The centaur stood still and silent. On guard, his muscles were taught, ready to spring into action. In one hand he held a bow. It was angled slightly toward the ground, so the knocked arrow pointed at the forest floor before him. The fingers of his other hand were wrapped loosely around the string. He was ready to let an arrow fly at a moments notice.
He had broad shoulders that were bare, exposed to the crisp air surrounding him. Along his torso, rich brown skin transitioned seamlessly to black hair. His hooves were connected to the rest of his body by strong muscled legs, used to long days of running through densely packed trees. He kept his hair closely cropped to his head so as not to snag on low hanging twigs and announce his location. His nose was broad and lips full. Kind eyes resided below a slightly furrowed brow.
His gaze was fixed on the scene before him. Three humans, a man, woman and child, were walking noisely through the undergrowth. They were chatting loudly and seemed oblivious to the centaur standing only a short distance away. The man was tall and thin. He carried a pack that appeared, to the centaur’s keen nose, to be filled with food and water. The woman was holding the child’s hand. She was a good head shorter than the man and carried herself with equal amounts purpose and kindness. The child, who could have been no more than four, was clearly going to take after his father’s physique.
The centaur stood perfectly still, trying not to alert the humans’ attention. Though his kind did not have a clear understanding of why, if one stood perfectly still, a human could walk directly in front of them and they would go unnoticed.
He had come across quite a few humans in his life. Each time he had remembered the childhood teachings and gone as still as a statue. Never had he been detected and never had he wanted to. He didn’t understand humans. They seemed like odd creatures; the way they covered up their bodies in brightly colored cloth. It did not appear to be a very good descion, since he was always able to see them from a while off.
It was said that if a centaur moved around in the presence of a human, they were able to detect the centaur on some level. Though the common theory stated that most simply decide it is an animal or a shifting shadow. He had no reason to disbelieve the theory, but he did not see the need to test it just incase it was incorrect. And besides, he had never been noticed while standing still.
Many creatures had been hunted mercilessly when humans were just starting to expand across the world, scared of other races having a similar cognitive ability. His people had decided to go into hiding to escape almost certain anilation. Their’s was not the only one. Thousands of creatures from that better time had hidden themselves in small pockets around the world. Trying desperately to keep their ways alive. And over time, the humans appeared to have forgotten about them. Most humans couldn’t see his kind and others like his anymore; walking right by without seeing.
The exact date of the last true contact was unknown, lost to time. The therorists claimed that there would be a time in the future that the humans would once again be able to see. More and more often rangers’ reports of “seeing” children reached the isolated communities.
The centaur was a ranger. Tasked with exploring the boundaries of the human world to gather information. He was part of an ongoing mission that had begun hundreds of years ago. They were trying to determine when and where it would be safe to come out of hiding. He, personally, was not sure it would ever happen. In his years and years of ranging, he had never made contact nor been detected. And after all that time, he was beginning to lose faith.
He watched as the humans continued across his field of view. His grip on the bow was tight and sure. His breathing was deep and quiet. Eyes following the humans, the centaur waited patiently; as he did every time.
Just before they left his field of view, the child turned toward him, still holding his mother’s hand. Raising his little arm into the air, the child waved vigorously, an expression of pure amazement and joy playing across his small features.
The centaur was startled. Unsure of how to respond, he let go of the bow sting and waved back. A smile spread across the child’s face. A moment later he was out of sight.
The centaur smiled. Maybe he had been a little premature in his loss of faith.
This gave me goosebumps!
Thanks!
This gave me goosebumps!
Thanks!
I loved it!
Thank you so much!
I loved it!
Thank you so much!
I like that you’re open enough to write this. There is so much to explore in adjacent worlds. x
Thank you so much! That means a lot 🙂
I like that you’re open enough to write this. There is so much to explore in adjacent worlds. x
Thank you so much! That means a lot 🙂