HORNS (BoyXBoy)

Chapter 142

Chapter One Hundred and Forty Two

There was panpipe music stretching from beyond the trees. Even before I made it to the clearing where the satyrs had been building their new home, I heard Dari's exuberant laughter, and with it came faint gusts carrying the scent of roasted nuts and smoke from an open woodfire.

The animals behind me grew skittish at the scent and lagged back a little, but I only increased my pace because I was eager to meet up with the satyrs.

It took me only thirty seconds to break out of the tree line and make my way into the clearing, but when I did, the first thing I saw was Dari, prancing around and around like some sort of wild tribesman amidst a peppy melody coming from a set of pan pipes which, to my surprise, were being held against Sasha's lips. 

She was sitting on one of the thick logs that had been set around the mud-brick fire pit residing in the center of the clearing, swaying and weaving with her eyes closed, playing her melody, but a quick glance around made me realize that Luka wasn't visibly present.

Dari suddenly noticed me, though, and he gasped, eyes lighting up.

"Ah! Cousin!" he happily exclaimed, bouncing over and spreading his arms with a grin. I tensed when he threw himself at me, lifting my own arms to catch him as we collided; I grunted under his weight and momentum, but he just laughed and buried his face in my neck, squeezing me and nuzzling my shirt with his tail flapping in rapid circles like a helicopter propeller. "Mhmhmhm.... Hallo, Cousin."

"Hey, Dari," I amusedly greeted, shifting the bags. I raised my eyes to see Sasha peering at me with a welcoming smile. "Hi, Sasha."

"Hallo," she softly greeted, setting a hand on her swollen belly. "Welcome, Horst. Good morn."

"Ah! Ah, Cousin!" Dari exclaimed, pulling back so quickly that I got whiplash; he broke into a grin and gave me a throaty giggle. "Did Cousin Horst come to play with family today?"

"Even better, I came to share some yummy gifts," I said, raising the bags. "Now, could you let go so I can bring this stuff over to Sasha? It smells like she's cooking something already."

"Oh, yah, come, come! We scalding nuts and berries and appa slices!" the satyric teenager yodeled, tearing away and galloping over to where Sasha was sitting before sinking into a squat beside her, kilt clinging to his legs. He planted his chin in his palms and grinned, tail wagging voraciously. "Come, Cousin! Share yummy gifts!"

I nodded and made my way forward, but Sasha's eyes flicked past me and she abruptly straightened up, looking a little surprised. I raised an eyebrow and turned to follow her gaze, but all I saw was Goober and the four deer behind him, all standing perfectly still, watching us. 

"Oh," I said, gesturing at them. "These particular animals have been following me around for a while, just so you know. Ever since they first came across me I've occasionally bumped into them."

"Hah?" Sasha called, visibly taken aback. "Horst, have you made a special home for them yet?"

I furrowed my brows. "Special home?"

"Yes, special home!" she exclaimed, laboriously rising from the log and clutching her back with a wince. "They follow you now because they choose to make bonds with you. They are your animals, Horst... when go places, they look for you, and many animals grow very depressed when not find. That's why making a special animal home full of satyr smells is being so important."

A bout of nervousness hit me and I shifted on my hooves. "Are you telling me that I'm actually responsible for them?"

"Oh, no! No, no," she said, loping over to me and setting a hand on my arm. "They still be wild animals, very free, but they also yours. They look for you for safety and love, like children."