The Centaur and Me

~12~

~12~

— Third Person POV —

It had been almost two weeks and there was no sign of Sayuri or Rio. Despite her note saying to not send out a search party, the Chief had ensured that many had been dispatched. So far, there had been little luck. On one occasion, they had come across some tracks and followed them north for a good fifteen or so miles, but they unfortunately had lead to a neighbouring herd who had crossed boundaries for hunting.

Pacing up and down the Elder's council room, the Chief was lost in his own thoughts. Where could Sayuri have gone? And why had Rio not stopped her? Had they planned this prior?

When he had found out that Rio had also disappeared, the Chief was furious. He had trusted Rio, at least to an extent, and now that trust had been well and truly broken. Once Sayuri and Rio had been brought back, he would ensure that the two of them were never to see each other again. That he was certain. Rio was a traitor and Sayuri had disgraced him for the last time.

"Chief Ivar," a voice spoke. Ivar stopped and turned to the direction of the voice. One of the patrol guards stood in the doorway, dressed in leather armour.

"Any news?" Ivar asked, a small hint of hope in his voice.

"No sir, I'm sorry to say," the guard shook his head. Ivar grunted. "I do have a visitor for you though sir,"

Ivar glanced behind the guard, his face immediately softening when he saw who it was.

"Ah Kira, it's good to see you," he said. Behind the guard, Kira bowed and stepped into the council room.

"Sir,"

Ivar nodded towards the guard, dismissing him. As the guard left, Ivar walked to meet Kira halfway, greeting her with a warm embrace, which she returned.

"Chief Ivar, how are you?" Kira asked. Ivar sighed deeply, casting his eyes to the side.

"There have been better days, as I'm sure you can relate, my dear,"

Kira looked down at the ground, saddened.

"I miss them both terribly, I was hoping that there might have been some news by now. I can't believe that Rio left," she said sadly, hugging her arms. Ivar crossed his arms across his chest and cast his eyes downwards. Both of them had so many questions, and no answers.

"Did Rio ever...mention anything?" Ivar asked after a brief hesitation. Kira looked up, her face depicting a confused expression.

"You mean, about leaving with Sayuri? Not at all sir! In fact, Rio hadn't thought he'd ever have a chance to pursue Sayuri, let alone become her mate!" she admitted. Ivar's eyebrows raised. He hadn't realised that Rio had felt this way about Sayuri before, he hadn't thought anyone would ever give her the time of day considering she was only human. It was harsh but true.

Ivar's herd, had been strictly centaur only. With the exception of Sayuri's mother, they hadn't integrated with humans in the past. There were centaur herds where such integration did exist, centaurs and humans as mates and having their own families, but for Ivar's herd, this had never really occurred.

"Kira," Ivar began, almost embarrassed to ask. "How long had your brother felt this way about Sayuri?"

Kira's lips tugged into a small smile and her eyes softened.

"Truthfully sir, he's always felt that way. For as long as I can remember anyway. He's always respected her and I think a lot of what held him back was that respect. I can only imagine what it must be like to be Sayuri, she's always felt the need to be extra self-conscious from my understanding. I don't think Rio ever wanted to embarrass her by being so open about how he felt. I know he might not be your favourite right now, but I can promise you that he'll look after and protect her, as a good mate should,"

Ivar didn't respond with words, but with a short nod. His great folded arms moved to his hips as he turned from Kira for a moment. Had he been too harsh? He'd not really taken a moment to think about how his daughter might have felt, growing up without her mother and growing up so blatantly different from the rest of her people. Still, he had a reputation to uphold and Sayuri had tarnished it.

Before he could speak, the sound of hooves muffled against the mossy floor caught his attention. Both Ivar and Kira turned to see a stocky centaur, dressed in a loose shirt, black waist coat and leather arm cuffs entered the Council Room. He was bald, moustached and his forearms were covered in tattoos, his human torso met the white torso of a shire horse, with brown patches speckled across his coat. Ivar recognised him immediately as one of the herd's respected and main farriers, Cassian.

"Cassian," Ivar acknowledged. Cassian's tail flicked, as he bowed to Ivar and nodded towards Kira.

"Chief Ivar," he greeted. "Young Kira,"

"What brings you to the Council Room, Cassian?" Ivar asked, casting a glance at Cassian's tattooed forearms.

"Sir, I'm here regarding some information that might prove useful to locating Rio and your daughter,"

Kira's eyes widened as she glanced from Cassian to Ivar, eager to see his response.

"Please, do go on," Ivar nodded, gesturing his arm. Cassian grunted and stomped his front left hoof.

"Rio's last visit to the farrier's was almost six weeks ago, which means he'll be due anytime soon for his next visit. We just don't know if that means he'll come back here,"

"Or try elsewhere?" Kira finished Cassian's sentence, turning to Ivar. The Chief's eyes widened.

"We'll need word sent to neighbouring herds to keep an eye out and to report back the moment Rio is spotted," Ivar found himself calling out to a guard. "Have word sent out immediately, the sooner we do, the more likely the chances that we'll find Sayuri and Rio!"

A guard appeared, spear in hand and dressed in leather armour. With a brisk nod, and a "Yes sir!" he trotted out of the Council Room and off to spread the orders to the other guards and scouts.

For the first time since Sayuri had left, Ivar felt hopeful about finding his daughter. He also felt hopeful about being honest and truthful. There was a lot that worried him about Sayuri leaving the safety of the herd, and it was not just to do with her being human. It was far more than Sayuri herself could even begin to understand...