Heart of a Monster

Birds were heard singing throughout the forest as a gentle breeze blew through the leaves of the trees. Beyond the tree branches overhead, white clouds dotted the bright, blue sky. Bright sunshine beamed down through the forest canopy, giving the dirt path on the forest floor a comfortable warmth. Birds continued chirping as rabbits raced one another from bush to bush. A lone squirrel had happened by the dirt path, collecting acorns and looking in every direction as it picked up each nut. Everything about the scene was calm and serene; the ideal location for a picnic or just thinking. In fact, Aridean had decided that she would do just that.

The minotaur was chewing on a bite of a sandwich and leaning with her back against a tall oak tree. She held the sandwich in her right hand, resting her arm on her right knee between bites. Save the birds serenading her, Aridean slowly ate in otherwise silence with a rather tired looking expression on her face. As the sandwich in her hand shrank, she reached into the pocket of her uniform to retrieve a compass. Aridean casually flipped open the latch on the compass as she took another bite of her snack. She looked over the device in her hand as she swallowed the last bit of sandwich.

“The mark is supposed to be somewhere in the eastern section of the forest,” Aridean said to herself while looking at her compass. She let out a tired sigh, “I need to get moving if I don’t want to get left behind.”

Aridean slipped the compass back into her pocket and stood up from her tree. While massaging a slight kink in the back of her neck, the minotaur began walking in the direction of her current objective. Her hooves tread over the dirt path that seemed to stretch deep into peaceful forest. As she moved through the forest, Aridean reviewed her current assignment in her head.

So, this is my final test before being assigned to a team. Ugh, couldn’t they just let me work in the mess hall? I’m not cut out for this soldier business… Quit complaining… just get this done and mope later, Aridean thought to herself. Remember, our goal is to rendezvous at the abandoned granary right now.

As Aridean walked through the forest, she could not help but remember the time that she was nearly made dinner for rabid wolves. While it was not a particularly pleasant experience, she thought it was nice to at least have had some time alone to herself. She had not been allowed much privacy since joining the rebels. Daily group training exercises, sharing the barracks, and helping work the mess hall did not leave any time for just Aridean. That in mind, Aridean felt glad she had some time to breath fresh air without anyone around to spoil her alone time.

Aridean continued walking along the dirt path and looked up through the tree branches overhead to observe the sun. She guessed, based on the position of the sun, that it was probably six in the afternoon. Despite how late it was already getting, Aridean thought about slowing down to enjoy her stroll for a bit longer. The team was not expected to convene until about seven o’clock and she was only about a fifteen-minute walk from the rendezvous point. Even so, Aridean did not slow down for fear of being reprimanded over not taking the task seriously.

“I already stopped to eat; I can’t really afford to lag behind anymore,” Aridean said to herself. Though she was speaking to no one in particular, Aridean was unaware that her alone time had already been disrupted.

Loud wooden creaking noises could be heard behind the minotaur. Upon taking notice of the alarming sound, Aridean stopped in her tracks. She drew a deep breath and exhaled. Without hesitation, Aridean turned around to discover that she was being followed by a group of four vicious looking creatures. Each of them had bodies made of wood and bark and long, wooded claws on the ends of branch-like arms. Beneath their sinister eyes was a gaping hole lined with sharpened bits of bark, resembling fangs.

Treants… four of them and they don’t appear keen on leaving, Aridean thought to herself with an apathetic expression on her face. She took a deep breath as the monsters slowly approached and snarled at her.

“Do we really have to do this?” Aridean asked the creatures as they approached her. Creaking wood and rough snarling sounds were the only response Aridean seemed to get from the monsters before her.

“Fine, let’s just get this over with,” Aridean moaned as she reached for the large battle axe strapped to her back. As she drew her weapon, the treants roared; one made the first move and lashed out toward Aridean with sharp, wooden claws. Aridean swiftly ducked under the attack and swung her axe, cleaving right through the monstrous appendage that had just tried to strike her. The treant recoiled in pain as its limb fell to the ground; the creature began to retreat into the forest, still making its awful snarling noises. Two of the other creatures moved forward to challenge their would-be prey.

Aridean calmly stood back up and assumed a defensive stance as she had been trained. One of the challenging treants lashed out with two wooded claws as the other began to circle around Aridean. Aridean’s response was to nimbly lean back and jump, tucking in her knees so that they met her chest. While sailing backward through the air, her hooves reached the height of her head when standing. Her sturdy horns zipped past the ground, only inches from making contact with the tough, dirt road. Still rolling backwards in the air, Aridean extended her legs as her hooves were making their way back under her. Upon landing, she quickly spun about on one hoof with her axe out. She managed to catch the flanking treant as it attempted to launch its own attack. The blow was met with a loud roar from the monster as it slowly slumped forward, not falling to the ground due to Aridean holding the axe in its body.

With a blade buried deep into its body, the treant was felled. A bright green, syrupy liquid began to leak from the monster’s new wound, coating Aridean’s axe. She began yanking the axe to retrieve it from her quarry but found that it was stuck fast in the monster’s corpse. Aridean let out a loud sigh as she rolled her eyes. As she began to focus again, she noticed the second treant coming in for another attack. With a mild amount of exertion, Aridean hefted the axe, still lodged inside the now dead treant, over her head. Aridean brought down the axe and treant, which collided with the attacker who fell limp on the ground. Aridean turned to see the final treant grabbing at her axe head with one claw and swiping at her with another.

