Welcome to Cheechi's Place

By: Lisa Anne Hetu

Disclaimer: Everything and everyone in this story is mine. Any similarities are purely coincidental.

The wind blew softly over the valley. The yellowish grass swayed gently in the breeze. The forest was dark and purple, an image that mirrored the color of the leaves blowing in the trees. The villages were small, but prosperous, and were occupied by every kind of intelligent creature imaginable. However, as a law of this earth, all races kept to themselves, except to trade goods with one another. All creatures had their talents and it seemed only fair that everyone should share these gifts for the benefit of the world. However, even though the people of the world were happy and the land was as it should be, there was one place that housed a being who differed greatly from the rest of the world.

As a child, Cyrus Flint, a centaur, grew up happily with his mentor and friend, the red dragon, Pyra. Cyrus had been orphaned by a war, and Pyra had been kind enough to take him in. At least, this was the story she told him, because it was his only way of knowing. Cyrus had been too young to remember anything about his family, or any life without Pyra. All the information he received of his family and his kind had all been given to him by the dragon. She used to tell him little things every night, about anything she knew of his race and family. "How are centaurs made?" Cyrus asked, one night, as a child.

"Centaurs are all male," Pyra told him, "Centaurs can't reproduce alone, so they choose their mates from female humans. When a child is born to the couple, if it is a boy, he will be a centaur; if it is a girl, she will be human"

Cyrus never questioned this, because he trusted Pyra, and she would never lie to him. And yet, he had a strange feeling that something about what Pyra had said defied the world laws.

Now, Cyrus was grown. He had loved Pyra like a mother, but now she was dead. Pyra had been murdered not too long ago, and Cyrus wore one of her red scales around his neck, tied with a deer skin string, as a constant reminder of his friend. Cyrus had been overcome with grief over the loss of the dragon, but now that he was grown and had a better understanding of the world, he was determined to find out about his past. Along the way, he decided to search out Pyra's murderer and take his revenge. As Cyrus stood, looking one last time into the mountain cave that had always been his home, Cyrus heard a voice. "Go to the human villages; there is but one person there who knows all you wish to find. She will help you if you are careful. Otherwise, she will become your doom" the voice said, and faded away.

"Wait!" Cyrus called, "Who are you? Who is it that I am supposed to seek out?" Then, Cyrus remembered something Pyra had said as she lay dying. "You have a sister ... find her for me Cyrus, and be careful"

With this thought and the mysterious voice in his head, Cyrus made his way down the mountain and across the valley to the human villages. Cyrus ran across the valley, his long dark brown hair trailing behind him. As he reached the villages, Cyrus had a strange feeling that he was in danger here, but, determined, he continued on. The clopping of his hooves on the stony village roads made many people turn their heads. Humans had no use for centaurs, nor did any other race, and so they wondered why such a beast would be traveling among them. Some villagers shouted at him "Get out, filthy beast!" while others turned their backs on him, and still others sneered at him and gave him other such nasty looks. Any questions he asked were answered rudely, or not at all. No one seemed to be much help.

From village to village he traveled, and still no human would be caught helping him or even approaching him. As he walked through one of the villages, Cyrus could sense hostility in the air. He felt evil glares in his direction, and whispering going on behind his back. Before he knew it, a mob of humans surrounded him, gathering around with chains and not letting him get past. They tied his wrists in shackles and dragged him along the streets. Furiously, Cyrus reared and kicked blindly with his back hooves, but there were too many humans around him and he could not escape. The villagers brought Cyrus to the edge of the village where they tied the chains to the tops of two houses, stretching his arms out in a Y shape so that he was unable to move. Still, Cyrus kicked and bolted, but eventually the villagers shackled his four hooves to the ground as well.

Helpless, Cyrus watched as the villagers sneered and pointed and laughed at him. Then, one woman approached him, dressed in a brown cloak and hood. Cyrus couldn't see her face. "Who are you, and why are you here?" the woman asked. She was obviously a head figure to this village.

"My name is Cyrus Flint, and I was just passing through looking for someone." Cyrus explained.

"Why do you seek a human, centaur?" the woman asked.

"I was told that one of you could answer my questions, that one of you is my sister" Cyrus said.

"Who told you this? Why on earth would you think a human would help you?" the woman said, her tone becoming more aggressive.

"A stranger told me. I don't know who it was, I didn't see them." Cyrus said.

"You believed the words of a stranger? And what makes you think your sister is human? Don't you know of the laws of this land?"

"Yes, I know them. All beings are to keep to their kind, except for trading purposes. But, I was told that all centaurs are male, and that all females of the family are human. That's why I believe my sister walks among you. Please, help me find her."

"No!" the woman scolded, "Who ever told you that your sister was human must have lied to you. It is forbidden for two different creatures to start a family. Who told you these lies?"

"They weren't lies," Cyrus protested, "My mentor told me I had a sister, and even though I've never seen any part of my family, I believe her words."

"Who is your mentor?" the woman asked.

"The red dragon, Pyra, was my mentor, but she is dead now; someone has murdered her. The voice told me that my sister knows who killed Pyra; and my sister knows about my family. Please, I must find her."

"Why must you get all these answers from your sister? Don't you know about your family?" the woman said, always with an aggressive tone.

"The only things I know about my past are things that Pyra has told me. I lived with Pyra for as long as I can remember, but I don't remember my family. Pyra told me that my parents were killed in a war." Cyrus explained.

