Outcast

[Thraex]

Hooves were treading heavily and noisely against the mushy ground of the forest. Thraex wasn't making any attempt to conceal his presence as he was trotting with difficult past the trees whose inhabitants had silenced at the sound of cracking twigs. Exhaustion had taken its toll after an endless pursuit through the night. It was a tough night indeed from the moment that his former herd had discovered once again his whereabouts. It was a usual phenomenon for a long time and the centaur had to costantly moving around the borders of the herd's land in order to avoid them. He wasn't too careful last night and the first light of the next day was a witness of what exactly he had bear. Cuts were engraved on his horse body made mostly by arrows that just missed him. He was bruised after being beaten and trampled leaving him with a couple of hoof imprints against the soft human skin. Blood had flowed down his human torso. It was oozing from a wound on his chest above the location of the heart where an arrow had pierced the human flesh. He had to push himself and reach the closest stream. He was going to be safe there. The stream marked the boundaries of the herd's land and beyond them they had no rights nor the jurisdiction to harm him furthermore.

His blurred sight recognized the running water behind the trees and his hearing detected its gurgling sound. He made it to the strem's bank and with a saltation he crashed against the cool water. His hooves were slipping against the mossy rocks of the stream's bottom but eventually he made it to the opposite bank exhausted. He collapsed down on the dirt enshrouded by the shrubs that had thrived close to the water.
A stabbing pain was travelling up to his chest every time he was trying to breath in. He looked down at the arrow that had pinned on his left pec. It had missed for centimeters his heart but he had to remove it and stop the bleeding. He attempted to stand up again on his hooves but his trembling legs betrayed him and brought him down. Even if he was going to remove the arrow he needed the right healing herbs to sooth the pain and treat the gaping wound. From a glance around him, he couldn't find close to him the appropriate herb. His bleak future seemed to be getting more ominous as the rustling of leaves announced another presence's coming.

 

[Aspen]

It was heading toward mid autumn and Aspen was starting to gather her supplied ready for winter. It was still early but she didn't want to be without food as although she would still be able to hunt one did get sick of meat after a few months and also there would be less animals around in the cold. today she was collecting some of the autumn fruits and roots, however she wouldn't say no of something do hint appeared.
she was nearing the edge of the land she was able to be on she found a patch of some herbs that were useful to keep to hand, just as she was gathering them she heard the sound of hooves. she quickly slipped out of the clearing and hid behind the tree. she was awfully close to the herds land to be seen, just that stream. the last time she had been found this close to the herd land she had had to make a quick get away with her sisters and their farther. she peered at at the leaning around a gap in the branches she saw a figure enter from the other side and cross the stream before practically collapsing on the floor. she wasn't sure what to do. watching for a few moments she saw that the centaur that had appeared looked injured. she shifted slightly trying to make a little noise. "Hello? Thaex isn't it?" she called softly making herself visible from behind the plants trying not to startle him. she prayed that the herd wasn't after him though she couldn't hear anything. she came out from behind the tree and saw a centaur that she had met before. the one that her brother had taken a liking to. she walked over to him a little quicker. it was then she saw the arrow he was lucky he wasn't dead already. "thank the forrest you're alive. what happened?" she asked more than a little shocked.

 

[Thraex]

His blurred vision tried to focus on the newcomer that emerged from behind the lush vegetation. The feminine voice greeting him brought some solace to him. He knew that no females were escorting his persecution which meant that the young female was probably a nomad. "Greetings." he uttered with difficulty and grimaced as the pain penetrated his whole body. A better look and he recognized the female centaur from back when he had found those adult humans terrorizing a couple of foals, one of them being one of his few friends. He was also aware that she wasn't a part of the herd. He would have know it as he used to be a member of that herd. She was possibly travelling and maybe ended up there.

Thraex looked down at the arrow that was nailed on his chest. The blood was still oozing out of the wound and he placed a hand on it to slow down the bleeding. "The herd is after me." he responded with each word adding more overwhelming pain for him to bear. "Listen, I need your help." he could tell there wasn't enough time left. His muscles had started spasming and he had started sweating, reactions of his system against the blood loss.
"I need you to bring me some dittany." he needed that herb to heal the wound after something else was going to take place first. "Have you ever removed an arrow before?" he asked her but he wasn't expecting to hear a positive response. She was too young and he only knew because he had seen that procedure applied on his father before. Even if she didn't know, he could instruct her. He just needed a pair of stable hands to aid him.

