Chapter 1
Taur World: Home Sweet Home1 There's a planet much
like ours known as Zeploid. The planet circles a sun, has two moons, and is
surrounded by planets, asteroids and comets. It takes Zeploid four hundred and
ten days to orbit the sun. Their calendar only mentions the number of days that
are in a year and the seasons, and their first day of spring marks the
beginning of a new year. There are four continents with the biggest one being
close to twenty million square miles, and one nameless ocean that covers sixty
percent of the planet. Species evolved into what they are now just like on
Earth. The one difference; there are two dominant species on Zeploid: humans
and animaltaurs. Animaltaurs are like
centaurs of Earth myth lore, except they're not part human. Caninetaurs,
felinetaurs and hyenataurs make up the species. Their average height and length
is anywhere from eight to eleven feet tall and seven to eight and a half feet
long, and their weight ranges from three to five hundred pounds. Animaltaurs
become full grown at around ten years old, and hit sexual maturity at around
twelve. It's common for animaltaurs to wear clothes on some continents, but on
others they choose to be nude. Females go into heat four times a year, and give
birth to one cub after a hundred and thirty days of being pregnant. It's rare
for them have twins. The legs of an
animaltaur are three and a half to a little over four feet long, and their paws
are between ten to thirteen inches wide and seven to nine inches long. Every
animaltaur has two sets of ribs. The one in their chest protects their heart
and lungs, and the one in their torso protects their stomach, liver and small
intestines. The rib cage in their torso ends two thirds down the animaltaur's
body. The length of their tail varies between species, and their spine starts
at the base of their skull and ends at the base of their tails. Humans age a bit
slower, but they become full grown before they're thirteen. Females hit puberty
when they're around eight years old and can grow anywhere from five feet five
inches to around six feet and weigh a hundred thirty to a hundred seventy
pounds. Males don't hit puberty until they're ten and can grow to around five
feet nine to six feet five inches and weigh one hundred seventy to a little over
two hundred pounds. Female have their periods every thirty-five days, and may
give birth to one to three babies after a hundred fifty days. Very few have
four babies. Humans are considered an adult by the age of sixteen. Fertile land was
plentiful when humans and animaltaurs started to migrate and create their own
colonies and settlements, but in time conflicts would arise. In some cases both
sides were able to come up with an agreement, but in others there was
bloodshed. The longest war took place on the largest continent, and it lasted
for close to five years. Generations later humans and animaltaurs have found
ways to live together in peace. Each continent and independent country has
their own government, but they all share the same currency called dinars. A
dinar is a copper coin that has a one, five, ten, fifteen, twenty and so forth
printed on both sides. One hundred is the highest amount. Bantam is the
smallest continent at around three point five million square miles. Majority of
the population live within two hundred fifty miles of the ocean. Criminals tend
to live farther inland. They know the authorities won't track them if they have
to travel great distances into unfamiliar terrain. Bantam is best known for its
ports. Cargo boats and fishing vessels pick up and drop off supplies and crew
all year round. A quarter of what the population eats comes from the water, and
the rest comes from farms and the woods. The ports provide steady work. Those living on
Bantam haven't had the same kind of problems as those living on other
continents. Humans and animaltaurs were quick to resolve a dispute without
going to war. Both creatures realize they have to work together in order to
prosper, but that hasn't stopped a third of the population from having some
hate towards each other. Humans and animaltaurs have their own hotels, schools,
and restaurants in a small number of villages, but in others they share
everything. Some doubt segregation will ever end in villages with a population
of around thousand. Bantam is the only continent to outlaw slavery, but that
hasn't stopped some animaltaurs and/or humans from finding ways around the
rule. There are two major
mountain ranges and several small ones throughout Bantam. The biggest mountain
range runs north to south on the east side of the continent, and the second
runs southwest to the northeast on the northwest. There are several dormant
volcanoes on Bantam. The rest of the continent consists of grasslands, forests,
deserts and a couple of swamps. If possible, humans
and animaltaurs are to attend school and/or be homeschooled until the age of
fifteen. Every settlement allows the youth to take a couple of months off
during the summer to help on a farm and/or at a port, and in some places, it's
a requirement for them to work during their vacation. Along with reading,
writing and math, humans and animaltaurs learn basic survival skills, carpentry
and other abilities that'll help them into adulthood. Those who want to further
their education may attend a university. On the southwest lies
one of the busiest ports in Bantam known as Cea, and close to two hundred miles
northeast is a village known as Cauldron. It's one of several places that allow
segregation. Animaltaurs has always made up the majority of the population. At
one point there were over a thousand residents, but only a hundred were humans.
