Ch 17: Vatacinium

    Luna awoke with a start. She was on some kind of bed made of leaves and moss in the middle of a clearing. It was quite comfortable for a mattress of pine needles. She stood up looked around.

    "Oh, you're awake..." said a voice. Luna jumped.

    The voice had come from behind a tree lining the clearing. There was a strange sound coming from the tree-like twigs snapping. Then something like walking hooves. A centaur with black hair and a black, white dappled flank emerged slowly out from behind the tree.

    "You-you-you...YOU'RE A CENTAUR!" Luna exclaimed. She loved horses- of course, this wasn't a horse. It was half-human, but centaurs could read the stars to see the future, and Luna thought that was amazing too.

    "...Yes." The centaur said, in a kind deep monotone that made him sound like a rock.

    "Can you see the future? Of course, you can, you're a centaur! What am I about to do right now?" She walked over to the centaur and he took a step back.

    "Give me a headache," He replied.

    "Oh...well-um- what's your name?"

    "What is your name?"

    "I asked first,"

    "I am a centaur," The centaur mocked.

    "But-but-you-" Luna glared at him for a moment, then finally said, "Lily Luna Potter- but call me Luna,"

    The centaur's eyes widened. "It is not safe for you in this forest," He said urgently.

    "Of course it is! Look..." 
    Luna reached out, took his hand(he flinched when she did this. He didn't seem to particularly like humans.), and pulled him out of the clearing. A few meters beyond was a cave. She let go of the centaur's hand and crawled into it.

    "This is unsafe!" He called from outside the cave. The ceiling was to low for him to walk inside, and he couldn't crawl.

    Luna ignored him. She was too busy petting the sleeping wolf that was inside the cave, snuggled up with her two adorable cubs.

    Suddenly, the mother wolf stirred. Luna knew it was time to go. She nearly banged her head on the rock above her as she turned and quickly crawled out of the cave.

    When she was out, the unidentified centaur essentially dragged her back into the clearing.

    "See?" Luna asked. "Perfectly safe."

    "I was not talking about animals! There is something else-"

    "Something like your name?" 

    "That is irrelevant-"

    "I never trust anyone until I know their name,"

    "My name is Vatacinium!"

    "Wow, Vatacinium, try saying that 10 times fast,"

    "I will not!"

    "Jeez, okay. So, are you the one who shot me with an arrow?"

    Vatacinium looked completely dumbstruck for a moment. "Err- Well- I-I thought you were...a human..."

    "That, I am."

    "I thought you were a normal human! And I fixed you afterwards!"

    "You...fixed me? Why would you shoot any human?"

    "Because I hate them!" Vatacinium yelled.

    "...Well you didn't have to yell," Luna said. For some reason, it was almost impossible to hold in the laughter that she shouldn't be having at all. "Can I see one of your arrows?"

    Vatacinium hesitated, eying her warily. Finally, he took an arrow out of his quiver and handed it to Luna.

    It all happened so fast. Luna didn't even know she was going to do it- but she snatched the arrow out of the centaur's hand and plunged it into his shoulder. Luna broke into unexpected, sick laughter.

    Vacatinium swore loudly and yelled, "FINE, DIE, HUMAN!" And charged out of the clearing.

    It wasn't until the centaur's tail disappeared into the trees that Luna's eyes widened and she realised that she had just done something twisted and evil to someone who was trying as hard as he could to be kind to her.

By Jaspreet Grewal