 

[Aspen]

Aspen saw that the male was in incredible pain. no surprise as it was an arrow in his chest. "you are on no-mans land now" she said rummaging in her bag though she was pretty sure if they wanted him they wouldn't worry about land. she had lost any trust she had had in the local heard when she had found they had killed her sisters farther without provocation. "so you mean you aren't part of the herd? I thought you were." she said already rummaging in the bag across her back. she found in one of the pockets the bag she was looking for. a handful of leaves. she handed a few to him "These will help." she said. when he asked her if she knew how to remove an arrow she shook her head no sorry. I wasn't really my herds choice of person for warrior." she said shaking her head slightly. healing was what the girls were trained in (though she hadn't been taught anything too complex by the time she was kicked out), as well as cooking and hunting/gathering. the last one was everyones job as food was most important. she took her remaining leaves and started chewing them and then but some in her mouth and started chewing. humans would probably find this an odd thing to do they would have used a knife of a mortar and pestle but in the forrest knives were hand crafted for hunting and mortars and pestles were heavy the closest was grinding with a stone but that would leave a load of grit in the best way to get the juices out was to chew it. once i was mashed enough she spat it into another leaf ready to cover the hole once the arrow was removed.

Out of Character:

I know it sounds a little yucky but it makes sense

 

[Thraex]

Thraex struggled to focus on the female's voice and not let himself slip into the darkness that the bleariness in his eyes was leading him. He tried to reply at anything she was speaking of in order to maintain his senses.
"According to the herd the whole forest is theirs. Our ancestors used to dwell here long before humans arrived and discovered the place", he corrected her although she was partially right. Despite the herd's allegations it seemed to be some kind of treaty between them and the school's staff. They had lost a large part of their old lands but that was done in order to avoid centaur with human encounters.

He had a lot to say regarding the subject of whether he was part of the local herd or not. It was a long story that he couldn't possible unbosom at this current state. "No, not anymore", he replied with a shake of his head.
"I used to but now I'm on my own", he confirmed though her speculation. "It doesn't seem like I'm doing a good job of keeping me alive, do I?", he tried to joke a little bit to break the ice but even a single smile now was painful. It wasn't the best situation for two individuals to meet each other especially when an arrow had to be removed from the body of the one of them. He blinked his russet, brown eyes several times in order to keep his sight as he watched the female centaur making a thick paste from the dittany leaves in the old-fashioned way. "It's alright", he tried to encourage her and not stress her out. "I just need your steady arms. I will be the instructor. We are going to use the paste you made after we have removed the arrow", he continued and once he informed her a little bit on how they were going to work, he casted a glance over his shoulder, down his back.

His bruised lips pursed as he turned around. "It's going to be a little more complicated than I have thought." he managed to regain his composure for his good first but also for his assistant's.
"You see the arrow haven't completely penetrated my body." he spoke about what had just worried him.
"In order to safely remove it we have no choice but to push it completely through my body until the arrowhead pierces out of my back", it might be sounding insane but that was the first step they had to take to remove it. If she was just going to pull it off his chest that could damage more his internal system and potentially injure his heart. It should be sounding difficult for her to perform a task that could be proved fatal but he had as well to withstand the excruciating pain so their agony was splitted.
"You can do it! I trust you!" he tried to cast away any doubts she might had. "Just focus and be attentive with your moves." he conculed and clenched his teeth behind his lips. He had to gather some inner power and courage. He was trusting a lot on that strangers hands but he had no other choice. He just wished that the arrow wasn't going to injure his heart on its way out.

 

[Aspen]

Aspen saw that the other centaur was starting to go into shock and loosing consciousness. "so there is no need for me to apologise for pretending to be in the heard when we met Minoas and professor cyndi." she said keeping him talking. "you seem to be doing pretty good job. you re still alive now aren't you? once you have a year done, no Just a winter, it starts to get easier" she said. she had been away from her heard for about three years now and was used to hunting gathering though not being without company was lonely at times she had been okay until her sister had left the school as she used to come for a run with her every morning this year there were less and less students in the forest.
As he explained how to remove the arrow her eyes opened wide. "what. no way? what if i get your heart, or lungs?" she said in shock. though she knew from her hunting that arrows were designed to only fo one way, if pulled the other way they were meant to cause serious normaly fatal damage. "Are you sure?" she asked pulling herself together acting like a human right now was stupid no matter how much she liked them. She putt her hands on the part of the arrow that was pertruding and took a deep breath "ready?" she asked. once he had confirmed she pressed hard preying that she didn't hit his heart or lungs. she she wanted to shut her eyes when she did it but knew that would make it harder and would make it worse for him.

