Legends of Belariath

Judas Tri-Horn

How the West was Fun!

Down south of the town of Nathalion, about 200 miles in the dip of a grand valley called the Vale, lives four kingdoms of the grandest of all creatures, the mighty minotaurs.

Seated at the south western edge in the kingdom of Thaedus roams the Minotaurs of Calderon, strong proud and true to themselves and those about them they work diligently for their kin and even harder against their enemies.

On the outskirts of the capitol of Thandar, in a little farming community where all is peaceful and quiet until……..CRASH! “JUDASSSSSSSSSS!”

Panting as he took off around the corner of the barn house his heart in his throat as he had done it now he looked around the corner at the newly smashed window of Mrs.. Cajun Horn’s colonial home and wincing, Judas would take off running towards his house leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

This is Judas Tri-Horn, Son to Maria and Amos Tri-Horn and the Youngest of two brothers and three sisters. He always got into trouble even at the tender age of 7 as you read here.

He was a scrawny looking little squirt standing about 7 ft tall as he dashed his way home caked in dirt from head to toe, as he did his best to wipe himself down, about his neck a red bandana, dark brown hair fuzzed up about his head in a tangled mess, which his newly developed horns protruded from his head and little back leather pants on his bottom from which his tail was free to swing behind him as he was suddenly snatched by his ear before he could open the door his mother gotten a hold of him “ow ow ow ow momma that hurts!” He said as he would frown protesting as he stumbled along into the kitchen his voice carrying a southern accent in the high set voice of his as his mother would spin him around in the kitchen and face him hands on hips and a stern look about her “Judas Alabaster Tri-Horn, yaw been messing around Mrs.. Cajun Horns house haven’t ya?!”She said as she scowled to him waving a finger in his face.

As he would frown a little wincing back from the waggling finger and putting on his best pouting expression he would look up “the rock only slipped from mah hand momma” he said as he winced more his mothers look of shock then anger was enough to send most minotaurs quaking in their hooves. “Young stud yaw get to yer room and think about whatcha done did there while I go and apologize fer yaw behavior” she said as she would turn to go as Judas nodded and sighed “yes momma” he said as he trudged up the stairs to his room scowling to the floor as he walked to his room.

Pouting as he looked about his room which was furnished in an old western kind of look to it as he would shake his head taking his small toy hat and placing it on his head and tipping it back as he sat on his bed pulling his knees to his chest as he frowned looking out the window.

“Got your butt in trouble again didn’t yaw little bro?”Came the voice of Judas older brother James, he was always the one that took an interest in the little trouble maker as he smirked a little walking in with his leather pants and chaps as he took a seat by the runt of the litter.

James stood 10 ft tall and Judas looked up to his older brother as he pouted a little “ahs don’t meant ta get inta trouble, its just trouble likes to find me” he said with a frown as his older brother pat him on the head “hey little bro don’t worry about it yaw a Tri-Horn yaw gonna have a wild streak in yaw, yaw do good in the end” he winked as he would stand up the steel nose ring glinting in the afternoon sunlight.

Judas’ eyes would sparkle a little as that’s what he wanted to be like was his older brother with a nose ring when he reached his age and be big and strong like him, James was Judas’ role model.

Momma called Judas down to dinner and told him that he would be working for Mrs. Cajun Horns for the summer and helping around her ranch as well as doing work around the house here for punishment, course the sisters giggled and the brothers except for James chuckled for they knew that Judas was in a hot seat cause he also did the things he did to try and impress a young cowgirl named Lilac, the daughter of Mrs. Cajun Horns.

Momma would sigh a little it was hard raisin a bunch of children without their Pa about, she would glance to the picture of him the last thing she gave to her to remember him by as he strode off into war with the other male minotaurs against the ogre threat in the Vale.

Once supper was finished and the rest of the kids were tucked into bed Judas would climb out his bed and head down to the living room, peeking around the corner he would look in on his mother sitting in her chair rocking back and forth slowly as she stared into the fire.

His heavy hooves betraying himself as his mother stopped knitting and said “whatcha doing up this late Judas?” she said as she went back to rocking back and forth knitting a sweater for one of the girls. Judas would blink slightly as he looked to his mother and rested a hand on her arm “ahs sorry momma for the way I acted this morning” he said as he looked down a little before feeling his mothers hand caress the back of his head bringing him to her blouse and kissing his forehead softly “its alright Judas ahs know you don’t mean to cause trouble its in your blood” she would smile a little “yaw remind me of him so much” she said with a sigh.

