Toby Neighbors - Crying Havoc

“Stay down!” Zollin shouted.

It had been a verbal expression of his will. He had not intended to say it out loud, it was merely what he was thinking as he worked to hold the thick, knobby tail in place. But the creature responded instantly. It became still, the hissing stopped, the tail laying down on the canyon floor.

Zollin was sure that it was some kind of trick. The creature had heard him, had understood him even, which was a surprise. He didn’t trust it, but he had to try and communicate with it.

“What are you?” he asked.

“I am an Aberration,” the creature said. It’s voice was high pitched and loud. It was hard to understand.

“A what?”

“An Aberration. A magical freak. Don’t pretend not to know me, wizard.”

Zollin was shocked. Magical creatures seemed drawn to him. They often knew he was a wizard and some even implied that his presence had an effect on them, but he was still shocked.

“Why did you try to kill me?”

“You enslaved me,” it hissed.

“No, I didn’t,” Zollin said angrily. “I’ve never even heard of you or anything like you.”

“Your kind made me. I will not obey. I will die before I obey.”

“What do you mean?”

The creature shrieked angrily.

“Tell me what you mean!” Zollin shouted.

“I was made by a wizard. Formed and shaped long ago. Far in the south. A wizard made me. I hate all wizards. They are vile and cruel.”

“I’m not. It seems to me you were the one trying to kill me.”

“Yet, I am wounded, you are not.”

“That was self defense.”

The creature didn’t answer, it was still lying on the ground, still breathing heavily. Zollin waited, but the creature didn’t speak.

“What’s your name?”

The creature still didn’t speak.

“Tell me your name,” Zollin said firmly.

“Aberration.”

“Aberration is your name?”

The creature didn’t speak.

“You have to do what I say, don’t you?”

The only response was the creature closing its eye. It was an agonizing gesture, a look of total resignation and despair from the beast’s intelligent face.

“You have to do what I say,” Zollin said again. “Sit up.”

The creature rose slowly and painfully lowered itself onto its haunches. It was beautiful in a strange way. Its legs were covered in shaggy hair, its body with dark, glossy fur. At the neck the creature’s fur turned to dark feathers which covered the beast’s round head. It had bright, intelligent eyes. The beak was large and bone white, curing down into a sharp peak. The creature’s tail had no hair, but rather a tough, leathery hide. Zollin could see the muscles flexing just beneath the thick skin.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Zollin said. “And my only command is that you do not hurt me or Brianna.”

The creature called Aberration didn’t move.

Zollin walked slowly backwards, so that he was out of range of the beast’s tail. Then he turned to Brianna, who was standing tall at her perch. She had a arrow nocked and drawn. She was aiming it at the beast.

Zollin called out to her.

“Brianna. It’s all right now. I’m going to lower you down.”

Brianna nodded, but didn’t relax the bow or her aim. Even as she rose into the air and floated softly down beside Zollin she kept her bow trained on the creature.

“I think we’re okay,” Zollin told her.

“What do you mean?”

“It was made by a wizard. It has to obey me.”

“How do you know that?”

“It did everything I told it to do.”

“It could be a trick. How do you even know it understands you?”

“It can talk,” Zollin said.

“If it’s that smart it’s probably playing a trick. You can’t trust a wild creature like that.”

Brianna’s voice was strong, but her eyes were wide. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing and Zollin understood how she felt. He could hardly believe his eyes either, but there was something in the creature’s voice that told him it was telling the truth. He used his magic to pull the arrow out of the beast’s hind leg. It roared in pain.

“I’m sorry,” Zollin said, raising both hands. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to help you.”

The creature hissed at them both, but didn’t come any closer. Zollin let his magic flow into the wound. The arrow had torn through muscle but didn’t sever any major arteries or pierce the bone. He knit the muscle fibers back together and then healed the shaggy hide.

“There, I healed you,” Zollin said. “We don’t want to hurt you.”

The creature stretched its leg but didn’t speak.

“Aberration, please tell us where you come from.”

The creature only hissed.

“Tell us now!” Zollin demanded.

“I was formed by the wizard Iccalis to fight against the Torr. But my master was defeated and I fled here.”

“Your master fought the Torr?” Zollin said in surprise. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know that anyone had ever resisted the wizards of the Torr. But that should make us allies. I too have fought the wizards of the Torr.”

“I have no allies,” the creature said. “I have no kind. I am an aberration. A magical freak.”

“You mean you’re all alone?” Brianna said. “Aren’t there other. .,” she searched for the right word to describe the creature, “animals like you?”

“No, I am not a beast of nature, but of magic.”

“What do you want?” Brianna asked.

“To survive,” it hissed.

Zollin and Brianna were quiet for a moment. Zollin was surprised at how much compassion he felt for the creature. It was aptly named, a true aberration. He couldn’t imagine the effort it must have taken to transform the different animal parts into one, fully functioning creature. And there was also an element of magic that was totally foreign to Zollin. It reminded him that he still had so much to learn.

“I may be asking too much,” Zollin said softly, stepping closer to Aberration. “But I’d like to be your friend. I don’t need anything from you. And I won’t command you to do anything against your will.”

Aberration hissed. It was an eerie sound, one Zollin had heard frightened animals make before in an effort to scare away their attackers. It took all of Zollin’s courage to stand still.

“Prove it,” said Aberration. “Release me.”

“Zollin,” Brianna said quietly, “are we sure this is a good idea?”

“No,” Zollin replied. “I’m not sure, but I’m sincere.” He turned his full attention to Aberration. “I release you,” he said.

The creature stood up and shook its body, like a wet dog trying to get dry. Its tail curled up over its back, ready to strike. It looked at Brianna and said, “Tell her to lower the weapon.”

“Brianna,” Zollin said.

“I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“It’s a show of good faith,” he implored her. “We’ve got to show some trust if we want some in return.”

Brianna bit her lower lip. She was scared. Zollin had magical defenses. She had seen him attacked by the dragon and come through unscathed. She had no illusions that she could do the same. If Aberration attacked Zollin she wasn’t sure if she could anything to save him, or herself for that matter. But she trusted Zollin. He wouldn’t risk her life, or at least she didn’t think he would. She took a deep breath and then lowered her bow, letting the string come back to its resting position, but she kept the arrow nocked and both of her hands on the weapon.

“I didn’t think it was possible,” said Aberration. The creature’s voice was high pitched and hard to understand, but it lowered its tail and everyone relaxed a little. “I don’t have friends, but I will leave you in peace wizard.”