The following was the first fully written chapter that was submitted as part of a University assignment. The whole of Mornie is where they live, and I will be creating a way of putting all of the related stories together. All of the text in blue is what I submitted to university and have already posted to the internet in various places before. Mainly awaiting criticism beyond what I already gave it.
**I am aware the Hawaiian does not belong to me. Nor does it belong to any one person. Traditional old songs are that. Like Christmas carols, noone really owns them**
Rayner tossed and turned in his sleep, the thudding of his weight and clanging of chains not waking him from his nightmare. “Merdith!” The centaur jolted awake grabbing at the air in front of him.
He looked down to the floor as he regained his breath, realising he wasn’t ten years old anymore, he had been free... Just that once he was free.
Calming words lingered in his head ‘Aloha oe, aloha oe e ke onaona noho i ka lipo...’ they made him feel increasingly sorry for himself and made him regret falling behind so long ago.
The felitaur he had encountered had little idea how right he had been to sing those words to him... Rayner missed that compassion, the companionship, the care. His recent injury by his masters hand made him consider leaving once and for all, he felt his heart tugging him holding Merdith true to those words.
He sighed and checked on his numbing hind leg, his thrashing had made the shackle around it dig into his skin. Further up the same leg he toyed with the second rate bandages that covered a wound his masters had given him the day previous. He tried his best to use clean parts of the dressing to rebind it, his masters didn’t even care for his wellbeing. Rayner sighed and wanted to be able to ask why he was sold on to this more tyrannical family.
The sun had barely risen as he was withdrawn from his stable and practically dragged outside to be tied down to the heavy plough, made to cover two fields in one day, double the load for any living being. He was forced to carry and do all of the heavy lifting by whips and taunts till he was near to collapse.
The humans called it time for a break in the day, not for Rayner’s sake but for their own food and rest. They supplied the weary centaur with barely enough to satiate him. They neglected to understand that he would willingly do such work for decent meals and care. He actually liked manual labour... only when he was not forced past his limits over and over again.
It begged the question of why his former keepers left him at the mercy of these masters. It didn’t take a genius to take one look at the centaur and see his spirit broken. He could outsize them, outrun them, overpower them... but he had become resigned to his fate from a young age. He was ten years old the last time he had tried to escape and got hauled back to the farm (back when it was still considered a farm to him). He had been reprimanded and put back to bed... chided and treated like the child he was. He respected them for ten more years before he swapped hands. For three years he had put up with being treated like dirt, his heart yearning to be elsewhere.
He didn’t have much longer to dwell on where he would rather be before the humans returned and forced him again to the brink of his ability. He had to be dragged to his cell at the end of the day and shackled to his wall again.
Rayner tried to get his breath back as his limbs were screaming at him, pleading for him to warm down. He sat up eventually to see blood mingling with dirt on his haunches, his wound had reopened and at the rate they were allowing it to heal it would never be given enough time or risk infection.
He knew what happened to lame animals or captured ‘taurs... If things continued he would be joining them... From his position he tugged at the wall a few times. The brickwork was sturdy but with enough tugging it could give way, the chain itself had already proved itself strong enough. Should he die at the hands of the humans or take his chances away from the only home he had ever known?
Rayner sat up slowly, looking straight at his doors. This wasn’t the only home he had seen. Merdith had spoke of his home in the rocky outcrops to the north, of markets for trade where ‘taurs could meet freely, of neighbours even further north that all looked out for each other.
He felt heavy as pulled himself up from the ground, weary from the day. The ground felt hard as he pawed at it, stamped on concrete beneath the limited straw he lay on. The door looked so far away.
He took a deep breath before sprinting away from the wall, his leg snagged and he nearly fell. His hooves nearly made grooves in the floor as he strained against the foundations. Sheer determination saw him through as he barrelled through the barred doors, the force of his weight working for him for once.
He heard the house stirring from the noise and picked himself up as quickly as his tangled self would allow. Quickly glancing at the stars above he wagered all of his luck to the north and bolted in that direction.
He ran hard and fast finally reaching the woodland, jumping as much he could over obstacles. One proved to be too much as the chain snagged on a fallen tree. With a yelp he tumbled down to the floor his leg stretched out behind him. He was too tired to run further and he couldn’t reach his leg in the position he was in. Rayner rested his head on the floor as he tried to get his breath back and take his focus away from his leg.