Humans had their own businesses for several decades, but were forced to close
their stores due to lack of costumers. The animaltaurs went as far as to take
over the school meant for human children. The human population
dwindled to below fifty within five years. Those who left knew they had no
future in Cauldron. The families that stayed doubt they can make the journey to
wherever things might be better. Only ten humans are under the age of fifteen.
Animaltaurs have agreed to serve humans, but they're to follow strict
guidelines. They refuse to allow children to attend the same school as cubs.
Only half of the human population can read and write. While most of the animaltaurs
have very little love for humans, there's a small number that wishes things
were better. The authorities do treat everybody as an equal, and they have
arrested several animaltaurs for mistreating humans. The hotel, the farm
and the fulleries are the only places that allow humans to work. Those who work
at the hotel are to replace sheets, warm up water and bathe costumers, and
prepare the room for the next guest. Those who work at a fullery have to wash
sheets and towels. The process starts with a small number of humans stomping on
what needs to be cleaned in ankle deep water and chemicals, which includes
urine, wringing and rinsing them out, and hanging them to dry. Most humans have
to work there in order to pay off their home the owners of the business gave
them. Cauldron's farm use
to be two different farms: Watson's Farm and Grey's Farm. Watson grew most of
the fruits and vegetables, and Grey produced milk, cheese and meat. Nobody in
the village is sure on when the owners agreed to merge. Things were doing great
for a long time, but years of little rain and warm temperatures has made things
tough, and with the farm not doing well has made things rough in the village. Cauldron's farm is
where Trevor, a white human with a dark tan, and Martin, a grayish-brown
coyotetaur, met. Trevor was eight and Martin was nine when Mr. Watson, a
wolftaur, had them pick blueberries on their first day. Martin had no idea what
to think about the human, and was rather shy around him, but in time he grew to
enjoy his company. On his fourteenth year he learned something new: Trevor
can't read. The coyotetaur's mother, Martha, agreed to teach the human how to
read and write providing he grooms them. The fact they have different
backgrounds doesn't bother them. Martin has had a more
luxurious life than Trevor. The coyotetaur's parents have jobs. His father,
Zues, manages the dairy farm and his mom works at the hotel, and they live in
the more upscale part of Cauldron. Martin has no interest in rubbing what he
has in his friend's face, and invites him over whenever possible regardless of
what his neighbors think. Trevor's mom works at one of the fulleries, and his
dad is a woodsman. Neither of them can read, and although they're not happy
their son has to be taught by an animaltaur, they knows it's the only way he'll
have a chance at a better future. They live in a shack. All of the humans and
a small number of animaltaurs consider Trevor's dad to be the best at what he
does, and Trevor is a close second. They both know what plants are safe to eat,
to use as medicine, and ones to avoid. Trevor's dad can't hunt with a gun, but
he's dead on with a bow and has taught his son how to use it. Trevor shares
what he knows with Martin and a few others whenever possible. The only thing Trevor's
dad hasn't taught his son is how to throw knives. A foxtaur at the farm is
guilty of that Martin, now fifteen,
stands shy of eleven feet tall and has a body length of around eight feet. He
weighs roughly four hundred pounds, and has the basic fur colorations of a
coyote. Trevor is fourteen years old, stands at around six feet one inch and
weighs over a hundred and eighty pounds. Years of working at the farm has made
him rather strong. The coyotetaur likes to think his friend is an animaltaur
stuck in a human's body. The fact Trevor has the ability to beat a creature
that's close to twice his weight shows how strong he is. It's something Martin
didn't expect to happen one of the times they wrestled. Martin and Trevor run
through the woods with their friends: two humans, a black furred and an orange
furred foxtaur, a wolftaur and a tigertaur. The coyotetaur and human have the
day off, but are to report back tomorrow morning. For most of the afternoon the
youngsters have done nothing but play Capture. While the animaltaurs have to
physical restrain their opponents before carrying them away to prison, the
humans just have to hit them with a small pebble from their slingshot. The
rules don't change regardless of how outnumbered things are between the animaltaurs
and humans. Today everybody
agrees on a best two out of three. Trevor's team took the second match, and
Martin's team won the first match and is on the verge of winning the third. The
black furred foxtaur and wolftaur were caught right off the back, but the
coyotetaur and tigertaur caught two of the three humans shortly thereafter.
