[PRP- Kindness] A Spider in Need [Itsy Bitsy/Checkmate]

[Ruriska]

Itsy Bitsy had a sixth sense of sorts. It was as though she could feel something trembling in her proverbial web and it snapped her awake from her where she was dozing in the sun, all of her eyes opening quite wide and her head tilting in thought.

There was a spider nearby and it was in trouble.

"Oh dear," she said, as she stood from the park bench where she had been enjoying the day, her front arms twisting together, fretting for the poor soul. Hopefully she made it in time.

@Byagane319

[Byagane319]

The young colt had his fetlocked hoof raised, ready to bring it down on the offending arachnid.  The carousel had been playing himself in chess when he'd gone to get a drink from the fountain.  Upon returning a spider had made itself comfortable between his Queen and Knight.  Normally Checkmate was quite brave but this spider was.....big.....and.....hairy.  His father tried to teach him to respect all insects as they were pollinators of his flowers but he had a bit of his mother's fight in him.  And the spider would ruin his plan to beat himself!

"Don't worry your majesty!  I'll save you," he said.

@Ruriska

[Ruriska]

Sensing impending danger, the spider hunched up between the queen and knight, raising its front legs defensively. Such a pitiful defense against crushing hooves.

"Hold your strike!" Itsy Bitsy called, striding towards him on her long legs, many eyes wide. She didn't want to startle the youngster with her appearance but time was of the essence.

@Byagane319

[Byagane319]

Checkmate was prepared to vanquish the enemy when a fair maiden called out to him.  Or was she a witch?  The coat eeped a bit as the many legged and many eyed phony suddenly approached and asked for him to not smoosh the spider.  He sort of could see why it might upset her, given the resemblance.  "Um...I....just..." he put his hoof down slowly and blushed a bit.  Trying to kill something that looks like someone else made the poor boy feel a bit awkward.  "I...didn't know how to move it."

@Ruriska

(I'm sorry this took so long)

[Ruriska]

She was relieved to see his hoof drop and as she finally arrived, took the chance to relocate the spider to a safer location. Itsy Bitsy stuck out one of her skinny front legs, placing the tip daintily between the queen and knight pieces.

The spider scurried up and she lifted it away out of striking range.

Her many eyed gaze turned back to the colt. "So you decided to kill it instead?" She said, a soft reprimand, her tone coated with disappointment. It wasn't surprising but it was a shame. 

@Byagane319

(all good! 8D there's no rush!)

[Byagane319]

Checkmate wasn't use to be scolded.  Normally the colt was quite well mannered and knightly, a lovely mix of his parents.  But apparently killing spiders on your chessboard was inappropriate.  He looked up at the strange looking mare, cocking his head to the side.

"I mean....I do not mean to be rude, Mother and Father insist I be a proper gentleman, but why is it bad?  It's just a spider.  There are many of them," he shuffled his hooves a bit.  The colt genuinely looked confused as to why what he was doing was so wrong that an adult would reprimand him.  Not that he was mad this mare was scolding him, given how many relatives he has she might be a cousin of some sort.

@Ruriska

[Ruriska]

The spider casually ran up her shoulder and into her hair. She paid it no mind, her focus entirely on the colt before her.

"A proper gentleman would never take a life so carelessly." She tutted. "There are also many butterflies and ladybugs but they are not killed on sight simply for existing. All things should be offered kindness and understanding."

@Byagane319

[Byagane319]

Checkmate thought about her statement.  True he didn't kill those insects but he had a good reason why not.  "Well I don't kill those because they pollenate Father's flowers.  And the ladybugs eat the aphids.  Father told me of them.  But I don't remember spiders doing those things.  And we kill flies and such all the time," he blinked at her.  The colt wasn't cruel, his tone suggested confusion as to the difference when it's ok to smoosh a bug.

@Ruriska

[Ruriska]

"Spiders do many things, as does every other insect. They all have a purpose." Her head tilted slightly as she blinked thoughtfully. "Although I must admit I am biased and the death of a fly means much less to me than the loss of a spider. I am," she hummed, "yes, I am connected to them rather closely, as you can probably tell."

She looked down at the chessboard as she considered her words, inspecting the pieces carefully before selecting the black knight and moving him in an L to take one of the white pawns. "Just like every piece here has a purpose, some will be lost along the way and sacrificed." Her lips tilted up, a smile that bordered on sadness.

"However you must never move a piece without thought and careful consideration of what will be affected." She placed the white pawn aside. "The next time you go on a picnic and are annoyed by the buzzing flies, you can thank the spiders for devouring the others that may have bothered you. And flies also have a task."

Itsy Bitsy figured she had probably spoken too much already but she had one last thing to add.

"Why kill something when you can simply shoo it away instead?"

@Byagane319

[Byagane319]

At least the adult admitted she was a bit bias toward the spider, he could see why but it was nice when an adult didn't just do the 'because I told you so'.  Checkmate was smart and he liked to be reasoned with rather than expected to just accept what is said.  He watched as the mare moved once of his chess pieces and explained things a bit.  He understood some insect's place in the world with his gardening father but he'd never spoken about spiders before.  They weren't often in his well tended greenery that he could remember.  When asked about his method he blushed a little, his brown reddening around his cheeks.

"I....I...well....I was....kinda scared of it.  It's...so big.  And I'm real big so it was even bigger than normal!" he said holding his hooves out wide as if that was a good show of size, "And....and when I raised my hoof it raised it's arms at me.  I thought it might attack.  I....don't know much...about spiders," he admitted, shuffling his hooves.

@Ruriska

[Ruriska]

Her head tilted thoughtfully at his response, her little smile and unblinking gaze almost pitying as he described how big the spider was. Slowly one spider arm rose and angled towards her hair. The spider that she had saved scuttled on to the offered limb and sat placidly in place.

Itsy Bitsy held it in front of her, inspecting the arachnid that was much, much smaller than either Phony. "Oh yes," she said finally. "He's oh so very big." Her eyes widened. "I wonder, if some great giant appeared and tried to step on you, would you raise your legs to defend yourself?"

@Byagane319