Beautiful Creatures.

Chapter 6

(The Eye.)

Now I can say it is time to begin at the beginning.

Who am I?

I am the narrator, the one in whom all secrets are kept.

You can call me... The Eye.

The earth was new, unsoiled like money that had just left the press. The trees had dropped their fruits to the ground and Raytard had gone out to collect the harvest. One by one he picked up the juicy fruits and giving into temptation he sunk his teeth into one. The sweet, pulp was yellow and the juice ran down his fingers, he licked away all traces of it. He was staring at the hills over a herd of dinosaurs. They were big animals, with huge muscles, some even weighing more than two elephants put together. They were as gentle as a bird that pecked seeds from the palm of your hands, it was a time when all animals were submissive. Raytard along with all the first intelligent life forms created had the built-in genetics to subdue everything created beneath them.

As usual, Raytard was thinking of Siri, the one he loved. He threw the seed into the bushes, listen to it roll around for a while, then rested where it will find root and bring forth another tree in time. He wiped at his hands in his pants and mopped sweat from his forehead. Sirri consumed him. His love for her was a dangerous thing, this soulmate connection that made him make love to Sirri while he was mating with his wife. Raytard had never cheated on Jatray, but in his mind, he was a wanton harlot with Sirri.

Out in the distance, like something from a dream, he saw his temptation riding towards him on a brown stallion. He could see she kept perfect form, her back straight and her bald head tattooed down to the tip of her spine, she brought the horse to a stop at his feet.

Siri was a wild, gorgeous thing, legs straddled across both sides of the goatskin saddle. Her eyes caught the sunlight and radiated it in a wide smile.

"Raytard,"

Sirri said breathlessly,

"Salvador's baby has come."

At this good news, Raytard too got excited. Raytard, Sirri and Salvador, her twin, had been friends since they were children.

"Come on, jump up. I will take you there!"

Raytard forgot the basket of fruits and jumped up behind Sirri into the saddle, the horse kicked up dust as it tore across the land.

Salvador had married the love of his life and Raytard wished he too had had that privilege. However it was against the law for species to mix mate, one could only marry their own kind and Raytard was a vampire, whereas Siri was a mermaid.

Why was he so nervous around Sirri, Raytard thought, as the horse ripped across the open field. They ran around naked as children together.

He told himself inwardly. He held the reins in his hands as Sirri had leaned back into his chest, holding the long brown hair of the animal. It was an innocent, customary gesture because a female should not lead a ride unless she was riding alone and when Raytard mounted, Sirri had passed the reins to him. He felt the curve of her bottom into his gion, the sweat of her skin tickled his senses.

The land before them was breathtaking, towers of trees and roses with their thorn bushes lined the sides of the path. A fox chased a hedgehog across his path, they went crashing into a huge ant hill. The sky was blue and the clouds became grey as they travelled over a groaning, grumbling, disgruntled volcanic mountain, that cursed smoke from its ashy lips. The horse jumped over boulders of rocks rising from the ground and trampled the grass beneath its powerful hooves. Raytard felt the muscles tense, flex, then relaxed beneath them as the horse approached the river and settled into a trot.

The horse brayed and shook its head, relieved when Raytard slid down and aided Sirri by gripping her waist so that she too could descend. As she did this, Raytard thought he saw something, a softening in those clear blue eyes, a blush creeping up into cheeks the tone of toasted bread.

"Finally arrives the slowest riders on earth."

A chuckle followed that statement. Raytard's eyes were pulled from Sirri's face to the water. The river was very wide and deep, with a cool deception of calm flowing water at the surface and a strong undercurrent of turbulence below. Salvador sat to one side on a stone, his long golden tail splashing impatiently at the liquid surface and his long, golden, curls, swinging at his waistline. Raytard could not contain himself and he flew over the water to hoover over Raytard and the bundle of joy, wrapped in seaweeds, tucked securely in his hands.

"Let me see my God..."

"Daughter."

