Heart of a Monster

“Hey, Ari, being the town minotaur and all, I’m guessing you know about the rebellion going on, right?” Jean asked. A bit surprised, Aridean looked at her friend wondering what brought that up. It was after school, Jean and Aridean were walking back to Aridean’s house to hang out and relax, that is assuming Simon did not put them to work helping him with the sheep.

“Well, yes. A lot of people talk about it and some people say that I’m--,” Aridean began to respond but was cut off.

“Some people think you’re a part of it, right? I wonder why that is, I mean, you’ve lived in Thellia with Mr. Gray your whole life, haven’t you? I haven’t heard anything about another minotaur visiting Thellia in… well, come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of another minotaur ever coming to Thellia,” Jean continued to think aloud. Aridean was still unsure about where he was going with this but decided to continue anyway. She knew Jean was not about to just drop a topic that he seemed interested in.

“I’m not a part of the rebellion and I have lived in Thellia for as long as I can remember. Even so, people worry that I’m going to bring them in. But I’ve never even met another minotaur. Perhaps that’s for the best, though,” Aridean said, looking down to the ground that her hooves were walking over.

“Why do you say that? If I were you, I’d love to get to meet another from my own race,” Jean asked before adding with a teasing tone, “I bet you’d love to meet a fine, young male, huh?”

“Jean,” Aridean said, semi-annoyed.

“What? Don’t you want to fall in love? Heh, Ari in love, I’d like to see that one day,” Jean continued to tease, Aridean merely rolled her eyes. “But seriously, do you really believe it’s okay if you never meet another of your own kind? Don’t you think that’d be a bit lonely?”

“Well, maybe if I gave it some thought, but right now I still have you and father. I think that may be all I need,” Aridean answered, but she already knew her real answer without giving the question any consideration.

“Easy to please, huh? That male isn’t gonna have to work very hard at least,” Jean said with a snicker, Aridean again rolled her eyes and considered smacking the back of Jean’s head. “I think it’d be great if another minotaur were to visit one day. If people met another one like you, then maybe Thellia would ease up on you a bit.”

“I’m not so sure,” Aridean replied. Although the thought had crossed her mind on occasion, she was not sure about having another minotaur in the village. What if that new minotaur really did bring the rebellion with him? What would happen to Thellia if the rebellion were to finally arrive?

“Well, did you know that there are some towns in the east that actually welcome minotaurs? Supposedly, they haven’t been affected by the rebellion much at all. Maybe one day you’ll get the chance to check them out. Oh, even better, maybe one day we can go together when I make it big as an artist; I’d love to see what minotaur art and culture is like,” Jean said with enthusiasm, as though he was already planning their trip in his head.

“I really don’t know about leaving home for all that… but if you went with me, I guess I’d be okay with it,” Aridean said with a bit of uncertainty. She was fully aware that there were towns within the empire that did not despise her race and traveling the Empire did sound exciting to her.

“Maybe we’ll also find you that male when we get there,” Jean added with another snicker.

“Maybe we will and maybe I’ll smack you if you keep that up,” Aridean retorted as Jean began to laugh. Aridean heaved a sigh, she knew she was in for bad puns for the rest of the day now.

“Oh, I think I see Mr. Gray… is he flagging us down? Ugh, I guess he’s got some work for us. I was hoping we could have another pull up contest,” Jean moaned.

“But I always win,” Aridean said, wondering why her friend was so fixed on silly pull up contests that always ended the same.

“Not true! I won once,” Jean said confidently.

“But I just let you win that one,” Aridean said, this time it was her turn to snicker.

“Not the point, I still won,” Jean returned. The two friends laughed a bit as they walked up to Aridean and Simon’s farm.

Sorry I couldn’t take you with me Jean… It’s for the best though. I wish you the best of luck becoming the great artist you dream of being. Maybe one day we will see each other again, out in those eastern towns we talked about, Aridean thought to herself, hopeful for her dear friend’s success and her own future. She had been walking for hours and the sun had finally reached the highest point in the sky as Aridean reached a bridge crossing a small river. Many white clouds overhead were soaring westward, occasionally blocking the sun. Patches of trees dotted the countryside to either side of the road, but there were no especially wooded areas in sight. River water rushed down the channel and some small fish could be seen in the shaded areas under trees and the bridge. Cool breezes often blew past Aridean as she continued down the long road and stopped before the bridge.

