A History Lesson(Alex, Serataom)
"This is the Forest of Hereanafter. Beyond the forest lies the Mountain of Pastanpresent. All manner of creature inhabits these two places - unicorns, griffins, werewolves, elves, ogres, - everything both good and evil. We, the centaurs, are the Keepers. We try to keep things running smoothly and peacefully. But above all we enforce the Treaty and it's one standing rule - no humans allowed." Serataom paused to fix herself and Alex some tea. Coming back with the steaming cups, she continued her tale.
"We used to live in harmony with the humans when they first arrived. Despite the fact that they brought with them many diseases, we continued to teach them ways to survive in this new world. But their numbers grew and soon they wanted more land. Being peaceful in nature we convinced the others to give up some of the forest to the humans. It was never enough though, the greedy humans always wanted more. When they took, they destroyed, causing many creatures to dwindle in numbers, some even to the point of extinction.
Gathering one kind of each creature the Council was formed. All decisions come from the Council. Together, they decided to take a stand against the humans, to fight for what was ours. It was a bloody battle, both sides suffered a terrible loss. With no end in sight the human leaders and the Council agreed to meet. From this meeting the Treaty emerged.
The Treaty gave us free roam in the world but the forest and the mountain were to be ours, untouched by humans. We were left to govern ourselves, rule our own society however we pleased, completely separate from the human world. No human is allowed to step foot in the forest without the consent of the Council."
Alex took a sip of tea while thinking this bit of information over. "What happens to the humans that do come into the forest uninvited?" she asked the question but wasn't so sure that she wanted to hear the answer.
"The Council gathers together to hear the human give his reason for trespassing. Then with the information they have gathered, they decide whether to escort the human out of the forest into the human world or to release him into the caves of the mountain."
Alex breathed a sigh of relief, " that doesn't sound too bad. Either way I'm free."
"My dear child," laughed Serataom, " where did you come from? The caves are full of evil creatures. Creatures who take pleasure in torturing and killing others. Once one goes into the caves, there is no returning. Even I do not know what hides in the belly of the mountain."
"Surely, they'll let me go to the humans. I've done nothing but sleep in the forest. That rabbit is the one who dragged me all throughout it."
"No need to be all anxious, you'll be able to speak to the Council tonight. I suggest you relax a bit." With that Serataom finished her tea and resumed her cooking and humming as if this were every day conversation for her.
Alex was far from relaxed as she sat quietly at the table mulling things over. If I were home, I'd know how to handle things, but I know nothing of this world or the creatures in it. If I try to escape before the meetin' they'd certainly view me as a threat and send me to the caves. Besides I have no idea how to get out of this forest. I'll just have to tell them my story and hope for the best. The caves can't be any worse than the other sentences I've received - hanging, gallow, prison, firing squad - and I got out of all those just fine. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. With her mind still running, she finished her tea.
"We used to live in harmony with the humans when they first arrived. Despite the fact that they brought with them many diseases, we continued to teach them ways to survive in this new world. But their numbers grew and soon they wanted more land. Being peaceful in nature we convinced the others to give up some of the forest to the humans. It was never enough though, the greedy humans always wanted more. When they took, they destroyed, causing many creatures to dwindle in numbers, some even to the point of extinction.
Gathering one kind of each creature the Council was formed. All decisions come from the Council. Together, they decided to take a stand against the humans, to fight for what was ours. It was a bloody battle, both sides suffered a terrible loss. With no end in sight the human leaders and the Council agreed to meet. From this meeting the Treaty emerged.
The Treaty gave us free roam in the world but the forest and the mountain were to be ours, untouched by humans. We were left to govern ourselves, rule our own society however we pleased, completely separate from the human world. No human is allowed to step foot in the forest without the consent of the Council."
Alex took a sip of tea while thinking this bit of information over. "What happens to the humans that do come into the forest uninvited?" she asked the question but wasn't so sure that she wanted to hear the answer.
"The Council gathers together to hear the human give his reason for trespassing. Then with the information they have gathered, they decide whether to escort the human out of the forest into the human world or to release him into the caves of the mountain."
Alex breathed a sigh of relief, " that doesn't sound too bad. Either way I'm free."
"My dear child," laughed Serataom, " where did you come from? The caves are full of evil creatures. Creatures who take pleasure in torturing and killing others. Once one goes into the caves, there is no returning. Even I do not know what hides in the belly of the mountain."
"Surely, they'll let me go to the humans. I've done nothing but sleep in the forest. That rabbit is the one who dragged me all throughout it."
"No need to be all anxious, you'll be able to speak to the Council tonight. I suggest you relax a bit." With that Serataom finished her tea and resumed her cooking and humming as if this were every day conversation for her.
Alex was far from relaxed as she sat quietly at the table mulling things over. If I were home, I'd know how to handle things, but I know nothing of this world or the creatures in it. If I try to escape before the meetin' they'd certainly view me as a threat and send me to the caves. Besides I have no idea how to get out of this forest. I'll just have to tell them my story and hope for the best. The caves can't be any worse than the other sentences I've received - hanging, gallow, prison, firing squad - and I got out of all those just fine. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. With her mind still running, she finished her tea.
posted by duster | 15:15
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