But… Bit why? Why was the centaur being so rude with his worshipper? In the tales, centaurs are mighty semi-gods that led the way to the kelonians, an example, a leader… Not… Not an enemy… Not this! She even tried to kick him, and she did! Praised be the kelonians, if Silanus would not have been wearing his thick, steel armor, the centaur's hit would have been fatal… 

But then, this ungrateful centaur stood on Silanus' arms, struggling was useless, this heavy creature's legs would not allow it… Now, she was menacing Silanus… Really? What a dissapointment… She was not a bringer of fortune, not at all… Silanus frowned, now all the respect he had for her dissspeared… He said: "You… You legendary bastard! This humid land does NOT allow fire for that long! Even if you would not use your brute abilities to turn it off, the water scattered in the air would simply lower the damn fire, until there is nothing left!!!" 

Yes, if you got an angry centaur above you, it is not very wise to yell at it. She grabbed his head and slammed it against the ground, even if Silanus had a helm on, the hit was strong, and the pain big. The warrior, at the moment, unable to defend himself, said: "After all, tales are tales… Poor, poor clumsy Silanus, actually believing that the centaur would be a divine, or atleast actually help him… Centaurs were described as leaders, examples! Not the barbaric beast YOU are!!!" 

Silanus could try to hit the centaur with his knee, but it would be useless… He was not strong enough to hurt her with a mere kick…

She stared down at the struggling man below her. He yelled and screamed and cursed at her. She held her bearing even and did not strike back at him again. She was sorely tempted to though. He would deserve it too. But she wouldn't do it. If she roughed him up too badly, she would most surely kill him, even without meaning to. Armored or not, he was still a human, even a large one was considered quite fragile to her kind. She was brutal, yes. She would not deny it. She was rough, and mean, and aggressive. But she was not a killer.

She listened to him speak. Her ears tipped to the sides, instead of flat to her skull. She felt her hackles flatten and she straightened upright again. He is not stupid. He is merely ignorant and blinded by impossible faith. She looked down at the beaten man before her, her eyes softened. Very carefully, so as not to damage the man more, she shifted up and dropped her hooves down to his sides. She didn't desire to hurt him anymore, and she looked at the deep hoof marks in his arms, almost guiltily. 

"Son of Adam," she said quietly. "Centaurs are no different than your kind. We are not the symbol of perfection that your people seek. There is none. Perfection is an idea, not a reality. I have searched for perfection for a long time, and it safe to say it doesn't exist. I'm sorry." She looked down at him, her ears pinned down not with anger, but with sadness. "Centaurs are both good and bad. Inside us dwells hatred, fear, anger, rage, greed, and jealousy. Like other mortals. But we also harbor joy, happiness, bliss, trust, and love. Some of us are just better at controlling one side over the other."

She paused for a second, her thoughts trying to turn into words in her head. "As for a leader," she started. "That is something that I am not. I am not a follower either. I prefer my own path, to following those of others, or leading others down mine. I just don't want to accept the responsibility of anyone besides myself. I am not a leader, but I am not a follower. I am a beast, and yet I am a man. I am good and yet I am bad. I am honest, and yet I still lie. I try to do good, and yet I still do wrong sometimes. I am a contradiction. A living paradox…"

Those were the smartest words Silanus has even listened to. He was a fanatic of poetry, and he considered himself to be a basic philosopher… Silanus' mother was a skald, and his father a dignitary and a general, he learned much from then, of course, before they passed away… A fanatic of poetry and philosophy like himself, considered her a great philosopher, possibly the best one he has ever met.

