I stood rooted to the spot, my jaw hanging open as I stared at the corner Selina had just rounded. I couldn't believe this was happening. This couldn't be real, it just couldn't be!
A vague tickling on the back of my legs made me realize I was flicking my tail against them. I turned and froze. My. Tail. Walking had come naturally, as did consciously stopping my tail, but the fact that I even had a tail was still too much! Selina had said I'm stuck like this. And it was starting to sink in.
"Are you okay there, boy?" a strong voice asked from in front of me.
I turned and found myself face-to-chest with an Olympian bodybuilder. Craning my neck up, I saw an absolute behemoth of a man. Except, no, he wasn't a man. His equine lower half confirmed he was a centaur like me. Except he was enormous, easily two heads taller than me, and now being almost as tall as I would've been on horseback, that was saying a lot!
My blood ran cold, and it was all I could do not to stare at the hulking figure standing before me. His muscles looked like they could crush my head in an instant, but his expression was kind. Unlike me, he had no beard, but an almost grandfatherly mustache adorned his upper lip. His chiseled face looked like it would put the fear of God into anyone if he scowled, but his gentle concern made me realize myself.
"I - I'm lost," I said lamely. "This is my first time... here."
"It better be considering you're a new 'taur," the giant said. "I saw what that filly did to you. Selina is a nasty sort. You'd do well to stay clear of her, boy. What on earth were you even thinking, following her here?"
I explained how I had been pursuing Selina at school, and how she'd finally relented and given me the note, and everything else that had transpired. The stranger nodded and shook his head, and I thought I saw him mouthing "humans" under his breath once or twice. As the story flowed from my lips though, I found myself shaking. I hadn't realized I was crying and chocking out the words until I finished and the man put an arm as big as my newly-enhanced torso around my shoulders.
"It's okay, boy, don't cry." I was surprised at how soothing his voice was. "Here, let me take you back to my place and help you get settled. My son Colton is about your age; he'll look after you while I talk with our Village Matron. You're not the first sorry lad that that filly's led astray. But to do that out of the blue like that!" His voice became hard, a low rumble. I looked up and was terrified; I had been right, his scowl would put the fear of God in the most stubborn atheist.
I must have been trembling some more because he looked down and his expression softened instantly. "But that's for me to talk with Kasia about, don't you fret! Come with me and we'll get you someplace warm, and cozy, and where you can process everything that's happened. My name is Artur, by the way."
I mumbled out my name and thanks, smiling as Artur led me through the village, his arm around my shoulders the entire time. I couldn't explain it, but I felt safe with him, and the supportive hug was exactly the kind of thing I needed right now. Maybe it was just the fact that he was being kind to me, while Selina had abandoned me and the guards hadn't even said anything, seeming more like faceless robots than other people with how quickly they left me with Selina.
Artur explained as we walked that Selina was almost a social pariah in the village. While it was true that centaurs were a lot more open with their sex than humans, most of the villagers at least had the modesty to do that behind closed doors, while Selina would flaunt it anywhere and everywhere, no better than an animal. Artur explained that she had tried to seduce almost every male her age in the village, and some of the females, but she'd only consummate their relationship if they would have public sex with her. Some would comply, some would refuse and run away, and some she'd work up to it by having sex privately and then making them get bolder and bolder until they were practically doing it right in the village square.
Truth be told, Artur's descriptions sounded more like there was bad blood between them than the gospel truth, but I didn't argue. Selina had been incredibly forward with me before abandoning me, but I still had difficulty believing she was the town whore as Artur was describing her. Still, for every exploit of hers he mentioned, there were plenty of other warnings. She wasn't just a nymphomaniac, she was emotionally abusive, or so he thought, and while centaurs weren't strictly monogamous, they also didn't have multiple partners at a time unless all parties involved agreed to such a relationship. Selina Faire, however, wanted who she wanted, when she wanted, and it didn't matter what anyone else had to say, apparently.
"Them's bad manners, to say the least," Artur said as he led me to one of the flat wooden buildings. I'd noticed as we walked that most of the buildings were single-story cabins, with a roof just high enough to provide shelter for someone around Artur's height. This one, however, seemed slightly taller. And while the others were generally a long rectangle, this seemed to have plenty of offshoots and angles, seeming like if someone had tried to turn a mansion into a ranch-style home. "Mark my words," Artur said to me, "you'd do best to stay well clear of Selina Faire."
We stopped outside of the sprawling building that Artur had led me to. "Now, if you want to stay here with me for a time, you can, or you can stay until I can get you your own lodgings set up with Kasia. She'll arrange for you to at least stay at the inn, if not get your own home. If you really want to wander around the village, I can't stop you, but I wouldn't recommend it. There's lots of work that needs doing when we get a new centaur, especially one who had no choice in the matter like you. If you do stay, it's no trouble. I'm sure Colt will be glad to have the company."
I stopped and looked around, weighing my options. After what seemed like a few minutes of quick thought, I decided...