"Like you're one to talk, Alyssa, you tried to rape him senseless when you first met him," Triska accused, looking down to the witch with narrowed eyes. Squeak jumped a bit then looked down to the witch with surprise.
"I already said I was sorry for that, not to mention that I've been helping him on his journey all this time afterwards," Alyssa muttered. Squeak looked at the girl carefully then to Triska, the teen looking back over to Daniel as he was washing his pants in the water.
"All you've been doing is getting my way, Alyssa," she said bitterly.
"With what? Trying to trick Daniel into picking a worthless girl like you for his mate?" Alyssa scoffed while glancing to the teen. Triska growled then glared at the witch as she clenched her fists.
"Hey, I'm the one that saved his life from being used as breeding stock for those ant girls when you were powerless," she said sternly.
"You only did so with Squeak's help. She saved Daniel from being raped, and she helped you kill those ant-lionesses," Alyssa said flatly. Squeak smiled arrogantly and glanced to Triska.
"I saved her life too, I helped her when that ant-lioness tried to pull her under, all while you wanted me to let her go," Triska said sternly. Squeak looked to Alyssa with surprise as the witch shrugged.
"My priority has been and always will be Daniel, besides those ant girls were the ones that took him in the first place, how was I to know she would be any different?" she reasoned. Squeak narrowed her eyes at Alyssa as the witch looked back to Triska.
"Besides, I was the one that told you to help her in the tunnel when she had the light, you wanted to let her get eaten then," she accused. Squeak looked to Triska with wide eyes as the teen glanced to her nervously.
"Hey, I didn't know she wasn't like the others, her kind kidnapped Daniel, remember?" she said defensively. Squeak looked between the two with discontent as her antennae twitched.
"And you only wanted me to help her so we wouldn't lose the light in the tunnel, you didn't care about her then," Triska accused sternly at the witch. Squeak looked to Alyssa with discontent as the witch rolled her eyes.
"Again, my priority was with Daniel's kidnapping, not some ant girl whose kind stole him in the first place," she reasoned simply. Triska shook her head and waved to Squeak while looking at the witch with irritation.
"Not to mention you wanted Daniel to pick her instead of the other ant girls hoping that she would back off if I said so because I saved her life. Well I see that worked out well, since so far he's seen her naked and gotten a kiss from her!" she yelled out. Squeak looked at Alyssa with a raised eyebrow then smirked a bit.
"He saw her naked because you wanted him to ogle you instead!" Alyssa yelled out at the human. Squeak glanced to Triska and nodded in agreement as Triska growled with frustration.
"I just wanted to spend some time with him, just like I've always wanted to ever since I came with him on this journey!" she yelled out. Alyssa and Squeak looked to her as she shook with anger, the girl then looking back over towards Daniel.
"It was supposed to be just me and him on this trip, just us! But no, you two had to tag along and ruin everything for me!" she cried out looking back at the two monsters.
"Hey, we're proof of Daniel's beliefs, we're exactly what he wanted to find," Alyssa said with annoyance. Squeak nodded with a quiet squeak.
"I didn't think he would be bringing his proof with us the whole way! We didn't even plan on finding any monsters out in the world until after Ashwood! I hardly got ANY alone time with him at all on this journey all because of you two!" Triska cried out with frustration. Alyssa and Squeak looked to each other then back to Triska as the girl pounded her fist onto the tree with a yell.
"Hold on, he didn't come out here to be alone with you, he came out here to find monsters like us that could coexist with mankind. We didn't do anything wrong by helping him with his cause," Alyssa defended, looking at Triska with an accusing stare. She closed the book and set it down then stood up as Squeak watched Triska curiously.
