Journey Evermore - Zeon: Chapter 3

“…This man…” The Shirohebi thought, her eyes remaining lock on Zeon’s smiling face. He blinks for a moment feeling something hit the back of his head. Looking behind him, he sees Annabelle sitting as if about to attack them both with an annoyed fiery expression. “What was that for?” He questions, looking at her face as she turns to her left looking away coldly. He notices her change in expression then turns his attention to the ground seeing a small grey pebble near his feet.

He smiles lightly turning his attention to the Lamia as he gently sets her down on the ground saying, “Well, I’m glad you’re alright.” She smiles affectionately to him; coiling her tail before his feet as she stands before him. “Try not to climb on any more breaking tree limbs. Bye!” He spoke then runs into the trees before him. Annabelle looks towards the white Lamia coldly for a moment then runs after Zeon; keeping his frame in view.

The Shirohebi watches Zeon depart in a loving manner as she places both her hands gently on her chest; listening to the sound of her heart beating quickly. “…He could have ignored my plight…yet…he saved me…that boy…no…” She shook her head slowly at her thoughts then looks into the distance where Zeon ran as a light shade of red forms on her cheeks, her smile turning to a warm affectionate one. “That man…I need to see him again…”

“What were you doing with that girl?!” Annabelle calls to Zeon as she stops in her tracks under a few trees. She looks towards the branches above seeing Zeon perching in one of them; looking through the treetops for any food. He leaps to another tree before him feeling the leaves and smaller branches against his face as he stands gently along the branch. He turns around looking down at the trunk of the tree he stood in before as Annabelle moves to the base of it; keeping her gaze on him.

“She was falling. I didn’t want her to get hurt.” He answers looking at her for a moment until he leaps into another tree; searching once again. Annabelle turns her attention to the sky with an annoyed look on her face as her tail sway about the grass slowly behind her as she mumbles, “But you didn’t have to save her…You should have let her fall…” “What was that?” He asks hanging upside down on a higher branch with his arms cross on his chest, looking at her face.

She looks to her right, lifting her right paw to her lips as she licks along it gently, paying his question no mind. Zeon sighs slightly straightening his legs as he falls from the branch only to quickly flip in the air and land on his feet with ease. He examines the surrounding treetops with a slight look of concern with his arms to his sides. “Most of the trees here are bare and I haven’t seen any towns around here…” He spoke examining the treetops still with Annabelle shifting her gaze back to him, seeing his back turned to her.

A sly smile slowly emerges on her lips as she advances slowly towards Zeon’s position. “Well…I could go and look for something around here, but you’ll have to pay me back.” He turns, facing her fully from her offer as he smiles a wide grateful one replying, “Well, if you can that would be really wonderful. I’d really appreciate it.” She looks at his smile for a moment then turns her gaze quickly to her left, a slight amount of red forming on her cheeks.

“Is someone there?” Zeon looks over his right shoulder slightly, his expression calm as he spoke. Behind him was the Shirohebi, sitting atop a large pile of various fruits with her long white tail coiled at the bottom of the pile. She sets her chin atop her interlocked fingers as she gazes directly at Zeon with a warm and inviting smile. “If you’re hungry sir, I can offer you all the fruit I’ve gathered…” Her tone was sweet and honey like as she keeps her gaze on his frame.

Zeon faces her keeping his focus on the pile before him as the Shirohebi shifts her body forward. Her hands placed gently on the fruit as she pushes out her chest exposing her cleavage from her open kimono. Zeon begins to smile in want taking single step towards the pile as the Shirohebi's smile widens at his advance. It vanishes quickly as Annabelle moves quickly before Zeon; hissing at them both, looking at his face with an icy stare.

