The Tiger and the Tarantula

A proud tiger slithered around her territory one day, sniffing low to the ground, whiskers scraping through the dirt. She wanted to make sure no one dared to enter her domain, upon pain of some very sharp teeth.

She lived a life of near solitude, only branching out to hunt new prey or to mate when she felt fit enough to bear young. Even then, the young would soon disappear to find their own territories, leaving their mother to her own once more.

She did not mind the quiet, sometimes she actively enjoyed the serene surroundings that cradled her.

What did bother her, was how the other animals in her forest avoided her when their paths did cross. Whether it was the relaxed Orangutan, munching slowly in the treetops, or the humble frog, licking up moisture from leaves; they all ignored her.

Perhaps they were scared. She knew how vicious she could get when hungry. Though she would hunt very few species in her territory - so they had nothing to fear from her stomach.

That day, as her nose disturbed the undergrowth, she heard a shout break the silence that surrounded her.

"Woah! Don't step on me!"

The tiger looked down and next to one of her large paws...

Eight beads of black stared back in shock, eight hairy legs poised to run, sharp curled poison thorns jutted out from the mouth...

"TARANTULA!"

"TIGER!"

They screamed in unison, their terrified voices causing the birds above to flap away in fright.

They too made haste. The Tarantula scuttled back into it's hole, and the Tiger galloped back to her den.

They panted, hearts thundering.

True to her fear, the Tiger began to side-step the Tarantula's burrow when pacing her territory in future, choosing instead to shrink her territory by a few meters.

The Tarantula was most displeased by the Tiger's clumsiness. The more they thought about it, the more they began to hate the Tiger.

'How dare she try to step on me!'

'And running away too? what a coward! A sorry excuse for a tiger!'

'Stupid big beast!'

Soon enough, the Tarantula had decided to pay the Tiger a visit, at her den.

When they arrived, the Tiger shook in fear once more.

"Hey you stupid beast!"

"T...Tarantula!" The tiger screamed in terror.

"That's right! It's me, the biggest, baddest spider in these woods!"

"What do you want?"

"I want you to stop pacing around my territory!"

"Your territory?"

"It is now, beast! Upon pain of two venomous fangs, you will stop your pacing!" The Tarantula flashed it's polished black pincers at the tiger, causing her to quake in fear.

"U...Understood," she replied shakily.

High on the Tiger's fear, the Tarantula trotted back to its burrow with its head held high.

For days, the Tiger was unable to leave her den. Whenever she approached the moss that adorned the exit, she found herself unable to take a step further. Her heart would flutter harshly in her chest, and the Tarantula's words echoed in her mind.

"stop pacing around my territory!"

The Tiger shivered, imagining how awful it would feel to feel the Tarantula's venom seeping through her veins. Her stomach began to rumble. She lay down for another day of solitude.

Soon enough, the Tiger began to waste. Her belly shrunk, her skin sagged, and her bones felt heavy as rocks. She stopped trying to leave her den - instead staying curled within its bowels.

That was until, one morning, the Tiger's den was breached by another creature.

"Hello?"

The Orangutan, wise and lumbering, sat by the Tiger's side. He scratched the large plates on his cheeks casually, absentmindedly chewing some leaves.

"Hey." He stated lazily.

The Tiger's breathing was ragged. She could not speak. Instead, she flicked her ear towards the Orangutan.

"You know, a lot of creatures around here think of you as a scary predator who kills without remorse."

The Tiger grumbled, the Orangutan wasn't exactly perking her up.

"But that isn't true. You are a creature of your nature. You kill to eat but in doing so, you strengthen bloodlines, stop the spread of disease, and prevent other more gluttonous predators from roaming your territory."

"It's not my territory anymore..." the Tiger muttered weakly.

"Why? Because of what that nasty little bug? You could crush them whenever you wanted!"

"But...but the venom!"

"What venom? They don't have any venom!"

"What?"

"Yeah, haha! They don't have venom, empty fangs and empty threats!" the Orangutan laughed.

For the first time since seeing the Tarantula, the Tiger felt her growl stir in her chest.

"NO VENOM?!" she roared, causing the Orangutan to gallop out of her den with as much haste as they lazy creature could muster.

"NO VENOM!" she roared again, leaping from her den in a swift forward jump.

"NO VENOM!" She roared once more, her tired body once again filled with pure predator power.

She was hungry. She would start with a snack, a small catch would get her started. That eight-legged bully would do just fine.

The Orangutan watched her gallop away, smiling to himself.

Moral: Do not let venom from the mouths of others poison you, it can be as deadly as venom from the fang.

A/N: The fables are back! I hope you enjoyed this! More to come soon! Are there any animals you would like to see written into a fable?

I am setting aside some time to read your stories over the next week, are there any you are particularly proud of? I would love to see them! I haven't been on a good reading streak in months!

Love to you all,

-TWW