“Mirrors can’t eat People.” Frend sighed as he spoke and shook his head vigorously.

“They can.” Grend nodded, smiling knowingly.

“They can’t.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Frend affirmed confidently.

“Are you only thinking literally?”

“How else should I be thinking?”

“Metaphorically.”

There was a pause as Frend changed from literal to metaphorical.

“Ohhhhh mirrors can eat people.”

“Exactly.” Grend said, very clearly satisfied.

“How exactly though?” Frend asked.

“You really don’t know?”

“I really don’t.”

Grend sighed and shook his head, evidently disappointed at his Brother’s incomprehension.

“Because if you get lost focusing on every little thing then day by day the mirror will eat you from the inside out.”

“Woah that’s big. Very big.”

“Mirrors can eat people.” Grend stated happily.

“Oh that’s good. You thought of that all by yourself?”

“I did.” Grend declared puffing out his chest as he did so.

Frend didn’t take his eyes off the mirror but held out a hand for his brother to shake.

Grend took the hand graciously in his own but he too kept his gaze only on the mirror.

“So we should keep it then? Frend’s brows furrowed.

“What?”

“The mirror.”

“Well…..I got it for free.”

“You did.”

“Then…then yeah we’ll keep it.”

“What about the mirror eating us? Metaphorically I mean.”

“Just don’t look at it metaphorically.” Grend shrugged, “Just stay looking at it literally.”

“Fair enough, literally it is then.” Frend nodded.

Frend scratched idly at his beard, it was getting a little too long for the summer heat and he felt the need for a shave grow by the day. Now that they’d a mirror he supposed he really must get to it. But his tusks made the task a difficult one.

“It is lovely, isn’t it. Ornate like.”

“Ornate,” Grend agreed. “Wouldn’t see something like this too often around here.”

“You would not,” Frend bobbed his head.

“Why did we get if for free again?”

“A gift,” Grend stated. “For us doing in the Creator.”

Frend turned to look at his brother.

“Someone knows about the Creator? Will they come looking?”

“No, no, I wouldn’t think so. It was one of our cousins I met. He was very happy when I told him all about us and the torturing and what have you.”

“A cousin? Bear? Bull? Wolf?”

“No, none of them.”

“Who then?” Frend shook Grend, willing an answer from him.

“Fox.” Grend stated. “First time I ever saw a cousin like that.”

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“Fox cousin?” Frend punched the wall, aiming for a section less punched in than others.

“I never saw a fox cousin. Wish it had of been my day at the market. I never see anything good.”

“You saw bull cousin last week. At the blacksmiths.”

“Ah but we see him all the time. I never saw a fox cousin. Never. Not once.”

“What did he look like? What did he say?” Frend grabbed a hold of Grend’s arm but was quickly pushed away.

“What do you think he looked like? Just like us, half man half fox.”

“But we’re not half fox?”

“No,” Grend rolled his eyes, “I know we’re not. But whatever parts of us are Hippo his parts are fox. He looks cool. But he’s not as big as us. Or as strong.”

“He looks cool?”

Grend finally turned to look at Frend.

“He looks really cool.”

“Ahhhh…. Damn, I wanted to see him.” Frend turned to punch the wall once more.

“What was fox cousin doing anyways?”

“I think he was here to see the Creator. But I told him all about how me and you done him in proper. He was happy about that. Very happy. I think he wanted to do him in too. That’s why he was back here.”

“Was it a good idea to tell him?”

“Yes.” Grend spoke matter of factly.

“Why?”

Grend rolled his eyes, “Because the more people know the better and more scary we look. No one will think about messing with us.”

“Right, they’ll all be running scared of us now. Even Fox cousin.” Frend laughed.

“Even fox cousin.” Grend agreed.

“Can we go see him?” Frend asked.

“The fox cousin?”

“No, the Creator.”

“You want to see him now?”

“I do.”

“Alright, let’s go see the Creator.”

The twins, Grend and Frend ambled out into the garden at the back of the dilapidated tower. Trees were starting to peek over the walls of the garden now, the forest steadily readying itself for a final assault to take back what was once its. The Creator had been the one to build the walls, and the tower inside it. For hundreds of years he’d kept home inside its confines, building, crafting and perfecting his many works of art.

That was until he had grown careless, and when he had it was the twin hippolings who’d taken advantage. Of all the many creations it was they who had finally brought an end to the incessant experimentation and tortures of their Master.The Creator had forced many designs in his long years at the tower, many of which were stronger than the twins. Those wrought from the Elephas, or even the Rhinos for example. Many were faster, most any of the Feline classifications. Still more were smarter, those of the Avian and Reptile genus. But whatever they lacked, and they lacked quite a bit, the Twins had something the others hadn’t. Each other.

Frend kept pace with his brother, matching every step as they meandered through the garden. Once they were in sight of the well however he sped up slightly, gradually overtaking his brother before stepping across him to get there first.

“Can I?”

“No.”

“Why? You always get down there first?”

“Yes, because it was my idea to put him there. Was it your idea?”

“No.” Frend admitted sadly.

“Right. So who’s idea was it?” Grend guided Frend away from the well's edge.

“Yours.”

“So I’ll go first then.”

Nodding to himself Grend clambered over the well's edge and let himself fall heavily down into the water below. They never used the stairs.

Frend followed almost immediately nearly crushing Grend who just barely managed to step aside at the last minute.

“FREND. Everyday. Wait, you almost done me in there. What would you do without me eh? Be careful dammit.”

“I’d go to the market. Everyday.”

“What?”

“What would I do without you. I’d go to the market everyday. That’s what I’d do.”

“Oh, right well…be careful. Come on. Creator will be waiting.”

The Creator was indeed waiting, for there was little else he could do.

A famed wizard, and a powerful one, there were few spells or inchanations that he had not mastered in his time. His experiments were his passion however, and what dominated his work. But he’d made time for other matters too. One such matter he had boasted of both loudly and often was his immortality. How even if all his limbs were tore from his body he would not die.

Both Grend and Frend remembered that claim when they finally turned against him. Remembered it and tested it.

It turned out the Creator was right.