Quick on her hooves, Aridean released her grip on the axe handle and leapt backwards. This treant held tight to Aridean’s axe and approached the minotaur. Confident that she was now unable to defend herself, the treant snarled and launched a flurry of claw swipes in Aridean’s direction.

“I just wanted to enjoy some time to myself,” Aridean told the creature as it continued its advance. Easily evading the monster, Aridean heaved another sigh. Her axe was no good to her if it was not within reach. Aridean’s solution was to hop backwards to allow her some distance from the treant. Aridean raised a hand to the monster as it slowly moved toward her, still making wooden creaking noises with every motion.

Just like she showed you, breath in and out. Just focus on the flow of the energy, Aridean thought to herself as she closed her eyes and began to concentrate. One by one, Aridean ran her thumb along her individual fingers as she muttered an incantation. As she continued muttering, a small orange orb began to manifest in the palm of her hand. Within a matter of seconds, the orb held in her hand began to take the appearance of a small sun with a powerful heat emanating from its surface. With the monster drawing near, Aridean opened her eyes and used her thumb to flip the orb as though she were flipping a coin.

The orange orb sailed through the air toward the treant, which continued to snarl at Aridean. Upon making contact with the monster, the orb erupted in an inferno that engulfed the treant. Roaring, the monster flailed about as the flames roasted its wooden body. As the final assailant burned, Aridean moved past it to collect her axe. With one hoof on the corpse of one of her attackers, Aridean gave the weapon a forceful yank which managed to set it free. With one powerful shake, the axe was cleared of the treant’s green blood.

“Sorry, but I’m in a bit of a rush,” Aridean apologized as she set her axe back in its holster on her back. Now that the area was clear of anything trying to eat her, Aridean began walking down the dirt path again.

I guess that’s one good thing about this whole mess I’m in now: at least I’m no longer afraid of my own shadow, Aridean thought to herself as she left behind the monstrous bodies. Before, Aridean would have simply turned tail and ran without a second thought when approached by vile creatures like those treants. But now, she was capable of standing her ground, albeit with indifference over the matter.

Approximately fifteen minutes of walking through the forest, Aridean finally found a clearing occupied by a single, run-down building of plaster and wood. A dilapidated, shingle roof covered most of the building, save one gaping hole near the southwestern corner of the structure. Several of the windows appeared to be smashed and the one door was barely holding on.

“Am I really the first one here? Even after stopping for lunch and fighting off those monsters?” Aridean wondered aloud as she approached the broken building. As she was reaching the door, she heard another sound coming from behind her. Luckily, this one was not snarling and making predatory noises toward her.

“What? We can’t call this a tie?” A voice joked behind Aridean. She turned to see Vidor smiling at her and with his bow drawn. Something told Aridean he had also run into some trouble on his way here, but he seemed to be his usual carefree and happy-go-lucky self. If he had any trouble on the way over, he seems to have handled it with the same amount of ease as Aridean had.

“Oh, hey,” Aridean greeted her comrade as she opened the door to the granary. With even the slightest force, Aridean thought the door may fly right off the sole remaining hinge. Both minotaurs stepped inside the building. Within the front room was solely a large table and a few stools surrounding it. Nothing decorated the walls save cobwebs and dust; the wooden floor was caked with dirt. Although this building had seen its use for operations like the one Aridean and Vidor were on at the time, the structure was certainly not maintained for long term use.

“Aw, is that all? You almost sound upset to see me,” Vidor playfully joked as the pair took a seat at the table.

“Sorry, I’m just a little tired is all,” Aridean replied.

“Really? I thought you’d be excited to finally be done with all your training. Just think, this time next week we could be out on a mission together! You’ve mentioned wanting to travel before and you’ve demonstrated impressive navigational skills. I’d bet my crossbow that you’d make for a phenomenal addition to any team you’re assigned to,” Vidor encouraged with his usual overly-enthusiastic attitude. “Well, that said, I still hope you get matched up with us. Man, can you believe your training is almost over already? Seems like yesterday you agreed to join the rebellion. These last two years sure have flown by.”

Two years of this nonsense… I can’t believe it’s been that long already, Aridean thought to herself. Just thinking about how time has passed by so quickly seemed to put her in a bit of a trance. After a minute of reflection on the past two years, Aridean shook her head to bring herself back to reality.

“Hmm… I’d really rather just stay back at the base and be allowed to work in the mess hall. I’m still not so sure about all this combat stuff,” Aridean complained as Vidor kicked his hooves up on the table the two were seated at.

“Why’s that? I’ve seen your skills: you’re a natural when it comes to swinging that axe around and not half bad with a sword either,” Vidor complimented. Aridean remained silent and looked out the mostly shattered window. There was still plenty of light left in the day, but she knew this exercise could last through the night.

“Anyways, I was actually rushing my way here hoping to catch you alone. I know how punctual you like to be,” Vidor started. Aridean, somewhat curious, turned her attention back to her comrade.