It would be for the best if Jean just forgot about me. I’m leaving so he and father can move on and live simply and accepted by everyone else. It’ll be easier for Jean to achieve his goals if I’m not around, the same goes for father, Aridean told herself internally. She was no longer able to cry from the self-inflicted depression, rather just shouldered the mental weights. Trying to focus on other matters, Aridean took her bag from her back and reached inside to pull out a small canteen. Giving the container a quick shake revealed that it was nearly empty.

“Don’t know when I may reach the next town, may as well fill up here,” Aridean said to herself. She walked down the hill the bridge sat upon and toward the bank of the river. The water was crystal clear and raced southward. Aridean could not see how far down the river stretched, leading her to believe this may be the only bridge for miles. Although the current was not especially strong, Aridean could see that it was quite deep and she was still counting herself lucky to not have contracted a cold from the rain the other night. Regardless, she decided to roll up her pants legs and soak her legs for a bit. Aridean had been walking for hours and lost track of the distance she had put between her and Thellia.

“Just a little break, my hooves are killing me,” Aridean said as she bent down to dip her canteen into the river water. Water rushed inside the canteen and as the bubbles stopped, Aridean brought the opening to her mouth. A few gulps of cold water were exactly what her dry throat needed. Once she had enough water, she dipped the canteen back into the river so as to keep it topped off before she set out again.

With a full canteen, Aridean returned it to her bag. Despite knowing what was in said bag, she felt now was an appropriate time to take stock of what she had packed. Within the large backpack were two spare sets of clothes, the canteen, a few snack bars, a small first aid kit, a large hairbrush, and a small and light pouch of copper coins for emergencies. Aridean also kept a map of the empire in her bag, along with an old compass and an even older pocket watch that she wasn’t even sure was correct.

Hooves and lower legs still soaking in the river, Aridean pulled her map out of her bag. Unfolding the paper revealed a large portrayal of the empire’s territory. Aridean set the map down on the ground beside her and looked it over thoughtfully.

“Hmm… thought I swapped this out; this map is seriously outdated. Thellia isn’t even on it,” Aridean said, pulling a pen from one of her coat pockets. She marked the approximate position of Thellia on the map and began tracing a mostly straight line along the page. Although she was not certain of the positioning, she felt confident enough that she was close using her memory of more up to date maps.

“Here’s this river, it leads down toward Lake Marquos,” Aridean continued to speak aloud. “Feels like I’ve come a long way, but it looks like I have many more miles before I reach the capital…”

Truth be told, Aridean had no intention of going anywhere near the capital. Given the state of the empire and the uproar of the rebellion picking up steam throughout, she imagined that the capital would be even less fond of minotaurs than Thellia. Her goal was to take some northern roads that passed the capital on her journey east. However, Aridean was not looking forward to that either as a lot of rebellion activity took place in the northern regions. If she were not careful, someone may mistake the traveler for a member of the rebellion up there. Roads south of the capital were certainly options, but that would nearly triple the length of the journey and Aridean’s supplies were limited. Further, she wished to avoid towns as much as possible until she reached the east half of the empire.

“Just going to keep north of the capital,” Aridean said, heaving a sigh and folding her map up again. She returned the paper to her bag at her side before slowly lowering herself back onto the ground. From her position on the ground, Aridean looked to the sky and just watched clouds roll by. Despite the calm and serene setting, Aridean’s face seemed to exude apathy.

Why couldn’t things just be simple… I never asked to be born a minotaur. I really wish this is all just a nightmare and I’ll wake up in bed at home. But it’s not, is it? I’m really running away from Thellia, becoming a fugitive because I’m too much of a coward to face everyone. It’s not fair that I’m the one to be tried for what happened to Jean, but no one wants to hear that. Jean… what will he think when he wakes up? What if he has woken up? Could he testify for me? Aridean thought to herself, her brow raising with a bit of hope. But almost as soon as that hope blossomed, her own conscience dashed it.

No… I’m sure he would, but he doesn’t need to bother with me anymore. He can live a normal life with the other humans now that I’m gone. Maybe… he’ll just forget all about me when he wakes up. That would make things easier… for both of us, Aridean continued to demean herself internally.

“I don’t even want to think about what father… Simon… must have thought when he found my letter this morning. Maybe, he’d agree this was for the best. Now he doesn’t have to live with one of the beasts that took his family from him,” Aridean said aloud as she drew her hooves from the river. The minotaur sat up straight and pushed herself up from the ground whereupon she shook each of her hooves to throw water off them. After a satisfactory job shaking had been complete, Aridean bent down and collected her bag, making sure to zip it back up so as not to lose anything. She slung the bag over her shoulders and had decided it was time to move on. Feeling a little refreshed after her break, the minotaur began to walk back up the hill toward the bridge.

