“What? How would you… hey, were spying on us?” Triska barked out with annoyance.
“No, we were all sitting around the campfire before we heard you from there,” Alyssa said shaking her head.
“Squeak and I remained while Alyssa went to see what you were doing that was so loud. Anything to say for yourself before we go on?” Specca inquired. Triska glanced to her then to Alyssa before looking at her dagger to avoid eye contact with them.
“I’ve got nothing to apologize for,” she said simply.
“Really, because you were sure begging for Daniel’s forgiveness last night,” Alyssa mentioned with narrowed eyes. All that got out of Triska was a small smile as the teen remember how much she ‘begged’ Daniel last night to forgive her.
“How exactly did that end up happening anyway?” Specca asked. Triska glanced over to see Daniel and Squeak still sitting up front, neither seeming to notice the girls’ conversation.
“I wanted it,” she said softly.
“What do you mean? Why would you desire such a thing?” Specca asked. Triska looked down as she sheathed her dagger at her side.
“I grew up with Daniel, for so long we were the best of friends. So much so that he saw me as a sister more than a friend, like family,” she said, having a hint of remorse in her voice.
“Still not following how that made you want to get a spanking from him,” Specca commented. Triska showed a small amused smile for a moment before looking to her with concern.
“I was afraid last night. He always saw me as his best friend, as his sister, but… I was afraid that’s all he would ever see me as. I was afraid that he wouldn’t see me like he would any other girl, that… he wouldn’t notice me,” she said, with Specca nodding slowly to that. Triska looked down while holding her arms around herself, a nervous smile coming across her face.
“I was afraid that, by waiting so long to tell him how I felt, I may have lost him already. So, I wanted to know if he could really see me as anything more than a close friend. I told him that I was sorry about what happened yesterday, about everything that I ever did to him that upset or hurt him. I admitted that I was wrong and out of line, and then… I asked to be punished for it,” she said softly.
“You asked to be punished?” Alyssa asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Why?” Specca asked.
“I wanted him to do something to me that he wouldn’t do to just a friend, or to a sister, I wanted him to… I wanted him to do anything to help him see me as I am,” Triska reasoned. She giggled a bit then glanced to Specca with a shrug.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect him to do anything like that, or what he did. I wasn’t sure what he would do, if anything. When he took hold of me and… bent me over his lap like that…” she said softly, with Specca and Alyssa watching her with wonder as she sighed and looked down with a warm smile.
“I never felt like that before in my life. For the first time ever, he was in complete control of me; nobody ever had that kind of power over me before. When he started punishing me for being bad, I felt all my strength leave me. I was all his, to do with as he wanted. I was helpless,” she continued.
“He… he chose to do that to you?” Alyssa asked worriedly. Triska nodded and looked to her with a small smile.
“All I did was ask, no, beg for it. I just wanted him to do something, anything to show that I could be more than just a friend. And he gave me a chance, he treated me like I was a bad girl who needed to be taught a lesson, he was so commanding over me, it was unreal,” she said with a shrug. Alyssa and Specca looked over to Daniel, the boy just sneezing once while he gazed around the landscape, and then back to Triska with wonder as the girl blushed slightly.
“I don’t know if it worked though,” she said coyly.
“What do you mean you don’t know if it worked? It sounds like you seduced him rather splendidly,” Specca commented while adjusting her glasses. Triska chuckled and glanced to her with a smirk.
“No, I mean, I don’t think he taught me a good enough lesson. To be honest, I liked being a bad girl for him,” she said with a wink. Specca jumped a bit then glanced to Daniel while Alyssa gave the teen a dull stare.
“You like being punished by him?” Specca questioned.
“Yeah, I actually do,” Triska said softly while looking to Daniel, her mind replaying the events from last night again and again. Alyssa scoffed and looked down at her staff, rolling it around back and forth across her lap while hiding her scowl.
“Well, isn’t that just great for you,” she muttered.
