The Centaur Council

Canopus entered the room and saw an elderly centaur with a silver mane and brown eyes.

His face was aged, but his gaze was profound. He wore a simple robe of coarse linen, dyed with several blue stripes using some unknown plant.

"Welcome, Child of the Oak." The old centaur extended a hand, and Canopus shook it.

"Greetings, Elder. My name is Canopus Black. Thank you for your help last night," Canopus said.

"No need for thanks. The stars changed because of your arrival last night, and I received a revelation from them." The Elder pointed upward.

"Your name is interesting. It is closely connected to a star, is it not?" The Elder pulled over a chair. Canopus could tell that it had been specially prepared for humans.

"That's right. My name follows a family tradition. The star Canopus belongs to Argo Navis," Canopus explained.

"Your life is closely tied to oak trees, while Argo Navis was formed when the Argo from Greek mythology ascended into the sky." The old centaur smiled with interest. "The only thing on the Argo connected to oak was its talking timber, made from a branch of the Sacred Oak of Dodona."

"Others say it was made into a figurehead that could speak, guide the ship's course, and foresee the future." Canopus nodded. "I prefer that version. A plank at the bow is nowhere near as imposing as a figurehead."

"But Argo Navis has no prow." The old centaur's smile remained. "Because Jason was killed in his later years by a falling figurehead from the decaying Argo, it did not ascend into the sky with the Argo to become part of the constellation."

"Interesting, isn't it?"

"It really is. There's a subtle sense of displacement to it." Canopus nodded. "But unless someone knows constellations as well as you do, they wouldn't notice it."

"You didn't call me here just to discuss mythology, did you? What did you want from me, Elder?" Canopus stopped beating around the bush, though the old centaur looked as if he had not had his fill of the topic.

"No rush. I spoke with Dumbledore. You'll recuperate here today and return to the castle tomorrow."

"We'll discuss business tonight. For now, go have a look around the settlement. You are our honored guest." The Elder smiled as he escorted Canopus outside and instructed Abby to show him around properly.

"Understood, Elder!" Abby bounced once, grabbed Canopus, and took off running. The little unicorn hurried after them.

Canopus's steps were still somewhat unsteady. After all, he had first undergone a ritual last night, then lost a great deal of blood.

After only a few steps, Abby stopped and swayed her little head in confusion.

"What is it, Abby?" Canopus asked.

"I'm trying to think of where to take you, but there aren't any flowers or fruit this season. I can't exactly take you to the river to catch fish, can I?" Abby said with some distress.

"I wouldn't mind, actually... What have you all been doing lately?" Canopus asked.

"Recently, the Elder started having everyone stockpile food and make weapons." Abby scratched her long hair. "He said Mars is shining, and war may not be far away."

Canopus understood. Centaurs had always been accurate in their predictions of the greater situation.

"But tonight is the day for our centaur council. Once the meeting is over, we can have a huge feast." Abby's expression turned dreamy.

In the end, Abby still took Canopus and the little unicorn down to the river to catch fish. Canopus casually made a wooden spear, rolled up his trouser legs, and speared fish. Abby kept trying to feed the little unicorn all kinds of dried fruit.

At dusk, Canopus returned to the centaur camp with seven or eight large fish strung on branches in his hand.

A huge bonfire had already been set up in an open clearing. Centaurs came and went, carrying dried fruit, fresh water, and the prey they had hunted that day.

The Elder sat on a platform with his eyes half-closed, dozing. When he saw Canopus return, he waved him over to sit beside him.

Night fell, and the centaurs emerged from their homes. This time, even the children took part. Canopus was introduced before the entire centaur tribe.

"This is Canopus Black, Child of the Oak. Yesterday, he saved a dying unicorn in the forest," the Elder introduced Canopus.

"Today's meeting concerns the coming wizarding war. Canopus will observe. Everyone, speak freely."

As the Elder announced the start of the meeting, the adult centaurs swiftly split into three groups. At the heads of those groups stood Bane, Ronan, and Firenze.

"They represent three different opinions. Stand behind whoever you support."

Abby whispered into Canopus's ear. The centaurs were truly voting with their feet.

"Brothers and sisters! We trained our bows to protect our homeland, not to become meat shields for wizards! I oppose getting involved in the wizarding war. Let them fight it out themselves."

Behind Bane stood mostly strong young centaurs, but they had no desire to get entangled in a wizarding war. They favored fortifying their settlement and defending themselves.

At the same time, they were largely dissatisfied with wizards. After all, few wizards interacted with centaurs as equals. They generally regarded centaurs as merely another kind of magical creature.

After Bane finished speaking, Firenze stepped forward. Quite a few older centaurs stood behind him. Though quiet, their presence could not be ignored.

"I believe we should intervene in the wizarding war to a limited extent." Firenze put forward his view first.

"This wizarding war will very likely be started by the Dark Lord again. Everyone knows his attitude toward non-human races. If he wins, we will not be able to remain peacefully secluded even if we wish to."

"But our people cannot withstand the losses of a battlefield either. Therefore, I propose sending a small centaur force to join Dumbledore's side in the war."

"Those centaurs may all die. To show my resolve, I am willing to serve as the captain of this force."

Though Firenze looked almost dreamlike, his proposal was very pragmatic. He regarded the centaur force being sent out, himself included, as a sacrifice.

He believed Dumbledore's side would win, and that their sacrifice could secure a more comfortable environment for centaurs after the war.

His words stirred some commotion. Several centaurs left Bane's group and joined his.

Ronan was the last to speak.

"Brothers and sisters, I am usually responsible for the tribe's internal affairs. Have you noticed that the prey in the Forbidden Forest has been decreasing?"

Quite a few centaurs in Bane's group showed thoughtful expressions.

"Everyone knows why. The Acromantula population has been growing rapidly over the past few years. Rabbits, deer, foxes, even wolves—they are all on their menu."

"Because we have yet to find the spiders' nest, this year we traded our surplus herbs and fruit with Dumbledore for some grain to stockpile."

"But once the wizards started fighting among themselves, what would we do? This wasn't just a matter of skipping a few meals."

Ronan concluded, "Food was the tribe's most important resource. With that in mind, I believe we should find a way to speed up the end of the wizard war."

The centaurs broke into discussion, because this was not a matter of attitude—it concerned the tribe's very survival.

"Enough. We'll stop here."

The elder spoke, and the centaurs fell silent.

"Kano, what do you think?"

All the centaurs immediately turned their eyes toward Kano.

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