chronicles of eden - act I (37 page)

"Now that that's settled, we'd better get going again. Although nightfall is coming soon, so much for getting to Ashwood today," he said as he saw the sky slowly getting darker.

"We have to be close though, we'll get there tomorrow. Hey, what about Lucky? What happened to him?" Triska asked looking around.

"I thought he ran off after the tunnel collapsed. I would imagine he's ok," Daniel said searching around landscape curiously.

"He's likely around here somewhere, he's always nearby. I'm sure he'll show up eventually," Alyssa said with a shrug.

"Yeah, but now we have no carriage for him to carry us in. And with another traveler we could have really used it," Daniel said with a sigh. Triska glanced to her duffel bag over her shoulder and shrugged.

"We should be fine traveling like this until Ashwood. I've got supplies here to make camp with for the night anyway," she said. Daniel nodded and looked around.

"Well, I suppose we have no choice anyway. Let's get going and setup camp when it gets dark," he said looking towards the nearby dirt road. The three girls followed him onto the path, with Squeak smiling softly at Daniel while Alyssa and Triska were glancing to her with concern.

As they walked down the path Daniel was looking up at the sky with a calm gaze. He had two monsters that were traveling with him, both wishing to help him show mankind that peace between humans and monsters could be possible. He just had to find more monster races that would contribute to that belief as well.

After a while Squeak stopped and looked behind them, her antennae twitching slightly as the group glanced back to her.

"Squeak? What is it?" Daniel asked. The group looked to see a white horse walking up over a nearby grassy hill. It trotted down towards them with a neigh as Alyssa smiled brightly.

"Lucky!" she called out happily.

"Now that's a loyal horse," Daniel said with an impressed nod. Triska smiled and nodded in agreement, then glanced over to see Squeak staring at the horse with wide eyes.

"Squeak? What's wrong?" Triska asked. The group looked to her as the ant girl grabbed her pickaxe and brought it out at the ready, showing fear in her eyes as she trembled a bit.

"Hey, it's alright. That's just Lucky, he's our horse," Daniel said defensively as he walked up to her. The ant girl watched the horse trot up to them then darted in front of Daniel, squeaking as she held a hand back to shield him while she held the digging tool forward with her other.

"Hey, he's not an enemy, don't attack him!" Triska called out shaking her head.

"He's just my horse! Put your weapon down!" Alyssa cried out.

Lucky walked up towards Alyssa and neighed before Squeak swung at him with her pickaxe, the horse bucking back and crying out as the ant girl swiped around while squeaking loudly.

"Don't, Squeak! He's not going to hurt us, he's just our horse!" Daniel pleaded as he grabbed the ant girl's arm and tried to pull her back. He was however unsuccessful as the girl was stronger than she appeared, and didn't budge at all from his attempts to stop her.

Lucky neighed loudly then snarled as his eyes glowed red. The group watched as his white hair shifted to black while his tail ignited and burned brightly. Skeletal wings extended out from his back, arching out as smoke came from his mouth. Squeak stared with shock at the monster as it snarled at her and kicked around. The group looked at the demonic horse then to Squeak, the ant girl frozen in place as she stared with unblinking eyes at the demonic horse.

"Lucky! Calm down, she's not going to hurt you! It's ok!" Alyssa pleaded as she watched her horse cry out in fear. Daniel and Triska watched the horse buck around then looked back to Squeak. The ant girl didn't move an inch as the horse cried out with smoke coming from its mouth, snarling at her with glowing red eyes.

"Calm down, Lucky! She's not going to hurt you! She's friendly! Really! She's-" Alyssa said before looking back to the ant girl. Daniel waved his hand in front of Squeak’s eyes and got no reaction. Triska snapped her fingers in front of her, also getting no reaction.

"She's gone," Triska said shaking her head. The group blinked and looked down to see a small amount of liquid running down the ant girl's leg to the ground.

"Did she just pee on herself?" Alyssa asked raising an eyebrow. Squeak wavered then collapsed down to the side, still remaining frozen as she kept her stance. The group just looked down at the ant girl as she was as solid as a statue.