Added Salvador, removing the weeds from the baby's face.

"Yes let me see my Goddaughter."

Raytard saw the sweetest face he had ever seen. The baby was beautiful. Salvador lifted the bundle up to Raytard and he took the chubby, cuteness into his arms. Immediately a cry of protest went up around them.

Sirri laughed, dived into the water, and then swam over to them, causing big ripples to break the surface.

"The baby is afraid of the big, bad vampire."

She teased. Siri's head emerged and the first thing Raytard saw was the thick mass of golden curls, then Sirri's face. She splashed her golden tail all the way over to sit beside her brother on the rock. Mermaids transformed whenever they were touched by water, that is except rainwater from the sky.

Raytard was always struck by their resemblance. The twins looked at him with the same face, same smile, same blue eyes, same long golden tail and hair. Everything was identical, except that Sirri had breasts behind her bra. Raytard wanted to run his hands through Sirri's hair the way the sunlight was doing.

The baby balled her fist and screamed, her head had not yet been tattooed, that would be done after she had reached puberty and since she was not in the water, she had feet kicking where a tail would have been.

"Oh, my precious Goddaughter."

Raytard lifted the baby and rubbed his cheeks against the soft tummy. As soon as he did that, the baby went quiet and then a fleet of giggles followed, where there were once tears. The three friends burst into laughter.

That night Raytard went back to the cave where he and his wife dwelled. Most Creatures lived in caves, alone or in groups of families of their own kind. Except for those who lived in other realms and the Merpeople like Sirri and Salvador, who took the baby back to her Mother. Merpeople lived in a city far below the ocean surface.

As he approached he heard Jatray singing, she went off-key, laughed and started the song all over again. He smelled the tingling flavour of spicy soup and the soft interior of baked bread. Vampires had always had their powers but not this raving thirst for blood. In fact, it was the first taste of the liquid plasma that prompted them to kill and to keep on killing. Addicted to the velvet red substance, as a cocaine user was addicted to cocaine.

Jatray was a dutiful wife, gentle and easy on the eyes. She was lovely, to be honest. It was always a comfort for Raytard to come home.

That night he made love to Jatray in a way that he had never made love to her before. He went in, handcuffed her hands with his to the dirt wall, ignored her protest, lifted her skirt over her bottom and plunged into her over and over until she was screaming and moaning his name. He imagined Sirri's tight bottom against his groin, he imagined her straddling him the way she had straddled the horse.

Raytard loved Jatray dearly. It was just that Jatray was not the love of his life.

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There are circumstance that pushes you to make a decision you would not have normally made and it was this circumstance that brought something entirely new into the world.

Raytard was one of the last to arrive at the Festival of the Immortals, an event that took place on the twelfth full moon before the year started to be counted over again. Raytard was just not a party man, he preferred to be by himself or in a small group. He had followed the path that was lit by torches that were tied to the trees, leading the way to the gathering. Torches were lit from every direction and the land seemed to be ablaze and perhaps it was, blazing with the sounds of merriment, Thanksgiving and unity. The moon joined the celebration escorted by a galaxy of stars. As Raytard drew closer he heard laughter and conversation dripping unto the plucking strings of a harp, bouncing off the goatskin of drums, circling the windpipes of the flutes. Flowers of every colour swang from post to post, a special touch of decoration by the Wood Nymphs, caretakers of nature.

There was much to eat and drink, vine pressed from grapes were in the clay pots, fruit juices squeezed from the ripe fruits Raytard and others had harvested, meats smoking over several fires. He saw Sirri first, her hands entwined in the hand of a wizard, dancing to the rhythm. He saw his wife, Jatray too, lead into the group of dancers by an admiring werewolf. He watched the women, greatly entertained by their swinging hips, the two women who occupied his heart. They were both laughing, their faces flushed and he felt like the luckiest man on earth. He came closer almost bumping into Sirri.

"Excuse me."

Raytard said. Sirri smiled at him and it was then her hands lifted and he saw it.

