"I'll go get Lucky ready to head out with us. He'll at least be able to carry our belongings to Ashwood," she offered with a nod. She blinked then glanced to Triska's duffel bag.
"Not so sure about her stuff though," she said flatly. Triska twitched at that then glared at the witch, then looked to Daniel worriedly.
"Daniel… I didn't mean to… I was only worried that…" she said softly, hesitating to speak. He smiled at her and motioned towards the horse.
"Forget about it. C'mon, let's get our stuff packed up and get a move on. I want to be able to reach Ashwood today if at all possible," he said. Triska smiled and nodded, then looked to Squeak. Daniel walked over with Alyssa towards the horse as Triska smiled softly at the ant girl.
"I'm sorry, Squeak," Triska said gently. Squeak looked at her curiously as the teen pulled her sword out from the ground and sheathed it behind her. Triska looked back to see Daniel folding away the sleeping blankets while Alyssa was cooing Lucky gently by the tree.
"It's just… Daniel means the world to me," she said looking back to the ant girl. Squeak looked at her curiously then to Daniel, watching him as he gathered the blankets near their bags while Alyssa was feeding Lucky some tall grass. Triska looked down with a gentle smile and nodded.
"When you kissed him like that, I thought you were trying to steal him away from me. I didn't know you were only trying to heal what you thought was hurting him. I shouldn't have attacked you like that, you didn't do anything wrong," she said gently. Looking back over to Squeak she saw the ant girl watching her curiously again.
"I've been dealing with Alyssa trying to take him away from me all this time, for a minute there I was worried you wanted to be his mate too," she said with a slight laugh. Squeak looked at her puzzled and nodded as she pointed to Daniel. Triska glanced over to him then looked back at the ant girl with a small smile.
"Yeah, I thought you wanted to be his mate," she said again. Squeak looked at Daniel then back to Triska, nodding again with a simple squeak. Triska looked at her for a moment then showed some concern.
"You… you don't want to be his mate… right?" she asked nervously. Squeak smiled confidently and nodded, squeaking once. Triska stared at her for a moment then slowly glanced to Daniel.
"But… wait, you do?" she asked worriedly looking back to the ant girl. Squeak again nodded while having a confident smile. Triska stared at her for a moment longer then slowly shook her head.
"Hold on, why do you…" she said unsurely. She blinked then smiled nervously.
"Oh wait, is this because of your queen's order? To follow Daniel with his quest?" she asked hopefully. Squeak looked at her curiously as Triska laughed weakly and shook her head.
"No no, you've got it all wrong. You just have to follow Daniel and be his proof that your race can coexist with our kind, that's all," she reassured. Squeak nodded and squeaked once with a smile.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that you're going to be Daniel's mate, he didn't choose you for that purpose," Triska explained. Squeak looked at her with a bit of confusion then glanced over to Daniel. After a moment she looked back at Triska and pointed to Daniel with a firm expression. Triska shook her head and smiled weakly.
"No, you don't understand. The order from your queen was only to join him in his quest, not to become his mate," Triska said. Squeak pointed to Daniel again with a firm expression, squeaking sternly as she narrowed her eyes at the human girl. Triska watched the monster cautiously as she started squeaking at her, saying something in her own language with her expression and tone conveying that she was arguing with Triska.
‘Something tells me she doesn’t understand…’
After her speech Squeak then walked past with a firm expression, while Triska just stared ahead in disbelief. She looked back to seeing Squeak heading towards the others while Daniel was helping Alyssa secure their bags to Lucky, with Triska's duffel bag being lifted up by Alyssa's magic. The witch moved the carrying bag over as it was held steady by Daniel, and watched with a worried glance by Lucky. Alyssa slowly lowered her staff as Squeak walked up towards the group, the ant girl then helping them steady the duffel bag as Alyssa gently lowered it onto Lucky. The horse neighed loudly before Alyssa lifted it back off of him quickly, the horse bucking around as the group looked from the bag to the witch. She shook her head and dropped the large bag off to the side, which kicked up dirt and dust as the group watched with wide eyes.
"It's a bit heavy for him, huh?" Daniel said looking to Lucky.
