Meanwhile, in the Garden... by ProbablyIX

The backyard of 11 Ashton boulevard was well known around the neighbourhood as an unkempt jungle of a garden. Not a few years before, it was an unremarkable example of suburban horticulture. However since the house’s owners had moved away, leaving their daughter the property, it had swiftly grown out of control.

Left to its own devices, the garden promptly expanded into a more natural ecosystem. Vines and bushes spread across the ground, decorating the tall, impenetrable grass. Plants consumed what vestiges of civilisation remained, smothering bricks and using low benches as little more than scaffolding. The small ponds, once meticulously maintained, had become teeming with life. A hub of nourishment for most. But for others, a spawning ground.

“C’mon, get ‘em Maisie! She’s just up ahead!”

One such spawn was Maisie’s prey this afternoon.

‘Maisie’ had never bothered giving herself a name, solitary hunter as she was. Though since she met the diminutive Jasmine, the hyperactive jumping spider had been quick to come up with something. Maisie abided it. It was nice to be identified.

She stalked forward, eight thick limbs navigating the undergrowth with ease. Two strong legs, and three pairs of arms to finer movement. Rich brown skin let Maisie more easily hide among the dirt, alongside a darker stringy mop of hair that dangled down past her chest, concealing the gaze of her eight peering eyes.

Jasmine tapped her feet impatiently from where she was perched on the side of Maisie’s head, eagerly fidgeting as the sounds of desperate fleeing reached their ears.

Jaz was tiny, easily fitting in Maisie’s palm. She was built more conventionally than Maisie – even if she opted for a similar style of hunting. Her lower half was a blue-grey, fuzzy collection of six legs, attached to a squat thorax and abdomen. That fuzz trailed up her upper half, that formed a humanoid torso with a pair of arms she used for fine manipulation, or to spin silk. The fuzz trailed off along her sternum, only for a longer mess of hair to spring out from the top of her head. Her large eyes were a lot more effective than Maisie’s, being able to spot things the huntsman couldn’t. Right now, they were locked on the faint movement ahead of the pair.

Several minutes before, Jaz had pounced on a passing mosquito girl, managing to cripple the girl’s wings before being shaken off. She had carefully tracked the mosquito’s descent with her sharp eyesight, before guiding Maisie through the grass toward where she was certain it had landed. Now, Maisie had the crippled prey in her sights.

She stalked toward the scrambling thing as it frantically tried to crawl away on weak limbs. The mosquito was about Jasmine’s size , with thin, spindly limbs unfit for this kind of use. The large translucent wings upon which she relied were bent and broken, having been successfully disabled by Jasmine’s attack.

 Maisie always made sure to keep Jaz within sight of at least two of her eyes, so she spotted the smug grin that covered the jumping spider’s face at the sight. With other six fully trained on her prey, Maisie slowed her approach, tensing her limbs. Jasmine recognised the body language, and quickly held on tighter, grabbing fistfuls of Maisie’s hair.

Maisie pounced forward in a rush of movement, snatching up the mozzie in her middle hands before landing. It let out a shriek as Maisie squeezed it tight, keeping a grip on her squirming prey. With her other arms stabilising her, she loomed over the trembling girl, blotting out the banded sunlight that filtered through the grass. Jasmine whooped.

With her prey finally secured, Maisie let herself relax. She stood up to her full height, adjusting her grip on the buzzing girl. She held it spread-eagle, using one hand for each struggling limb as she checked the girl over for any parasites. She let her other arms hang loosely at her sides, save one that she used to idly scrich at Jasmine’s hair, to which the jumping spider cooed.

“Thanks for the help, Jaz.” Maisie said, turning over her prey to inspect its backside.

“You’re welcome!” Jasmine chirped, scuttling around to the side of Maisie’s head, peering down at the trembling mosquito girl in the huntsman’s grasp. “Now c’mon, this is the best part!”

Maisie shrugged. Normally Jasmine had some choice taunts for their prey, but if she didn’t mind, Maisie wasn’t going to waste any time.

When Maisie was satisfied that the mosquito was safe to eat, she tossed it into her mouth. The girl’s piercing shriek was cut off by the grunt of satisfaction Maisie let out at her flavour. The girl was heavy in her mouth. A warm and struggling lump of flesh that fought against Maisie’s tongue as it slathered over her. Confident that her prey could no longer escape, Maisie settled down to enjoy her meal.

Jasmine giggled, tapping her feet against the little bumps and protrusions the mosquito made in Maisie’s cheek. She leaned close, pressing an ear to the thin wall of flesh that separated the mosquito from the world of the living, snorting derisively at the sputtering wails emanating from within.

Maisie swished the flailing girl about, building up her appetite as her mouth began to fill with a viscous, acidic saliva. It bit away at the mosquito girl, causing her shrieks to rise in volume as she was slowly digested inside of Maisie’s maw.

Jasmine recognised the signs that digestion had kicked into gear, cackling at the intensifying struggles just below her feet.

“Ha, ha! Y’know humans hate you guys even more than us spiders?” She smirked. “I saw it on the human’s TV once! I even heard that they’re trying to get rid of you. Like, all of you. Isn’t that crazy?” She shifted around, speaking into the crook of Maisie’s lips in an attempt to be heard more easily. “I think it’d be better if they just fed you all to us, instead. Then you guys could actually be useful for once.”

Maisie felt her lips tug into a smile as the mosquito’s struggles kicked up into a frenzy. Jasmine really was good at riling up prey. Little did the mosquito know, but her thrashing only caused her to digest faster.  

Jasmine’s taunts continued as the poor mozzie slowly dissolved, succumbing to the swishing, corrosive force of Maisie’s saliva. Eventually, she was good and ready to be sent down. With a swallow, Maisie sent the once-girl, now-mush down her throat. She let out a sigh as Jasmine pat her cheek happily.

The jumping spider scrambled back up to her face with excitement. “Ok, my turn!”

Not about to deny Jaz her hard-earned meal, Maisie obliged, opening her mouth wide. With a squeal, the diminutive girl clambered inside, tickling Maisie’s tongue with her feet. She wasted no time licking and slurping at the liquified dregs that still remained between Maisie’s teeth, getting her fair share of the prey.

Jasmine’s satisfied hums echoed through Maisie’s head, and Maisie found herself considering the possibility of simply closing her mouth and taking Jasmine for herself as well. She denied the instinct. Jaz was damn useful, and the pair of them hadn’t gone a single day hungry since they started working together. The knowledge that Jasmine could provide her a hell of a lot more food alive than she could dead satisfied her urge, and Maisie let herself relax.  

Maisie let out a contented sigh, her breath flowing around Jasmine’s gleeful form. She lay back against the undergrowth, feeling grateful for the tiny spider that had leapt into her life.

It was nice to have a companion.