Out of Character:

Sorry about the slight god mod

 

[Thraex]

Thraex could tell that the female was talking to him to keep him conscious and help him. He was grateful for that. She could just walk away and not meddle in the herd's business. Apparently, they wanted him dead or something and they could harm anyone that was going to assist him.
"You don't really have to. I knew from the very beginning that you weren't part of my tribe." he replied. He might was outcasted for more than a year from the herd's land but he still knew the members of his tribe. His tribemates had also a distinctive smell. He still had it but Aspen didn't so he had realized that she wasn't from this forest. "Believe me, I'm more than a year alone. I have to move a lot and I keep my distance but it is inevitable not to come across them during winter when the food becomes so scarce." he explained and actually agreed with her. The first year, especially the winter was a tough one. It required exceptional surviving skills to make it through and he was glad that he had stayed long enough with the herd to learn them.

The blood was now drencing his short, brown fur. They had to heal that wound and fast.
"I am probably going to die from extensive bleeding. Better try it rather than wait to die." he responded to her surprise. Her reaction was logical but they had not time to talk over it and analyze.
"Yes, please, do it." he said for a last time as she finally placed her hands carefully on the arrow on his chest.
He took a deep breath and nodded, closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. The shuddering sound of the arrow head reaping through his flesh caused his groan to echo through the trees, making flock of birds to scatter scared into the morning sky. He wanted to take more deep breaths to sooth the excruciating pain but he tried to remain still and cooperate with Aspen. Moments looked like aeons until the arrow head came out of his body and penetrated the back of his shoulder.

He looked over his shoulder, applying enormous effort for that simple motion.
"Good job. You did it." he breathed heavily when he saw the arrow out of his back.
"Now, snap carefully the arrow head out of the arrow. Then pull the remaining arrow carefully out of my chest." he instructed as he was trying to reduce his shaking that was caused by the shock of the pain. He wiped the sweat out of his forehead and pursed his lips, ready for the next stage of this arduous procedure.

 

[Aspen]

Aspen smiled when the centaur said she hadn't fooled him one bit. "well thank you very much for not exposing me, I thought i would seem more threatening being part of the tribe than the outcast. and I just wanted to help my brother" she said. she knew that this centaur wouldn't criticise her for it, as he too seemed to be one of the few who liked humans.
she pressed against the arrow and after a bit of pressure it gave and she knew that it had gone through. she moved a little closer to him so she could reach his back to see if it was, it needed a little more to get the head fully out. his next instructions weren't much of a shock to her. she reached for her belt and pulled her knife, she had sharpened it the previous day. it didn't take a moment to make a clean cut of the end. she then picked up some of the past she had made earlier and picked some up with one hand and started removing the arrow with the other. "almost done" she said dabbing it on his back where the hole was and a few moments later the shaft was out. she put some more of the paste on this hole.
Even now she could tell that the adrenaline was leaving him and he was starting to go into shock. she took the water skin from across her body took the lid off and and handed it to him. "have a drink it should make you feel better." she said, at the very least it would help him take his mind off it a little. she then walked over to the stream and dampened a cloth she had acquired in the water before heading back over to him. she used it to wash some of the blood away before adding some more paste. "How is that?" she asked, hoping he was feeling a little better, maybe able to move soonish as being this close to the herds land wouldn't be that safe. her camp was just a few minutes walk away.

 

[Thraex]

They were half way done with the removal of the arrow from his body. The head of the arrow had came out of the back of his shoulder and now it could be snapped in order to remove the rest of the arrow out of his torso.
"No reason to thank me. I was pretending to be a member of the herd when I wasn't." he pointed out that he was doing the same thing in order to intimidate the adult humans. He was aware of the impact that the herd had left upon humans since that professor died on their hands and he had used it to his advantage although he wasn't approving that incident. He would do anything to survive.

The female came closer to him to check the arrow and with the use of her knife she snapped the arrow head which fell on the ground. He took another deep breath as her hands held the arrow's end that was jutted out his chest. The pain returned once more as strong as one hundred daggers. Groaning and screaming with anguish, he struggled to keep his body still and prevent himself from writhing about on the floor. His eyes were watery with the sheer pain and his breathing came out in sharp, shallow rasps. Sweat dripped down the side of his face and covered his foreheard in a thin sheen. The bloody arrow was moments later out of his body. "Thank you." he croaked, his relieved tone made his words almost inaudible. He watched weaker than ever the female applying some of the greeny paste on his wounds.