"You keep saying that he's yours and that we're taking him from you, but he's not your mate, Triska. What right do you have to be with him when we can't be, when we're the ones he's really out here for? Why the hell are you even following him still, your sword is useless against pretty much every single monster out there, all you do is yell and get in our way, and you have the nerve to assume that Daniel's yours when he never picked you to begin with!" she yelled out at the human. Triska growled heavily and looked to the witch with a cold glare. Alyssa watched the human cautiously then backed up as Triska moved closer to her, growling with rage as she had fire in her eyes. Even Squeak backed up slightly, both girls seeing the human showing more anger than before.
“Triska?” Alyssa asked carefully. Triska growled furiously, her frustration boiling to the surface. Squeak watched her carefully as Alyssa kept on guard.
"Why?" Triska asked with a bite. Alyssa looked at her carefully as her staff slowly floated over into her hand.
"Why?" Triska asked through bared her teeth. Squeak looked at her then glanced over to Daniel who was still over by the lake.
"WHY?" Triska yelled out with rage. Alyssa tensed up as the human growled furiously at her. Triska trembled with frustration as she felt something working its way up her throat. She shook her head with frustration then roared at the witch.
"BECAUSE I LOVE HIM!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. Alyssa and Squeak stared at the girl with surprise as she was breathing heavily, fuming with anger as she shook a bit. She yelled out with frustration and stomped her foot down, the strike kicking up a small dust cloud as Alyssa watched her cautiously. Triska breathed heavily then looked over towards the lake where Daniel was washing his hair with the lake water, the boy not having heard his friend's roar echoing out around the land.
"I love him, more than I could love anything in this world. He's everything to me, he's everything!" she yelled out looking back to the witch. Alyssa glanced over to Daniel then back to Triska as she kept her staff held at the ready.
"You think you care for him the most? You think you have any right to his heart? You think that there's anybody out there besides me that deserves him more? Think again!" Triska shouted with anger. She shook with frustration and anger then looked back to Daniel.
"The only reason I came on this journey was to stay near him, to keep him safe. I couldn't let him go out into the world alone, I couldn't lose him," she said with a few tears forming. Squeak glanced to Daniel then back to Triska with a careful eye.
"And I'll be damned if I'll let anybody else take it from me. I've been with him the longest, I've been by his side while we grew up together, I’ve been the one who's earned the right to be his mate in life," Triska stated firmly. Alyssa shook her head with a stern expression.
"He's not your mate, Triska, no matter how much you claim you love him. He saved my life even after I was so foolish with my desires, even after how I acted with him. He saved my life and allowed me to travel with him as his proof. If you think you're the only one that loves Daniel then think again! I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be in control of my nature now if it wasn't for his words. So what if you grew up together, that doesn't make him yours. If anybody loves him the most here it's me!" she yelled out. The two girls glared into each other's eyes before looking over to Squeak, the ant girl waving her hands around and squeaking at them with a stern expression. Alyssa and Triska glanced to each other then back to Squeak as she was giving a long speech about something in her own language. After she was done she nodded with a firm expression while the two other girls just stared at her. Alyssa blinked then looked back to Triska with a glare.
"And I have no idea what in the world she just said, but I bet she feels the same way I do! You're not the only one that cares about Daniel, so don't act like you deserve him just because you think you love him!" she shouted out.
"I know I love him! I've known it since we were just kids!" Triska yelled out.
&
nbsp; "And just how could you have known then? If he doesn't feel the same way about you up to now then how do you have any idea that you're supposed to be his mate?" Alyssa barked out. Triska growled then looked over towards where Daniel was slowly putting his pants back on, the boy having not heard their conversation as he was tilting his head to get the water out of his ears.
"Because I've always believed him," she said softly. Squeak and Alyssa looked to each other then back to the teen.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Alyssa asked shaking her head. Triska looked at Daniel with a gentle gaze and then down.
"Nobody else ever believed him, for as long as I knew him he was always an outcast and ridiculed for his beliefs that monsters could be good," she said softly. Alyssa and Squeak looked over to Daniel curiously as Triska shook her head.
"Nobody else, not even my mother, would ever listen to him. But… I did. I knew… somehow I knew he was right," she said gently. With a sigh she looked up at the blue sky above.
