“Take care of my girls,” he answered. “I have a lot of mates who placed their faith and hearts in me, I’d be the worst kind of man in the world if I ignored that or pushed such a responsibility aside for any reason. I need to comfort and protect the ones who mean the world to me, that’s something I’ll always do no matter what.”
“But… we can’t…” Alyssa worried looking down. “With her gone like this… I mean I would like to, but…”
“I’m not saying we’re going to have sex tonight, Alyssa,” Daniel reasoned with a gentle smile at the witch, his arms hopping her up a bit as he held her closer to him. “I don’t think any of us are in such a mood tonight with current events. However I’m still going to spend all the time I can with my girls and help them get through this night. It’s my job to take care of you. All of you.”
“Daniel,” Alyssa whimpered. She quickly held onto him and buried her face in his shoulder, his hand gently rubbing her back as he tenderly cradled his witch. “I’m sorry, I’m trying to be strong and hope that she’s okay, it’s just…”
“I know,” he gently said while lightly rocking her. “You’re all putting on a strong face to help ease our fears and so I don’t get too worried myself. It’s going to be okay. We’ll see her again, I’m sure of it. Let me handle worrying about my missing mate, you don’t need to shoulder those fears as well.”
He kissed her head and smiled at the witch as she peeked up at him. He then gave her nose a kiss, something that drew a small smile on her face as he gently cradled the girl in his arms. Turning to Clover he saw her watching him with a timid expression she was trying to hide behind her bangs.
“I love you all so much. Let me be the strong one here and deal with the burden placed on us. You girls have done more than enough already, let me take care of you and help soothe your reservations. That’s my job. And it’s one I intend to do.”
“Well… since you’re being so pushy about it,” Clover conceded with a small smile.
“I am. Now get your beautiful butt inside before I have to drag you in,” Daniel replied, with Clover hopping with a squeak before blushing brightly. “I won’t tell you again, Clover. I want you inside and with me so I can keep a close eye on you.”
“O-Okay,” she stuttered, turning to walk into the carriage before glancing back to Daniel with a loving eye. Daniel nodded then glanced up to Star who was smiling curiously at him now.
“Let’s go-” he said before she warped next to him instantly, gently holding onto his arm and resting her head on his shoulder. He paused for a moment then chuckled as the cat mewed with innocent eyes looking up at him.
“Star,” Daniel finished before heading inside with the three girls. Closing the door behind them he set Alyssa down, knelt before her and wiped a tear from her cheek, kissed her on the lips, then stood up while giving her hat a small tap to tilt it forward. Alyssa giggled as she straightened it again while Star and Clover were watching Daniel curiously, both seeming to wonder what he would do next with this sudden bravado he had. Eyeing over the four main chambers of their home Daniel could feel a sense of uneasiness in the air from those inside. He then decided to venture into the library first, with the three girls quickly following after and keeping close.
Inside the spacious archive Specca was seated at a table with Luna by her side, the nixie quietly reading a book she had placed before her while seeming to be deep within her own mind. Luna however was fidgeting in her seat while trying to hold her voice in, her cheeks having a soft blush to them while she lurched and twitched now and again. Specca calmly turned a page and continued reading her book, seeming to ignore Luna entirely as the butterfly dropped her head onto the table with a whine, hopped about anxiously, then leaned back while struggling not to scream with short gasps. Specca paid her no mind as she read her story, her eyes instead turning to see Daniel and the girls walking up in front of them.
“I figured I’d find you in here,” Daniel mused, something that brought a faint smile to the nixie. He then watched Luna in puzzlement along with the other girls as she shook her head with eyes shut tight and arms held around herself in restraint.
“Luna?” Alyssa asked. “You okay?”
“What’s with her?” Clover said.
“I’m trying to be quiet,” Luna whimpered. “Not supposed to be loud in a library.”
“Why are you having trouble doing that?” Alyssa asked with a raised eyebrow. “You feeling okay?”
“I’m feeling great. Really great. Feeling so good right now.”