His gaze softened as the paste from dittany leaves soothed his pain in a matter of seconds and his gashes from the arrow were slowly covered by new flesh that started growing because of the effect of the herb.
Bleeding had finally ceased but he was still feeling weak after losing so much blood. He accepted the water that Aspen provided him. He knew that he needed water after so much sweating and blood loss or he was probably going to pass out because of dehydration. "I'll be obliged to you for a lifetime." he said after catching his breath, looking far more better now. After persistent efforts he managed to awkwardly stand on his hooves as well. He walked over to the edge of the stream where he scooped some fresh water with his palms to clean the blood on his torso and his face. His reflection on the the surface of the running water revealed to him that he had a pretty bad bruise on the corner of his lips. "I have to eat." he stated as he turned to face her. He need some energy if he wanted to keep going. "Could you assist me with the hunting?" he asked as he climbed back the stream's bank where she was standing. He needed some help for sure. He had lost his trusted bow during the pursuit and he had nothing else with him that could be proved effective in hunting.

 

[Aspen]

Aspen smiled slightly when he said he too was pretending to be part of the heard. it seemed like both outcaststhought that the heard made them seem more threataning to the stupid proffesor blaze.
as the arrow was removed she coul see he was in terrable pain, gasping, sweating and shaking. she wanted to stop, to close her eyes and stop it. she didnt know how to stop the pain for him other than to remove the arrow. thankfully once it was removed he seemed almost to crash in relief. she put her arms around him the way she had seen humans do to comfort each other. she thought he would need comdorting and she did too.her eyes started stinging from the empathy, though she was highly greatful that no tears spilt. that would have made her seem weak, and as much as she liked humans she didnt like how weak they were sometimes. she then got up and busyed herself with making sure he was okay, cleaning off the dry blood and applying more of the dittany.
After a while he was back on her hoofs and walking slowly around to the river. she picked up the arrow head as he returned and said he was forever in his debt she smiled. "I am sure you would do the same for me, us nomads need to keep an eye out for each other" she said before handing him the arrow head in case he wanted to keep it as a reminder of his near death experience.
he was recovering well and for that she was glad. he seemed like a good ally to have in the forest, after all a team was a lot better than one person indervidually. his next request surprised her. go hunting with him? "no. you shouldn't go hunting yet. you need to rest and recover some more. my camp is only a little walk away. there is pleant of food there. in the mean time here" she said, taking some strips of meat out of her bag, it was dried rabbit, drying was one way to keep meat through winter, and dried meat was a good snack for on the move as the tough meat made it chewy so t lasted a while. she had started gathering food for winter like her heard didup north even though the winters here were no where near as bad as up noth and she could easily find enough food without storing it it was something that had been drilled into her since she was a foal and it wasnt going to change quickly.

 

[Thraex]

It was a long time since Thraex had someone, not necessarily by his side but someone to rely on difficult times like this one. The herd used to be his foothold but now the tables have turned and the situation was far different. He had helped a children almost two years ago to escape the forest when it had entered the herd's land illegaly. Eventually the herd found out about his involvement and they had decided to punish him with death. Thanks to Aspen, he had another day to live and try to survive as far as possible from the herd's lands.
Hearing from her that the nomads should support each other, was really reassuring.
"Have you seen any other nomads?" he asked her when she referred to plural, guessing that she might have come across other centaurs apart from those of the herd. There were times that Thraex had spotted the presence of other centaurs during his wanderings around the forest but he didn't check out, afraid that it might was a centaur of the herd.

It would require time for his body to recover from the shock of his wounding. He definately couldn't hunt at that state and even if he was going to try, his efforts would possible end up fruitless. In addition, he had lost all his gear along with his bow, his assistant in hunting and self-defence. The only thing he had left was his leather pouch around the lower part of his human torso and the bloody arrow head that Aspen had given him after she had removed it. He opened the pouch to see if he had anything inside but it was empty. He placed the arrow head inside it, intending to make a charm later to remind him of this narrow escape from death.
"I am sorry but I can't feed on your food. Not when your survival depends on it." he declined politely her offer. Winter was coming and he wasn't intending to to consume her food stock although rabbit was one of his favourite types of meat.
"If you don't mind, could you take me to your camp? I can't take food from you but if it is possible, I could use some wood and other resources to make a bow." Thraex wondered if that was fine with her.
"I will return to you everything I will borrow when I will begin to settle down again." he promised her. He had to start all over again. His camp was gone, his alternative shelter was found as well. His stock of food and resources like wood and herbs would have been looted by now by the herd. A bow was going to be his starting point.

