“Really? How much do they charge?” Daniel asked.
“A man,” Alyssa answered solemnly. Triska and Daniel looked to her with surprise while Specca nodded in agreement.
“They are offered a man’s seed in return for their services. After that centaur finishes her assignment she’ll return to whoever hired her and be given a man to mate with,” Specca explained.
“They’re given men for their work?” Triska questioned.
“Yep, monsters hire them to do their deliveries, and in turn offer the centaur a free go with a man, whether the man wants to or not,” Alyssa said with a shrug.
“That’s horrible, they’re treating men like currency,” Triska said with discontent. Alyssa sighed and glanced to her.
“To some monsters out there men are nothing but that, Triska. Breeding tools, currency, even slaves, there are monsters out there that treat humans like commodities to bargain and trade with,” she pointed out. Triska showed disgust to that as she looked out across the field at where the centaur had ran off. Daniel shook his head then looked to Alyssa.
“She didn’t seem like an evil monster though, do you think they can be reasoned with?” he asked. Alyssa and Specca looked to each other then to him with shrugs.
“I’m not sure, they’re not known to kidnap or steal away men, there are worse monsters out there to try to talk to,” Alyssa answered.
“Yes, it may be possible; however I’m not sure what you could propose for them. Centaurs actually like to run around everywhere, they don’t like being cooped up in one place for too long. With their arrangement in getting to run from monster village to village and then be rewarded with a man for their efforts, they actually have a good way of breeding already,” Specca pointed out. Daniel nodded slowly as he looked out across the field, watching as the tall stalks of grass swayed in the wind.
“Well, hopefully we’ll get the chance to see if they can be reasoned with. She didn’t seem like a bad monster to me,” he said distantly.
“She tried to cut us all down with her whip a few minutes ago,” Triska reminded.
“She was a bit defensive about coming across strangers like that, but she saw that we weren’t going to cause trouble for her and left peacefully. I’d say there’s a good chance they can see that we can live together,” Daniel reasoned with a shrug. Squeak looked around then pointed back to where they came from while squeaking at the group, with the others looking to her curiously. Daniel smiled and nodded then started walking back along with the girls.
“Alright, nothing more to do here, let’s get going. She’s got her work to do, and we have ours. We have a lot of ground to cover still,” he said with renewed spirits. Alyssa nodded and looked down to her hand curiously, with Triska glancing to seeing the witch showing a confused expression.
“Alyssa? What’s wrong?” she asked.
“My magic, I couldn’t move that centaur or push her around at all. I don’t understand how she was able to stop my power like that,” Alyssa said curiously, with the group looking to her with wonder from that.
“Is that what you were saying earlier? That centaur managed to stop your magic from touching her?” Daniel asked.
“Do centaurs know how to use magic themselves?” Triska asked as they waded through the tall field of grass together.
“No, they have no magical power at all. But somehow that one was protected from me, I just don’t understand how,” Alyssa said shaking her head.
“How strange,” Specca commented while looking up thoughtfully.
The group came out of the tall fields of grass onto the worn path again, walking along towards the caravan and where Lucky was still waiting for them.
“Ok, so how about I drive now, no need for Squeak to run over another monster on the road,” Alyssa giggled. Squeak looked to her with a flustered expression and squeaked while shaking her head, with Alyssa looking to her with an amused smile.
“Calm down, Squeak, I’m just joking with you,” she said holding a hand up defensively.
“I wouldn’t mind a lesson on how to steer Lucky as well, I’m rather curious what it’s like,” Specca mentioned with a small smile. Daniel chuckled and glanced back to her.
“Sure, you and Squeak can take turns for a while,” he said, with Squeak and Specca looking to him with bright smiles.
