THE CENTAURS
Aura came from a long line of fine hunting hounds, and should have fetched a fine price as a puppy. However, when Arcadia’s best hunters came to consider buying her, they found her temperament unfortunately ill-suited to learning to accompany a hunting party. She was strong-willed and energetic, and lacked any sense of respect for the hunters who attempted training her. She remembered watching as, one by one, her litter mates left with hunters to go on great adventures, while she was left behind on the same old boring farm.
On a day like any other, a pair of hunters who looked and smelled like all the others came to look for new hounds. Aura didn’t even bother getting excited any more. They never chose her. Still, her ears involuntarily pricked up as they drew closer.
“Well, what about these? Their sire is arguably the best hound in the kingdom, and you haven’t even bothered to mention them. You’re not holding out on us now, are you, Bion?”
“Now, Markos, you know I’d never do that. You’re welcome to take a look, but most of the litter is already gone. All that’s left is one female and one male, but I’ll warn you, the male’s a runt.”
The hunters gazed down at the puppies. “What about the female? She looks healthy,” Kyros inquired.
Bion scoffed at the question. “With her temperament issues, you’d be better off with the male. She’s wild as anything, and no man has been able to train her.”
“We’ll take her. If anyone can train this wild hound, our wild girl can. Besides, if she’s really going to insist on staying up in the mountains now that she’s getting old enough to look after herself, she’ll need a good dog with her. This one has potential, I can tell. How much?”
“Gentlemen,” exclaimed Bion, “I’ll give you this dog for half price if you just get her off my farm. If she sticks around any longer I think my chickens will die from the stress.”
~~~
“Come on, Aura! Keep up!” Atalanta called.
Aura barked heartily in reply, her powerful legs propelling her ever closer to her master. Their morning run, high in the mountains of the Arcadian wilderness, was always the highlight of Aura’s day. She chased after Atalanta, whose long golden hair flew in the wind. Their daily runs had kept them both in fine shape, and Atalanta’s already intimidatingly tall figure was toned from all the physical activity in the woods. The exercise certainly kept Aura and Atalanta in perfect hunting condition-- they made one of the most successful hunting teams in the kingdom. Atalanta even dedicated her life to serving the goddess of the hunt, vowing to remain a virgin to honor Artemis.
Aura splashed across the spring and into the clearing where she and her owner always took a rest following their run. Out of habit, she dropped her head to drink before abruptly noticing that something was amiss. Instead of the familiar smells of their forest sanctuary, she smelled the smoky scent of burning pines, drawing rapidly nearer. In a flash, Aura was at her master's side, hackles raised.
"Aura, come," commanded Atalanta as she ducked into a nearby cave.
Obediently Aura followed her master into the damp quiet of the hidden cave. The breeze carried the scent of the fire, but also the scent of unfamiliar creatures approaching. A low growl rumbled in Aura’s throat, but she fell silent at Atalanta’s command. Sure enough, as soon as Aura quieted down she could hear the faint voices drawing nearer.
“Oh mighty Atalanta, where are you hiding? Surely, the most beautiful and powerful woman in Arcadia should belong to the most beautiful and powerful being in Arcadia!” The forest fire roared ever closer as two massive centaurs burst into the clearing, wielding blazing torches. At the sight of their adversaries, Aura felt her tail dip between her legs. She looked to her master questioningly, but there was no question in Atalanta’s eyes. Her face was the picture of ferocious determination, and she had already drawn her bow. When the second centaur opened his mouth to speak, her arrow struck him in the heart. Before the first centaur even realized what happened to his partner in crime, he too fell victim to Atalanta’s arrows.
As the centaurs lay dying in the smoky haze of the clearing, Atalanta strode out from the cave with all the cold grace and composure of a queen. Dutifully, Aura stood guard over her master as Atalanta deliberately knelt and removed the centaurs’ horns with her hunting knife. Once Atalanta secured the horns in her satchel, the pair departed down the mountain trail. As much as Atalanta detested going into town and speaking with the stuffy people in the palace, today’s events warranted a discussion.
Author's Note: I chose to focus a lot on Atalanta's dog, Aura, because the hunting hound is another animal that is sacred to Artemis. Also, I felt like it added a bit to the mystery and intrigue surrounding Atalanta herself to tell the story from the points of view of those around her. I really enjoy names and naming things, so I did a bit of research to determine what Atalanta's dog should be named. I found that the ancient Greeks favored short names (typically one or two syllables) for their dogs, so that they would be easy to call. I actually ran across one account that said Atalanta's dog was named Aura (meaning Breeze), so I decided to use that! This story was designed to give more of an introduction to Atalanta herself, now that she's old enough to have adventures of her own. Atalanta's encounter with the centaurs was her first major adventure in her mythology, but it's far from her only heroic feat!
Story Source: Atalanta on Theoi.com