Short Scenes

Asherah and the Teles’trike Dragon

This cute little glimpse into the world of Steven Crow takes place within the time-frame of Crow: The Awakening. It helps illuminate the relationship between Steven and Asherah while he was still hanging out with her in their meadow. A little education on Endard’s dragons is thrown in for good measure. If you like this, please check out my first novel in the Crow series – Crow: The Awakening (Crow Series, Book 1) – http://mjv.com/Crow-The-Awakening-AM

“Think it will eat me?” Steven looked up nervously.

“Probably.” Asherah cocked her head as she also looked up.

“Maybe we should run?”

Asherah shrugged. “It’s flying. I do not think we can outrun it.”

“Then we just need to stand really still? I saw a movie that…well, it was a T-Rex, but same difference, right?”

Asherah gave him a perplexed look, then ran squealing towards a cluster of fruit trees by the edge of the meadow.

Steven threw up his arms. “Or we could run and make as much noise as we can. Perhaps we’ll scare it away?” He flinched as a large shadow passed overhead. “Asherah, it’s behind you!”

Asherah ducked under the trees and looked up, wide-eyed.

“Just stand really still!”

A large, vividly colored dragon landed deceptively lightly on the grass by the trees, almost hovering as it touched down. Asherah squealed again and ran around the tree.

Grimacing, Steven tried to stay in the dragon’s blind spot as he attempted to make his way towards the trees. He froze when the creature turned its head to look at him.

Asherah threw a branch at it, distracting it. Steven took in a breath and continued sneaking toward the trees. He briefly lost sight of Asherah and considered calling for her. But, the dragon. Steven scowled as he hurriedly pushed through the vegetation until he came upon a peculiar scene.

Asherah was sitting in the grass, leaning back against the dragon’s head as she caressed its wing.

“What? Really?”

“You helped me with my homework, silly.” Asherah giggled. She patted the wing. “We are not their normal prey.”

“Oh. Sure. So, let’s just snuggle with a vicious predator.” Steven crossed his arms.

“She is not vicious at all!” Asherah said defensively. She looked around at the dragon. “Don’t listen to that mean boy.”

Staring nervously at the dragon, Steven frowned. “What does it eat?”

“Terrans.” Asherah poked at its scales.

Steven gave her a look, and she shrugged. “You’re not connected to them. Who knows?”

There was another thud behind him and Steven spun around, startled. “Crap!”

Another dragon sniffed him. Steven backed up, almost tripping over the wing of the first dragon. “Okay, this is getting a bit much.”

Asherah sighed. “My homework? We covered indigenous Endardian dragons.”

Steven looked at her blankly. She pointed. “What is that?”

Steven glanced at the dragon. “Teles’trike.”

“What do Teles’trikes eat?”

“Anything that’ll fit in that ginormous mouth.”

Asherah blinked and raised her brows, not amused. Steven rolled his eyes. “Large fish, Teles’nere dragons, large birds, medium sized creatures.” He held his arms out. “I could be classified as medium sized.”

“Well, they tend to ignore us. Not sure about Terrans, but humans are fine around them.” Asherah stretched her arms and casually picked a parasite off one of the scales. The Teles’trike shuddered and Asherah grinned sheepishly as she was shaken.

Steven sighed. “Yeah, not making me feel any better.” He gazed longingly back at the solitary tree in the center of the meadow. No big dragons were hanging out under it. “My laptop is still over there.”

Asherah looked up. “Probably not raining until later today. Come. Sit with me.”

“A little too close to that jaw for my comfort.” Steven shivered.

Asherah held out her hand expectantly. “Elves have a deep connection to life. She’s perfectly tame.”

Pursing his lips, Steven looked at the dragon critically. It appeared like it was smirking at him.

“Do you trust me?”

“Implicitly,” Steven said without hesitation. He slumped as he walked around the wing and plopped down in the grass next to her.

“Pet her. There. Pull off that tick.”

“Ew.” Steven made a face. He looked at a stern Asherah, then reluctantly complied. The large parasite took a hard yank to remove, and he threw it away quickly. “Those things are nasty.”

Asherah bumped him with her shoulder. “She likes you. That’s why they tolerate us.”

Thoughtfully regarding the dragon, Steven raised an eyebrow. “Great. So now I’m a plover.”

“A what?”

Steven glanced briefly at her. “A crocodile bird. Cleans the mouths of crocodiles. Doesn’t get eaten.”

Asherah giggled. “You’re funny. You do not even have any feathers.”

Steven opened his mouth to explain himself, and Asherah laughed out loud, pushing on him until he fell over. He grinned as he lay in the grass, looking at her while she rocked back and forth, humming their ballad. She winked at him and leaned back against the Teles’trike again.

