Azulon's Deal (A crowley curse story)
Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2014 2:38:44 pmAzulon squiggled impatiently back and forth in front of the hollowed log he and Venom called home. He tried to calm himself by re-arranging the leaf walkway for the seventh time, or checking the mailbox he’d made out of an acorn shell for the ninth.
“Is the bedding soft enough? Will our eggs be warm? What about food? Do we have enough?” The gem hunter kept asking himself all manner of questions. Preparing for new babies was certainly far more stressful than he’d imagined. Still he couldn’t help but smile. Venom was going to be fantastic mother. He wasn’t so sure about himself as a father but with her by his side he was certain nothing could go wrong.
“Azulon?” a soft voice called from inside the log. There was a bit of a strain to it. He felt his stomach knot up almost immediately. He stopped his pacing.
“Venom?!” he asked, worried. He squiggled his way desperately up the leaf walkway, across the shiny stones, and into the log as fast as his tiny blue body would take him. He found her huddled in their nest. She was just a huddled mass of green sobbing fluff.
Alarmed, he gave her a gentle nudge with his nose. “Venom?” he asked, this time far more cautious.
“No,” was all she said. He knew what it meant. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard it. His heart sank. He wrapped himself around her and held her tight. They’d been trying for children for a while now. Nothing seemed to work or help. He’d heard all kinds of crazy remedies- crushed berries, herbs, flowers- and he’d tried them all. He waited for her sniffles to quiet down and lifted her chin with his tail gently.
“Shhh… it’ll be okay Venom. We’ll try again,” he assured her. He winced as her doubtful eyes pierced right through him. He nuzzled her cheek. “Please stop looking like that.”
She shook her head vigorously. “I love you, I really do, but this just isn’t working. We’ve been trying for so long and-”
He floofed his fur up. “W-we could always adopt? I’m sure there are plenty of wyrms that could use a home?”
True to her name, Venom spat back her words. “And why should I believe you?” She squiggled free of him. “Four years Azulon. Four. What have we to show for it?” There was an unusual gleam of black in her eyes.
The male wyrm drooped his head. “We have each other… Was that not enough for you?”
She shoved him toward the door. “Come back when you have a better excuse.”
The blue gem hunter had an uneasy feeling as he left the log. Down the shiny stones he squiggled, along the leaf path, past their little tooth pick fence, and even beyond the mailbox. He just kept going. In fact when he finally stopped he realized his head had been so full of muddled emotions he didn’t even know where he was anymore. No more forest?
He looked all around himself. Dirt paths each way and he was in the very center. A crossroads… what was that old legend about this place? He’d heard some humans talk about it once. He paced for a little while in circles. As he did a strange, desperate longing crept over him. It was as if a shadow had reached into his chest and grabbed his heart in a fist. He could feel it squeezing with each beat.
Then he noticed it. It didn’t look like much, just a little lump in the sand. He brushed it free with his feathery tail and nudged the top of the metal tin open. Inside there was kind of dirt, a bone, and a wrinkled photo of a human boy. He pulled the photo free and tossed it aside. He reached back and plucked a feather from his tail, dropping it in the box before slamming the lid shut. He buried it hastily.
Just as soon as he covered it, clouds passed over the sun. The air became dank and claustrophobic. Azulon felt his breath catch in his throat. A black furred wyrm appeared. His leathery wings folded around him as he towered over the little teacup wyrm. A cruel smile curled over his lips. “You called?” he practically purred.
Azulon exhaled sharply. “Yes! I mean…” He realized his enthusiasm was a bit too obvious. He cleared his throat and stiffened himself as he looked into Crowley’s ice blue eyes. “I mean yes. Yes I did call you.”
“Ah!” Crowley exclaimed gleefully. The smile widened into a toothy grin. Azulon swallowed hard. The little wyrm was losing his nerve. Crowley seemed to revel in it. The demon drew him close, cutting off his escape by wrapping him in his coiled body.
“So little man, tell me your desire. Power? Trinkets? Perhaps even the heart of your lady?” He purred.
“A child,” Azulon stammered out. Crowley raised a red eyebrow. The gems on his forehead glittered.
“A child! I should have known,” the demon laughed. “That’s always what it is when they don’t want to impress anyone.” He leaned down and placed his face close. “Now tell me...what sort?”
“The kind Venom and I deserve. A lovely daughter,” Azulon blurted. He instantly regretted his wording. He’d heard if you didn’t ask just right a demon would twist your words. He winced and resisted the urge to spit a curse.
“Deserve?” Crowley laughed, loud and low. “What a delicious word!” He tugged a feather free of Azulon’s tail, leaving the little not-so-plumed gem hunter with just two left. “Very well.” He waved a wing over the feather. “Put this in your nest. Next time you and your mate try you will have your daughter.”
