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Asa crouched in the familiar spot where he had first seen him, awaiting his arrival out of the mouth of the cave across the pond.
He emerged this time in his man form. The iridescent blue flecks on his shell parts, and those glowing red coals for his eyes, made for a quietly shocking effect. It was just as he had first seen him, only this time, he was not afraid.
He stood up slowly from his place, hidden behind the leaves, and waved to the creature. He merely stared at him, motionless. But Asa could sense a change in him, a subtle alertness in his bearing upon seeing him.
Asa lifted the bag he was carrying, to indicate he came bearing offerings, then proceeded to walk around the edges of the pond to get to the other side. The scorpion-man stared at him. The whites in his eyes were visible now, and his irises were a blood-red. This was as human as they could look.
Asa walked over to a spot to the side of the cave, put down his goods, and began gathering kindling for a fire. There were still the remains of the one he had made before, with stones neatly placed around it in a circle.
His friend watched with an air of solitude as Asa moved around freely before him.
When he finally had the meat spitted over the fire, they both sat down on the logs Asa had placed across from each other, with the fire crackling in between.
Though he appeared in human form, his friend could not speak a word in human tongue. So they had resorted to communicating in gestures. Asa had even given him a name, Scytheon, for the stinger at the end of his tail reminded him of a curved scythe. That would do, at least until he learned to tell him his real name.
Asa knew cooked meat was not his favourite… even less so if it was covered in spices. He preferred the raw flesh of small animals or fish. Asa had seen it himself a number of times since he had decided to make contact, standing at the edge of the pond on the days when the water was clear. He even had a strategy. He would sink to the bottom of the pond in scorpion form and remain completely still until a fish swam close to him, then lunge forth, snatching it up fast. Asa tried to describe him as laying at the bottom of the pond “like a giant lobster.” But the humor was lost on Scytheon, who merely blinked at him uncomprehendingly.
He took a bite out of his roasted beef off the end of a stick, and offered a piece to Scytheon, who took the extended stick with caution, careful not to bring any part of his body too close to the fire.
Asa liked to observe his mannerisms, which at times amused him, at times perplexed him. Unlike regular scorpions, which came out to hunt only at nighttime, his race seemed to venture out at daytime or evenings, sometimes to hunt, and other times just to lay in the sun.
Scytheon never smiled. Yet Asa felt comfortable in his company, like they were two friends taking life at a slow pace.
No, he was not afraid anymore. He knew the others may not approve, but he did not see why. If this creature was human enough to break bread with, why could he not be human enough to befriend?
“Soon, I will teach you my language, and perhaps you’ll be able to converse with me,” he said, drinking from his flask, and wiping the grease from his lips on his sleeve.
Scytheon listened intently, even if he did not understand, as he did to most of Asa’s excited ramblings, with the patience of a meditating stork, or a grazing bison.
_
It was only when he got back to the village that Asa felt the fatigue, as it had been a long walk through the jungle.
But as he did not want to face an angry commander, he forced himself to get ready for the evening council meeting with a bath and a change of clothes.
These things were often dull affairs, and he knew he would be daydreaming for a good portion of it, but nonetheless, he had to be present.
And so, before sundown, he found himself seated at a long table, with a mug of warm milk before him, surrounded by his comrades, with their captain at the helm.
He was the youngest one among them. As they did not expect him to speak much, he resolved to mutely listen.
They were discussing the usual subjects: problems with hunting, future plans, complaints by the villagers, and so on.
When they got to the subject of monsters, someone mentioned “morphing beasts.” That caught his attention.
“So what you’re saying is… that we must slay them indiscriminately?” one of the men asked of the captain.
“Only if they pose a danger to men,” said the captain, who was a broad-shouldered man in a military uniform, with an unmovable air about him. “Take, for example, the scorpion people…”
“What of them?”
Another man spoke up, in answer to this question, before the captain could respond.
“They have been known to hunt unattended infants, and lure small children into the woods besides.”
“What proof do you have of this?”
“We have the testimony of dozens of people in this village.”
“Still… we must have evidence before we can act,” the man insisted. “Words are not enough.”
“Ought we to consult with the Elders on this matter?”
“Are you proposing we wait for another victim?”
They all looked to the captain, who merely repeated his earlier opinion.
The council went on for some time. When it finally concluded, Asa found himself standing with his back against a brick wall outside their meeting hall. Many thoughts were spinning through his head.
They don’t have evidence, he thought. Superstitious people can make up anything.
He tried to think about the past few weeks, about the moments he had spent with Scytheon, getting to know him, contemplating how he was going to teach him how to smile. Still, he couldn’t shake the chill that had gone down his spine at the council’s revelation.
It all seemed like an impossibly happy dream, from which he had been awoken too early.
And now, Asa found the sunlit world in his mind had suddenly become obscured by a bewildering shadow.