"This girl, she's not afraid of being spotted at all, just walking right down the main path?" Dylan seemed a bit surprised, watching Luna approach him.
Her radish-patterned jumper glowed remarkably bright in the night. The wicker basket in her hand swayed, and as she got closer, Dylan saw it was utterly empty. He figured the little witch was planning to gather some things in the Forbidden Forest later.
"Good evening," Dylan greeted her only after Luna had gracefully stopped right in front of him.
"Hello," Luna glanced at Dylan, then at Cerquil, who was still devouring roasted meat beside him.
"And to you," Cerquil merely gave Luna a quick look, not bothering to respond, focused instead on mouthful after mouthful of the fragrant roast.
"Since you're here, shall we set off?" Dylan didn't ask Luna why she seemed so unfazed, strolling openly and boldly into the Forbidden Forest as if no one else existed.
Luna nodded. "It's over there, but not on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. We might need to go a bit deeper."
Dylan nodded gently, indicating he understood. "Then please, lead the way."
Luna raised a foot and started walking in a certain direction. Dylan looked back at Cerquil. "I'll come see you again when I have time."
"Grrrrrr~" Cerquil didn't speak, just made a rumbling sound in his throat.
Dylan chuckled, then followed Luna's pace.
---
The shadows in the Forbidden Forest were deep. Without light, it was nearly impossible to see the path in such darkness. However, this didn't bother Dylan, and Luna's wand was already casting a faint glow. The tiny light from her wand tip tore a seam through the surrounding shadows.
Luna's light footsteps barely made a sound on the thick layer of fallen leaves. Dylan followed closely, equally silent. Yet, as his boots crunched down, many dry branches still snapped, though not a single sound escaped.
The journey was long. Dylan felt as if he and Luna had been walking for quite some time. If he'd known it was this far, he would've used magic to travel...
They hadn't encountered any creatures along the way, but Luna had managed to collect quite a few plants. Though, at this time of year, many plants hadn't grown in yet.
"Are we nearly there?" Dylan whispered.
Luna looked left and right. Honestly, Dylan had no idea how Luna figured out her bearings. Even if he wandered through the Forbidden Forest, just walking, he'd probably have no clue where he was without the aid of magic. Yet Luna just peered around and seemed to find her way. This ability even made Dylan a little envious.
"Almost there, just ahead," Luna said.
Good... Dylan nodded slightly and continued walking with Luna.
---
Just then, Luna, who was leading, suddenly stopped, tilting her head towards a thicket of bushes ahead and to the side. Dylan followed her gaze and immediately spotted a section of dark brown, bristly neck peeking out from among the branches, along with a pair of sharp eyes that were still keen in the dim light. Clearly, it was a centaur.
The centaur was well-hidden. Dylan hadn't detected its presence without actively using magic, but Luna had found it first.
"You've been spotted, why hide?" Dylan stepped forward, shielding Luna, and raised his wand, waiting for the centaur to emerge.
When it did, Dylan's eyebrows shot up. He recognized this centaur. He'd encountered him the last time he was in the Forbidden Forest. After driving him off, Dylan had thought about having him bring his whole family next time so he could just acquire them all. But recently, he hadn't had the time to come back. He hadn't expected to bump into him again now.
They really were fated. It seemed even the heavens wanted him to take these poor centaurs, who could only live in the Forbidden Forest, to a brand new world where they could run wild and free.
However... why was it just him again? Couldn't he have brought some other centaurs along?
At this point, the centaur clearly recognized Dylan too. He poked his head out of the bushes, his eyes wide, two wisps of white steam puffing from his nostrils. His lips peeled back to reveal sharp teeth, and the arrow on his bow was instantly aimed at Dylan's chest.
"You really don't know what's good for you," Dylan sneered, the tip of his wand already glowing with a faint, eerie light.
