Zodiac Hunter: The Spirit Equine

I squinted my eyes after receiving the full hit of the day's sun and by judging by its position, I could tell it was around noon. The air felt surprisingly fresh and light in my lungs as I took in a deep breath but my moment was almost immediately interrupted after I caught the sound of running hooves, followed by whinnying and angry shouting. Turns out I had nearly been crushed by a big brown horse that was pulling a cart behind it.

I was then trying to control my breathing and watched the horse and its rider wind their way through the narrow path that was quickly getting thronged with people going about their business. I made a mental note to watch where I was going and decided to take a good look at where I was exactly.

Freya's hut was set just a few feet away from the path. I recalled how I had followed her there after she had found me the day before at the place I assumed had to be the market, though, taking another look around, it seemed like the market seemed to stretch all the way through along the pathway. I turned my head to the path in the direction the horse had taken. I turned to the opposite direction. A man carrying a large basket loaded with what looked like large breadsticks stopped in front of me and tried to make me buy from him. That was when my hunger returned. I had not eaten since I had gotten there but then I had no money or whatever it is that people here used to pay with. Besides, I had bigger problems to worry about than my stomach. Food would just have to wait.

After what I thought was I a fairly polite smile, I excused myself from the vendor and made my way into the path, in the direction the horse had come from. If I was going to find the Seer then they would most likely be in the more populated region, ergo the market.

As I walked along the path, I ran into a lot of faces; faces that I unfortunately did not know. How I wish I could just bump into someone, anyone! I also noticed something else—I was nearly the only one heading into that direction. Everyone else was walking against me and were all carrying with them different kinds of luggage. Some appeared to be vendors coming from the market while others were just ferrying their stuff on horses and donkeys and in a sort of a hurried manner. Maybe the market's closing early today? I thought to myself and went on to recall that bizarre announcement from the soldiers earlier on—something about a certain event happening soon? And that nobody was to be outside before sundown or something?

I gradually began to pick up on the atmosphere. The freshness in the air suddenly started to feel different as if it were disturbed by something—something that I could not quite place. I was then instinctively led to quicken my pace.

By the time I got there, there seemed to be significantly fewer people than the day before. A lot of stalls appeared to be empty while others were in the process of getting emptied. I spotted one vendor, an old bearded man with thick scraggly hair that had patches of white all over. I approached him. He was just getting to his last haul as he shoved fruit into a sack.

"Excuse me sir," I began, getting his attention.

"Sorry boy, I'm closing shop," he replied and shoved down the last of his goods.

"What's going on? Why are people leaving the market?"

At this, the man stopped to look at me, his wizened face incredulous. "You trying to be daft now are ya?" he chuckled but with no expression of humor on his face. "Best be gone before it starts!"

The man then hoisted the sack over his back and heaved his way past me, pushing me aside.

"Hey, wait!" I called, "before what starts?" He was already disappearing down the path along with the rest of the throng, moving rather fast given his age and the luggage on his back.

I had to get an answer soon. But how? I was making my way out of the stall when I bumped into someone.

"Who dares try to disturb my—" I first caught the voice; high-pitched, firm and feminine.

"I'm sorry," I said, turning to find a young woman standing next to me. She was almost as tall as me and had dark straight shoulder-length hair that parted in the middle. It had bright red streaks highlighted at the seams and contrasted greatly with her light brown complexion, matching her eyes which appeared to be even darker, set under two long sharply curved brows.

Her striking appearance had caught me off-guard. She was in a short scarlet dress that was attached with a long dark cape that was swept to one side, enhancing her features and making her stand out from the rest of well, everyone else. There was something different about her. She seemed to be exuding some kind of authority with her.

Her expression, which had been one of distaste, immediately turned into a rather warm and brilliant one the moment her eyes met mine.

"Despyon?" she gasped delightedly.

"What?" I hesitated, getting momentarily confused before remembering that I was in the body of another man, taller and—dare I say it—better looking. Hopefully the actual Despyon Raznar will never get to hear I just said that.

