Cain
Centaur Foal
Posts: 49
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Post by Cain on Mar 5, 2006 2:57:37 GMT
Cain stood middle the Forbidden Forest, crying softly. He was a young centaur, still having his soft baby coat rather than the longer, coarser coat of his fathers. He was a soft grey-blue, with sharp black hooves and grey eyes which, at the moment, were red from his tears. He was quite lost.
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Post by Apronia Silvanus on Mar 5, 2006 3:02:58 GMT
Apronia almost crashed into the young centaur, concealed as he was by the shadows. She quickly stepped away, aware that centaurs were quite possibly as proud and touchy as she was, and bowed slightly, even though from the looks of it he couldn't be more than three years old. The centaurs learned to use their bows early.
"Hello?" she said tentatively.
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Cain
Centaur Foal
Posts: 49
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Post by Cain on Mar 5, 2006 3:05:05 GMT
Cain gasped softly, retreating backwards further into the trees. He should have heard the human coming... "Who...who are you?" he stammered "Please don't hurt me..."
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Post by Apronia Silvanus on Mar 5, 2006 3:19:41 GMT
She knelt down, the top of her head coming up just to where his human torso met his broad back, knowing that kneeling was an ancient centaurian sign of submission, hoping it would reassure him. She could hear her old professor in her head, "If your plan is not to dominate and control the centaur, you must make him believe that you are harmless to him and his herd..." but of course that was years ago.
"I will not harm you." she said softly. "My name is Apronia, I work at Hogwarts, I'm the gameskeeper. It is my duty to keep the students," and even some of the faculty, she thought wryly to herself, "from disturbing the forest. What is your name?"
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Cain
Centaur Foal
Posts: 49
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Post by Cain on Mar 5, 2006 3:25:43 GMT
Cain froze for a moment at the human's proximity, then, recognizing a comfortingly familiar gesture, he collapsed, four legs under him, into her arms. "I'm Cain!" he squeeked. "I'm... all alone." He sniffed, reaching up a delicate hand to rub his eyes. "They didn't want me anymore... my herd... they stamped all over my momma and poppa and made me leave..."
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Post by Apronia Silvanus on Mar 5, 2006 3:38:44 GMT
Her arms closed around Cain and she narrowed her eyes. "O, little one, don't be afraid. No one can stomp on you now." Cain wasn't an animal, but young as he was, and the traces of horse still in the centaur psyche, she could feel the strange affinity she'd always had with animals developing between them. "What shall I do with you, piccolo?"
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Cain
Centaur Foal
Posts: 49
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Post by Cain on Mar 5, 2006 3:42:40 GMT
Cain looked up at Apronia, grey eyes wide. He giggled softly. "Hehe... Piccolo... I like that." he nodded, as if making a decision. "I like you! Can I come with you? To Hogwarts? I always wanted to play with the wizard children but the big ones don't like 'em...Please, lady, please! I don't have anywheres else to go..." He sniffled forlornly.
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Post by Apronia Silvanus on Mar 5, 2006 3:50:09 GMT
Apronia drew away to look at Cain's face. "Cain, you must understand, we're humans. If I simply brought you back to Hogwarts, people would accuse me of abducting young centaurs. At the very least, the centaurs of this forest must know where you have gone."
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Cain
Centaur Foal
Posts: 49
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Post by Cain on Mar 5, 2006 3:56:01 GMT
Cain immediatly began sobbing again, pulling away from Apronia, large eyes searching wildly for somewhere to run. "Noooo!" He wailed. "They'd hurt me like Momma and Poppa. Noooo!" He ran in a random direction, in his hurry tripping over a tree root and falling over in a heap. "Ow..." he whispered softly, beyond tears.
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Post by Apronia Silvanus on Mar 5, 2006 4:03:46 GMT
Cursing, Apronia followed Cain as rapidly as her silly two legs allowed, muttering a quiet Lumos so she wouldn't fall. She almost chuckled as she saw Cain picking himself off the forest floor.
"Oh piccolo, I'm not going to make you face them. Why don't we go to the stables, and I'll clean out a nice paddock for you, and leave the door open, and I'll go talk to the centaurs alone? I can try to find someone to stay with you while I'm gone?" She put an arm around his shoulders and wiped away the tears on his face with her right hand.
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Cain
Centaur Foal
Posts: 49
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Post by Cain on Mar 5, 2006 4:09:47 GMT
"Okay..." he sniffled, brushing the dirt off of his knees. "We can go out of the forest? It's so much bigger and darker when you aren't in a big group..." He stood up to his full height; he reached nearly Apronia's height, but probably would have been about mid-torso on an averagly sized person. "Which way?" He asked, peering through the darkness.