“I told you I would find us something to eat! You don’t need this woman’s food!” She exclaims enraged as she storms past his left with a look to match her tone. “Move it human!” She yells while storming away without looking back at him. Zeon follows her movements with his eyes and blinks confused, but follows suit quickly with a look of concern. “My name is Zeon! Not human!” The Shirohebi pouts a little watching him follow and shout at Annabelle, but it was quickly replaced with a loving warm smile. She sighs blissfully, watching him vanish into the trees before her whispering enchanted, “So…his name is Zeon…Elegant…just like him…”

“Why did you get so angry? She would have offered you some of the fruit too if you asked.” He spoke in concern, following behind her with ease as Annabelle continues to storm about the grass and trees. “I didn’t trust her. That fruit could have tasted bad, been rotten, or worse been poisoned! I told you I’ll get us something to eat! So you just sit here and wait!” She exclaims loudly keeping her gaze in front of her as she searches about the area.

Zeon stops his advance, watching her move further away from him as he sighs. He rubs his stomach lightly with his right hand as he falls back onto the grass. Spreading his arms and legs open, he gazes at the blue sky; watching clouds float before him. His normal smile returns as he takes a deep breath. “Zipangu is really nice. It’s just like the main land.” He thought excited still gazing at the sky above until his eyes widen slightly, seeing the Shirohebi from before standing over him. She gazes at his face with a warm look and smile to match with some of her long hair dangling over his gaze.

“Oh, it’s you again. Hello.” He smiles warmly to her, sitting up before her as he looks over his left shoulder at her. She begins to blush again lightly as her gaze never moves from Zeon’s movements. Reaching into her open kimono with her left hand, she pulls out a bright red apple like fruit and offers it to him with a warmer smile. “Here. I never got the chance to give you any of the fruit before you followed that cat woman.” Zeon gets to his feet and smiles gratefully facing her; reaching for the fruit in her hand with his right.

As his fingers come close to touching the skin, Annabelle pounces between them from Zeon’s right; looking at the Shirohebi with cold eyes and the hairs on her paws standing on end and her tail doing the same. “Annabelle! What’s the matter?” Zeon looks at her in concern as she turns to face him, calming down some, but keeps her gaze averted to the ground to her left. “I don’t want you near this woman! She might be like those people from the ship!”

The Shirohebi watches Annabelle in shock, but composes herself quickly. The Shirohebi takes a light breath and stands up straight before the two; lowering her left arm. “I promise I will not cause any ill to either of you.” She lifts her right hand towards Zeon, blushing a little more than earlier with a sweet smile on her face; gazing at Zeon alone while he looks back at her in wait. “I know of your name sir, so it’s only fair you know mine. I am known as Meili.”

Her smile grows a little as Zeon smiles a little and nods extending his hand to hers, but Annabelle smacks Meili’s hand away with her tail in a fast sharp manner causing Meili to pull her hand towards her chest; rubbing it gently from the blow with a slight look of annoyance on her face. “What was that for?” She questions looking at Annabelle while rubbing the back of her hand as it begins to show red.

Zeon looks towards Annabelle confused while she gazes at Meili as if she were burning a hole through the Lamia's entire being. “Stay away from him!” She demands, moving behind him. She pushes her left shoulder against his legs, forcing him forward as Zeon looks back at her with an even more confused look; advancing regardless. “Hey… Hey! Annabelle! This is no way to be nice to someone you just met!”

Once Annabelle felt they were far away enough from Meili, she stops pushing against Zeon’s legs and approaches a nearby tree. He turns to her still confused asking, “Will you tell me what that was all about?” She sits at the base of the tree, and then lays out along the grass with her gaze averted to her left as if she hadn’t done a thing. He sighs heavily in disbelief watching her actions as he heard his stomach growling a bit. He turns to his right and resumes his search for food among the trees; sighing once more.

Annabelle turns her attention back to him, gazing at him in a longing manner as she thought, “I won’t let her take you…Zeon…” She sits up and begins to follow him slowly, but her ears perk up quickly as she picks up speed after him. She leaps towards him the moment she was close and pushes against his lower back, pushing him out of the way of Meili as she falls from the tree branches above; landing in the spot Zeon last stood in.

