They looked like a human, but could change their form. Their natural form was that of a spider almost the size of a young teen. But how do you make friends when you can't be true to who, and what, you really are? -- Anon Guest
Ragnu Pauk[1] had joined the adventurers as a hunter and trapper. All ze had to do was wander into the woods as the rest of the crew was setting up for camp, and return some hours later with prey bundled up and ready for the following meal.
A meal that ze ate inside hir tent. Ragnu told the rest of the band that ze had issues with being watched while eating or sleeping.
Fortunately for hir, the rest of the adventurers had their own hangups and at least one other one was a collection of hangups in plate armour. They could get used to anything. Adventurers were just like that.
They tolerated each other's weirdnesses and made moved to accommodate them depending on the situation. It worked, and Ragnu was happy to accompany hir friends through whatever dangers and hardships they chose to tackle.
Until one smartass on the opposition chose to upcast a sleeping spell on the crew.
Ragnu woke up to the horrifying realisation that all hir precautions had crumbled to nothing. Leaving hir in hir true form. That of a giant spider. Ze may be intelligent and gifted with shape-shifting skills, but still a freaking spider.
Ze immediately curled into a smaller space and managed, "I can explain," in the vague hope that they wouldn't immediately slaughter hir.
"What did you do to our Ragnu?"
"I know you won't believe me," ze sighed, "I am Ragnu. I've been pretending to be human all this time." In an attempt to prove it, ze shapeshifted back to hir human form. "I didn't wanna get murdered in a cave by a bunch of adventuring hobos, but..."
They were in a cave. They all knew the truth. They were the sort to slash first and ask questions later.
Ragnu tensed, expecting the final blow and the fate ze feared from the beginning. That was what made them scream when the Paladin Vremire hugged hir.
"I thought you hated spiders," said Ragnu.
"Yeah, but I like you. You're safe with us. Spider-kid."
[1] Yes, I named this bean "spider spider" because I'm a chaos gremlin. Deal with it.
[Photo by Timothy Dykes on Unsplash]
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