 

[Aspen]

Aspen could tell that That he was feeling better when he asked if she had seen any other nomads. "a couple, I've only spoken to one other called Atian. but he stays mainly on the other side of the forest, but i haven't seen him or been in that direction for a while" she said. remembering the pure white male who had made himself a house under an overhang. they had met when they had both been after the same rabbit. rabbit and deer were the prise meet of the forest, birds weren't that bad though didn't have much meat on it. insects were the worst. back in her home sometimes that would be what they had to resort to in the end of winter. healthy but not particularly pleasant or filling. here she had never had to go that far for more than a meal or two which was okay. "seriously take it. I have more than enough to last me winter and it is still good enough to collect more supplies. she said offering him it again. "I've already said that you can come to my camp. and you can stay until you feel better and have everything sorted out again" she said. realising only now that he wasn't carrying much. Even when she was only a short way away from her camp she always had her knife, bow, arrows and a bag of food and other equipment, string, and other stuff.
"this way" she said leading the way between the trees. she walked slowly as she didn't want Tharaex to over exert himself. as they walked she decided to get the conversation going again. "what did you do to annoy the heard so much? she asked he must have sone something bad in order to make them try to kill him.

 

[Thraex]

He was hoping that she would have seen maybe the other two centaurs that left with him the herd. There were three centaurs banished from the herd's lands, one of them was Thraex and after being pursued for days, he got seperated from his companions. It has been a long time since then and there were no signs of them in the surrounding area. The name Atian had no significance to him. Perhaps his companions had got deeper in the forest or maybe moved outside its boundaries. Aspen's words came to confirm his suspections. She was a nomad probably for a longer time than him and she had no reason to really hide like he was doing. If there were other nomadic centaurs around, she would have known.

He was hesitant to take food from another nomad when the end of winter was still months away but starvation was stronger than him. "Thank you so much." it was the least he could say to show his gratitude. He took a bite of the soft flesh just to let his taste buds to remember the taste of food. It was days since he had last fed properly.
"No way." he snapped while chewing.
"I can't stay for long around your camp. If they are still looking for me and they find out that you had helped me, they are going to target you as well." he explained why he was turning down her kindness. He had to venture alone for a while and keep a low profile for his own good. He was going to get what she could offer him and disappear for a while but he was planning to return everything she was going to let him borrow and keep in touch with her. It was a long time since he had socialized with someone of his own kind and it was nice. The only being that was visiting him now and then was young Minoas. A human boy that had made Thraex see humans from a different perspective and give them a chance.
"I saved the human that traspassed their lands." he explained what he did to deserve the menace of the herd.
"I believe you know the human. I recall you calling him in front of the adult humans as your brother." he said with a frown as they had took the way to Aspen's camp.
"How's that possible for a human to be your brother?" he asked curiously as it didn't make any sense to his centauric logic.

 

[Aspen]

Aspen could se that Thaex was thinking of someone specific but she didn't know who and couldn't lie and say they were good when she hadn't met anyone else. when he thanked for for the rabbit she smiled. "I have a few bags of that actually. every time i make a catch i dry half of it" she said. it meant she had less meat to eat during the meal but it meant that when she didn't hunt she still had some. and it was good to snack on. "I know the risks, I was kicked out of my own heard. thats why i am here. you should stay until you are better, then we can work it out from there" she said she had been on the run for days when she had been exiled. she had then decided to go and find her sister so traveling at night across the country. she was lucky to be found by a wizard man who managed to apparate her across the seas to new zealand. "if things get bad we will contact my sister, the last i heard she has lands in australia." she said. there had always been an open offer for her to move there but aspen had said she liked the students that were in this forest, though if it did turn dangerous she knew rowan would let her stay and also a friend. thraex explained how he had met minoas and she nodded understanding.
by the time he asked her about the boy they were at her camp. "I will tell you how that happened once i have dinner ready and this fire going again, do you want some stew she said before he replied she reached two wooden dishes out of a bag and ladled some of the stew that had been cooking all day into them. next she threw a couple more logs on the fire the little flames that were left started them burning and not long later the flames were going again. she handed one over to him and kelt down glad of the flames, it wasn't cold yet but the night drew nearer and that would get cold.
"okay. I dont know quite how herds here work but where i come from families don't work like humans, we have many siblings half of each generation is siblings the other half cousins. they aren't just blood either, some friends are called siblings if they are very close." she said taking a mouth of the stew, in it were several vegetables and roots she had collected as well as the other half of the rabbit they had been eating. "I don't know if you ever met rowan. she was a human who went to school in the castle. she is my sister. adopted into my clan when she was born as she was found in the forest and taken in by one of my mothers" she said. in her heard most of the females were called mothers the rest aunts. she grew up as one of us. when she was eleven though witches came to find her. she got kicked out of the clan for that and sent to the castle. one human and one giant who she became close to, one of them is Minoas. as Minoas became Rowans brother, tradition made him mine as well" she explained. as she finished the last of the small portion

