The Ancients

[-Cein-Isles-]

The weather took a turn for the worst and the skies filled with the bodies of a thousand dark grey clouds. A flash of lightning lit up the crumbling mountains like a struck match and revealed every shadowy nook and cranny, scaring birds from their nests and frightening animals to burrow deeper into their earthy dens. The dark green leaves of the sprawled greenery upon the mountainside reflected the flash and shuddered with the breath of the coming storm. Soon afterwards, the replying rumble of thunder rolled throughout the land and answered the flash of lightning as if agreeing to let the conserved droplets of rain fall from the lofty heavens. And so, with the consent of the lightning and thunder, it began to rain.

"Come on, we must hurry! They’re close on our trail!"

Through the dense forest, under canopy and over roots, ran a caravan of strange shaped creatures. Their raspy breath came in and out of their mouths as if they had been running for a long time and some hiccupped and gasped like they were crying. Hands linked with hands, legs stumbled together, and all in all they breathed in unison and blurred together as they shed the same tears.

They were taurs. Creatures that were constructed of half beast and half human by some strange unknown force…And they were being hunted. Ever since they made contact with humans, they had been hated and driven out, slaughtered and eaten for their strange meat, coats, and horns. The humans had turned their fear of the taurs into a sickening game of killing. Whenever the taurs attempted to protect themselves and revolt against the humans, they’d be killed in larger numbers and even sometimes entire villages were wiped out in one massive massacre. Already the unitaurs were lost in a bloodbath, the mer people and other kin were driven back into the oceans, the cattaurs, foxtaurs, and wolftaurs had taken to traveling the seas in hopes of new lands and now the other land based taurs were being driven into the sacred Elderach Mountains where people have ventured and never returned. Today was the day that the human’s killing escalated to the final level and they strove for full elimination of the taur kind.  

[-Cein-Isles-]

Luckily enough, three young taurs overheard the men as they planned their assault in the forest. Two of the taurs were brother cervitaurs. Twins, actually. Their names were Bardiel and Yurkemi and they were so close that they talked in unison or one after another. The third and oldest centaur was named Tabris, a free spirited young lad with leadership qualities. The poor starving things had been searching for berries and things to eat when they stumbled too near to a village and had to hide in the bushes under the window of a hut as a man passed by. That’s when they heard it: the plan to murder all remaining villages with a half hundred strong. Upon hearing the plot, Bardiel and Yukemi burst simultaneously into crystal tears. Tabris, on the other hand, furrowed his brows together in disgust and took the twins by the hands, leading them up and out of their hiding place in the bushes. They had run without stop (except for the occasional stumble) back home to the taur village of Musilone which resided upon the northern outskirts of Meith Foraois, just three miles away from the nearest human settlement. Upon reaching the safety of their village borders, they burst into the elder’s home and spouted out the frightful news. Upon hearing their doom, the elders burst into action.

"Sound the alarm!" They cried, "Take nothing but the necessities! Everyone must abandon this village and head for the Elderach Range!"

"But that is sacred ground!" Objected the other adults in fright.

"Exactly," Sneered the elders, "The humans will never enter there. We will be safe there; it’s just the matter of the journey and our speed. So that’s why everyone must leave now and head south! Everyone must stay together! We’ll send out scouts ahead to scout out a path and lead us safely. We know of a pass…Haven’s Gate. That will be our first destination."

With simple instructions, the three boys who bore the first alarm were sent out to bear the second. Quickly, they raced into each hut and home and relayed the information to each and every family and couple. In a little less than half an hour, all the homes were evacuated and set aflame in the dying light of the dusk and coming of the storm. They couldn’t let the humans steal away with their valuables or take their memories. Their memories with perish in flame and remain in the hearts of those who lived there. Now they were traveling with the speed and legs of frightened souls into the depths of Nivae’s Forest.  

[-Cein-Isles-]

Tabris stumbled along the back of the caravan of taurs, accompanied by the twins with small parcels flung over their shoulders as he ran in front of their parents in the growing dark of the forest. Leaves and branches reached down like arms, trying to scratch at them with their scraggly fingers and keep them from fleeing the dreadful grasp of the humans. They were running behind the troop because they were the last ones to leave. After all, it was they who spent their precious time and alarmed the entire village instead of going to their own homes alarming them and retrieving their own valuables. Shouts of urging echoed all around them in the shadows of the leaning trees as taurs strove to keep the troop moving and the hopes of the families alive. After all, they were running for their lives.
Bardiel and Yurkemi were running along in front of Tabris, their cloven hooves hitting the earth, their breath, and the swing of their arms were all in perfect unison. Tabris blinked as he watched the twins and was startled from his concentration as he heard the sudden twangs of several bows in the distance behind him. Fear exploded in the boys hearts, dreading that the sharp arrowheads would find their mark in their unprotected backs.

They cringed themselves in pain, clenching their fists tightly and bearing themselves for the dreadful sting. Sudden shrieks of pain exploded from behind him and the three boys all looked back in terror as their parents lunged forward with arrow heads bursting from their chests with blossoms of crimson blood. Their legs bent in front of them and the parents of both the twins and Tabris fell forward like fallen trees, grasping wildly at their chests.

Bardiel, Yurkemi, and Tabris felt as if caught in a moment of slow motion as they unwillingly watched the blood drain from their beloved parent’s faces and the mists of death cloud their once bright and loving eyes. The threesome reached back with failing arms and slammed their stiff legs into the ground to try and turn in the slippery mud of the forest path but to no avail. Arms from in front of them reached back and enclosed around the squirming children.  

[-Cein-Isles-]

"No!" Screamed Tabris as he reached back through the arms of the other adult taurs, "Mum! Dad! No!"

"You mustn’t get in their range of fire! You’re parents are gone; they can’t come back! Come on and save yourselves! Go! Move!" The arms around them pushed the boys forward in front of the many adult taurs surrounding the back with bows and shields. Trampling legs threatened hurt and so they forced the boy’s legs to run from the horrible scene. The rain pounded hard on them and blinded their already tear filled eyes as they blindly stumbled forward along the muddy path. They fought against the arms pushing them forward along the trail and craned their necks back to glimpse at their parents fallen in the mud. They were still, unmoving as they laid in the wet earth with arrow shafts producing from their soaked bodies.

"M-mother!" Bardiel sobbed.

"Fath-ther!" Completed the blubbering Yurkemi.
One of the adult taurs running next to them turned her head in the dark and managed a smile, trying to cheer them up, "Shh, shh, little ones. They’ll be able to hear you if you keep crying out like that. One of the archers that have gone to defend the caravan rear has just informed me that we’re almost to Haven’s Gate. We’re only a mile or so away." Her eyes sparkled at them with tears like stars in the distant sky.

"B-But…What-"

"About our-"

"Mothers and-"

"F-Fathers?" Asked the weeping twins as they stumbled next to their young centaur friend.

"We’ll worry about that later," Replied Tabris with an unusual maturity as he rushed onward through the dark forest. "We have to get to safety before we decide anything." Tabris galloped along beside them, listening hard to the bow twangs behind them and dying cries of both humans and taurs alike. The cries bore themselves deep into his heart and Tabris fought hard to keep his tears locked up inside. His mother and father, his only family, were gone in a span of several moments. But now, that sorrow seemed far behind. His main focus now was to protect his two best friends. Little did he know, the twins were thinking the same. They had despaired for their parents with several heart felt tears but now their grief was over. They had turned their attention to running for their lives and protecting their kindred.
They would extract their revenge. But at that time, they did not know how or what sacrifices they would have to make to retrieve it.