So this woman knew me, that is Despyon. That thought almost made me snort, wondering how an annoying person like Despyon could know a girl this attractive.

"What're you doing out here?" the woman asked, batting her eyelids.

"I—"

"Couldn't keep yourself from coming to see me even in these times, huh?"

"I was—"

"Especially after I didn't see you at the stables yesterday! I knew you'd come back for me!"

She ranted on endlessly and perhaps I was getting the sense that Despyon had actually been the unlucky one in this situation.

"I was actually wondering if you--" she had grabbed at my arm and before I realized what was happening, we were running through the market, rushing past stalls and nearly knocking other people out of the way.

"Wait, where are we going?" I asked, finally making her to stop.

I was catching my breath when I started looking around. We were no longer at the market anymore as I could see it just a few yards back. We were standing under some pine trees that appeared to be the remnants of a once large woodland that was cleared out for human settlement, with huts stretching farther from the market and a river was flowing an extra few yards from where we were. I followed it and found out that it cut through into the village and flowed from the direction that the strange woman had taken me.

"I was hoping I would run into you today!" the woman spoke, her voice weirdly dreamy and not as heavily accented as that of the other villagers, just like Despyon's.

"You were?" I turned and almost ran into her face which was just inches from my own.

"How long are we going to play this game?" she got even closer, stroking my arm with the tip of her fingers until they found their way onto my shoulders.

I swallowed and my heart started beating way faster than I would have wanted it to. What was happening here?

I tried to step back but her fingers had found themselves onto the back of my head, firmly pushing me towards her until both our faces were barely an inch away. I watched her close her eyes and project her lips towards mine. For a moment, I could catch the incredible whiff of her perfume and her warm breath as well as that of her body against mine. I felt her lips touch mine but I instantly pulled back as if on impulse, breaking whatever that was before it got any further.

"Despyon!" the woman gasped, staring at me in bewilderment. "What is wrong with you?"

"Me?" I shot back, surprisingly finding my voice again, "you're the one coming at me!"

She looked hurt the moment I said that but then her brows furrowed. "What's with you? Why are you talking like that?"

Of course I did not have that Scandinavian accent.

"Look," I went on, "this isn't. . ."

The sound of something like an explosion rented the air. But it was no explosion. It was coming from above—the sound of thunder. That was weird. The skies were barely clouded when I had left the hut.

Upon looking up through the scattered trees, the environment appeared to have changed all of a sudden. Thick dark clouds were quickly gathering, with traces of lightning flashes.

"It's finally happening!" snapped the woman, "we need to do this now, Despyon. There's not much time left!"

"What? Do what? What's—"

She approached me again and tried to kiss me but I was ready this time as I held out my arms to stop her.

"I'm not who you think I am, okay?" I started.

"What?" the woman frowned, "you're my love! We're meant to be together!"

Whoa! Seriously, Despyon. Whatever did you do to this girl?

"Look, you've got this all wrong. . ."

"You're-you're just afraid," the woman cut in, "that's it! You're afraid we won't have time to be together after this! But that's why we need each other right now. You are supposed to be with me!"

She approached me and tried to will herself onto me again but I shoved her away, perhaps a little too hard that she almost tripped.

"Whatever it is you think we have here, it's not happening," I said more firmly this time, maybe even for Despyon himself. Something just did not seem right with this woman.

At that, she glared at me. Her eyes no longer two beautiful black orbs. Her face was already getting ruined with mascara or whatever kind of makeup they used in this period, mixed with tears, giving her a ghastly appearance. She then looked away, focusing on a specific direction that led to a clearing revealing a path.

"Fine," she said quietly, trying to control her emotions, "If I can't have you, then nobody can!"

What was she doing? I tried to make out what she was looking at as the thunder intensified and it looked as if it were going to rain any second.

"Guards!" she started yelling, "guards! Help! Please help!"