"He's always believed that we could coexist? Why?" Alyssa asked curiously. She and Squeak looked to Triska as she was watching the clouds drift by overhead.
"When Daniel was young, his family was attacked while on a trip out in the forest. Their carriage was overrun by… monsters," she said with remorse. Alyssa and Squeak showed concern with that, both looking down as Triska glanced to them.
"He was so young, barely able to run away during the attack. His mother and sister were killed… and his father was taken away," she continued. Alyssa and Squeak looked to Daniel with worry as he was putting on his shirts and brushing his hair with one hand.
"His family was killed by monsters? Then… why did he think we could coexist, how come he doesn't hate our kind?" Alyssa asked worriedly. Triska looked down to the monster book and picked it up, flipping to a page then showing the other girls.
"He was saved by one," she explained softly. Alyssa and Squeak walked over and looked at the entry as the witch read it out loud.
"Monster class: Kitsune. One of the legendary Darker Ones of Eden. Found in forests and mountain areas. Extremely rare and powerful monsters, these ascended fox demons have near god-like levels of magical energy. Although nearly impossible to kill or run from, they are known to generally be peaceful and calm in the wild despite being among the Darker Ones. However, when angered or provoked there is likely no way to defend against them as their fire magic is second to none," she said with wonder, then gasped with surprise.
"Daniel… was saved by… a kitsune?" she said in shock. Triska nodded and looked over towards the boy by the lake.
"He says he remembers seeing the fox demon showing up and saving him from the other monsters. How it had nine tails that glowed like the sun, how she was like an angel from heaven to him, how her fire scorched the forest around them, annihilating the pursuing monsters while never touching him at all," she solemnly explained. Squeak and Alyssa looked at each other with wide eyes then over to Daniel.
"That kitsune saved him, but she didn't steal him away to be her breeding tool, or leave him for dead. She took Daniel to our village, and left him at the front gate for our guards to find. I was just a little girl when I saw him being treated in our village center, and I was one of the first to hear his tale about the fox demon that saved his life," Triska said softly. She sighed and shook her head.
"Nobody believed him, they assumed his family was killed by thieves and that he had injured his head in escaping. But he kept insisting that he was saved by a monster. He refused to believe otherwise, even after the years went by and the village started to call him crazy," she said with remorse.
"I don't believe it… a kitsune saved him?” Alyssa asked in wonder. She knew all the Darker Ones of Eden were the most powerful and dangerous of monsters in the world, however a kitsune was the only one of them that wasn’t known to be violent or malicious. They were clever, sneaky, and one of the most alluring monsters in the world, but never bloodthirsty or sadistic. It only had the classification of ‘Darker One’ to mankind due to its incredible magical prowess and rarity.
"Believe it, Alyssa, because I do. He was so sure about what happened, so sure that monsters weren't all evil. Even though he watched firsthand his own family being killed and taken away by a pack of lustful creatures, he still holds firm in his belief that some monsters can be good, like the kitsune that saved his life," Triska assured. She closed the book with one hand and looked at the other two girls with a stern expression.
"I spent all my childhood training to become a fighter in my village, to protect those from monsters like the ones that killed Daniel's family. But mostly, I trained to become a fighter so I could protect him, so that I could keep him safe from anything that tried to take him away again. Everybody, everybody in our village thought he was crazy and still do, even though I'm out here helping him they all think he's as good as dead and that he's out of his mind. But he's not, I trust my life in that belief, he's the bravest guy I know," she said firmly. Alyssa and Squeak looked back to the bikini clad teen as she pointed to them accusingly.
"I've been in love with him all my life, I know for a fact it's love! I would gladly die for him; I'd do anything I could to stay by his side. So don't you dare think that I'm going to let you or any other monster take his heart away, not after I've spent my whole life chasing after him," she declared proudly. Alyssa and Squeak glanced to each other then back to the teen.