“What sort of connection do you have with them?” Steven glanced at the dragon. “Can you make it do stuff?”

“It’s not like that. It’s more like, we connect as friends,” Asherah said.

“Friends that could eat you.” Steven smirked. “I play with bears and cougars back home. They seem to get me. But this?” He waved at the Teles’trike. “Yeah, no.”

“One day I’ll show you the dragons of Senin.” She looked at him thoughtfully. “We cannot form a connection to them, sadly. But they’re gorgeous dragons. Electrifying.”

“Well, that’s all that matters, right? It’s got to be gorgeous. Who cares about the teeth?” Steven grinned.

Asherah giggled, hiding her canines. “Well. They’re in conservation. Tomorrow’s lesson may cover them.”

Steven looked over at the tree in the center of the meadow again. A smaller, dog-sized dragon was playing in the branches. A Teles’nere. “If that thing breaks my laptop, Jonah is going to kill me.”

“Why would he kill you?”

Steven glanced at her and smirked. “Terrans are funny like that.”

Asherah almost gaped. Steven laughed as he got up on his knees. “It’s a euphemism. Didn’t you get that from your English lessons?”

“Terrans are so weird,” Asherah mumbled as she got to her feet with Steven.

“Yeah. But weird is fun,” Steven said. He flinched when the second dragon abruptly jumped and took to the air. “Snap. That thing is big.” He looked at the first and locked eyes with it briefly. It too jumped and became airborne, nearly knocking the two of them over with the gust. Smaller Teles’nere dragons in the branches of the forest took to the air, fleeing the two large Teles’trikes that chased them.

Something clawed Steven’s back, and he yelped as he spun around. Throwing a branch down, Asherah took off running across the meadow, giggling madly. “Uncool!” Steven yelled, then took off after her.

Asherah’s Selfies

Discovery

Steven flinched at the scream. He looked around, annoyed. He knew right away it wasn’t a scream of terror, but of delight. “Asherah? Put that down.”

“No! Look!” Asherah held up Steven’s old cell phone.

“That’s called a selfie.” Steven rolled his eyes and returned to his search. “My parents are not going to find themselves.”

“I’m waiting.” Asherah pouted, pointing to the computer data that hung in the air around them. “It’s still processing.” She looked at the phone and grinned. “Selfie.”

“Yeah. It’s all the rage,” Steven said sarcastically. He rubbed his temples. “Their network is impossible!”

“It’s Sadari. What did you expect?” Sirel said as she floated by, moving pine branches out of the way as she settled down next to Steven. “I have another thread for you to follow.”

Steven sighed and moved the data with his hand so it hung in front of him. He scowled as he leaned back against the tree trunk. “I already searched there.”

“Not…that segment.” Sirel pointed. The Faerie looked sideways at Asherah who was giggling at the cell phone.

“She discovered the selfie.”

“The what?” Sirel cocked her head.

Asherah held up the cell phone. It now displayed a funny picture of her crossing her eyes. “Selfie! I like that word.”

“Over a hundred thousand year old society with…” Steven waved his hands at the computer interface that hung in the air around them. “…and she’s obsessed with my backwards old cell phone?”

“These are neat!” Asherah protested. “And funny.” She held the device out to Steven, and mimicked the face she had made in it.

Steven pursed his lips, trying hard to repress a grin. “It’s like drawings on a cave wall compared to what we have now.” He looked up at the data. “I was going to throw it out.”

“No! I want it. This is fun.” Asherah held the phone to her chest defensively.

“And annoying,” Steven said.

“We need a…selfie. You don’t have any at all.” Asherah poked at the phone, then laughed when it took an accidental selfie, and then another. “Look! It keeps taking images.”

“Move your finger.” Steven glanced at her. “I know what I look like, Asherah. Plus I see myself through your eyes all the time.”

“Not now.” Asherah closed her eyes tightly.

Steven shook his head, “Just don’t…it can still get on the Sadari network. Be careful.”

“Promise.” Asherah grinned and bounced on the branch. She held the phone out and made another face.

Short Scenes

Elvish Sports Fan

“You know you can’t hide from me.”

“I’m not hiding from you.” Asherah squinted at Steven as he clambered onto a neighboring branch.

“It sure seemed like it.” Steven frowned, looking down. The fog obscured the forest floor far below, making them seem to be even higher than they were. He sighed. “You know most Terrans cannot climb this high.”

Asherah just looked at him.

“You’re mad at Ryan.”

“He yelled at me.”

