A Big Shiny Blue Marble Ch. 47

She looked behind herself for a moment and smiled. Once they'd found that the madness was a passing thing, those who'd survived had looked at her in wonder and they were now her followers in a sense. Behind her on the flat part of the top of the mountain that she stood on, there were over two hundred of them, mostly females by a huge margin. Some of them had found a mate for themselves in the relatively few males there with them, and there were also some pairs made up of only females. Most of them were only looking to survive now, and seldom had thoughts of mating with anyone.

She turned to look forward again as she waited for her daughter, because she knew suddenly that her son had been located. Of the two of her children, her son was the most like her when she was like this, having the same hair and skin, even being very similar in stature. All three of them bore the long horns of their kind and all of them had the ability that they brought with them. Their wings were so large compared to most of the types of demons and there was another thing which separated them from the run of the mill.

They didn't look much like demons at all. If the horns, wings and tail were hidden for some reason, they looked human in this form.

Among all of the sorts of demons which were possible, if it could be said that there had once been a race which correlated to the side of light in many of man's old books ...

Then she was a demonic angel.

And her spawn took their looks from her.

As she watched her young daughter come to her, she smiled with a fair bit of mother's pride. Pasha was so much like her when she'd been this age. She was just a bit of a shorter version, that was all -- a slightly smaller package, though she was as lovely as her mother had been and still was, though Pasha was blonde.

Pasha flared and landed before she returned to her normal size and the two of them stood holding each other as the daughter told of everything; the pursuit and very near disaster that Pasha could see, but had been too far away to help with. Then she told of the creatures there and the one who had saved Talen's life. Her face almost lit up as she told of what she'd felt.

"The one is large and very strong, Mother," she said, "and I could see that Talen has found someone for him. It was so good to see. The male was confused, but I could see that it will happen. Talen will give himself to that one, I am sure."

Her mother was surprised, but what she'd just heard would explain the feelings that she'd gotten from her son, so she was happy for him and she asked her daughter for the best description of Cesar that could be managed.

"Why not go there and see for yourself?" Pasha asked a little excitedly, and then she told of the dancing. "I want to go back and see more of it. They choose each other, and many go off to mate and then come back to dance more. You can see it when they have decided that they have hope in one that they have mated with that it will last. The males are so ..." She sought for the word that she wanted and her mother finished it for her.

"Male?"

"Yes!" Pasha nodded, "Huge and strong and very good to look at, "she nodded brightly. "I want to go back and learn this dance which they do there. I want to dance with them, I -- "

She stopped suddenly and she looked at her mother's smiling eyes.

"If I find one who pleases me, may I mate with him?" she asked, almost giving in to add the 'please' which she knew would ruin her chances if she said it, for it would have indicated to her mother that perhaps she was not quite mature enough in her outlook.

"Why do you ask me?" her mother grinned, "You are old enough, though only by a few days, perhaps. Do as you like, Pasha. Talen is safe once more and I think that you are right about him. Why not go there and find a little joy for yourself?

Just remember a few things. We are different from them, so do not make a big show of it in your entrance. Look to make sure that they do not drink or eat something to enhance their joy, and most of all, -"

"I know," Pasha nodded, "Mate, but do not breed. I am not fertile now and even so, I will be careful. But you should go too! I saw some who must be the leaders there. Maybe they can tell you why they all look so happy."

Cerinthe was about to demure, but she thought of the others behind them then. So she nodded, "We will all go, but it makes the arrival a little uncertain, to be sure."

Talen sat with Cesar, feeling much better now, though he knew that he still needed rest. He didn't care. He'd never seen anyone who could make him feel this way.

Which was exactly the thought that Cesar was having as he cut up some of the roasted rabbit and offered it to the beautiful young man. The feelings that he had in him now had come at him from far out of left field. He'd never been attracted to any male before in his life, and though it felt so strange to him, he knew that he was certainly attracted to one now.