Trevor has been the hardest to catch in all three matches. Martin follows the
tigertaur but stops when they hear a whistle. Both sides use whistles to inform
each other when they're caught and/or found somebody, need backup, or they're
hurt. "I take it he
found'im," the tigertaur said. "It's my second
guess," Martin said. "My first is he finally learned how to whistle." "Ya, probably. Let's
go." Martin follows his
friend. The orange furred foxtaur may have found their last opponent, but it
doesn't mean the game is over. That's how they lost the last match. The
coyotetaur holds back a chuckle. Things will become interesting when, and if,
Trevor has to be by himself whenever they play Capture. It'll be tough but he
knows the human can do it. The animaltaurs find their friend by a tree. "I'm hit. Thought I'd
had him, but he got me here," the foxtaur points to his shoulder. "May have
used his last pebble if it'll help." "Maybe, but he may
find more. Which way he went?" Martin sniffs the air. "I can't pick out his
scent." "There," the foxtaur
points. "We get'im and
make'im pay," the tigertaur said. "Yeah, but he's
downwind. His pa taught him well," Martin said. "Come on. Can't allow him to
get too far." Trevor ducks under a
branch and looks over his shoulder. There's only two animaltaurs left, but
doubts he put enough distance between him and them since the foxtaur whistled.
The human comes across a small clearing and looks around. He needs to find a
place to hide if he wants a chance to win. The teenager checks his pouch. He
has one pebble left and knows he doesn't have enough time to find more. Trevor
spots a hole and tosses a rock inside. Nothing comes out. He climbs in feet
first, pulls a branch over his head and spots a couple of animaltaurs run into
the clearing. He holds his breath. Martin jumps over a
log and sniffs the air. There's still no sign of the human's scent. The
coyotetaur scans the area. He's about to run off when the tigertaur points at a
branch. The coyotetaur is about to shrug it off, but decides to study it a
little closer. That has to be where Trevor is at. The caninetaur lowers his
nose to the ground. He picks up Trevor's scent. From now on he'll stop sniffing
the air when it comes to tracking his friend. Martin motions for the tigertaur
to stay put and follow the scent to the branch. The human's scent becomes
stronger. The caninetaur pulls it to the side to reveal a hole but doesn't find
his friend. Trevor crawls deeper
into the hole. It'll be a miracle if they don't find him. The human stops
moving and covers his head with dirt. He watches Martin toss the branch to the
side and look inside. The coyotetaur doesn't see him. He overhears the
animaltaurs discuss looking for another opening. Trevor stays put. Their plan
could be a trick so they can grab him as he crawls out. He's unsure of how long
it's been, but he can't hear their footsteps and/or voices. Trevor shimmies
towards the entrance and looks outside. They're nowhere to be seen. The young
man climbs out and stands. His mom won't be happy with how dirty he is. Trevor hears a twig
snap, readies his slingshot and follows the sound. He spots the coyotetaur
sniffing the ground. The human stands behind a tree and aims at Martin's rump.
He's about to fire when somebody knocks him to the ground and slams their paw
onto his back. There's no way for him to escape. "Caught'im," the
tigertaur cries. "Caught'im aiming at you." "Guess this means we
win once again," Martin whistles loudly and lowers his head. "What you got to
say about the outcome, hm?" "Nothing, other than
to watch my back next time." "A mistake you won't
make again, but next time we may just go after you first." "Naw. You enjoy a
good chase." "True. I'll give you
that," Martin raises his head and looks around. "Guess today makes it
animaltaurs ten and humans four." "We could be doing
better if we weren't outnumbered," Trevor said. "You drive a good
point, but that's how war works, so deal with it." "Let'im up?" the
tigertaur said. "Yes, let him up.
We've won," the coyotetaur said. "Ugh, that's better,"
Trevor stands and brushes dirt off his pants. "The others say to
tell you they went home," the black furred foxtaur said. "Where was this one
at?" "I was about to ask
him myself," Martin blows dirt off of Trevor's head. "Where'd you hide that
caused you to become so dirty?" "In that hole you
found." "Rather gusty, and I
ask you not to do it again. I don't want to tell your ma her son's gone." "Okay, I won't do it
again." "Good," Martin looks
at his friend. "Me and him better git. He needs to wash up, and I'm sure my ma
and pa want me as well." "Get'im nice and
clean," the tigertaur said. "See ya at the tomorrow." "Later," the foxtaur
follows the felinetaur. Trevor and Martin
head in the opposite direction as their friends. The coyotetaur grins. It's not
his responsibility to make sure the human stays clean, but he may dirty himself
up just so his friend has to bathe him. He chews on his tongue and shakes his
head. His bath can wait, but he'll have Trevor trim his claws. They arrive at
Martin's house. Trevor stays outside and pretends not to notice some of the
stares the coyotetaur's neighbors give him. They will always have something
negative to say regardless of how he looks. The young man peers inside and
spots Martin's mom in the kitchen. His nose picks up a rather pleasant scent,
and spots a pie on the counter. "Ma, you know where
the clippers might be?" Martin looks around. "It's that time Trevor uses it." "Here," Martha pulls
them out of a drawer. "Should've warned you. I've done some rearranging in
here." "Oh. Thanks. How
come, ma?" "Keep me busy all
afternoon is all, really. I enjoy my time off, but I also despise it," the
coyotetaur looks outside. "Hello Trevor. Thank you for staying out there and
not tracking dirt in here." Trevor smiles and
nods but doesn't say a word. He listens to Martin explain to his mom what they
were doing. "Well then, it'll
explain why he's dirty," Martha smiles weakly. "I won't keep you any longer.