 

[Thraex]

He greedily finished the dried rabbit meat within a matter of seconds. It was a long time since he had tasted something so good.
"That is a nice idea that I will have in mind. I used to carry with my only berries and nuts for snacks. Wit your idea I will be able to have with my meat as well when I will be travelling around." he said thankful for innovation.
He general wasn't really picky on foor nor he was spending a lot of time on cooking. He was just roasting his meet, eating berries, nuts, vegetables and fruits raw.
He decided to not argue further for now about her persistence to make him stay longer with her, putting her life into the line as he was curious to learn why she was banished away of her clan.
"Oh you have been driven away from your tribe as well. I am sorry for that." he said while wondering from where she had came to their forest. He knew that there was only one herd in this forest and he knew pretty well the fifty six members that were remaining part of it. He was sure that Aspen had came from somewhere outside these lands.
"What happened and they banished you?" he didn't want to become judgemental. He just wanted to share experiences with the only centaur he could currently talk with.

The trees soon dispersed in front them to reveal Aspen's camp. Instantly Thraex remembered of his own camp with the wooden shelter he had built after so much work. Now it was probably down on the ground, ashes only reminding of what it used to be standing at the edge of that clearing. Thraex decided not to refuse again this time or he was going to hurt Aspen's good will. Besides, he couldn't resist to a stew made by female hands.
"Yes please." he accepted and settle down to rest a little bit. He was still weak and the trip from the stream to her camp had worn him out. He took the wooden dish from her with the steamy stew brining the mixed smell of vegetables and meat. He held awkwardly the spoon in his tight grip and tried some of the stew. "It tastes divinely." he praised her cooking and took another spoon of his stew. He wasn't used to eating with spoons or forks and that was evident on the way he was wielding his spoon.

It was like the old times when the closest tribemates gathered around the fire at dinner, talking about their day, sharing stories about the forest, the elders and the humans that were dwelling outside their land.
Thraex hadn't met before other centaurs outside the herd and it was interesting to find out that there was different hierarchy and relations between the members of the herd.
"Interesting social structure." he admitted with his mouth full.
"I haven't met Rowan but Minoas is talking all the time about her when he comes to visit him. We share stories and for a human he has some unusual ones to narrate. Did you know that he and your sister were once going to be devoured by acromantulas?" he talked about the story the foal had told him and had impressed him.
"Hard to believe that you had raised a human." he nodded his head. It was hard to accept it even now that he was away from the herd. He was against violence towards human but that didn't mean that he was trusting them enough to raise one of their foals. The young one that was visiting him was different. He had earned his trust for some reason. Maybe because he wasn't treating centaurs as most humans did. He had respect and that have earned Thraex's respect and admiration at the same time.
"So, where are the lands you come from? It seems to me that it was a long journey." he wanted to keep socializing by the fire. Facing his now empty dish, he wondered as well if he could have some more of her delicious stew.

 

[Aspen]

aspen was surprised he hadn't thought of drying the meat and taking it with him. it was what all the herds did where she came from, meat kept you going longer than fruit and lasted longer when there was less food in winter. but then she supposed that there wasn't the same harsh winter here even when there was snow the soil was still soft enough to dig in.and would usually thore every few days.
when he asked her about how she was kicked out from her tribe she blushed. "well we found a good spot for hunting and set up camp it wasn't too far from a human village. i snook off a few times to watch the humans and well it wasn't long before the human children spotted me, and well my tribe may have caught me with one of the human boys" she said. her blush turning redder. she had been caught with a group of human children and been told to stay away, but she had returned to watch and then one of the boys found her. fortunately for her it was a wizard village so the ministry hadn't got involved otherwise they would probably had her head, but the herds punishment was still harsh enough.
she was glad that Thraex was eating the food would be good for him. though she could see the stew wasn't something he was used to. that must have been another northern thing that they didn't have need for here. in winter everything froze so cooking it on the fire was the best way to do it plus the heat helped warm you up. it was odd actually talking to another centaur about the heard and how they did things differently in different places. "I heard about that. it was how they met. It seems like we brought her up well" she said proud of her older sisters daring. "It was before I was born but from what i know the chieftains mate lost a foal then just after that they found a newborn two hoof. they were going to take them to a village but then the she grew attached and well rowan stayed" she said. she saw Thraex had finished his bowl and was staring at the cook pot. "do you want more?" she asked. there wasn't much left but he could have it, she wasn't particularly hungry she poured the rest into his bowl. when he asked where she came from she thought. "I come from a long way away, a place the humans call europe. the part to the east and north" she said. "it was a long walk then i met a wizard family and they managed to get me to new zealand.

