Chronicles of Eden_Act X

by Alexander Gordon

“Stop,” Falla pleaded.

  Snapper kicked and flailed around before scratching Falla’s other arm.

  “Stop.”

  The swarm snapped her teeth and buzzed her wings while shaking about uncontrollably.

  “Please stop.”

  Snapper screeched and tried biting Falla’s arm, just missing it as the butterfly moved the swarm around in her hands as she attempted to keep the child steady.

  “Please stop.”

  The swarm snarled and flailed about with wild chomps of her teeth, all while the other girls except for Cindy showed growing concern. Falla shook her head slowly then brought Snapper close to her face, the youngling screeching before grabbing her shoulders and snapping her teeth with a menacing smile. The other girls gasped as Falla closed her eyes while Snapper’s wings buzzed quickly, the swarm then moving forward to chomp down on the butterfly’s nose.

  “Stop,” Falla said again, with Snapper then halting instantly. Opening her eyes a peek she saw the swarm just staring at her with a small gurgle. The youngling held onto Falla’s shoulders while remaining silent now, seeming to have calmed down right away from the butterfly’s simple command.

  “Sister?” Luna asked.

  “She just… stopped,” Doku wondered. “How did you do that, Falla?”

  Falla opened her eyes and watched Snapper just staring at her, the swarm’s focus remaining solely on her while she appeared to relax. Glancing to either side she saw the child’s claws drawing blood from scrapes on her shoulders, the girl cringing slightly before looking at the swarm carefully.

  “Please let go, Snapper. You’re hurting me.”

  To her amazement Snapper moved her hands aside, holding them out away from the butterfly while staring with unblinking eyes at the girl.

  “It’s incredible,” Doku praised. “Now Snapper is behaving herself with you as well. And so quickly too.”

  Falla watched Snapper remaining docile in her hands then slowly turned her eyes up. Everyone took notice that the butterfly’s antennae were rubbing against the swarm’s, with Falla then looking back to the child and seeing how she was just staring at her in silence.

  “You’re listening to me now, aren’t you?”

  “Falla? Are you talking to her through your antennae?” Luna asked.

  “She’s talking to her with what?” Cindy wondered scratching her head.

  Slowly Falla brought Snapper close to cradle in her arms, keeping her antennae aimed down and touching the child’s while the youngling continued to stare at her quietly. She watched the infant remaining docile then gently began singing a gentle lullaby.

  “La la laa, la la la, la lah la laaa,” she softly sang while slowly rocking the swarm. “La la la, lah lah, lah la la laa, la la laa.”

  Snapper’s eyes fluttered as she began to close them slightly, the youngling slowly moving her hands around while her wings buzzed behind her. Falla continued to sing to the infant she swayed in her arms, her words and gentle voice being heard clearly by the swarm through their touching antennae.

  “Falla, that’s such a sweet melody,” Doku praised. “And it appears Snapper adores it as well.”

  “I really like that song,” Cindy agreed. “It sounds so pretty.”

  “That’s the song mom used to sing to us when we were little,” Luna remembered. “I haven’t heard that in so long.”

  “I don’t remember the words,” Falla softly spoke as she watched Snapper purring in her arms. “She used to sing it to us when we were sad. It always calmed us down, you especially, Luna. I remember the melody so clearly, remember her singing it to us all the time, and how it made all our troubles go away. But… I don’t remember the words anymore.”

  Snapper gurgled and shifted slightly in Falla’s arms then opened her eyes to see the butterfly smiling down at her.

  “I’m glad you liked it though,” Falla gently said before nudging the swarm’s nose with hers. “I hope my daughter enjoys it too. Maybe when I sing it to her I’ll remember the words to it. Until then I’ll gladly sing it to you, Snapper.”

  “Falla, that was beautiful,” Doku complimented. “And it seems you’ve earned Snapper’s approval of you as well.”

  As if in agreement to that Snapper gave Falla’s nose a small lick, the girl giggling a bit before standing upright and gently rocking the swarm in her arms.

