Before I can properly react, I'm set upon by a swarm of ravenous human and centaur children. Circling around me, cutting off any hope for escape and getting ready to go in for the kill.

And then they pounce.

A cacophony of voices assaults me, getting higher and louder as they fight to talk over each other. My ears flatten against the sides of my head at the noise and I wince in pain.

"Hi!"
"What's your name?"
"I haven't seen you before!"
"Can I ride you?"
"I want to ride you first!"
"Mum said you can't ask them for rides. It's rude 'member."
"Your face is rude!"
"Nuh-uh!"

I'm boxed in on all sides, though even the tallest of the human children only came up to my chest. The other centaur children were also getting a little too close, definitely within my personal space. The questions become unintelligible as bickering and more yelling breaks out.

The young centauress holding my hand lets out a harsh whinny, making the others fall silent; a childishly proud expression on her face. "I saw him and grabbed him first, so he has to answer my question first! That is the rule!"

There was a small amount of grumbling, but they kept quiet. She was a bossy one, this girl. But, she can make a swarm of children shut up pretty quick, so points in my book for that.

Now that I could properly looking at her, I could see she was an inch or so taller than me. Her hair was wild, short enough that I had mistaken her for a boy at first and an orangey brown. Her skin was lightly tanned and speckled with freckles. She looked my 'age' but I didn't know how much that really counted for with the wacky growth rate centaur's seemed to have.

She turns to look at me and I habitually jerk my gaze away from hers, before forcing myself to look back on her. I stare awkwardly back at her, noticing her eyes were blue. I didn't do good with sudden eye contact.

"What is your name!"

I blink at her, stunned slightly by the volume of the question. And the fact that she went through all that just to ask my name. "Uh, my name is Nilas."

And that opens the floodgates again.

Just as she opens her mouth to say something else, the rest of the children start up again.

That's it. "Hey!"

My loud yell cuts through the voices, sending most of them quiet again, or at least quieter than before. Thank you centaur lungs.

"I can not hear what you are all saying. Just ask one at a time. Jeez."

I cross my arms and huff. I'm getting irritated now. I really, really didn't get along with children.

Next thing I know, I'm drawn into a game of Twenty Questions. And by Twenty Questions, I mean every single possible thing that a child could possibly as about the new kid they had never seen before.

Yes, I lived outside of the village. A very long walk away.

No, I don't live in the dirt. I live in a house, thank you very much. And I bet it is way bigger than yours.

I am a week old.

No, you can not ride me.

They kept coming, and I told so many different names they just went in one ear and out the otherr,. Thankfully, the children slowly began to get bored or find more interesting things to do, and their numbers began to trickle away. They had more important things to do then hang out with the new centaur boy that seemed to jump between shy and annoyed often.

Interestingly enough, the girl from before, who had introduced herself as Sena at one point, and the three other centaur children, two boys and another girl, whose names I hadn't caught yet had stuck around. They kind of formed a semi-circle around me, smiling. Then they all move forward and pull me into hugs with a round of 'Hello's.

Sena, who I was beginning to see really liked talking, introduces them all before they can do it themselves.

"He is Matthew. He does not talk very much and gets nervous easily and he knows about everything." The boy with the brown hair and hide seems to shrink in on himself so fast that I almost worry he was going to collapse in on himself and disappear; even as he goes bright red from his neck up and shifts nervously. Skittish is probably the best descriptor for him. He hasn't even said I word to me yet, even when he hugged me.

Sena then pulls the other girl into a hug, which she returns happily. She's a slight little girl with blonde hair that reaches just past her chin and a greyish-white hide. She looks like she might be a bit older than the others as well. "This is my best friend, Mira! She is very good at sewing and has a very pretty singing voice."

"It is nice to meet you, Nilas."

She points to the last of the little group, a curly black-haired boy with a pale yellow hide that gradually faded to black at the bottom of his legs. He gives me a friendly smile and a wave. "And that is Aelle. He is stupid and thinks I talk too much. Do not listen to what he says."

An indignant look crosses the boy's face, and he turns to Sena. "Hey! I am not! You are stupid, and you are saying that cause I beat you before." A smug smile replaces his previous expression as he crosses his arms. "You are just jealous that girl's are slower than boys."

"Am not!" Sena puffs herself up as much as she can, striding over to Aelle. "I was just still sleepy from waking up! I could beat you next time!"

"Oh yeah, then prove it."

"Ok. Onetwothree go!" And she took off before the boy could react. "Last one to the Stable and back is a big fat stupid head!"

"Hey, that is cheating!" Aelle took off after her, already slowly gaining on her. Well, that was a thing that happened.

I turn to Mira, since Matthew still looks like he might faint, and shoot her a questioning look. "Are they always like that?"

Judging by her long-suffering expression, I already know the answer before she even speaks. "Mhmm. Sena likes to make up things to do with everyone to try and win at them. She can be very silly. And Aelle likes to make her mad, cause he finds it funny."

"Should we… go after them? Or stay here and wait?"

Mira shakes her head lightly. "We can go after them. I can show you where we live, and Sena will not care. She will just make up another rule or contest."

I shrug. She knows them better than I do, so I'll follow her lead. And at least these two seem quieter and reasonable than the others. "Alright, lead the way."

Smiling, Mira takes my hand and tugs for me to follow. I seem to be being lead around by the hand a lot lately. She turns to look at the skittish boy, holding her free hand out to him. "Come on, Matthew."

I follow along feeling awkward from all the stares as we walk down the road all holding hands.