"No, but..." Mike shuddered as one of the big mares slid alongside him, rubbing her side against his.
Brian frowned and looked around. "How come they stay here with no fence around? And where is their owner?" It was true - not a single barrier existed around this lush green field, but there were a half-dozen draft horses grazing in it. No buildings were visible as far as he could see, but then he saw someone approaching from a line of trees. It was a boy, maybe 14 years old, wearing only a ragged loincloth. Brian met him halfway. "Uh, sorry if we are trespassing. My friend got sorta.. interested.. in your mares." He flushed, embarrassed for Mike. This was bestiality, at least partly.
The boy, who was coarse-featured and both looked and smelled as if he hadn't bathed in a long time, just grinned. His teeth were too big and scummy, and his blonde hair was a tangled mess. Still, he seemed cheerful and friendly. "He's a centaur. All the important stuff is horse anyway. Happens all the time." The boy looked at Brian curiously. "But we don't see many elves around here. Most are taller. You look like a kid with pointy ears. I bet you must be less than two hundred years old."
Brian had to laugh. "Two hundred? Try 17." The boy's surprised expression told him he'd just goofed. Well, what was the kid gonna do? "I just got turned into an elf. Some friends of mine are on an adventure."
The boy grinned again. "An adventure? I bet you want to see the Wizard!"
Brian nodded. "Yeah, that's what my friend was planning to do - find the Wizard in town. But the guy who brought us here said he might be in danger from the mares and I chased after him."
"Sounds like that warning was true." The boy looked past Brian and chuckled just as an equine squeal came from behind them.
Turning, Brian was horrified to see Mike already plunging his shaft into a glossy black mare, the centaur gripping her chest with his forelegs as he slid over her back. "Mike! No!" He shouted and started to run back to his friend, only to have the boy grab his arm and yank him back.
"No! It's way too late - you'd only get yourself badly hurt if you try to stop them!" The boy looked puzzled. "Don't you know enough to stay away from mating animals?"
"But what if something happens to him?" Brian jerked his arm free, but realized the boy was right and stayed where he was. While the sex was obviously intense and brutal, it also took no longer than a minute. The centaur and the mare both shuddered as Mike surrendered his load with a guttural shout, while the mare gave another loud neigh. Brian watched as Mike slid off the mare's back and shook himself, sweaty and looking very pleased with himself. "Mike! You idiot!" The elf scowled and stormed over to where his friend was panting. "Tye told us this place is..." His voice trailed off as he saw Mike's face. While still recognizable, the centaur's nose and mouth were protruding and his eyes were much larger and further apart under heavier brows. As Brian watched, the changes slowly became more pronounced.
"What's wrong?" Mike picked up on Brian's shock. "And who's the kid?"
"I'm Dar." The boy stopped next to Brian and grinned up at Mike. "I take care of the Wizard's horses. He's gonna be really pleased with you. Been looking for a solid young stallion."
"I'm a centaur, not a horse!" Mike frowned, then seemed to notice the changes to his face and reached up to feel his mouth and nose.
Brian stared as fine dark hair started to appear on Mike's human parts. "Is it going to stop?"
An arm draped around his shoulder as Dar pulled him close and tousled his hair with his free hand. "Oh, yeah. It takes three or four times to take him all the way. Be sometime tomorrow before your friend is a Shire."
Brian was so stunned by Mike's transformation that he didn't react at first to the boy's familiarity. Dar was acting as if Brian was a long-time friend, or perhaps a younger brother. His first thought was to pull away, but he realized that he didn't mind at all. Dar was being friendly, and they sure needed a friend who knew what was going on.
Mike shook his head, which had an obvious equine appearance now. His hair had thickened and lengthened in the center, and his skull looked larger and thicker. Even with all the changes Brian could still see Mike's features, but the centaur was only just recognizable. "I'm not hanging round for that to happen!"
Dar grinned and reached out to pat Mike's side. "You don't have a choice any more, fella. You're already the Wizard's stallion. It will just take a couple more matings to finish you up into a proper horse."
"Not if I leave!" Mike scowled. "Come on, Brian. Let's get into town." He turned and trotted towards the dirt road, just a dozen yards away.
Brian started to follow, but Dar wrapped both arms around him in a surprisingly strong embrace and held him tight against his chest. "Wait just a moment. He might get upset."
Before Brian could ask what Dar was talking about, he saw Mike stop about ten feet from the road. The centaur seemed to be straining, then suddenly twisted sideways and trotted alongside the dirt path, tail lashing. He stopped and turned towards the road again, but did not lift a hoof to step closer. Mike gave a shout of frustration and spun to gallop into the pasture, then turned to charge towards the road as hard as he could. He slowed suddenly just a few yards away, as if he had run into a mountain of pillows, and stopped ten feet away.
"You can't leave." Dar did not release Brian from his hug, resting his chin on the back of the elf's head. "I told you that you are already the Wizard's stallion. There's a spell that keeps the animals corralled here. Only he or I can take a horse out of the pasture."
Mike clenched his fists and then whirled to stomp to where Brian and Dar stood. "Then get me out of here, you filthy little bastard!"
Dar just chuckled. "You can't hurt me. Part of the spell." He let Brian go and walked over to grin up at Mike as he patted the centaur's chest.
Snarling, Mike raised his fist and brought it down in what should have been a pile driver blow to Dar's head. His muscles locked up with the fist inches above the boy's head. Instead of learning, Mike exploded into anger, flailing his fists, forelegs and kicking at Dar, who stood calmly as every one either missed or stopped short.
"Mike!" Brian shouted his friend's name several times before the centaur finally calmed down. "Stop it! It's not his fault, and it's not working anyway!" He contemplated threatening the kid with his knife, but there was a big difference in playing a game where your opponent was just numbers on a character sheet and having a real person standing in front of you. "Look, Dar. We're visitors here. Could you please help us? I know Mike shouldn't have mounted the mare. But we need him for the adventure. And... well, he's a friend, and I don't want to leave him stuck here as an animal."
Dar grinned and tousled Brian's hair again. "Not up to me, short stuff. Only the Wizard can make that call. If you want to try talking to him, I can take you to his house."
"What about Mike?" Brian stared up at the centaur. It looked like the changes had stopped for now.
"Oh, he'll be fine as long as he doesn't fuck another mare." Dar shrugged. "But he didn't show any restraint as a centaur, and he's got stallion's instincts pushing as well now." He pulled Brian into another one-armed hug. "Don't feel bad. He's just angry right now. Once he settles in, he'll find he likes all this. Being a horse will be not just normal, but the best ting that ever happened to him."
"I don't want to be an animal!" Mike's shout was tinged with fear, and Brian had to wonder if the centaur could already feel the equine mindset.