Silanus slowly stood up, his arms and his head were hurting, but he tried to simply ignore the pain… The man tried to stay still, but he felt a great pain in his back, so he sat down and said: "Y-you surely kick hard… A-anyways, even if little Silanus is dissapointed, after listening the sad, sad truth, he has to be strong… However, believe it or not, you are… Brilliant…"

Silanus stopped talking for a brief moment, and then continued talking: "My people would seek guidance from you, divine or not, you speak nothing but the truth… Silanus' clan, the Remnants of the Fratis, is in the l-land of the orcs… I-if you are interested, you can go anytime… B-but for now, let Silanus rest, for his guts hurt after such a beating…" 

Silanus laid his body on the ground, the mighty roar of a thunder was listened from miles away… After that, a heavy rain stormed the place, naturally, some water fell inside the abandoned barn, but it was no trouble… In a few seconds, Silanus finally fell asleep…

She watched the young man stand, slowly, as he got to his feet. His anger appeared to be gone, replaced by the pain she had caused. He moved stiffly, and promptly sat back down. He started speaking again, commenting her on her strength and way with words. She stepped back, her tail swished behind her hocks. She tried not to take the flattery to heart, he was just a Son of Adam after all. But his words carried weight behind them. 

She watched him stop talking for a second, her ears perked forward. There was the creaking of metal as he moved to lie down on the straw. The sound didn't seem as loud as before. She heard a new sound now, a soft patter on the roof. The rain had started, like she thought it would. The thunder would still be a distance away, but she still felt it through her hooves. The low, steady rumble of the storm, like a growl from a creature above the clouds. At least the roof of this place is good, she thought.

She took a step toward her mass of straw in the corner. She stopped and turned around, facing the sleeping soldier. It would get colder still, and she recalled him shivering earlier. His light tunic and armor would do nothing against the cold and drafts. She walked towards him, though a large part of her was saying that this was a very bad idea. She stood next to the sleeping body, and carefully, oh so carefully so not to wake him, she folded up her hind legs and curled around him. She tucked her forelegs under her chest and pulled her bag close. She laid on this, resting her head on her arms. She stared at the sleeping man, watching him breathe for several minutes. Only after a long time did she close her eyes and allow herself to rest.

Oh, how could Silanus sleep there? The damn rain made this place even colder! If it wasn't for the pain, the man would not have fallen asleep that fast… However, the centaur stopped acting so violent, and instead, she even curled around Silanus, and, finally, the centaur began to sleep too… Her warm fur would surely make his slumber better…

A new day started, the heavy rain slowly stopped, and gray clouds covered the sky. A small caravan of merchants passed by, but that did not matter, at this moment, the only thing that mattered to Silanus was to sleep some more…. Some more… Maybe two or three ours more… Sadly for him, this could not be possible, the cows he released yesterday, were close to the road; they mooed to the travelling merchants… Those damn animals could not keep SHUT…! Oh, poor Silanus, how would he sleep with the cows making so much noise? The man, with less pain than yesterday, finally woke up…

Was… Was the centaur sleeping around him? Now, that is clearly something un-expected; the armored man wanted to stand up, without waking the sleeping centaur. She was lucky, very lucky, how could she sleep with the damn cows there? Well, who knows… Centaur things maybe… Silanus slowly stood up, trying to make the least noice possible with his burdens…

Silanus finally stood up, hoping the sleeping centaur did not wake up… Now, he could completely see the whole barn. The dead worm was still there, the ants were gone, and the floor was wet. Silanus walked to the opposite side of the room and removed his heavy armor, leaving him with his short and thin red tunic… He dropped his armor, small backback with the little food he had, and his weapons too… The poor man could not even stand his burdens, the pain was weaker, but it was there…

Silanus talked to himself: "Woof, poor Silanus will not be able to sleep anymore with the cows… Well, Silanus wonders what the heck is inside the underground room, perhaps he will look in another moment…"

She slept for a long time, her sleep dreamless. She heard the rain stop several hours later and the sounds of birds starting their daily songs, as well as the sound of several obnoxious cows. She felt the soldier next to her move and flicked an ear casually. She opened his eyes and watched him stand up stiffly. She laid still and silent and watched as he looked around the barn, now that he could see. He stared at the ground for a long time. She noticed that it was wet and shiny. Possibly a leak somewhere. She thought to herself. 