Star meowed and tilted her head in question, herself and everyone but Specca watching as Luna gasped loudly with wide eyes, trembled wildly in her seat, then held a hand over her mouth and quietly squealed into it.
“Luna? What’s wrong?” Daniel worried.
“Nothing’s wrong with her, Daniel,” Specca assured.
“Why does she look like she’s about to pop then?” Clover asked pointing to the shaking butterfly.
“Someone’s having her dinner,” Specca mused while glancing down to Luna’s lap. Daniel and the girls blinked then walked around the table to her side. Luna was sitting on the chair with her legs opened and a tiny fairy rustling about under her skirt with happy giggles and hungry licks.
“Oh,” Daniel realized as everyone smiled amusedly. “You’re feeding Pip tonight.”
“Emmmmmm,” Luna whined with her mouth shut tight, the girl then dropping forward onto the table with a gasp and hands that gripped the bench tightly. “She’s so hungry.”
“Yes,” Specca chuckled. “She does have a very big appetite for someone her size.”
“She’s a little glutton alright,” Clover agreed crossing her arms.
“It’s not so bad feeding her, is it?” Alyssa playfully asked.
Luna shook a bit then clamped both hands over her mouth as she climaxed with a heavy moan, her wings fluttering behind her as she breathed deeply through her nose.
“Pip,” Luna whined looking down to her lap. “Are you almost done? I’m really starting to get weak now.”
“Oh,” Pip said popping her head out from the girl’s skirt. She wiped her mouth then smiled nervously and nodded. “Yes, I’m good now. Sorry. I was actually good a while ago, but you’re so tasty. I couldn’t stop.”
“Pip,” Luna sighed with a weak smile. The fairy zipped up around her in tight circles before stopping in front of her face and kissing her nose.
“Thank you for feeding me, Luna.”
“Sure, Pip. Happy to help,” Luna shakily breathed out before slumping back in the chair with a soft sigh as she almost lost consciousness.
“You know we do have a dining room for our meals,” Daniel mentioned with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes,” Specca weakly agreed. “However Snapper is in there with Cindy along with Doku. Cindy was feeding her some leftovers and it was making Pip a little nervous due to her… well, being bite sized for the little swarm.”
“I see,” Daniel said scratching his head. “I don’t think Cindy would let her eat Pip though. She likes Pip.”
“I like her too,” Pip agreed holding a hand up. “Um… I’m not sure about Snapper though. She scares me still. I don’t want her to snap me.”
“Neither do we,” Daniel said while gently taking the fairy into his hand. “Right now I guess it would be too dangerous for you to be near Snapper when she’s eating. Still, I’m sure eventually you could go near her without being in any danger. I mean she didn’t bite any of us during the night, I think she’s slowly learning not to bite everyone she sees.”
“She bit the crap out of Star earlier,” Clover mentioned glancing to the jinx. Star meowed with an uncomfortable frown while rubbing her rear from one of the youngling’s bites before. “She was okay being held by Luna, Falla, and Doku, but she did not want to be held by Star at all.”
“She really didn’t like her,” Luna agreed shaking her head while still in a daze. “I don’t know why though. She’s a nice kitty.”
“She’s still a swarm,” Alyssa reasoned with a shrug. “She’s going to bite all of us at one point or another. She’s done so to Daniel enough times to prove that by now.”
“I don’t know if Pip will ever truly be safe near her,” Specca worried. “Even if it’s just a playful bite or an accident, Pip would likely not survive if it happens.”
“I don’t wanna be snapped,” Pip feared. She quickly zipped over and hugged Daniel’s chest with wide arms. “Save me, Daniel! I don’t want to be eaten!”
“Pip, you’re going to be just-” Daniel said before Pip zipped to the side in a blur and raced into Star’s tunic, the jinx jumping with a yelp then smiling weakly at seeing the fairy popping her head up in her bosom with a happy smile.
“Boobies!” she cheered nuzzling herself between the mounds. “I’m safe now! Yay!”
