Chronicles of Eden - Act VIII (12 page)

“But there’s a chance we can talk to her, isn’t there?” Daniel quietly asked.

“A very risky chance,” Alyssa softly replied.

Triska kept her hand on her sword’s handle as she watched the magical monster meowing playfully in front of the clock. Although she got a strange feeling from the newcomer she couldn’t quite tell if it was a sense of danger or not. She then noticed Mika and her sisters keeping a close eye on the cat while remaining on guard, none of them moving although they were obviously contemplating it.

“You three should leave,” Triska spoke up. The sisters glanced to her as she waved back towards the doorway. “We’ll deal with this, it’s not your problem. Go back home and make sure Max is safe.”

“What are you doing to do?” Mae questioned. “Try and make friends with that monster?”

“Worth a try,” Triska mused with a smirk. “Trying to find the good in monsters is what we do out here.”

Mika grunted with frustration then slowly breathed out as she watched the magical monster with a dull glare. Not wishing to tempt fate with another go at the enchanted creature she reluctantly began making her way over towards the doors while keeping an eye on the jinx. Mae gathered her broken crossbow and placed it in her bag before she and Milly moved towards the exit as well. As they passed by Triska they halted and looked over to the group of monsters gathered in the archway to the dining room.

“Thank you,” Mika said to Alyssa. “For saving us earlier.”

“We’re not all bad,” Alyssa promised shaking her head. “And we’re going to make sure our sisters learn to be good in the world.”

Mika turned to Triska in silence, the cambion looking back to her while keeping her hand on her sword and nodding in agreement. After a moment the hunter then left with her sisters without saying a word, the two other girls giving one last look back to the group before they quickly ran off from the campsite.

“Here’s hoping they don’t think we’re bad people anymore,” Specca sighed.

“Forget about them, what are we going to do about her?” Kroanette asked pointing to the jinx who was still sitting close to the grandfather clock and meowing to herself.

Outside the three sisters rounded a tree and looked back to the carriage sitting near the road further away as they came to a stop.

“Shouldn’t we help them?” Milly asked. “It sounds like that cat monster could be dangerous.”

“We’re monster hunters, not monster saviors,” Mika argued shaking her head.

“But Daniel isn’t a monster, he might be in danger.”

“He already is staying close to so many monsters like he is. He’ll get what’s coming to him soon enough for his stupidity.”

“That witch,” Mae softly said, getting the attention of her sisters as she watched the carriage with concern. “She saved you and Milly from getting hurt. I never heard of a witch saving anyone before. And they tried to warn us not to attack that thing, they didn’t want us to get hurt.”

“They were nice,” Milly agreed. “They even tried to give us something to eat.”

“Let’s just get back to Max and make sure there aren’t any other monsters lurking nearby,” Mika ordered as she sheathed her blade. “Those people are on their own. If Daniel wants to play with monsters so much, then let him. He’ll learn soon enough they’re nothing but trouble.”

The three girls took off towards their home, with Mika leading the way and her two sisters keeping pace behind her. As they raced back to their cottage Mae glanced behind her with a curious eye, questioning what she had heard and seen with the strange group of travelers.

Inside the main hall the jinx continued to watch the clock’s swinging weight with a cheerful smile on her face. She meowed as she rocked her head side to side in rhythm of the ticking clock, seeming to find amusement with it, while the rest of the group watched her with growing curiosity.

“Why does she like the clock that much?” Falla asked scratching her head in puzzlement.

“She’s just sitting there enjoying herself,” Kroanette mused.

“If she sees who’s behind us she may not care about the clock anymore,” Alyssa carefully pointed out.

Triska slowly walked over beside the jinx, watching as the cat girl continued meowing to herself and paid the cambion no mind. Sitting down next to the monster however caught her attention, as the jinx quickly turned to Triska with a curious expression while her tails stopped moving.

“Hello,” Triska kindly said, getting no reaction from the jinx. “What are you doing in here?”

The jinx smiled at the clock and meowed again before returning to her constant head rocking and mewing to the swing of the pendulum.

“You like that clock, don’t you?” Triska asked with a curious smile.

