“Yes!” Alyssa and Kroanette shouted, with Squeak and Star nodding to that very eagerly.
“Master?” Kitten said glancing to Daniel curiously. “Is that what would make you happy? For me to kill this baby right now?”
“Well… it’s just…” Daniel stuttered as he didn’t like answering that particularly phrased question. “Swarm are very dangerous monsters, Kitten.”
“So is the sand wraith standing next to me,” Kitten pointed out with a raised eyebrow. “In fact, I myself am a ‘very dangerous monster’. Should I run myself through with my blade right now? Would that please you?”
“Kitten, you’re not like those things.”
“Things?” Kitten asked with a hurt expression.
Everyone watched as Kitten showed resentment and concern towards Daniel’s words, the cambion slowly looking to the swarm she cradled near her. The youngling snapped and thrashed around still, eyes locked onto her while wings buzzed now and again below.
“I don’t understand,” Kitten lamented shaking her head. “I’m trying to, I really am, master. You want to bring peace between us all, don’t you? You want to help monsters be good girls in this world, so they won’t be thought of to be nothing other than horrible beings, right?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Daniel agreed.
“And you want to be understanding of those you try to help, you don’t hold their inner nature or even their past against them if they truly wish to be kindhearted girls, correct? You have an ostracized witch standing beside you, an elf who used to think of men as nothing but dirt, a jinx that has apparently spilled more blood than some Darker Ones have, and a sand wraith who is considered to be one of the most dangerous monsters in the world in our party. And even myself, after all the pain I caused for you and your property you still wanted to help me and give me a better life.”
“We’re not property!” Alyssa yelled before Squeak held a hand over her mouth to silence the witch.
“You believe in all of us,” Kitten told Daniel with a worried frown. “You would risk your life to protect us, to give us a chance. You don’t think of us as monsters or ‘things’, but rather normal girls.”
“Kitten…” Daniel quietly said.
“Yet you would call this baby who likely hasn’t killed anyone in her life a thing?” Kitten asked with disbelief. “I don’t understand why all of us are given a pardon for our crimes and behavior, yet she is to be condemned straight out. Master, please explain to me why she is to be excluded simply for being what she is.”
“A better question,” Kroanette said raising her head. “Since when do you give a damn about anyone? Why are you being so defensive for a swarm?”
“I don’t like being judged for what I am!” Kitten shouted at her. “All of you look at me with nothing but contempt, even after I saved all your lives and are trying to be fucking nice to all of you! Do you have any idea what my inner nature is like? I am acting way out of character behaving as such with you! I only live to serve my master, that’s it!”
Everyone stepped back as the cambion growled at them with frustration. The swarm in her arms kept snapping at her although now was doing so less frequently and also not moving about as much.
“I’ve had to watch as my master takes all of you as his mates, because he likes all of you! I would much rather it be just me and him, but that’s not going to happen, so I’m trying my best to accept all of you belonging to him instead of just me! If you think for a second that’s remotely easy then think again! You have no idea how much self-control I have to use to keep myself from killing any girl that hangs all over my master!”
“She’s really loud,” Cindy whined stepping back. “She’s just like Triska.”
“I’m trying to be like my master wants,” Kitten struggled to get out. “I’m trying to be nice to all of you, I’m trying to see things like you do in this world, and I’m trying to please him however I can because obviously just having sex isn’t enough to make him truly happy in life. And what he wants is to give monsters a chance, to see past their outer appearance and bring out the kindhearted girls they are inside. So tell me right now, do you all really want to kill this child because of what she was born as? Is that what a kindhearted girl would do?”
Everyone stared at her in silence, shocked that she would become so adamant about another’s life like this. Even Triska was speechless as she could very clearly hear in Kitten’s words that she wasn’t speaking falsely. She was truly upset and angered about condemning the little swarm.