Steven scratched his head. “He didn’t mean it. He yelled at Moringa too.”

Asherah wiped her nose and put her head on her hands as she lay on the branch.

“Come on. He feels terrible.” Steven swung his legs back and forth impatiently. “He wants you to come down so he can tell you.”

“It was a good catch.”

“Yes.” Steven shrugged. “It was a spectacular catch.”

“He kept both toes inside.”

Steven nodded. “Just barely too.”

“He deserved praise.”

Steven shook his head, bemused. “Well, yeah. But…”

“He shouldn’t have yelled at me.” Asherah looked at Steven glumly.

“And he knows it.” Steven picked at the bark. “It’s just that, you were rooting for both teams.”

“I was happy for them.” Asherah lifted her head. “They both played a really good game.”

“It was a good game. But we lost.” Steven scratched his arm. He knew where this was going.

“We were not playing.” Asherah frowned at Steven. “They were.”

“You know…our side lost,” Steven said, exasperated.

“Why do you choose a side? It is a contest of skill, not of sides.” Asherah put her head back down and looked at Steven.

“I just, we, it’s…” Steven stammered. He scowled when he felt something from her through their bond. “You’re baiting me.”

Asherah shrugged, grinning mischievously. “You are too easy.”

“Come down. Let Ryan make this right.”

“I think I shall let him consider his guilt a bit more.” Asherah sat up on the branch. “He should have stopped when he yelled at Moringa.”

“That was like, weeks ago.” Steven held his hands out. “He gets into the game. That’s all.”

Asherah stood up and jumped onto Steven’s branch smoothly. He scooted over a little to give her room, but she just knelt down next to him. “We get into the game too.”

“Um…” Steven fidgeted. She had that mischievous look again. Without a warning, she grabbed his legs and lifted, letting go as Steven fell backward off the branch.

The branches below whipped past his face and Steven had to twist to avoid some of the larger ones until he found a branch he could grab, slowing his rapid descent as he let it pass through his fingers. He grabbed another branch and used its elasticity to swing him onto a thicker branch. Asherah was there waiting for him, leaning against the trunk.

“You naughty Elf.” Steven pointed a finger at her.

“You shouldn’t be defending Ryan.” Asherah looked at him.

“I wasn’t. I was just trying to explain Terran…habits. That’s all.” Steven held his arms out innocently. Asherah crouched and raked his feet out from under him, and he found himself falling again.

Sighing, he grabbed more branches and found another larger one to land on. He could see Asherah matching his pace out of the corner of his eye, and she landed gracefully next to him and wrapped an arm around his waist.

“You were saying?”

Steven tried to glare at her. But she was too cute to be angry at. Plus, she was at least having fun now, rather than pouting.

“I’ll talk to him,” Steven said. Asherah squinted at him. Steven held his hands out again. “Really!”

Short Scenes

Steven’s Fear

“Asherah!” Steven appeared on the riverbank out of thin air and waded through the tall grass, trying to get closer to the water’s edge. “Please. Cover yourself.” He tossed a towel at her.

She caught it deftly and looked at Steven, confused. “Why?”

Steven glanced up and down the river. “People fish these waters.”

“No one is near.” Asherah tossed the towel back at Steven. “Why are you afraid?”

“You got shot out here, for one.” Steven fumbled with the towel, dragging it from the water and shaking it. Sighing, he gave up and the towel vanished. “For another, you’re naked.”

“Who bathes wearing their clothes?” Asherah splashed the water with her feet. “Look, fish!”

Steven glanced at the trout that were swimming past her ankles. “Yes. Fish. Now, let’s go.”

Asherah crossed her arms, resolute.

“You’ll be seen. And…your fur.”

“I haven’t had a good swim in weeks. Swim with me.” She held her hand out.

Steven scowled. “I’m trying to…” He abruptly found himself standing in front of her. He glanced at the bank where his clothes remained. “You know, gating me without warning could cause problems.”

“Like what?” Asherah put her arms around his waist.

“If I gated when you did that, it would be…catastrophic.”

“Then don’t gate when I do that.” Asherah giggled. “Let’s swim.”

“There are three fishermen a quarter mile upstream. Another one downstream.”

“Then whisper.” Asherah played with Steven’s hair. “Steven, they’re just Terrans. They can’t sense us like we can sense them.”

Steven shook his head, reluctantly following Asherah when she pulled him into the deeper part of the river. “There’s a hunter a mile East of us.”

“I’m not going to get shot again, Steven.” Asherah wrapped her arms around Steven’s neck while they tiptoed in the deeper water, just barely resisting the slow current.

“A helicopter is…”

“They’re going away from us.” Asherah poked Steven’s nose.