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Post by Apronia Silvanus on Mar 5, 2006 4:15:18 GMT
"Yes, let's leave." She kept close to Cain, her weak Lumos making the darkness seem more oppressive as the headed down the path, making for the paddock near the lake.
(OOC: moving to new thread in Lake)
Apronia carefully reenters the Forbidden Forest, seeking the centaurs. She approaches the clearing with trepidation. Give Cain's account, it sounds as if at least one of the herds had be shaken by turmoil, and an edgy centaur shoots first and tells your fortune later. "Greetings!" she shouts to the empty trees.
The first and only sign of their arrival is a soft shuffling to her left. Apronia turns to face the three centaurs that had chosen to show themelves. They remain silent while the surronding brush sways with the low currency of wind.
She turns to face the whispering shift of centaur feet, bowing again and carefully displaying her empty hands. The first time she'd entered the forest, she'd had one of her giant bows on her back. Now she knows better, and the heavy bruising on her ribs makes sure she doesn't forget.
" I am Dr. Apronia Silvanus, Gameskeeper of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You are the leader of the herd containing a young Cain?"
"We are the herd that once held a Cain." the centaur declaims in a coarse montone that gives no impression of welcome or invitation, his fore legs shuffling a step and back again." I am leader" He does not blink, nor his companions.
Apronia scratches her head nervously. "Eh, may I then ask what a 3 year old could have done to deserve exile?" She presses "Why have you killed two of your own?"
"Interlopers. Half breeds in our midsts? Infidels reading the language of our skies. Our stars tell us of one in our midst, in the castle. It is close." The accompanying centaurs whine in a low mourning chorus. "There is another! There is another!" The largest of the three steps forward, "They saw him. They saw him and did nothing." His fellows echo the decree, "traitors" they cry.
She frowns. "I can assure you there is no other centaur within Hogwarts's walls. Unless you are suggesting that a centaur can shapeshift..." she trails off, hoping she has not offended him. There is still the matter of Cain to address.
"Do you tell us the stars lie?" he roars, stepping forward hastily, standing over the diminutive Apronia. "Do you tell us our eyes do not see? Our eyes see! He walks on two legs amongst you, divulging the celestial dialogue. They saw him! We have seen him. What do you see? He is among you."
Apronia falls to the ground beneath his hooves, glittering with moonlight. "I did not say you lie! But how can a centaur walk on two legs? And how is this the fault of a mere colt?"
"Their blood is bad. What is to be done of Cain. Cain is gone, the blood is bad." He sniffs dismissively rearing up on two legs and pulling back. "Do no trust his sight, the one among you walks with our blood and our side, he is half. He is half and lesser for it. We would kill him ourselves if our arrows could fly as far as we should see. He stands in the tower, eyes upon the sky and violates the grace of our heavens." They pause looking up and begin to retreat as if only as an after thought, wordlessly and silent as they had arrived. "His sight lies," the smallest one calls out from behind her.
The brush blows in their absence, Apronia stands. "Wait!" she calls out forlornly, "What should I do with Cain?" There is silence. "At least tell me what you eat!"
She is alone. "Crepi." she says petulantly, turning homeward.
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Post by Prof. Eithne l'Keitha on Mar 5, 2006 7:05:00 GMT
"Prof. Silvanus!" Pref. l'Keitha called out across the stretch from the gameskeeper's house to the Forbidden Forest.
Prof. Silvanus strode towards her, shaking her head, "They don't want him back." The two of them headed back to the castle, discussing what the centaurs had told prof. silvanus. "And now there's the prospect of some wild goose chase for a centaur in disuise... You don't suppose there is a centaur in some sort of reverse animagus form as a human?"
Prof. l'Keitha furrowed her brow. "I have never heard of such a case, but it could happen. However, I doubt any centaur would bother transforming or taking a polyjuice potion... too 'earthly' and mundane for them?"
The other professor shrugged. "Well I guess we should keep an eye out for anyone who has his or her head in the clouds a bit too often. But in the meanwhile, let's get some food - we've been about all night!"
Alas, it was no time for rest or a quick pumpkin juice before bed. The scene that greeted them in the great hall was indeed a lot of nuts hitting the metaphoric fan...
[OOC: cont. The Great Hall :: And the nuts-ith hath hit-eth the fan]
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