The creature looming above Orchid was an immense centaur, tanned, scarred and looking surly. he had a mane of long black hair, a great beard and a series of leather pouches attached across his chest. His coat color was dark grey and he looked like the type to never let weather impress him or beat him down. He even had tattoos displayed in black ink across his chest and biceps, mainly of eagles. Orchid stared back at his grey eyes then cast her own down. She noticed his hooves had symbols engraved upon them.
The goblin wasted no time praising what he had to sell, offering to make Orchid turn on herself or run around in a circle. The centaur was gruff and said that he just wanted to assure himself that she was healthy and that he was just buying her to travel across the Great Grass Plains to bring her back to a couple who wanted a little one to adopt. He and his companions were merely intermediaries and traders. They then haggled, the goblin asking Orchid to show her teeth by banging on her cage which she reluctantly did, simply flashing her pearly whites before diverting her gaze with anger. She didn't want to go with that centaur! He looked mean and she didn't want to imagine what centaur family she'd end up with. But in the end, the goblin seized the coins of the muscled centaur and passed a cord to him, which the centaur tied tightly and wordlessly to Orchid. She protested feebly as he dragged her to the tent with wizards and hoisted her up with a grumble as he thought she was too slow. In the line, Orchid could see other humans likewise terrified. The only ones not crying or looking forlorn were the children too young to realize what was going ion. Once in the tent, another goblin indicated a closed-off booth and they stepped in it. A wizard was mixing potions and powders amongst jars of all sorts. He glanced at Orchid and the centaur and said he'd have the spell done in a jiffy. Mumbling and casting ingredients into a clean cauldron, he soon approached Orchid. She thought she'd die of terror but as she back away, she screamed she wouldn't swallow it. The wizard simply answered that it was a powder and blew all of it into her face. The little girl was instantly knocked out.
When she woke up, Orchid's head spun and she felt tired and nauseous. Her entire body below the waist felt achy, cramped and numb. Her vision was blurry but she could hear a lot around her. Things being moved, shouts, orders, the sound of hooves, grunts, calls and all noises reflective of something big about to happen. Or about to be on roads, as she realized that if she was still in a cage, the other cages were next to, her, with centaurs lying down. However, all around them chariots were prepared, armors slapped on and wares hoisted up. All the travellers were male centaurs and even the few females looked like they were ready to fight if needed. Orchid felt frustrated at being in a cage and at the fact that she was as interesting to the centaurs as the rest of the cargo being taken care of. The two other caged centaurs looked about as ill as she felt. One was a beautiful black woman with long braids and a sweet face. Her horse body was that of a zebra yet slender and graceful-looking. The other centaur was a chubby man in his thirties with bright orange hair and a beard to match, who had the light brown body of a horse. It looked big and strong but one could see that like the rest of his body it was more fat than muscles and that a serious workout would be needed if they wanted to be shown around. Orchid felt still very tired though and wondered dimly why some centaurs were caged. Her mind was too fuzzy to make sense of her memories and she let sleep overtake her.
Orchid was startled awake again as the chariot she was in jostled harshly. The sun was already high and the day probably more advanced than she thought. She still felt a little ill and dizzy. Her lower body still felt full of aching muscles. The troop of centaurs was crossing a landscape filled with little clumps of trees and fields, following a large river and the setting sun. Some centaurs pulled chariots or carts, others, clad in armor, guaranteed the security of their brethren. Someone had placed a jar of water and Orchid gulped from it with relish. She then finally looked at her lower body and almost screamed in terror. There was a horse's body instead of her legs! She then remembered her last few memories and thought about the wizard blowing a powder into her face. She'd really been changed into a centaur! And those other two poor people in cages must have been former humans too! Her coat was a spotless white but her hind hooves were cloven for some reason. This was too weird as she moved her two new extra limbs, which felt oddly fascinating and terrifying.
"How come you've got a horn, kid?" mumbled the ginger man in the cage next to her.
"What?..." whispered Orchid, at a loss.
She felt her head and quickly realized she had a twisted horn sprouting from her forehead. Her hair had also changed. From brown, she had now longer locks of gold and white.
"I...I... I don't know...I..." she stammered.
"Leave her be," said the woman in the third cage, while still flashing a kind smile to Orchid. "Don't worry, we're all in the same boat."