“Master, just tell me what to do,” Kitten solemnly requested. “If you really see this child as nothing but an abomination, if it would truly please you, then I’ll get rid of her. But I wish to make my voice known in this case, especially since I always have to remain quiet while stuffed in the back of Triska’s mind. I find the idea of killing any baby, monster or human, simply appalling and beneath me.”
Everyone turned to Daniel as he watched the cambion awaiting her order, wings drooping behind her as she showed a concerned frown on her face. Slowly he walked closer and eyed Snapper in her arms. She was snapping with tiny growls with her wide smile, eyes darting around at the group while her arms and legs moved about in the cambion’s embrace. Ever so carefully he reached out with his hand towards the monster, her eyes turning to him instantly while her hands tried grabbing him.
“Daniel, what are you doing?” Kroanette exclaimed.
Squeak and Star both frantically squeaked and meowed at him while Alyssa and Clover rushed over.
“Dan, don’t!” Clover yelled grabbing his shoulder.
“That’s a swarm!” Alyssa cried out. “They’re not one’s we can talk to about peace! They’re wild, feral monsters!”
“They’re bad!” Pip whined from Kroanette’s bosom.
Daniel glanced back to the girls then to Snapper, watching as she was just shy of reaching his hand with hers. After a pause Daniel forced a calm expression and held his hand to the swarm’s head, the monster quickly latching onto his arm with a clicking sound. She tried to pull his hand down to her mouth, snapping her teeth wildly with a hungry growl. Everyone watched as Daniel remained still, his eyes observing the swarm as she tried in vain to bite him. After a while Snapper looked at him curiously with a gurgle, seeing him just observing her without so much as a flinch. He gently brushed her hair, being careful not to hit her antennae, and carefully took hold of one of her hands with his other. The youngling’s fingers and claws gripped his hand while her eyes remained locked onto him.
“Daniel?” Kroanette wondered.
Snapper and Daniel stared at each other in silence, both seeming to wait for the other’s next move. Slowly Daniel showed a small smile then gently poked the swarm’s nose. She quickly swatted her hands on her nose and clicked her teeth before looking at him with wonder. Daniel again poked her nose, causing the swarm to purr and giggle as she squirmed in Kitten’s arms. With a small chuckle Daniel then began tickling her feet where there was still soft skin, making her giggle and kick about while her wings buzzed below her.
“Haha, she likes you!” Cindy applauded while clapping.
“Is it… laughing?” Alyssa asked in disbelief.
“What the fuck am I seeing here?” Clover asked again shaking her head.
“Daniel, what are you…” Kroanette said before Daniel then tickled Snapper’s belly, causing the swarm to laugh and bat his hand with hers. She grabbed onto his fingers and made a clicking noise with her teeth, her wide smile being aimed up at him while she shook his hand slightly.
“My my,” he mused with a knowing smile. “Are you ticklish?”
He proceeded to tickle the child’s sides and chin, with the swarm giggling and thrashing about playfully. Everyone watched in wonder as Daniel laughed while exciting the monster, her wings buzzing again and again while she snapped her teeth repeatedly. She then grabbed his hand and quickly bit down on it, electing a strained grunt from him as he held in his voice. The girls gaspe
d as they saw the monster biting him with a growl, her hands latching onto his arm as she snarled and kicked her feet.
“Dan!” Clover exclaimed.
“It’s okay,” Daniel said, holding his grunts of pain in while watching the swarm bite him. He gently rested his other hand on Snapper’s head, her eyes turning to him while she stopped moving. She saw Daniel watching her with a calm look in his eye, his hand gently brushing her hair with a caring touch. Slowly Snapper let him go and looked up at him in wonder, seeming to be curious about his behavior. She looked to his hand that was bleeding then back up to him and Kitten, both watching her carefully as she gently bobbed her feet about.
“Snapper,” Daniel said half amusingly. “I wonder where Cindy got that name from.”
“Because she snaps a lot with her mouth,” Cindy explained. “Um, are you okay, Daniel?”
“I knew she was going to do that,” Alyssa scoffed. “Daniel, we can’t-”
“Take her with us?” Daniel finished.
