chronicles of eden - act I

by Alexander Gordon

  "Every night?" Alyssa asked softly as she watched him sleep loudly on the ground. Squeak looked at him curiously as her antennae twitched a bit while Triska nodded arrogantly.

  "That's right, every night. And you actually thought you could be his mate, how delusional. You wouldn't be able to tolerate his sleeping habits, I can tell by your reaction," she accused, pointing to Alyssa. The witch growled and then glared at her.

  "Hey, for Daniel I'd go through anything, even if he does sleep like this every night. I am the best one to be his mate and the one that's going to be his guardian out here," she stated firmly. Squeak glanced to her then back to Daniel again.

  "Oh really, who was the one that saved his life down below with nothing but a dagger? Who was the one that got him to be freed while you were powerless and worthless without your focuser? I did all that for him, and on top of that I'm perfectly willing to sleep next to him every night even if he snores like this. If anybody is suited to being his mate, it's me," Triska boasted. Alyssa growled as she held out her hand, her staff flying over from beside the tree where Lucky was standing and into her grip. She pointed the relic towards Triska as the teen glanced back towards her sword next to her duffel bag.

  "You're the one that's powerless; you don't even have your dumb sword with you right now. Not that it would help you at all even if you did, as my magic is what's going to protect him out here in the world," Alyssa said as she and Triska slowly stood up and stared each other down. Squeak glanced to them then to Daniel curiously as he continued to sleep loudly despite all the girls talking around him.

  "Without that necklace you're worthless, Alyssa, at least without my sword I can still fight," Triska said with a growl as she clenched her fists.

  "Try your luck then," Alyssa dared with narrowed eyes, her staff glowing orange slightly.

  They stared each other down while a calm breeze rolled by, both keeping their eyes keenly on each other. After a pause they both heard a sudden squeak, and then looked down. With a gasp each they stared with wide eyes at Squeak who was kissing Daniel while gently holding onto his head. He woke up suddenly with a jump then saw the ant girl kissing him, her eyes closed and her antennae twitching a bit. He grabbed her shoulders and started to push her off, then stopped as he started to get a glazed look in his eye. A powerful euphoric sensation rippled through his mouth and head as the girl's tongue gently moved around his.

  "Wha… WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Triska yelled out with shock. Alyssa stared at Squeak with wide eyes then quickly waved her staff, causing the ant girl to be tossed off Daniel and tumble away. Triska quickly kneeled down next to Daniel and watched him as he groaned a bit with a dazed expression.

  "Daniel? Daniel, are you ok?" she asked shaking him. He murmured something as he seemed to be out of his senses while his eyes weren't focusing on anything clearly.

  "Her saliva, oh god, she must have overwhelmed him with that kiss," Alyssa said worriedly. Triska jumped at that and looked at Daniel's mouth with wide eyes.

  'Squeak's saliva… oh no, that kiss must have been the best he's ever had! Mine's going to seem horrible in comparison now!'

  "No… NO! Dammit, now he's going to have that kiss to compare mine with!" Triska cried out shaking her head. Alyssa gasped and held a hand to her lips.

  "Oh no… you're right. If her saliva causes a euphoric sensation… then that means…" she said before looking at Daniel with horror. She could only imagine how much pleasure rippled through his mouth, or if he was even able to experience it all without his mind going numb first. The two girls looked at Daniel with horrified expressions then over to Squeak, the ant girl getting back up with a confused expression. She was rubbing her head as she tried to comprehend how she was thrown off of Daniel so suddenly, and then looked over to see Triska and Alyssa glaring at her with rage.

  "That means… she's ruined my chance of a perfect kiss with him!" Triska yelled out. Alyssa growled and aimed her staff at the ant girl, the monster looking at them puzzled while Daniel was murmuring something in a daze still.

  "How could you do that to him? Using your saliva to entice him away from me like that, that's cheating!" Alyssa yelled as she waved her staff to the side, causing Squeak to fly off to the side as well. The ant girl skidded on the ground with her boots and rebalanced herself, then looked to the witch with caution.

  "First I have to deal with a little witch trying to take him from me, and now you!" Triska yelled out with frustration. Squeak looked at them puzzled then glanced to Daniel. She slowly looked back to Alyssa then to Triska.