Just as both sides were about to make a move, the centaur suddenly got a clear look at Luna behind Dylan. He froze, his hand on the arrow dropping slightly, pointing the arrowhead towards the ground instead of directly at Dylan and Luna. Even the centaur's body, which had been as taut as a bowstring, slowly relaxed.
Seeing this, Dylan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, a little confused. What did this mean?
At that moment, Luna, from behind Dylan, tilted her head, peering at the centaur opposite them. "Oh? Is that you?"
Hearing this, Dylan turned his head, his gaze shifting between Luna and the centaur. "You two know each other?"
Luna stepped out from behind Dylan. "Last time I was here looking for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, I happened to run into him. Someone had hurt him, and I helped him with some potent potions. He said then that a nasty little thief had injured him."
"Nasty little thief?" Dylan laughed.
Orell glared at Dylan. "It was you, you nasty little thief! You use dark magic, you must have injured the unicorns too, right? What do you want now? Are you still trying to mess with us centaurs?"
Luna tilted her head. "Do you two have a history?"
Dylan shrugged. "Last time, I was just wandering around the Forbidden Forest. This fellow immediately tried to attack me, so of course, I fought back."
"Then he fled in a hurry, and I didn't even chase him down. I can't believe he's so ungrateful, still slandering me as some thief who uses dark magic. I'm truly hurt." Dylan lowered his wand, turning to Luna with a wounded expression.
Luna looked calm, but she glanced at the centaur opposite. "Then he truly is horrid. I almost wish I hadn't saved him last time."
Orell: "..."
What in Merlin's beard was happening? What was he doing? Being slandered by both the one who hurt him and the one who saved him? Or was he merely a part of these two young human wizards' little game? What a blind moth! How could this beautiful girl with the golden hair fancy such a dim-witted groundhog! This was truly a shooting star gone astray!
Orell felt like raging, but he didn't know what to say. It seemed Brother Bane was right. Humans truly were all no good!
Dylan saw the centaur's aggrieved expression, his mouth opening and closing, opening and closing, and knew what he was thinking. He snorted softly. "Alright, you foolish groundhog, since you know Luna, I'll let you off the hook."
Huh? Let him off the hook? That's like a rabbit howling at a full moon – utterly ridiculous! Did he need to be let off by him?!
"What, you don't like that?" Dylan narrowed his eyes. Though his wand was lowered, its tip once again began to flicker with a faint, eerie glow.
Orell's heart skipped a beat. He'd experienced the sting of this young human wizard's magic before. If he had managed a successful sneak attack just now, he might have gained the upper hand. But now, face-to-face, he doubted he could win against the wizard.
Even as a centaur, he knew one truth: The path of the stars never crashes into unyielding rock. And a stag knows to steer clear of a hunter's trap. – Being pragmatic was the path to survival. That's what Ronan, the quiet one who always studied the star charts, used to say. Even though that fellow would often mumble to himself after gazing at the sky, sometimes what he said made a lot of sense. Last time, he'd escaped because he ran fast.
Orell snorted, two faint wisps of white steam puffing from his nostrils, and turned his head away, but he did lower the bow and arrow in his hand.
Dylan smiled at this. "That's more like it. A wise one knows when to yield. In fact, you probably weren't truly trying to fight me just now, otherwise you would've ambushed me when you were hiding, wouldn't you?"
"I was trying to attack you! But I didn't want to hurt innocent people! If it had just been you alone just now, my arrow would have already pierced your chest!" Orell's cheeks flushed slightly as he retorted stubbornly, though he looked more like a stubborn lout.
Dylan shrugged. "So what do you say? If you truly think you can hurt me, then feel free to try next time. I'll be coming to this place quite often over the next few years anyway."
Orell paused, then came to his senses, immediately glaring at Dylan. "I knew it! Are you the one spreading fear in the Forbidden Forest? And killing unicorns!"
"What? Unicorns have died?" Dylan frowned.