 

[Thraex]

Thraex felt his guilt squeezing his throat. His question had brought Aspen into an uncomfortable position, embarassment conspicuous on the blush on her face.
"No reason to feel perplexity for. Maybe I should remind you that I was also kicked out of my herd for similar reason and they weren't as soft as yours." he said and his fingers subconsciously traced the embossed mark of a hoof against his right pec. He was literally kicked out of the herd by the patriarchs. He looked down at his left pec where the arrow was threatening his heart half an hour ago. Dittany had done a good job of healing his wounds but he wondered if it was going to leave him with another scar.
His attention turned back to their conversation. When coming in contact with humans was enough peculiar for the male centaur, raising a human foal was sounding quite abnormal to his ears.

"How can a human possibly keep up with the herd?" was the first question that was born in his mind.
"If our herd was going to find a human foal, our patriarchs would order to either let it die or worse, kill it." he said and he closed his eyes while mentioning the second option. He wasn't agreeing with the ways of the new patriarchs. If it wasn't the young wizard he had helped to be banished from the herd, it was going to be his disobedience against the leaders of the herd. He had showed openly his disagreement on the most of the new laws that were introduced after their old leaders' fall. It was something inevitable but he was glad that he was banished under his own terms and not theirs.
"Oh yes please!" he replied to her offer as he was drawn once more out of his thoughts. Thraex was the kind of centaur that was eating a lot. Energy was needed for hunting especially now that he was hunting alone.
Guilts returned when she poured the rest of her stew in his dish. He was going to make up for it once he was able to hunt again.

Thraex had no idea where was tha place that Aspen was describing but it sounded to be far from this forest.
It sounded like an adventure to him, the way she made her way to their land and to that contributed her fellowship with the humans who helped her with her journey. The most adventurous thing he had done was to cross the edge of the forest when he was still a foal with his friends and brothers. It was a competition, who was brave enough to leave the safety of the forest and step outside its boundaries. Nothing special, just a few meters of the tree lines emerged usually the winner.
"I'm sorry that you stumbled in this forest. I am sure you haven't received the hospitality you were seeking for." his tone was apologetic and somewhat ashamed. His old herd had no respect for outsiders that were always going to be interopers and not welcomed.

"I have never set a hoof outside the shelter of this forest but I would lie if I am going to tell you that I haven't wondered what is outside." he said, finishing his second dish of stew. He was really feeling rejuvenated, a whole different centaur that the one that was hit by an arrow hours ago.
"Humans are so fortunate that they don't realize it. The feel the caress of the sun all the time. They don't have boundaries, they are free to move wherever they want." there was a hint of envy in his voice but not the spiteful kind of jealousy.
"Young Minoas have shared with me some stories from his word. A fair trade for my own ones that come from my herd. He seemed more interest in ours than those of the humans. I guess that is why he enters all the time the forest like other foals of this castle." he told about his number one ally. Minoas was seeking the kind of companionship that Thraex was looking as well after his banishment. The little one had changed Thraex's philosophy about humas when he returned in his camp with food from the castle to help him during harsh winters.
"Although I have heard a lot about your sister, I had never the honor to meet her. How was like to live with a human all the time. I mean, wasn't she a drag when your herd wanted to hunt for instance?" he was curious to learn more of this new perspective he had started adopting about humans.

