September 18th Writing Prompt: Rhinotaur
The rhinotaur of Tellest are known for their solitary nature. When one of these fearsome creatures realizes that a new settlement has risen not far from their home, what will transpire?
Ideas and questions:
It could be that your rhinotaur in the story is very brave and bold, or very foolish. They may simply walk up to the new settlement to declare terms of either cohabitation or a message to depart the region or else face the consequences.
As important as learning what is about to transpire between the rhinotaur and their new neighbors is perhaps understanding the details about why they are on their own. Perhaps they left their family to carve out a new path for themselves, or they lost a loved one, and refused to move on from their home.
Would the new neighbors attempt to be friendly with the rhinotaur if they spotted them? Or would they make an effort to displace them and drive them away, perhaps due to a worry for their own safety, or simply because they don’t care to learn about the person who has been living in the area since before their arrival?
Does the rhinotaur attempt to remain hidden from the neighbors if possible? If their home does not have a traditional look, would they be able to go undetected for a long period of time?
Is it possible that the new settlement was aware of the rhinotaur before their arrival? Did they make plans accordingly to either shut them out, or forge a closer bond with them?
Challenge:
Explore a situation in which the rhinotaur’s new neighbors are the ones who are a bit sneaky with their recent arrival to the area. Perhaps they don’t have a traditional settlement, and it makes it easy for them to avoid detection at first. Perhaps there are clues that the rhinotaur discovers along the way in order to make the connection that they no longer live alone.