The Angelus Brothers Chronicles - The Golden Hind

CHAPTER THREE

Kaia woke slowly and stretched as she stood and shook out her coat. She could have sworn Artemis had come to her in her sleep and told her Heracles was here and she was safer in her human form. She thought about being a girl and her body shifted into that form again. Putting down her bow she pulled a chiton from a nearby tree where it hung and dressed herself before pulling her bow over her shoulder so it nestled itself across her chest. Finally, she pulled on a pair of sandals. She had stolen quite a few dresses and sandals as since when she changed she usually forgot to reclaim the shed clothes. While she missed her sisters terribly and felt deeply lonely, she kind of enjoyed this new dual existence. She soon found that as long as she kept her horns hidden either by tying fabric about her head to cover them or brushing her hair forward she could go among the humans, which made it easier to take what she needed.

Grabbing a long red scarf from another nearby branch she tied it over her horns, leaving its lengths to fall down her back. Lastly, she fastened a red fabric belt about her waist and set off from her thicket home. Kaia would go to Ceryneia and see if it had been just a dream or if the goddess had come to her and warned her. Taking off at a run she covered the miles to the village in a short time thanks to her keeping her swiftness of foot in whatever form she took.

There was much excitement in the village, people rushed about joyously and children sang and danced in the streets. She watched from the outskirts moving silently and remaining unnoticed until a child spoke to her.

"Have you come to see Heracles?" Kaia jumped and looked down at the girl who was standing next to her silently looking up. "You're really pretty." She said and gave her a big toothless grin.

"Uh, thank you." She'd never spoken to a human before and wasn't sure how to react to one of their offspring.

"Lots of people have come from other villages, you should come to see him." Kaia smiled awkwardly at the girl.

"I can see him from here thank you, child." The girl just stood staring at her making Kaia feel more and more uncomfortable. As she was about to move away a woman came running up.

"Agata, how many times do I have to tell you not to run off?" The girl's mother stopped short as she saw Kaia standing back in the shadows.

"Oh, hello, did you come to see Heracles?" Leaning forward she grabbed her daughter's hand.

"I was passing and saw a commotion so I paused to see what it was." Lied Kaia.

"You should come meet him, he's so wonderful. He's going to save us from the hind." She forced a small smile.

"No, I won't disturb anyone. I'm just passing through." With that, she started away from the village. She was furious, save them from the hind. They had hunted her and her sisters shunned them and cut down their forest home. But they needed saving from the peaceful hinds. She would concede they did steal wine from the village, but the villagers never asked before cutting down their trees to clear space for their grape vines and to build their homes. They just took the land as if they were entitled to it just by virtue of being human. The hinds had been here long before the humans, just like the fauns and nymphs that had been driven out of their forest homes by Zeus' favourites, the selfish and arrogant humans.

Back at her clearing, she looked about her, if it had been the goddess in her dreams she wasn't safe to turn back to her doe form. How did humans live without grasses and mosses to eat and a fur coat to keep them warm at night? Sitting down with her legs crossed she pulled some lichen from a nearby tree and began to chew on it. It was easier to pull off as a human but tasted far better as a doe.

Heracles glanced up, he'd had the strangest feeling. As if someone had walked across his grave or spiders had crawled up his spine. Looking around he noticed a woman with long golden-brown hair striding quickly from the village. For a moment he couldn't look away from her retreating form. As she reached the tree line and disappeared he shook his head wondering what about her caught his attention and turned it back to the adoring villagers around him. Artemis glowered at Apollo.

"What exactly did you think you were doing?"

"I didn't do anything." He said eyes wide with an exaggerated innocent look on his face.

"You didn't send that chill over him so he would look up and see her?" The goddess folded her arms and glared at her twin.

"I was just playing."

"Well don't, I want her to have a chance and the more she studies him the better. I don't want him seeing her till she's ready."

"Don't tell me you're fond of the little doe sister."

"Of course not!" She narrowed her eyes at him angrily. "I have set my plan in motion and I don't want you wrecking it. I said you could come watch. Not that you could come to cause mischief." He laughed and waved his hand in the air dismissively.

"Nothing wrong with wanting a playmate sister. Anyway, I have things to do." With that, he flashed out of sight. The goddess balled her fists and angrily watched Heracles fawn and flirt with the village girls before vanishing herself.

An elderly woman dressed in a floor-length brown cloak with a huge hood pulled low over her face and leaning heavily on a stick made her way through the crowd and walked past Heracles giving him an unimpressed look as she continued past the hero.

"Too busy finding someone to warm your bed to go after the hind."

"What did you say, old woman?" Heracles gave her a shocked look, he didn't remember anyone ever speaking to him like that. She kept walking as if he hadn't spoken to her. Several in the crowd called after her telling her to mind her own business and to go away. But a few began to murmur that he'd been there for days and had yet to even try and look for the hind. He looked about the crowd then back to the old woman who was nearing a small cluster of huts.

"I have spent my time here with you so far asking all of you for your knowledge of the hind. The information you have provided me has been completely indispensable. I feel I am now ready to go and hunt the hind at daybreak tomorrow." He held his breath until the people around him began to cheer, breathing a sigh of relief he put his arm around the shoulder of a pretty brunette and whispered in her ear. As she giggled he glanced casually over to where the old woman had been but there was no sign of her.

Moving around the corner of the nearest hut the old woman picked up her pace and darted behind another hut. Glancing about her she threw off her cloak and straightened as her body grew to its usual 10 feet of height and her stringy grey hair shortened and curled as it turned to golden blonde. Apollo smiled to himself as he listened to Heracles announcement and the crowd's cheers. It had been days since his half-brother had arrived at the village and the god had grown bored of watching him eat, drink and fornicate.

"There we go sister dear, now things should get interesting." With the smug smile still on his face, he vanished.