Left alone in the dark barn, Laurent wasn't even able to check out his new form. He felt heavy and large, and he found standing on all fours a strange sensation.
He eventually fell asleep, still standing on all fours, and slept until dawn. In her room, Claudia knew the instant he awoke because of the upset braying coming from inside the barn. She laughed and said, "Someone's not happy this morning," before she grabbed a warmer wrap, pulled it over her shoulders, and visited the barn.
Laurent upbraided her with more of the loud, raucous brays before she took his bridle in hand and urged him to calm himself.
It would have been strange if she hadn't noticed, considering its size, the dark cock hanging down from his belly. She shocked him by grabbing the organ. Raised on a farm, nothing about an animal intimidated or repulsed her, and she couldn't think of a better way to get his attention.
"I'll promise you some exceptional delights when the job is finished and you've come home to me," she said.
Laurent, in turn, exhaled in an excited huff and flared the nostrils at the end of his narrow snout. He discovered he had a well-developed sense of smell. Odors he would have missed not tantalized his thoughts.
"Claudia, this is reckless," he tried to reason, but his effort only produced more of the hateful, odious brays.
She let his cock drop, and the sharp jerk as the heavy organ dropped toward the floor of the barn caused another puff of air to get expelled from his flared nostrils.
Smacking his rump, she whispered, "Now listen to me, love." She picked up a bag of oats. "Remember all you have to do is enjoy a meal of these and you'll back to your handsome self."
He continued to work his jaws and blocky teeth in a vain attempt to speak. He was still struggling when a fat man rapped his knuckles at the entrance to the barn. Claudia turned and welcomed the merchant.
"Is the beast ready?" The man asked, seeing her standing next to the large donkey.
"Did you bring my payment?"
He smiled and produced a small bag of gold coins. Claudia clutched the bag in one hand and offered the man the bridle.
"One last thing," she said, and stooped to gather the bag of oats, which she handed the man. "Feed him those when you stop your journey this evening," she said. "He'll stay pleasant and tractable."
"I have a whip if your beast isn't tractable," he said with a warning, but took the bag of oats.
"Safe travels, monsieur."
Laurent brayed one final protest, but the man simply tugged on the bridle and made the donkey trot behind him as they journeyed into the teeming city as inhabitants began to wake and start another day.
When the merchant returned to his abode, he found his hired boy standing idly. He gladly gave up the bridle to the boy. "Get the beast into harness and load my books," the merchant said as he slung the bag of oats over a railing.
The boy, a quiet and wiry lad of 16, followed the merchant's instructions. "Move with haste, boy," the man said. "We'll leave as soon as I have my breakfast."