  “You’re right, Luna,” she tenderly agreed. “Holding a child like this… it feels so good. Something inside me really enjoys this. I wonder if this is how it will feel when I have Daniel’s baby.”

  “I’d imagine having a daughter with him will be all the more special for you,” Doku reasoned. “You and your sister have wonderful maternal instincts and show it very clearly with how you care for little Snapper. I’m sure when you have daughters of your own they’ll be even more precious jewels in your life.”

  “Yeah,” Falla sniveled with a teary-eyed smile. “I’m sure they will be, Doku.”

  “That’s so beautiful!” Luna sobbed. She tore some leaves off her skirt and blew her nose before Cindy snatched some for herself to do the same.

  “This is all so happy!” Cindy cried before blowing her nose. “I can’t wait to have a baby with Daniel too!”

  The other girls looked to the sand wraith who was emotionally choked up and wiping her tears away then to each other with blank expressions while Snapper continued to purr in Falla’s arms.

  “And that ruined the moment,” Falla dryly said.

  “She’s having a baby with Daniel too?” Luna wondered.

  “No, she’s not, Luna,” Doku said shaking her head. “Though I’m not certain she’s fully aware of that right now.”

  Star rolled her eyes and meowed in a dull tone then watched Snapper curiously. She grew lost in thought for a while then looked down and envisioned the sight of a little baby jinx in her arms, the young girl’s small puff of violet hair and furry cat ears complimenting her adorable smile with one eye being purple and the other brown. Star smiled a little then looked at Falla as the butterfly was enjoying holding Snapper close to her, seeing how happy holding the child was making her and wondering what it would feel like for herself. After hesitating for a moment the jinx opened her mouth to speak while reaching out for the youngling before Doku did so first.

  “May I try holding her now?” the harpy requested. “I know I’m not having a daughter with my husband just yet, but… I’d like to try holding Snapper anyway. At least to know what it feels like. Would that be alright?”

  “Well, I suppose you could,” Falla answered with a small shrug. She gently handed the swarm over into the wings of the harpy then crossed her arms with an amused smile. “Just don’t freak out and drop the baby if she scares you. She can be a little touchy with someone she doesn’t know too well. If she tries to bite or scratch you just-”

  She blinked then stared in disbelief at seeing Doku cradling the swarm in her wings with a gentle smile on her face. The youngling was purring and waving her hands up at the harpy, seeming to be perfectly at peace in the care of the bird right away.

  “Are you kidding me?” Falla flatly asked. “Is there anyone in Eden who doesn’t like Doku?”

  “Such a sweet thing you are,” Doku cooed while rocking the youngling. Snapper kept swaying her hands about near the harpy then finally started batting the girl’s long bangs with repeated taps. The girls watched as Snapper just kept hitting the hair of the harpy with a curious expression on her face, doing so for a long period of time and bringing a puzzled look to Doku.

  “Um, what is she doing?”

  “I think she’s looking for your eyes,” Luna reasoned with a shrug.

  “My eyes? But they’re right here on my face.”

  “You know that, but we sure don’t,” Falla commented with a raised eyebrow.

  Doku paused for a moment then tilted her head while swaying it slightly, throwing her bangs aside to reveal her golden eyes. Snapper stared at them in awe then cawed with arms held out, seeming
to cheer at seeing the harpy’s full face now.

  “Hello there, little one,” Doku kindly said. Snapper snapped her teeth a few times then cawed again while waving her hands near the harpy’s face. “My my, quite the curious swarm, aren’t you?”

  “She likes you,” Cindy happily praised. “She really likes you.”

  “She’s not so bad herself,” Doku commented with a giggle. “She may be a swarm and appear dangerous to many, but there is a sweet soul inside this child that wants to be seen.”

  The harpy gently swayed Snapper in her wings, cradling the youngling who kept watching her with curious eyes and twitching antennae.

  “You’re right. Holding an infant like this really does feel so nice. I do hope I could have the honor of being a mother someday… with Daniel’s child. If I’m lucky of course. It’s a wonderful feeling to have such a precious girl held close in your wings like this.”