“You wanted to speak with me alone? Have I done something wrong again?” Aridean asked, feeling a bit nervous.

“No, no, no… well… I don’t think so? But that wasn’t what I wanted to talk about. You know once this test is over, we’ll be throwing a bit of a celebration for all the new recruits who will be joining their own teams. You’re looking forward to it, right? There’s gonna be food, music, sparring, and all sorts of fun stuff. I remember when Rana and I had our celebration: I won the archery contest that year!” Vidor excitedly explained. His excitement was painted on his face; his hooves returned to the ground as he brought up his bow to pretend drawing an arrow over the table.

“I hadn’t really been planning on going. I’ll probably spend a quiet evening either studying in the library or cleaning up the mess hall,” Aridean responded, having lost interest again and returned to looking out the broken window. Her response and obvious indifference over the party prompted a long, drawn-out sigh from Vidor.

“Yeah, knew you were gonna say something like that. Which is why I’ve set up something for you that will be at the celebration. I know you don’t like surprises, but I really want you come see it,” Vidor insisted, lowering his bow onto the table. Aridean, again somewhat curious, turned back to Vidor.

“Something for me? What is it and why did you bother doing something for me?” Aridean asked, trying not to sound ungrateful.

“Well, that would be telling, but I did it for you because we’re friends,” Vidor answered with a smile. Aridean thought about it: ever since having joined the rebellion, Vidor and Rana were probably the closest things to friends she had. Just like back home, she actively avoided other people when not working the mess hall, so she really had not spoken to many people in her new home. Part of her told her not to get attached to anyone because they were soldiers fighting a war. Many of the bright, happy faces in the mess hall had vanished over time.

“With that out of the way, you’re definitely coming to the party now, right? I can’t wait! Man, I hope Rana hurries up so we can get this done and get back home. Kinda wondering what’s taking her so long. Really thought she’d beat us both here. Huh, guess that sets the tone for the kind of captain she’s gonna be,” Vidor said with a snicker. Aridean remained silent again as her response to Vidor’s teasing of his sister was to shift her eyes slightly upward.

“Hmm? What are you looking at?” Vidor asked, having noticed Aridean’s attention was now focused behind him. “She’s standing right behind me, isn’t she?”

“I’ll have you know that I’ve been here for at least twenty minutes now,” Rana said, spooking Vidor out of his chair. “Sorry for not making myself known sooner, but I thought I heard something out back. Thought that it may have been the reason we’re out here, but it was just some mice.”

“Good afternoon, Captain,” Aridean greeted Rana as she sat at the table alongside her. Vidor was slowly picking himself up off the ground, as well as some arrows that had fallen out of his quiver.

“No need for formalities, Aridean. I’m not quite a captain yet anyway. You know this exercise is my test just as much as it is yours. Nonetheless, it’s good to see both of you made it here safe. Neither of you ran into any trouble on your way here I hope,” Rana responded as she took some papers from her bag and began laying them out upon the table.

“C’mon, Rana, you know that we know this forest and the monsters in it like the back of our hands,” Vidor claimed while reseating himself at the table.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle, but I may need you to help me practice my magic again,” Aridean answered.

“I’ve told you that fire magic isn’t really my strong suit, but we’ll see what we can do after the task at hand is complete. For now, you two do know what we’re here to investigate, yes? A nearby settlement of ours has reported that something in the forest has become bold enough to pillage and steal supplies. Mostly it’s been foodstuffs that’s been taken as this settlement helps produce a lot of the food that Aridean serves in the mess hall back home,” Rana began to brief. Aridean and Vidor both listened to their leader attentively as a slight draft was felt dancing through the room.

“Yes, I had noticed that the portion sizes were starting to shrink from what we normally serve. Further, I’m sorry to inform you of this, but it seems that we cannot be baking your favorite muffins anymore because of the supply shortage,” Aridean chimed in. Upon hearing the fate of his sister’s beloved muffins, Vidor’s eyebrows shot up with surprise. Vidor looked to Rana, seemingly anticipating a spectacle worth watching. Rana’s head was held low over the table.

“This just became personal…” muttered the awkwardly dramatic minotaur. Aridean noticed Vidor’s face was now filled with concern, whether it was for Rana or the team’s target, she could not tell. Quickly composing herself, Rana cleared her throat before speaking again.

“At any rate, we do not know who or what the thief is. The settlement reports that they suspect a monster of some kind as it causes quite the commotion when it invades, unlike what would be expected of a person. Although the robberies have not been discrete, no one has been able to catch this creature in the act. However, trails of stolen supplies have led us out into this region. Our objective is to investigate the area and stop whatever has been stealing from the local settlement,” Rana finished explaining.

“Alright, so where do we start? It’s not like the monster’s going to come directly to us,” Vidor said while looking over one of the papers that Rana had set out on the table. Aridean was also reviewing a report regarding the most recent attack; apparently the creature had made off with three bags of almost forty pounds of grain each.