They were trying to learn to speak to each other and it had taken a little while just to get their names across. Perhaps the strangest thing to Cesar was the way that, while he found himself beginning to like the idea, he could see that to Talen, it was already as good as begun between them. They sat eating and Talen would caress Cesar's sheath for a moment in passing, as though they were already lovers and had been for months. It felt incredible to him, but Cesar also wondered if there was a misunderstanding here somehow.

He put his hand on Talen's arm and did his best to ask. Talen blinked at him and then suddenly, Cesar could hear Talen's words in his head.

"There is no mistake, Cesar," the boy smiled shyly. "I feel the same way that you do. I only accept it easily."

He got up to kneel in front of Cesar and they looked at each other for a moment before Talen stretched up to put his arms around the werewolf's neck, loving the way that it felt to slip his long fingers into Cesar's mane. "I want to be in love with the one who saved me, but that is not the reason for it," he said into Cesar's mind as he moved closer and kissed him very softly.

Cesar groaned then, knowing without a doubt that he was lost in this as he reached for Talen. Their kisses lasted long enough for both males to harden and Talen gasped when Cesar's shaft touched his own.

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It had taken a long time for Shawa to get Noriko to the point where she was feeling a little better, but he was rather dubious when the girl had insisted that they go to speak with Cesar. Shawa had wanted to know why.

"Because, Shawa," Noriko said, "I just wanna see things clearly and set them a little straight. I don' see no problem if we let them both have us and we just stick together as a group like that then. I'd bet that the guy would want you right off the bat, and then you could be happy and --"

"And you could have Cesar?" Shawa asked, a little upset now, "Aren't you being a little pushy here? I don't think that I want either of them. What is this? I don't want to meet somebody and then let them fuck me three minutes later."

Noriko stopped and looked at the demon. "Why not?"

Shawa turned then and began to walk away. He didn't want to hear the rest of Noriko's assumption that just because he'd sold himself before, ...

Noriko ran after Shawa to grab his arm, turning him around. He looked at her with a fair bit of annoyance.

"Look," she said, "I'm sorry, ok? That was a stupid thing to say. I just, .... I just think that I ought to try to see if I got even the slightest chance with him, yeah? I just want to --"

Noriko looked into his eyes and she saw something that she really hadn't expected there. "Shawa," she asked, "you want ... me?"

He shook his head, "What's the use? You make sounds like you want me and you even humped my tail back there. Where would I get the idea that you might like me? What you say doesn't mean anything. You just want Cesar.

He helped me today, but he won't have to help me tomorrow. I'll just fly and then nobody will even have to look at the freak with tits, though I'm prepared to try to be his friend. You want to go see where you stand? Then go. You don't need me for that. And no, I think that you're mistaken. I don't want you."

He pulled his arm free and walked away, cursing his fate and wondering why he'd allowed himself to feel a little for her. He should know better, he told himself.

Noriko was torn, feeling that she ought to try to make this better, but also wanting to get things straight with Cesar. She knew now that she should have just told him about the way that she'd felt about him, but she'd never been able to get her courage up, fearing that he'd reject her outright As long as she didn't ask, then she wouldn't have to hear his rejection. She looked down for a moment.

Shawa needed somebody, she thought. He couldn't stand up for himself around here, not with some of the big, dumb ones anyway. She knew that she wouldn't mind being with him -- the way that he needed somebody was written all over him. She looked up and watched as he walked away toward the dancing.

She shrugged. If he was careful, he might find somebody for himself there.

In her haste to want to talk with Cesar, Noriko was overlooking what she'd seen in Shawa's face.

She thought of it a little later.

She walked over the hill and soon after, she saw Cesar and the stranger together. For as long as she'd known him, Cesar had always worn one of three expressions -- angry, sad, or just lost and usually it might be said that he'd worn a combination of the last two.

At the moment. he wore none of them and Noriko knew exactly where she stood.

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The dancing continued unabated, for, as one person decided that they'd perhaps had their fill of jubilation, another would come to take part. Things slowed a little when there were friendly calls out of the forest and the demons appeared, careful to hold up open hands full of meat ready to be added to the fires.