The cat gave an enthusiastic cheer with a loud meow then continued staring at the moving weight in her rhythmic mewing as if it was the only thing in the world to her.

“What’s your name?” Triska said, the jinx then turning to her with a questioning meow. “You’re not a nameless monster of Eden, right? You have a name, don’t you?”

The jinx nodded with a single meow.

“What is your name? Mine is Triska Raylight.”

Again the jinx only responded with something said in her own tongue.

“I’m sorry, I don’t speak jinx,” Triska confessed with a weak smile.

The cat girl turned to face Triska then held out a finger to her chest. The cambion watched as the monster drew her finger around in a star pattern then tapped it once with a single meow. Triska glanced to the jinx then back to her chest while trying to understand the girl’s message. Again the cat repeated the same pattern on her chest and meowed with a tap on it. Triska remained silent for a moment before a curious smile came across her face.

“Star?” she asked, getting two nods and mews from the jinx. “Your name is Star.”

Star hopped with a happy squeal while her tails swayed around together behind her.

“It’s nice to meet you, Star. Do you think we could become friends?”

Star cocked her head to the side with a curious mew as Triska carefully scooted closer to her.

“You seem like a nice girl to me. What do you say? Do you think we could get along together?”

The jinx blinked then quickly lunged forward and hugged Triska with her head against the girl’s stomach, nuzzling against her with excited meows. The cat’s tails flailed about in the air while Triska laughed at seeing the monster holding onto her in a frisky manner.

“I’ll take that as a yes. My my, you really are playful aren’t you?” She then noticed the other girls staring at Star in silence with concerned looks as the jinx had her rear perked up towards them. “What’s wrong? What is it?”

The girls merely pointed to the jinx, with Triska glancing down to the girl’s skirt which was pulled up from her tails lifted above her then to the others with a blank expression.

“She’s naked under there, isn’t she?”

“Yes she is,” Kroanette confirmed.

“The carpet matches the drapes,” Falla mentioned with a raised eyebrow.

Triska rolled her eyes then lifted Star up onto her knees, the jinx smiling curiously at her with her left ear twitching slightly.

“Glad you feel that way. Would you like to meet my other friends?”

Star nodded eagerly to that as Triska held her hand and stood up.

“Triska, tell me you’re not planning on showing my master to this monster,”
Kitten sharply inquired.

‘If she’s a kind girl at heart then yes. This wouldn’t be the first time Daniel’s come into contact with a new monster.’

“You heard what Alyssa and Specca were warning us about, that creature will not be stopped so easily should she take a lecherous interest in my master.”

‘Again, wouldn’t be the first time we’ve dealt with something like that.’

With a gentle tug Triska got the jinx onto her feet, the cat monster then following her towards the others with a light trot of her feet. Kroanette backed up a step along with Squeak and Doku as they kept Daniel hidden behind them, the other girls carefully glancing towards him then to the jinx as Triska led her over.

“Everyone, this is Star. She seems rather pleasant and wants to be friends.”

“FRIENDS!” Luna cheered as she instantly bolted forward and hugged Star tightly. The group stared in surprise as the butterfly girl laughed manically with the jinx in her arms. “I LOVE MAKING FRIENDS! HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Luna!” Falla shouted out.

Luna blinked then slowly leaned back and smiled nervously while Star just watched her with a curious look.

“Um… hi?”

“Way to make a good first impression,” Kroanette scolded the butterfly girl. “If she’s actually being tame we mustn’t frighten her or-”

Star quickly hugged Luna and lifted her off the ground, shaking her around while meowing loudly with a bright smile on her face. Everyone watched as the cat girl spun around merrily with Luna held close.

“She likes me!” Luna cheered while being swung around. “I think she really likes me!”

“Are jinxes normally this friendly?” Triska asked with a curious smile.

“I… I have no idea,” Specca slowly answered while studying the cat girl. “I only heard how they rape men, never that they’re so… playful with others.”

“She doesn’t strike me as a rapist,” Kroanette commented while Squeak and Doku peeked out from over her body at the jinx. “She seems as pleasant as Doku.”

Star swung Luna around a few more times before setting her down, the butterfly girl then stumbling about in circles with a giddy smile on her face.