Over one hundred pounds of grain in a single night? No one managed to catch whatever was capable of moving that? Not only does that tell us whatever we’re after is something big and powerful, but also where the grain for Rana’s muffins is going. This isn’t just some animal we’re dealing with; it must have some degree of intelligence to be able to hide itself while making off with all that food. Aridean thought to herself as she finished reading the report.

“For the time being we’re going to stake out the area from this old granary. If either of you two need a moment to rest, now would be the time. We can take shifts patrolling the perimeter while watching for any activity in the surrounding forest,” Rana instructed with her naturally kind and gentle tone. Aridean could not help but think it was odd that Rana would seek the rank of captain given her personality. While Rana had previously demonstrated she can be authoritative with her older-sister personality, most people expected someone more forceful when referring to a captain. Aridean wondered how Rana would fare as a captain given her normal cheery attitude and friendly demeanor.

“Well, I’ll take the first shift then. I’ll call if I see anything out of the ordinary,” Vidor said, standing up from his seat at the table. He rearmed himself with his trusty long bow as he made his way for the front door, exiting outside without another word. As the door shut behind Vidor, Rana let loose a long-winded sigh. Aridean looked across the table to see that Rana was shaking somewhat.

“R-Rana? Are you okay?” Aridean asked hesitantly. As soon as her name was spoken, Rana’s body immediately tensed up. Aridean felt a bit uncomfortable seeing Rana in such a state. Just a few seconds later, Rana looked to Aridean with a bright smile on her face.

“I’m fine, thank you though,” Rana responded, but the smile quickly faded away. “Oh, who am I kidding? To be honest with you, I’m nervous about this whole captain thing. I know when and how to act like an older sister for Vidor, and I thought that might help prepare me for being a captain. But I’m starting to realize that there’s a lot more to being a captain than just firmly scolding my team.”

“I-I’m sure you’ll make a great captain,” Aridean said nervously.

“I appreciate the thought, Aridean, but I feel you’d make a better captain than I could. Grandfather never really approved of us enlisting anyway,” Rana said, her gentle smile slowly returning. Aridean shuddered at the idea that she could be a captain, just being a lowly grunt still seemed like too much to her.

“Rana, do you mind if I ask why you decided to join the rebellion? If General Mikali was against it, why did you sign up?” Aridean asked curiously. Rana let loose another sigh before answering.

“For me, the truth is, I only signed up to keep a close eye on Vidor. I couldn’t stand the thought of him going off and getting himself in trouble… or worse. That’s why we’ve always been a part of the same team: so he is never out of my sight,” Rana said confidently.

That does sound like Rana. Not interested in conflict or any extreme excitement like a battlefield, but just wants to keep a close eye on her brother. Her devotion to him is admirable, it kind of reminds me of Jean and me… Except, I abandoned Jean. Rana would die before even considering abandoning Vidor. Aridean thought to herself. Although Aridean managed to keep her chin up, a sudden wave of guilt crashed over her.

“Alright, but do you know why Vidor signed up?” Aridean questioned further.

“I can’t be for certain as there could be any number of answers to that question. You’ve known Vidor since even before you joined us: he’s carefree and ambitious. He’s always mentioned wanting to see the Empire and embarking on rebel operations would allow him that opportunity. Further, you know how social he is; he probably sees this as a chance to meet new people. He was so excited the day he met you. I remember the day before we picked you up: ‘Rana! I met a female minotaur in that human town. I mean, she seemed really surprised to see me, but I think we could be great friends. Well… maybe even more,’” Rana answered, mimicking Vidor’s voice as best she could. Aridean’s eyebrows shot up as Rana finished speaking and had begun to giggle.

“Maybe more? More than friends?” Aridean inquired, genuinely curious as to what Rana’s response would be. Rana’s giggling ceased as she realized that Aridean was seriously questioning what she had meant.

“Aridean, you’ve demonstrated yourself to be smart and quick witted, but you really do not know how to take a hint, do you? I’ve told you before, and you’ve clearly seen it, but subtlety is beyond Vidor’s abilities,” Rana claimed with an eyeroll. Seeing Aridean’s confusion only grow clearer, Rana sighed, “Perhaps I’ve said too much. Wouldn’t want to cause any problems.”

Entirely baffled, Aridean stared blankly at Rana hoping for an explanation. Instead of continuing the discussion, Rana shrugged and smile at Aridean. Despite the silence that now spread throughout the room of the aged building, Aridean’s mind was anything but quiet. She could not get Rana’s words out of her head: ‘more than friends’.

Okay, slow down and think it through: Vidor wanted to be friends since we first met, and Jean had already told him everything about me. Why he wanted to make friends with someone who was too anxious to speak a full sentence to him is beyond me. Since then, he’s rescued me from wolves, found me a place to stay when I had nothing, and is always making time for me… wait a minute… Aridean pondered the implications of what she had just reviewed. After a few moments of contemplation, Aridean’s eyes widened and her mouth slowly fell agape.

“Wait, do you mean that Vidor--,” Aridean started before being cut off by Rana’s familiar laughter.

“Ahahaha! You finally catch on? I’m sorry, but honestly seeing you struggle with that was actually entertaining,” Rana spoke with her usual soft and kind tone.