Get them claws trimmed. I hear them clicking against the floor." "Yes, ma," Martin
heads outside and looks at Trevor. "You better ask her, runt." "Ask me what,
darling?" "When's... my next
lesson, Mrs. Patton?" "I almost forgot. It
won't be for a while I'm afraid. I'm sorry. I'll inform you when it's time,
okay?" Trevor nods and
follows Martin to the back. A voice in his head tells him it may not happen.
Mrs. Patton has been rather busy for quite some time. The young man fills a
bucket with water from a well, sits on the ground and goes to work. He shortens
the coyotetaur's claws by quite a bit without drawing any blood. He washes some
dirt off his arms and head once he's done, informs Martin about the hunting
trip his dad plans to take him on and asks if he'd like to tag along before
leaving. Martin shakes his
head. He does enjoy having Trevor do simple tasks for him, but he also hates
how willing he is at accepting certain excuses. It's been close to a year since
his friend's last tutor session, and he doubts his mom will ever return to
those. Then there's the village. The coyotetaur knows not every animaltaur is
rude towards humans, but the majority of them seem to think they have the right
to walk over them. Martin has thought about leaving Cauldron, but he hasn't
mentioned it to Trevor yet. He'll be sure to say something when, and if, the
farm goes under. The coyotetaur
twitches his ears. His dad must be home. Martin stretches his front and back
legs, places his hands onto his lower back and stretches his upper back and
chest and shakes himself. He's beat and all he did today was play several
rounds of Capture. Martin should've had Trevor massage his body when he had the
chance. There's always next time. The coyotetaur walks into his house. "What's the word on
the farm, pa?" Martin puts the clippers away. "Not too good, but
you and Trevor are to still report," Zues looks around. "Where's the little
lad? Was hoping to have him brush my fur." "Trevor went home
some time ago. His pa returns today." "Then I guess my
brushing can wait. Anything else on your mind?" "He asked if I'd like
to go with on their next hunting trip. He'll ask his pa tonight. Will it be all
right?" "I suppose it is, if
it's okay with Trevor's dad," Martha sticks several pans of meat in the oven.
"Providing you keep up with your chores and don't back talk." "Yes, ma," Martin
bites his lower lip. "Ma, I got to ask you something. It involves Trevor." "Yes, what about him?" "Why did you stop
teaching him how to read and write?" "You know the answers
to that," Martha shakes his head. "Things been rather busy. Besides, I'm not
the only one in the house who can teach him those things. You can do it too,
you know. You're no longer attending school." "Perhaps I will. It's
only right." "What's that to mean,
Martin?" Zues asks crossly. "Trevor still does
his part of the bargain, but none of us have done ours." "We do allow him to
stay over and eat our food, and no more of this, understood?" Zues points his
finger at his son. "If you want to go on his dad's hunting trip, you'll drop
it. Clear enough for you?" "Yes, pa." "Good." "Unless you need me,
I'll be in my room." "Go on. I'll let you
know when I need you," Martha said. Martin nods, closes
the door to his room and sits on his mat. He looks out the window. His parents
don't seem to care about Trevor's education and/or future. The coyotetaur nods.
If his mom has no interest in teaching his friend how to read and write, he
will. Martin lights a couple of candles, and grabs a book. He'll inform Trevor
his lessons will start up again on their next day off. The coyotetaur
doesn't say such much for the remainder of the evening. What his parents said,
especially his dad, about Trevor has left a bad taste in his mouth. Martin
thought they enjoyed having the human around, but it sounds like they view him
to be a pest, which is a damn shame. His parents know Trevor is a hard worker,
and has done an excellent job of brushing their fur and trimming their claws.
Then again their attitude towards his friend shouldn't surprise him. Neither
his mom nor his dad has any love for humans. Martin can't wait
until he's older and in charge, providing he's still in Cauldron. The one thing
he'll abolish is segregation. No longer will humans have to eat outside, wait
outside the store until all of the animaltaurs are done shopping, or work in
awful conditions. If certain residents don't like it, then they can leave, and
that includes his parents. Humans deserve to be treated as an equal. The young caninetaur
helps his mom clean and put away the dishes, and heads to his room. He makes a
list of things he'll need for Trevor. Books, charcoal and some plywood to start
out with, and the rest can wait until later. The coyotetaur chews on his
charcoal. It wouldn't hurt to see how much Trevor remembers. It's something
he'll bring to his friend's attention tomorrow afternoon. Martin blows out his
candles.