At night, the caged centaurs were given bowls of boiled beans and the centaurs formed a circle for protection, the chariot with the new recruits being among those at the center. They were let out one at a time to relieve themselves and get used to their news limbs. Orchid thought the procedure easier than she'd anticipated yet still too awkward to her taste. It was like stretching stiff legs and getting accustomed to a foreign part of her anatomy. Her legs shook and she collapsed to the ground more than once. At the end, the centaur accompanying her just carried her back to the cage. She was the weakest of the three. The clumsiest. And she felt ashamed. Luckily, the woman, whom was from South Africa, told her stories and tried to reassure her. They shared a discussion while the ginger man grumbled, only saying he was from Dublin. Blankets were handed out to them but no one seemed gingerly interested in them.
The next few days were similar. The centaurs just talked to each other but almost never to the captives. Only to let them out once in a while, during breaks. They had more urgent tasks than worrying about new recruits that had to be pawned off to others. But over time, Orchid and her new friend did learn a few things. Orchid was to be adopted but Emily was to be mated. The same went for the Irish man who just snorted, saying he just hoped she was hot although he wondered how he'd do the deed with a new dick. Emily shot him a dark glare for saying such crude things in a vulgar language next to a child. As for Orchid, her unicorn-like appearance puzzled the centaurs too but the one that had bought her explained what the wizard had said: that human sometimes transformed in odd ways and that it was not uncommon or unheard of. Such traits could then be observed in their descendants and were actually quite common in certain tribes. In her bowl of water, Orchid saw for herself the alterations in her face. Her ears were pointed. Even her eyes were starkly different: one was turquoise and the other purple flecked with gold. And indeed a horn emerged from her forehead. A small one but one nonetheless.
The centaurs then followed a branching of the river as the terrain became more hostile and dry. Cliffs of yellow and red stone appeared and less trees were present. Bushes and grass aplenty but forests were long gone. The armored centaurs also looked more nervous as the trek went on, the protection increasing at night. Scouts went ahead and all centaurs kept a close eye on the horizon. Orchid worried about sort of creature could attack them in a such a fantastical land. Moreover, she noticed centaurs had with them geese, chickens, turkeys, goats and sheep with them, as well as pigs, even. Unfortunately, the group separated one day and Orchid became the only caged centaur, the two others being transferred to the other travelling group. Emily wished her luck and patted her hand, a gesture which warmed Orchid's heart and brought her solace.
But one morning, as the group had set for the night near a cliff, an attack occurred. It was a raid done by other centaurs and as the defense desperately organized itself, the centaur that had bought Orchid opened her cage, grabbed her without waiting for her to clumsily get out and thrust her behind a barricade made of wrapped wares and other trading things. The other animals were fenced in a bit further. Orchid had only the wall of a stone cliff at her back and she could not see above the barricade. Moreover, her legs were too weak and rickety to allow her to really attempt to see beyond it. But the sounds of the battle terrified her and she cowered into a corner, wondering who would win, who was it that she could hear dying and wishing to go home, desperately, cursing her brother for being such a bad person. If it wasn't for him, then she'd still be safe at home and not scared out of her mind.
At long last, the sounds of the raid subsided and someone looked above the wall of commodities. It was a centaur Orchid could not remember seeing. Then again, she had not seen every centaur in the travelling party either. She jumped and pressed herself against the stone, as if it could engulf her and keep her out of harm's way. The centaur frowned, barked something over his shoulder and went away. A little later, the wall was built down and centaurs unknown to Orchid circled her and stared at her. They had marks, decorations and tattoos she did not recall seeing and she then knew that the raiders must have won. She could also see the bodies of the fallen centaurs, shot with arrows or having suffered terrible wounds. Right next to the barricade was the bloody corpse of the surly centaur who had purchased her. It felt strange and Orchid did not even know how to feel. All the animals and goods were stashed in one place, with centaurs arguing with each other, debating and gesturing wildly. A much smaller group of captured centaurs were chained aside, all looking exhausted and angry, to better hide their fright. Orchid was bound with ropes and she stepped carefully after the little energetic centaur leading her. But they did not go towards the captives. Instead, they took the direction of four male centaurs and two female ones. The six were pointing at things and speaking in turns, firmly but calmly. They were talking about dividing things up. The young centaur approached with Orchid.