As Judas would tilt his head to her, “where do you think he’s now momma?” he said as he would cling to her a little tilting his head slightly as he frowned he never really got to see his Pa at all for the war always kept them apart for so long but he would send little things like letters for his wife flowers for the girls and a ogre tooth or hat for the boys.

Maria would sigh a little petting the young bulls head “somewhere safe I hope so one day he can return to us” she said as Judas looked up to see his mother crying softly. He would reach up and kiss her cheek and hug her tight “Pa will be home soon momma ahs know he will” to which his mother smiled a little and kissed him goodnight on the forehead as he scampered off to bed smiling a little that he made his momma proud of him.

(10 years have passed)

Panting a little as he hefted the large bale of hay on his back, now rigid with muscles, long hair hanging loosely down his backside to his shoulders, that same red bandana on his neck but now his leather pants have a set of chaps over them but alas no hat on his head yet nor a nose ring thru his nose.

Setting the bale of hay down, he would pant a little with a snort turning about as he looked to Mrs. Cajun Horns, sweat running down his form “can ahs take a break yet Mrs. Cajun Horns?” He said as she laughed a little nodding slightly as she smiled to him “If I knew I had such a diligent worker in yaw there little Judas I would have had you doing things around here before yaw broke my window all them years ago.”

Judas smirked a little as he did like working a lot as much as he liked battling along side his brothers in the recent battalion he enlisted in to help keep the advancing ogres at bay.

Walking over and taking a long drink from the bucket of fresh water dumping the rest over his head to cool himself off he would watch Mrs. Cajun Horns walk off but he heard a giggle behind him as he would blink.

Turning about he would see standing there in her yellow sundress long blonde hair and baby blue eyes was ….”Lilac?” He said as he would blink some wiping his wet hair behind his head, droplets of water rolling off his sun kissed skin as he looked to her she was a sight to see lightly tanned hide with curves like she stepped out the hourglass gifted by the gods as she would bat her eyelashes at him “hello Judas” she smiled a little coy like to him as she did like teasing the young bull with her femme wlys. Her voice carrying like a nightingale

as she strode towards Judas with a sashay of her hips her eyes never leaving his as she would wrap her arms around his neck twirling her fingers in his hair just to mess with him as Judas would literally blush up “damn it there lilac whatcha think yaw doing?”

She would smile to him and reply in an innocent tone “what little ole me is doin nothing yet Judas, just seeing if ahs can get a rise out of yaw” she said as she grinded her hips against his some out of play.

Judas would take her hands from his neck, he had gotten into trouble once before with Lilac from her mother and he wasn’t about to get in trouble again for it.

She would pout naturally “aw yaw no fun anymore Judas” she said as she stamped her hoof at him and stuck out her bottom lip. “Ah am so fun, Lilac but I is not about ta get into trouble with yaw teasing me not with yaw momma around” he said rather bluntly as he looked down to her.

And as if to answer on cue Lilacs mother waved goodbye to the two of them as she headed into town for the market sales “yaw two behave now ya hear and all be back about night time” he waved goodbye to them and headed off at a walk towards town with her big market basket of good to sell and to carry what she bought home.

As Lilac would get a mischievous glint in her eyes as she heard this waving to her mother with a sweet innocent smile “ok Momma take care” she said before turning about her demeanor changing rather quickly as she would advance on our hero Judas backing him into a wall with a smirk on her lips “now where were we” she said as she smiled up to him and licking her lips.

And what can be described as a roll in and hay well was nothing short of a wham bam thank ya maam sex fest, hot heavy and very much so passionate, that lasted well into the evening night with the two of them bundled up in the hay under a blanket arm in arm as he would sigh a little “Lilac yaw gonna get us in trouble” Judas said.

To which Lilac would giggle and tee hee to him, stringing her hand thru his long hair as she nibbled on his ear and said softly “oh Judas yaw worry too much momma isn’t gonna be back for another…” SLAM! The door to the barn would burst open and there would be momma Cajun Horns with her rolling pin “Lilac up ta yaw room now!” she said as she would swat her butt making her eep taking off that much faster buck naked to the house before Mrs. Cajun Horns would turn her attention back to Judas “and as for you young hooligan I don’t want to see yaw here anymore and ahs don’t want yaw coming anywhere near Lilac again!” She said furiously as she would go about beating the young bull as he tried his best not to fight back but take the hits.

Judas would make the long walk home that night with a black eye and some bruises about his arms and body as he turned one last time to the house looking up to Lilacs room he would watch her waving goodbye to him with a frown before she would take and throw to him a red bandana, her bandana she wore in her hair each day she worked outside.

