Chapter 6: Changes
I lifted my legs high as I ran through the thick grass. As I ran I noticed something different, I used four legs. I was cantering, to put it into proper terms. My mane flew through the air with every stride I took. I was completely transformed, I had my hooves, my tail, my long nose and my fur that kept me warm. I noticed extra weight on my back. When I turned my long neck I saw Laura holding tightly onto my mane. The sight didn't anger me at all. I actually felt comforted to see her happy.
Somehow I was now at my cliff and Laura was beside me. I could see my hands again and my body was human. We stood at the edge of the cliff and she was in my arms. I held her close as if I were about to lose her. I leaned my face slowly towards her and softly placed my lips upon hers. Her hands moved to my hair as I deepened the kiss.
My eyes shot open once I realized the insanity of my dream. I breathed heavily as I tried to tell myself it was just a dream. Not just the kiss but everything else as well. The fall, the ritual, none of that ever happened. Did it? I laid on my side and I could feel spots on my skin that had burnt from the painful gashes that I had gained. Truly the fall did happen, but what happened after that ritual? I remember the pain I had gone through but that was gone now, now I could only feel the sore muscles and the pain of the scrapes.
My mind wandered back to the dream. The thought of me kissing her made my heart race, this scared me, possibly more than falling to what should have been my death. I couldn't shake the want to hold her again. What am I saying? I hate her, don't I?
The scrapes brought me back to my senses again and I threw my head up to lick it. Whoa! Did I just lick myself? My eyes widened. My vision was different, my skin was full of grey hairs and my neck was extremely long. I'm dreaming. I have to be.
I tried to stand but I was extremely wobbly as I struggled to all four feet, or should I say hooves. I tried taking a step forward but I fell flat on my face. I felt the pain of the ground colliding with my nose. I'm not dreaming. What the hell is going on?! My body was formed like a horse, I stood like a horse, I smelled like a horse, I am a horse. What did Wally do?
I stood up again shaking but this time it was because of the fear of events that had occurred. Okey, this is real. I'm a horse. I don't know how but one thing is for sure and that is that I am a stupid, bad smelling, dumb, ugly horse! Everything was too real for this to be a dream. I walked again and after a few tumbles I began to understand how the walk had went. I needed to find home. Heck I needed to find Wally and kick his ass. I looked around the forest. Nothing looked familiar to me. My color vision seemed limited but I was not completely blinded of color as I had thought a horse would be. That'll be a fact I share with everyone once I'm human again.
What if I don't get back to normal? No that can't happen. I need to find Wally he will make it better. His words ran through my mind over and over. You need to learn to respect your horse, and your family. Even those you may not like. Stupid Indian, why can't he just mind his own gosh darn business. When you wake up, you must find your way back to the ranch. Make everything right again, and you will become you again. Find my way back and make everything right. What did he mean by that? What have I done wrong?
I kept walking not knowing where I was going. I tried trotting a little and that did not turn out to smoothly. It was baby years all over again as I stumbled time after time. It felt like a hour had past and I still had no leads on how to get home. I was starting to get extremely hungry and I had no place to cook a cow. I came upon a meadow that I had never seen before. It was full of tall grass but it gave me no hints on how to get home. As I stomped through the meadow I grew hungrier. I could smell the grass through my new large nostrils and to my amazement it smelled delicious. Great not only was I forced to move as a horse I would have to eat as one too. I lowered my head towards the grass. Although the smelled told me it would taste amazing I still had a weird feeling about eating it. For crying out loud I was about to eat grass. I took in a mouthful whether I liked it or not. I knew I had to eat and this was all that was available. It didn't taste bad as I had thought it would. I found myself taking in more and more of the grass.
As any normal horse would I got caught up in grazing that I had forgotten about my task to get home. I wondered how much time had past since I had began but I knew it was well over an hour. The funny thing was I still didn't feel full but I trudged forward anyways. I needed to get home and get this resolved now. What would my parents be thinking? Wally surely wouldn't tell them that he had performed some ancient Indian ritual on me and turned me into a beast.
Hours past and I still could find no trail to home. The sun was beginning to go down and the more I walked the more frightened I became. I don't even know if I will ever find my way back. I thought I'd try cantering for a bit. I started trotting and tried to through myself up into the gait. I found it extremely difficult to move my legs that way and the only thing I could do was trot faster. I kept trying, thinking if I went fast enough I would eventually fall into the canter. After several minutes of trying I got tired and forced myself to walk. I panted heavily.
Just then the new found scent threw my ears forward and my head shot up. That smell, I know it. I may not have been able to make out this scent when I was human but now I could tell it apart from the others. Excitement spread throughout my body when I continued to take the scent in. The scent was a scent I know, a scent from home. Aries.
I tried the canter again. I reached my peak in the trot as I followed the scent. Come on! Is it really this hard for every horse to canter? Finally, my legs broke free of the trot and moved swiftly with my back legs into a canter. Once I was in this gate it was easy to learn. I was already throwing my legs forward so every time I felt as if I would fall I would catch myself immediately.
I quickened my pace and tried for the gallop. It wasn't hard to get to since it was similar to the canter but I was still cautious. I could smell the scent getting closer. Eventually the speed became to much for me and I continued my journey at a walk. I could tell I was already close to the ranch.
It was almost completely dark by the time I made it to the ranch. No one was outside besides the other horse. My presence had caused the horses to stir in their pasture. As soon as I spotted Aries I knew it was the gelding's pasture. I was home. Every horse's head was turned towards me and my dad's big quarter horse glared his teeth at me from a good distance. I had to chuckle a little, even though I was unable to do so. When I get in that pasture I would show that jack butt who's boss.
I walked through the yard and looked into the windows. The lights were on but I could see no one.
Mom! Dad! My throat vibrated. I kept shouting to the house until I finally saw my dad looking out of the window.
"Hey Brad come here, we've got a wild one."
Oh crap. That's right, I'm a horse now and they couldn't understand me. My father came walking out of the house with a lead rope in hand.
"Easy boy," he tried getting me to come to him.
You idiot, im not going to run off! I just got here.
"Look at him Brad, he's a beauty."
"He looks young, gosh he is pretty. You don't see many blue roans wandering around."
So I was roan. I didn't know if I could trust my sense of color from before. Everything seemed so strange to me now. I let them put the rope around my neck and they led me to the round pen.
"He acts like he's already trained, you don't think he had run away do you?"
Ha, stupid Brad. We know every horse owned for several miles.
"No, I would have known who's horse this was if he'd run away. We'll see how he does tomorrow under a saddle."
"Sheesh he sure is noisy."
Oh my neighing annoys you does it? Well to darn bad! I'm a horse you dumby!
They left me in the pen which made me feel rather lonely. Maybe Wally was right, I really do need someone. This empty feeling hurt. I was sleeping outside when my family were all living happily inside. They didn't even say anything about me. Do they not care that I have been gone? How long have I been gone?
One thing was for sure and that was I couldn't wait until they try getting in that saddle their talking about. Tomorrow I would humor myself, finally an entertaining task to do as a horse. I was going to prove to my dad how horrid my brother was at riding.