As Aridean reached the top of the hill, she took notice of a group of travelers crossing the bridge from the opposite side. Ever unsure on how people would treat her, Aridean froze up on her end of the bridge as the group seemed to also take notice of her. The group consisted of two elves, a dwarf, and a human; they began conversing over something after having noticed Aridean. It seemed that they were discussing what the deal was with the unusual traveler across the bridge. Aridean on the other hand had begun mentally weighing whether or not she should just hide under the bridge. Unfortunately, that would do no good having already been noticed; further, it would have looked especially awkward, even for her. After a moment of speaking among themselves, the dwarven man began to approach Aridean with what looked like a friendly expression on his face. Aridean was a bit worried and was unsure on what exactly the dwarf wanted. What made Aridean especially uneasy was the sight of the large warhammer the dwarf sported.

“Hail, horned one, we’ve been traveling for a few days now. Recently, someone lost our map, don’t suppose you know your way around here, do ya’? We’re looking to get to the town called Hunlio,” the dwarf spoke as he continued to approach Aridean. For whatever reason, as the dwarf mentioned ‘someone,’ he turned to look at the elven man behind him. The elf, upon realizing he was being made the subject of a mild insult, merely rolled his eyes with his arms crossed over his chest.

“H-Hunlio? Uh, there’s a road leading southward about six miles back that way; just keep straight for the first four forks in the road and turn south on the fifth,” Aridean answered, pointing back down the long country road she had walked. She continued, a bit flustered, “b-but that road is quite long and often sees a lot of wild animals. You may want to consider looking for a place to get something to eat or rest. A small village called Thellia is just an extra ten or eleven miles along this road. There are a few forks that way, but they’ve all been marked. There’s also a road from there leading straight to Hunlio that you can take.”

“Ho-ho, a guide to the countryside, are you? I told you lot it was worth asking the lady,” the dwarf called to his companions. “We appreciate the help, hooves. Have a good day now.”

With that, the dwarf tossed Aridean a copper coin as he motioned for his group to join him. As the remaining three strangers passed, the two elves nodded to Aridean as a token of thanks. Less friendly was the human woman who simply gave Aridean an indifferent, but inoffensive, stare as she walked past the minotaur. Aridean could not help but notice how well equipped the team seemed to be: the dwarf had a warhammer, one elf carried a bow and quiver, and the human kept a short sword on her waist. Given their apparent need for weaponry, Aridean suspected the only unarmed member was likely a practitioner of magic. With all that in mind, Aridean felt relief as the group passed her and left her standing at the bridge. The odd group continued down the road on their journey to Hunlio. For a long while, Aridean watched them as they grew smaller and smaller in the distance before finally descending behind a knoll. With the group out of sight, Aridean finally took a deep breath.

“Thank goodness the dwarf was the one to ask,” Aridean told herself. Having worked at Mutt’s Tavern for a time gave Aridean the chance to meet a lot of people. She had taken notice that dwarves generally do not mind minotaurs, at least when they are still sober. However, while she never got a sense of the dwarf being condescending, they do tend to still refer to her using names that humans and some elves use in belittling her. Aridean also had developed some preconceptions on elves from her work as a waitress as well. Elven customers were often stuck up and did not act like anyone was worth their time. She felt approaching elves was a bit easier than humans because the elves treated humans similarly: like they were lesser than the elves. Being thought of as a lesser being was something Aridean has struggled with because of the treatment human customers and villagers of Thellia gave her. While she did not like being thought of as lesser, she had come to cope with it when it came to dealing with elves.

Finally, human customers were the most terrifying to Aridean. All it took was one small slip up and they would report her to her boss, even if the incident in question was entirely out of her control. They yelled, insulted, avoided, ignored, and even threw things at her. Human customers had treated her like she had a disease or as though she had murdered someone. Aridean had always had social anxiety because of her being a minotaur in a mostly human town, but the way she was treated did not do her any favors. Aridean found humans scary despite standing at least a foot in height over all of them.

Having sorted her thoughts on the encounter in her head, Aridean slipped the coin that the dwarf had given her into a coat pocket before turning back to the bridge. As she began to walk across the sturdy wooden bridge, she also started to review her strategy for her journey east.

There are still at least thirty miles between me and the capital. Since I’m not going there, I’ll split off somewhere up the road and make my way to the nearest town. I don’t know if I’ll have much luck finding an inn or even a restaurant that will serve me, but there aren’t many other options, Aridean continued to consider her plan as her hooves reached the dirt road on the opposite side of the bridge. There should be a town just a few miles northeast of where I am now. Depending on how long it takes to get there, I may see about staying the night there.