"What the hell did she pack into that anyway?" Alyssa asked with puzzlement as she stared at the duffel bag. It wasn't oversized by any means, yet seemed to have way more packed inside of it than one would first imagine. As the three travelers watched the ground below the duffel bag crack slightly, Triska stared at Squeak with disbelief and slowly shook her head.
'You've got to be kidding me, now she wants him too?'
After a moment she walked over to the group while looking at Squeak worriedly, then down to the duffel bag as Alyssa tilted her hat slightly while scratching her head.
"I mean seriously, Triska, what all did you shove into that thing… and how?" she asked looking to the teen. Triska glanced to her then looked away and shrugged.
"Just the essentials for our journey, and it's not that heavy," she said shaking her head.
"Lucky won't carry it on his back, and three ant girls couldn't carry it properly. I don't understand how you can lift that thing at all, I mean it looks like the ground beneath it is about to give away," Alyssa said bewildered as she looked down to the duffel bag. Triska grabbed the bag and slung it over her shoulder with one hand, looking at it curiously as she couldn't fathom how everybody thought it was so heavy. Daniel and Alyssa watched her with wonder while Squeak eyed her curiously, equally amazed that the human could somehow carry that thing. Daniel chuckled and smiled at his friend with a shrug.
"She's always been the one to do the impossible," he said with an amused smile. Triska glanced to him and blushed a bit from the comment.
"She… is human, right?" Alyssa asked glancing to Daniel. He nodded with a smile then looked over to the dirt road nearby.
"Well, let's get going everybody, if we keep moving we should hopefully reach Ashwood today and have time to resupply before heading out past the city," he said. The girls nodded in agreement, and then followed him along with Lucky as they started their journey towards the human city. As they traveled along the dirt road Triska watched Squeak with a careful eye, worried about yet another monster after Daniel.
*****
Heading along the dirt road Daniel was looking ahead with a calm expression. He had survived two monster encounters, barely, and was now once again moving forward with his goal of showing the world that coexistence between monsters and humans could be possible. Now he had to see if there were more monsters out there that would willing to join in peaceful coexistence with the human race, and hopefully help the two sides of Eden live together in peace and mutual protection from the Darker Ones of the world.
As he walked along the dirt trail Squeak was behind him, her eyes fixated on him constantly while she had her pickaxe slung behind her back. Her antennae twitched a bit as she kept pace with him, ready to follow him wherever he may go and protect him from any harm. She had her orders from her queen to do as he said; to remain by his side as his proof for his cause. However, she wanted to go the extra mile and become his mate, both to provide even more proof to the world that coexistence between monsters was possible, and to have such a brave human such as him all to herself.
Walking behind them was Lucky, the horse having Daniel's bag secured to its back along with Alyssa who was riding on him casually. She had offered, rather persistently, for Daniel to join her on the horse, but after repeated declines from him, and glares with bared teeth from Triska, she had reluctantly opted to ride on her horse alone. However she wasn't riding in silence as Triska was walking next to her, keeping a close eye on Squeak while speaking quietly to the witch.
"What?" Alyssa asked with a quiet, surprised voice.
"Just what I said, she wants to be his mate too," Triska said with dismay. Alyssa looked at her with surprise then to Squeak.
"You mean… she really does want him?" she asked worriedly.
"Looks like it. She may not be obligated by her queen, but she sure does seem to want to be his anyway. I'm not sure what exactly she tried saying to me earlier, but based on the look in her eye I'd say it's a safe bet she was saying that Daniel was going to be hers," Triska said with concern.
"Then that kiss she gave him back in the nest… it was a real one. She really did mean it when she said she'd do… anything for him," Alyssa said looking down with worry.
"I tried telling her that her queen's order was only to help Daniel, but she didn't listen. She really does want to be with him," Triska said while watching the ant girl walking ahead of her.
"Well tell her to back off, she owes you for saving her life, remember?" Alyssa said glancing to the teen. Triska nodded then walked ahead with a quick trot, grabbing Squeak's hand and pulling her back as the ant girl looked to her curiously.
