Brothers of Two Horns.
A Giant Falls.
A single horn remains.
THE MINOTAUR dragged the faun through mud and stone. Blood clung to it like its second skin. The faun was still alive, retching and twitching every so often, its eyes glazed over in eternal fear. The Minotaur eventually reached a rock-like altar, throwing the faun on top of it, behind the rock stretched a cave of eternal darkness. It could hear what sounded like chewing deep from inside.
Its glazed over eyes gazed at The Minotaur. Its figure was blurry almost indecipherable except for its two long horns on either side of its head that remained the same. He could hear whispering coming from the cave. The Minotaur muttered something indecipherable into the morning air. The Faun smelt iron, its nose was clogged with blood, and there arm was twisted into ribbons.
The Minotaur stretched its hand toward their face, it was shaky, and the faun barely recognized it. Just as he thought he was going to be killed. The Minotaur's hand gently rubbed against its horns, and face, finding a perfect place to rest their hand. They muttered something more. It was still indecipherable.
The Faun shakily saw it smile, as if it found his suffering funny. He couldn't care or raise his anger anymore. He hoped it killed him soon, and with enough force to end his suffering, but instead he felt something hot, blazingly hot on his face, it was its hand, it had turned a blood red and pressed harder against his face.
A scream came from his mouth, then some more, he felt his head being invaded. His ear suddenly understood The Minotaur's strange tongue.
"Big Horn." It said.
…
KAROUN TREAD carefully into the long looping halls of the beast herds war keep. A long elegant staff with greenish crystals forming a crown on the end of it clutched to his chest. Two Long Horns, odd warriors chosen from birth with a single horn, accompanied on either side of him. Their gaze was just as scary as the spikes the War Leader used for decoration, it was almost suffocating, the silence, the pressure, and the odd beast skins torn on the wall.
Karoun mustered his courage and sheepishly looked toward the Long Horns. "Ah.. The War Leader has truly called for me?"
The Long Horn's goat eyes turned in its head, focusing on the small Karoun without stopping its track. "Yes." It said plainly, its voice rumbling.
If humans had Kings, the fauns had their War Leaders. Better than kings for they were chosen in front of the war council. Each member, a strong faun with enough might to face a Minotaur, the protectors of the forest. The only thing higher than the War Leader and his council was the shaman, and god himself.
Karoun had only walked inside this keep two times in his life. First when he was a baby, the experience was still vivid. The shaman himself had come to his cradle and felt the coldness of mana on him, so with their approving eyes they gave him the mark of a shaman. But that's not all why he still remembered, it was because of the majesty that surrounded him.
The Second, when the shaman had died. He mourned the old man as they placed him in his coffin.
This would make it his third time and it was still majestic.
Karoun saw a large buck at the end of the hallway. It was Nece, the war council's tactician. A tall thin buck with a crooked short sword on his belt. He wore thick furs, and his cold face looked more human than most. He was clean shaven, with long black hair that came down from his two distinct curled horns. He broke tradition along with the War Leader by being one of the other only Non-Long Horns to grace the council.
Nece leaned against a wall, and only stood straight once he saw Karoun. His frozen face greeted them. "Karoun." he addressed him. "You'll have to forgive me, the war leader is training. Join me. I shall take you to him."
Karoun stood at strict attention in front of him, the buck was larger than life, and deserved every inch of his nickname, 'Steel Horns'. He bore a resemblance to those noble humans Karoun had only seen in books given to him by the shaman, and everything about him seemed to clip short like a steel frame.
There was a momentary pause before Karoun answered. He and Nece had met before but he was still amazed to appear before them. Karoun steeled his courage and straightened his back, not as if he would grow any taller from his rather stout frame. "It's alright, councilor. I wouldn't like to take away any precious time from our War Leader."
Nece eyed the long horns. "Leave."
As soon as the long horns were out of sight. Nece turned around and walked, with Karoun hurriedly following him.
"You've forgotten something important, Karoun."
Karoun jolted in alarm. "Have I?"
"You're a shaman now. It's not you who takes up the War Leader's time. It's the War Leader." Nece flaunted his robe.
That was still a foreign concept to him. "Oh…"
The Hallway opened up to a gigantic door with names scrawled all over it. It was the name of each war leader and shaman that came before them. Karoun recognized the old shaman's name 'Naro' among them. The room opened up into a larger throne room, with elegant plants along the walls, and tapestry the shaman used to divine. The floor was a crescent shade of the full moon in the sky, smooth and sparkly. The wooden walls curved and twisted as if forged like an ax.
