Chapter Seven

"Sound the Alarm!" shouted someone nearby. There was an uproar a few caves away from the village. The guards were on alert. The alarm went off, the natives were all arming themselves now. It was customary, that at the sound of the alarm, everyone would have armed themselves and prepared for battle. They were all equipped and ready. No one was unaware or untrained for the battlefield here. Everyone had special capabilities and was deadly in their ways. Venomma and Atohmma usually protected the elders and the babies. It was their duty to the community and their world. They were ready. "Into the taverns!" Atohmma shouted as Venomma guided them towards it, saying "hurry!" Without a clue they moved along in panic, not knowing what was happening or why the alert was taking place. Atohmma knew she should have been expecting the unexpected any moment, after speaking to the intruder that day. But she took it for granted. She remembered at that point and reminded herself, to take it seriously and make the necessary preparations before the Wolf Festival. As she and Venomma managed to have them all safe inside the taverns, they secured it and went outside to be on the lookout. Two guards came their way now, they were there to reinforce the security of the elders and babies. Everyone else was on alert. Atohmma asked one of them, what was happening. He said, "the entire perimeter was surrounded by the giant spiders and not just the blue ones, the black ones" Atohmma was unaware of giant black spiders, and assumed something must have provoked them out of their secret abodes. Venomma presumed it was the weather and the heat, that must have made them exit their spaces, because of the discomfort. Atohmma agreed that it was possible.

On the forefront, they were uncertain about being attacked at any moment, but the perimeter was secure and they couldn't get in that easily. Above, there was total darkness and a whirling current, that made the atmosphere even colder, in some places and hot in others. The trees were shriveling up and the plants were dying. The water was preserved but they had to take swift action to ensure it doesn't get poisoned. The native shaman was working feverishly on trying to find ways to ensure the water doesn't get affected by the weather. Atohmma, being the tiniest but most powerful, wasn't aware of being the center of all the fluctuations and the key to returning balance.

They were all waiting now, on alert but waiting. All were prepared for anything, but the giant spiders wanted to come in. They were not safe in their habitat but it wouldn't have been safe for the natives to let them in. They served their purpose in the natural maintenance of balance, but no one knew of a way to save them. Venomma turned to Atohmma, suggesting they think about something fast. Atohmma wandered through her mind, and then she considered, maybe, there is a way. She turned to Venomma and said, "What if we built a home for them, somehow, if we could construct something here and guide them into it maybe they will be saved." Venomma responded, "what about the weather? It's affecting us as well, and we are not quite sure how much worse it will get. We also don't know how many there are!" Atohmma replied, "you have a point Venomma." Venomma shook her head. Atohmma thought at that moment, maybe if the shaman, could explain the situation, then they could get a better idea of what they are dealing with. Maybe the Diamond-Back oracle Cobra knows what we should do. As that thought fleeted, two guards were on their way with the shaman, and up ahead, the Diamond-Back oracle Cobra was also heading in their direction.