The two kinds looked at each other, but it was Pasha who broke the ice, beginning to dance all alone as a few demon girls began to clap out their own rhythms. Rosa and the others stood and waited as Cerinthe approached and though she couldn't understand their speech directly, she was advanced enough to be able to speak telepathically and things went better after that.

As they told her what they wanted and where they were going, Cerinthe asked if there might be room for a few demons there as well. Rosa thought about it and couldn't see any difficulty, though Raul could.

"These demons here," he said, "they're the same kind that kill a lot of people when they show up."

Cerinthe nodded, "The very same. But if you look where I am looking now, you will see that, without whatever it is that is done to upset them before they are released, they are much like your own people here."

He walked over and she pointed out how the female werewolves were now joining in the dance again, many just walking up to the demons dancing there and smiling to begin and he could see at least three couples already copulating together.

"The line between us is not as thick as one might have thought," she smiled, "You have too many males, and I have almost all females.

There are many things which you can do and we cannot," she said, "and it goes the other way as well. If we might travel with you, you will gain protection from above. The typical flock which I have seen lately numbers about a hundred, though there are both larger and smaller ones. I have a little more than two hundred to offer, and if I am present, I will fight as well."

Maria wanted to know why, and Cerinthe smiled, "I am here with my children." She looked at Maria for a moment, "My son and - your cousin. What more reason do I need to fight?"

Maria smiled with a shrug, "I've never seen anything like the way that they seemed to be so - attracted to each other in about as much time as it takes me to blink. Your son has worked a miracle in a few seconds. Up to now, I've been a little worried that the things in Cesar's past would lead him to his death. I don't mind at all if they find something between them, if it helps him."

It was a little odd to hear the beautiful demon's laughter while her words came to them at the same time. "They have already found 'something' between them. Talen has given himself to your Cesar. I feel this. From the thought, they will be happy."

They shared a bit of food before Cerinthe stepped away to watch the dancers with Maria, who wanted to know a little about Cerinthe as she told of the ghosts in Cesar's past.

"You spoke of your children," she said, "How many sons do you have?"

"One only," the demon smiled, "There is my daughter there, "she pointed, and Maria looked to see the girl dancing and laughing as she and a pair of female werewolves danced together. From the smiles and laughter that they saw, they were showing each other ways to dance. Cerinthe accepted Maria's compliment about Pasha's loveliness.

But she felt something then and looked up. The moon was full and hung gleaming brightly in the night sky.

"We call that a mating moon," Maria said quietly and Cerinthe chuckled as she looked around, "A good name, I think. It would be good to see if any of the ones from both sides of this become pairs. Has it ever happened. Maria?"

"I don't know," the werewolf replied honestly, "I've never seen demons who weren't acting as though they were completely nuts before, but I've got to tell you, I like them this way. What were you looking at?"

Cerinthe pointed, "That," she sighed, "the very first one that I have seen."

Maria looked up and they watched a dark shape slide across the face of the moon. She looked at Cerinthe in alarm, "Are we in danger now?"

"I do not think so," the demon smiled as she spread her wings, "Forgive me, there is someone who I am hopeful to meet. You are in no danger, or you'd have known it already. I will return if I can."

With that, Cerinthe was gone, the speed of her exit a little startling to Maria who watched from where she stood.

All these years here and I have seen only this one, Cerinth told herself as she rose higher and higher in the night sky. As she climbed, it became easier for her as the gown faded away and she assumed her other form, the one that she hoped had enough in the way of feminine charms to hold the interest of the first male that she sought for herself in her life.

What if this is a female? But that would be very large, she thought. Then she asked herself about the possibility that this was a very old male and past his prime. She hoped that her luck would prove better than that. With a thought, she faded from sight as she crept closer, gaining on the one who appeared to be starting a wide turn to come back.

Cerinthe smiled to herself, knowing that her chase was being shortened for her.

