Crusade Gone Awry Ch. 08

Ermina's frosty blue eyes stared at Tay from across the fire. He was still staring off into the night, likely trying to hide his emotions from her. He looked like a petulant child, but at the same time he clearly wanted her to understand him. He was just lonely, that was all. She sighed, suddenly feeling a wellspring of sympathy for him.

"I'm sorry," she finally said. "Even if I change my mind, I would still need one of the males to agree, and they're even more dead-set on this than me. The centaurs boxed themselves into a corner, even us unicorns. Our time is at an end."

"I know," Tay replied, turning back to her. "I should be the one to apologize. I shouldn't have put your race's extinction on you. It's your decision, not mine."

"Thank you."

A long silence hovered between them, as neither seemed to know what to say. Tay wasn't good at judging people, but he could read horses quite well. Ermina's horse half appeared to be getting fidgety again. Despite all he learned, he still didn't want her to leave. If she was one of the last centaurs, he was going to spend as much time with her as he could manage.

"Are you still hungry?" he asked.

"What?" she asked, surprised. "Uh, I mean a little. I didn't get to eat tonight because you...uh, grabbed me."

"How about I get some sleep and you get a meal?"

At that suggestion, Ermina perked up. "You mean...you would let me into your dreams?"

"Sure, you've done it before, and you saved my life by getting me away from those assassin weevils. The least I can do is let you eat some dream juice or whatever."

Ermina stared at Tay with an empty expression for several moments. "You are an odd human."

"I told you as much. So, shall we get started?"

*

Tay was standing in the kitchen of the ranch he worked on. He was slicing vegetables into small chips. These were treats for the horses he cared for. He gave it to them when the stablemaster wasn't looking. The horse's eyes always lit up when he came to them. It filled him with joy seeing them happy. Horses were such emotional animals. They bonded with humans, even developing trust that went beyond words. Horses even had favorite humans, and the majority clearly picked Tay. He was always happy to spoil them. Right at this moment, however, he was annoyed. The knife in his hand kept becoming wobbly, like it was made of rubber. The sooner he got the vegetables cut, the sooner he could get to...

Tay lifted his eyes. There was something standing in the kitchen. It was like a horse, but the upper body was raised upright. It was completely covered in a black cloud, and appeared menacing, carrying a large staff weapon. Tay felt a large sense of revulsion. This was an intruder! This wasn't meant to be here! He had to get away! He had to run!

Then his scattered, dreamy brain finally seemed to connect the dots. He relaxed, remembering what was happening outside this dream.

"Oh, Ermina, there you are," he said. Almost instantly, the black haze around her dissipated and there she stood, in all her centaur unicorn glory.

"You're the first creature who hasn't run at the sight of me in their dreams," she stated.

"Well you were black and covered in some kind of black cloud," Tay explained.

Ermina wrinkled her eyebrows, looking baffled. "I was? I wasn't making that."

"At first, I felt you were an invader or something, like you didn't belong. Maybe my mind was making the clouds to try to protect me."

"The human mind is really strange," Ermina said, gazing around. "Is this where you live? Where do you sleep?"

Tay smiled and picked up the bowl of chopped carrots. "This is just the kitchen, where food is prepared. There's a separate building where the stable workers sleep. Why don't I give you a tour?"

"That would be a nice change to the running and screaming." Ermina's eyes fell on a very large cabinet where bags of grain were stored. "Can I eat that?"

"I, um, I guess," Tay responded. He watched as Ermina cut with the blade at the end of her spear. It instantly sliced through the cabinet like it was made of paper. The two pieces floated in the air, began glowing, then darted into the centaur's mouth. Ermina swallowed and appeared more satisfied.

"Taste good?" Tay asked with a grin.

"I think you're joking, but yes, it actually did," she replied.

The moment they emerged outside Ermina's eyes widened and she gawked at her surroundings. Tay couldn't help but be amused. She wasn't in the arid land of the desert. Instead, for as far as the eye could see, there was grass and trees. It was fertile, lush, and alive.

"This is where you live?" she asked, bewildered.

"Where I used to live," Tay corrected. "This is the largest stable in the whole kingdom. Hundreds of horses are bred and raised here every year." As the two of them walked along, Ermina gazed out into the large gated fields all around them where horses roamed in herds and nibbled on grass.

"I've never seen so much grass!" Ermina said.

"There are the Raingrounds," Tay explained. "It rains practically every week, making it always green."

"Rainground? Like your name?"