Judas picked it up off the floor and would take off the ragged up one he had tossing it aside he would string hers about his neck more his size then the other one that was too tiny for him he would smile and wink up to her before taking his beaten self towards home.

That would be the last time he’d see Lilac for she was married a few months down the road to a wealthy male, whom treated her right she would write letters to him every now and then to let Judas know she was doing alright and how she would still tease him.

(5 years pass)

“Ow! Damnit that there hurt!” Judas exclaimed as the artist in the town would snort “sit still you yaw had this here coming fer a long time” he nodded as he would slip the steel ring thru his nose tweaking it a little which caused tears of pain for the minotaur as he was strapped in so he wouldn’t move. “There all done” he said as he nodded to his work.

Judas would groan a little his nose and head felt like it was in a vice from all the pain looking to the mirror he would tilt his head a little with a grin wiping away the sweat and tears as he stood up slowly holding his nose “thank yaw sir” he said a bit muffled due to the swollen septum.

Before he would stride out now donning a pair of Metal bands on his wrists showing his rank in military stature to be a little more then a grunt as his older brothers would be standing outside in the waiting room to look at him “hey there little bro look like your one of us now” they grinned to him as they all walked outside the parlor with a chuckle as this was Judas’ right of passage into adulthood, as you couldn’t be considered an adult minotaur rightfully without your nose ring, the steel marking him a warrior grunt or a farm boy, not royalty.

They would lead him off towards the warrior’s camp grounds as James would sit with Judas and talk to him a little bit “yaw nervous bro?”He asked as he smiled to him many a battle scars laid on James body easily seen but that duster hat looked like it had been thru hell and back but the minotaur wore it proudly.

Judas tweaked his nose ring a little with a shake his head “naw ahs aint nervous just anxious to kick some ogre butt” he nods as he sat there smiling a little. This made James chuckle a little as he pat his little brother on the back “well get some rest then and ill see yaw out on that there battle field early” he winked as he would trudge off to his cot leaving Judas by the fire by himself to think on things before he retired to his own cot.

(Early the next day)

The sounds of a hundred hoof beats and stomping feet fill the air along with the screams and war cries of the battle at hand. It seems the ogres were really trying to push thru the stead fast iron defense of the minotaurs as Judas and his brother James went together into battle splitting heads and bashing in others with hammer and war axe. “lookout!” James would exclaim as an ogre poised on smashing Judas head with a club had its arm ripped off by the thrown axe of James, letting Judas turn to swing his hammer hard knocking the ogres head around snapping its neck with a sickening thud.

Blood and dust and heat stirred in the air as James came over to Judas “yaw alright there bro get up hurry” he said as he would set him up on his feet tipping his hat back with a smile before ……THUNK!

A look of horror passed James lips as he looked down to the arrow protruding thru his chest into his heart his duster hat falling to the ground as he looked “Judas am sorry” he said before eyes rolling into the back of his head, he would fall to the ground dead and bleeding.

Judas’ eyes a wide with shock as he watched his brother fall before him his only real friend in this world he could talk to “James nooooo!”he said with a cry as he laid him down to rest, picking up his hammer the young bull wiped his tears away and bellowed out a war cry deep from within as he charged the ogre regime hard and fast moving from one to the other hammering everything in his path as he snarled lowly, something ticked within the minotaur, rage unbridled and unbound rage.

As the ogres made a haste retreat even faster cause of the valiant efforts of a few good minotaurs, the dust began to clear showing the slaughter of so many ogres and minotaurs, as Judas picked his way thru finding his brother and shedding tears for his fallen comrade and older brother.

Seeing the beat up duster hat lying there on the ground Judas picked it up and slowly placed it on his head as he looked down to his brother the fallen warrior “I wont forget you brother” he said pounding his fist to chest in a salute of honor.

After the funeral ceremonies to honor the fallen in battle the military released the remaining warriors to head home to their families after the crushing blow they gave the ogres this evening, Judas stood by the burning pyre which his brothers body was added to as he wiped away fresh tears from his eyes with a sigh as he turned to walk home.

Giving a goodbye kiss to his mother he said he would need some time to head out into this big world and see something more then bloodshed, he wanted to find himself, to which his mother could only wipe her tears and smile nodding yes to him.

So the next day bright and early with his older brothers duster hat tipped low over his eyes his first loves bandana about his neck and the bands of iron at his wrist leaving himself bare chested to the world, and with his chaps over his leather pants, his hammer at his hip, Judas would set off out of the Vale heading north towards a familiar place many people said you could find out who you were there in a little town called Nathalion. And so the story begins a new chapter in the young minotaurs life and one that promises its ups and downs, but always with Fun………………………………….

To Be Continued

BACK