HUNTSMAN

Izzy loved the old barn that he called home. He started most days very much the same way. In the corner, tucked behind some forgotten boxes wrapped in mildewed brown paper. The musky odor attracted moths from time to time which he kept tightly packed for the winter (though they weren't Izzy's "go to" meal). If he had his choice it would be the grasshoppers that only arrived when the human pulled his machines in. As the morning beckoned he knew it was time to check his snares. Whatever was entangled in them always proved to be a delightful breakfast.

He found the most consistent certainty in the trap near the flashing green light that hung high in the rafters of the old barn. It always proved to attract the bugs at night and kept him busy and away from the human that would frequent throughout the early morning. Izzy could always sense the disdain the human had for insects. The run-down barn was laced with pest control devices leaving Izzy to resort setting up his traps in the most difficult to reach places. Far away from the ire of a man who he's seen eradicate the more unwitting of insects. This evolved into Izzy's appreciation of the human, without him, Izzy would be more naive and far less cunning.

Once Izzy was certain the human was gone he would venture to the lower corners of the loft. Here there were all sorts of long forgotten household items in storage. One of which was a scene that Izzy admired. It was something he never seen the outside landscape turn into. Always piquing Izzy's curiosity about if those blue colors existed on the ground outside of the world he inhabits. He loved to rest on the frozen pond in the painting. In some ways he thought it helped him to keep cool. As if he actually was taking a respite from his daily toils for food on some frozen backdrop in a far away land.

After a nice little snooze it was time for his afternoon feeding. He thought to check his traps woven into the fans that had gotten so weather worn they rusted and no longer functioned. Izzy climbed to the top of a pitchfork and shot out a strand. Something he's done hundreds of times and it still gives him satisfying butterflies in his tummy (and sometimes in his web). He swung over some hay and found his mark on the wall in between two protruding, rusted nails. He climbed up towards the seized fan and could hear the chirp of something in the vicinity of his trap.

His spider brain drifted into the recollections of former prey. Before this day his prey would attempt to bribe him with the prospects of a creature so large that it would feed him forever. If they let him go they would show him where to find this colossal feast. He shrugged it off as a fly in his web is worth more than a story. As he inched onto the platform he became a believer.

He thought maybe it lived in the pea tree that grew on the side of the barn. Or, perhaps, the marigolds in the planter on the windowsill drew the creature in. All Izzy really knew is this behemoth would keep his belly full for quite some time. Izzy could see the feathered freak was barely entangled in his snare. With cat-like speed Izzy rushed towards his prey to get an edge on the critter. But, to Izzy's dismay the creature fought back (the nerve of something fighting for its life to not be drained of all its nutritious fluids).

One wing spread and knocked Izzy into the fan blade and almost outside. Izzy stood on his rear legs to make himself appear larger. This trick worked as the bird broke free of its entanglement. It hopped towards the inside of the barn away from Izzy and took off, not realizing it had a hitchhiker. When it flipped Izzy off it's back Izzy made certain to attach a strand of web just in case an escape occurred. He wasn't about to let this holiday feast get away without a fight.

The behemoth towed Izzy through the rafters of the barn. It took a dive towards the hay bails and maneuvered right. It made a 180 at the frozen pond painting and Izzys reflexes stopped him from being a part of the winter landscape. His insides would have added a splotch of green and yellow into the blue hues the frozen pond represented.

Izzy had to come up with a plan. The monster was too big to release the silky thread that kept him tethered to his prey. Izzy was willing to put his life on the line (literally) to catch this once in a lifetime feast. The line held taught, then he took the risk. With lightning quickness Izzy found himself mounted between the beasts beating wings. The wind created by the flapping of the creature nearly knocked Izzy from his saddled position. 'The Bull' he thought. The raging bull centerpiece on the coffee table near the old couch that the human would rest on. That would certainly knock the beast out.

Izzy created blinders for the monster and was able to take control of its flight pattern. He rigged his webbing to the tail feathers and found himself steering the pigeon. Izzy, for a brief moment, became the first ever spider to pilot a bird. He aimed it towards the statue of the raging bull and like two behemoths of the wild, the winged fury collided with the bull head on, thrusting Izzy forward. He went hurdling through the air and was snapped back as if on a bungie cord, landing him into a piece of dried chocolate cake. Had it been fresh he surely would have been stuck and possibly suffocated to death, 'the irony' he thought as flashes of previous prey wrapped in silk yarn slowly lost their breath.

Izzy collected himself and skittered towards the unconscious squawk. He couldn't help but begin to fantasize about taking it easy for awhile. Maybe only having to check his traps for a different taste every few days. He could move up higher into the barn and keep a safer distance from the human. This bird would be a game changer. All eight of his eyes were fixated on his new treasure. Drawn to it like a dragon to gold. His heart filled with a rush of joy that he hadn't ever felt before. In one fell swoop everything for Izzy went black.

"Finally got that sum-bitch! Sorry about that Steve. I've seen some big spiders in this barn but that one took the cake. Looks like it was damn near ready to pounce on Charlotte's bird. I keep tellin that girl she needs ta keep that damn cage locked up tight, but, ya know how kids can be."

"Oh, no worries. I have quite a fear of spiders. So much so it's the main antagonist in my newest book. Does a shapeshifting clown that's actually a giant spider sound scary to you?"

"Clowns by themselves are downright frightening. Let me get Charlotte back her bird. I'll be back in a jiffy to clean up that mess. I'll slice up som-more oh that chocolate cake and you can tell me a bit more about your spider-clown."