Author's Note/Disclaimer: I am appalled by the lack of Xanth stories here. So here is my little contribution to Xanth fans everywhere. Uh, I don't own Xanth (yet), but I do own Chyn. Chyn's Talent is also mine. Steal them at your own peril!!!!!!! Oh, stuff like this is thoughts and stuff (like this) is my little notes. I wrote this story when I was on a slight *ahem* chocolate high, which might account for something, I don't know what. Anyhoo, please read and review.
Chyn Centaur's Talent
Chyn Centaur was bored. Bored, bored, bored, BORED! Life on Centaur Isle was monotonous. She wanted to get away. All day long it was tutoring, either in archery or history, or some other subject. Chyn got up and trotted to the entrance of her cottage. It was in a nice location, in a forested area near running water. Any other centaur would be happy to stay there. But not Chyn. She had what her teacher called 'wanderlust'. That meant that she always wanted to be on the move.
As Chyn stared out from her cottage doorway to the beach and the ferry to mainland Xanth, she made a quick decision.
She turned and gathered her bow and quiver from where they lay on the table, and left the cottage. Chyn locked the door behind her and set out towards the ferry. It was a 15 minute trot, and with every hoofbeat she debated with herself. Why can' t I stay? she thought to herself. Maybe I have a, she shuddered, TALENT. No, don' t think that! Chyn told herself sternly. She was a mature mare. If she had a Talent, she would have been disgraced from the island a long time. She tried to put it out of her mind.
When she reached the ferry, the young centaur guarding it challenged her to halt. Chyn stopped, but only to explain her mission. "I'm crossing to the mainland," Chyn said haughtily, "And you are going to let me across." The young centaur faltered for a moment, then let her on the ferry. Chyn grinned inwardly as she trotted primly by him. The ferry started moving, taking Chyn away from the place where she had grown up and where she belonged.
As the ferry skimmed across the waves, Chyn gave more thought to what she would do once across in Xanth. Then it came to her. DO A MAGICIAN HUMPHREY QUEST. Yes, she would go and ask the Magician a question.
But something else occurred to Chyn. What would s he ask? Her mind wandered back to her past musings. Then it hit her. She fell down, but got up quickly, and tried to shoot the offending it. The arrow missed and the it buzzed away. But Chyn knew what she was going to ask the Magician. Do I have a Talent? Yes, that would be her question.
The ferry bumped against dry land and Chyn was knocked out of her reverie. She let out a harumph, for the reverie was nice and comfortable. But she had to continue on her way. Chyn stepped off the ferry and it zoomed away again, back to Centaur Isle.
Chyn looked around. According to the geography she had learned, she was in southern Xanth, close to the Ever Glades. She knew that the Magician's castle was somewhere south of the Gap Chasm. That meant Chyn would have to travel north, with no other directions to go on, except to not go east, into the Ever Glades. Chyn had always had a good sense of direction, and knew where north was.
Chyn quickly made a plan. She would travel north along the coast until she found a more distin ct landmark to take her bearings on. Chyn set off at a ground-eating gallop, traveling much faster than a human could. She stopped only once that day, to drink at a small pool (after first checking that it wasn't a love, hate, or youth spring) and harvest a cherry pie from a nearby pie tree.
Chyn had left her house in the early afternoon, and by the time night fell (it must have tripped in the dark) she had traveled a good distance from her starting point. When it grew dark, Chyn harvested some pillows to make a bed for herself and munched on a plaid pie she had found nearby.
***************
Something was tickling her back. Chyn flicked her tail, trying to flick away the annoying fly. It wouldn't go away. Chyn lifted her front section and stretched, looking for the annoyance. She twisted and found a curious little centaur filly flicking Chyn' s back with her wings?!?
That's not right! Chyn thought to herself. The filly, noticing that she was awake, jumped back guiltily. Chyn got up so she was towering over the little filly.
"Hi, there, fellah. My name is -" Chyn couldn't finish her sentence. The little filly had picked up his hooves and was hoofing it as fast as his wobbly little legs could take him away from her. Chyn trotted after him, calling out, "Wait! I just want to know where I am!" The little filly paid no attention. Chyn followed him through the Xanthian jungle for most of that morning. The little blighter was smart, Chyn said to herself. Twice he had almost led her into a tangle tree, and once had tried to run her into a spring. Chyn didn't know if it was love, hate, or a clean stream, but she avoided it all the same.
Finally the cheeky little winged centaur filly led Chyn to a wide clearing where a neat little cottage stood. The cottage looked much like the one Chyn herself had had before she had left Centaur Isle. The filly took one look behind her and scampered into the cottage.
Chyn stopped outside the cottage and paused, not sure whether or not to knock on the door. As she was pondering (Brain: Are you pondering w hat I'm pondering, Pinky? Pinky: I think so Brain, but how do we get the gerbils in the pantyhose?), the door to the cottage opened and a fully grown centaur mare trotted out. She, too, had a pair of wings firmly attached to her shoulder blades. Chyn trie d not to stare, but it was hard to do. A winged centaur was just wrong.
"Sorry for the rudeness of my little filly here," the strange mare said, "She's never seen a normal centaur before. We usually keep her close to home, but she ran away today. I should t hank you for scaring her home. I am Chex Centaur, by the way," Chyn took the proffered hand.
"I am Chyn Centaur, formerly of Centaur Isle. If you don't mind, I've never seen or heard of," Chyn paused for a moment, "winged centaurs."
Chex blushed and looked down. "The centaurs of Centaur Isle don't mention us much. My parents met at a love spring. My sire was Xap Hippogryph and my dam was Cherie Centaur. There are, I believe, only eight of our kind. Me, my mate, Cherion, our three off spring, and a few newly transformed ones."
Chyn looked embarrassed for her question. "I'm sorry I brought it up -" she didn't get a chance to finish.
"No worry, many people often ask us about our wings." Chex turned, "Come into the cottage and tell us why you're so far from Centaur Isle
To be continued ......
Author's Note: Okay, pretty bad. I know.