1 Exiled

In the deep woods just outside of Rorke, a creature can be found running from something unknown. the clacking of hooves resounded throughout the dense vegetation, echoing off trees and rocks. The snapping of twigs and crunches of leaves alerting the nearby wildlife to get out of the way. The screams of men and women could be heard over all, screams if battle and anger. one would assume there were knights on horses engaging in a chase, but when the creature came into the clearing...it was a Centaur!

The Centaur was running with all his might, the muscles in his legs and flank tensing with each step. His powerful legs sending him forward at breakneck speeds. Why the Centaur was running so fast was a question that could be answered by looking further behind him. It was then, that you could see a massive cluster of centaurs giving chase. They all had weapons at the ready; battle axes, war maces, bow and arrows, flails, war clubs, and short swords. What the Centaur did to deserve this was unknown, but one could clearly see that he fucked up. Along with their weapons, the centaurs had on some light armor. All this was the same for the Centaur on the run except, his weapon of choice was a fairly large war axe.

This war axe, which measured 13ft in length and weighed approximately 135lbs, had the ability to chop down trees with one blow. The head of the axe extended 3ft from the shaft and was 5ft from point to point. The blade was sharp to the point that if you were to touch it, you risked losing the tip of your finger. The axe has been known to be able to cut cleanly through steel. The head of the axe has engravings on it that would help identify the owner of the axe. There were engravings if personal accomplishments, family accomplishments, personal choices that the wielder chose and their name. Along with this it had gemstones such as rubies, emeralds, topaz, obsidian, and even traces of gold embedded to the head and shaft. The name plate that was embroided with obsidian at the top of the shaft read Jack!

Still on the run, the Centaur presumed to be Jack, was nearing the edge of the woods. tradition states that if a centaur were to leave the woods, they would never be able to return. As Jack neared the wood line, rays of sun could be seen shining through. The streams of light lit up the dark woods that which Jack called home. The dense woods were blanketed by a thick layer of treetop vegetation which kept the woods nearly pitch black during all seasons except winter. The ground was covered by lilacs, Roses, Tulips, Daisy's and any kind of flower someone could dream of. This showed the beautiful side of the woods, that which Jack could not view. As quickly as he arrived to the wood line, he had left the woods completely, never to return.

The grass outside the woods felt different, smelled different and even looked different! Jack, looking down, was entranced by the soft green mixed with the occasional dandelion. Every breath he took was unfamiliar, the smell was that of fresh rain. It was softer than he was used to, he could feel the soft dirt under his hardened hooves. The warmth from the sunshine soothed his skin, it calmed him down, the calmest he'd ever been. The sun reflected off of his axe, showing it's battle worn shaft, normally hidden in the darkness. Jack had been standing still just out of range from the archers without even realizing it. Realizing he was safe he turned to face his old home. There, he could see the faint silhouettes of his old friends, and he felt a sharp pain in his heart, knowing that they could no longer be as such. "Farewell, old friends..."

Mere moments seemed to last ages. Before long, the shadows receded back into the darkness. Jack, finally accepting his future, turned around and continued on his new journey. It was at this point that he realized how different the light really was outside the woods. His eyes had yet to adapt to the new levels, and he was nearly blind. The light shone off his iron chest plate, illuminating his physique. All centaur armor was fitted specifically to the centaur who wore it. If they changed, they would need to be refit.

Once Jack's eyes were adjusted to his new environment, he was awestruck. What he saw was unlike anything he could ever imagine. There were hills littered with flowers, fields as far as the eye could see, unknown animals, and best of all, a luxurious castle off in the distance. Jack was at a slow trot as he made his way through the scenery. There were huts made out of baked clay, and larger huts that held medium sized creatures with black splotches on their hide. Small link hogs without the tusks, short and fat parrots that were so stupid they pecked at the ground. All this was brand new to Jack and fascinated him, but what caught his eyes the most, were the centaurs without their hind legs. Their legs also matched the rest of their body. The clothing they wore was also very different than that of the centaurs. They seemed to be considerably smaller than the centaurs as well.

These creatures didn't notice Jack at first. Most of them were either tending to the fields, caring for the animals, or washing their clothing. Some even tended to smaller versions of themselves, in fact, one of the small ones was the first to see him. The small one let out a horrific war cry, but instead of charging at Jack...it retreated to the arms of a larger one. This seemed to alarm the larger ones and in a blink of an eye, Jack was being surrounded by an angry mob. They held tridents that they pulled from piles of dried grass. This in turn, made Jack brandish his mighty war axe in self defense.

"I just want to pass through, I mean you all no harm!" Jack spoke in a deep raspy voice, one stained from bloodshed and sorrow. One would assume he was an old knight who fought countless battles in the name of honor.

"It's a Centaur! Get him! He'll fetch a mighty price from the prince!" The villagers were yelling to each other, yelling in words that Jack could understand? It was unusual for two different species to speak the exact same language. He didn't know who this "prince" person was, but judging by the tone and manner in which they spoke, it was a powerful person.

"Remember, we can't kill him, we take him alive so that the prince can have his fun! Maybe even the princess as well!" Hearing the villagers speak more about the "prince" and thus new "princess" made Jack slightly nervous. He tightened his grip, getting ready to retaliate at any given notice. He regained composure, remembering his training from his old home.

"If at all possible, a fight is preventable by a cheap shot, that cheap shot is no longer a cheap shot!" Those were the words spoken to Jack by his late trainer and father. One attack would be all Jack needed to stop the fight and make a swift exit. "The Mighty Wind" is what it's called. It makes use if the heavy weight if the axe, combined with the massive strength of Jack. Only the strongest ot centaurs have been able to successfully execute the attack.

Jack grasped his axe at the heel and cooked it back, shoulders and arms, gathering strength got his next attack. Then, in one powerful burst of strength, swung the axe horizontally in front of himself. This created an intense wave of pressure hurting towards his assailants. The wave, was visible to the eye and sent the villages flying backwards to the ground.

Jack stood there, waiting for their next move, planning his own next move. The villagers, who were slowly getting up, were groaning and coughing. That move usually knocks the wind out of people so it was surprising that they got up so quickly. As they hit the ground, a big cloud of dust flew into the air and was still lingering at the time. All of a sudden, an alarm bell rang! Without a second thought, using the dust as cover, Jack took off running the same direction he was before he stopped. Leaving a trail of dust and hoofprints, he jumped over the villagers and left the small village. As he ran, he could see more and more villages, each one with an alarm bell ringing.