“I-I… I, uh, don’t know… I’ve never… but,” Aridean stuttered as she could not fully wrap her head around the sudden epiphany.

Vidor… likes me?! Like, he like-likes me?! But why? What have I done to earn his affection? How does one start to like someone else? How does someone start liking someone like me? I guess I’m flattered, but I just don’t understand why he’d be interested in me. Aridean’s mind was now even more abuzz than a bee’s nest. Across the table, Rana’s laughter was slowly quieting down as the amusement she got must have been wearing off. Aridean thought that of all people, Rana could probably best explain why Vidor has taken an interest in her.

“R-Rana… do you know why Vidor is… well—,” Aridean started to ask, but was again cut off. Rana raised her hand to tell Aridean to just listen before speaking further.

“Aridean, calm down. I can’t say for certain what it is about you that Vidor likes, but I can tell you that he is always talking about you when you’re not around. Grandfather believes he may be a bit obsessed even,” Rana answered with a gentle smile.

Aridean’s body felt warm all over; she felt a bit embarrassed after hearing what Rana had to say. She still could not fathom what it was about her that had captivated Vidor. If anything, Aridean had tried her best all her life, both before and after joining the rebel cause, to not stand out. Nothing about this big reveal made any sense to her. Even so, Aridean was curious; without thinking, Aridean’s lips began to move again.

“What do you think about it, Rana?” Aridean asked. She wondered if this was what a normal conversation between school kids was like.

“Well, as your friend, I’m happy for you that you’ve found someone who wants to be with you. As Vidor’s sister, I just hope you let him down gently if you are not ready or not interested,” Rana responded with a gentle smile. “That said, Vidor did ask me to ask you your thoughts on him if we ever had time alone together.”

Aridean froze upon being posed the question. What did she think of Vidor? She had not given that much thought beyond what she saw when she looked at him. Whenever she did think of Vidor, the word ‘minotaur’ resonated in her head. Like her, Vidor was a minotaur; one of the creatures responsible for having ruined Simon’s life. Minotaurs were the cause of the rebellion that ravaged the Empire and were unwelcome in many human villages, such as Thellia. Minotaurs were hated for good reason; how anyone could be happy to see one was simply beyond Aridean’s comprehension.

However, despite his being a minotaur, Vidor had rescued her when she would otherwise have been killed by rabid animals. Vidor helped find her a safe place to live when she only had the clothes on her back. Vidor was kind to her and had always been there when she needed something over the course of the last two years. In a way, Vidor’s chivalrous and generous actions coupled with his happy-go-lucky and wacky personality in a way that was so pleasantly familiar to Aridean.

“It’s… almost like they’re the same person…” Aridean muttered, looking into her hands resting upon the table.

“Hmm? I’m sorry, but I didn’t quite catch that,” Rana said, leaning over the table to hear Aridean better.

“Oh… I’m sorry, I was just remembering something,” Aridean replied, looking Rana in her bright, green eyes. “I… hadn’t given it much thought. D-did he need an answer now? This is just so sudden, and I’ve never been good at confessing my feelings.”

“Of course, take your time. It would probably mean a lot more to him if you told him yourself when you’re ready anyway,” Rana calmly said, leaning back into her chair.

“Rana, could I ask one last thing? Do you know what it’s like to… love someone?” Aridean asked, looking away from Rana with embarrassment clearly painted upon her face.

“That’s a bit of an odd question, don’t you think? Surely, you’ve felt something that you would consider love at some point in your life. Even if you have never had romantic feelings for another, what about the bond you share with Simon? What do you feel when you think about him? Do you two not feel affection as one another’s family? Or is it like grandfather said and you merely revere the man with blind devotion?” Rana asked in her kind tone. Aridean looked back at Rana quizzically; initially unable to comprehend the distinction Rana was making. Was it not natural for a child to respect their parental figure? But respect is not what Rana was referring to in this scenario.

“S-Simon… I never could understand him. He raised me like his own from when I was just a baby. He took in a minotaur, one of the creatures that had taken his real family away from him. Not only that, but villagers would always be talking about me, about him, about us. That’s why I could never tell what he was thinking. But even so… I was… happy with him,” Aridean slowly explained, feeling a bit guilty over having left him all alone again.

“If that is not affection shared between two that truly wanted to be a father and daughter, then what was it?” Rana asked with another gentle smile. Aridean held her head low over the table and could feel a single tear fall from her eye.

“Lies…” Aridean quietly whispered. As the word left her mouth, Aridean bit down on her lip and fought to hold back tears. While she attempted to compose herself, the front door to the granary could be heard opening.

“Rana! Aridean! We might have a bit of a problem,” Vidor called from the door.

Twilight had covered the forest, painting the world surrounding the group in a bright orange light. Shadows stretched far from the trees or leaves that cast them. Clearly there was no more than one hour of light left in the day. With that in mind, the trio of minotaurs moved quickly past brush and around tall, thick trees. Vidor led the group as he pointed out signs that told him they were on the right path to finding their target. Each member of the group knew things would only grow more complicated if the creature they were hunting were allowed to escape into the night.