Luna also looked over. "Little centaur, are you sure there have been casualties among the unicorns?"
Orell glanced at Luna, his cheeks flushing slightly again. "Though I haven't seen any unicorn bodies, there are several spots of unicorn blood in the Forbidden Forest. Someone must have killed them!"
"Also, I'm not a centaur, I'm a Centaur, and I have a name! My name is Orell!" This golden-haired human wizard girl had thick hair and beautiful eyes, like a constellation he had once observed. It was a pity that, despite her beautiful eyes, they didn't seem to work very well. How could she have taken a liking to someone who seemed so weak and fragile, someone whose bones would shatter if he stepped on them? Look at those slender limbs! Not even as strong as their centaur children!
Even without using Legilimency, Dylan could sense the intense emotions radiating from this centaur. Without even trying to perceive them, he generally knew what the fellow was thinking.
Him? Slender limbs? Weak and fragile? Dylan looked at his own height, nearly that of an adult, and couldn't help but laugh aloud. He was only in his third year. His height was already quite good, what else did they want from him? He wasn't growing on hormones!
Dylan looked Orell up and down. "Speaking of which, your hair is quite long, but you haven't come of age yet, have you?"
Orell heard Dylan seemingly praising him and immediately puffed out his chest proudly. "So what if I haven't come of age? But my arrows aren't soft! Firenze even said I'm already very strong!" As he spoke, he shook his head, his neck mane swaying. He also flexed his muscles.
It had to be said, there truly were differences between creatures. Each creature had its own racial advantages. Like this centaur. Although not yet truly an adult, he was already quite tall and his muscles were solid. Dylan had previously glanced and thought this fellow was already an adult, only to realize he wasn't. Thinking of his earlier plan to capture his whole family, he couldn't help but click his tongue.
"Why are you clicking your tongue?" Orell glared at Dylan again. To centaurs, clicking one's tongue meant disdain and a warning. This ugly human wizard, with his not-at-all-thick hair, was he really looking down on him, a centaur? Look at his muscles! Look at his thick fur! So strong!
Hmph! Why should this human wizard with thin arms and legs look down on him? He had already backed down a step. If this human wizard pushed his luck any further, he wasn't a softie!
Dylan rolled his eyes. "I like clicking my tongue, what's it to you? I wasn't clicking it at you."
"You!" Orell raged.
Dylan couldn't be bothered to argue with him anymore. Arguing with a centaur was simply pointless and boring.
"Alright, tell me, what's this about the unicorns you mentioned?"
"Why should I tell you!"
Dylan chuckled. "Just now you said I killed those unicorns. First of all, you haven't even seen a unicorn body, so you're not even sure if any unicorns have died. And since you claim I killed them and that it concerns me, why wouldn't you tell me the details you know?"
"You centaurs want to judge criminals, but you still check the stars, don't you? Don't you give someone a chance to defend themselves? Are you more fair than the stars?"
Orell's face twitched, his voice growing a few shades louder. "I never said I was more powerful than the stars! Don't you lie! That's blatant slander against me!"
Dylan rolled his eyes again. "Alright, alright, as if what you just said to me wasn't slander."
"How was I slandering you? Didn't you kill the unicorns? You certainly attacked me fiercely last time!"
Dylan was truly baffled. Were all centaurs muscular and not very bright? No, that couldn't be right. Both Firenze and Ronan were skilled in Divination and knew various herbs. They even had a deep understanding of their tribe's social rules and the concept of balance.
While centaurs were indeed muscular and revered the power of being in tune with nature, they weren't considered foolish creatures. On the contrary, generally speaking, centaurs were quite intelligent.
But then again, within any species, there were naturally those who were intelligent and those who were clumsy or dim-witted.
Perhaps... this fellow was one of the latter? Dylan glanced at Orell.
Support me by leaving a comment, voting, and visiting myPatr-eon at ilham20
Check out another story about Hogwarts in my profile original works