"Hey, we need to talk," Triska said quietly as she glanced from Daniel back to the ant girl. Squeak looked at her with a raised eyebrow then to Alyssa, the witch watching her closely.
"Listen, you need to understand something right now, Squeak. You're only on this trip with us to be Daniel's proof, not his mate. If anybody is going to be his mate it's going to be me," Triska said firmly with a hushed voice.
"What? No, I'm going to be his mate," Alyssa growled at her. Squeak looked between them then showed a bit of annoyance, squeaking firmly while pulling her hand away. Triska looked to her with frustration then glanced to Daniel who was still walking ahead without seeming to hear them.
"I mean it, back off from him. You owe me, Squeak," she reminded firmly. The ant girl looked at her curiously as Triska had a stern expression.
"I saved your life back there from those ant-lionesses, the least you could do as a show of gratitude is not to come between me and Daniel," she said crossing her arms. Squeak turned around to walk backwards while facing her, raising an eyebrow in question while Alyssa watched her carefully. After a pause the ant girl squeaked a few times while pointing to Triska, the teen watching her cautiously. Squeak pantomimed swinging her hands like claws at her while snapping with her teeth, the two other girls watching her curiously. The ant girl started to move closer to Triska then jerked about, feigning staggering down then standing upright while bringing out her pickaxe to hold proudly. Triska looked at her for a moment then glanced to Alyssa.
"What?" Triska asked unsurely while looking back to the ant girl. Squeak pointed to her pickaxe then to Triska, the teen looking at her puzzled. Triska blinked then slowly looked down with worry.
"Oh… right," she said weakly.
"What is she saying?" Alyssa asked curiously. Triska glanced to her then back down.
"She… sort of saved me from an ant-lioness as well," she admitted reluctantly. Alyssa looked at the girl with a jump then to Squeak, the ant girl slinging her pickaxe back behind her while smiling arrogantly.
"She did?" Alyssa asked worriedly. Squeak nodded with an accusing smile while Triska bit her lip with a worried expression.
"Yeah… one of them had me pinned against the wall… and she killed it with her pickaxe," she said looking back to Squeak. The ant girl nodded with a smirk then turned to walk back ahead towards Daniel with a calm stride.
"So what you're saying is… she doesn't owe you jack," Alyssa said flatly while glancing to Triska.
"Nope," Triska said softly.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier? That was supposed to be our way of keeping her away from Daniel, now we've got nothing against her," Alyssa said with frustration.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think about that. Besides, picking her was your idea, this is all your fault," Triska said accusingly. She suddenly tripped as a vine snagged her foot from the ground, falling face first onto the dirt with a thud. Alyssa glanced to her with a scoff then looked ahead with a glare, her purple eyes glowing softly for a moment.
'He's mine, Squeak, like hell you're going to take him from me.'
Triska stumbled back to her feet and growled loudly at Alyssa as the witch glanced down in thought.
"What was that for?" Triska grunted through bared teeth. Alyssa looked back to Squeak then smiled slyly, with Triska watching her cautiously. Alyssa giggled then waved to Daniel and Squeak.
"Hey, Squeak," she called out, getting everybody's attention. The ant girl looked at her with a curious glance while Daniel looked back to her.
"Alyssa? What is it?" he asked.
"I just thought that maybe Squeak would like to ride on Lucky for a bit," Alyssa said looking at the ant girl with a curious smile. Squeak looked at her then to the horse with a careful eye as Daniel tilted his head in question.
"Ride on Lucky?" he asked.
"Yeah, seeing as how Lucky is going to be with us on your journey, I thought it would be a good idea for her to get used to him being around. You know, so she won't be afraid of him," Alyssa reasoned with a giggle. Squeak and Daniel stopped and looked at the horse curiously while Triska was rubbing her nose with annoyance. Alyssa hopped off of Lucky then walked up to Squeak.
"After all, he's going to be with us all the time, we don't want you to fear him," she said with a calm smile, gently taking hold of the ant girl's hand. Squeak shook her head worriedly and backed up a step.
"What's wrong? Don't worry, he's very gentle and tame… unless you're rude to him. So just be polite and nice," Alyssa said glancing to the horse. Triska looked from Lucky to Alyssa with a puzzled expression while Squeak shook her head more.