Raytard's heart fell as he continued to push through the crowd. He had not seen Sirri in six full moons, not since Salvador had come to show Raytard his baby. It was obvious a lot had changed then. Sirri had a golden band around her finger.

Sirri, his Sirri, had married herself off to an eternal mate.

He left the party early. What was he really upset about? The playing field was levelled. He was married, Salvador was married, and it was only natural that Sirri would have wanted someone of her own too. Raytard felt no more need for celebration. He was angry and hurt because, in some selfish way, he thought Sirri would always be around just for him. He went deeper and deeper into the forest until the music was only a whisper on the wind. The trees were close together and the leaves were like a tarpaulin stretched over his head, with a few holes in it that allowed him to see the starry sky only at intervals. The smaller plants were perspiring. Around him, the animals made signalling sounds to the others to notify them that an intruder was prowling through their territory and they hurried to get out of his way and sight. Alone Raytard sat on a huge, mossy rock, he cursed outwardly, sitting in his misery because misery needed no company.

He heard her coming before he saw her, the cracking of twigs, the parting of branches, the smell of salt water that was distinct to creatures of the water. Ever since they were a child Sirri had the ability to find him anywhere, even if he was hiding in the pit of hell. He could never outsmart her at a game of hide and go seek.

"Go back to the party Sirri."

Raytard told her, he sensed her standing right behind him.

Sirri flinched at the coarseness in his tone.

"The party is not a party without you my friend."

Friend? Raytard thought and for the first time, he despised that word coming from her lips.

"I am not your friend Sirri!"

He thundered at her. He stood to face her and she saw pain and disappointment itched in his dark good looks.

"I had not been your friend ever since you started to wear a sheepskin bra over your breast and brushed your hair in the water for hours!"

Sirri was taken aback but Raytard was not finished, he might as well spill his guts out to her now.

"Now you go off and get married with not even a word to me, can you imagine the shock of seeing that ring around your finger?"

Sirri understood his pain, it mirrored her own. Yet Raytard was being unfair. It was guilt that had made Sirri not tell Raytard about her wedding below the water. She had married one of her kind as the law only permitted, being a traitor to her own heart.

"I had not been your friend either ever since your voice deepened, but what am I supposed to do about that Raytard? The law does not permit mixed mating of the species."

Sirri said softly, touching his bare chest.

Raytard started to think reasonably. Everyone deserved a mate to be happy with, he just didn't want Sirri to be happy without him.

"Does he make you happy Sirri?"

She thought about it.

"He is a nice, kind Merman."

She looked flustered, she smelled wonderful. He didn't know what it was that prompted him, maybe it was the realization that he would never have her like this, alone to himself again.

"Yes, but does he make you happy?"

Raytard removed her hand from his chest and kissed her fingers one by one. Sirri looked into his eyes and saw the open love that was once hidden. Her heart melted and she wanted him as she always had. They both wanted each other and at that moment they took a chance.

Raytard took her into his arms and Sirri did not resist.

"For tonight Sirri let us forget the laws. Tonight it is just you and I. Yes?"

He bent his head and kissed her, she was even more delicious than he had imagined.

"Yes."

Sirri replied weakly and surrendered.

**************************

As the Eye, I will take you forward to centuries later. War broke out on the land.

The laws would be changed, and Creatures could mix marry and mate with whomever their hearts chose. A Council was set up to oversee all the affairs of the Immortals, called the  'The Immortal Council.'

Immortals had gone from superior beings to hunted prey. Eventually, they decided to live in secret amongst humans, becoming legends and myths. The characters that Fairytales, nightmares and movies were made of.

Yes, travel with me in the time machine of my mind to where the caves were vacated and houses were built. Cities emerged and a new race or specie thrived.

From the bonding of soulmates, Raytard and Sirri gave birth to a peculiar child. One that could not fly nor breathe underwater. A child with no superior power, only a superior mind to transform the world.

The immortals called this child, Human. Thus began the reign of the Human race.