Moments passed in silence as Timothy waited anxiously, and then a voice finally echoed through the strained mental link.
"Three."
The spider's voice was faint but clear.
"Three?" Timothy narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean, three? If you're trying to reserve strength for something else, I'd advise you not to joke with me." His voice was calm, but annoyance bled into his tone.
"I intend to ask more than just three questions."
There was no immediate reply.
When it came, it was even more broken than before.
"Food… not strong… low strength… communication hard… high strength… more food, more talk."
Despite the spider's struggle to communicate, the message was at least somewhat understandable.
Timothy wasn't eager to toss another cocoon its way.
He wasn't about to risk strengthening the creature just so it could "talk."
For now, he'd take her words at face value and proceed with caution.
There were two more questions he had to ask at least.