“Yes, that.”
“Yes, we can.”
“No, we can’t!”
“Yes, we can.”
“Are you crazy?” Clover cried out. “Dan, that’s a swarm! Why in Eden would you want to take her with us?”
“Look around you,” Daniel said while watching Snapper. “All her family is dead, she’s alone down here.”
“That’s no reason for us to take her in,” Kroanette argued. “Daniel, I understand you want to help monsters in this world, and that you are by far the most generous and kindhearted guy there is out there, but how could you possibly wish to help this monster knowing that she’s a swarm? Do you not remember what happened to us in Rackleholm? Those things nearly killed us then; they were going to devour us alive.”
“It’s one thing that we’re bringing a sand wraith with us,” Alyssa pointed out. “But a swarm? You saw what she just did, she bit you. That’s all she’s going to do, try to eat us. We’re nothing but food to her.”
“You mean like how Cindy thought of us when we first found her?” Daniel asked.
“This is different,” Clover insisted. “Cindy had enough brains in her head to understand that killing others is bad, and it was a miracle that a sand wraith even listened to reason in the first place. A swarm is a wild monster that only lives to eat, kill, and rape. That will never change, they aren’t capable of showing heart like we can.”
“You mean like this?” Daniel asked with a raised eyebrow.
The other girls slowly gathered closer and stared in surprise at seeing Snapper holding Daniel’s hand to her cheek while purring at him. She gave it a small lick now and again while her wings buzzed below her, eyes fluttering slightly as he gently pet her head.
“It can’t be,” Kroanette breathed out.
“She’s… not trying to bite you now,” Alyssa said in shock.
“What? Why not? What’s wrong with her?” Clover asked.
Star and Squeak watched with curious expressions as the swarm had become docile in Kitten’s arms from Daniel’s touch, the boy smiling gently at the monster as it held onto his hand with both of hers.
“She likes you,” Cindy praised. “She likes you, Daniel.”
“But why?” Alyssa asked. “Swarm don’t like anyone. They… just kill everyone.”
“You give my master too little credit,” Kitten spoke smugly. “He tamed all of us, didn’t he? Surely he could tame a young swarm.”
“He didn’t tame us,” Clover argued with a blush. “We’re not like wild animals.”
“I don’t know,” Kroanette mentioned with a timid smile at Daniel. “I sort of felt like he was taming me the other night. And I’m okay with that.”
Squeak and Star leaned over Daniel’s shoulders and squeaked and meowed at the swarm before looking to him curiously. He smiled at seeing the little one enjoying the affection he was giving her then turned to Kitten.
“I’m so proud of you,” he said, with the girl blushing with a startle. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right, Kitten. We’re out here to show the world that monsters aren’t always what they seem, to give them a chance to show the world their heart. And you were right to defend her as you did, even from me and my doubts. I don’t think anyone has ever given swarm a second thought as to whether they could have a heart to them, and we’re just as guilty of that. But you and Cindy don’t see Snapper as a horrible monster at all, you simply see her as a little girl in this world.”
“Master…” she breathed out.
“I didn’t expect to see this side of you, I wasn’t sure if you even had it in you. Watching you caring for this lost child and protecting her even though she’s a swarm, I was so impressed by the strength of your heart that it took me by surprise almost as much as everything else that’s happened with us down here today.”
“I… well… I just… and you…” she stammered while smiling awkwardly.
“Thank you, Kitten,” Daniel said before gently holding her cheek and kissing her lips. The girl jumped before her wings quickly extended out behind her with a whoosh, her body freezing as she stared at him in surprise. Not as much as everyone else though, who all had jaws nearly dropping from seeing Daniel kissing Kitten like that. Leaning back from the gesture Daniel winked at the cambion, her stunned face and wide eyes locked onto him while the swarm in her arms was looking at her curiously now.
“Thank… you…” Kitten breathed out before looking down with a shaky smile.
‘He… kissed me. He wanted to kiss me. My master gave me a real kiss.’