“This thing moves fast, but also leaves behind an easy-to-follow trail,” Vidor said, pointing out some crushed leaves just off the side of the dirt path the group stumbled upon. The shape of the crushed leaves resembled that of a heart shape. What concerned Aridean about the tracks Vidor was following was the size.

“That’s a footprint? This thing is massive; its foot must be at least half a meter wide,” Aridean commented with surprise apparent in her voice. As they spoke, the group continued to pursue their mark deeper into the forest.

“I told you, the thing must have been standing at least five meters tall,” Vidor replied enthusiastically.

“We’re nearing the settlement that the creature has been terrorizing. This must be it preparing to snatch more supplies from the town,” Rana proposed as she jumped over a fallen tree.

No more than two kilometers away was the settlement that the rebels called The Ville. Although the citizens were not trained rebel soldiers, they had established their territory deep in a forest that kept them far from Empire eyes. Their attempt to hide from the reach of the Empire worked for some time, but ultimately the small town was discovered. Since having been discovered, Empire soldiers have occupied the territory. However, the citizens remained loyal to the rebel cause and have been smuggling copious amounts of supplies to the rebel headquarters. The task was made easier by bribing some of the financially sated guards that had been stationed at the town.

“Vidor, what more can you tell us about this monster?” Rana asked as the group jumped a small creek. Still making their way quickly through the forest, Aridean noted that there must only be about forty minutes of light left in the day.

“Well, it’s big, but I guess you two figured that much out from all those tracks we’ve been seeing. Other than that, it was covered in dark brown hair; a bit darker than Aridean’s fur,” Vidor explained.

“Do you have any idea what the beast is though?” Rana inquired, sounding a bit less patient. Aridean got the feeling that Rana was testing her brother to see if he had been studying the bestiary guide that rebel scouts had put together.

“Uh… well… I think it’s a…. Look, I don’t know what it is. I’ve skimmed the monster guides before, but I never saw anything like this in them,” Vidor exclaimed.

“You really need to take your studies more seriously,” Rana said after heaving an annoyed sigh. Just as she finished speaking, Vidor halted the group’s advance. Quietly, he gestured toward a large bush just in front of what seemed to be an open clearing in the forest.

While the clearing itself seemed nothing out of the ordinary in a forest such as the one the team found itself in, it was the sole occupant of open space. In the center of the clearing sat a large, brown-furred lump. Just sitting, the beast appeared to be at least five meters tall. It was covered almost entirely in its brown fur and sat with its legs crossed and back to the three hunters. Whatever the beast was, its body was almost bean-shaped and had no discernable neck. There was no visible nose on its face, just a mouth and two huge black eyes. Its arms and legs seemed to stretch almost the length of the creature’s body. Unaware that it was being watched, the beast sat in the clearing and was vigorously shaking a bag of grain that was entirely empty. Upon registering the beast, Aridean’s and Rana’s eyes went wide and their jaws slowly dropped.

“What is that thing?” Rana asked with surprise in her voice. Vidor, however, turned to her with a smirk on his face.

“And who was telling who to start studying more?” Vidor teased with a snicker. Unamused, Rana proceeded to whack her brother on the back of his head.

“Sasquatch,” Aridean spoke. Both Rana and Vidor turned to look at Aridean, whose eyes never left their mark.

“Sasquatch?” Vidor asked, confused.

“A sasquatch: rare, enormous, hair covered beasts with intelligence comparable to that of a young child. Obviously, with a body like that, they hold considerable strength and are capable of impressive, physically challenging feats. I’ve even heard rumors that some circus act managed to train one. They’re basically gorillas that are no less than four meters tall,” Aridean explained. “What one is doing in this forest and how no one managed to see something so large stealing over one hundred pounds of grain is beyond me, however.”

“Okay… so now we know what it is,” Vidor concluded. “Follow up: what’s a gorilla?”

“Not now, Vidor. Aridean, you seem to know a lot about this sasquatch monster; have you encountered one before? Do you have any ideas as to how we can put it down?” Rana asked, being sure to keep her voice down in order to avoid drawing the attention of the target.

As Rana asked her question, the scene unfolded in Aridean’s head as though it was yesterday. She was only seven years old and playing a game of checkers with Simon. Suddenly, the sheep could be heard out in the pasture causing quite a commotion. Simon had moved to the window in the living room with little Aridean right behind him. Horrified, Aridean saw a massive, hair-covered monster lift one of her favorite lambs to its mouth and bite down. A dark red mist sprayed from the creature’s maw as Aridean began to cry over the loss of her pet lamb. ‘Today was supposed to be a good day,’ Simon grunted, clearly irritated by the beast’s presence.

As Aridean continued sobbing for her lamb, Simon moved to his bedroom. He returned only a few seconds later with a broadsword in hand. ‘Father?’ little Aridean called through stifled weeping.

‘Don’t worry, I’ll handle this,’ was the last thing he said before going outside to deal with the sasquatch… I just remember begging him not to go outside. I thought it might eat him, but he managed to defeat the beast. Problem is, I don’t know how… ran right to my room after he left the house and cried into my pillow, too scared to watch his battle, Aridean internally reflected.

“Uh, hello? Aridean? You know how to take care of this thing, right?” Vidor whispered, snapping Aridean back into the present. She looked to Rana and Vidor and then back to the monster before them.