Zeon falls onto the ground from Annabelle’s push; surprised from it as his eyes widen. He falls to the ground a little roughly a little bit from where he stood as he grunts, feeling Annabelle sitting on his back defensively with her hair standing on end before the Shirohebi “There you are! I was wondering where you went Zeon.” She spoke warmly towards him as Annabelle keeps her cold gaze on her. “Oh, hello Meili…” He replies sheepishly and blinks confused, feeling Annabelle pushing her paws against his back.

“You should get off of him. You might hurt him that way.” Meili spoke calmly, looking at Annabelle as she leaps from Zeon’s back towards the taller monster. She looks up at Meili coldly exclaiming loudly, “I can do what I want, anytime! I don’t need someone like you telling me what to do!” Meili crosses her arms looking down at Annabelle with her tail resting in a loose circle around her body. Her gaze shifts from Annabelle to the laying Zeon then back to the Werecat before her.

“Then tell me: are you his lover?” She inquires, causing Annabelle’s eyes to widen as she blushes darker then she ever had before. Meili keeps her strong gaze on Annabelle in wait of an answer as Zeon gets to his feet and pats himself off. He turns towards them both looking at them for a moment taking in the scene before him. Annabelle sways her tail back and forth along the grass, unable to look Meili in the eye; keeping her gaze centered on the ground between them.

“She followed me from the main continent. I didn’t meet her until I was leaving from one of the villages.” He answers, breaking the silence as Annabelle faces him wide eyed shouting, “ZEON!” Meili’s smile quickly returns but it was wider than before as she observes the two closely. “So, the two of them aren’t lovers… Now I see…” She thought happily delighted. Annabelle seems hurt by Zeon’s words as she looks towards him in a pained manner.

Meili however turns her attention to Zeon’s frame; blushing a great deal of red, placing her hands over her heart. “It must be fate…For a man such as him to meet someone like me… The two of us will live happily together here…” Meili spoke warmly with a dreamy like look in her eyes until she notices Annabelle standing on her feet before her face proclaiming in an angry tone, “As if Zeon would waste his time loving someone like you!”

Annabelle was having trouble standing on her feet as Meili notices it clearly. Slithering the end of her tail to Annabelle’s left foot, she sweeps under the Werecat's feet, causing her to fall onto her ass with a sharp grunt of pain and surprise. She growls ticked at the Shirohebi as she in return smiles proudly at her actions. “Zeon is a man and he can love whomever he wants. Right, Zeon?” She smiles in his directions, but as they both look, he was nowhere in sight.

“Zeon?! Oh no, where did he go?! Sometimes Oomukades roam through here! He isn’t safe!” Meili exclaims in great concern as she slithers about the tree behind her searching for him. Annabelle gets onto her paws and goes in the opposite direction Meili went in; searching as quickly as she could. She stops for a moment among a few different trees, shuts her eyes, and breathes in the scents carried by the wind in each direction.

Opening her eyes, Annabelle runs in the direction where she remembers Meili offering the fruit from before. The moment the pile came into view, she saw Zeon sitting before it with his legs crossed, eating from a peach shaped fruit in his left hand happily while holding a half-eaten pear shaped one in his right. He happily moves the pear shaped fruit to his lips, taking a bite out of it while keeping the peach shape one close to his lips.

Annabelle smiles in relief watching him finish the fruits in his hands as he reaches for more from the pile. Slowly, she advances towards him with her normal expression on her face. “You idiot! How dare you leave me alone with that woman?!” She berates him as he looks to his left at her advance; swallowing the contents in his mouth. “And why are you eating this stuff?! Didn’t I tell you that I would find us something to eat?!” Zeon blinks at her calmly once he was finished, and then reaches into the pile with his empty right hand.

He pulls out smaller peach shaped fruit and offers it to her with a happy smile. “You should eat something. I bet you’re hungry too.” She looks at his face in disbelief then to the fruit as she looks at him in defeat. She takes the fruit in her mouth and approaches his right; lying beside him. Narrowing her gaze, she drops the fruit into her paws and bites the top off while chewing with a slight amount of anger. Zeon watches her still smiling as he reaches for another piece to dine one.

