According to fairytales, centaurs used to live among humans a very long time ago. They used to be as common as nowday dogs or cats, the forests were full of them. They were strong, brave warriors, having the speed and strength of a horse and the mental smarts of a human.

However, humans and centaurs fell out. Humans were jealous of their power and were determined to be the strongest on the planet. They haven't changed much from then to now. Humans struck the centaurs, initiating a war, unprovoked and unashamed. The centaurs were strong and witty, but outnumbered. As the years went on, the centaur numbers started to dwindle until there were none at all.

Well, that's all according to fairytales, and no-one believes them unless they're a child. Most say that centaurs never existed, to even mention one would cast the minds on thinking as centaurs as nothing more than unicorns or elves. Mythical and from a fantasy world. Movies have been made on centaurs, books, pictures, predictions, historical accounts, the works. But still no-one believes in them.

Kyle Garrick isn't a fairytale believer. Fairytales are too happy and everyone lives in a delirious fantasy whereas reality is more brutal and you can't face reality if you're stuck in your head. He's a soldier, a sergeant in the SAS. He's faced bloodshed and tears and gained substantial injuries that scar him physically and mentally.

He doesn't think twice about mythical creatures, he hasn't really thought of them since he was a kid. It was only when his Scottish comrade mentioned that the animal of Scotland was the unicorn, in which Kyle had scoffed and uttered that no-one believes in such bullcrap.

But something had him thinking, what if that whole centaur story was real? Surely a creature so clever wouldn't allow their whole species to be wiped out by some greedy, power-hungry humans? Oh well, its all bullshit, made up, claptrap, whatever you want to call it. Yet it remains on his mind from time to time, he doesn't do much to pursue his curious thoughts.

That is until he's out one day and meets something that changes his whole mindset.

As a sergeant, he's frequently on missions all over the world. The sweltering heat of the African sun or the shivering colds of the Russian mountains, he's been there, done that, no t-shirt to prove it though, apart from the bloodstained tee he peels off after every mission.

Sometimes it's nice to just... take a break from missions. To go and see the world without worrying about getting severely injured or failing to get the intel. Kyle books some leave off just after the summer holidays so he won't be pestered by loads of families on holiday and sets his plans in the lake district.

It's a lovely place, surrounded by large lakes and huge mountains. Stunning scenery and plenty of places to walk, enjoy nature and relax by himself.

Kyle's first day there is mainly spent unpacking his things and settling down into the quaint holiday home he's got for two weeks. He loves holiday homes, they have all these little secrets to discover and a selection of books that Kyle will definitely be taking with him even though it's kind of stealing.

After settling in, he plans a hike for the next day, plotting it with ease on a map.

The morning of the next day is slightly drizzly but that doesn't dampen Kyle's spirits. He's out of the house by 10, determined to go hiking and have a little picnic for lunch halfway through.

His planning was right, and by 12:27, he's sat on a big rock by a small pond that's alive with wildlife. The sun has come out and is shining down through the leaves of the trees, dappling the ground.

He's about to unwrap his food when he spots something on the other side of the pond. It's too small to make out from here but Kyle brings binoculars, just in case. They're slung around his neck and he puts them to his eyes.

It's a centaur. There's no way. It's a small baby centaur, laying down by the side of the pond with it's horse legs tucked under and it's human top half resting on moss. Kyle lowers the binoculars and rubs his eyes.