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Winter

Winter breathed in the scent of the forest around her, enjoying the smell of fresh air and soil. Magical beasts chirped and barked, nuzzling their student keepers for treats. Winter smiled. She loved her Care of Magical Creatures class. Out in the Black Woods where the lessons took place, surrounded by whatever strange animals they were learning about in that particular lesson, she felt at peace. Sadly, the same couldn't be said for her fellow students.

"Should we be still be having the lesson in the Black Woods? The centaurs have been really violent lately…"

"Yeah, I don't want to get turned into an arrow pincushion!"

"Or trampled into the ground!"

Jael raised his hands for silence, seemingly calm in the face of all the shouted protests. "No need to worry class. Centaurs are solitary creatures that prefer to avoid human interaction whenever possible, and that includes attacking humans. I know they have seemed a bit territorial, but I can guarantee that they won't try to attack. You're all perfectly safe."

Thorne snorted. "I may not pay much attention in History of Magic, but I'm pretty sure that centaurs have fought with wizards before."

"You're right Mr Thorne," Jael nodded, "you don't pay much attention in History of Magic. There are no records of any wizard-centaur battles. Are you sure you're not thinking of giants? Or trolls? There have certainly been battles against them."

"Professor Gertman spent half last lesson just listing all the "wizard-centaur battles" that have taken place throughout history just to show us why we should be worried about what's going on with the centaurs." Thorne replied dryly. "Even I couldn't ignore it when he was literally screaming!"

Winter blinked in surprise. She only had History of Magic twice a week, and Professor Gertman usually spent the whole lesson staring at her anyway so she didn't learn much, certainly nothing about the centaurs. Maybe they should be worried. Winter didn't want the blood of centaurs to flood the school! The image was enough to make her give the little dog-like creature in her arms a squeeze. It whined and licked her face as if sensing her anxiety.

But Jael just chuckled and gave Thorne a pat on the head, eliciting a growl from the kneazle sitting at his feet. "Professor Gertman's getting on in years. It's no wonder his mind is a bit addled! Now let's get on with the lesson, shall we?"

The students exchanged uneasy glances, but went off with their own creatures.

Beaming with excitement, Winter set down the puppy she'd been holding and rushed to find a stick. Yapping and wagging his little forked tail, the puppy followed close at her heels.

This was the way life ought to be: joy and playing and fresh air all around. No bleeding walls, no evil Astronomy teacher, no aggressive centaurs and no Levana. Especially no Levana.

The principal of Artemisia haunted Winter's nightmares and lurked in the darkest corners of her mind. Winter heard her wails of grief for her dead husband shrieking through the castle halls, saw her cold smile in every painting and the murderous gleam of a sharpened knife in her hands hiding in every shadow. Of all Winter's visions, the ones of Levana were the ones hardest to distinguish from reality.

When Winter was thirteen, she'd been called into Levana's office. It was just after the hallucinations had started. Levana hadn't been wearing a veil at the time, not that it made a difference. She was a lunar after all. She could make herself look like anything she wanted. Winter was lunar as well, though she'd stopped using her "gift" as it was called, years ago, after her father died. A lunar could have done it. A lunar could have forced him to hold the knife that killed him. The knowledge was all Winter needed to be convinced of the true evil nature of her gift. She often wondered if her decision had contributed to her growing insanity.

Winter remembered that office call clearly. She remembered Levana accusing her of not using her gift, of disgracing her father's memory. Winter remembered denying the accusations, of trying to lie. But Levana hadn't believed her. She'd given Winter a knife, the same knife she held as she waited for Winter in the shadows. Three times Levana had ordered Winter to use her gift, three times Winter had refused, and three times the knife had dragged down Winter's left cheek, wielded by her own traitorous hand. Jacin had been furious when he saw the bleeding scratches on Winter's face and had barely left her side since except for lessons and when they had to go to their own dorms.

Winter knew her terror was warranted, though it was greater than even Jacin realised, because Levana was not just Winter's principal. She was her stepmother.

Finally finding a good stick, Winter picked it up and waved it above her head for the puppy to see. "Do you want the stick Ryu? Do you want the stick?"

Ryu barked happily and bounced around, his eyes only for the stick in Winter's hand. She pulled back her arm and threw it deep into the trees. Yapping with joy and excitement, Ryu tore off after it. Winter laughed as she ran after him. She loved playing with the animals. She used to play with Jacin as well, but he didn't like it as much as he used to.

She caught up with Ryu just as he picked up the stick in his small jaws. Tail wagging, he trotted over to Winter and dropped the stick into her outstretched hand.

"Good boy Ryu!" Winter cooed, rubbing his furry head. She drew back her arm, readying herself for another throw… and found herself staring down the point of an arrow.

