677 Days Earlier

The people of the village closest to the tower knew and understood who lived inside its walls. Knew what went on there with the Creator and his beasts. But so long as they left him alone and provided him with the necessary materials now and again they were left in peace. He focused his testing and magic on other villages, far removed from their own. Far enough away for them not to see or hear about them. And that was enough, for both them and the Creator. He even offered some of his Beastlings to the village for them to make use of. The Bulling had been the village’s resident blacksmith for years now. And whenever the local magistrate grew bold enough to demand unpaid levies and sent some of his men to collect, the Creator permitted the villagers to make use of his own wolfling guards. Even the Hippolings had been made use of by the villagers. Often being called in during Festival and harvest time to serve and complete any of the more laboursome tasks about the village.

So it was that an uneasy peace existed between the village and the Tower.

The Creator was the Tower and the Tower was the Creator. Simple. And so it was for over three hundred years.

It was because of this perceived status quo that when the Hippolings first took control no one believed them. When they marched out to stand atop the Fountain at the village Center no one bothered to heed their cries. Especially when Grend slipped and took down a large chunk of the stone structure with him.

Some laughed. Some scowled. The Hippolings? Impossible.

That is until Grend revealed the keys previously only ever seen about the Creator’s neck. That got people to stop and listen. When after that they saw a pack of wolflings appear behind the Twins they dropped what they were doing and quickly made their way over to see. Still most thought it some mistake, a practical joke even. The Creator was not what one would call sane and his humor followed in line. Once he had offered the villagers a feast to celebrate 100 years of mutual prosperity. The villagers had reluctantly but eventually feasted and toasted the Creator and his generosity only for him to reveal at the feast's end that the food had been human, and the wine blood. Both disguised by him using a new formula he had created. He referred to it as an amusing finale. However, the Twins were no joke.

When one skeptic became a little too vocal in his disbelief Grend had picked up the man and bitten the fellow’s head clean off as a warning sign. Frend had followed that up by picking out a man standing next to the skeptic and doing the same, despite the fact that his victim had said nothing in protest. This spectacle had been an effective sign that new rulers were in place. What followed was a chaotic whirlwind as the Twins got used to power and began to wreak havoc.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

They started small. Not paying for food and drink at the Inn. Then running away as if they would be chased upon finishing. Taking turns charging into doors to see if they could take them off with one attempt. Again fleeing as if anyone would chase them upon finishing.

Eventually, they began to realise that no one was going to chase them. It was hard to imagine any villager going up against either one of the huge Hippoling Twins. Both stood some eight feet off the ground and had the power and force of a fully grown Bull hippo behind them. Together they were far too great a threat for one village to counter. That was without considering the veritable army of Beastlings they could call upon if needed.

Finally, the two grasped the reality of their power and situation and that is when their actions grew more volatile.

Rounding up the village’s entire supply of cider, then finding out they didn’t like it and ordering the entire village to drink it in a single night. Banning anyone in the village from speaking. Then changing their order and ordering everyone in the village to come and speak to them.

Killing a man who called Frend Grend. Killing another for calling Grend Frend. Killing a man who praised the Creator in front of them. Then killing another the same day for criticising the Creator. Killing everyone with a name beginning with T, then realising no one in the village had a name beginning with T and ordering everyone with a name beginning with F to come forward for execution. Then after subtly being reminded that technically they too were in the village and Frend began with F getting into an argument with each other and tearing down the village Inn.

Things seemed desperate and many of the villagers began to consider leaving, despite their obvious attachment to their home.

It was only when the Tower began to run out of supplies that the twins saw why the Creator kept on somewhat amicable terms with the village. It was then that they called a Great Meeting.

Wisely the villagers went for a flattery approach to save their village from total destruction, managing to gratify and praise the Twins enough to convince them to reinstate the previous terms agreed on by the Creator.

Gradually, things began to go back to the way they were. There were still outbursts of destruction, such as when Grend had gone to the market instead of Frend and then blamed it on the calendar given to him by the local grocer. Frend had taken the grocer and forced him to make a new calendar there in front of him. Using the man's own blood instead of ink. By the time the calendar was finished so too was the man. Frend threw out the calendar the following day.

But all in all, things did return to normal, or at least what was normal for the village of Dun Chairn. And life went on, just as it had before.

The Hippolings were the Tower and the Tower was the Hippolings. Simple.