  “I think you’d make a great mother,” Luna complimented. “And I’m sure Daniel thinks so too.”

  “I have a feeling Daniel will give you that gift someday, Doku,” Falla added.

  “I hope so,” Doku softly said while giving Snapper a nudge of her nose with hers. “Being able to hold Snapper like this is making me yearn for that dream even more. This is the first time I’ve held a child like this, and I certainly hope it won’t be the last.”

  The other girls smiled at seeing Doku holding Snapper in her wings, the harpy’s motherly charm being seen by all while she wondered what it would be like to have a daughter of her own with the man she loved. Star looked at Snapper with equal curiosity then meowed while slowly reaching out for the swarm.

  “Would you like to hold her too?” Doku asked, with Star nodding to that. The harpy giggled then gently held out Snapper for the jinx to take. Star carefully moved the youngling from the harpy’s wings into her arms, tenderly cradling the child while her tails swayed behind her. Snapper looked up at Star with a small gurgle, her antennae twitching while she examined the new person holding her, and then promptly screeched as she latched onto the cat’s chest with buzzing wings. Everyone jumped in surprise as Snapper started clawing at Star, the jinx hopping around with loud meows as she struggled to pry the swarm off her.

  “Snapper!” Luna shouted with hands held over her mouth.

  “Why is she doing that?” Falla asked in shock.

  “Star! Oh dear!” Doku feared as the jinx dropped into a roll while Snapper was biting her shoulder. The cat yowled and screamed while rolling on the floor with everyone just watching the girl tumbling about one way then another.

  “She likes her!” Cindy cheered with a hop. “She’s playing with her now!”

  “Seriously, what is wrong with you?” Falla yelled at her.

  Star yowled and tried crawling away before Snapper lunged onto her back and bit down on the girl’s side. She shook about then warped further into the library as the swarm kept biting her, with the other girls then quickly running after as they heard Snapper’s loud caws and Star’s painful mewls. From above Clover watched them all rushing off under her floor then shook her head slowly before walking back towards the rows of tall bookcases nearby.

  “Is everything okay down there?” Specca asked from within one of the aisles. Clover rounded the corner and saw the nixie going through a large book near a table that had others piled up on it.

  “They’re just playing with Snapper,” Clover answered. She came over and leaned back against the table, watching Specca’s eyes quickly going side to side as she read the page before turning to her in question.

  “Playing with her?”

  “Snapper!” Luna’s voice cried out. “Don’t bite her there!”

  A long wail from Star was heard echoing in the library before falling silent. Clover glanced around then shrugged at Specca who was showing a confused expression.

  “Yep. Playing. So what are you looking for anyway?”

  “Honestly, I’m looking for Twilight,” Specca said as she returned to the book.

  “She’s not here you know,” Clover reminded her with a raised eyebrow. “She’s halfway around the world.”

  “No, I mean I’m looking for more information about her,” Specca clarified shaking her head. “Monster Class: Reaper. I haven’t found anything like that in here. I’m very curious what kind of monster she is and where her kind comes from.”

  “Is that what you’ve been searching for every time you’ve come here?” Clover asked picking up a book and looking at it with a dull glance. The way she held it away from her and waved it slightly as if leery about it made the nixie wonder if the elf had ever read a book before.

  “Among other things,” Specca answered with a shrug. “I’ve come across many new monsters I’ve never heard of before in these books, though nothing like Twilight at all. The more I fail to find anything about her the more curious I become.”

  “Why not just ask her?” Clover said looking up. “Twilight? You here still?”

  “I’ve called up to her earlier and received no response,” Specca told her. “She hasn’t said a word since this morning. Perhaps she’s resting again. Though in truth I called out to her not to ask about herself but if she could see Ruhelia and let us know if it’s okay or not.”

  “I’m kinda worried about what we’re going to find myself,” Clover agreed. “Still, I’m betting Alyssa was right. Cindy isn’t the… smartest girl in the bunch. She likely saw something else and didn’t understand what it was. Ruhelia’s probably fine.”