"You think you're the only one that loves him? Get over yourself," Alyssa said shaking her head.
"You only recently met him, you have no idea what love is, Alyssa," Triska accused sternly.
"No? I've been alive far longer than you have, human, I've come across many men during my travels, seen a lot of potential mates out there. But none of them compare to Daniel. He wasn't just the only one that ever tried to save my life, but he actually cared for who I was, even though I'm a monster he still cared about me just the same. I've never had anybody except for my mother, and when she died Lucky was the only friend I ever had," Alyssa said sternly. She looked down and shook her head.
"I've hexed a fair share of them as well, I'll admit it. I followed my nature and bewitched countless men or allowed myself to be taken by those that wanted a young girl," she remorsefully admitted. Holding a hand over her heart she shook her head slowly.
"I just did as my body commanded, all because I’m been driven by my desire to breed," she said softly. Squeak looked at the witch with remorse then down, knowing that during her time in her queen's nest she had been involved with many humans that were brought into the nest both for her sexual relief and to test for possible mates for her queen. She had been following her nature, never really having felt love for any of the men that were used to slake her urges.
"And yet not once did any of those men ever appeal to me personally, not once did I ever care for them before or afterward. I never even bothered to remember their names," Alyssa continued. She trembled a bit and looked down with closed eyes.
"But with Daniel… I've never felt this way before, never for any human that I've ever came across," she said softly. Triska looked at her carefully as the witch glanced back up to her from under her hat.
"I've done what was once considered impossible before, I've gone against my desire to breed with him, and all for him. I'm standing here as his proof, Triska, I'm standing here as his guardian, but mostly I'm standing here because I love him too!" she yelled out. She growled and shook her head as Triska and Squeak watched her carefully.
"You think just because I'm a monster I can't know what love is? I'll tell you what love is, love is wanting to be with one and only one mate for as long as you shall live. Do you know what that means? That means that when he grows old and dies, and I'm still alive and around, I'll never want to mate with anybody ever again!" she cried out. Triska looked at her with wonder as the witch looked down while clutching her staff.
"He's the only one I want to mate with now, even though I'm supposed to breed with as
many humans as I can… even though I'm supposed to have as many children as possible… I only want Daniel!" she shouted, striking her staff into the ground. A pulse of magic rippled away as the grass and dirt below them shifted around.
"I will only have a daughter if it's his, do you hear me? I will never mate with another human for as long as I shall live unless it's with Daniel. There will never be anybody else that I will feel this way for, ever!" she declared. Triska looked at the witch with wonder, the little monster having sheer determination in her eyes as she held onto her staff.
They both then looked over to Squeak as the ant girl was pointing to Daniel then to herself while squeaking something urgently, waving her arms around as she shook her head before pointing to her own heart. Alyssa and Triska watched the ant girl squeak something at them while Daniel walked over to Lucky who was by the lake drinking, the boy gently brushing the horse as he gazed around at the landscape. After Squeak finished her long speech consisting of squeaks and lots of hand motions Triska looked at her with wonder.
"You… too?" she asked shaking her head. Squeak nodded with a firm expression as Alyssa glanced between her and the human. Triska looked at the two monster girls with disbelief as it dawned on her.
"We… we all love him… don't we?" she asked softly. Alyssa and Squeak looked to each other then back to Triska as they nodded.
"Yeah… we do," Alyssa agreed looking down. Squeak looked down and away, her antennae twitching slightly as Triska stared at the two girls that were Daniel's proof in his quest, the two girls that would be helping him stay alive and safe from the Darker Ones out in the world, the two girls that also loved Daniel just as she did. Alyssa was determined to be with him and him only, the witch declaring that she would never mate with another man for the rest of her life unless it was with Daniel. And although they had no idea what Squeak said exactly, the message she gave was clear enough. She wanted to be with Daniel as well, declaring that her heart belonged to him.
chronicles of eden - act I Page 35
