Centaur. [https://i.imgur.com/kjk2yPF.png]Лион, брат Юрика. [https://i.imgur.com/V5gu6Ou.jpeg]

- What kind of scum do you have to be to rob a merchant who doesn’t have a horse? - I hated to see the four of them robbing one poor old man. And not just any robbery. The forest brigands were taunting the merchant, rummaging through his belongings.

I identified the leader. A short, stout man standing with a naked sword in his hand. He didn’t rummage through the wagon, only gave short, succinct commands.

Using Targon's lessons, I could have handled four assholes on my own. If I hadn’t had companions at my side. Punch, block another punch. I could knock the sword out of the first robber's hands, then take on the second. I’ll have the surprise factor on my side. Where does that leave Lyon and Yurick? Are we not a team? These young men need to prove themselves, too.

To balance our forces, I've neutralized the ringleader. The arrow pierced his right arm, and he cried out. The sleeve of his shirt was stained with blood, his sword fell from his hand. The plundering stopped at once. The bandits looked around frightened, not realizing from which direction the shot had been fired. Sensing the change of mood of the forest robbers, the old merchant started hastily gathering up the things scattered on the ground. He greedily raked the clothes into a pile, reached for the ceramic dishes that had been trampled into the dust.

Lyon sprang from behind a tree with a wild shout and immediately attacked the brigands. A soft clang of metal against metal was heard. Yurik, accompanying us, looked tense, but ready to support us in any case. He was still hiding behind a tree, waiting for the right moment to attack.

I followed Lyon and attacked the bandits. I shouted loudly and started swinging my sword. Seeing that the leader was wounded, and the merchant had unexpected defenders, the bandits decided that fleeing the battlefield was the best option for them.

They abandoned not only the things confiscated from the merchant but also their own. The old man began hastily collecting and stowing the spoils in his wagon. There was no point in chasing the brigands, they were running driven by fear. Lion, who had run fifty paces after the bandits, returned. Sweaty and flushed from the adrenaline rush. He had a sinister grimace on his face. Without a word, he approached the merchant and plunged his sword into his heart. The old man gasped, his eyes widening in pain and bewilderment. The old merchant’s legs trembled, and he fell to the ground like a felled tree.

I swooped down on Lyon so swiftly that he didn’t have time to brace himself and rolled on the ground, hitting his head on the wagon.

- What did you do, you dummy? Why? I’m asking you, why did you kill the old man? I’ll hack you to death!

I swung my sword. Yurik came to my side, hanging on my arm to save his brother from death.

- Don’t, Oris, don’t kill him. He’s my brother! He’s the only one I have left.

Yurick threw up immediately. Apparently, he saw blood gushing from under the old man’s body. Lyon, rubbing his bruised head slowly rose to his feet. He frowned at me, not knowing what to do. His gaze was filled with hatred, mixed with a lust for murder.

- Dig your grave, asshole. Or I’ll beat you like a dog, — I shouted in his face. Lyon backed away, his head down in submission. And then he came at me, intending to finish me off with a single blow. I anticipated his attack, so I stepped aside first, moving out of the line of attack. I was in a perfect position to retaliate, so I didn’t hesitate.

My hand instantly clenched into a fist as I felt my hatred for Lyon’s assailant flare up inside me. It was as if he was moving in slow motion in front of me, his eyes sparkling with anger and his confidence causing me nothing but irritation.

With an instant reaction, I lifted my knee and aimed it directly at his side. I felt a shock go through me like an electric shock, followed by heat spreading through my body. Lyon let out a muffled cry of pain as my knee strike landed in his stomach, in his iliac area. I saw him lean forward, clutching his stomach.

My own knee pain from the blow was palpable, but it was negligible compared to the satisfaction I felt seeing him in that position. The moment of victory was sweet, and I felt I had finally regained my own dignity.

Lyon collapsed, bulging his brazen eyes in pain. He gulped for air with his mouth like a fish thrown ashore. As he regained consciousness, bringing his confused breathing back to normal I pondered my next course of action. Knee-bashing wouldn’t change Lyon’s character, he wouldn’t become kinder and more sensitive. More drastic measures were required to reeducate him.