“Fine,” Daniel finished for the sake of doing so.
“Pip,” Alyssa lectured shaking her head. “Are you saying you weren’t safe with Daniel? He was the one who wanted to protect you, not Star’s boobs. Don’t you love him like he loves you?”
“But… boobies,” Pip whimpered looking to the cat’s bust with saddened eyes. After a moment she shook her head with a whine and quickly zipped over to Daniel, hugging his face with arms and legs wide and quickly fluttering wings.
“I love you too, Daniel!” she promised while very close to his eye. “I mean it! You’ll protect me too, won’t you?”
“Of course, I did promise to do so,” Daniel chuckled before taking the fairy into his hand. He then gave her a light kiss, the fairy hopping with a startle before kissing back with wings buzzing behind her. When it ended Pip slowly opened her eye with a giggle before dropping back onto his palm.
“I like when you kiss me,” she said holding her cheeks.
“I like it too,” Daniel mused while gently brushing aside her hair with one finger to see both her eyes. “I dare say we should do it more often, if you would like.”
“Yay!” Pip hailed, and then quickly zipped around Daniel’s head in a blue blur. She whizzed in tight circles a few times then darted down into Specca’s shirt with a gleeful cheer. “Boobies!”
“Pip,” Specca tiredly sighed, shaking her head at the fairy rustling about under her shirt. She then smiled weakly at Daniel with a shrug, him and the other girls watching the fairy with amused smiles. “Well, at any rate we came in here so Pip could feed in peace and I could relax with a nice book. Reading always helps calm my nerves, especially now that…”
Trailing off with that sentence Specca turned her gaze down to the book while her smile faded. Pip popped her head up above the nixie’s shirt with a worried frown at the girl, the fairy then seeing Daniel walking over and holding Specca from behind.
“She’s going to be fine, Specca,” Daniel promised.
“I don’t suppose you saw her outside before coming in, did you?” Specca knowingly asked while gently taking hold of his arm.
“No. Neither she nor Kitten have come back yet.”
“I don’t know why I’m getting so worried like this,” Specca said while trying to force a smile. “Kroanette’s always getting herself lost during our travels. It’s how we first met her in fact. This is just her losing her way at yet another important time. I’m sure she’ll be fine. She has to be.”
Daniel gently kissed her head then noticed the other girls showing troubled frowns again. After thinking for a moment Daniel then turned Specca’s head back so she looked up at him, her eyes having a few tears in them as she saw Daniel smiling curiously down at her.
“What does it take to be a legendary courier?” he asked, getting only a puzzled stare from the nixie.
“What?” Alyssa wondered.
“Specca, what does it take to be a legendary courier?” Daniel asked again.
“Legendary courier?” she bewilderedly replied. “Daniel, there’s no such thing as that. That’s simply the fictitious title Kroanette gave herself.”
“What does it take to be one?” Daniel quizzed her yet again.
“I don’t understand,” Specca said shaking her head a little.
“It’s not simply making all her deliveries on time,” Daniel explained, gently running his fingers through her hair while Pip flew up out of her shirt and fluttered beside him. “The reason Kroanette always calls herself that was because she wanted to be a legendary courier among centaurs, not just a reliable one. So tell me, what would make her legendary to earn that title?”
“Um…” Specca said before shrugging. “I haven’t the faintest.”
“Any guesses, girls?” Daniel asked glancing to the others.
“Legendary courier?” Clover wondered. “I honestly don’t understand how a courier could be legendary.”
“Beats me,” Alyssa agreed with a shrug.
Star merely scratched her head in puzzlement as she pondered that question as well.
“Can I get a hint?” Pip asked raising her hand.
“Sure,” Daniel said looking back down to Specca. “Specca, how would you describe someone that’s legendary?”
“Someone who’s very distinguished and well-known,” she reasoned. “Who’s celebrated and respected among others for surpassing normal expectations or even exceptional ones.”