“W-well, sasquatches have tough hair and thick skin. They’re not invincible, but they are really durable,” Aridean explained in a hushed voice.

“With that in mind, you mean to say that your axe and Vidor’s arrows won’t do much more than make it angry… Do you know of any potential weaknesses we could exploit?” Rana asked, keeping a close eye on their target. The sasquatch the group was hunting was now using a finger to draw something in the dirt. Whatever the beast was drawing, it did not seem to have any meaning as it just appeared to be squiggles.

“Uhm, they operate like wild animals despite having demonstrated a degree of intelligence. Fire is an effective means of keeping it at bay,” Aridean answered. Having heard Aridean’s recommendation, Rana took only a moment to formulate an attack strategy.

“Okay, Vidor and I will keep its attention while you prepare a fireball. I’m going to try sneaking up closer. I’ll see about keeping it in one place; Vidor, move around the clearing and keep it between us. When you have a good shot, aim for the eyes. If nothing else, taking out its sight will make it far more difficult for it to run or retaliate,” Rana ordered. Both Aridean and Vidor nodded their understanding of Rana’s plan. With everyone on the same page, Rana and Aridean watched as Vidor slowly crept around the tree line, keeping out of the sasquatch’s sight by hiding behind trees and large bushes.

As Vidor kept moving into position, Rana made her move. Keeping low and moving quietly, Rana left the cover of the trees and made a slow approach toward the creature. It’s back still turned to her; the beast had begun to pound the dirt it had been playing in. As Rana reached a distance of about ten meters from the sasquatch, a loud rumbling sound could be heard throughout the area. A bit surprised, Rana had stopped dead in her tracks as the monster before her began rubbing its stomach.

It’s hungry! Rana! Aridean internally panicked. As Rana began to advance again, all Aridean could think of was the shower of gore and blood she was witness to when her lamb was eaten alive. Unable to contain herself, Aridean began hyperventilating.

N-no, please… I-I don’t want to see that again. I don’t want to see Rana get eaten, Aridean thought as she felt herself breaking down. Her legs felt weak and her arms were frozen at her sides. As her jelly-like legs gave out underneath her, the sasquatch began to stand.

Seeing that the target was getting ready to attack the nearby town again, Rana decided now was the time to strike. Rana stood from her crouching position and raised her hands to the sky, breathing deeply. Her hands glowed a brilliant green color as magic power radiated from them. As the sasquatch lifted its leg to start moving, Rana slammed her glowing palms down onto the ground before her.

At first, nothing seemed to happen when Rana finished casting her spell. But soon, the ground beneath her and the monster began to rumble, shake, and quake. Out from under the sasquatch, stone began to grow from the ground, wrapping itself around the legs of the creature. It looked as though a plant of stone was attaching itself to the creature, or perhaps a snake made of rock capturing its prey. Confused, the sasquatch looked at the bindings that kept it anchored in place until it lurched backward. Just as quickly as the stone had grown from the ground, it began to sink back into the crust of the earth.

The sasquatch fell on its backside where it looked up to the quickly darkening sky with befuddlement. After the initial shock wore off, the creature began to survey its surroundings. It didn’t take long for the beast to notice Rana, standing a few meters from its head with her hands still glowing their bright green. Having been spotted, Rana immediately assumed a battle stance with her razor knuckles held high. Aridean could only gasp and stare on with wide eyes at what unfolded next.

“Augh!” Rana grunted as the beast had grabbed her with its enormous hands and long arms. The speed of something so large was simply astonishing as Rana did not have much of a chance at dodging the grab. Rana’s hooves flailed as the monster lifted her from the ground. Holding its captor upside down, the sasquatch slowly rose from its lying down position. It watched as Rana squirmed within its grasp.

No… it’s just like the last time. I-I can’t move, Aridean continued to panic. Another loud rumble could be heard from the monster’s stomach. Rana’s face was coated with visible panic as well at this point. Slowly, the beast lifted Rana above its head. Its maw opened wide, Rana could see its large teeth and tongue. Each tooth was at least the size of her head and drawing ever closer. Rana braced herself and closed her eyes as something zipped by her right horn.

Roaring loudly, the sasquatch held tightly to Rana with one hand as the other began rubbing its right eye. Rana was swung about in the air as the creature’s eye began to bleed. Between its eyelids, half an arrow shaft could be seen embedded in the monster’s eye.

“Aridean! Now!” Vidor yelled from across the clearing. Having revealed himself, the sasquatch focused all its attention on Vidor. Still holding its eye with one hand, the one firmly grasping Rana was lifted up over the beast’s head.

“Ah! Ahhh!” Rana could be heard screaming as the hand holding her was hastily extended in Vidor’s direction. As the sasquatch’s arm extended as far as it could go, its grip on Rana was released and the minotaur flew directly into her brother.

“Ugh!” Vidor gasped as he was struck with his own sister, the duo flew backward a short distance. The siblings landed on the ground, stirring up a small dust cloud from the impact.

