Many, many centuries ago, where the most impressive of inventions (car, computer, waffle iron, etc.) haven't even become an idea yet, where the land is covered in lush greenery, as opposed to the grey concrete covered world that it is today, there lived a large, wonderful citizenry. The citizenry was filled with all kinds of people, living free and being supportive to one another, a type of kindness that spread around to people who knew about the citizenry...
...and their kindness did spread...
...but not to those who were kind themselves.
A small colony of people arrived via boat to the "lands of happiness" as they were so called. While the citizens were confused by their arrival, they still greeted them with the kindness that they would greet anyone with, even if it was a pet or feral animal, they would still greet them as a possible new friend. The colony didn't see it that way. They saw it as a land they could claim. People who they could control. Animals they could slain. The leader of the colony nodded to his personal army, as if they were told to execute an order, and they complied. The leader's army went to the marketplace where most of the villagers were and started to set the marketplace alight. The beautiful clear blue skies turned black with smoke as the fire grew and grew, covering the area in a red and orange glow. Some of the villagers tried to fight back against the iron-chested knights of the colony. They failed. The knights murdered any of them that stood in their way from claiming the land for their own. Stabbed, slaughted, speared, skewered, most of the toughest villagers didn't even stand a chance, leaving them to impaled, tortured, and thrown onto the nearest building surrounded by the ever burning fire, which was now spreading to the many houses surrounding the marketplace. Some people were left with a choice, flee the burning wreckage of their once loved town, or cower in fear at the menacing knights of far off. The main knight, the one who gave the order, just smiled at what he had accomplished. Cleaning the land of it's "disease", leaving just ashes of a forgotten past, it made him so proud. That smile left as he saw a young girl walk up to him, with nothing but rage in her eyes. The young girl had hair the colour of the flames surrounding the village, freckles that made the knight feel as if she was under some sort of plague, skinny arms and legs that made the knight feel even more superior than he already thought he was. She ran towards the knight, holding a worn-down book that looked like it had lasted throughout many ages, and stopped dead in front of him, letting the blood covered dirt splash against his armoured feet. The knight looked down, observing the mess, as two knights huddled behind him.
"Art thee joyous with what thou has't done? Art thee pleased with what thy knights has't caused?" she sternly spoke. The knight just cocked his eyebrow at this young lady. "Thee art as vile as those gents cometh. Thee shalt beest punished for the rest of thy days, thee shalt beest cursed, by the power that I bestow, thee and thy family's name shalt beest cursed for all eternity, cursed to becometh the beasts that thee art". The young girl raised her hand towards the knight. The knight did not care for her antics, nor did he care about his time being wasted. Her hand was starting to illuminate light from her palm, becoming as bright as the fire around them. The knight looked at the palm of the young girl, whilst listening to the mutterings of her words. "Stultum maledic familiam suam, ut sunt animalia fiant. Sequitur ista maledictio illorum familiae factus e vivis animalibus!" she whispered before shouting the last word. The light pulsed and beamed towards the knight. The knight felt as if was being pushed back by some sort of force. As he stumbled back, he knew this was the work of a witch. He looked up, only to see the young lady flee, holding the hand of her mother who was trying to shield her child from the burning wreckage. Both of the knights behind him walked towards the family fleeing, trying to follow to completely butcher them, but the leader of the knights stopped him in their tracks, raising his hand to signify his order. "Leaveth the issue, she hath learnt the magic from someone else. Search for that lady's father, that gent is still not with the family yet, so that gent might still beest hither" he said, smoothly as if he had never destroyed an entire village in one foul swoop. After minutes of searching, the knights found the father of the child and dragged him towards the towering knight. The two knights pushed him onto the floor, leaving him to only look up at the man. The man smiled back at him, deciding his fate for the rest of his life. The knight didn't kill the girl's father, that would be too easy for the knight and it wouldn't be enjoyable for him, The knight decided that this man should be tortured regularly, becoming his slave as punishment for what his daughter has done. The father, looking back on the whole event, thought that his life would have been much better lived if he had been burned alive when they searched for him. For the rest of his life, he would be forever thinking that. Every man, woman and child, who cowered in fear and now become the colonist's slaves, would be thinking that til the end of their lives.