I was shocked by her performance, totally confused as I watched her drop to the ground on her hands.

The unmistakable sound of hooves was then heard and my eyes widened the moment I spotted a handful of soldiers on horses rushing towards where we were. I stumbled backwards, landing on my ass and turned to catch the woman's messy face now featuring a twisted grin, silently condemning me to my doom.

"You will get what's coming to you!" the woman spat as the soldiers got closer and closer.

Hell no! I am outta here! I quickly got up, stumbling forwards as I did so and ran as fast as I could just as the sound of horses and men yelling grew louder but nothing compared to the woman's cursing.

"Mark my words! You'll be dead before the world ends, Despyon Raznar!"

The words were soon drowned out by the increasing thunder. I kept on running, faster than I ever thought possible, though perhaps it was because I was in Despyon's athletic form but still, I was feeling a kind of fear that just urged me to keep on going. To stay alive.

I could still hear horses neighing behind me and even at one time, I felt the whooshing effect of an arrow as it shot just over my shoulder before getting lodged into the trunk of a tree. I was pretty sure that that was meant for me. I knew I had to get out of the woods.

I saw my chance when I caught sight of the river again. I followed it and it led me out into the open. There were no huts nearby. I needed somewhere to hide and quick. The horses were fast approaching. That was when I saw the only other thing that stood out from the rest. It was a tall fortified structure, almost resembling a castle, designed with golden bricks. I recalled having seen this place earlier when I had first arrived in Abinor. It looked really magnificent up close.

The river flowed right past it and a moat had been built over it, connecting the castle to the rest of the land. I had thought about going to hide in there but I could not risk getting into more trouble over there. Where there's a castle there had to be even more soldiers.

I looked beyond the castle and had to heave a sigh of relief. Just several meters away, there was a vast extension of what appeared to be dried bushland and thickets, with huge boulders right in front of them. I increased my pace and made my way over there and found myself a perfect hiding spot.

By the time the soldiers had caught up, I could hear them conversing as I did not dare try sneak a peek.

"Any sign of him?"

"No. Probably ran off into the Outlands."

"He's already food for the beasts if he's out there, besides, the Chieftain's daughter is safe and the Harvest is nigh. It's best we steer clear of this place and return to post."

"It's happening earlier this time, isn't it? Thought we had until sundown."

"Not with this storm brewing. Be on guard men, we're the land's last hope of defense."

"May the gods have mercy on Abinor."

With that, I heard the soldiers retreating on their horses. It was safe to come out. The air started to get hostile, with strong winds beginning to blow. I knew I had to find shelter and fast. I had no idea where I even was or if I would ever find my way back to Freya's hut whom I figured was probably worried sick. But why was I concerned? She wasn't my family. She was Despyon's aunt. But then I figured that she was all I had out here. I had to get back. I could really use Google Maps right about now!

The skies were beginning to break as I began to feel the first drops of rain fall on my face. I scouted the area, moving my eyes from the woodlands I had come from, past the castle and that was when I saw it. A structure not that far from the castle. It was nowhere near the magnitude of the castle but looked safe enough for shelter. I ran towards it, the wind beating against my face.

As soon as I made it there, I was more than relieved to find there was nobody there, at least no one that could chase me down with the intent of skewering me with an arrow. I was in for a much more surprise. Turns out the place was the stables that everyone had been talking about. There were horses lined up in multiple stalls that ran all the way from the entrance to the other end. I marveled at the sight as I began to look for a place to keep warm. But there was something wrong with the horses. I could feel it too.

The horses appeared to be troubled. Perhaps it was from the storm but it felt like it was something else. The horses kept neighing and acting up in their stalls. I decided to approach one, the one closest to the entrance. It was a white stallion with a magnificent mane that appeared to be subjected to brushing everyday as well as its fur.

I gently extended a hand. The stallion reared. I stopped, steadying my hand.

"It's alright," I muttered, "I'm not gonna hurt you."