"It's said that if someone makes a sword from the walls of the keep, it shall be the sharpest sword known in the forest." Nece said.
Karoun felt as if he was gawking too much. "Really?"
"You can order someone to craft you a sword made from these walls."
Karoun shook his head. "I'm happy about the offer, but I don't use swords."
"An ax then?"
Karoun felt a rueful smile fill his face. "I can't seem to get around any weapon. It's as if my talent with the sword was replaced with my talent in magic."
Nece nodded. "It was the same for Naro."
"I thought Naro was great with a sword, he always carried one with him, whenever he walked around."
Nece gave Karoun a sharp look. "It was for prosperity." Nece continued when he saw Karoun give him an odd look. "Do you think having a strong leader or a smart leader is best?"
" A smart leader." Karoun answered immediately.
"You are different from most." Nece nodded his head approvingly. "I ask the question to anyone and they'd answer me 'strong, strong as the War Leader or better.' and Naro being the smart leader he was asked the smith to forge a sword with the best materials." Nece took out his own sword and held it in his palm. "The sword was perfect, and could cut through anything with ease. He created the illusion of power with that single cheating sword. When the best he could do with a normal sword was flail it around and hope for the best but when he was given a sword that can cut anything, even he could appear strong. With a swing he could cut through staves, swords, and walls."
"I see." Karoun answered.
Nece looked at him and for a rare instance smiled. "Do you understand?"
"What the people want is a strong leader." Karoun looked down on the floor, feeling the weight on his shoulders.
Nece shook his head. "The people are stupid what they need is a smart leader. The War Leader is meant for protection, the shaman is meant to represent our strength, our drive. Through your words people die. Through your words people are blessed. Remember this." Nece sheathed his sword. "It will serve you well into the future, shaman."
Nece stood in front of a door once more, and this door led to the outside training grounds. "We are here." he said as he pushed the door open.
A rush of movement caught Karoun's eye. A brawl was occurring in the middle of the training grounds. War Leader Casperous holding a wooden war ax the size of his head. He gave a flurry of strikes to General Rakus who received them with struggling motions on his greatsword.
"You can't be serious! Fight back you old man!" Casperous chopped closer.
Rakus parried, and took a step back. "You've gotten better, War Leader!"
Casperous stabbed his stave, and narrowly avoided a swing of Rakus's sword. "You've only gotten worse! Swing! Harder!"
"As you wish!" Rakus roared and slammed his hooves into the ground.
Casperous loomed over everyone there, a towering giant of muscle and horn. Rakus neared his height but couldn't match the War Leader's ferociousness in combat, being more reserved and slow in his movements backward. Each of his hooves left heavy imprints on the ground, a testament to how much he weighed, and how much punishment he took before taking even a single step backward.
Rakus swung his great sword with a wide motion, and Casperous took a mighty step forward, cleaving straight to his chest. Rakus couldn't match the speed of him, the ax slamming straight into his chest, leaving him sputtering to the ground. Casperous did not stop with a flurry of strikes, he viciously cleaved his opponent to the ground. Whooping and Baying in goatish furry. Rakus, with laborious breath, raised their hand to claim they had surrendered.
Only then did Casperous take his victory with grace, shouting at the top of his lungs. "Victory!"
Roarous laughter erupted from a lone buck's mouth. Karoun could recognize the fiendish eyes of the War Council's second general, Hunus, a tall faun with striking goatish features, especially his colorful green eyes that stood out in the woods. His hair was bundled into braids with spikes pulling them into knots. "What makes it? The third time or the fourth time the War Leader has beaten your arse, Rakus?"
Rakus, still on the ground, stood up with no shame on his face. Instead, he was laughing along with him. "I can't hang on against Cassus's attacks. If I were a wee bit younger I might've done so in my old days, but I'm drained dry."
Casperous patted Rakus's shoulder. "Can't say I'll ever experience that but you're still in your prime if you ask me."
Hunus laughed and said. "Perhaps, you need a beating of your own to show you what it's like."
"You're gonna challenge me too?" Casperous addressed Hunus jokingly. "I'd like to see a scrawny doe like you try."
Hunus turned away shrugging his shoulders. "When you're a few years older probably."
"I'll be this strong even as I age well into my years."
Rakus quipped. "Not when you're shitting your covers. That's how we'll know you hit rock bottom."
Roarous laughter escaped from the three as they messed around with each other.
Nece stood still, suddenly turning around to address Karoun. "You'll get used to your War Leaders antics quickly. If you can't handle it. You can always replace him." Nece said walking forward.
