's been called, and they're gathering right now."

Hurrying up the tree, the spider found herself in the midst of more spider than she'd seen in her entire life. This must be all the spiders who lived within the great tree! Still awed, she nearly missed the words a spider was speaking. Shaking her head, she took her place in the crowd.
"...peaceful place. We have never had any trouble here. However...that has changed. A bird has discovered this place. One of our own has already been taken. Any one of us might be next. You must leave if you wish to survive."
The spider stepped to the side to the murmuring of the crowd. One stood up, and shouting so she could be heard, queried, "Do you have any proof?"
The spider, as an answer, led the crowd onto a branch. In a neighboring tree was a bird, busying itself with sticks and grass. How odd, the spider thought.
"It intends to stay here. You must leave!"
Much nodding of heads and murmuring followed.
"Thank you for telling us," came from the crowd as they began to disperse. Our spider went back to her web, thinking it over.
She didn't want to leave! She loved this place.
But...the bird. She could die!
The spider slept restlessly that night.

The next morning dawned grey and cold. She shivered in the light wind that blew her beautiful web back and forth. The bird had begun chirping and calling, which caused her to shiver more. She began to move around her web, checking for things she had caught, then had an early breakfast of an ant who had been crawling up the oak but has instead found itself caught.
The morning dragged on, and the spider decided to visit her rock again. It was sunny and nice there, a good place to take a nap, which she did.
The spider started, suddenly waking up, looking around for what had caused her to wake up. Her eight eyes narrowed as she observed her surroundings. Nothing out of the ordinary here...
...Then she looked up.
The bird was flying overhead, and had obviously spotted her. It was coming down quick!
She leaped from the rock and ran through the grass, listening for the bird. She continued running until she reached the oak, stopping to rest there. The bird had obviously lost her.
Stupid thing.
But she had made up her mind; she was leaving.

The spider had nothing to take with her, so she just went. No matter saying goodbye to her friend; that was not the spiders' way.
She walked and walked for days, trying to stay hidden from predators. Without a web, she couldn't catch anything, so she was hungry.
Days later, the spider found herself staring at an enormous pine tree in the middle of a forest. Here was her new home!
She settled in and built her web. No birds seemed to be too nearby.
It might not be her old home, but it was still a home.

Days later, the spider was back to her routine. She went to check her web, and found a rather small fly stuck in it. Not much of a meal this little guy is, she thought sighing audibly. She went to wrap him up when he cried out.
"Please don't eat me!"
...Well, that was new. Normally she couldn't understand flies at all, or didn't care to. This one, however had...spoken?
He had obviously noticed the shocked look on her face.
"It's a talent. But...please don't eat me!"
"Why shouldn't I?"
"Because..." He was puzzled. He was a fly who could speak to spiders. What more could she possibly want?
"...Because I won't make much of a meal for you?"
Well, good answer. He was hardly worth it, and besides, she was somewhat fascinated by him. She broke the web, letting him free and repairing it. Oddly, he stayed around.
"Well. Aren't you going to go...?"
The fly buzzed, blinking his multi-faceted eyes at her.
"If it's all the same...I'd like to stay for a little bit." Was that a smile? Could flies smile?
She sighed in slight annoyance, but she was curious about this little fly. If he wanted to stay and put himself in danger, why not?
Besides, she wasn't all that normal of a spider.

She motioned for him to land, which he did, just outside of the web. Making sure no other spider was around, she crossed over to him.
"So...where did you learn to talk?"
"I was born with it." He smiles in amusement. "Where did you learn to let flies out of your web?"
"I was born with it." She returned the smile.

The chat continued into the night, when she settled down to sleep. The fly settled on a branch above her, also falling asleep.

The next day and the next day after that, the spider found the fly was still there and asleep. She shrugged in happy confusion. She crept down from her web, intending to explore a bit.
Instead, she found herself face-to-face with a male spider.
"...Uh. Hello?"
"Hello madame. What a lovely web you have..."
And he was hitting on her.
This was shaping up to be an interesting day.
"Well, don't just stand there then. Come on up!"
He certainly was attractive, a lovely dark black with some hints of other colors. And polite. Polite was good!
They began to talk. He had come from a few trees over, having noticed her spinning a web here. He knew that she was new. He had only been in his own tree a little while too.
They chatted about anything and everything. They were so similar, it was almost uncanny. They were perfect for each other.
She invited him to stay awhile, which he gladly accepted.
Another day had passed.

When she woke up in the morning, he was already up, walking around her web. She smiled as only a spider can in his direction, and he motioned her over.
"I was just in the process of wrapping up-"
"-my friend!" She interrupted, rushing over to where the poor little fly had been tied. He was apparently too much in shock to speak, probably thinking the spider that had been tying him up had been her.
The other spider was staring at her in shock, obviously finding her a little strange. She ignored him and broke the ties of the other spider.
"Sorry fly," she muttered, glancing at the other spider, who was now looking at her with something like awe. The fly buzzed in confusion, finding his voice.
"...Uh, it's fine, but I think your...friend is in shock," He buzzed up to a higher branch, looking down, as she turned to the male spider.
"Well..." She shuffled one of her eight legs as best she could on the web.
"I, uh..." He looked away with seven eyes, keeping his eighth on her.
"So that's a friend of mine. Don't eat him, thanks."
"...Oh. Well, alright, will do." The nod was earnest, and she looked at him with shock...and happiness. He hadn't minded or even run away, as she thought he might! How perfect.

After that, the spiders only fell more in love. They ended up with the children she had wanted, and he ended up keeping his life. She hadn't been a normal spider after all; eating the spider she had fallen in love with wouldn't work.

As for the fly? He eventually got over his resentment of the male spider and remained with both of them, careful to stay out of their webs.
And they all lived happily ever after."

Keme finishes with a wink and a small smile. He looks over to the one he had been telling the story to...noticing they were asleep.
He sighed in annoyance, but left them asleep, instead trotting over to Joro's tree.
Ah well, at least he had been able to tell one of his stories.

[Hope anybody who made it through that enjoyed it. x3]