“What if they turn?”

“Steven, why are you so afraid?”

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” Steven evaded her question.

“You know we can’t stay here.” Wrapping her legs around Steven’s waist, Asherah leaned back and splashed in the water with her arms. “Hiding all the time? You know that, right?”

“I’ve already committed to getting approval to move.” Steven held her knees when she started slipping. “Your precious Cooperative is still hung up on this deviant thing and it’s just getting stupid.”

“Syagria wants you. Endard too. I know you’re nervous about leaving Terra.” Asherah dipped her head underwater briefly then surfaced, shaking her hair. Steven closed his eyes when he was sprayed. Asherah laughed, pulling hair from her eyes.

“Two. Out of what, a thousand systems that think I’m a monster intent on demolishing their worlds?” Steven played with the fur on her legs, dejected. “This deviant thing is really getting old.”

“That deviant thing is why I can gate.” Asherah relaxed her legs and floated away from him. He floated with her, trying to keep up.

“Yeah, well. You’re supposed to be keeping it secret. You know the Sadari and the Order can detect when we gate.” He splashed at her.

She giggled then looked up as she wiped water from her eyes. “Not through that.”

Steven glanced up. The gate at the homestead created a spectacular light-show of radiation as it overwhelmed the Sadari blockade. Asherah seemed transfixed by the view only Gatekeepers could see. “It’s annoying.”

“It hides us when we gate close to the homestead.” Asherah said.

“We think. Terrans may not be able to, but maybe the Sadari can see through it. See us when we gate.”

“Our own gate-detecting technology is scrambled by it.” Asherah splashed back at him.

Steven sighed. “We have to hide here all the time. And we’re not welcome in the Cooperative. We don’t have a home, Asherah.”

Asherah pouted as Steven swam to the shore. “We’ll get our home, Steven. Just stop being so afraid all the time.”

Steven stood up in the shallows. He was about to respond when Asherah yelped and ducked below the water. Bubbles erupted from the stream where she had been and Steven felt her gate back to where their clothes were sequestered. It was then that he saw and sensed the fisherman casually casting a line downstream. His back was to them, but just a glance would have been all it took.

He quietly waded to the shore and clambered through the grass. When he turned to work his way back upstream he bumped into someone. But it was like bumping into a tree, except this was a particularly petite brunette who grabbed him to keep him from falling back.

“Rachel!” Steven whispered loudly. “What are you doing here?”

“Do you really need to ask?” She glanced past Steven at the fisherman who cast another line. “You’re spending a lot of time with that Elf.”

“And you have my parents.” Steven scowled, squirming in her iron-like grasp.

She let go of his arm then appraised him, amused. “Skinny dipping?”

“Who wears clothing to bathe?”

“I heard your remark about not having a home.” Rachel moved closer to Steven.

“No. And I mean not a chance, Aliya.”

Rachel frowned prettily, batting her eyes at him.

Grumbling, Steven walked past her towards Asherah. Rachel followed. “You can keep her if you want.”

“I’m sure you’d like another pet Elf.” Steven looked back at Rachel angrily. “Kinda like my mother?”

“You’d get to see her.” Rachel matched his pace. “Perhaps understand why I have her.”

“Not interested in understanding, Aliya.” Steven stopped and faced Rachel.

Rachel grinned. “I like it when you do that. When you call me by my name.”

“Come meet me face to face.” Steven crossed his arms. “I’m tired of talking to your golems.”

“Steven, I’m not a toaster. Rachel is me as much as any of my golems. My body.” Rachel pouted while tracing a finger on Steven’s chest. “You’re talking to me now. Face to face.”

Throwing his hands in the air, Steven sighed in frustration. “Just release my parents.”

“Just come with me.” Rachel put her arm around Steven’s waist seductively. “I almost lost you when you were ill. I want you with me.”

“You never had me, Aliya.” Steven tried to pull Rachel’s arm away. He might as well have been trying to move a bronze statue. He scowled at her, water starting to steam off his skin. “Let go or I’ll break your golem.”

Rachel giggled. “I like it when you’re assertive.” She relented and took a step back. “I’ll always be here. If you want to see your parents, just ask.” She held her arms up. A metallic tentacle shimmered into view and wrapped around her. In an instant, she was yanked into a hovering golem-ship that was only briefly visible. Steven could still see the shimmer of its cloak as it ascended rapidly.

“She knows about me.”

Steven jumped, startled. Asherah emerged from the tall grass by the bank with his clothes.

“Yes, Asherah.”

“Did she see me gate?”