The group got over to the caravan and started climbing onboard, with Alyssa and Triska entering the cabin along with Daniel while Squeak and Specca sat down on the front seat. Squeak picked up the reins and squeaked with a happy smile while Specca examined her posture and handling of the straps with a curious eye. Before the ant girl could snap the reins however Kroanette suddenly shot out ahead of them on the other side of the trail from the field of grass, the centaur skidding to a halt then looking around with an uneasy expression before staring at the group with surprise.
“What the? Kroanette?” Specca exclaimed with a jump. Daniel, Triska, and Alyssa quickly looked out the doorway of the cabin to seeing the centaur watching the group with confusion.
“She’s back again?” Alyssa asked.
“Wait, but, how? She was running off in the other direction, how did she get ahead of us and come from the other side of the trail?” Triska wondered while pointing to the right and then left with confusion.
“Kroanette? What are you doing here again?” Specca asked.
“What am I doing here? I think a better question is why are you following me?” Kroanette shouted out with discontent.
“Following you? We haven’t even left yet, and how did you get in front of us so quickly?” Specca asked with bewilderment. Kroanette scoffed at them then looked away with a huff.
“I told you once before, and this is the last time you’ll hear me saying so, leave me alone!” she yelled out before darting into the field of grass again. Specca and Squeak blinked then looked to each other with puzzlement before back at the others who were all staring at where the centaur had vanished again.
“What was that about?” Daniel asked.
“Who knows. Let’s just go before she runs into us again,” Alyssa said shaking her head. Squeak nodded then snapped the reins with a squeak, causing Lucky to neigh then start running along the trail again. Specca watched the horse moving quickly and easily while pulling the larger caravan behind him then looked to seeing Squeak smiling at the animal while holding onto the leather straps tightly. The others sat back against the walls inside the cabin while the ride bounced a bit on the road.
“Strange girl,” Triska commented.
“By the way, what did she mean when she called herself a ‘legendary’ courier?” Daniel asked.
“You got me, never heard of such a title before anywhere in the monster world,” Alyssa said with a shrug.
“How can a courier be legendary?” Triska asked skeptically.
“I don’t think they can be,” Alyssa replied flatly.
Sitting up front Specca watched as Squeak held onto the reins for Lucky, the ant girl watching as the tall fields of grass passed by on both sides of the trail. Squeak looked around then to Specca with a smile, the nixie then smiling back before looking past her with bewilderment.
“No way,” she said softly. Squeak looked at her curiously then over to some grass rustling alongside them, the plants swaying about next to the moving ride before Kroanette galloped out of them in a hurry. The centaur stumbled alongside the caravan then looked at the ant girl and nixie with annoyance while running next to them.
“Hey, I told you to quit following me!” Kroanette shouted out.
“Are you mental? We’re not following you, we’re riding on the only trail here, you keep coming back to us,” Specca shot back with discontent.
“Is she back again?” Triska asked with disbelief before popping her head out of the cabin, looking over to seeing the centaur running alongside the caravan.
“Leave me alone already!” Kroanette shouted out.
“You leave us alone!” Triska shouted out.
Kroanette growled and grabbed her whip, snapping it down at her side with a glare at the girls.
“I’m ordering you for the last time, cease your relentless pursuit of me and my treasure or else face the consequences!” she yelled out. Triska glared back at the centaur before Daniel pulled her back in then leaned out of the doorway while looking to the centaur with a worried smile.
“Excuse me, but are you lost? Do you need directions or something?” he asked.
“What? How dare you imply that I’m lost! I’m the legendary courier Kroanette, I never get lost!” Kroanette shouted out at him with anger.
“There’s no such thing as a legendary courier!” Triska shouted out from inside the caravan.
“Yes I am! I am I am I am!” Kroanette yelled out with thrashing around in her anger.
“Then where are you heading?” Specca asked.
“I’m not telling you that, you’re trying to follow me there!” Kroanette barked out at her.
“No, we’re trying to get away from you, and believe us it’s a lot harder than you think!” Alyssa yelled out from inside the cabin.