The stallion seemed to be regarding me with his large black eyes that glinted in the dimming light and must have established that I was no threat as he came forward and let me rest my hand on his head. I smiled, obviously excited by this move. I did say that I had a thing for horses, especially when I had been younger. My grandpa had a whole farm of them and I even learned how to ride with my dad until. . .

The storm grew louder with more deafening thunder blasts. The stallion, along with the other horses, whinnied, clearly terrified.

"It's okay boy," I said, trying to sooth him, "it's just a little bad weather. It'll pass."

I should have known that would only go on to be nothing short of wishful thinking. The thunder intensified, louder than anything I had ever heard before. It felt almost unnatural. It was so loud the ground itself began to shake.

The white stallion reared again. Other horses began to act up more wildly in their stalls as if trying to break out.

Following another blast of thunder, I found myself heading over towards the entrance. Rain was pouring down, or so it had seemed from inside the stables. What I witnessed next was nothing short of enthralling.

Standing just outside the stables, I held out my hand in the rain. The sight was incredible. The raindrops were moving up instead of down. Whether it was my eyes playing a trick on me, I was not sure. But something felt very strange, unhuman, as if the balance of nature had been disturbed. And indeed it had. Droplets of rain rose past me and back into the air like some sort of 'reverse rainfall'.

The strange phenomenon would only serve as the herald of my troubles that evening. I was following the drops back into the air when I was met with an even more striking site, as if the reverse rainfall had not been enough.

High up in the clouds, something began to take form, twisting and turning and pulling the clouds into a thick dark whirlpool. I thought it was a cyclone at first but then things do not just pop out of normal cyclones now, do they?

They were like beams of light. Bright light that seemed to materialize in a different color with every beam. The first beam came out as fiery red, then others like blue, green, purple and more, followed. I counted around seven to eight beams and they all looked like the streaks created by comets. I watched them disappear across different parts of the land: some landed towards the thicket area where I had earlier been hiding; some in the mountains; some across other parts of the village and one of them was coming directly at me. It was all just mesmerizing. It was—wait, what?

It was firing its way right towards the stables, glowing a bright streak of yellow. I yelled, running out of the way and fell a few feet away from the entrance. I watched the streak hit the stables, blasting its way through the roof and hitting the ground with a terrible noise that was just as loud as the thunder. The ground beneath me shook again. The horses grew restless and were now kicking at their stalls in an attempt to escape.

Getting back up, I slowly approached the stall, echoing soothing sounds to try and calm the horses. The area where the beam had landed was covered in thick clouds of dust. Dust that appeared to be glowing with highlights of yellow neon light.

I stopped and did not dare approach any further the moment the dust began to clear, silhouetting some kind of figure. A figure that seemed to have been lying on the ground and was now standing to its full frame. It was so tall that it almost towered over the entire stables.

A certain fear I had never felt before suddenly gripped me. A kind of fear that I could not begin to fathom. I took several steps back as the figure began to take form. I dreaded waiting to see what it was. Its eyes were the first to materialize as two neon glowing orbs of yellow.

Horses began to burst out of the stables, fleeing in terror. I too knew I had to run from whatever this thing was. I did not need to be told twice, especially after the tattoo that I kept forgetting about started glowing again. The arrow symbol on my arm was lighting up in the same neon fashion as that of the figure's eyes, but in neon green. I took a couple of steps and was almost making a run for it before I got an idea. The white stallion was fighting to break free from its stall. I turned away from the figure and worked towards opening the stall.

"Alright boy," I said, placing my palm on the horse's side, "we're getting out of here."

The stallion seemed to understand me for it was only after I had mounted did he bolt out of there and in good time too because not so long after, there was an explosion. I looked over my shoulder and caught the stables ablaze. The fire had torn apart the entire thing but I could not spot the figure anywhere.

I focused my attention back to the front, holding on to the stallion as he tore through the ground, quickly increasing the distance between me and the stables and together, we were one in the storm, trying to find our way towards safety in the forsaken lands of Abinor.