Tay's expression darkened a little. "Yeah, that's where I got my last name. I was found wandering out in the wilderness as a child. I wouldn't tell them my real name, so they just made one up. That's how I became Tay Rainground."

"Why wouldn't you tell them?" Ermina asked.

Tay took a deep breath. He couldn't help but notice that storm clouds began gathering in the sky above him. "My parents owned a farm out here. Blight killed all our crops and we fell into debt. Debt collectors came to our house one day and everyone started arguing. One thing led to another, and their thugs went crazy, killing my mother, father, brothers, and sister. Only I escaped, running into the wilderness. I was afraid if I told them my name, they would turn me over to the people my parents owed money to."

"My goodness, how awful!" Ermina exclaimed.

"It was a long time ago, it's fine. Anyway, I was found by people working for this ranch and they decided to put me to work as a stable hand so I could earn my keep. I spent most of my life here, around the horses and not trusting people so they didn't find out who I was."

"That all sounds terrible! I'm so sorry Tay."

"Like I said, a long time ago. Let's look on the bright side, we're at the stables!" The clouds in the sky faded and sunlight filled the area. Ermina was standing in front of a long, huge building with a sliding door. Tay hopped over and pulled the entryway open. They entered to find a long hallway, lined with stalls and horses. Tay trotted over to the first and held out a slice of carrot. A black horse with a white spot on its nose stuck its head over the wall, grabbing at the treat.

"This is Henry," Tay explained. "He's a good horse when you get to know him, but he tends to bite strangers." The stable man went from stall to stall, handing out the carrots. "This is Felista. She rowdy and causes trouble unless you put her with her buddy Ted. This is Harlan. He's a really calm guy, never lets things get to him. And this is Nisha. She's hilarious! She likes to throw things at my back when I turn around, and then nods her head like she's showing off."

Ermina watched, more bewildered than before, as Tay went to every single stall in the entire barn. He knew the name of every horse and their personality. Moreover, he was absolutely ecstatic, like he had been when he discovered Ermina was a centaur. He was like a happy child, showing all his friends to his parents. After a while, she began to grin, seeing how happy he was.

Finally, Tay arrived at the last stall. A white horse with black spots stuck its head out. It wasn't aiming for the bowl of treats. Instead, it hooked its head around Tay's shoulder, as if in a hug. The stable hand quickly reciprocated, wrapping one of his arms around the neck. For a few moments, Tay stood there, his eyes closed. He finally broke away, handing the remainder of the slices to the horse, who ate them.

"And this," Tay began. "is Runt. He's my best friend. A day after I got to this ranch, he was born. He was small, sickly, and weak, and the stablemaster thought he wouldn't make it. The master gave the horse to me, calling him a runt. He thought Runt's death would teach me a lesson about what life is like or something. I slept with him out here every night back then, making sure to keep him warm. He got better and better each day. Now look at him, a fully-grown horse. It was just me and him against the world." Tay rubbed the bridge of Runt's nose while the horse munched on bits of carrot. Both of them seemed at peace.

"I'm glad you had a friend Tay." Ermina stated.

"Me too," he replied. "I think it's time we let the horses out for a run." He walked over to the sliding door he was next to and opened it. He then began unlocking the stables one by one. Each of the horses casually trotted past Tay and Ermina, out into the gated fields.

As Ermina watched him work, her eyes fell to a door on the side of the barn. It struck her as odd, as all the other space was taken up by the stalls. Curious, she trotted over, opening it. She was surprised to see the walls lined with metal and leather equipment she somewhat recognized. The people who farmed on the coasts used it on their horses. There were bridles, horseshoes, stirrups, and saddles. As her eyes went to the floor they bulged, and she gasped. There was a woman on the ground on all fours. She was naked, save for a bridle in her mouth and a saddle on her back. She was acting out being a horse, neighing at the door.

"Uh...Tay!" Ermina shouted, panicked. Moments later, the stable hand bounded over to her. The moment he saw what was on the floor he gasped and slammed the door shut.

"Oh god...uh...she's not supposed to be in this dream!" Tay stammered, looking incredibly uncomfortable.

"Who is she?" Ermina asked. "And why was she pretending to be a horse?"

"Um...well, uh, she's an adventurous woman who liked to come by and um, let's say role-play pretending to be a horse while engaging in...illicit behavior."

Ermina's blue eyes stared holes into Tay now. He couldn't tell whether she was disgusted or just shocked.

"Did you engage in this "illicit behavior?"" she asked stiffly.

"I mean she offered and it's not like a stable hand has a lot of options for courting a woman..." Tay cleared his throat uncomfortably. For several moments, neither spoke.