“Don’t give me that crap; you’re following me to get my treasure! Well I warned you, now you’ll learn that nobody robs from a centaur!” Kroanette shouted before striking her whip at them, with Squeak quickly raising her arm to block the lash. The whip struck around her arm with a snap, the ant girl squeaking loudly with a painful expression before being tugged towards the edge of the caravan. As she was pulled over Specca and Daniel grabbed her other arm, trying to keep the ant girl from falling off the ride, while the reins started to pull Lucky to the side. The horse began drifting over along the path, causing the caravan to steer to the side towards Kroanette.
“Watch it!” Daniel called out as he grabbed the reins and pulled them towards him, with Lucky then starting to run back towards the middle of the trail.
“Hey, let her go!” Specca cried out. Squeak grabbed the seat and yanked back hard with her arm, causing Kroanette to stumble over and bang into the side of the caravan. The ant girl yanked again and again, smacking the centaur into the side of the coach repeatedly while coming very close to the moving wheel.
“Knock it off!” Kroanette yelled out before banging into the side of the caravan again.
“You knock it off!” Specca shot back while trying to help Squeak pull away from the centaur. Daniel reached over and tried to undo the whip around Squeak’s arm before Kroanette yanked on her end, causing Squeak to stumble over and nearly fall off the seat. Specca and Daniel grabbed her and tried pulling the girl back while they continued to race along the trail at a high speed.
“Watch out!” Triska yelled out from the cabin’s doorway. Everyone looked ahead to seeing a sharp left turn coming up before a drop-off, with Daniel gasping then grabbing and snapping the reins.
“Whoa, Lucky, stop!” he called out. The horse quickly started to slow down and skid to a halt on the trail, with Kroanette then running past and yanking Squeak out of the front seat into the air. The ant girl tumbled to the ground causing the centaur to stumble off-balance and then fall into a roll as well, with everyone watching as the two tumbled across the worn trail before flying off the drop-off and down out of sight.
“Squeak!” Daniel called out.
Two splashes were heard up ahead, with the group then quickly jumping off the caravan and racing over to the end of the trail. Ahead of them they saw a large river running across, with a wooden bridge over it further to their left and a swampy bog to the right where it met with the tall fields of grass. And down on the shore of the river Squeak and Kroanette were seen, with the ant girl slowly getting up while dripping wet and the centaur once again stuck face first into the water with her rear end and hind legs kicking about in the air. Squeak took off the whip from her arm and tossed it aside with a small splash before looking to the centaur with a mixture of disbelief and annoyance.
“Should we just let her drown and be done with it?” Alyssa asked flatly.
*****
The tall fields of grass swayed about in the breeze while Lucky started to eat some of the plants with a gentle grunt, the horse taking the time for a snack while waiting for the group to settle their little problem. Atop the steep hill next to the river Daniel and his friends were looking at a very stubborn centaur who was shaking her hair to get the dirt and grass out of it. She was soaking wet from the waist up after having landed in the river a moment ago, while standing next to her Squeak was watching the centaur with a stern expression as she was dripping wet from head to toe.
“Alright, let’s get something clear here, we are not following you. We are not after your treasure. We are not in the mood to be dealing with this all day. Do you hear us?” Triska demanded while crossing her arms. Kroanette spit out some water with annoyance then looked to her with a glare.
“Ok, if that’s true, then how come I keep running into you?” she shot back before trying to wipe the mud off of her chest, with Daniel trying not to stare at the rather large bust size of the girl while she did so.
“Because you’re lost and have no idea where you’re going,” Alyssa answered with a dull stare at the centaur.
“I am not lost! I never get lost; I know exactly where I am and where I’m going!” Kroanette shouted out at her.
“You were screaming how lost and confused you were earlier before running into us, not to mention you were going in circles over and over again back there in the fields,” Specca pointed out.
“I just got turned around for a moment, that’s all. I know where I’m going, the legendary courier Kroanette does not get lost!” Kroanette barked back at her. Squeak shook her head and pointed to the centaur with a stern expression, squeaking at the monster girl while wiping some dirt and grass from her hair. Kroanette just stared at her for a moment then tilted her head a bit.
