The end

You can't help but glance down at Skoll a few more times. 'I have a question' is written all over her face. Even though Mrs. Mattigrue was careful to keep her from hearing the most explicit parts, there was a lot that will need explaining. And it would be better if she was a little older, first.

"Mama, what's-" she starts, to your dread.

A loud crash of wood against wood in another room interrupts her. All three of you jump in surprise. "Did you bring a friend?" Mrs. Mattigrue asks.

"No. Not yours?" you ask her, rising quickly.

"Oh dear. I really shouldn't get up..."

"Don't worry; we'll go take care of it," you assure her.

"Mm!" Skoll nods enthusiastically.

"Be careful, dears!" she urges.

You rush into the room the crash came from and find a person climbing out the window. It's a woman, your instinct immediately tells you, though she's covered in dark gray clothes that don't leave anything visible. The small package of meat Skoll had put in the ice box is tucked under her arm.

Without time to waste you lunge after her. She's already out the window, but you don't take the time to come out carefully as she did; rather, you jump headfirst and ram into her, knocking the both of you up against the wall.

"Ow!" she cries, her high-pitched voice a confirmation of her gender. "Stop it! Let go!"

"Return that first!" you shout back, wrapping both your arms around her to prevent her from going anywhere.

"I need it! Let go!" she repeats. She reaches into her clothing and pulls out a dagger. "Or else!"

"No!" you answer firmly.

She hesitates, but brings the dagger down--pommel first. She hits you as hard as she can on the head. "Ouch!" she cries again, the dagger falling out of her hand. "What the He-"

Her question is cut short as Skoll comes barreling out the window. She had climbed up the counter and jumped from the sill, and now she lands perfectly on the would-be thief's face. "Leave! Mama! Alone!" she screams, tearing at the hood covering the woman's face.

"No! Wait! Stop! I'm-!" she tries desperately to stop the small girl from attacking her. She finally gets a good enough grip to pull Skoll away, but the wolf-girl pulls her entire hood with her. Her face becomes perfectly visible: she's a stunning beauty. Likely barely an adult, she has raven-black hair flowing down to her chest and enchanting, silver eyes. Your breath disappears for a moment.

Skoll doesn't hesitate in the face of beauty. She jumps right back up, climbing up your back to grab at whatever she can--in this case, the woman's cloak and shirt.

"Stop it!" she cries, trying desperately to pull free of your grip.

"Skoll, grab the meat," you tell her before she tears the woman's top off. Not that you would mind that, but you need to focus on your priorities here.

Skoll turns and lunges for it. The woman tries to pull it away, but Skoll reacts quickly; she grabs the woman's arm with both hands, swings around, and clamps her fangs around the edge of the package. Then she falls away, the meat going with her.

"No! Please! I need it!" she begs, trying to reach after your girl but unable to.

"Then you should ask politely for it! Skoll, take that back to Mrs. Mattigrue!"

Skoll climbs back through the window as quickly as she can. In a mad fit of desperation, the woman pries herself up and out of your arms and jumps over you, just missing Skoll's legs as she disappears inside.

You breathe a sigh of relief and stand back up. "There. Now we can discuss this... peacefully?"

Is what you had hoped. The woman throws herself through the window like a three-day-starved hound. You give chase, climbing through with less grace than she showed. By the time you've made it back inside, you can hear the scream come from Mrs. Mattigrue's room.

You come into the room to find the would-be thief backed against the wall, gazing up in horror at a very agile, very half-spider Mrs. Mattigrue. And Skoll perched on her abdomen.

"Oh dear. I really didn't want to get out of bed."

"M-m-m-m-m-" the woman is stuttering in shock.

"Yes, yes; monster. I'm afraid I can't let anyone know that, though. Sorry, dear; you're a pretty one, but I can't let you free now."

Mrs. Mattigrue lunges forward. The woman screams. You jump and put yourself between the two. It was pure instinct; you weren't really thinking when you did that. One powerful spider leg smashes into your chest--and stops. You don't move back an inch, and her forward momentum is halted immediately.

"Oh? Dear me. You aren't an ordinary one after all. It would take quite the high-level hero to not budge an inch from that."

"Or a very sturdy monster," you reply, taking a step back.

She looks mildly surprised, but then begins to laugh. "Indeed! I see now. No wonder your girl wasn't afraid of me at all. I'm afraid, though, that I'll need you to move. I have to destroy that woman or my secret will be out. I'm quite fond of my life here."

"Destroy her?"

"Thoroughly. If she is able to respawn, she will be able to inform others of my secret. I must make sure this **** is the final one."

Mienna immediately comes to your thoughts. Her life which she worked hard to build, erased in a day. "Aren't there other ways to keep her from talking?"

"None as reliable. And she's a thief, so I'm perfectly within my rights."

"That's pretty brutal. The only thing she was stealing was food."

"And if that had been all, perhaps I would have left it at that. But now she has stolen more than that."

"Hm." You turn around to look at the women. Tears are streaming down her cheeks, but she's holding back the verbal sobs. You squat down so you can meet her eye to eye. "You don't want to die, right?"

She shook her head violently.

"Then why don't we come to an agreement? You stay with me and my family when we leave this town, and I stop the nice spider lady from eating you."

A fresh burst of tears pour down her cheeks, but she nods.

"And why would I agree to that?" Mrs. Mattigrue asks from behind.

"Because she's far too beautiful to die. But if you need it... I can give you another person in her place."

Her face twists in confusion. She glances back at the young girl resting on her back, then spins around again. "Explain," she barks.

"No, no, not her. I'll trade this woman's life for the life of your daughter."

"I have no daughter."

"I'll give you one."

You can see the intrigue in her expression. "You are capable of that promise, I take it?"

"Sort of my specialty."

"Very well. Once you've produced for me a daughter, I will let her go. For now," Mrs. Mattigrue held up her thread, "I will make sure she doesn't run."

"Fair."

The dryder skillfully ties the woman in turtle shell bondage. Her hands and legs are immobilized, and the rest of her body is pressed tightly against the thread. Even over the drab clothing, it makes her body quite the enticing sight.

"Skoll, take her back to the kitchen and keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't try to escape. If she does try, you can eat her legs."

"Mm." The wolf-girl dutifully sets to dragging her captive from the room. It isn't easy with her young muscles, but the wolf in her made her strong and determined enough to get there.

You turn back to your next partner. "Those bindings... I don't suppose you were planning to...?"

"I wouldn't plan it any other way. But first, tell me: how does a woman intend to breed with a woman?"

"Call it a knack," you answer with a smile.