Aridean continued to walk and think to herself as the bridge behind her grew smaller with distance. The next notable landmark that Aridean was aware of was the Konarch Forest. Given that this was the furthest east she had ever been, Aridean began to develop an interest in seeing the forest. She was aware that it was just a plot of land densely populated with trees and brush, but it would be the first time that she had seen something of the sort. The countryside between Thellia and her home that she knew was mostly clear open fields with only a few trees scattered throughout.

Another hour of walking down the long dirt path and Aridean managed to reach the top of another large knoll. From her position on the hill, she could finally see the forest that she was looking for. She had stopped atop the hill to take in the view of the forest. At first, Aridean thought the whole sight looked strange: the familiar sight of clear fields abruptly ended with a wall of shady trees. After a moment of wonder, Aridean continued toward the forest with a bit more speed than she had previously given on her journey. Soon enough, she stood at the entrance to what seemed to be a tunnel made of trees. Over her head were tree branches so thickly packed with leaves that hardly any sunlight made it to the forest floor. Aridean thought it almost looked like she was walking into the barn at home given how dark it was. She was divided on whether she were glad or disappointed that it did not smell of manure though.

Thick tree trunks with large roots surrounded the path forward as a ceiling of leaves blocked Aridean’s view of the blue sky. Roots that had grown out into the path intertwined with one another and looked like veins under earthy skin. Aridean continued to walk through the forest for a long while; what light passed through the trees started to dim. Upon taking notice of the rapidly fading sunlight, Aridean thought it best to pick up the pace just a little to make it to a town before nightfall. However, she could not help but admire just how many trees had grown in one place. Aridean looked past the trees immediately to her right and left to see hills and valleys littered with even more. Birds were singing overhead in the leafy ceiling and Aridean watched as two squirrels scampered out onto the pathway. She giggled a little watching the squirrels fight over a single acorn. Just a few seconds into the scuffle, the smaller squirrel had snatched the acorn and made its way to a nearby tree with the larger squirrel right behind it. With the two acorn gladiators now gone, Aridean’s entertained laughter quickly faded.

“Oh… that reminds me of Mott. She always did like to tussle with squirrels,” Aridean said to herself as she continued to walk through the forest. “I wonder what that old, three-legged girl is up to now. Hopefully, she will keep fa… Simon company from now on. Ough, what does he think of this? Has he even noticed I’ve left yet? Surely, he wouldn’t come looking for me… maybe… maybe he thought this was the best move too. M-maybe he’s okay with me leaving. But… what if… he’s glad?”

As she spoke, Aridean’s voice began to crack and her eyes began to tear up a bit, “I-I’d deserve it… I deserve this too… A happy and simple life with him was not possible. I’m a minotaur, one of the monsters that slaughtered his family. I can’t fathom why he ever bothered with me. I can’t fathom what made him care… that is, if he ever truly did.”

Aridean wiped a tear from her face and took a deep breath. She decided that was enough motivation to keep moving forward through the forest. Although her mind had decided the best course of action, her heart ached in her chest as she continued deeper into the forest. She continued to sniffle a bit as she tried calming herself down. Every third step, as if in rhythm, she sniffled through her sorrows. Finally, after having calmed her nerves, Aridean had reached a fork in the path with a signpost indicating which fork led to. The sign pointing toward the path to the right read ‘Crown of the Empire, Librynthum.’ On the other sign was solely the town’s name, ‘Vylione.’ Aridean kept to her plan to steer clear of the capital city and turned down the left path. Although she had never been to Vylione, she heard it was a fair-sized town that managed to turn considerable profits through lumber trading due to its location near the Konarch Forest.

Vylione is one of the biggest producers of lumber in the empire. Lumber jack work requires strength; perhaps the town sees minotaur lumber jacks and isn’t as harsh as Thellia, Aridean thought to herself, hopeful that she may be able to find an inn that allowed minotaurs. As she continued to consider other options should the town reject her, the snapping of a tree branch could be heard. The snap was eerily loud and startled Aridean as it was not a branch she had stepped on. Now alarmed, Aridean looked around her to see if someone was around; tree branches do not just snap without some force acting on them. Although she had taken notice of the broken branch that had spooked her just a few meters behind her, Aridean did not see who, or what, broke it.

“H-hello? Somebody out there?” Aridean called in the direction of the broken branch. She waited only seconds before turning around again and continuing on her path, having picked up the pace again. Only now had she considered that traveling alone and obviously unarmed may make her an appealing target for highway men and thieves. Having scared herself a bit, Aridean had increased her pace to the point that she was practically jogging through the forest. She kept that pace for a solid twenty minutes as she briskly moved down the long and winding forest trail. It was at this point that she thought maybe she was in the clear. Surely she was not far from the town now, at least close enough to dissuade bandit ambushes.