For starters, by inserting his sword into a crevice between two conjoined trees, I broke it. I tossed the rest to Leon:

- Dig grave, asshole.

Realizing that the consequences of disobedience this time might be more severe, Lyon picked up a stub of his sword and began digging a hole for the merchant he had killed. Yurik, glancing in my direction, helped his brother. The trees watching us from above murmured.

- The creature killed the creature!

- They are punishing the creature!

While the brothers were digging in the ground, I scrutinized the old merchant’s belongings. There were a dozen cloth shirts of various sizes, pairs of pants, ceramic jars and cups, a few empty leather bags decorated with simple patterns, and a few long leather belts for harness. Perhaps in better times, the old man had an animal pulling the wagon behind him. Either illness or some other misfortune had deprived the old tramp of his faithful companion, and he had to travel alone. Among the piles of clothes and utensils, I found a dozen bronze ingots and some stale tortillas. One jar held a liquid that looked like a honey drink. Nothing of value. No magical artifacts, no valuables. What the forest robbers hoped to find, I could not understand.

After placing the body in the grave, we covered the hole with earth. A man who seemed to have made some plans before meeting Lyon left only a small mound on the surface. Perhaps he had hoped that by selling the clothes, he could improve his financial situation. But fate had thrown him a leg up, and instead of lying in his bed after the trade deal was over, the old man was now lying underground.

I looked at the brothers covered in dirt and wondered what to do next. If judged, the youngest brother, Yurik, was innocent. He hadn’t even taken part in the battle with the brigands. Punishing him was not fair. But Lyon was a different matter. He deserved the harshest punishment.

My gaze fell on the wagon. It had two wooden wheels, a drawbar, and a basket mounted on a platform. Across the basket was a plank, which would have served as a seat for the trader if a horse had pulled the wagon.

I had no horse. I'm tired of walking through the woods on my own feet.

- Jurik, come here, — I called to my younger brother, and he came toward me.

- Now you! - I waved my hand at Lyon. - Put your head in Yurik’s armpit and put your arm around his waist.

While Lyon looked at me, I realized he was not clear about my intentions. Repeating the command, I pretended as if I was going to move closer to them. I even raised my hand, pretending I was going to punch. Only after a threatening gesture did the brothers make the figure I wanted.

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Yurik stood straight, his arms wrapped around his older brother’s neck, and Lyon stood behind him, half-bent, grasping his hips. Images of mythological creatures flashed through my mind, associations with westerns. I thought of the spell:

- Mustangus centaurus! - I said, joining the two brothers into a single, unbreakable being. An invisible force enveloped Lyon and Yurik, the brothers’ bodies became one, as if merging into a single form. Lyon’s legs became horse-like, powerful and graceful, and his torso became the body of a horse covered in wool. Yurik’s flesh became his upper body, his arms became his front legs, and his head retained its human form, distorted by a vicious grimace.

Before my eyes, they transformed into a centaur. A creature combining the strength and grace of a man with the power and speed of a horse. Fluffy whistled in amazement.

The creature whirled restlessly in place. Lyon was obviously trying to get rid of his shameful role, trying to get away from his brother. He spun in place, throwing up his hind legs, shaking his head. Jurik tried to say something, but instead of human speech, his throat was filled with coarse, gurgling sounds. He opened his mouth wide, trying to scream.The forest was filled with the kind of wild sounds that would frighten a roctopus. Eventually the creature collapsed on the ground, still twitching its legs haphazardly. I think I would have done the same if I had been in his shoes. No one would want to be in a living prison instead of enjoying freedom.

I was surprised at what I’d done. First surprised, then delighted. Lyon is punished and I can travel in comfort. All that remains is to harness him.

The new creature must have a new name.

- Jurion! - I called out to the centaur. - Let’s go back to the village.

The creature raised its head, looking around carefully, and then stood on all four legs. This gesture spoke of its understanding of human speech, and that was a remarkable sign. Now we could communicate without having to use Tush, our little translator. But to my disappointment, our communication was still hampered. Jurion tried to ask me something, but instead of the usual human words, the centaur made only indistinct sounds.

Realizing that it would take some time for our new companion to get used to his new appearance and way of communicating, I tried to find a way to explain our intentions to him.

