Originally Posted by
grampagen
A small laugh left Ochazuke there as he continued to press forward. A series of sighing boughs wrapped within wild vines obscured shapes within shadows; with the slightest effort they were parted, and the beating rays of the sun fell to the lost trail below.
"I'm afraid such sympathies may be lost on this untamed wild," he said, stepping forward and stretching the fan of foliage before him, "In some respect, then, it is mutual, where it would find the lot of us little more than sustenance, if the chance were afforded to it."
There was something he was acutely aware of as they continued onward into the cloister of the jungle, as if there was some force besides time which compelled the growth beneath the boiling, humid canopy, as if a diminished warning that threatened to swallow their air and ensnare them whole. But it would not hold them out if they really wanted in.
"Still, this our uncertain inheritance, and our responsibility to return this truth to light. Beyond predator or prey, growth or decay, it falls to us to fight for all of it and keep this world turning."
Standing at the mouth of the Shrine, Ochazuke examined the structure of the web, silent for the moment in awe. In spite of the temperance of his inner flame, cold sweat fell from his brow.
When he heard the bush shift behind him, he swung his gaze round briefly, before returning to analyzing the webs.
"This is unlike the last one, no lost and isolated thing," he remarked, "Unlike the lone Wolf, perhaps a Spider yet thrives in the dark, forgotten corners."
He lift a freshly fallen branch from the ground still clad in its fanning train of green.
"Though, like you said, each piece of life serves another in its own way," he repeated back to Zaofan, before reaching out towards the silk-steel tendrils. He brushed against it gently with the branch, leading leaves-first.