Spidersilk and Bandages
Chapter 5 (interlude)
Posted March 4, 2026
Helena set her pack of damaged armor down at her side, the satchel following quickly after. Finally free of her burdens, she rolled her shoulders, looking around at their chosen campsite. It was a small space, in the shadow of one particularly large tree, but it would do for a night’s rest.
A squawk came from beside her ear, and Helena realized with a jolt that her stretches had nearly mashed Ursula into her face.
“Ah! Sorry about that. Force of habit.”
“It’s fine, no harm done.” Ursula was already climbing down the front of her shoulder and finding a place to hop over her hip. Helena made an effort to keep still for her, though the sensation of talking with someone climbing down her leg made her want to jitter.
An urge appeared in Helena’s mind, an urge to pick Ursula up and place her on the ground swiftly and gently. She shook it off as quickly as it came, but it left a lingering feeling in her mind, a sort of pull.
“So, I suppose I’ll set up camp!”
~~~
Ursula sat back at her little fire, her lower two arms propping her torso up while her remaining hands worked idly at her notebook. Most of the important questions had been asked, so all that remained was paring down and poring over.
Somewhere above and beyond her, Helena set up her own camp. It was a much more intensive task for the larger woman, only in part due to the difference in scale. She seemed to be much more exacting when it came to clearing and maintaining a campsite now that she had the energy to spare, or at least thought she did.
By the time Helena was hacking at underbrush around the clearing’s edge, Ursula finally called out to her.
“It looks like you’ve done quite a bit of clearing.”
Helena didn’t look up as she replied. “Yep! It’s pretty refreshing to be back on my feet.”
“You’re not all better yet. You need to make sure not to do more than you should.” Ursula kept the slight impatience out of her voice.
To that, Helena reacted immediately, straightening her back and dropping her task. “Right, yeah, sorry.”
Ursula huffed idly. As always, Helena only really responded to direct commands. When she did respond, however, she was almost perfectly obedient. In the back of her mind, Ursula wondered if Helena would pick her up again, if she phrased it as an order.
She very pointedly didn’t think about why she might request that, in particular. Her first experience wasn’t the most pleasant. Though, between the fear and mayhem of the moment, it did feel sort of… pleasant, in a way. Being encompassed like that.
Helena laying down scattered what were left of Ursula’s thoughts
The human’s shoulder landed a short distance away from her campsite. A moment later, Helena turned her head around to look at Ursula. “Thanks much for looking out for me.”
Ursula looked over to the giant, laughing softly, and put the rest of her thoughts away with her notebook. “Well, I’m just doing my job.”
~~~
Helena was sleeping roughly.
Ursula grumbled as another twitch, barely even a motion to the giant, set her hammock swinging back and forth.
She had found the space between Helena’s arm and torso to be a relatively safe and comfortable spot to set up, but ever since they had left their original camp, the knight had been uneasy. Small motions, little vocalizations, things that would only really be bothersome to someone in Ursula’s position. Unfortunately, here she was.
She was considering getting up and making her bed elsewhere when Helena rolled over.
In one smooth motion, the knight picked up Ursula in one hand, hammock and all, and brought her up to around her shoulder. Ursula didn’t even have time to yelp. After a bit of shuffling, she was nestled close to the crook of the human’s neck, almost pressed up against her face. Helena’s fingers were loosely curled around her, keeping her safely in hand.
Ursula sat there, frozen in shock, for several moments. A part of her wanted to protest, but the much larger part was giddy with excitement. After a moment, she heard another noise from Helena; a distinctly content and very asleep sort of “hmm.”
Slowly, as though stepping onto a branch that she wasn’t sure could hold her, Ursula relaxed into her position. At some point, Helena’s thumb started making short strokes down her back. Her massive fingers were calloused, but they moved with a gentle surety.
It was… calming, Ursula decided. She was snug, secure, and protected by someone more powerful than she would ever be.
No sooner had she reached the conclusion than she was snoring away, surrounded and comforted.
~~~
Helena dreamt that she had been charged with the care of a very special mouse. It was small, and soft, and it shone with a light that could make trouble disappear. For a long time, the world tore and wore at her aching back, but she knew that as long as she kept that little crumb of life safe, she would be able to weather any hardship.
She woke up abruptly. The sort of waking that was jarring. A sudden realization that she was still in the forest, still lying on the ground, and now holding a very sleeping Ursula in the palm of her hand.
There was a moment, in her still-waking mind, where nothing was wrong with that. She stayed in that moment as long as she could, gently stroking Ursula’s tiny back with her thumb. Through her jumpsuit, Helena swore she could actually feel the spider breathing.
Then, her higher faculties returned to her, and she froze.
At that slightest provocation, Ursula jolted awake, tensing in her hand. Helena could feel every twitch and turn as she propped herself up, trying to gather her bearings. After a moment, her eyes landed on Helena’s, and she relaxed somewhat.
The two sat there, neither sure what to do.
A bird landed on a tree branch nearby.
Slowly, and as carefully as she had ever done anything in her life, Helena rolled over onto her knees. Placing Ursula on the forest floor before her, she then folded her hands under her lowered forehead, and leaned into a perfect low bow.
“I am so sorry.”
~~~
Ursula sat frozen for a long while, half waking disorientation, half blushing embarrassment, and half a lot of other things besides. She tried speaking, but it came out quiet. She had miscast the amplification spell. Repeating it hastily, she spoke again. “I promise, it’s no harm done.”
Helena didn’t look up from her bow. “Still, it was irresponsible of me. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“No!”
Ursula’s claws dug into her palms, forcing herself to speak. “I mean, yes, it was startling, and you definitely shouldn’t do it without asking, but I… Actually really enjoyed that.”
Helena’s head finally lifted from her bow, looking at Ursula with an expression that might have been excitement or might have been fear. “Oh.”
~~~
The two didn’t mention it again, as they set out for the day’s travels, but when they set camp the next night, Ursula didn’t bother to string up a hammock.
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