As time went on, more of the colony arrived onto the land, creating a new kingdom for their royal king and beautiful queen. The land had been developed, a castle now laid upon the blood soaked grass and ash covered dirt of the previous village. More of the colony entered until they overgrew the population of the original villagers. The grass filled land started to become grey and brick-like, as additions were made to the castle. None of the villagers came back to the land, as if they knew something was going to happen. As the castle for the royal king was finished, a night of merry and booze was their celebration with all the knights attending. As the night continued, the knight felt his hands cramp up and stiffen, almost completely not moving at times. The knight believed this to be nerves of some sort but as the night went on, the feeling became worse. He saw his hand change, two of his fingers fused until it became three on each hand. As they continued to stiffen, they turned into a beige colour as the skin on his fingers turned into layers of nail. He couldn't believe what has happened to him in front of his eyes. They were hooves. He had to hide this from everyone, he couldn't be seen like this. Too late. The king proposed a toast to all the people in the colony, leaving him in the sights of anyone who was near him. As the toast continued and continued, the changes kept going. Hair was growing on his legs, growing and growing and becoming thicker and thicker. He turned around to see if anyone had noticed, as his ears started to grow a bit longer and more triangular shaped, starting to grow the same thick hairs that he has on his legs and moving atop his head. The knight noticed his change in his ear structure and tries somehow to hide it, while still hiding his hooves. As the toast continues to drone on, more changes start to happen. The hairs start to spread to his chest, getting thicker and thicker as if he felt like he was wearing a thick woollen jumper. It started to itch like mad, but he couldn't itch it just in case anyone saw his hooves. He was trying his hardest to hide his ears under the crowd that was still listening to the speech that the king was addressing to everyone. The same feeling that he had with his hands started to migrate to his feet. It felt much worse, instead of having his fingers stiffen, it was his whole foot. Then he felt the same sensation that he had with the fusing of his fingers, but this time it was his whole foot. All the toes started to fuse together, turning into layers and layers of nails, thicker than the layers on his fingers. His feet were now hooves as well. Proper hooves. The hair started reaching his hands, growing at the same length as the legs. The hair started to spread up towards the head, feeling it grow right on his neck. He had to leave, he couldn't stay like this while this speech was going on. He tried his hardest to hide all his new features as he bolted up the stairs. His teeth were chattering, in fact, they were growing. Two of his bottom teeth started to push out slightly. He had to know what was happening to him, he looked like... he looked like...
The king bellowed out to the crowd "And of course, we shall have a divine feast! BRING OUT THE BOAR!"
...he looked like a boar. His face pushed out, forcing his nose and his lip to meet together. His nose pushed upwards, letting his nostrils to be shown upfront. As the face continued to push out, his nose started to round off, his teeth were continuing to grow upwards, becoming tusks as they yellowed. His nose was now a snout as the face stopped pushing forward. His spine extended, creating a tail and his whole body was now covered with fur. He looked like a boar. A boar standing upright, walking on two hooves. Something must of happened to him before, someone could have poisoned his drink, or someone could have given him a hallucinogenic poisonous berry or someone...
...could have put a spell on him.
The girl. The girl cursing him from before. She did it all. But that wasn't concerning him at the moment. One thing was...
"Thee and thy family's name shalt beest cursed for all eternity, cursed to becometh the beasts that thee art"
Thee and thy family's name... Thee and thy family's name... He had a wife and a child. They carried his name. He rushed up to see if anything had happened to the ones he loved dearly, a curse on himself was one thing but a curse on his wife and child scared him. He rushed through until he reached his door. He slowly opened it, only to see something that he wouldn't wish upon the greatest of his enemies. Looking out the window, tearing up, was a creature almost just like him. She had hooves, she had fur, she had pointed ears, but she was different them him. Her fur was of a different colour, a lighter brown compared to his dusty black fur, with white dots around the back. She didn't have tusks so she couldn't be a boar like him. Her ears were longer than hers and more oval shaped. Her tail was smaller and fluffier than hers. Her hooves were black and the fur from her legs to her chest was white. She was different but she still had the same curse as him. She started to cry...
"Laura... no..."