Her first pass in the opposite direction caused her to stare, and her hurried reversal to have another look brought her directly underneath, and a few seconds of looking up told her that this was a male, and not old.

"What do you want?" she heard in her mind and she knew that this one wasn't stupid and had noticed the turbulence that she'd left behind in her wake.

"I came to see one such as I have never seen as long as I have been here," she replied, "Are you alone here?"

There was a pause and then came the reply, "I am alone -- once again."

"Then slow down, wondrous one," she said as she faded back into sight, "I hope that we are enough alike to warrant a better meeting."

She looked aside when he noticed her and he slowed down markedly, mostly because he was so shocked that he actually turned his head and the drag of that at this speed almost caused him to tumble and he heard her laughter as she slowed as well. As he turned around to come back once more, she hung there in the air, her great wings beating hard to hold herself stationary.

They looked at one another for a long moment and then she was gone, diving earthward to lead him down.

"Why do you run?" he asked in her mind.

"I am not running," she said, "I am leading. I wish to see more of you where I do not have to remember to fly."

The dancers stopped as someone pointed to the sky. A few moments later, they watched the pair flare in their landings on the next rise of rock. It was a little lower than where they were and they saw the two dragons step closer to each other. No one knew what was said down there, if anything, but a careful embrace followed the beginning of the meeting.

They were different, to be sure, but they were also the same, and if you've spent years searching for someone who only might still exist, it's a little much to stand on arm's length first-meeting conventions -- especially if one does now know which conventions to use.

They looked at each other for a time as though faced with a legend sprung to life somehow out of age-old carvings or from the pages of some mystic texts. "I never thought to see another like me," Cerinthe said as she gave up on the last shreds of trying to remain aloof and she reached to touch Yuan, who couldn't believe this.

"How many shapes have you? Yuan asked, "I have three and I wish to be more comfortable."

"Two," Cerinthe replied, "all that I need. Choose what you wish," she said and then she burst into happy tears to see that Yuan could look very similar to her as she changed.

"Where have you been? I have searched in every place that I could learn of and found nothing."

Yuan described her journey and her humble beginnings, but Cerinthe told her that she saw nothing humble about them, before she told of her own past, and when she changed her shape to the long-horned demon, Yuan stood transfixed with wonder.

"Why are you alone?" Cerinthe asked, and Yuan told her everything, especially how she was both genders depending on what she wanted.

"I can be happy with that," Cerinthe smiled shyly, "and you are so beautiful," she said as she touched Yuan's soft scaled skin, "I am alone also, but I wish for a male. I have never had the chance to choose for myself.

Now, I see that chance and I want it."

She laughed then, "I think that I was made for you. It is my hope now."

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Pasha was one of the first to walk back to the dancing place, but she wasn't the only one there. She looked at someone who she'd seen before, one person who hadn't danced at all and mostly stood off to the side and only watched, politely declining any requests to dance.

She walked in his direction and smiled up at him. "You are not like the others here," she said, "I have watched you for a time now. I would have asked you to dance with me, but I saw that you never agree to dance with anyone. There is no one looking now," she said as she stepped slowly closer.

"My name is Pasha," she said as she reached for his hand, and to his surprise, he reached for hers. "I am Shawa."

"Why were you not with everyone trying to see the pair of draken over there?" she asked.

He shrugged then, "They are something that I know nothing of and they seem so beautiful when they fly as they did. I was watching them then. It was nice to see, but I felt a little sad then because it reminded me of my own troubles."

He looked down, "I know nothing of them, but I think that they must be very rare. And yet, somehow those ones found each other at some time."

"They have only just met," Pasha said, "What are your troubles?"

"I am not anything," he said without sadness or self-pity, "I was made into something so that I could earn gold to buy food. Before that, I was an ordinary and rather small male where I am from and no one was my friend. Afterwards, I was only something to spend gold on. Then I was brought here and abandoned. These creatures took me along out of kindness, but I am not one of them."