“You get your ability from me. Our gating signatures are identical.” Steven pulled his shorts on. “As far as she knows, only I can gate through her blockade.”

“Does she know we are…” Asherah left the question hanging.

He returned his attention to the sky. “She doesn’t know we are bonded.” He glanced at her. “If she finds out, she will kill you.”

Asherah nodded, following Steven’s gaze. “That is why you are afraid.”

Short Scenes

Shared Dream

Steven squinted into the bright morning sun as he walked up behind Asherah. “Enjoying the dream rays?”

Asherah glanced at him over her shoulder. He could tell she had been crying.

“Um…” Steven stopped as he got close. “Did I do something?”

“You’re leaving.” She returned her attention to the sunlight streaming in through the forest.

“Well, yeah. I’m sick.”

“Not here.” Asherah sighed and wiped her eyes.

Steven looked down and shrugged. She didn’t see him, but he knew she felt it. Their shared consciousness. “This is just a dream, Asherah.”

“Our dream.”

“Am I supposed to, what? Stay asleep?” Steven held his arms out, exasperated. “I have to get a grip on this…whatever.”

“We could put you in stasis.”

“Lohet already indicated how unwise that would be. What with me being a deviant and all.” Steven retorted sarcastically. “Can’t have me popping my lid and blowing up a planet or something.”

Asherah turned to face him. Steven immediately felt guilty for his attitude and steadfastly examined the ground by his feet. “Remember my nightmare? The people I hurt?”

“You know, now. It’s not like it was.”

Steven shrugged again. “They don’t think it will take a long time. You know. To fix me.”

“If they can.” Asherah took a step closer and caressed his face, lifting his chin up so he looked at her. “What if they cannot? Not soon enough?”

“They will. I’m not going to spend the rest of my life in a dream.” He looked around. It all seemed real enough, but he knew it wasn’t. “Waiting for you to come visit me. Never seeing…” Steven bit his lip. “You’re supposed to be encouraging me. Helping me.”

“I’m terrified.” Asherah held Steven’s hand to her cheek. It was wet and furry. “They’re going to mute our bond. I won’t be able to visit you. Experience us.”

“You’ll be able to see me just fine.” Steven fidgeted. He remembered the few minutes their bond had been muted before, and how uncomfortable it was. “I just won’t have access to you.”

“It’s not that, Steven. I experience you experiencing me. A feedback.” She touched his skin. “I can feel my fingers on your face, from your perspective. I won’t have that. It’s…” She stopped and shuddered.

“It’s nothing like a bond breaking,” Steven said. “Penipe went through that, remember?”

Asherah nodded, unconvinced. “Last time was only for a few minutes. But, this could take days. Weeks even.”

“It’ll be like I’m asleep,” Steven said flippantly, then frowned. They both were asleep now. In each other’s dreams. “Yeah, you won’t be able to visit me.”

Asherah shook her head sadly. “Not through the mute. You’ll be alone.”

“Great job making me feel better.” Steven scowled, looking past Asherah at the edge of the forest. The sun was rising further, revealing more detail. “Our meadow.”

“Our safe place.” Asherah glanced over her shoulder, following Steven’s gaze.

Steven sighed. “You’re worried about the Sadari. You know they always know where I am, and they haven’t tried to hurt me yet.”

“Aliya is obsessed with you. That scares me.” Asherah shivered.

Steven shrugged. “She has my parents. Let her be obsessed with me. Sooner or later…”

“What about Laurence?”

“We spanked him pretty hard last time. Kinda doubt they’ll be a problem for you guys.”

Asherah looked at him knowingly.

“Okay, so…yeah. He’s a problem. I’m more worried about him than Aliya.” Steven scratched his arm as he looked away. Laurence still bothered him. “But what choice do I have?” He looked back at Asherah, but she had vanished. “Asherah?”

Steven sat up and took a breath. He winced as the buzzing in his head returned. He looked down at Asherah who was still deep in her slumber. Closing his eyes, he saw her still standing at the edge of the meadow, meditating in the morning sunshine. Sighing, he lay back down, then looked at the door of the bedroom. “You really need to stop doing that. It’s creepy.”

Lohet stood in the moonlight, his pale skin almost glowing. He gazed at Steven without expression.

“You remind me of a vulture.” Steven grumbled as he looked up at the ceiling.

He sensed Lohet retreat back into the living room. Sirel was out there. He closed his eyes and sensed his adoptive parents in their room. Penipe on her sleeping mat. Moringa and Brandon tangled in each other’s embrace. His most peculiar family. He felt homesick again, and the fear of leaving all of this hit him. He wiped his nose and rolled over. Sleep did not come easily that night.