“Jealous, Alyssa?” Triska giggled before looking at the witch with a slick smile. Alyssa slowly looked up to her, the girls seeing her eyes giving off a purplish hue briefly as her staff glowed for a moment.
“Another girl had Daniel’s hand on her ass-”
“Repeatedly, I might add,” Triska mentioned with a twitch of her eyebrow. Alyssa held in her growl as she bared her teeth slightly, the other girls then watching her cautiously as she drummed her fingers on her staff.
“Another girl had Daniel’s hand on her ass repeatedly last night, of course I’m jealous. And let me tell you something, Triska, if it was any other girl than you three that did so, I wouldn’t be sitting here doing nothing about it,” she hissed.
“But you are just sitting there doing nothing about it,” Triska pointed out.
“Triska, we just finished repairing the back wall, do you really want all that work to go to waste?” Alyssa asked flatly. Triska watched her carefully as the witch slowly breathed out and looked at the skull ornament on her staff.
“Do you have any idea how much willpower I have to use, not only in keeping myself from lunging at Daniel with all my emotions, but to also refrain from treating your body like a ragdoll after what you did? I want my turn with Daniel, so much, so much indeed, that I’m willing to bear this suffering so as not to lose my chance with him,” she said, her voice sounding a bit strained as she struggled to keep herself in check. She breathed out and looked away while closing her eyes.
“Just because you got a spanking from Daniel doesn’t mean you’ve won him yet. He touched your ass, big deal, just wait until I get my turn with him, then it’s all over for you,” she scoffed. Triska and Specca watched as the witch kept looking away from them.
“You’re not going to win him from me that easily, you stupid girl,” Alyssa muttered.
“Well then, good luck with your turn,” Triska replied. Alyssa looked to seeing the teen giving her a challenging smile while leaning back against the wall.
“You’ll need it,” Triska finished. Alyssa showed an annoyed smile and shook her head.
“I really do hate you,” she said bitterly.
“I hate you too, Alyssa,” Triska said simply with a calm smile. Alyssa blinked then looked at her curiously, seeing the girl just watching her while not getting upset at all. Specca however was looking at her with confusion.
“If you hate her then why are you smiling like that?” Specca asked shaking her head. Alyssa looked at Triska curiously as the teen slowly shook her head with a smile on her face.
“I hate you, so much, Alyssa,” she said simply. Alyssa looked down for a moment then glanced up to her with a slight smile.
“I hate you more, Triska,” she said softly.
“No, I don’t think you do, I hate you the most,” Triska said with a shrug. Specca looked back and forth between them with confusion as the two girls smiled at each other.
“Why are you two saying that, and smiling at each other?” Specca asked.
“Because I hate her so much,” Triska said softly.
“Not as much as I hate her,” Alyssa quipped.
“You’re both making me feel uncomfortable, stop doing whatever it is you’re doing, please,” Specca said as she scooted away from Triska.
At the front of the caravan Daniel and Squeak were sitting together still while Lucky continued to run without tiring at all. The caravan rolled along
the worn path they were traveling on, with Daniel merely giving a little guidance to the horse every now and then since Lucky was trained to stay on paths properly from his owner. Daniel only had to give minor signals to the horse as to which path to take if there was a crossroads before them or if there was a problem to stop, otherwise Lucky just kept right on running as he was trained to do. Squeak however just stared at Lucky constantly, seeming to be thinking about something intently since that morning. Daniel glanced over and saw the ant girl fixated on the horse still, wondering what was going through her mind.
“Squeak?” he asked. The girl glanced to him curiously as he smiled at her.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked. Squeak pointed to the horse then quickly made some vague hand signals while squeaking something, having a curious expression as she kept looking from Lucky then back to Daniel who just stared at the girl in silence. After Squeak finished her speech Daniel glanced to the horse, back to the ant girl, and then showed a weak smile.
“Um… what?” he asked. Squeak face palmed and squeaked with closed eyes, with Daniel showing concern as he could see her frustration in their language barrier.