After eating some of the pile, Annabelle rests contently on the grass with her head on her paws. Her tail sways about in the air as she savors the warm sun on her body, causing her to purr satisfied. “Mmmmm…That was so good…” Zeon laughs a little at her words watching her for a moment as he gets onto his feet. “And there was nothing wrong with any of it. I’m just sorry that I ate so much of it.” He spoke a little guilty looking back at the lone four pieces of fruit on the grass.

“I’ll just have to go and find her some more later.” “Or you don’t have to at all. She did offer it to us.” She replies with a cross tone as Zeon laughs a little again walking from her side. He stretches his arms above his head happily with each step he took, moving further from Annabelle. He comes to a halt feeling the sun beaming down on his body as he lowers his right arm over his head and stretches it out further then repeats the process with his left.

Annabelle watches him for a moment while in the distance far behind them, Meili gazes at him enchanted, her tail wrapped gently along the base of the tree she hid behind. “Oh Zeon… You accepted my offerings and you’re even willing to give back what I offered… You are the perfect man for me.” She thought in a deeper loving enchanted manner. She lets out a loving sigh as she turns around, placing her back against the tree, slowly shutting her eyes as she sinks into the amount of tail she had under her. “I can just imagine it… The two of us together in these very fields, seeing the world and what it has to offer on your journey…and then…and then…” She thought overjoyed, giggling in a love struck girlish manner; holding her cheeks quickly as a dark shade of red appears on her cheeks.

Zeon walks a bit further from Annabelle taking in all that he could see until he stops, seeing a large clear lake to his right. “Wow! The water here is so pure. Just like home. I think I’ll take a swim.” He spoke to himself happily slowly moving a little closer to the water’s edge. He removes the top of his gi as Annabelle slowly approaches from behind, but stops in her advance, watching him undress with a wanting smile.

Her eyes remain locked on his well toned frame as he lowers down his pants and slips out of his shoes. Her eyes roam from the back of his head to the bottom of his feet as she resumes her advance, her smile slowly growing with each step she takes. Zeon looks to his left seeing her and smiles asking, “Want to swim with me?” She stops in her tracks and sits along the grass a good distance from him averting her gaze to her right. “I hate the water!” She proclaims loudly with hatred in her tone.

He shrugs his shoulders, standing in a pair of white shorts as he looks back at her. He turns his attention to the water and smiles excitedly. Leaping from where he stood, he dives into the water with a great deal of laughter, making a large splash the moment he falls into the water. Annabelle moves quickly from her spot a bit away from where she sat with her eyes widening in fear. She calms down quickly as she sees him surfacing.

He floats along the water’s surface with a joyous smile as he lays on his back letting the water carry him. He gazes at the sky feeling the slightly warm water along his skin as he continues to float. “This feels great! You should really come in!” He calls to her looking to his left making sure none of the water got into his eyes. Annabelle averts her gaze to her right as he laughs a little from her actions as he stands up in the water, only to make a large splash, going under the water suddenly.

When he surfaces this time, he laughs sheepishly as he looks at Meili’s face. She smiles sweetly looking directly at his face with some of her wet hair in her face as she holds him in her arms, pressing her bare breasts against his chest. Annabelle takes notice and growls enraged as she quickly moves to the water’s edge. “Zeon, I didn’t think that you would come into the lake I bathe in. This must be fate.” Meili spoke demurely, gazing deeper into his eyes. “Come, I can show you something fun in the water’s depths.”

Her sweet smile turns into a loving one until her eyes widen in shock witnessing Zeon lifting his right hand up swiftly from her embrace, catching a large stone in his hand; crushing it with ease in his palm without turning his head from her sight. His expression was a blank one as both monsters watch his actions in shock as he shifts his gaze to where Annabelle opening his hand as the dust fell into the water near Meili and himself.