“That was fun. She’s really nice.”

“Um, and that’s Luna,” Triska introduced with a small laugh.

Star hopped about on her feet mewing happily before looking to the other girls with a bright smile. Slowly Specca stepped forward, carefully approaching the jinx with one hand held to her chest and the other on her glasses. Star watched her with a single meow as the nixie came closer and examined her.

“Hello,” Specca slowly said. “My name is Specca. Nice to meet you.”

“Don’t cats like to eat fish?” Clover mentioned with a smirk.

Specca whimpered and started to tremble as Star quickly got close to her, the jinx sniffing the nixie while moving all around her. Star finished circling the girl and stood in front of her, leaning very close to her face and looking at the glasses she was wearing with a curious eye. The jinx then took the glasses and put them on herself, showing confusion and looking around with a puzzled meow as the world became blurry to her through the lenses. She shook her head then quickly put the glasses back on Specca, took a moment to carefully tilt it one way then another to get it straight, then noticed the nixie’s tie. Star took hold of it and tugged it a few times, then showed a sly smile as she backed up and pulled Specca along with her.

“Um, what are you doing?” Specca nervously asked as the jinx led her around in circles while giggling.

Star pulled the stumbling nixie around by her tie then let go and noticed the girl’s scaly tail behind her. She hopped over and grabbed it, tugging it a few times while Specca yelped and turned to her with a blush forming on her cheeks.

“What are you doing? Please stop that.”

The jinx wiggled the tail around, brought it closer to sniff a few times, looked at it with a curious meow, and then promptly bit down on it. Specca screamed with a jump while the group watched in surprise as Star held the nixie’s tail across in her mouth with a low growl.

“Star!” Triska shouted out, getting the jinx’s attention as she kept Specca’s tail between her teeth. “Don’t bite her, she’s not food. She’s our friend.”

Star blinked then spat out Specca’s tail before showing a weak smile. The nixie grunted while holding her tail close to her chest and rubbing it where it was sore, her teeth clenched as she glanced to Star with annoyance and muttered obscenities.

“Told ya,” Clover chuckled.

From behind the girls Daniel carefully peeked out over Doku and Kroanette, watching as the jinx meowed happily at the group. Pip flew over and hovered in front of the jinx, the cat girl watching the tiny monster with wonder as the fairy fluttered near her face. With a smile Star meowed and tried to reach out for her. Pip quickly zipped away with a giggle, flying over into the court before Star instantly appeared next to her from a hazy distortion of air that sparkled briefly. The group watched as Pip flew around quickly, with Star warping to her again and again with playful mews. After a while Pip landed against Star’s chest as the jinx appeared in front of her, the fairy looking up at the cat with an excited giggle as she hugged her tunic.

“Hee hee, you’re fun!”

Star hopped about waving her arms as she meowed happily while Pip clung to her chest laughing. As they did Daniel and the other girls exchanged questioning looks with one another.

“She’s just playing with us,” Kroanette marveled.

“She tried to eat me,” Specca grumbled while holding her tail.

“She was just tasting you,” Falla reasoned with a shrug. “She spit you back out, didn’t she?”

“I like her, she’s really nice,” Luna complimented.

“She does seem to be harmless,” Triska reasoned with a shrug.

“She bit me!” Specca whined.

“But she hasn’t seen Daniel yet,” Alyssa reminded them. “What’s going to happen when she does?”

That question brought back their concerns as they turned to Star, the jinx hopping about playfully with Pip flying in circles around her. Star danced around with the fairy zipping by in blue blur then looked over to see everyone watching her. In a flash she warped over to Triska’s side, the girls exchanging troubled looks while Pip continued to fly around happily in the room.

“Well, that was Pip,” Triska explained with a small shrug. “I see she likes you too. Now let’s continue with the introductions.”

One by one Star met with the girls while Daniel and Squeak moved out of sight behind the archway.

“This is Falla, Luna’s sister,” Triska said, with Star quickly appearing in front of the butterfly girl and swinging her around in similar fashion as she did with Luna.

“She likes you,” Luna congratulated.

“I noticed!” Falla shouted while being swung around by the excited jinx.