‘She’s trying to tell me something, something about Lucky. What could she be thinking about with the horse?’
He looked at Lucky closely then Squeak, watching as the ant girl looked to the horse with saddened eyes. There was something about Lucky that was on her mind, and Daniel was determined to figure it out somehow.
“Squeak?” he asked, getting a glance from the ant girl. He smiled a bit while watching her carefully.
“Tell me what it was you were trying to say, but this time, take it slow,” he said kindly. Squeak showed a curious expression then nodded. She slowly pointed to Lucky and squeaked slower, seeming to slow down her own ‘words’ while Daniel watched her carefully. She then made the hand gesture again, which looked like she was holding her fist in front of her at waist level and tugging on something, then pointed to Lucky again as she looked at him curiously. Daniel glanced to the horse then to Squeak while the other girls were noticing them now.
“Daniel? What’s up?” Triska asked. He held a hand back to silence them while studying Squeak’s movements, the ant girl then finishing her speech and looking at him curiously.
“Something about… pulling on something, with Lucky,” he said looking to the horse.
“What?” Specca asked.
“Squeak’s trying to tell me something about Lucky,” Daniel said as he pondered what the ant girl was trying to say. The other girls moved closer to the front while Squeak watched Daniel curiously. After a while the boy glanced to her with a small smile.
“One more time, please,” he said kindly. Squeak nodded then started repeating the same motions and squeaks, with everyone watching her carefully. Daniel watched her hand signals more closely this time, seeing as how there wasn’t any way of determining what her squeaks meant. She pointed to the horse, made the same gesture that she was holding onto something and tugging it towards her, and then pointed back to the horse. Correction, she wasn’t pointing at the horse at the end, she was pointing to something else in front of her, something Daniel started to take notice of.
“I’ve got nothing,” Triska said shaking her head.
“I don’t follow either,” Specca added.
“What does any of that have to do with Lucky?” Alyssa asked.
Daniel traced Squeak’s pointing finger to what she was trying to show him. She wasn’t pointing at the horse, since her finger was actually moving up and down slightly, she was pointing to the reins, which were bouncing around a bit with their slack. Daniel blinked then looked down to seeing how he was holding the reins in front of him, in the same grip and hand formation that Squeak had mimicked. A smile formed on his face as he glanced to Squeak.
“Did you want to hold the reins for Lucky?” he asked. Squeak nodded eagerly with a bright smile, squeaking a few times while the other girls looked at her curiously.
“Hold the reins for Lucky?” Triska asked.
“Why would she want to do that?” Specca asked. Daniel looked around at the caravan then laughed a bit as he turned to Squeak with a gentle smile.
“She wants to drive the caravan with Lucky like we’ve all been doing,” he explained, finally understanding what Squeak had been thinking about. The ant girl nodded and hopped a bit with an excited smile, happy that Daniel understood her. Daniel nodded then looked back to the other girls.
“I guess she’s seen us doing it all this time and wants to try it herself,” he reasoned with a shrug. The other girls smiled a bit while Squeak looked to Lucky with a few squeaks.
“Really? I never would have guessed that,” Triska said in wonder.
“That’s amazing, Daniel, how did you figure out what she was trying to say?” Specca asked with a curious smile. Squeak looked to Daniel as he smiled gently at her.
“I just had to pay attention to her,” he said, with Squeak blushing a bit with a timid smile. Daniel chuckled then looked to the reins in his hand, and then held them out for Squeak to take.
“Here, give it a try,” he offered. Squeak looked at the reins curiously then to Lucky while the girls in back exchanged worried glances.
“Um, question, is letting Squeak drive this thing a good idea?” Triska asked.
“Yes, I was wondering the same thing myself,” Specca said nervously.
“Well, Lucky knows to stay on the path, all Squeak would really be doing is just holding onto the reins,” Alyssa reasoned unsurely.
Squeak glanced to the reins then looked at Daniel with a timid smile and squeaked something.
