A Series of Stories

The Guardian of the Wood

A few miles west of a town called Anclero lay a sprawling forest. In it lived many creatures, mostly of normal origin... But there were a few that lived there thought only to be myths. Fairy tales.

There was one creature that everyone seemed to speak of. A beast that was half man, half horse. Villagers and travellers spoke of it and warned beings to stay away. That the creature was the guardian of the wood and would kill whoever trespassed the border of trees.

But the stories weren't true. Well... Not exactly. The creature did indeed exist, and was the protector of the forest. But he didn't kill anyone. Not without good reason. This creature... In the myths, it was called a centaur. Hardly harmful unless they wanted to be.

This specific centaur was named Flynn. He was quite peaceful, especially since the legends outside the forest prevented humans from passing the border. He spent his days relaxing near a burbling spring in the center of the wood, sometimes solving matters with nymphs that came along, or just chatting with the woodland creatures. He was what was described as a gentle giant.

On this current day, Flynn was making a perimeter check around the border of the forest, making sure nothing foul had passed through. Of course, it was about as uneventful as every other day. Just the occasional scent of a human wandering close in curiosity and then disappearing, having left due to nerves. Flynn sighed as he finished his patrol and tucked a wood and iron tipped spear against his side, in a sheath that was tied around his back-end.

It was that of a black Clydesdale, tufts of white adorning his lower legs and covering up his hooves, a long, black tail swishing to and fro between his legs. The upper half of his body was that of a human man's torso. A sculpted chest and abdomen like that of marble, a hard yet kind looking face, and muscled arms. He wore no clothing, only leather straps crossing his chest.

His hair was dark as the night sky, if not slightly lighter, and hung down his back in a ponytail (Aha.. Puns...). He had eyes of melted chocolate that seemed to radiate warmth and kindness. But... They could easily turn hard and unforgiving. If provoked.

Flynn tugged a large hand through his hair, pulling a few strands free from their bonds. It was time to head back, to the center of the wood where his home was. It nothing more than a small hut, made of wood and stone. Sighing, the centaur started to walk back into the forest, tlwhere the trees grew closer together. He eventually pushed himself to a trot, then a canter. It'd been a long day...

Maybe one of the nymphs had been kind enough to make him dinner again...

Hello everyone! Cam/Fae here, once again. I decided to add a new little story to this. I might add more to it, I'm not sure yet. If you like it, leave a comment. I'd love to hear any kind feedback.
Thanks for reading
        ~Cam