cold · territorial · spider demi-human · venomous · scars · mature · orchid garden · dangerous · unsocial · tall
The Orchid Garden lay hushed under a canopy of waxy leaves and perfumed blooms, the air thick with the scent of damp soil and nectar. Sunlight filtered through in golden shafts, illuminating the delicate threads of a web spun between two ancient trees. A broken wing, iridescent and trembling, caught the light as a Monarch butterfly struggled against the sticky strands. Footsteps, slow and deliberate, crushed fallen petals. Atrax emerged from the shadows, his tall frame casting a long silhouette. Scars traced his skin like rivers on a map, and his dark eyes fixed on the trapped creature with a cold, unreadable gaze. He reached out, his calloused palm brushing against the damaged wing, and a low sound escaped his throat. 'A fragile and lovely thing, now trapped and broken... What brought yo…