Chapter Nine

Dong! Dong! Dong! The clanging alert of the drum was beaten. Time for a gathering. They all congregated as Atohmma and Venomma were about to spread the word. There were children and entire families. Everyone makes themselves present to know the plan, their roles, and any necessary information for their safety that may be required. Young and old arrived on time. The natives have a community spirit unlike any other.

They told the natives about the plan and appointed persons with specific powers and capabilities to certain tasks. They also decided to get the migration of the spiders done this night, as they were uncertain about the weather and any unexpected circumstances. The earlier the better it seemed. So, everyone knew what they had to do, what to prepare for and how they were to carry out their tasks. Atohmma prepared her specialty snacks for all those gathered, and they had extras to take home. The plan to migrate the spiders would have been more effective at night when the fires would be stand out and the natives had wings in the event they had to assist the guards or provide added security to the perimeter. It was well thought out by both girls and Atohmma also added her touch to it. During the afternoon, Venomma and Orgamma had to work together to begin preparation for a well. It had to be a special well, where the water stored will be untouched at any cost. They would need Atohmma's help with finding an appropriate place for it, as she knew every nook. The guards were making their preparations and the spiders didn't move from the perimeter borders. They were as close to it as they could be. There was no significant change in the weather either, so they were hoping it stayed that way. While at home, Atohmma studied her calendrical chart, as she monitored her days for the Wolf Festival. She was also concerned about what she heard the oracle say about the moon's eclipse. So she decided to monitor that on her own.

Atohmma went to her bookcase, where she kept her journals and favorite stories along with collections. She dusted off her journal that she kept when she was much younger and smiled as she opened it to turn the pages. She couldn't believe she had so many days and nights of happy, sad, angry, and surprised faces drawn to express her feelings at the time. She stopped at the sad face, and she read what she wrote. "They never take me seriously, they always laugh at my dreams and I don't always have them. I am sure one day they will believe me, and I will laugh at them for making me cry" she wrote in crayon and there was a wet spot that marked the page. It must have been from her tears. She touched it and thought, if only she could remember those dreams, there might be a clue as to what she should do now.

As she gently closed the book, she put it down on the table and sat by her bed, focussed in thought. It would seem like she took the world on her shoulders, but she was resting a bit, as the night will soon draw near.

Meanwhile, Venomma and Orgamma were busy sketching their plan and discussing and throwing their wise ideas at each other. They were both considered to be the scientists among the natives. There was much they could do and their ideas were usually exceptional.

Some natives didn't hesitate to make the most of their usual day. Others were asleep, while some just moved around busily. The guards could be heard rehearsing their drills to guide and restrain the spiders. It was easy for salamanders to handle fire, as it was their specialty. So with all in motion, there was little doubt that the spiders wouldn't cooperate.

Atohmma fell asleep at home, in a dream, she pictured the spiders and the migration, she must have been thinking about, while sitting on the bed. It was subconsciously manipulated. She awoke suddenly, by a knock on her door. There at the door, was Venomma and Orgamma. They wanted to show off their sketch and discuss it, but Atohmma wasn't in the mood just yet. She suggested they leave it until the morrow and begin to prepare as dusk was approaching.

It has been over one year since Orgamma and Venomma worked on a project. But they approached it with the same energy, in spite of the complexity. Atohmma didn't want to be helped when she was assigned a task unless it was manual labor. She did most things on her own and challenged herself most of the time. No wonder they either hated her for thinking too much of herself or envied her for leaving them out. Either way, she was clueless about the effect and did whatever she wanted to do.

It was night now and time to execute the plan. Atohmma prepared and so did Venomma and Orgamma. The guards were ready as always and the natives did their part also. The spiders were on the border. It was time to open up the South barrier and let them through.

The cold and dark atmosphere of this world made the nights even darker. It was also a no moon night, but the spectrum of light that existed, was always colorful and brightly reflective in an enchanting way, especially at night. This is why the natives dressed in colours and did their hair in bright colours and included color in almost everything they created. Somehow, the dark wasn't actually dark in the daytime, it was mostly a heavy fog like and not daylight kind of dark. So it was even weirder at night. This made the salamanders fire even brighter. Atohmma sounded the signal to open the border. The border barriers were made of wood, but it was a very heavy type of wood and it was covered in vine. It wasn't easy to identify that it was a wall or a gate, it was just camouflaged by vines and leaves but there were transparent sections along it, so one can see through to the other side.

As the border wall opened, the senior guard blew a type of whistle that was created to alert spiders to a state of readiness, but it also somehow signified peace. It was a way of letting them know, no harm will come to them. With this, the spiders were not defensive or dangerous to the natives. They began walking through inline between the fire restrictions of the salamanders and they were orderly. All the way up to the mountains. They went through quickly, as though they couldn't wait to leave. It was almost like they were escaping. The way they ran through and with their eyes fixed on the goal of getting out of one place to another.

Straight to the mountain hills they went and the fire there was increased by the salamanders so the spiders will be surrounded and remain. There were also caves and holes in the mountain hills, but not cave homes. It was suitable for the spiders to choose their favorite hibernation zones. Some may choose to live in the cave walls or the holes, as it was cozy enough for their preferred taste.

The weather permitted the plan and everything went well.

When it seemed like the last spider was in, the South barrier was closed off. The natives swarmed over the mountain hills to ensure all was well, and the salamanders bordered the mountain hills with fire to keep the spiders in. Atohmma, flew around to see all was okay, and she then sounded another alarm to indicate the task was completed successfully.