Rose sat up and scooted backwards falling out of the mossy bed. She looked at the thing above her. It was a woman…or it had the head, and torso of a young, blonde woman, her body was a white horse. Rose let out a cry of fear and started to sob again.
“Oh!” The woman-horse said, in surprise, “No, no, it’s okay, I didn’t mean to scare you.” She reached down and gently patted Rose’s shoulder, “It’s okay, I’m sorry, I won’t hurt you.” Rose sniffled, looking back up at the woman’s kind, pretty face.
“Who are you?” Rose asked, tears still trickling down her face.
“My name is Leda,” The woman-horse said, “I’m a centaur, and that’s my bed you’re sleeping in. What’s your name, and why are you all the way out here instead of with your family and the rest of the humans?”
“I’m Rosie.” Rose told her, “I don’t know where my Mummy and Daddy are. My house was burned down.” She sniffled, unable to help herself. “I don’t know where to go, I just wanna go home, but my home is all gone.” She buried her face in her teddy bear, hoping that his soft fur would soak up some of her tears.
“Everything is going to be okay, sweetie.” Leda said, she walked over and knelt in front of Rose, her white fur speckled from the light coming from the leafy canopy of the forest. “Climb on; I’ll get you some help.”
Rose looked at the centaur skeptically, but she didn’t have anywhere else to go and Leda seemed nice enough. Though her Mum always told her not to trust strangers, she was sure this was an exception. She clambered onto the back of the centaur, and held on around the middle of her torso, the teddy bear dangling from Rose’s left hand.
“Ready?” Leda asked.
“Yeah.” Answered Rose, holding on tighter. Leda started galloping through the forest. She didn’t get very far before someone yelled.
“LEDA!”
Leda stopped, turning to face another centaur, he looked much older, his body dark brown, his face line and covered with a brown beard that was starting to go gray. “What do you think you’re doing?” Demanded the older centaur, “Why on earth do you have a human on your back? Have you no shame? Are you giving rides at the local zoo now?”
“No, Basil.” Leda said, “But she’s only a foal, she’s hurt and lost, her home was destroyed in a fire.”
“She’s still a human.” Said Basil.
“But she’s a foal,” Leda told him again, “Weren’t we always told we had to protect foals, even if they’re not our own?”
Basil sighed, “I suppose you’re right.” He said, “Bring her to the edge of the forest to where Nina lives. I she’ll take care of her, I don’t want a human in our settlement, foal or not.”
“Yes, Basil.” Leda said. She bowed to her elder, but Rose really wished she wouldn’t have, because Rose almost slid off her back.
Leda started running away from Basil. Rose clung on tight to stop from flying off. They got to the edge of the forest and Leda stopped, kneeling down again so Rose could get off.
“There is a woman that lives here.” Leda said, indicating a small, neat, brown cottage in a little clearing, “Her name is Nina, she’s really kind. I’m sure she’ll help you more than us centaur can.”
“Thank you.”Rose said.
“Good luck.” Leda said kindly before running back into the forest.
Author's Note: After the fifth book I always wondered how the centaurs would react to a little-little kid, since they considered Harry and Hermione foals at fifteen and sixteen, so I put them in this story, I hope you liked it, I also have a question for you, would anyone be intrested in a side-chapter about what happened to Ron and Hermione after the fire? or should I just stick with Rose?
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