Pain's no Company
Chapter 2:Acceptance
Damario ran long into the night, passing through forests and over fields. When I asked him why he was so far from his home he merely responded "the stars told me I must be there" and continued on. I dozed fitfully, awaking every few minutes fearing that I would fall off. My rescuer assured me that he would not allow this to happen but as much as I wanted to believe him I couldn't. His pace made for difficult sleeping anyway.
As the moon neared its zenith we came to a halt in a small forest glade. I slid off Damario's back, stumbling a bit as I hit the ground. I had ridden horses before but never for this long, and my legs ached. The centaur reached out one long arm to hold me up, gripping my shoulder gently. I steadied quickly and gave him a swift, grateful smile. He let go just as I heard the thunder of many hooves. Moments later six centaur stallions broke into the glade.
"Damario!" the youngest crowed. He looked to be no more than a year or two older than I. "You're back!" He stopped short as he saw me. "Damario, a human has followed you! We must kill her!" He grabbed at his bow and quiver, struggling to arm himself. Damario stopped his hands as they were stringing the bow.
"Easy, Kyle. I brought her here. Her parents were taken. She needs somewhere to stay for a while. And she is young, only eight." The young centaur snorted.
"That means nothing. I am only ten and yet dangerous." Damario half-reared, giving Kyle an affronted look.
"You are a centaur! We are made to fight in order to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Such as this child." His voice was hard and the young centaur backed away a few paces, bowing his head.
"Aye, Damario. I forget." My protector nodded his head in acceptance then turned to the other five who had stayed out of the fight.
"My Lord," one said, stepping forward. Damario's eyes snapped at him. "Damario," the centaur corrected himself. "We heard word that you were coming but not that you were bringing this...human with you. Had we known we would have prepared better."
"How could you have done that, Kevin?" Damario asked. "She does not need to be treated differently that any young centaur. And speaking of such" he turned to Kyle, "would you able and willing to show her around the forest a bit come morning?" The young centaur considered me carefully for a moment before nodding.
"Kallan," Damario said, turning to me, "allow me to introduce these fine centaurs." He beckoned them forward one by one. "Kyle." My young antagonist turned guide. He switched his golden flanks with a flaxen tail as he bowed. "Kevin." The one who had called Damario 'Lord'. He too had a golden coat, but darker than Kyle's with a tail to match. "Skye." A blue roan centaur with eyes befitting his name. He shook my hand warmly before retreating to bow and make room for the next. "Corey." This one looked as though he was on fire, so bright a red was he. He moved with a distinct grace. "Aiden." Eyes black as coals looked at me from under a mop of matching hair. The only light spot on him other than his human skin was a circle of hoary hair on his chest. "And finally Devan." A dull brown centaur remarkable only by his emerald eyes.
I turned back to Damario and was struck by how much more kingly he appeared than the other centaurs. His horse part was a dappled gray so light it could be referred to as white. He had light silver hair to match and the most breathtaking golden eyes. He was at least a hand higher at the withers than any of the others, although Kyle looked like he might catch up in the future. I paused for a minute to reconsider the young centaur.
He met my gaze with sapphire blue eyes, not blinking. His white-blond hair fell softly down his back, a small piece pulled forward to fall over his eyes like a forelock. His tail matched his hair perfectly and his coat was the same gold as Damario's eyes. That colour carried up into his skin, which was beautifully tanned. I looked up to meet his eyes again and was surprised to find that he was staring straight at me with a raised eyebrow. I returned his stare for a moment before breaking off to yawn. Damario looked down at me.
"We must get you away to a sleeping place," he said. "I forgot how easily exhausted you humans are." He held out a hand to me and I took it without question. To my surprise Kyle fell in on my other side. I restrained myself from making any comments.
They led me to a hollow just a few minutes away from the glade; far enough away that I could hear only the slightest murmur of voices but close enough to make the walk easy. Laid out in the hollow were two woven grass mattresses and a set of four pillows.
"We keep this here just in case we ever have to call in a human healer," Damario told me, sounding a little embarrassed. "Such a thing has only occurred twice since Kyle's birth but we like to be prepared." I nodded politely but was forced to cover another yawn. The white centaur caught me at it and chuckled.
"I beg your pardon, Damario, Kyle," I said politely, "but I am exhausted. If you will excuse me, I would very much like to sleep." The older centaur gave me a courteous nod, the younger bowed. I crawled into the hollow, pulled two of the pillows over to the mattress I had chosen and dropped onto it. My eyes closed almost as soon as my head touched the pillow. Even as I drifted off to sleep I could hear the two speaking.
"Those eyes-like storm-clouds! And her hair! I would call it black but for the red in it. Never have I seen the like." My brow furrowed slightly. Why was Kyle speaking like that?
"Do not hope too much, young one. She may not be the one we are waiting for."
"But...the stars...they said..."
"The stars aren't always interpreted correctly. We have studied them for years and still make mistakes." I finally fell into sleep with those words.
A/N; I know that it still doesn't seem to have much to do with HP, but I promise you that in the next chapter what I am doing will begin to fall into place. And I forgot to mention last chapter....but I only own the centaurs, Kallan and her family....OK....so all the characters so far....but you know....the idea and stuff isn't mine.....I'm just playing with it.