"Can I just eat that room?" Ermina finally asked.

"Please do."

She wasted no time cutting into the entire wall, causing the section to split in two before zipping into her mouth. She then sighed.

"I don't have any room to judge you," she admitted. "It's not like I'm a virgin or anything, although I've never engaged in something so...eclectic before."

"Sorry you had to see that. It was behind closed doors, so it was supposed to be a secret." Tay smiled nervously for a few moments. "Why don't we watch the horses graze for a while?"

"That sounds good." Ermina replied quickly.

For quite a long time Tay and Ermina lay on a hillside, watching Tay's horse friends graze the fields. Neither really spoke. Ermina occasionally swatted her spear at bugs going by, turning them to energy and eating them. After gorging on an entire room earlier, she was pretty full. Tay finally turned his head towards her. He was somewhat amused at her posture, her on her back with her hooves in the air. He supposed that was the only way she could rest the human part of her back.

"The night should be about over, right?" Tay asked. "It's been hours."

"Time passes differently in dreams," Ermina explained. "It actually hasn't been that long in real life."

"Oh yeah, I've had dreams like that," Tay said, absentmindedly. "I don't really have a problem with that. I've been feeling lonely for a long time. It's good to see my old friends."

"Yeah, it's been forever since I've seen my friends," Ermina said. Tay glanced at her again. Her tone had changed. She no longer sounded bashful or afraid. She now sounded casual, comfortable. Perhaps eating until she was full and laying around had lowered her defenses.

"Why did all of you separate?" Tay asked.

Ermina made a displeased face. "When we decided to be the last generation, we also decided that we didn't want to watch each other die. We could all keep the hope that we weren't the last one alive. It's sad to think about. We all remember our parents dying, and how hard that was. We didn't want to do that for our whole race."

Tay saw something at the edge of his vision and turned his head. He furrowed his brow, as he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Uh, Ermina," he began, pointing. "Is that you as a kid?"

"Huh?" The centaur rolled over and sat up before gasping. Trotting around in the fields, going in circles, was a much smaller version of Ermina. She was kicking at the dirt and then flinging her arms around, as if hitting something floating around her. She wasn't wearing her thick robe anymore, just a strip of cloth across her chest. Nearby were two other unicorn centaurs, holding hands and watching her.

"I...I remember that!" Ermina cried. "It was the first time my parents let me outside. I was playing in the sand though, not in this field."

"I can control my dream when you're here," Tay explained. "Maybe you can do the same."

"This hasn't happened before..."

"No one's let you into their dream like this before." Tay watched as the kid version of Ermina fell onto the ground and began rolling around, kicking her stunted legs in the air, likely flicking sand around. Tay abruptly laughed. "Well, you were certainly cute."

Ermina blushed and covered her face. "It was my first time seeing sand! I was excited!" Ermina's parents called over to her. The young centaur pouted but trotted over. The three of them held hands, Ermina in the middle. They then walked away together, fading away into oblivion. The real Ermina lowered her hands, suddenly appearing sad.

"I love that memory," she said. "The Giant Crystal ran out of magic some years after that, and everyone started to starve. I loved being outside then. Now this desert is just big, empty, and lonely."

"Yeah," Tay said quietly. "I know that feeling. After my parents died, I had to wander until I found this place. I had never felt so alone...at least up until then."

Ermina turned her head to look at Tay. He had a distant look in his eyes, gazing out into the distance.

"Tay," she began. "if all your friends, all the horses, were here, why would you leave? This place seems great." Clouds began to gather in the skies again. It was quickly getting darker.

"It started to not feel like home anymore," Tay said flatly.

"Why not? What happened?" The clouds above began to thunder.

There was a loud shriek on the air. An animal was in pain, the worst kind one could imagine. Tay immediately went pale. He slowly got to his feet, looking stiff. Ermina watched him with worried eyes. He had changed so quickly she didn't know what to do. She just stood on her own hooves and followed him. They walked into the field, where one of the horses was on the ground. Once they got close enough, Ermina gasped and covered her mouth.

It was Runt, Tay's one, true friend. The white horse with black spots was one the ground, his nostrils flaring and his eyes wide. One of his hooves had gotten stuck in a hole. He must have been running and put his weight on it, because his leg had snapped, breaking multiple bones. He was now thrashing on the ground, in obvious pain. Tay knelt beside his friend and hugged him around his neck. He began shushing into the horse's ear, calming Runt. Ermina's eyes darted between them, terrified.

