The evening air began to cool as the sun finished its descent over the western edge of the continent, casting streaks of orange and violet across the horizon. Its last rays painted the clouds above Ihari: the ancient homeland of the beast-people. A land far to the west and under the border of Grand North's territory, characterized by its fertile lands.
It was a sanctuary where most of the continent's diverse beast-people lived unburdened by rigid structures. Here, life beat to a different drum. Residents did not use excessive technology nor magic. Instead, they chose physically active lives connected to the land, its forests, and the floating islands called "Raya."
While the silver light of the moon began its ascent, a figure hung suspended inside a small warehouse near Layala Beach. A beastman was hanging inverted from the ceiling. A web-like substance held him in place.
The same sticky web bound his hands and sealed his eyes shut, plunging him into darkness for what seemed like an infinite amount of time. He seemed to have been snatched abruptly from a pleasant day in the sun, and after hours of unheard screams, his once-soft fur was now slick with the coldness of his own sweat.
His body was barely covered in a simple red swimsuit that contrasted with the matted, gray fur of his muscular body.
The beastman focused completely on his surroundings. He'd been trying to find a way to escape, only for nothing to happen. That all changed when a scuffle cut his awareness. A door creaked open, then closed. Someone was now with him.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" he yelled.
There was no answer… Only a subtle shift in the air that made it easy to smell the scent of a female presence.
"I know you're there! Please help me! I've been here for hours! I can't feel my arms or legs!" he pleaded.
"Good. That's what happens if you're upside down for this amount of time," a detached female voice responded.
He could sense her. A beast-woman; her form slender with long legs and dark hair pulled back into two neat buns. She wasn't just any normal beast-woman though: she was a semi-human. Instead of fur, she had bare skin, which gave her the best of both worlds.
"Please…" the beast-man said.
She began walking in taunting circles around him.
"You are Robin Hillman, am I correct?" the woman purred.
It sent a shiver down his spine.
"Yes. I'm the son of Richard Hillman! I-if you don't release me y-you'll have hell to pay with him!"
"Oh yes, I am aware of your bloodline. I'll tell you what, if you answer a few questions for me, I'll give you a little reward," the woman continued.
Her light fingers traced a casual path along the coarse fur of his chin.
"R-reward? W-will you let me go?"
No response. The woman chose to watch fresh beads of sweat trickle down his forehead.
"O-okay, I'll answer. But I don't know anything about my dad's company! I swear!"
Her leisurely circling stopped and her arm shot out. She grabbed a handful of his hair, causing Robin to shriek. She then drew her face nearer to his. They were both so close that he could just barely discern the silhouette of her shadow through the webs that covered his eyes.
"Do you enjoy hurting people?"
Robin hesitated.
"I-I don't!" he screamed just as she abruptly released his hair.
His body swayed wildly and settled back into its original position.
"I don't believe you."
"I swear! Why would I hurt someone? I have no reason to do so!"
The woman turned to face the door.
"I HATE men like you. ESPECIALLY like you. The ones who don't even realize how they impact others' lives."
"I don't understand… Did I do something to you?" the beast-man asked bewildered.
A heavy silence enveloped the room until three knocks sounded on the door. Someone else was there.
"You have a visitor."
Robin's breath hitched and the door creaked open. A small sheep beast-woman emerged. The small girl's circular glasses were perched on her small nose. She took a few hesitant steps forward and saw the captured man.
"W-who are you?" Robin stammered.
Hearing him speak ignited something inside the black-haired lady. She lifted her arm and shot a sticky piece of web from her hand. It sealed his lips.
"This is the part where you shut up and listen," she said with disgust.
After such action, the beast-man thrashed around in protest while the small sheep girl moved even closer.
"Robin…" she spoke in a soft and sweet voice.
The familiar sound made the man stop moving. He knew who she was.
"I know you know who I am… and I'm here only to tell you how I feel. You don't have to say anything."
He tried to speak again, only for his muffled groans to be the only thing heard. Even still, it was futile. The sheep girl had no desire to hear any of it. Her mind… her heart… had moved beyond the need for his words.