"I don't think she wants to ride on him, Alyssa, that might not be such a good idea," Daniel commented as he saw the fear in the ant girl's eyes. Alyssa giggled and pulled on the Squeak's hand.
"It'll be fine; he's more scared of you than you are of him. C'mon, don't be afraid. C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," she said with a giddy laugh. Squeak looked at her worriedly then back to the horse that, as she clearly remembered, was scary beyond all comprehension before. Triska looked at Squeak curiously then smiled.
"Yeah, don't be afraid, Squeak. He's our trusty horse after all, you should get used to being around him," she agreed with.
'I see where you're going with this, Alyssa, not bad for an underhanded witch.'
Squeak glanced to the witch worriedly then looked to Daniel, the boy scratching his head while he watched Lucky stand there looking around at the nearby grass.
"Well… he is calm now, and he is a friendly horse. It's up to you, Squeak," he said looking back to the ant girl. Squeak looked at the horse worriedly then to Alyssa.
"Relax, you'll be fine. Besides, you're going to be helping protect Daniel out here from the Darker Ones, right? Surely you're brave enough to at least ride on a horse then," she said with an amused smile. Squeak glanced to Lucky for a moment then to Daniel. After a pause she forced a brave expression then walked towards the horse as Alyssa and Triska glanced to each other. Squeak looked at the animal with a nervous expression as she walked up to it, slowly eyeing it from head to tail carefully. After a moment’s hesitation she climbed up onto its back and looked around curiously, then over to Daniel as he smiled amusedly at her.
"Um… you're facing the wrong way," he said pointing to her. She looked down to see that she was riding on the horse backwards. She tilted her head then swung her other leg around so she was riding sideways.
“Close, but not quite,” Alyssa giggled. Squeak looked around at the animal curiously, then shifted around and faced forward. She examined herself atop the animal then looked to the others questioningly, wondering if she got it right.
"Much better," Triska said with a slight smile.
"There, see? That's not so bad is it?" Alyssa said with a calm smile. Squeak glanced to her then looked back to Lucky, the horse standing still casually
as the ant girl sat atop him. Daniel nodded and smiled at her.
"Not often you see an ant girl riding a horse," he chuckled. Squeak smiled a little and looked at the horse timidly as it remained calm and docile.
"Just pet him gently, he's really friendly," Alyssa said with a hop. Squeak slowly reached out and brushed her hand along the horse, the animal grunting softly as Daniel watched with an amused smile.
"Looks like he doesn't mind carrying you at all. Just enjoy the ride, Squeak, you're safe with him," he said calmly. Squeak smiled and nodded with a squeak as she looked around at the horse curiously. The group then started down the path again with the ant girl riding on Lucky while Daniel walked ahead of them. Triska and Alyssa were walking next to Lucky while glancing to him with slight smirks, watching Squeak as she looked around at the horse with a curious smile.
"Enjoying yourself, Squeak?" Alyssa asked. The ant girl nodded with a squeak as she smiled at the horse.
"That's good. He's a very good horse isn't he?" Alyssa said looking at Lucky. Squeak nodded again as she gently rode on the animal. Alyssa smiled then glanced to the ant girl.
"He's really something else. He's even extremely loyal to me you know. I never have to worry about him running too far off, he always stays close to me and protects me," she said happily. Squeak looked at her curiously as Alyssa nodded with a giggle.
"Yep yep, he's a terrific horse really. If anything or anyone ever bothers me, he turns into his other self to get rid of them," she said with a sly smile. Squeak looked at her carefully then slowly down to the horse.
"Like, say for instance, if there are wolves around. Or bandits. Or girls that are trying to take my Daniel away from me," Alyssa said with a low growl, narrowing her eyes at Squeak. The ant girl looked at her with worry as the witch drummed her fingers on her staff.
"Lucky doesn't like any of those things. Not at all, not at all," Alyssa said sternly in a hushed tone. Squeak slowly looked back down to the horse as she squeaked softly. She showed a worried expression then looked to Alyssa with a cautious glance.
chronicles of eden - act I Page 31