The young man walked to the edge of the room and she focused both her ears toward him in interest. He unbuckled the heavy armor from his body and let it drop to the floor with a hollow clang. He also put on the ground a small pack, as well as his sword and spear. What is he doing? He now stood, bare of his armor. A thin red tunic covered his body and extended down to almost his knees. She lifted her head off her arms as he heard him start to mumble to himself. She stared at him for a few more moments before lifting up her human half. 

She gave a long sigh, her equivalent to a yawn and shook her body, making her mane fly. She stood up, stretching out first her forelegs, and then each hind leg individually. She stepped over the mound of straw and walked towards the man. As she went, her eyes caught sight of a mark on the man's arm. At first thought it was a tattoo of some sort, it was so dark. Only then did she notice a matching mark on his other side and realized it was of her own making. She looked down and avoided his eyes. She stood behind his shoulder, her voice very soft. "How badly did I hurt you…"

It was a surprise for Silanus when the centaur stood up, she walked toward him slowly… The man thought to himself: "Did I awake her? Oh well, let's just hope she is calmer than yesterday…….." Silanus listened closely when she made that small, and obvious comment…. He raised his right eyebrow, licked his lips and finally said: "Well, you maaaaaaay have, but the marks in the arms are the last thing… Silanus is no doctor, but he thinks that when you slamned his head, his neck was damaged a bit…. He can barely move it, heh…" 

The soldier's neck was indeed pretty damaged, of course it was just a minor damage, but still… He sighted deeply and said: "But it is done, perhaps, if Silanus is lucky, the pain will ease after a good breakfast!" Silanus slowly crouched and opened his backpack, a small apple pie was there, with a raw rabbit leg that, after he cooked it, would serve as his lunch… Sadly, when Silanus was attacked by the centaur, he had his backpack on… So well, the pie got smashed, but it's still edible…

Silanus frowned when he saw the almost ruined pie, but well, what could he do? He was not in the mood to yell at the centaur, after all… The wounded man grabbed the pie and gave a small bite, when he finished chewing he said: "You know, Silanus does not know your name, but well, he thinks you already now his name for well, obvious reasons."

She watched him walk away from her and crouch by his pack. He spoke, saying that his neck was injured and moving it was painful. She gave a sharp intake of breath and stared at the floor. His neck.If I had damaged it too much he could be paralyzed, or even dead. She hissed at herself. How could she be so foolish. The last thing she needed was a body and blood on her hands. She turned and walked over towards her corner of the barn, where her pack was. She bent down and scooped it up by the strap. Quickly, she dug into it, tossing out the old pants and boots that she had taken from the human house. At last she found what she was looking for. An old book of forest lore. She cracked it open and started skimming swiftly through the pages. Her eyes never stopped scanning the thin parchment. 

There it was, the healing spell. She memorized it and slid it back into her bag. She hoped it would help, at least slightly. Nature magic wasn't especially strong, but sometimes it sped the healing and numbed the pain. She leaned to the side and grabbed a handful of the dry dust from the barn floor. She cupped it tightly in her hands and concentrated. She closed her eyes and said the spell under her breath. Then she opened her hands and blew the dust towards the man, like one would blow a kiss. Dust heals dust.

Once all the dirt was gone from her hands, she opened her eyes and hoped the spell would work and relieve the man of some of his pain. She wiped the dust and dirt off her hands and picked up her pack again. She looked at the pants and boots thoughtfully before picking them up as well. She went to the man, where he was starting to eat his breakfast. "It will be cold before long," she said to him. "That shirt and armor will not keep you warm. My fur is good so I have no need for these." She tossed him the pants and boots. She walked a short distance away and laid down, extending her forelegs out. She rummaged in her pack for her rations and pulled them out. Mostly roots and some dried fruit. There was also a few mint leaves to chew on after. She ate her food quietly while watching the man.

 The man started to speak and she looked at him attentively. He asked her, her name. She looked away from him and gathered her thoughts. "Son of Adam," she said, more to herself than to him. "Centaurs do not have names. We are not given names when we are foals like human babes. We live in herds. All foals are Brother and Sister. All stallions and mares are Father and Mother. We do not single out individuals by giving them names, we are all one in the herd, not separate entities."