- I have to secure you to the wagon. I am punishing you and Lyon. The longer you refuse to obey, the longer the two of you will run together. If you understand me correctly, shake your head or tap your hoof.

I could tell that both brothers understood my threat by the simultaneous nod of the head and the clatter of hooves.

- Now come to the wagon so I can harness you.

The centaur nodded his head again and walked over to the wagon and climbed into it with grace and ease. Tush and I exchanged glances with mixed feelings of amazement. We’d managed to rein in the stubborn animal, to bend it to our will.

Still angry with me, Jurion brought me to the village quickly. I didn’t have to steer him and show him the way. In the village, people greeted us with shouts of joy and amazement. Children screamed, delighted at the new creature. The grown men were aghast, looking at the centaur and discussing its temper in hushed tones.

Elfric, approaching the wagon, asked me:

- Why is your horse so ugly? And why aren’t the brothers I sent with you in the wagon?

I put my finger to my lips and in a half-voiced, conspiratorial tone replied,

- The brothers are on an important mission. You will not see either Lyon or Jurik for a long time. But they will return, I promise you.

The centaur heard my promise and jerked his hind leg, trying to kick the wagon. To stop the animal from kicking, I added,

- Maybe they won’t come back. It all depends on how they obey me. If I were in brothers' shoes, I would not show my burrowing temper, I would behave calmly.

Children, little mischief-makers, surrounded the wagon. The bravest clung to the wheels, trying to get into the basket, begging me to take them for a ride. And so I did. It was a pleasure to take the kids for a ride. I checked how comfortable and practical the cart was, whether it required any improvements. I also tested the brothers. I wanted to know how the brothers had learned the lesson, how much they had tempered their pride.

After taking all the children for a ride, I offered Ulia and her friends a ride in the village cab. The adults of the village looked at the wagon and the lucky ones sitting in it. Elfric also enjoyed riding in the cart. Instead of one lap around the village, I made several just to please the leader.

When dusk fell, Ulia and I went to the Stone Bowl. We had to wait for the Bowl to be vacated for a while. Another couple in love enjoyed the warm water for a while.

Ulia asked me,

- What kind of animal have you brought with you?

- Have you forgotten who I am? - I answered with a question. - I am a wizard’s apprentice. Such animals are called centaurs. Human-horses. I need a companion on a long journey.

- You’re going to leave our village?! - Ulia bit her lip, she sounded confused. - Я... I didn’t expect it to happen so suddenly.

Her voice sounded weak, like a muffled whisper. Faintly visible in the darkness, Ulia threw her hair back, her eyes expressing mixed feelings: surprise, bewilderment, and worry. The news of my impending departure had taken her by surprise, and she was now in a state of confusion, surprise, and indecision. To calm her down and not to spoil the upcoming bath I took her hand and kissed her gently on the cheek and said:

- I don’t know when it will happen. Not tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Let’s not worry about the uncertain future now, but enjoy the present. Look, the Bowl is already free.

Ulia was still resentful of me for a while, remaining unapproachable. To somehow distract the girl from sad thoughts I made a small fire, which barely illuminated the shore of the Stone Bowl.

Under the light of the dim fire, surrounded by the dark silhouettes of trees, Ulia and I took a modest sip of the honey drink I had inherited from an old merchant.

Ulia’s mood improved. So did mine. We slowly removed our clothes and without looking at each other, entered the water, which surrounded us with its warmth. The soft waves of the stream caressed our bodies, creating a pleasant feeling of comfort.

Under the moonlight, amidst the sounds of night nature, we dissolved in the water, enjoying the moment of tranquility and intimacy. At this moment we did not need words, our hearts spoke to each other in the language of feelings and emotions.

Every movement, every touch filled us with tenderness and love. We swam, embracing each other as if we were two beings merged into one. The water enveloped us in its ghostly image, as if woven from starlight.

At that moment, under the light of the fire and the moon, it was just me and Ulia, two lovers surrounded by the splendor of nature and the magic of eternity.

- You won’t leave me, — the girl asked me pitifully, gently touching my face with her slender hands. We lay by the fire and enjoyed the silence of the night. - I don’t want to part with you.

- Neither do I. I have some errands to run and then we’ll never part.

The fire was dying down, adding more tenderness and warmth to our romantic date.