“I didn’t see that coming either,” Triska commented. “I guess he really was impressed by you today.”
‘This feeling, it’s… so warm. Triska, what is this sensation in my chest? It’s like my heart is bursting with love for him, like it’s going to tear through my ribcage and-’
Kitten blinked then looked down to see Snapper having chomped on her chest right above her bosom, the swarm merely glancing up at her with tiny growl as she was gripping the cambion’s shoulder and neck with her claws. After a pause Kitten screamed and started hopping around while shaking her chest, trying to throw the monster off to no avail.
“She likes you!” Cindy praised. “Snapper likes you too! Yay!”
“What the hell?” Kitten shouted while trying to pull the monster off her chest without ripping all her skin off. “Why are you biting me? I liked you, I said you were cute, so what gives?”
She finally pulled the swarm off her chest, the little monster snapping and growling at her with a wide smile and flailing arms. Snapper then lunged forward and bit down on Kitten’s breast, with the cambion freezing in place with a shocked look on her face for a moment before she shrieked and dropped to the ground.
“AHH! My nipple! She’s going to chew it off! Get her off me!”
“She really likes you, yay!” Cindy cheered hopping around. “She wants to play with you because she likes you!”
“Kitten!” Daniel called out in surprise, watching the cambion trying to pull the swarm away from her chest without her breast being torn off in the process.
“Well what do you know,” Alyssa said with a small smirk on her face. “I think I like Snapper now too.”
“She really is playful, isn’t she?” Kroanette mused with a giggle.
“Nice to see Kitten getting along with her so well,” Clover added before she started laughing.
Star and Squeak held in their giggles for a moment then quickly turned away as they too started laughing in amusement.
“Get off me!” Kitten yelled as she yanked Snapper up into the air over her. The monster flailed about then dived down out of the cambion’s hands onto her, with another loud scream from the girl shortly following and echoing into the cavern.
“Stop biting my nose!”
Daniel sighed and tiredly held a hand over his face, listening to the sounds of Kitten’s irritated screams, Snapper’s hungry growls, Cindy’s playful laughter, and the giggling of the girls b
ehind him.
“Well, not like it was ever really quiet with us to begin with.”
*****
“This is what happens when a demon tries to be a nice girl!” Kitten whined while holding her nose. Sitting next to her on the carriage Daniel was smiling weakly at the cambion while holding the reins to Lucky. The wheels gently rolled over the soft grass as the travelers had ridden out of the cavern into the lowered valley that cut through the land, with Kroanette trotting alongside their horse with Alyssa on her back while Star and Squeak were more or less running wildly all around them. Of course their reason for doing so wasn’t because they were happy about being back outside with fresh air but rather because they were scared of the sand wraith that kept chasing them with Snapper held out before her.
“Play with her!” Cindy laughed as she merrily chased the two girls around boulders and trees, all while Snapper was snapping her teeth and waving her claws about. “She’s so cute and cuddly! You have to hold her, you just have to!”
Squeak and Star continued to elude the obliviously kindhearted wraith by running, dodging, and in Star’s case teleporting, away from her while frantically trying to say ‘No, we don’t want to hold her, she’s trying to eat us’ in their own tongues.
“We’re really keeping that swarm with us?” Clover asked from behind Daniel, sitting on the slanted roof with her bow held in hand in case she needed to put down the tiny monster.
“Having second thoughts,” Kitten muttered twitching her nose.
“I thought you liked her,” Daniel mused with a curious grin. “You were as excited to hold her as Cindy is, maybe even more so.”
“That’s because- um, I…” Kitten stuttered while blushing brightly.
“You were acting so motherly with her,” Daniel said, gently taking hold of Kitten’s hand and causing her to shiver excitedly. “Seeing that side of you was a real surprise, though I must say I did like it.”
“You did?” Kitten asked eagerly.
“You showed more heart and a caring side than I ever thought you to possess. The look you had when you held her as if she were your own, it warmed me up inside.”
Act IX Page 45