Laura stopped crying, her ears perked up. "Sebastian...?". She turned around, stunned by the sight of her husband. He was a boar. She was a deer. Both of them put their hoof-like hands over their muzzles "You... you..." She started to cry again, she couldn't handle what was going on. All of a sudden, she was starting to become a deer. Was this the work of a witch? She didn't even come across one while taking care of her son-. The crying stopped. Both of them thought the same idea. Check on the baby. Both of them silently walked towards the room where their son was sleeping. Carefully inching towards him, not making any sudden moves or noises, they reach him.
He was normal. Normal as normal can be. No tusks, no muzzles, no hooves, he was exactly how he was before.
Both of them looked at each other and looked back at the baby. The same thought entered their minds. While this thought did saddened them, they knew they had to act upon it. They couldn't raise this child anymore. Not like this. Not as a boar and a deer. It would be too heartbreaking for them, and too heartbreaking for him. They wanted the best for him, and being a boar father and a deer mother wasn't what they thought was the best. A single tear dropped down Sebastian's fur covered face. He wanted to raise that child so desperately when he was first born. It was the proudest moment of his life. And now... now, he couldn't bear to see himself raising a child that would say "Why don't I look like you, dad?" nearly every day for the rest of that child's life, making him question everything about his family. Sebastian turned to the teary Laura. Laura was so proud the day he was born. She planned to enjoy every single moment that she had with him. She couldn't see herself enjoying those moments anymore. Not like this. Sebastian kissed Laura on the cheek, confirming what they both thought "This wilt beest difficult for us, but if 't be true we wanteth that gent to liveth a joyous life, we can't stayeth".
Sebastian and Laura left their room, with Laura holding the child with her hooved hands. It was difficult, but she had to keep going. They left the castle from the other side, avoiding any contact with the royal king and his banquet, trying to hide when anyone was lurking around in the pouring rain. Hiding behind several buildings and statues, they struggled to find a place that was still open. "We can't just leaveth that gent hither, thither hath to beest a lodging around hither that is still ope" Laura tried to yell without someone noticing them. Sebastian looked around. He could barely see because of his muzzle and the rain getting into his eyes. "Wait! thithero!" Laura yelled.
The faintest light was in the front window of a large, large shack. Laura knew what it was, and after the rain got out of his eyes, so did Sebastian. It was their last hope for their son to have a better life.
The orphanage.
Laura looked at Sebastian and Sebastian looked at Laura. None of them wanted this to happen, but as they looked at their son, they knew this was the best choice they had for him to live a normal life. They ducked under the window, hiding away from anyone spotting them, and they placed him down by the door. Laura kissed his forehead, she didn't want to see him go. Sebastian kissed his hoof finger and placed it on his forehead. He didn't want to do this either. Once he had a son, he wanted to be with him at all times, but being a knight, he barely got to see him. So to have this curse upon him and his family was heart-breaking for him. All that time he was saving just to be with his son now means nothing to this curse. He started to tear up. He reached for something to write on, he needed to do one last thing before they knocked the door. He found a big enough piece of wood under the roof of the building. He dipped his hoof finger in mud and began to write down something.
He finished writing. They knocked on the door and ran.
Hearing the knocking, one lady opened the door. Confused, she began to look around, only to find a child at the doorstep. She immediately grabbed him off the floor and put him in her hands, slightly bobbing him to keep him asleep. She looked around, surely his parents wouldn't have left their child on the doorstep, right? She continued to look. No one there. On the other side. No one there. She looked back at the child, smiling. She then looked at a piece of wood that was left with the baby. Carefully, she picked it up, looking around for anything, a message or whatever could be on here. She found something. A name. She looked back at the peacefully sleeping child, smiling with hope in her heart.
"Don't worry, we'll make sure you are nice and warm. We'll take care of you...
...David".
Sebastian and Laura watched on as the woman checked for anyone again and closed the door. They were just out of reach as they saw her. "What's to becometh of us?" Laura asked, saddened by what she had done. "Your meaning escapes me" Sebastian replied "but we can't beest hither anymore". Both of them looked back at the world they lived in, saddened to be leaving, without a child, without a home, and they turned towards the fog covered forest...
Several centuries later, their cursed family history seems to have faded out...
...seems to...
...but it might come back at any moment in time. The family name is still around, and one family is going to feel the effects of their family's curse.