Aridean took a moment to catch her breath and took a swig of water from her canteen. The refreshing drink slid down her parched throat, making her feel rejuvenated. As she went to put her canteen back in her bag, she heard the sound of rustling brush coming from behind her. With a bit of surprise upon realizing she was not alone, Aridean turned around to see a single, large, gray wolf eyeing her. After Aridean took notice of it, the wolf began to snarl at her.

“Uh… k-keep back, d-don’t come any closer,” Aridean stuttered as her heart began to race. She had raised her hands up somewhat, as if surrendering to the animal. Aridean slowly backed away on her hooves as the wolf moved in. She was shaking all over and could not find the willpower to speak or shout. The wolf showed all its teeth as it growled loudly. Furred skin on the wolf’s snout had constricted as the snarling continued. Once it had reduced the distance between her and it to about three meters, the wolf let loose a loud bark. As though it was signaling ‘Now!’ three more wolves leapt out from behind trees on both sides of the road. Aridean gulped nervously; this was not the ambush that she had anticipated falling victim to. She had chased off coyotes on the farm, but not wolves nor without a shepherd’s crook or staff of some kind. The pack of wolves began to close in on Aridean, growling and drooling.

Terrified, Aridean immediately turned on her hooves and began to run as quickly as she could. Immediately, the wolves gave chase after the minotaur they sought to make dinner out of. Aridean’s sprint was keeping her ahead of the wolves, but they were gradually catching up. All she knew was she wanted to get away as quickly as possible.

Run, run, run, run, run! Don’t stop running! Just got to get to town, they’re bound to leave me alone if I just get near other people, was all that Aridean could think as she began panting. Her tail and mane were flying freely behind her as she ran; one of the wolves had started to try biting at her tail as it closed in. An intense and sudden pain shot through her rear as one wolf had managed to snag her tail in its teeth but was quickly thrown off as Aridean put out a quick burst of speed. She could hear barking and snapping of jaws just feet behind her. It was as she finished her thought that she tripped over a large root just beneath the soil. As her face hit the ground, she felt a tremendous pain in her left leg. She turned over on her back to see that a wolf had gotten her leg and was biting down as hard as it could.

“Ahh! G-get off!” she screamed as the wolf bit down harder. She could feel the wolf’s teeth dig deep into her flesh and muscle. Blood quickly coated the jaws of the aggressive wolf and Aridean’s leg. Pain shot through Aridean’s leg as she began to panic. The other three watched and observed Aridean, as if timing their attacks. All she could think to do was punch the wolf’s snout. With a whimper, the wolf backed off long enough for her to stand again. However, one of the other wolves managed to bite down on her right arm. Her new aggressor was vigorously jerking its head back and forth, dragging the minotaur’s arm along with it. Despite being utterly horrified, Aridean screamed as she swung the wolf off its feet and into another that had jumped at her. Both wolves flew a few feet away, but they were not down for long.

Having momentarily freed herself, Aridean attempted to flee again. Adrenaline had kicked in, numbing the pain slightly as she attempted to escape. Blood had begun to pour from her new arm wound and her leg was not much better off. Again, the wolves gave chase after the now wounded and slowed minotaur. Her leg and arm were hot and stung, but Aridean continued to push forward until a wolf had jumped on her back.

Claws had managed to slip under her backpack and sank deep into her back as she let out a pained gasp. The wolf shredded her coat and shirt to get its claws deeper into her skin. To confirm its tight hold on its prey, the wolf ferociously bit into Aridean’s right shoulder. Aridean fell screaming from the viscous attack. Luckily, the wolf had lost its grip as Aridean fell to the ground. Unfortunately, Aridean had also violently struck her head on a large rock just off the dirt path. She opened her eyes to blurred vision on the ground; Aridean saw two blurry blobs that must have been wolves slowly approaching her. She was still able to hear the snarling and growling as her vision began to fade to white.

Do I really deserve this? Maybe this is how it should be, but I don’t want to die like this. Father, I’m scared, Aridean thought to herself as another tear welled up in her eye. The last thing the minotaur could see before her vision had totally faded was one of the blurry wolves leaping at her. Although she could not see anymore, she waited for the killing blow to come. But the wolf that had lunged at her did not strike. Before finally fading into unconsciousness, Aridean thought she could hear somebody shouting from somewhere nearby.