The Fort: Lions first roar

Chapter Ten

He loved the forest in the morning. When the sunshine had chased the mist away it was free to warm up the ground again. He experienced the woods different from his friends. While they saw a beautiful landscape, he was a part of it.

He galloped through the forest, loved the feeling of uneven soil under his hooves. It was just in the daybreak when half of the forest creatures woke up, and half of the hideaway. He saw goblins and night pixies together with owls and bats flee the sun, while fairies, dryads, songbirds, and all other animals said welcome to the new day.

As he walked, he came across a grove filled with cherry blossoms. Though it was in the beginning of the summers, the dryads loved their pink spring vesture. They came out and smiled at him, giggled, and floated around. He smiled back.

"Maladies," he said. "I hope I didn't disturb you."

They giggled even more and flew around him, made the petals get stuck in his hair and on his clothes. He was almost covered in them when he got away.

When he tried to brush off his new look, he heard something. Just a whiz in the trees, but it really wasn't. You could have mistaken her for a shadow or a wind, but the female creature that came walking up to him was neither of does. She was something between a nymph and the lady of the woods, with the skin and grace of a fairy together with deer's big black eyes and small antlers. She smiled like a bird.

"Did the dryads caught you again?"

"By the looks of it," she laughed like a bird, too.

"I like you in pink" she tousled his hair and jumped upon his back. She was doubtless the only person in the world that had the permission to sit upon a centaur's back just as she pleased. "Where are we off to?"

"I thought about a place. You'll see when we get there" he started to walk.

"How's my brother doing?"

"Aeric is fine. One of the best fighters, together with Cae and Hal."

"And you"

"And me" he smiled. "What have you been up to?"

"Right now things are calm here. But sometimes I get a chill."

Talking to Saga you had to deal with her sixth sense and her strong connection with nature. Though Talroze was used to it, she could sometimes surprise him. Like now. "Chill? What kind of chill?"

"I don't know. They come so quickly and are gone so soon like I sometimes think I imagined it. And..." she lowered her voice and leaned closer to his ear. "I've heard whispers. From the Oak and the Maple and the Pine. They're whispering about the need of a queen."

The regent of the forest was always a queen, no matter the gender. "Queen? Now? Why? It has been peace for ages." Queens were only chosen in great needs of one. Like when something threatens the woods or the mortals fought great wars.

"As I said, I don't know. But maybe I get chills for a reason."

They had now reached his goal. It was a meadow with high grass, deep into the forest. Very few mortals could find their way here, and that was the reason he loved it. Saga jumped down and laughed. He laughed too and chased her, out in the grass. She flew rather than ran and he galloped after her. It was a wild and free feeling, far away from stonewalls and mud. It was only them there, no-one to judge. He neighed and she laughed, jumped high, and slipped in between his hooves. He laid down on the ground, laughing. She hugged him from behind as they watched the clouds in the sky.

"Don't you miss this?"

"More then you could know," he said. Centaurs weren't built to live in cities for a longer time. And even though he loved his friends and owed Gimlon half his life, he missed Saga terribly.

"How long can you stay?"

"Whole honest I should probably head back" Saga's big eyes looked woeful when he stood up. "Why won't you pay us a visit?"

"Now?"

"Yeah. I think Owena and Lizzie would be mad of joy." She smiled.

"Well, because I'm such a humble young dryad, I'm prepared to do a little sacrifice for my mortal friends" she jumped up on his back. "Forward!"

"As you wish." he reared before setting off, back to the Fort.