"Probably the war that started this world law, the war that began the slaughter of all half-races" the woman said, under her breath.

"What was that?" Cyrus asked, having heard only mumbling coming from under the woman's hood.

"None of your business" the woman said, taking her staff and whipping it across the centaur's chest, "You're our prisoner now, you vile creature"

Cyrus bent forward involuntarily as the wood staff made contact with his body. He wanted to fall to the ground, but the chains wouldn't allow that. He coughed, starring at the ground, his brown hair now mangled and fallen loosely over his face. Then he looked up to see the villagers walking away, tending once more to their normal business, and leaving him alone to stand in the sun all day.

The next morning, Cyrus was woken abruptly by another punch in the ribs. Before he realized anything else, he felt an incredible pain in his legs, obviously from having been forcibly standing all night. Then his grogginess faded and the villagers came into view. All of them with pitch forks, bows and arrows, clubs, and any other hand held weapon they could find. Cyrus had the strange feeling that the villagers were in a bad mood, and were about to take their aggressions out on him. Deep down inside, he feared that he was about to experience a bit of pain. "Am I missing the party?" Cyrus asked with a forced laugh, trying to make himself feel better.

"Have you ever thought about your sister?" asked the same woman from the day before.

"No, but I didn't know I had a... " Cyrus's words were cut of by another punch.

"Wrong answer!" the woman said, "But think really hard for me ... if Pyra was such a great loving dragon, then why do you suppose she was murdered?"

"I don't know, that's what I'm here to find out" Cyrus said, expecting another punch, but it didn't come.

"Well, isn't it possible that she was talking to much ... telling you things that she shouldn't have?" the woman said.

"I don't see how anything she told me could've..." this time the punch came hard.

"Don't interrupt me when I'm speaking," said the woman, "Isn't it possible that who ever killed the dragon, didn't want her telling you things? And isn't it possible that the murderer didn't like you finding out about your past?"

"I never thought of that," Cyrus said, "But why would anyone want to deprive me of my past?"

Ignoring the question, the woman continued. "Isn't it possible that your so- called sister didn't want to be found out, and that she killed Pyra to shut her up?"

"My sister? Why would my sister want to do such a thing?" Cyrus wondered out loud.

"Think of the world laws," said the woman, "Have you ever seen any other centaurs aside from yourself?"

"No, but..."

"Haven't you ever realized that centaurs defy the laws of this world? Haven't you ever known that centaurs are a half-race that must be exterminated? Did it ever occur to you that your sister may not want to be known as a relative of a freak of nature?"

"I don't understand," Cyrus said, "If I knew my sister, I would love her like I should because we're family."

"Well, I don't love you ... I mean ... she doesn't love you," the woman scolded in the most aggressive tone Cyrus had heard out of her yet.

"You do realize that you are the last of your kind..." she said more quietly.

"Yes."

"And you know what that means don't you?" the woman sneered.

"It means that I am in danger of being slaughtered myself ... murdered by the same hands who killed my mentor ... murdered by my own sister!" Cyrus said, showing the entire village that he had figured everything out.

At this, the woman removed her hood, and Cyrus saw that she was the splitting image of him. She had the same dark brown hair, the same hazel eyes, and the same look about her. "Are you satisfied with the answers you have found in your search?" she said, "Just like the stranger told you, I had all the answers right here ... I am your sister, murderer of your mentor, holder of all the answers you seek, the end of your journey, and the last thing you'll ever see in this life."

Suddenly, Cyrus found a red hot iron poker nearing his face. He kicked and squirmed as much as he could, but because he was tied down with strong chains, he was helpless. A scream filled the air as the poker burned his eyes. Never again would Cyrus see the world. As the pain lessened slightly, Cyrus began feeling a new pain. He couldn't see, but he knew that the villagers were attacking him, and he had no where to go. Trying as hard as he could, Cyrus miraculously found that his back feet had been unchained. Furiously, he tried to protect himself and desperately used all his strength to finally pull himself free of the other shackles. He ran as fast as he could out of the village, but, without his sight, he had no where to run. Battered and bruised, Cyrus fell to the ground in the middle of the valley, hoping the villagers wouldn't come after him.

Quietly he lay there, until he heard foot steps. Fearful for his life, Cyrus forced himself to stand and started running, but he only managed a few steps before he was stopped by friendly hands. "Don't be afraid Cyrus," a voice said, "I am Gideon, your brother, a centaur like you. Your other brothers are all here as well; we will help you"

Cyrus was led away from the valley, and into the forest where centaurs normally live. Here, Cyrus finally found out that centaur families were huge and that he was not the only one left. Cyrus's sister had been the only girl of the family, and after the death of their parents, the sister had disowned the family, not having wanted to be related to a bunch of horses. Cyrus had finally found his home and his past, and even though he was permanently blinded, his brothers all cared for him as brothers should.

The centaurs lived alone in the forest, kidnapping women to create new generations of centaurs, but otherwise following the laws of the world. Cyrus was no longer the last centaur as he had thought; now he had a family and lived among others of his kind. Blind, but happy, Cyrus lived a long and prosperous life. He always kept the red dragon scale around his neck, telling the younger centaurs the stories of his past that he had first heard from Pyra, and other stories that he told of personal experiences, all of which revolved around his mentor, keeping her memory alive.

The End.