"What are you doing in our territory human?" Said a harsh voice. Winter didn't answer. She couldn't. Her voice had left her as soon as she saw the centaur standing in front of her.

He had a roan stallion body and flowing dark hair and skin, and his eyes were a piercing silver. Winter wondered if they would stab her to death or if she'd die from the arrow first.

"I said what are you doing in our territory?" The centaur snapped again, but Winter's voice still hadn't returned.

Another centaur came up to stand beside the first one and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Now Rowan, she's young and was playing with the small creature. She is no threat to us."

Rowan snorted. "Young, Arion? She is practically a woman! And her ignorance that led her to trespass on our land so carelessly is an insult to us. We have tolerated these injustices by these humans too long. It is time we showed them that we will bear it no more."

Though Winter's voice still refused to work, her legs were much more cooperative. Spinning on her heel, Winter frantically ran away from the centaurs, Ryu keeping pace next to her. She hadn't meant to trespass. Like Arion said, she'd just been playing! She was no threat! She meant no harm! But the centaurs wanted to make an example of her, and she doubted that would be good for her.

Winter ran mindlessly, letting her feet take her where they will. Her mind was steadily breaking into pieces anyway, it wasn't very trustworthy. But as Winter's feet skidded to a stop at their chosen destination, she realised they couldn't be trusted either. She was with the rest of her class. Her poor, oblivious classmates were busy feeding and playing with their creatures, blissfully unaware of the peril Winter has put them in.

The thundering hooves of the centaurs pounded toward Winter. Soon, they would be upon her. It was then that she realised her voice had come back.

"Everybody run! The centaurs are coming!"

Winter's classmates startled and looked at her with wide eyes. But she had warned them too late.

The centaur herd crashed through the bushes and shrubs, already nocking arrows to their bows in preparation to shoot. The students screamed and shrieked in terror, scattering in all directions. Some of them had the presence of mind to grab their creatures before they went, others let them flee deep into the woods without a care. Everything was in chaos, and Winter was terrified. She needed help, she needed Jacin. But Jacin wasn't here. But she needed him here!

Desperate, Winter thrust her wand into the sky, letting broken fragments of random incantations flit through her brain at a rapid pace in her panic. The result was a kaleidoscopic whirlwind of sparks that burst through the tree canopy and into the blue afternoon sky. Winter just had to hope Jacin would know what it meant.

A pair of strong hands gripped her shoulders uncomfortably tightly and lifted Winter off the ground. She screamed and thrashed, but their grip was like iron. The hands tightened even more around Winter's shoulders and her terrified cries were lost in a pained gasp.

"There you are, human!" Rowan's voice spat.

Winter didn't answer. His iron grip was getting tighter by the second.

"Do you think you can just trespass on our land and poison it with ravenous, senseless creatures who think of nothing but the flesh they eat to fill their stomachs and the blood the drink to quench their throats?"

Winter was sure she could hear the bones in her shoulders cracking under Rowan's hands.

"Do you think this forest is yours to do with as you please? Answer me human?"

But Winter couldn't. She was in too much pain. She doubted even the medical staff could repair her shattered bones.

There was a shout, followed by a pained grunt, and Winter was released. She crumpled to the ground, moaning and clutching her shoulders in pain. Multi-coloured lights flashed around her and cries of rage, human and horse alike, bombarded her ears. Ryu's wet nose pushed at her cheek and he whined. Another form seemingly materialised beside Winter and a steadying hand placed itself on her hunched back.

"Winter?" said a voice, cutting through the surrounding chaos like a knife through butter. "Winter? Winter are you okay? Come on Winter, say something!"

Winter raised her head and gazed blearily at the face above her. Her vision was blurred and wobbly with pain and exhaustion, but she could still make out his blond hair and blue eyes. "Jacin?"

Jacin breathed a sigh of relief and wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

"Did you see my signal?" Winter asked as she returned the embrace.

"If you mean that rainbow tornado from a few minutes ago, I think everyone in the school saw it." Jacin chuckled darkly.

A/N: And here is the centaur attack I promised in the description! How long have you guys been waiting for this thing? Anyway, I think it's safe to say that FINALLY! THIS STORY'S GETTING SOMEWHERE!

So the centaurs are ticked off because humans have "poisoned their land with ravenous, senseless creatures", whatever that means. Do you guys have any theories? Let me know in the reviews!

Side notes: princessesdontcry, I do not have a specific update day, but I can say that each chapter will get posted within the week! (unless I get lazy or have a really busy week)

Also, I've got exams coming up. Just a heads-up for the inevitable time when I won't be able to post for a while.