"His leg..." she muttered.

"It was those damn marmots," Tay replied bitterly. "We tried to keep them away. They dig these shallow burrows that horses could get trapped in. I thought I checked the field good enough before I let him out...but I missed one."

"Is there anything you can do?" Ermina asked.

"No," Tay replied. "You can't fix this. A horse's legs are its life. If one of them breaks, there's nothing you can do. Any amount of living after this would just cause him more suffering. There is nothing I could do." Rain began to fall around them, increasing in intensity by the second. Tay finally let Runt go, sitting back up. He reached for his belt and pulled something out. Ermina gasped again. It was a knife, long and sharp.

"You had to put him down," Ermina said.

"He's an animal," Tay said, his voice breaking. "He didn't understand what happened to him, or that what I was doing was to end his suffering. He just stared at me and screamed." The rain had become a downpour. Tay didn't move. He held the knife in his hand, with Runt staring at him, wide-eyed. "Ermina, I can't do this again!"

"Huh? Oh, yes, let me!" Ermina trotted forward. She took her spear and cut through Runt's body. He instantly turned to light and split into pieces. Rather than eat it, Ermina simply let it fade away into nothingness. The downpour continued.

"I couldn't stay here," Tay said flatly. "This wasn't my home anymore. I couldn't wake up every day with the memory that I had to cut the throat of my best friend. So, I left. I joined the church's army just to get away from this place. Then they announced the crusade and I thought I could meet a centaur and they would just magically understand me. I knew it was silly deep down, but I just had to take a chance. If I was going to die fighting the demon king, I could at least maybe, just maybe, find someone who understood."

Ermina stared at him, quickly becoming soaking wet in the downpour of his mind. She trotted in front of him and laid on the ground on her horse legs so they could be at the same height.

"I do understand," Ermina said. He lifted his soaked head towards her, his green eyes staring into her blue ones. "I know what it's like to watch the people you love die, and there's nothing you can do about it. I'm sorry you lost your friend Tay but...you don't have to be alone anymore."

"Neither do you," he replied. They stared at each other for a few more moments, then they leaned forward and embraced each other.

*

Suddenly, there was no rain or thunder. It was silent and warm. Tay quickly realized he was awake. Everything felt real, more corporeal and less hazy. He was back in the clay brick house, but he was in the position he been in his dream. He and Ermina were holding each other on the floor. He must have started moving as he was waking up. After gathering his wits for a moment, he pulled himself back from her. Their eyes locked again, and they paused. Tay then leaned forward and Ermina tilted her head to the side, so her horn would be out of the way. He pressed their lips together, slowly and gently. For several moments, they stayed that way, enjoying the warmth. Then the warmth started to become hot.

Tay lifted his arms and put them on her neck. His tongue probed into her mouth. Ermina made a small noise but didn't stop him. Her hands came up and gripped his shirt, almost desperately. Their muscles danced together for several moments, both enjoying the delicate sensations. Tay reached up pulled the hood of her robe off, her white hair glittering. Then he began undoing her robe. He finally pulled away, both panting.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked.

"No!" she cried. "It's been so long! I don't want to hold myself back anymore!"

Tay only grinned at her response. As the robe came away from her neck and shoulders, he leaned forward again. He began nuzzling at her creamy, white neck, before planting his lips on the skin. The moment he did, Ermina shuddered at his delicate touch. The robe finally dropped away, her breasts reaching the open air. Tay briefly stared down at them, pleased at seeing how large they were. He lowered his head even further down. He could see that Ermina was becoming embarrassed, as her face and chest turned red. Tay never would have thought that he would find a centaur to be cute, but in that moment Ermina was adorable. He reached up with his hands and cupped both of her mounds. He marveled as they filled his hands. He extended his tongue and ran it along one of her pink nipples. Ermina instantly let out a little shriek as her peak hardened under his muscle. Tay tasted her creamy skin for a few moments before opening his mouth and engulfing her bud. Ermina gasped, her hands shooting to his head and gripping his hair. Taking this as encouragement, Tay began sucking and pulling on the sensitive nub. His gentle teasing caused her flesh to break out, tingles of pleasure shooting across her chest. It was clear Tay had some experience with this. He released her nipple with a pop and went to the other one. His hand stayed behind at the first one, twisting and pulling the one covered in spit. The moment he sucked it into his mouth Ermina threw her head back and moaned, loving the attention. She could feel the area between her back two equine legs begin to warm and tingle. Tay was bringing out desires in her she had long suppressed.