  "Squeak, I'm telling you once and for all, you can NOT kiss him like that again, ever!" Triska yelled out. Squeak looked at her curiously then to Daniel, the boy murmuring something as he slowly started to sit up. He blinked a few times while shaking his head, his mind still reeling from waking up to one hell of a kiss by Squeak. The ant girl squeaked softly and glanced back to Triska with a curious expression, her antennae twitching again. Daniel paused for a moment then slowly looked up to Triska and Alyssa.

  "What… what just happened?" he wearily asked.

  "Oh, Daniel, are you ok?" Alyssa asked worriedly as she hugged him tightly. He looked at her with a bit of surprise while Triska growled loudly. She ran over and yanked the witch off, tossing her over onto a blanket with a snarl.

  "Get off him, Alyssa!" she yelled out. She then dropped down to her knees and hugged Daniel tightly.

  "Are you ok, Daniel? I'm so sorry I didn't stop her in time," she apologized quickly. Daniel looked at Alyssa with confusion then to Triska.

  "What? Stop what in time?" he asked. Triska leaned back and looked at him curiously.

  "You don't… remember?" she asked. Alyssa looked over to him with wonder as Squeak glanced between the two girls carefully. Daniel looked up thoughtfully while Triska watched him worriedly, his mind slowly coming back to its senses.

  "I think… wait, did Squeak… kiss me?" he asked looking to the ant girl. She nodded eagerly and ran over to him, tackling him into a hug while squeaking affectionately. He watched her with surprise as she was nuzzling against his cheek with a warm smile, squeaking softly as she wiggled her abdomen behind her. Triska and Alyssa growled with fury as they stood back up.

  "Squeak!" Triska yelled out.

  "Get off him now!" Alyssa yelled out as she aimed her staff at the ant girl. Squeak was thrown up into the air by a magical force, while still holding onto Daniel tightly around his waist. She looked around with wide eyes as did he while they were suspended in midair.

  "What's going on here?" he cried out.

  "Squeak! Let him go now!" Triska yelled out. Squeak looked to her with surprise, and then showed a stubborn expression as she held her arms around Daniel tightly. He squirmed about as he looked around to seeing him and the ant girl floating in the air near the tree.

  "Alyssa, put us down!" he shouted out looking to the witch. Alyssa growled and starting shaking her staff up and down, causing Squeak and Daniel to fly up and then down in the air repeatedly. They flew straight down, then right back up as the witch's magical force around them tried to yank Daniel free.

  "Let him go right now!" Alyssa yelled out with anger. Squeak shook her head as she squeaked loudly, hanging onto Daniel tightly while he was looking around with a stunned expression.

  'Give me a break, I just woke up here!'

  "Let go of him!" Triska yelled out. Squeak shook her head again and held on tightly, all while Daniel was shouting from being thrown up and down in the air by the witch's magic.

  "Alyssa, put us both down right now!" he cried out. Alyssa growled then lowered the two down as Triska ran over and grabbed her sword. She unsheathed it then ran back over to see Squeak and Daniel standing on the ground, with the ant girl holding onto him securely while staring at the two girls with discontent. Daniel was breathing heavily as he tried to calm down from being woken up in a very bizarre and hectic sort of way.

  "Squeak, for the last time, let him go NOW!" Triska yell
ed as she gripped her sword tightly. Alyssa narrowed her eyes at the ant girl as her staff glowed orange. Daniel shook his head a bit then looked around at everybody.

  "Ok… ok! What the hell is going on here?" he called out. The girls looked to him as he glanced from one to the other.

  "I wake up to Squeak kissing me and then I'm being thrown around in the air without warning, why?" he cried out. He blinked then looked to Squeak as she was still holding onto him.

  "Squeak? What are you doing? You can let me go now," he said, trying to pry free from her embrace. Her arms held him tightly as she shook her head, staring down the other two armed girls who were glaring at her.

  "Let him go right now so I can hack you into pieces!" Triska yelled out.

  "Nobody kisses Daniel but me!" Alyssa yelled out with anger.

  "What? Like hell you're going to kiss him, Alyssa!" Triska barked back.