“You shouldn’t throw things Annabelle. You might have hit one of us.” He calls to her as she shouts in response, “That was the point! Get off of him!” Meili leans closer to Zeon’s frame, moving her arms from his chest to his neck; clinging to his neck with a wider smile as her tail begins to coil around his legs. “Why should I? Can’t you see that we’re both enjoying ourselves as adults?” She spoke proudly keeping her gaze on Annabelle as the Werecat growls louder.

Meili attempts to place her head on his chest until she feels him fall into the water from her grasp. Her eyes widen as she looks about the water below until she sees Zeon propelling himself into the air from the water’s depth. He flips backwards in the air as both Annabelle and Meili watch in awe of how high he leaps. He lands by his gi in a truly masterful form saying, “Sorry, but I have to find a village soon. I don’t want to sleep out in the open, since I don’t know too much about this land. But…” He looks towards Meili as she shifts herself to face him while keeping her breasts covered with her arms. He looks to his right with some red forming on his cheeks, smiles and says, “It was nice seeing you again!”

He leans down quickly and takes his gi in his arms, running to his left just as quickly. Annabelle smiles smugly as her tail sways along the grass under her as she watches Zeon run off from them both. “Well, it seems that you scared him off. I’m not surprised by that, that he would run. You’re not his type.” She turns her attention to Meili, but saw the Shirohebi smiling triumphantly. “I wouldn’t say that. Didn’t you see that blush on his face? He enjoyed the warmth of my body against his own. The look on his face was enough for me and soon, he’ll come to want me more and more.”

Annabelle gazes at her coldly speaking as icily as her gaze, “What did you do to him?” Meili swims to the grass and lifts herself from the water, the droplets falling from her frame rapidly. She sits along her backside gently, holding her breasts in her arms; shielding her hard light pink nipples as she looks back at Annabelle with the same triumphant smile. “Only what I know he wants…Love…” She slithers towards her kimono as it hangs neatly in tree far from Annabelle as the Werecat runs in the direction Zeon went in.

Zeon was fully dressed as he walks about the grass, surveying the area despite his slightly damp hair. “ZEON! Where are you?!” Annabelle calls out following his scent as he turns around to face her from the sounds of her calling. She pounces on him the moment she was close as he leaps into the air to avoid her. Annabelle lands in the spot he once stood in as he leaps over her and stands behind her looking towards her a little confused while she looks towards him in pleading manner.

“Don’t tell me that…that woman got you hot!” Zeon blinks at her words then laughs a little loudly, placing his hands along his stomach. “That’s funny Annabelle!” She growls a little as Zeon straightens himself, wiping a forming tear from his right eye. “I’m not used to bathing with women of any kind. It was kinda shocking when Meili pulled me under and held me. So I ran…” He rubs the back of his head with his left hand with a slight look of embarrassment and his eyes shut as Annabelle smiles a relieved smile, looking at his face.

“I’m glad that’s all that it is…” She thought gazing at his face with more affection in her eyes. “Also, I think I heard people coming from that direction.” He points southwest as she nods to his action. “Let’s go!” He shouts running in the direction he pointed out with Annabelle following behind him with a wider smile on her face. Meili watches their transaction from behind one of the many trees keeping well hidden fully clothed. She smiles slightly following behind them both.

After a little bit of running, Zeon and Annabelle stand in an open field seeing a large oriental village in the distance. “Finally! A town!” Zeon shouts excited. “Of course.” Meili said slithering up to Zeon’s left while Annabelle sits by his right. She looks behind Zeon’s back at the Shirohebi with cold eyes asking, “And why are you here?” Meili smiles in a cold manner looking back at the Werecat replying, “I’m here for Zeon. You should know that by now.” The two monsters look at each other coldly neither backing down from their icy gaze, so they didn’t notice Zeon running towards the village leaving a large trail of dust in his steps.

Both cough heavily from the amount of dust he made and as it dies down, turn their attentions towards where he dashed off to. “Zeon! Wait!” Meili calls to him as Annabelle runs after him as he makes his way into the waiting village.