She ate her food quietly. "But I am not part of a herd anymore," she said with a hint of sadness. She looked at the man, her appetite forgotten. "Son of Adam," the words spoken slowly. "What is my name?"

After some seconds, Silanus finished his app eating his Apple pie; his mouth got covered with some apple sauce and also a little bit of sugar. Of course, he quickly cleaned it with his red tunic… The centaur gave Silanus a pair of thick, warm boots and a pair of pants that would cover his legs, even his knees! Of course, the soldier was always wearing his tunic or his skirt that his armor had; but his culture had nothing against pants, so… Why not? Why wouldn't Silanus wear the pair of pants? 

Silanus removed his pair of leather boots and put his feet inside the other ones. They had warm fur inside it, how nice! The boots were just perfect for Silanus' feet, not bigger nor smaller, simply perfect. Somehow, he felt… Better. His pain was almost gone, and the marks of his arms were still there, but he couldn't feel them… Amazing! Of course, the soldier did not know she did cast a very basic healing spell on him. Silanus smiled when he felt better, and said ironically: "Wow, believe it or not, Silanus actually feels better, way better! Maybe the pie had a kind of drugs or something like that… Who knows!""

Silanus was eager to chance his pants, but first he asked the centaur's name, and listened carefully to the answer. Those were some deep, sad words. She was… She was asking him what is her name… So, in few words, she wanted him to… Name her… Silanus thought: "N-now, what should I say?"

Silanus sighted deeply, then finally said, a little nervous: "W-well…. Silanus only knows human names, perhaps orcs names too… But no cen…" He stopped talking for a brief moment… Yesterday, the centaur said that she was a… A living paradox, pfft, of course! But Paradox is a long name… He continued talking: "Well, since you said you are a Paradox, what about ehm… P-pary…?" 

Silanus' happiness dissapeared inmediately… He was dissapointed to himself, it was A SIMPLE QUESTION! A NAME, NOTHING ELSE! N-A-M-E!!! What kind of idiot would answer such a thing like……Pary………. Who knows if she liked it, but bah… Who would??? Silanus closed his eyes and looked down, then he said: "Silanus has a friend who gives good names, he's called Martinus, perhaps be would give a better name than… Pary…"

The man finished his breakfast, wiping his face on his shirt. She watched as he slid on the boots. He seemed pleased with their fitting and looked eagerly at the pants. He was moving easier now, smoother. The pain must be leaving and she looked on content, knowing that she was able to at least take away some of the damage that she had caused. He mentioned the possibility of drugs in the pie, and she gave him a knowing look but didn't say anything. She would tell him some day, but that day was still a long ways away.

He looked confused and puzzled at her question. She focused on him intently, slowly getting to her feet. She hunched over slightly, to better look at him. He started speaking again and her ears were perked forward. Paradox. She tilted her head to the side, running the name through her mind. I am a living Paradox. "Paradox." One, simple word. Yet, it held so many contradictions. She was a contradiction. She looked at herself. Man and beast perfectly blended together in her body. A creature like her shouldn't exist, and yet here she stood, alive as the man at her feet.

She looked at the man and smiled, genuinely smiled. "I am Paradox," she said proudly. "My name is Paradox." She had a name. She was now an individual, no longer bound to her Centurian herd. She was her own person, and proud to be it. She walked away and kicked out her forelegs, almost consumed in her joy. She hopped and spun and bucked, her muscles rippling under her hide. She reared, showing off her full height, almost hitting the hayloft with her head. She twisted around, tendons popping out on her joints and hooves clawing the air. When she was done with that, she dropped her forelegs and rolled in a pile of straw. After a moment she jumped upright again, picking straw out of her mane. Her once shining coat was now dotted with dull patches of dust and straw fell off of her fur. 

She walked up to the man and stopped in front of him. She bent down and extended her hand. "Son of Adam," she said, still smiling broadly. "My name is Paradox and it is a pleasure to meet you, Silanus."