“That’s it?” Azulon asked.
“That’s it.” Crowley’s voice rang. He was gone.
“Is the bedding soft enough? Will our eggs be warm? What about food? Do we have enough?” The gem hunter kept asking himself all manner of questions. Preparing for new babies was certainly far more stressful than he’d imagined. Still he couldn’t help but smile. Venom was going to be fantastic mother. He wasn’t so sure about himself as a father but with her by his side he was certain nothing could go wrong.
“Azulon?” a soft voice called from inside the log. There was a bit of a strain to it. He felt his stomach knot up almost immediately. He stopped his pacing.
“Venom?!” he asked, worried. He squiggled his way desperately up the leaf walkway, across the shiny stones, and into the log as fast as his tiny blue body would take him. He found her huddled in their nest. She was just a huddled mass of green sobbing fluff.
Alarmed, he gave her a gentle nudge with his nose. “Venom?” he asked, this time far more cautious.
“No,” was all she said. He knew what it meant. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard it. His heart sank. He wrapped himself around her and held her tight. They’d been trying for children for a while now. Nothing seemed to work or help. He’d heard all kinds of crazy remedies- crushed berries, herbs, flowers- and he’d tried them all. He waited for her sniffles to quiet down and lifted her chin with his tail gently.
“Shhh… it’ll be okay Venom. We’ll try again,” he assured her. He winced as her doubtful eyes pierced right through him. He nuzzled her cheek. “Please stop looking like that.”
She shook her head vigorously. “I love you, I really do, but this just isn’t working. We’ve been trying for so long and-”
He floofed his fur up. “W-we could always adopt? I’m sure there are plenty of wyrms that could use a home?”
True to her name, Venom spat back her words. “And why should I believe you?” She squiggled free of him. “Four years Azulon. Four. What have we to show for it?” There was an unusual gleam of black in her eyes.
The male wyrm drooped his head. “We have each other… Was that not enough for you?”
She shoved him toward the door. “Come back when you have a better excuse.”
The blue gem hunter had an uneasy feeling as he left the log. Down the shiny stones he squiggled, along the leaf path, past their little tooth pick fence, and even beyond the mailbox. He just kept going. In fact when he finally stopped he realized his head had been so full of muddled emotions he didn’t even know where he was anymore. No more forest?
He looked all around himself. Dirt paths each way and he was in the very center. A crossroads… what was that old legend about this place? He’d heard some humans talk about it once. He paced for a little while in circles. As he did a strange, desperate longing crept over him. It was as if a shadow had reached into his chest and grabbed his heart in a fist. He could feel it squeezing with each beat.
Then he noticed it. It didn’t look like much, just a little lump in the sand. He brushed it free with his feathery tail and nudged the top of the metal tin open. Inside there was kind of dirt, a bone, and a wrinkled photo of a human boy. He pulled the photo free and tossed it aside. He reached back and plucked a feather from his tail, dropping it in the box before slamming the lid shut. He buried it hastily.
Just as soon as he covered it, clouds passed over the sun. The air became dank and claustrophobic. Azulon felt his breath catch in his throat. A black furred wyrm appeared. His leathery wings folded around him as he towered over the little teacup wyrm. A cruel smile curled over his lips. “You called?” he practically purred.
Azulon exhaled sharply. “Yes! I mean…” He realized his enthusiasm was a bit too obvious. He cleared his throat and stiffened himself as he looked into Crowley’s ice blue eyes. “I mean yes. Yes I did call you.”
“Ah!” Crowley exclaimed gleefully. The smile widened into a toothy grin. Azulon swallowed hard. The little wyrm was losing his nerve. Crowley seemed to revel in it. The demon drew him close, cutting off his escape by wrapping him in his coiled body.
“So little man, tell me your desire. Power? Trinkets? Perhaps even the heart of your lady?” He purred.
“A child,” Azulon stammered out. Crowley raised a red eyebrow. The gems on his forehead glittered.
“A child! I should have known,” the demon laughed. “That’s always what it is when they don’t want to impress anyone.” He leaned down and placed his face close. “Now tell me...what sort?”
“The kind Venom and I deserve. A lovely daughter,” Azulon blurted. He instantly regretted his wording. He’d heard if you didn’t ask just right a demon would twist your words. He winced and resisted the urge to spit a curse.
“Deserve?” Crowley laughed, loud and low. “What a delicious word!” He tugged a feather free of Azulon’s tail, leaving the little not-so-plumed gem hunter with just two left. “Very well.” He waved a wing over the feather. “Put this in your nest. Next time you and your mate try you will have your daughter.”
“That’s it?” Azulon asked.
“That’s it.” Crowley’s voice rang. He was gone.