“Vidor… Rana…” Aridean quietly called out. Vidor sat on the other side of the clearing, pinned to the ground by an unconscious Rana lying on top of him. Aridean watched as Vidor struggled to sit upright. Given the difficulty he seemed to be having, the force of his sister having collided with him must have injured him severely.

“R-Rana… c’mon! Get up,” Vidor groaned as he attempted again to simply sit up. Rana remained unresponsive, her body entirely limp laying across Vidor’s stomach. Vidor arched his neck so that he could at least see the sasquatch as it continued to roar in pain from his arrow. As he watched the beast, however, his eyes began to widen.

Roaring loudly, the monster brought its massive fists up over its head. With tremendous force, the fists were brought down onto the stone wrapping its legs to the ground. Shards of rock and dirt flew in every direction as the stone began cracking. Vidor began to wiggle his way out from under Rana as the sasquatch repeated its effort. Bits of rock rained down on Vidor and Rana as the former managed to slowly stand back up. Quickly, Vidor threw one of Rana’s arms around his shoulder and began to hobble back toward the trees for cover. However, just as he took his first step, stone cracking and breaking could be heard throughout the clearing.

Vidor turned around with fear in his eyes to see that the sasquatch was standing back up and looking right at him. With considerable effort, Vidor continued to hobble his way away from the beast while still carrying Rana. Panic washed over Vidor, his blood running cold as he turned back again to see the beast he was fleeing from was only a few meters behind him. As the sasquatch advanced upon its prey, Vidor gasped and dove back down onto the ground, covering both his and Rana’s head.

Another loud, pained roar was let loose by the sasquatch as flame enveloped its entire back. The beast began grabbing at the singed hairs on its scorched back, which only irritated the new burns further. Furious, the monster turned to see Aridean with her axe drawn and a vicious scowl painted across her face.

“I didn’t think she knew what anger was…” Vidor commented upon registering the rage Aridean exuded. Taking the gravity of the situation seriously again, Vidor shouted, “Aridean! Fall back, get out of here!”

“Don’t worry,” Aridean muttered to herself as the sasquatch charged her. “I’ll handle this.”

As Aridean’s feisty quarry approached, it moved to dive at her. The ferocious monster slid along the ground a short distance and looked to its empty hands. Confused as to where Aridean had gone, the beast noticed an odd darkness descending upon its face. Looking up from its prone position, the sasquatch saw Aridean above it. She had managed to evade the dive from the sasquatch by leaping high into the air. At the apex of her jump, Aridean quickly ran a finger along the edge of her axe blade. The weapon quickly began to glow a brilliant orange as her finger passed over the metal. Intense heat could be felt radiating off of the surface of the weapon.

Now falling back down to the ground, Aridean readied her weapon. The sasquatch roared as its hunter fell from above. With all her strength, Aridean swung the axe as she reached the beast’s head. Aridean’s blade cleaved through hair, skin, and even bone; the sasquatch’s roaring had abruptly ceased as warm blood shot out of the wound like a geyser. If he did not know her, Vidor may have thought that Aridean’s natural fur color was a dark crimson as she was covered in the beast’s blood.

“That was for Mr. Bow,” Aridean angrily spat, feeling somewhat invigorated having avenged her late pet. Throughout the air, the unpleasant scent of burnt hair was all that anyone could smell. Aridean looked at the felled beast in front of her before putting her axe back in its holster on her back.

“Wow…” Vidor muttered to himself, entirely astonished by the performance that Aridean had just put on. Aridean hastily ran toward Vidor and Rana, still lying on the ground on the opposite end of the clearing. Aridean helped Vidor to his hooves and took Rana from him so that he may walk easier.

“Aridean… just, wow. That was incredible,” Vidor said as the group began to walk away from the scene.

“Sorry I took so long… I was a bit scared at first. But when I saw you and Rana in danger, well… it’s like something just took control,” Aridean responded.

“Sorry? Aridean, you saved our lives! Wait… that means we’re even now. Dammit! I thought I looked cool having saved your life, but that loses value now that you saved mine,” Vidor exclaimed as the two returned to the dirt road leading them home. “Uh… I mean, thanks for what you did back there.”

“Eheh, d-don’t worry about that. I’m just glad you’re okay. I’d be really upset if you had gotten hurt… well, hurt worse than you are,” Aridean said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Hey, I’m fine; little sore, but nothing a nice nap won’t fix. Anyways, after standing up to something like that, going to the celebration later is going to be a cinch, right?” Vidor asked with a goofy looking grin on his face.

“Let’s just get back first, okay? You and Rana need some rest before you’re ready for any partying,” Aridean replied while looking away from Vidor. “B-but… I am looking forward to it…”

Jean… I’m not that little minotaur girl that needs you to play my knight in shining armor anymore. Thank you for all your help over the years, but… I think I found the strength I need to play the role of a knight myself now. I still miss you so much and wish you were with me every day… but I managed to find someone almost exactly like you and that makes me feel a little better. You could never be replaced, but I think you’d be excited to know that I found someone that I… like… the same way I liked you, Aridean thought to herself as she and Vidor continued through the forest path. Rana, still a bit out of it, groaned as Aridean carried her through the forest. Although Vidor could not see it, Aridean was looking away from him with a bright smile on her face.