“Come again?” she asked unsurely. Squeak stomped her foot and pointed at the centaur with a few stern squeaks before Daniel walked over and lowered her arm, the ant girl looking to him worriedly as he watched Kroanette with a slight smile.
“Look, we’re traveling towards the village of Eston, is that where you’re heading?” he asked. Kroanette slowly shook her head while watching him carefully. Daniel nodded then gestured around them at the surrounding landscape.
“Then you know we’re not following you. Tell you what, you know where you’re going, right?” he asked.
“Of course I do,” Kroanette snapped while crossing her arms, her breasts bouncing a bit over them as Daniel tried to keep his eyes on her face.
“Alright, then how about we leave first, towards our destination, then you can leave for yours when we’re not around. That way you’ll know we’re not following you,” he offered.
“Fine, that works for me. Off you go then,” Kroanette scoffed while looking away. Daniel nodded then looked to Squeak, the girl wiping some dirt and mud from her hips while ruffling her hair with another hand, her tunic hugging her figure and outlining her own bust and waist. Triska, Specca, and Alyssa watched Kroanette with dull stares then glanced to seeing Daniel just watching Squeak with a curious eye, the ant girl looking down and around at herself while not noticing the boy was focused on her. She bent over and picked out a few long strands of grass and leaves from her boot, in doing so her breasts hung down and bounced a bit before the boy. Daniel blinked then quickly shook his head and looked away while using a hand to wipe his forehead, mostly to hide his view of the ant girl before him. The other girls glanced to Squeak as she turned and bent over to wipe off some water flowers from her boot, her figure displayed perfectly from the side as Daniel looked away with an uneasy expression.
“Um, Squeak? Are you ok?” Daniel asked while glancing back to her. The ant girl nodded and squeaked something before looking back behind her and gently wiping some water off of her insect abdomen, her breasts bouncing a bit in doing so which Daniel took notice of. The other girls glanced to him worriedly then to Squeak as they realized she
was being eyed over by the boy.
“Well, are you going or not?” Kroanette snapped. The group looked to her as she was glancing to Daniel with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah, we’re going. Good luck with your delivery,” Daniel said before walking back towards the caravan, only getting a scoff from the centaur in response as she looked away again. Squeak hopped after him for a few steps while swatting off some wet grass from her boot then tripped and fell to the ground with a squeak. Daniel looked back to seeing the girl stumbling up onto her feet with a weak smile and a shrug, squeaking once before she looked down timidly. Daniel shook his head with an amused smile and started back towards the caravan with Squeak following after, his eyes glancing back to her curiously as he found himself noticing the way her hips gently swayed with each step she took. As they walked towards the caravan the other girls were watching Squeak carefully.
“Did you see that? Daniel was checking her out,” Triska said worriedly.
“It looked like he was trying not to ogle her like that though,” Specca said defensively.
“Well he was, you saw him staring at her breasts,” Alyssa said with a frown.
“I don’t like this, her turn with him is tonight, and between her enticing saliva and her large boobs I’m not sure what Daniel may think about her if they… get too close,” Triska mentioned nervously.
“Daniel is a human male after all, surely he’s going to notice all of our features, it can’t be helped,” Specca tried to reason with. Alyssa shook her head then glanced to Kroanette, the centaur looking up with an impatient huff while tapping her hoof a few times on the ground.
‘At least we don’t have to compete with breasts like hers. Still, I wonder if Daniel noticed her for how she is too.’
“C’mon, I don’t want to leave those two alone right now,” Triska said before running after Daniel and Squeak. Alyssa quickly followed after while Specca looked down at her own figure, wondering how she stood in comparison to the other girls. She then glanced to Kroanette as the centaur was impatiently waiting for the group to leave.
Chronicles of Eden - Act 2 Page 22