“It’s ok. Just relax and hold onto them. You don’t need to be afraid,” Daniel said kindly. Squeak slowly reached out and grabbed hold of the leather straps, holding them carefully while the others watched her closely. Daniel then leaned back and watched as Squeak held the reins just as he had been doing, the girl watching the horse ahead of them with wonder as it kept running along.
“There, you’re now guiding Lucky, Squeak. Snap the reins if you want him to stop or start again. If we come to a fork in the road just pull on the strap in the direction you want him to turn,” Daniel explained, with Squeak looking to the reins in her hands then to Lucky with a curious smile. She squeaked once as she held onto the straps tightly, her eyes locked onto the horse ahead of them as he kept running at a brisk pace.
“Well this is certainly a sight, an ant girl driving a horse drawn caravan,” Triska said with a curious smile.
“I do believe this is the first time one of her kind would have done so, I don’t think any ant girls ride on horses let alone drive carriages of any form,” Specca said while watching Squeak with a curious eye. Squeak smiled and looked around at the sight of passing trees and fields of grass, feeling excited to be driving a caravan out in the world like this.
“Is this what you wanted, Squeak?” Daniel asked. Squeak looked to him with a smile and nodded, squeaking something eagerly before looking ahead to Lucky. Daniel slowly nodded with a weak smile.
“Glad to hear it,” he said with a shrug.
They continued along the path, crossing over a ravine on an old wooden bridge, around a few hills covered in trees, and alongside a large meadow that had a few large boulders spread about in it. Squeak didn’t even have to tell Lucky to make any turns, the horse following the one and only path without any trouble at all. The group could have easily gone back into the cabin and relaxed while Lucky continued his trek across the outerlands like this, but Squeak wanted to ride up front and hold onto the reins for the horse, having been curious what it was like to drive a caravan like this.
After a while they came along a path that ran between two large fields of tall thick grass, the overgrown pastures rising up higher than Lucky himself with the worn pathway stretching on ahead in a straight line between them. Squeak smiled and looked around at the sight of the high passing grass while the other girls remained in the cabin and
went about their usual routines. Specca was reading a book, Triska was polishing her sword with a rag, and Alyssa was levitating her staff in front of her and casually rolling it in place with one finger. Sitting up front with Squeak still Daniel was looking around at the large fields of tall grass that they were passing.
“Wow, it’d be easy to get lost in something like that,” he mentioned. Squeak looked around and nodded in agreement as the caravan rolled along the worn road.
Inside the cabin Triska was polishing her sword with a rag, having a small smile on her face as she made sure her favorite weapon was in good condition. Alyssa glanced to it with a blank expression while merely keeping her staff rolling in place with one finger.
“You missed a spot,” she said casually. Triska glanced to her with a small smirk then continued to work on cleaning her blade.
“Thanks,” she said simply. She blinked then set her sword down as she glanced behind her at the wall. For a moment she thought she heard a horse galloping nearby, but the sound quickly disappeared. After a few seconds Triska resumed working on her sword, carefully wiping it all over with a keen eye. Next to her Specca turned a page in her book, her eyes going side to side quickly as she read through the story at a quickened pace. Suddenly she looked up from her book then back at the wall as she heard a horse running nearby as well.
“Do you hear that?” she asked looking to Triska. The teen glanced to her then looked to the wall as she heard the noise again.
“Is there another horse nearby?” she wondered. Alyssa looked at them curiously then got up and ran to the front of the caravan, poking her head out and seeing Squeak and Daniel still riding in front with the ant girl at the reins. Alyssa hopped out then jumped over Squeak, with her and Daniel then watching as the witch held onto the side of the caravan and leaned over the edge of the seat, her eyes darting around and seeing only grass passing by quickly.
“Alyssa? What is it?” Daniel asked.
“I don’t see anything out there,” Alyssa called back toward the girls.
Chronicles of Eden - Act 2 Page 20