  "Of course I am, I'm going to be his mate after all!" Alyssa snapped.

  "You are NOT going to be his mate! No freaking chance in hell!" Triska shouted back. Daniel watched them with a tired expression while Squeak looked at the girls with a dull glare, still holding onto the boy securely.

  "Yes I am! We're perfect for each other, and I'm going to help him on his quest! I'm his proof remember?" Alyssa yelled out.

  "I'm the one helping him on his quest, and all you're proof of is that witches really are sneaky and underhanded!" Triska yelled back. Daniel sighed and shook his head, and then noticed Squeak wasn't holding him anymore. He looked around curiously while Triska and Alyssa aimed their weapons at each other.

  "He wouldn't last out here with only your dumb sword protecting him! He needs a monster to help with this journey, and that's me!" Alyssa shouted out.

  "It's because of my sword that he's alive and standing above the ground right now, Alyssa, and the only one he needs on this journey is me!" Triska shouted back. Daniel looked around puzzled then over to the tree where Squeak was grabbing her pickaxe, having a focused expression as she looked back to the other two girls.

  "Big deal, you killed a few ant-lionesses. That doesn't mean your sword can do anything against the Darker Ones, or even me for that matter!" Alyssa shouted out.

  "My sword will protect him from all those that get in his way, I won't let you or any other monster take him away!" Triska yelled back.

  Alyssa growled then looked to see a gloved hand grabbing her necklace, watching with surprise as Squeak yanked the necklace off of her and held it in her free hand. The ant girl squeaked with discontent then swung her pickaxe towards the witch with the flat edge, knocking her back into a tumble while Daniel and Triska watched with surprise.

  "Squeak? What are you doing, stop! Don't hurt them!" Daniel yelled out. Squeak gripped the pickaxe firmly in her hand while holding the witch's focuser with her other, turning her sights over to Triska with a narrowed glare. She held out her pickaxe towards the human and squeaked firmly, the teen looking at her with surprise then caution as she gripped her sword tightly.

  "What the hell are you doing? Give that back to me!" Alyssa yelled out as she stumbled to her feet, looking at the Squeak with frustration and anger. Triska glanced to the witch then to the ant girl with narrowed eyes.

  "So, you want to fight do you?" she said with a bite.

  "What? Fight?" Daniel said with a jump. Alyssa watched the ant girl carefully as the monster had her eyes narrowed at Triska.

  "You think you can take him away from me that easily?" Triska threatened with a glare. Squeak nodded then dashed towards her, swinging her pickaxe down towards her in a flash. Triska darted back then swung her blade around, the ant girl lifting up her digging tool and deflecting the sword with the steel part of her tool. She may have only been using one hand with her digging tool, but had more than enough strength to block the human's attack with it. Gripping her pickaxe tightly she swung again at Triska, just missing the teen who rolled off to the side. Triska jumped back up to her feet as Squeak swung down again at her, the teen darting to the side before the ant girl moved forward and kicked her in the gut. Triska rolled off to the side with a loud gasp into the grass while Daniel watched with surprise.

  "Squeak, stop! Don't hurt her, she's my friend!" he called out.

  “Damn… just how strong is she anyway?” Triska grunted, slowly getting up as she held a hand to her side. Nothing appeared to be broken, but the ant girl’s kick certainly had a lot of force to it. Triska coughed a few times before Squeak ran towards her with another swing. Alyssa watched with frustration as Squeak held her focuser, the ant girl pushing the human back with fierce swings of her digging tool. It made a whistling sound as she swung it around wildly at the human who darted around quickly. Triska swung her blade out and it clashed against the pickaxe, the two deflecting from each other before the girls swung at each other again. Triska's blade swung by the ant girl who darted back, the monster then dashing forward and swiping up with her digging tool. The tool struck and knocked Triska's sword up out of her grip, the teen stumbling back before Squeak tackled her to the ground. The sword flew up in the air then struck down into the ground blade first as Triska stared with wide eyes, being held down by the neck with a gloved hand that had the witch's focuser in it.

  “Triska!” Daniel called out, watching the fight drawing to a close with shock. Squeak geared back with her pickaxe for a finishing blow, with Triska’s legs kicking around as the monster was straddling her and keeping her down with great force. The ant girl squeaked with narrowed eyes as Triska grunted with frustration while trying to budge the ant girl’s hand.