"She's petrified with fear. Literally," Daniel said shaking his head.

"Wow, Lucky scared her into a comatose state," Triska said nudging Squeak with her foot, the ant girl remaining solid and ridged as she kept staring into space. Daniel sighed and looked to Lucky, the horse neighing while Alyssa was gently brushing its nose. The witch cooed him gently then looked at the ant girl with concern. Squeak remained frozen in place as her eyes refused to blink or move at all. Alyssa eyed the frightened monster for a moment then glanced to Daniel.

"Well… good thing you picked the brave ant girl out of the bunch," she said with a shrug.

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked looking down to the girl that was frozen in fear from seeing the most horrific and frightening thing in her entire life. Alyssa looked to her and raised an eyebrow.

"If you had picked one that was more cowardly than her, we might have witnessed your 'proof' soiling herself."

*****

Under the night sky that had a few stars among it a small campfire could be seen in the rolling plains. Next to a tree Lucky was sitting down on the ground, the horse back in his normal form as Alyssa was gently brushing his nose and smiling softly. She looked over towards the fire and saw Triska laying out a blanket for herself. She set her sword down next to her duffel bag then looked over towards the tree. Under it a blanket was laid out, and on it Daniel was laying against his backpack while Squeak was curled up into a ball next to him, her eyes glancing to the horse nearby with fear as she trembled. Her pickaxe was resting against the tree, the weapon having been pried from her grip after the group carried the petrified ant girl over to a nearby tree to make camp. She had eventually snapped out of her shocked state, and then promptly curled into a defensive ball to hide as soon as she saw the horse again. Daniel was looking at the new girl with worry then to his friends, both of them watching the ant girl shake a bit. Daniel looked down to her again and gently rested his hand to her shoulder, the girl quickly looking to him while remaining curled up.

"It's ok, Squeak, he's not going to hurt you. He's our horse, he's going to be helping us travel," he reassured gently. Squeak looked at him curiously as her antennae twitched a bit. He smiled and nodded as he looked over to the horse nearby.

"He's really friendly, just don't scare him like that again, ok?" he said. Squeak slowly nodded and sat up next to him, then looked over towards the horse. Alyssa brushed Lucky’s nose again then smiled at Squeak.

"He's all show and no bite, don't worry. He won't hurt you," she promised. Squeak just looked at the horse carefully for a moment then glanced to Daniel. After a pause she slowly laid next to him and rested her head on his chest, the boy watching with a slight jump as the two other girls growled in annoyance.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing? You're sleeping over there, not with Daniel," Triska said pointing to another blanket that was laid out next to hers. Squeak looked over to her for a moment then snuggled closer to Daniel, squeaking softly as she held onto his shirt gently.

"Hey, get off of him!" Alyssa yelled out as she grabbed her staff while Triska grabbed her sword.

"Whoa, calm down. She's not hurting anyone, she's just scared still," Daniel said looking down to the ant girl, the monster glancing to Lucky before closing her eyes. She was breathing softly as she squeaked quietly, nuzzling next to Daniel as she trembled slightly. Triska and Alyssa paused then slowly lowered their weapons.

"Be that as it may, she can't sleep with you," Triska said shaking her head. Daniel looked down to the ant girl's hands that were holding onto his shirt and then to her. He gently grabbed the hands and tried to remove them, the girl then quickly looking up at him with worried eyes. She squeaked and shook her head, then nuzzled closer to him while laying her head on his chest. Alyssa and Triska growled with bared teeth as Daniel sighed quietly.

"It's ok, Squeak, he's not going to hurt you. I promise," he said gently. Squeak slowly looked up to him as he smiled at her. She tilted her head slightly as her antennae twitched a bit.

"It's fine, why don't you go lay down on your blanket and rest? We'll have a busy day tomorrow going to Ashwood then off into the wilderness again looking for monsters like you," he suggested calmly. Squeak looked at him curiously then smiled softly, then leaned up and kissed his cheek gently. It caused a euphoric sensation to wash across his cheek for a moment, the boy blinking a few times to clear his vision. Triska and Alyssa growled loudly as the ant girl stood up then slowly walked over to her mat, all while Daniel looked at her with a curious eye. The other two girls watched her carefully then glanced back to him, the boy merely shrugging with a weak smile. Squeak laid down on her sleeping mat then curled into a ball again, slowly closing her eyes. She seemed to be sleeping as she squeaked silently with each breath.

