The Centaur and Me

~18~

~18~

~ Sayuri ~

Walking away from Rio left me feeling uneasy. Uneasy and angry, so very angry. I recalled how he'd told me only the night before that we'd left the cave and come to Waehr so that we'd be safe and yet here we were, hiding again. We couldn't risk going back to Gryff's in case he was pulled into thing, then we would certainly have no where to go. How had they known to come here? Waehr was meant to be safe. I balled my hands into fists underneath my cloak, looking angrily down at the toes of my boots. What if I turned myself over, what if I really did just go back? The thoughts swarmed my head as I kicked a stone from the path, I watched as it skittered on ahead of me. I had been on my own for about ten minutes, and I had stuck to the outskirts of town, not quite ready to brave the centre just yet.

"Don't run," Rio had said. I knew he was right, but that didn't stop me from being furious. I kicked the stone again, this time it skimmed along the gravel before knocking into the foot of a tree. I looked up at the large tree, its thick branches and green leaves lined with frost. I pondered for a moment, still not feeling quite brave enough to sneak my way through town without being caught. Placing a gloved hand against its bark, I pressed a foot into a small groove and pushed myself up. I gripped another branch and slowly climbed upwards, until I was high enough to see above the other trees and over into Waehr. I settled myself against a thick branch, and dangled one leg as I lent back into it, resting my hand on my other knee which I had propped up. A cold breeze rustled through, its icy breath sharp against my cheeks. The sounds of birds chirping in neighbouring trees was welcoming, as the sounds of a town waking up were zoned out. It was so peaceful, I allowed myself to close my eyes.

I brushed my fingers against the bark, drawing imaginary swirls and patterns. After a short while, I felt my fingers tingle through my gloves, an uncomfortable and almost itching sensation. I scratched my hand through my glove but to no avail. I opened my eyes and pulled the glove off, expecting to find a splinter, my skin red from the irritation. But to my shock, I instead found a small green sapling sprouting from the palm of my hand. I almost fell from the tree, before I managed to steady myself, my eyes wide with disbelief. But almost immediately as I returned my glance back to my palm, it was empty, and the tingly itching feeling ceased.

"What the?" I ran my eyes over and over my hand until they ached, until I was certain I had imagined it. I shook my head, there was no way, I was seeing things, I was stressed, I was angry. I wasn't thinking straight. I found myself reaching for the other glove, removing it and running my eyes over my other hand, again to find nothing there.

"Gods Sayuri, pull yourself together!" I berated myself. Any desire I had to stay sat in the tree had quickly dispensed. I put my gloves back on and began to lower myself down, overly aware of any random feeling in my hands as I navigated the twisting branches back to the ground. Once I was back on the ground, I dusted off my clothes and pulled my cloak tighter around me, fixing my hood. I hazarded a glance at my gloved hands once again, flexing my fingers underneath the fabric. I realised that I was holding my breath as I pressed my thumb against my palm and to my relief, it was flat and sapling-less. I was definitely loosing the plot.

I decided to brave the journey into the centre of town towards the library. I hadn't realised but a fair amount of time seemed to have passed, the sun was rising higher into the sky and Waehr was truly awake and busy. I passed shops and cafés, various streets of homes and buildings decorated with beautiful sculptures and carvings. All the while, I kept close to the side of the road, so I could nip into small alleyways and crevices, in case I encountered the scouts. I watched as townspeople went about their morning routines; I watched one centaur couple doing a shop for groceries, stopping to admire a flower stall before buying a couple bouquets of wild flowers and eucalyptus. I passed by a bakery that had fresh golden pastries on display in the window, the scent of cinnamon and bread carrying through the busying streets. It was easy to get lost in the busy sights, so easy in fact that I almost walked right into a young centaur who'd stopped waiting to cross the road ahead of me.