  "Squeak, STOP!" Daniel yelled out. The ant girl blinked then looked over to see him glaring at her.

  "Don't you DARE hurt her!" he shouted as he ran over to them. Squeak looked at him curiously before he marched up to her and grabbed hold of the pickaxe. She looked to it then to the Daniel as he shook his head.

  "What do you think you're doing? Get off of her right now!" he shouted out. She squeaked softly then slowly stood up, with Triska quickly scooting back and stumbling to her feet. Daniel took the focuser crystal from the ant girl's hand then tossed it over to Alyssa, the witch catching it and quickly slipping it back on while she watched Squeak with caution.

  "Triska is my friend. Don't you ever try to her hurt her like that again, do you hear me?" Daniel scolded the ant girl. She stepped back with a worried expression and nodded slowly. He looked around at all the girls then shook his head.

  "We're all supposed to be on this journey together, remember? We're on the same side here," he proclaimed, looking from one girl to the other.

  "But, Daniel, she kissed you," Triska whined while pointing to Squeak. Daniel looked to the ant girl curiously as she watched him with a worried expression.

  "Squeak, why… why did you do that?" he asked. She squeaked as she waved her arms around, the other travelers watching with confused expressions. Squeak then ran up to him with pleading eyes and squeaked some more while the group glanced to each other then back to her. Daniel just stared at her for a moment then scratched his head.

  "I have no idea what you're trying to say, Squeak," he said with confusion. She looked at him with frustration then down as she pulled on her hair while squeaking. Her eyes darted around slightly in thought then she pointed to Daniel's mouth with a worried expression while making a few small squeaks. He glanced down then back to her with puzzlement, still not following whatever it was she was trying to say. Squeak dropped onto her back and lay on the ground, pretending to be asleep while squeaking loudly with an open mouth. She jumped back up and pointed to Daniel's mouth again.

  "What are you trying to say?" Daniel asked confusedly. Squeak looked at him with concern then opened his mouth with her hand, pointing at his throat with quick squeaks. Daniel looked at her with bewilderment then glanced to the other two girls. Triska blinked then looked at the ant girl with a dull expression.

  "Wait… hold up. You mean you thought Daniel was in pain because of his snoring?" she
asked flatly. Squeak nodded quickly as Daniel looked around with concern.

  "Huh? Because of my snoring?" he asked while his mouth was being held open still. He stepped back and looked at the ant girl curiously.

  "Oh, she must have been worried about you like I was. We thought something was wrong with you this morning, Daniel," Alyssa said softly.

  "Wrong with me? Why? My snoring isn't that bad, is it?" Daniel asked worriedly. Triska looked at the ant girl with a bewildered expression then shook her head.

  "Whoa whoa, hold on. You mean… you only kissed him… because you thought his mouth was in pain?" she asked with disbelief. Squeak looked at her curiously and nodded with a simple squeak. Triska stared at her with a bit of wonder then to Daniel. That explained why Squeak kept expressing concern about him while she and Alyssa were arguing, she thought his snoring was a sign of pain.

  'She was trying to use her saliva to heal what she thought was an injury of some sort.'

  Daniel smiled weakly and shook his head at the ant girl.

  "I'm fine, Squeak, really. But thank you for your concern," he said gently. Squeak looked at him curiously then smiled, squeaking softly again. Daniel then looked over to the two other girls with an expecting glance.

  "Now, can we please stop all this fighting already? I've already told you two enough times already that we're in this journey together, don't drag her into your fights as well," he said shaking his head. Alyssa and Triska looked at him worriedly then down.

  "I'm sorry, Daniel, it's just… when she kissed you…" Triska said softly.

  "She was only trying to help me thinking I was hurt, even though I don't think my snoring sounds that bad. She wasn't doing anything wrong, at least not on purpose," Daniel reasoned. Triska and Alyssa glanced to each other then to Squeak, the ant girl looking at them curiously as her antenna twitched.

  "I'm sorry, Daniel," Alyssa said softly while looking down. She glanced back to Lucky then smiled at Daniel.