Karoun quickly followed closely behind, clutching his staff ever tighter to his chest. It was an adrenaline pumping experience to meet all of the war council members together. It was even more gifting to see them fight amongst each other and act like normal people.
Nece coughed. "War Leader."
Karoun saw as everyone's eyes immediately turned toward Nece and then swarm him. "Fuck. You weren't being fucking serious." Casperous cursed. "Another one?"
Nece only said. "Yes."
Casperous approached and Karoun saw more distinctly. How closely alike did the War Leader look like a clone of Nece, or was it the other way around? However, Casperous' face was twisted with emotion and his chin was gifted with a long goatee adding to its goat-like appearance. His horns were more broad and defined, unlike Nece.
"You must be the shaman." He addressed Karoun. "It's been a week since I've seen you at Naro's funeral. You stood strong as you carried his staff." He pointed at the staff Karoun carried.
"Thank you." Karoun bowed his head.
Casperous shook his head. "No, shamans, bow their head to the War Leader."
Karoun nervously shook his head. "Ah… Sorry."
Casperous blinked at him, then a broad smile blessed their goat face. "If this wasn't such a serious occasion I would have welcomed you with the grace that you deserve. However, the situation has only been escalating. Come with me."
Casperous passed him by, and he saw the two war councilors follow closely behind. He was able to see them up close. Karoun recognized how they towered over his figure, being two heads taller than him. They must've been a head taller than the Long Horns.
Hunus moved with a buried measure to his step. He greeted Karoun as he passed by. The First General, Rakus, did the same. His head was bald and he had a great beard with a single horn errect from his head. He had a gut and when he moved, the world shaked.
…
KAROUN BARELY recognized the body that was in front of him. Nece led the way through the forest to this position. It was an open field, blood splattered across all the trees. It was about some distance away from the tribe. Hunus leaned down and whispered into his ear. "Fucking shame. That was a good warrior too."
Casperous's voice shook as he speak. "First it was the hunters we sent out. Then it was lone fauns out late at night. We've brought you here to see this, because as shaman you have a right to know what's been happening in the village."
"It's also because your abilities are useful." said Nece his body was stretched over the body.
Casperous agreed. "Your mana could aid us in destroying them."
Karoun looked at him and nodded his head shakily. "What have you been doing about this?"
"I've been sending out more patrols."
"An ill-advised move once more." Nece said.
Casperous and Hunus frowned. "We can't just allow this thing to keep on killing more fauns!" Casperous said. "If given more time we'll catch it sooner or later, shaman. And when we do… I shall make sure to mount their head on the walls of the war room!"
Rakus stayed still and looked over the forest. "It's been slipping past the patrols for a mighty long time now."
Karoun approached the body, his eyes looking at its mangled state. A single strike had cleaved the faun down the middle. "What type of monster…"
"No." Nece corrected. "No monster has ever been created in the forest, only animals. That is the truth."
Casperous looked at Nece with an annoyed look in his eyes. "You've been standing over that fucking body for a bloody while now. Care to tell me what you see?"
"These cuts…" Nece slowly said, unsure of himself. "They're imperfect as if someone drove a sword through the body. Not claws."
"A sword?" Casperous scoffed.
"Yes, a sword."
The two locked eyes. "You're joking right?'
"I wish I was."
The war leader stood on the spot for a moment. Karoun could recognize the weight held on his shoulders. His eyes looked around, until he gave a heavy sigh. "What should I do?" He looked at Karoun but Nece spoke.
"If I may be brave enough to state my opinion, War Leader." Nece drew all the eyes to him. "As I've said before. The approach of sending patrols out to find a single person Is too costly and as a result we've lost more men over the days. I suggest a curfew, War Leader. As I've said before."
"And hide like rats?" Hunus spat out. His clear displeasure with Nece on full display.
"War Leader, our foe is strong. I don't believe a single one of our patrols can take them down alone."
"Now you're doubting the strength of your own?" Hunus seethed. "We need to spread out our search. We cannot show any weakness right now!"
The War Leader looked elsewhere. "Aye." said Rakus. "The lad's correct we, they have strength and we shouldn't offend strength."
"Piss." Casperous spat. "Issue out the order, Nece. You've got your way. I just hope you have a plan other than holding up in the fort for our entire lives… If the shaman's death wasn't enough we got this on our plates."
Nece looked at the stunned Karoun. "I believe once our curfew is set. I can enact a few more of these plans. However, let's discuss it at our next war council. Preferably tomorrow."