"You cheated on me… You… YOU HURT ME… I always wanted to know the reason WHY you would do such a thing, especially since I've been good to you… All those times you yelled at me… Those times you punched me for talking back… I LOVED YOU, ROBIN… And you just… YOU JUST…"
The girl's voice rose in hurt and was choked by emotion. Tears formed in her eyes. Tears that caused the tall woman to watch with empathy. That pain was something she knew all too well.
"I… I don't want you to come back to me… I don't want you to even think about me anymore… I just want you to NEVER do this again… Love… Love is something special! And people like you taint it with your vile actions!"
The black haired kidnapper's gaze dropped after such a display and her mind replayed echoes of her own past. At least until seeing how the sheep girl wiped her tears away.
"If you ever do something like this again… The person who kidnapped you will know! And she will reveal the photos we took of you here!"
Her voice, though still trembling, was firm and resolute. They held such power that the beast-man tried speaking through muffled groans. Yet it was over. Her truth had been delivered, and that was all that mattered.
"Want me to kill him?" the tall spider woman asked.
"No… I believe this situation and the photos you took will be enough to make him understand. Robin is a man of pride; if we release these, he will lose what he cares most about… Himself. AM I RIGHT?"
Robin nodded frantically in a pathetic gesture of panic.
"What should I do with him?"
"Your web should dissolve in a few more hours, right?"
"I see. Then let's leave this filth."
The sheep lady nodded and the silent duo walked towards the door. While passing through it, the man's cries only managed to echo in the empty warehouse.
For the kidnapper it felt correct… She closed the door behind her and sealed him in his terror with a glimpse of dark satisfaction. After all, it served him right.
The stars now glittered across the night sky, illuminating a path of dirt and sand that the spider-woman and the sheep-girl walked through.
"Are you okay?" the spider woman finally asked.
The sheep girl turned towards her and laughed hysterically. She seemed on the verge of exploding from nervous energy.
"That… THAT WAS AWESOME! I- I'VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE!" she stammered.
The black haired lady responded with a nervous laugh of her own, a little surprised by her reaction.
"Well, I hope it at least helped you finally get past him."
"Yeah… I just couldn't let anyone else suffer what he did to me. No one deserves to be treated like that."
"You have conviction and determination. I respect that."
After hearing that, the sheep lady turned towards her with an appreciative smile.
"Again, thank you so much for doing this, Aurora… I don't have the courage to do what you do."
The spider woman, named Aurora, knelt and brought her eyes to the same level as the smaller beast-woman's.
"I will always be here to protect innocent people… and punish those who are wicked."
"You are so strong," the small girl whispered in awe.
"And you gotta get home. If you are ever in any trouble, I'm just one call or magigraph away," Aurora softly responded, offering a final wave by her hand.
The sheep lady returned the gesture with a goodbye and walked away. Doing all this was hard for her. Yet, the courage she demonstrated was something that changed her for the better… At least for now.
As her small figure receded into the shadows, a quiet contentment settled over Aurora. She quickly turned towards the dark silhouette of the warehouse and processed her next move. Ending this cycle of pain was a no-brainer, though the only way she knew how, was to end him. He was evil, after all.
She started walking back when a ringtone emanated from her pocket. It was her Mana-phone. She quickly retrieved a sleek device that glowed with an ethereal magic, and pressed a luminous leaf icon.
"Yes?" she asked professionally.
All she did was listen and think.
"Rod Winger?" Aurora responded in surprise, "Alright. I'll be there,"
A wide grin spread across her face.
The phone call made her forget about her planned execution. It had been a long time since she heard from Rod, and being notified that he was back ignited a spark within her.
With no time to spare, her lithe half-human body launched itself forward and ran down the hill. She shot a strong web to a towering tree and swung in an arc through the air. This propelled her towards another tree where she shot another web and repeated her actions like an aerial ballet.
She swung towards what was now her singular objective. What she never knew was that this relentless pursuit would also lead her into unspeakable danger… a danger that would test the limits of her web, and her morality.