  “I want to believe that as well,” Specca sighed. “And I am hoping that when we walk outside we’ll see Daniel and Kroanette standing before a centaur kingdom that hasn’t been burned to the ground. I just want to know it for a fact, all this waiting to find the answer is stressing me out. Which is another reason why I’m looking for Twilight in these books. Reading always helps me relax.”

  “Never did that for me, but to each their own,” Clover mentioned dropping the book back onto the table. She looked at Specca for a moment then away while forming a small blush. “You know… whenever I was stressed out… Zoey always helped me with that.”

  “Helped you how?” Specca mused with a playful glance at her.

  “A massage,” Clover answered with a shrug. “Relaxed the muscles and shit. Maybe a backrub would help you with your stress more than a book. Just a thought.”

  “Well, thank you for the suggestion,” Specca politely replied. “Although I think I’ll just take a book with me and go for a dip in the bath instead. Should make me feel better all the same.”

  “Are you even supposed to be taking those books into the bathing room? You could get them wet and ruin them.”

  “I’m careful, thanks,” Specca huffed snapping the book shut. She set it on the pile she made and started to pick them up before noticing Clover looking down and away with a small blush on her face. The elf seemed like she wanted to say something more but was biting her tongue, her lips flinching as she appeared anxious and hesitant about speaking again.

  “However,” Specca mentioned, earning a look from the elf. “Now that you mention it, my shoulders are a little stiff.”

  “Probably from carrying too many books,” Clover quickly reasoned with crossing her arms. “You know they’re not going anywhere, right? You don’t need to hoard them like that.”

  Specca looked at her with a dull expression for a while. After a quiet gulp Clover rubbed the back of her neck and lowered her head with a deeper blush.

  “I mean… if you want… I suppose I could give you a massage. Just this once though. It’s not like I want to, it’s just-”

  “I was going to ask for one, but now I’m thinking a bath alone with a good book would be better,” Specca dryly replied. She started to pick up her books before Clover quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her aside, the girl yelping and seeing the frustrated glare of the blushing elf as she was turned to face her.

  “You’re not taking them into the bath, Twilig
ht wouldn’t want them in there,” Clover blurted out. She growled then shoved all the books off the table onto the floor with a clatter before grabbing Specca and bringing her over to it. “Quit being so goddamn stubborn and let me help you. You need a fucking massage, end of story. So just get on the table and shut up.”

  “But I-” Specca started before Clover slammed her hand down on the table, startling the nixie with a squeak.

  “Get on this table right now or else you’re really going to be sore,” Clover threatened.

  Specca trembled a little then slowly climbed onto the table and laid down on her front. Clover eyed over the nixie’s figure from her shoulders down along her slender body to her rear that was clearly visible with her tail lifting her skirt up. She slipped off her gloves and tossed them aside before cracking her knuckles, something that didn’t help relax Specca all the more.

  “Clover, you don’t have to-” Specca started before Clover merely slammed her hand down on the table to silence her. The nixie chose to not comment on how this was only making her more tense then slowly looked forward while bracing herself for one of the temperamental elf’s ‘massages’.

  ‘I don’t know why I thought letting her do this would have been a good idea. She’s clearly too uptight herself to do anything gently, let alone-’

  With a short gasp Specca jumped a little then froze in place. She felt the elf’s hands rubbing her shoulders and back, however it wasn’t with a rough or punishing touch at all. The elf tenderly handled her co-mate by using just enough force to move the muscles while still being careful not to cause any discomfort or pressure. She rubbed Specca’s shoulders then moved down along her back, her hands pushing down on just the right places before going back up to the girl’s shoulders and neck.

  “Clover,” Specca breathed out as she felt her body melting from the girl’s skilled hands.

  “Shut up and let me do this,” Clover snapped. Specca glanced back to see the elf watching her hands with a keen eye, obviously focused heavily on what she was doing which was an amazing job with relaxing the nixie. Clover removed all stiffness with Specca’s shoulders, although there wasn’t that much to begin with since the nixie only wanted to make the elf feel appreciated by allowing her to do this in the first place. To her surprise the elf made her feel even more comfortable than before.