Chapter 93: Bonus 14

The sun set and covered the barren meadows of the steppe in orange light. The huts of the small village seemed lonely in the wide landscape. Centaurs were nomads. Their huts were nothing more than stable tents in which often large families lived together in a confined space.

Of course, there were also some permanent villages. But these were often on the edge of the steppe, close to the adjacent forests, and were inhabited by humans. A single river ran through the country, which reached into the mountains of the dragons and whose source was in the marshland. At the edge of the forest, the river nourished some streams that did not reach into the vast steppe where people settled. There were also small settlements of elves and werewolves. Some lived with the humans. On the banks of the river, where no humans, elves, or werewolves lived, the steppe was at its liveliest. There were tall bushes, juicy grasses, and flowers of all shapes and colors. The village was not far from the river. A few teenagers sat on its shore. The three centaurs lay in the tall grass and looked at the clouds. In doing so, they tried to recognize forms. Kalle, who at nineteen was the oldest of the group, had just discovered a cloud that looked like a star. His best friend Aurel, who was two years younger, was thrilled with the find, as he himself had discovered a moon cloud. His twelve-year-old sister Amarillis trotted along the riverbank and challenged the two boys to a water fight. The two of them didn't feel like it.

"Then at least you should join me, Flordelis!", the girl called out to the one other girl in the group.

Flordelis groaned. "Why did your sister come with us again?"

Aurel sighed. "She complained to Mom that I didn't want to take her with me. Well, now I had to. Little pest!"

Flordelis was sixteen years old and had long, blond hair, while her horse-like body was black, in contrast to her pale skin. Aurel, just like Kalle, thought she was pretty. But neither boy had dared to tell her yet. Aurel and Kalle both had brown hair. Their horses' bodies were also brown. They looked alike, almost like twins, although they were not related. At least that's what their parents claimed. The adults in their tribe weren't so sure.

Amarillis was now soaking wet. Her black hair clung to her and her brown horse's body gleamed. "I'm bored! I want to play with you! Mom told you to play with me!", she grumbled angrily. "But you just sit there and stare at the sky."

"You could look for figures in the clouds with us", her brother suggested.

"That's boring!" The twelve-year-old pouted. "You never do what I want! Now, come on! A water fight!"

"As wet as you are, you don't need a water fight anymore", Kalle remarked, amused. "Maybe you should get out of the water before you catch a cold. It's autumn!"

"I'm not cold!" Even the clothes Amarillis wore on her human torso were soaked. She was more reminiscent of a kelpie than a young centaur. Her brother suspected that she was actually one. Kelpies lived far away. Far beyond the desert of dragons. But there should also be some in the swampy waters of the vampires.

Suddenly, they heard a loud scream. Frightened, the little girl galloped out of the water to the other teenagers. "What was that?", she asked.

"A dragon", Kalle replied. His gaze crossed the sky. "There!" He had spotted a shadow between the clouds and pointed to it. The other three centaurs looked up.

"Where does it want to go?" Amarillis stared spellbound at the shadow.

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"In that direction lies the swampland", Flordelis answered the question. "What does it want at the swamps? No dragons are living there."

"As far as we know", Aurel murmured.

"Maybe the dragon has friends there!" Amarillis grinned. "Or he's going on a trip? Like we did with dad the other day? When he took us to one of the human villages? To exchange jewelry for vegetables?"

"Your father shouldn't deal with humans", Kalle snorted. "They are intruders. They should be grateful that they are allowed to live here!"

"Don’t be stubborn, Kalle!" Flordelis snorted and threw a tuft of grass at him, which landed on his head. "They've been living here almost as long as we have! In addition, they do not get so far into the steppe. The land is too barren here."

"My father says other tribes treat humans differently!" Kalle wiped the grass out of his hair. "He says we're too peaceful. If we are not careful, they will eventually try to drive us away! Or worse!"

"Your father sees ghosts!", murmured Aurel.

"Am I? Elves and werewolves are enslaved by humans! That's what Dad told me! What if they try to do that with us?" Now Kalle was upset.

"No, that are the witches and they don't exist here", Flordelis objected. "And what should humans do against us? We are stronger and faster than them. And we live longer. How long do humans live? Eighty years? We can live up to four hundred! And manipulate their will. So what are they supposed to do to us?"

Centaurs were feared by many humans. Those who lived on the edge of the forest were refugees who wanted to escape the Queen's rule. Just like the elves and werewolves. Centaurs were considered relentless and dangerous. An adult centaur could subject the will of several people to his will at the same time. Also the will of other centaurs. They were not all equally strong. The strength varied. The strongest were the leaders of their tribes. If there was a dispute between two tribes, and this could not be easily resolved, the leaders competed mentally against each other. The winner of the dispute was who broke the will of the other and thus forced them to give up.

Children and adolescents were not yet able to manipulate the will of others and they were still immune to it. The ability awakened, between their fiftieth and hundredth year of age, when they were considered adults. In the tribe itself, it was forbidden to manipulate the will of others. The young adults used competitions to train their gifts and once they were fully grown, to maintain their rank in the tribe. The more talented a centaur was the higher his reputation. All adults took part in these competitions. The young fight for their place or to learn and the older ones to keep their place. As soon as the talent awakened, the young were allowed to practice with their parents and friends. This was not considered official manipulation, as it was a mutually agreed upon. The four youngsters could hardly wait to take part in the competitions, even if they had to wait many years for that.

"I don't see the dragon anymore", Amarillis lamented. The sun had set and a cold wind was blowing. The little girl was shaking a little. Her wet clothes did not improve the situation in the slightest. She was freezing.

"Let's go home", Aurel suggested.

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