 

[Aspen]

Aspen smiled when Thraex said that there was nothign ge be ashamed of. he seemed really nice. and she was glad to have met him even if the situation hadnt been the best. "she actually did pretty well running. though when she got slow or tired she females would carry her on their backs as she was light" aspen explained. though being brought u with the heard had made her fast to befin with. "I think rowan was lucky is was shayla who found her, and that she was the cheifs mate and had just lost a foal. any other time ans she would have been left." she said. she knew this to be truem though thankfully they hadnt found anyone else. she was glad they hadnt kllled her, Rowan had bee nthe closest member of the heard to her and that was why her leaving had been hard. "I thought the hospitality was not as bad is i expected. the local heard were ood for leting a trangshi into their forrest when they didnt want to. I wasnt really expecting to be welcomed with open arms" she said using her areas word for outcast, she wasnt sure if it was universal but the way she said it should have made it rather clear what she meant.
As Thaex ate the remaining stew she smiled. it felt good to be with simeone. and have soeone to talk to, and it was good to be able to help someone. she was surprised that he hadnt set hoof out of the forrest. it wasnt the bigest of forests ofr a heard of centaurs. but the local heard was a fixed heard. she had been a member fof a nomadic heard. they had gone where the food was good. "really you should sneek out sometime and have a look" she said she then had an idea. "rowan said that i would be more than welome at her land if I ever wanted to and I am sure she would extend that to a friend. if you want to I can find a way to ask" she said. it may do him well to get away from the heard for a while and she would like to see her sister a bit. ”she lives in Australia near wagga wagga. So she will have to apparatus you if you want to" she said trying to explain.
”yes he does have some amazing stories” she sad careening to his comment on minoas. thinking of the ones he had told her over the last while ”and you really should meet Rowan she is a amazing person” she said. ”hunting wasn’t that bad with a two hoof. Briar could walk almost soundlessly in the woods. And she could get fruits from higher up the tree. “ she said she had a good aim with a bow and arrow too. ”hat is it like here in the herd?” she asked. She may not be local but she liked seeing the new people, and this was no exception she said ass she said. ”plus two hooves make climbing trees easier so she was able to et all the good fruit from the tops of the trees.
[/b]

 

[Thraex]

Thraex kept listening to Aspen's life experience of dwelling with a human like the foal he used to be and listen to their elders' stories. The fire that was burning in front of them and the dancing shadows that it was creating around the camp, was bringing that mystic feeling. His thought lingered a little while on the fact that he as well as Aspen and other centaurs were calling the humans two hooves when they didn't really had any hooves but feet. They were taught things about the humans that proved to be wrong now that he had came in touch with them. Aspen's words were supporting his new opinion about humans that it was slowly forming.
"I've never thought that actually humans could benefit us on our everyday activities." he focused more on the fact that Aspen's old herd had been assisted by the two hoof in order to get food from trees that they couldn't climb.

"They can surely help us in so many ways and we can exchange that with our knowledge for instance. I don't understand why our elders were insisting that we shouldn't come in touch with two hooves, let alone interact with them, learn from them and teach them. I know that people in this castle have their own magic. They could certainly help us when we have food shortage or assist us to confront gytrashes." he referred to a few aspects of a centaur's life that they could use some help from humans. It was the first time he was talking about his idea of human and centaur collaboration. If he had done that when he was still a member of the herd, he would be probably sentenced to death by the new elders who were supporting an offensive stance against two hooves.

Aspen's words about the human that her herd raised where so convincing. It seemed that they had done a great job on bringing up that two hoof that was named Briar Rowan. The human had also offered a new place to live for her centaur sister and yet again she probably had no problem to accomodate to her land other centaurs as well.
"Thank you for this offer but I feel like I'm bound to this forest no matter how much unwanted I am around here." he declined her offer politely. His family was still part of the herd and he couldn't let them alone under the monarchical yoke of the new elders.
Aspen asked how it was like to hunt with the herd and although Thraex hadn't really participated actively, his father had taken him with the hunting group to witness their technique.
"I could describe it more as an operation. The hunters consult the trackers for the whereabouts of the deer herds before marching for the hunt. Each individual in the hunting group has their role, all together working like a well-operating mechanism and depending on the prey and its location they decide the technique they are going to follow." he described summarily the whole process of the herd's hunt.
"My father used to be the diversionist. He used to charge first, making the prey move straight towards the hiding members of the hunting group who deliver the final blow. This technique is used mostly on boars whose thick hide isn't really affected by a couple of arrows and a blow with a spear is needed." he gave her an example of someone's competence in the hunting group and a technique they were using for generations.

Thraex stood up feeling a lot better than when he arrived at Aspen's camp. His hunger was satisfied and there was only on thing left to harness from Aspen's kind hospitality.
"Could I have a look at your wood supplies?" he asked reluctantly. He knew that wood was the most precious resource during winter and he was feeling bad for having to take some of hers. However, survival was number one priority in Thraex's agenda and when he was able to hunt again on his own and build a shelter, he was going to repay Aspen for her favor.