“She wants to be a great courier,” Daniel praised. “Better than great even. She wants to be the best. She wants to be the fastest centaur in all of Eden. She even gave up her right to Ruhelia’s throne all so she could chase after her dream with all four legs.”
Daniel guided Specca up out of her seat to face him, holding the nixie close around her waist while her tail slowly coiled around his leg.
“And in order to do that, there’s one thing she can’t do,” he knowingly told her.
“What’s that?”
“Fail,” Daniel answered. “She can’t be beaten by anything, she can’t be held back by anything, and she can’t be stopped by anything. To live up to being a legendary courier she would have to be unstoppable as a courier, nay, a centaur. That dream and ambition is part of her very soul, something she would never give up on.”
“But what does that have to do with her being out there alone with dangerous monsters roaming nearby?” Specca desperately asked as she held onto his vest.
“I believe she is a legendary courier,” Daniel said holding her cheek. “She may get lost from time to time, but she never gives up with running forward. She never sits still to complain or mope. And when she heard about her home being attacked she took off like a bat out of hell to get here. Specca, nothing will stop her from coming back to us. She can’t be stopped. Not by getting lost. Not by wicked monsters. Not even by the merciless weather itself. That’s what makes her legendary. She cannot be stopped by anything from running forward and getting to where she wants to be.”
“Daniel,” Specca breathed out. She wiped the tears from her eyes then nodded as she rested her head against his shoulder. “You’re right. Even when she got lost she just kept on running until she found us again. She’s never once stood still when things got rough.”
“My mate Kroanette is a legendary courier,” Daniel agreed as he held the nixie close. “She will return to us, and faster than any other centaur could. I have complete faith in that.”
“Yes, she will,” Specca said, taking a slow breath before leaning back and smiling at him. “She is a legendary courier after all. And when she gets back we’ll tell her just that.”
“And then we’ll never hear the end of it,” Daniel finished as he wiped a tear from her cheek. Specca let out a giggle before holding a hand over her mouth. “Glad that lifted your spirits, Specca. Things will be okay, you’ll see. She’ll come home again, either on her own or if we find her first. Either way she won’t stop in getting back to us, so we shouldn’t stop having faith in her finding her way here.”
“Thank you, Daniel,” Specca said looking down. “I was finding very little comfort in the book I was reading, I’m gl
ad you’re here to hold me like this and calm my mind.”
“You’ve helped keep my mind focused and clear in the past many times,” Daniel reminded her. “Clarity is your gift you’ve bestowed upon me when I needed it the most. The very least I can do in return is help calm your mind when you need it.”
“Daniel, I love you,” Specca said before pulling him into a kiss. The girl held onto his chest while her tail wrapped tightly around his leg, all while he kept the nixie in his arms and felt her aura brightening again from his caring and reassuring words.
“That’s so beautiful!” Luna sobbed before tearing leaves off her skirt and blowing her nose with them. “He said such wonderful things about Kroanette, and they were all true! I wish he’d say those kinds of things about me too!”
“How many leaves do you have on that thing anyway?” Alyssa asked with a raised eyebrow.
Daniel and Specca broke from their kiss and smiled amusedly at the butterfly girl who was watching them with very watery eyes and quivering lips.
“What are you talking about?” Daniel said shaking his head. “I’ve always said you’re my special butterfly.”
“Um,” Clover said with a stunned look at him. “Dan? When you say that…”
“Not in that way,” Daniel corrected her with a smirk. “Luna is one of the most gentlest and loving girls I know in Eden. The mere fact her aura fills me with such joy and appreciation for being alive is proof enough that her heart and soul are as pure as they come. Her smile alone always lights me up inside and always will.”
“REALLY?” Luna yelled as she bolted off the chair, tackled Daniel to the ground, and started laughing like a deranged murderer with wide, twitching eyes. “YOU MEAN IT? I MAKE YOU HAPPY? LIKE REALLY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY? I DO?”
Chronicles of Eden - Act XI Page 17
