The Queen moved swiftly through the forest.
She glided from tree to tree with soundless grace, eight legs brushing the bark as if she were part of the forest itself. From a distance, it might have looked like she floated through the air. Snuggled in her arms was Sha — tiny, warm, and alive — feeling nothing more than a gentle breeze across her face as the world flew by.
Eventually, the trees thinned, and a great mountain rose before them. At its base, a narrow cave waited — its mouth crooked and unassuming. Normally, a cave like this would be nothing special.
But this one held a secret.
When a new moon sat high and the sky was blacker than that of any other night, the shadow at the cave's entrance would begin to sink — folding inward like it was being devoured by the rock itself. Only then did the hidden path reveal itself: a passage into a world that had not welcomed a human in centuries.
The Queen stepped into the cave, carrying Sha with her.
The stone walls flickered to life, Pale fungi glimmered faintly along the walls. Threads of bioluminescent silk glistened across the ceilings like constellations spun into fabric. The deeper they went, the warmer the air became — not hot, but thick and humming with presence. Like the inside of a living thing.
A human would not have been able to see clearly here.
But they would have felt it.
Eyes.
Thousands of them. Tens of thousands. Some glowed gently, others gleamed sharp. Every kind of spider, most far different than those outside this sanctuary. Some had bodies shaped like drifting lace, others translucent as mist. Some barely moved, their forms melted into the walls like part of the cave itself. Every gaze followed the Queen and the fragile thing held close to her chest.
They made no sound, no movement, but their presence crowded the walls like knots in a tapestry — silent witnesses to the Queen and the strange, soft thing she held in her arms.
At last, the Queen came to a chamber deep within the mountain. In its center stood a throne carved from black stone and wrapped in thick webs that shimmered with soft, shifting hues — like starlight captured in silk.
The Queen sat slowly, her legs folding beneath her as she settled into place, never once taking her eyes off the child.
"We are home now, little one," she murmured, her voice almost tender as she brushed a furry hand across Sha's cheek. The girl stirred and giggled, grasping instinctively at the Queen's arm.
"You're going to meet your new family soon."
The Queen smiled.
And for the first time in ages, her smile was not cruel.
—
While the Queen sat, gazing at the child in her arms, some of her children slowly started to approach. She spoke with a commanding voice to her audience.
"This is your new sister. You will call her Sha."
The onlookers examined the child from a distance, and a little one spoke.
"Is that a human mama?"
The Queen met her child's many eyes and spoke calmly with a faint smile. "Not quite as much as before. But a part of her is. And whatever she is becoming, she is mine — and that makes her yours as well."
Another child spoke.
"Does it speak?"
Their mother took in a breath and sighed before responding.
"She likely will in time, with love and guidance, she may be able to learn many things. Though I would siggest you don't get upset if she knows not how to communicate with you. It has been a long time since I've had a child like her, and I don't quite know how she will change."
There was a gentle pause — the only sound was the occasional sighing gust that moved like breath through the walls. Then one bold spider dropped from the ceiling to Sha's chest and chirped brightly, "Hi, big sister! I'm so happy you're here!"
Sha shifted her eyes in response to the little spider.
Sha's eyes went wide. Then she gave a delighted giggle, reaching out as if to catch this tiny new friend.
Excited chittering filled the chamber as the Queen's children all spoke at once — making promises and hatching wild plans for their new sister.
"I'll teach her to weave the most beautiful webs!"
"I'll show her how to glide through the breeze!"
"I'll make sure she never leaves like Big Brother did!"
The Queen raised one arm, and instant silence followed.
"Yes, my children. You will have plenty of time for these things," she said. "But first, we must let her grow and rest." She began to spin, silk unspooling from her hands with mesmerizing grace. Her children fell back, watching with awe as she wove a small, silken blanket — a gift as strong as steel but softer than clouds.
When it was complete, she wrapped Sha snugly. "This is for you, little one," she whispered. "It will never tear, and it will always comfort you in times of need."
Sha yawned and her eyes fluttered closed.
The Queen smoothed a gentle hand across her hair as an older spider — larger, more cautious — moved close.
"Mother," the elder said softly, "are you sure?"
The Queen kept her gaze on Sha. "I have already accepted her as my own."
The elder shifted. "Humans usually have more than one name. What is the rest of hers?"
A quiet thoughtfulness took hold of the Queen as she considered the sleeping child in her arms.
"Well, humans In this place give a name to ones like her." she finally said, "those who come nameless are given the name Doe."
"We will call her Sha Doe. A fitting name indeed"
And deep within the mountain — surrounded by a strange new family, shrouded in shadows and cradled in silk — a girl abandoned would find a new home filled with love.
.