"She is the foal spotted by Sharprock," he stated.
"Yes. Who are you?" said one of the males.
Orchid explained who she was in a few words.
"A human to be integrated. Doesn't make things any easier," muttered an older greying centaur. "Who was with you? Or bought you?"
Orchid pointed towards the black centaur's body. A blonde female snorted derisively.
"As usual! They could have said a foal was among them instead of fighting to the bitter end! How do we know who and where she was supposed to go? As if we could go there and happily introduce ourselves!"
Furious, she then snapped loudly:
"Who killed the black centaur near the barricade?"
A light and dark brown centaur said he was as he was rummaging through baskets.
"Leaf! Report here!"
The large centaur came over and confirmed he had killed the black centaur, which he did with no small amount of pride.
"Except he was the guardian of this foal. I assume you know what it means?" said the greying centaur.
Leaf blanched.
"But... But... No!... I can't! I'm not mated! How do you want me to... I don't want to!"
"What you want is irrelevant for the time being," sighed the old centaur.
"You know the law," stated the blonde one.
Orchid was at a loss but she did not dare interrupt. Problem was, they spoke about her fate and she would have liked to be the first to know more about it! While the centaur named Leaf argued hotly, a voice was heard behind everyone.
"I may offer a solution," the cultured yet slightly arrogant voice said.
Its owner was a shorter centaur than average but with a reddish coat, shorter hair than his brethren, longer on the upper part of his skull and brushed back. He approached with coincidence.
"Healer Racer! Do you see a way out of this dilemma?" a muscular grey centaur asked.
"I might, my leader," the red centaur bowed with a fluid motion. "If it pleases you."
"State your idea."
"My own mate has been feeling down since we could not adopt a foal. A see one now. One that is in a dire need of a family."
"But it is Leaf that brought down..." started the blonde centaur.
"Aye. But he is unwilling and unfit to raise the foal. I then propose take the burden upon myself and my mate. I am certain you deem us more than suitable. She'd have an older brother, if you recall."
"But it is Leaf's responsibility to..." started the blonde centaur.
"How about Leaf divert his responsibility?" the red centaur countered. "He can pay an annual fee for me and my mate taking in the foal he refused as his own."
"Yes!" exclaimed Leaf. "I agree with Racer's proposition!"
"Let us deliberate," the older centaur stated decisively.
The six centaurs gathered and muttered. The oldest then stepped forward.
"It is agreed and we have made a decision. Similar situations have been met before, if rarely. Racer can go on with his idea, if he and Leaf can agree on a price. Then by law he shall take custody of the foal."
And so it had unfolded. Racer and Leaf had argued for hours, it seemed, while Orchid lied down, still bound, in a corner and still far from the other captives. As the sun set, she was given root vegetables to chew by Racer and all captives were offered water. Racer smiled at her and placed a blanket on her but he quickly went off to attend chores and other duties. He was a healer, after all, and it was his priority to check on the other centaurs. He seemed nice enough but would he really be kind past three days? And what was his wife like? And he had mentioned a big brother. The sole thought made Orchid feel angered and distraught. Another big brother to ruin her days... What had she done to deserve that?
The next morning, the raiders split into two different groups and once again Orchid was left all alone. All the captives went away with a group of warriors along with some goods but the huge majority of the raiders took a different route. All were in good spirits, happy with their catches. Orchid was placed, still with bound wrists, into a chariot. The only difference was that she was finally out of her cage. Still hooves and wrists bound and placed on a chariot, however. She was too weak and unsure of her footing to even try to follow the others on hoof. But the biggest and most welcome change was the care Racer took to make her as comfortable as possible. He placed a large cloth to shelter her from the sun, made sure she had plenty of water to drink and gave her food more regularly. He also attempted to reassure her, saying they'd freshen up once they reached their tribe. It was true that now, after spending several days without seeing a drop of rain or a river or a lake, a small rivulet was followed and even ponds could be seen. Soon, a river and a lake were reached and in the afternoon Racer washed Orchid a bit and tried yet again to make her talk but she remained silent. Racer shrugged. The foal had been through a lot, let alone her being human not too long ago. Soon she'd be his mate's main concern, not his. It was the prospect of seeing his little family again that elated him. They'd be so happy with all the presents he'd bring back! Just a few hours of travelling and they'd reach their settlement finally.