---
He heard a jangle and his leg fell to the floor. He lashed out with all four and rolled to his opposite side, intent on getting up and trying to run again.
“Woah dere... I’m not gonna hurtcha.” Rayner whipped his head round to see a felitaur sit on his haunches and lift his hands and forepaws up in submission “Let’s get dat off you.” Carefully he stepped closer to Rayner and with some negotiation the shackle left his leg.
Rayner watched him carefully and he blinked wide eyed at the ‘taur as it threw its golden braid over its shoulder “dere we go Lovie... quite a nasty do... but you’ll be ok.”
“M-merdith?” Rayner barely trusted himself to speak. That voice was all too familiar and he was beginning to recognise the lion before him.
“Who wants to know?”
“Rayner... I... y-you helped me year-“
“Of course! I did think you were famili-” Merdith’s grin failed, he most definitely recognised the centaur that was sprawled on the floor. There were noises and a feline ear twitched under his hair, “dey followin’ you?”
Rayner’s eyes widened and he stumbled to his feet, finding himself unable to put weight on all four. It made him uneasy knowing he had been tracked, he didn’t want to be taken back. He started to follow the felitaur as he motioned to him... Thankfully his struggle did not go unnoticed and with some shoving the felitaur managed to take the weight of the centaur’s leg and lead him clumsily through the trees.
Rayner wasn’t sure of how long they had been struggling along before they stopped for a break. He was glad of it and sat panting in the shade the plantlife provided for them. His chests heaved and ached while the feline stroked his fur, trying to get his own breath back.
“Where... where are we?” He finally asked, he didn’t want to seem ungrateful but this wasn’t the direction he expected them to flee.
“Tae be 'onest... No idea Lovie.” Merdith wiped his brow and glanced back where they had walked, it wasn’t too obvious that they had cut through the trees “All I know is we can’t go to my 'ome... dat would be de first place ta look”
Rayner looked down, he didn’t think that far ahead. He had wanted to go to Merdith, he didn’t think about the others following him there. He jumped as he felt Merdith’s weight resting on him.
“Best we get some sleep Lovie, dere’s enough shelter here...”
“Y-you sure?” Rayner shuffled underneath Merdith to let him be a little more comfortable and he tried to settle himself down. He was met with purring as the felitaur made himself comfortable.
---
A voice soon made Rayner realise he was once asleep “Well I’ll be... ‘oo do we ‘ave ‘ere den?” He tensed and sat up, ready to run again or kick out at anything that dared get too close.
“Merdith, what about you?” His friend was already sizing up to the older Felitaur, he had darker colouring to Merdith and carried a pack on his back full of firewood.
“Ah, don mind me young’ns. Yeh can get off yur hackles. Just getting whada need ‘n’ am gone” He paused before smiling even more “call me Trent”
This 'Trent' was a dark furred and haired felitaur, scarred severely in many areas and seemingly with many names. Merdith seemed to get along with him well enough, but he remained always looking out for and close to Rayner. That suited him just fine and he grew in time fond of his golden haired counterpart.
It became clear to those that got to know the pair that they would not be parted for anyone. Rayner was seen as relatively clumsy to the small pocket of felines and more fleet footed equines. He didn't let it mither him too much and he spent his time doing all the work he could to help everyone out and earn food or make things to trade for such. Merdith did his best to support his 'lovie' and joined the hunts and fishing trips for a living.
---
After finding a clear enough patch of land in a location that seemed to be perfect, Rayner took it on himself to build a home they would both be happy in. After two long years of work and civility after his escape he finally finished the fence to their garden.
“Aloha Lovie!” Merdith called as he returned from trading with the other ‘taurs down at the river trading bank, his bag full of enough food till the next market met up. He was grateful that Rayner was good with his hands... in more than enough ways.
Rayner chuckled “welcome back” he smiled and embraced his felitaur. Merdith purred and rubbed along Rayner much like a cat fawns over a master before grinning and slinking back inside to put their food away.All of his actions clearly read 'come hither'. Rayner dusted his hands off and hurried inside.
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