"There, you see? She just needed to be calmed down, you didn't have to yell at her," Daniel said bringing out his monster book from his bag.

"That still doesn't mean she can just kiss you like that," Triska muttered with discontent while sitting down. Daniel smiled weakly at that and shook his head as he opened his book. Alyssa nodded then glanced to Daniel.

"What are you doing, Daniel?" she asked.

"Just writing in what I learned about the ant girls and their queen. I need to keep track of what monsters can be our allies and document as much as I can about them," Daniel said as he started writing on a blank page. Alyssa hopped over and nuzzled under his arm as she looked at the book with a bright smile, while Daniel looked at her with a bit of surprise and Triska growled loudly at her.

"Wow, you're so smart, Daniel," Alyssa said happily.

"Alyssa, get away from him. Now!" Triska yelled out. Alyssa looked to her and held a finger up to her mouth.

"Shh, Squeak's sleeping," she said quietly. Triska yelled and ran over to the witch, yanking her away as Daniel watched them worriedly.

"Don't give me that crap, you little witch, she's asleep on her blanket, and you're staying on yours!" Triska yelled out. Alyssa held her hand up towards her then flicked a finger casually, causing Triska to fly back into a tumble from a magical force. Alyssa straightened out her shirt then skipped playfully back to Daniel, sitting down next to him with an adorable smile while he merely sighed.

"Sorry about that, Daniel, please continue," she said happily while nuzzling against his arm.

"Alyssa! Leave him alone!" Triska yelled as she ran over and grabbed the witch's necklace, yanking it away as Alyssa gasped with surprise. She then screamed and lunged towards Triska, tackling her to the ground. As they rolled around on the ground fighting over the witch's focuser Daniel watched with a tired expression.

‘Looks like I'm not going to be writing anything tonight.’

As the witch and human yelled at each other and Daniel kept telling them to please calm down, Squeak was looking at the travelers with a curious glance while she was lying down. She watched Alyssa bite at the human girl's hands while Triska was trying to yank the witch off of her by the hair, all while Daniel kept pleading for them to please stop their constant fighting. As Squeak watched the commotion she smiled softly, looking back to Daniel as he sat there with exasperation. She remembered her queen's words while down below in the nest, the words that echoed in her mind.

"You, follow this boy and do as he says. Help him achieve his goal in this world with gathering the proof that he needs."

The ant girl squeaked softly as she watched him sit back with a sigh while his two companions rolled around yelling at each other. She had her orders, to follow him and do as he said. To protect him on his journey to find other monsters that could be peaceful, and to be his proof that her race could coexist with mankind.

"I am not requiring you to choose one as a mate, Daniel, only that you at least take one with you as your proof that you need. Of course, should you choose to mate with her that would be even more proof that our kind can coexist."

Squeak slowly closed her eyes as she remembered her queen’s words, determined to be all the proof she could be for Daniel.

Rivalry between women in the world of Eden was very common, as they had to compete with not only each other but monsters for the men they wanted. The women would use any means they could to win the hearts of those they desired, lest another take him away. The same was with monsters as well, as each one wanted a mate to breed with and weren't usually willing to share with others. In a way the human women and monsters weren't so different in that regard, as once they found the ideal mate for them they would typically fight with their all to get him. And when it became a case of more than two potential callers all vying for one male's heart, whether they were human or not, there was only one rule they would follow.

It was every woman for herself.

*****

Another day began as the sun slowly started to rise over the horizon, the light moving along the rolling plains while a few clouds drifted by above. Near a tree next to the dirt road Triska was resting quietly, having a soft smile on her face while she dreamt peacefully. A gentle breeze flew by and a few strands of her hair moved across her face, her nose twitching a bit before her hand brushed them away by reflex. She rolled onto her side and murmured quietly, lost in her dream about the boy she desired more than anything in the world.