As the sun had sunk below low mountains, the travellers arrived at their home. Fires had been lit and dinner eaten but all come out of tents and huts to greet the victorious raiders. Orchid was woken up by the noise and saw the raiders clasping friends, mates, siblings and the oldest foals exclaiming in excitement. She exhausted and just wanted to curl up under her blanket and get some long rest. She did just that and the blanket had the advantage of getting her out of the eyesight of the centaurs and kept her from seeing all these strangers too. Everyone was happy to find each other. Happy to see their loved ones. Something Orchid would never know again. Even her parents seemed worthy to be missed and with a stretch of pondering upon her sadness, she could extend this thought to her mean and stupid brother. It was another reason to hide from the eyes and attention of the centaurs. Not witnessing the exclamations of love from parents to child. Something she would never experience again. But suddenly a shout made her jump.
"Father, father! Where is she?"
"Right here, son. Let's go back home. We're all awaited, I think."
Someone, but clearly Racer, from his voice, picked her up, still wrapped in the blanket and walked a short distance. He deftly cut her binds and Orchid could hear excited trots all around her. Racer's son. Her new brother, in all likelihood. She froze in fear. She had barely been sold by an abusive big brother. Did she really need another one? So soon?
"Dragrock! Look! I have a new sister! Cool, eh?"
Orchid could not hear the rest of the conversation but Racer's son's excitement seemed incongruous. Was he joyful at the prospect of harming her for fun? Probably. It would certainly be more likely than a brother genuinely elated at the idea of having a female sibling.
The flap of a cloth was heard and the atmosphere changed. Quieter. More comfortable. With odd but interesting smells. A cozy place. The sound of a fire. Racer softly approached a shape that Orchid could barely glimpse. A very large one. How big was Racer's wife? Was it normal?
"My mate," whispered Racer as he shook gently the form lying down. "My dearest mate. I've brought you a little one. Please. I've found you a little foal. A little filly. Get better, if only for her."
There were grave grunts and the large centaur shifted around upon her bedding. The immense backside was replaced by a face and a chest against which Orchid was promptly pressed and placed. She immediately thought several things. First, the chest was not uncomfortable at all. A bit hairy but soft. Indeed, nice and warm. Then she saw the face of the centaur and thought that if that centaur was female, she was very ugly, if kind. The facial features were large, the chest utterly flat, with a lot more abs than breasts and the hair cropped short.
"She's... She's beautiful, Racer. So pretty... Thank you so much."
His voice indicated clearly that he was a male. No doubt about it. This was...unexpected. Yet not as surprising as being called pretty and at being hugged in the instant. She could feel love irradiating that centaur. Being loved and accepted without concession, that was new. And very pleasant.
Racer was pacing around the large hut, adding things into a cauldron while the other foal looked on curiously and with anticipation.
"How did you...? How...?" stammered the muscled centaur, bewildered.
"She was amongst the raided," stated neutrally the red centaur. "Leaf killed the guardian who was supposed to bring her to her new family. She's a former human. Leaf held that he was unable to adopt her as he should have. I decided to take that responsibility. For you, and in exchange for some yearly goods on the part of Leaf as compensation."
"I don't care. She's here. That's all that matters," said the large centaur, clutching Orchid against him.
Racer smiled and said that they could all have an evening snack before resting for good for the night. He called the foal over and served them pieces of cake while Orchid had a bowl of warm cream to go with it. The foal looked at her with intense curiosity as Racer said that he'd be able to play with her soon. Orchid learned that the foal's name was Wild.
"Her name's Orchid, Bronze. Do you wish to change it?"
"I think. That was her human name. But I'll think about one appropriate enough later."
"You're correct. For now, let us all sleep," agreed Racer.
Orchid wanted to ask many questions and argue about that last point in particular but she felt much too tired to protest or rebel. And Wild's big arms were soft and warm. Much better than the chariot and cage she had had to suffer through. She thus fell asleep, surrounded by warmth and a sense of love that was strange yet appealing and very much welcomed.