Even if he were going to be stuck as a donkey permanantly, Jeff didn't want to just stand around doing nothing. For that's exactly what a satisfied brainless donkey would do. He decided to plod on.
He knew that going downstream was always the best choice when lost out in the woods and needing to find somewhere to go. Streams usually led to creeks. Since he was already at a large creek, all he had to do was follow it either to a river, or through the next town. Perhaps both at a confluence.
An added bonus to following creeks down stream, is that it's always a constant source for fresh water. Jeff had no way of knowing if it was contaminated or not. He figured if it were, perhaps it might kill him. His bodily instinct was to drink when it was thirsty. Not that Jeff could fight his body's instinct for survival, but he would have allowed it to drink anyway if it could. It wasn't like he could just take a running leap off a cliff or make a noose with rope or anything like that. Not that he had a death wish. He didn't! He just didn't want to be trapped with this infernal body longer than he had to!
He plodded on again. But again, not for long. His body insisted on eating.
"Oh great!" Jeff thought to himself as he began to sniff at various leaves and undergrowth for sustenance. "Another feeding frenzy!"
The plants smelled good enough to eat for an equine. And so, he did. He began to forage on what the forest had provided. Jeff began to get worried as he found his body drifting away from the creek as it mindlessly was munching on the local deer population's food source. He tried making himself turn back, but he continued going deeper into the woods to the next batch of low hanging leaves, or the next big green fern.
Further and further away from the stream, he marched (or rather munched) on. Jeff had no idea how many hours we're passing as he realized he had left that creek far behind. Irritated at the really long delay and unfocused direction his idiotic body was taking him, Jeff picked up a scent that he immediately recognized!
"Oh no. Not that..."
He knew his body's preference to feed on grass, despite his own human brain getting downright sick of it! A large field of perfectly mown grass had appeared in a large clearing. His body immediately took right to it! And so, with head in a constantly lowered position of grazing, he got to work.
As he was grazing on this field of grass, Jeff was wondering if this were someone's yard he was destroying. He could see a large shadowy shape over there that must be a house! He didn't want to be here trespassing on someone's property. But then, the image of his face and head attached to this large bulbous body came up inside his mind; he could not be mistaken for anything other than a large dumb beast who doesn't know any better! He had to remind himself that he's a donkey now. That humans rules and laws cannot apply to him. He could never be charged for trespassing.....
He smelled him just a split second before he heard him. He stopped eating as he lifted his head to investigate. Once again, his vision isn't too great, but his hearing sure is keen. So is his sense of smell. It was a Man! A Human! And he smelled leather!
Luckily his body wasn't instinctually afraid of Men. In fact, Jeff would quickly find out it was OBEDIENT to Men! As the Man approached, he began to speak to the strange donkey that had randomly appeared on his back lawn:
"Hey there, big fella! Where'd you come from?" he asked in a friendly cautious voice as he held his hand out towards Jeff's snout in a cautious sort of way. To allow the beast to smell his hand and know he wasn't a threat to it.
Jeff was relieved to hear English words he could understand! Unfortunately, it was spoken in a British accent....
Several thoughts went through poor Jeff's mind at almost he same time:
The first was that he was in an English-speaking country. Perhaps England itself! Which means he couldn't read those signs back at the road, even though they must have been in English!
The second thought was, what if he WERE in England!? He was an entire ocean away from home! If there were any way of making it home at all, it was completely dashed!
The third thought was to try and talk to the man and ask for help, and to explain he wasn't a donkey, but rather a boy!
"Heeee hhaaww-!"
"FUCK!" he thought upon being met with that most unintelligent of sounds.
"Well, come on over here, and let's give you a quick check-up," said the man as he brushed his hand across Jeff's large muzzle.
Jeff tried talking again. To attempt to ask for help again. To explain what happened. But not a single word could he utter. It was just the sound of an irritated donkey to that old man; the long string of "heeee hhaaww heeee hhaaww heeee hhhaawww." The donkey's physiology stubbornly refusing to give any hint as to the human intelligence stuck inside the long-eared skull of a donkey.
He hadn't noticed anything in the man's other hand. But he did have the distinct smell of leather about him. With a quick practiced movement, the old man suddenly fitted Jeff's donkey head with a used bridle. Upon swiftly slinging it into place around the unsuspecting Jeff's head, it was almost like magic! Jeff suddenly lost ALL control over his body! This wasn't like being stuck having to graze! Oh no! This was different!
His constant stream of brays immediately stopped. His entire face relaxed into a neutral expression of calm that belied the internal human turmoil. And his stance also relaxed! Jeff's body suddenly became the mindless animal that it was. That couldn't get bored of just standing still doing nothing and waiting patiently for a human to command him!
Meanwhile, that old man led Jeff to across the lawn. Past a small paddock that contained the familiar scent of horses. He was quietly led into a small structure. A stable of sorts, with a small workshop. The entire time, Jeff was stuck being obedient to his new master.
"Ah yes," said the old man who apparently liked talking to himself. He had no idea that the donkey he was leading could understand his words. And that donkey had no way to indicate to the old man that he could. It was just an old habit of his, talking to the animals he was charged with checking up.
The old man was a vet, you see. He was kind and gentle with all animals. It was his job, afterall. Normally he expects to be paid to do his work, but it wasn't every day that a random donkey would just show up at his house / clinic. He was indeed, an old English veterinarian. And Jeff had, I'm fact, swapped bodies with a donkey half way around the world and across a vast ocean inside a little county in the countryside in England. And indeed, Jeff could not understand plain old English letters. He was, in fact, illiterate. Donkeys have no need to be able to read. That's a fact he has come to confirm when he was unable to decipher the letters on a large white sign in front of the vet clinic he was led to as anything comprehensible.
But at least he could still understand human speech! For a while at least....
Anyway, Jeff was forced to stand there calmly as the man went over his entire body. Putting on gloves to give his large black wobbly testicles a squeeze, and to feel up along his big fat black shaft. It instantly made him go hard! Even his body was excited by this touch, as he let out a "haaaww," and stamped a heavy hoof with a loud "CLOP!"
He felt his tail be grabbed and lifted up. He heard a "tsk, tsk, tsk," as the vet discovered a nasty prolapsed anus. It was a source of both pain and itchiness to Jeff, made much worse by being touched! But the vet knew what he was doing.
He grabbed a large can of some viscious-smellimg goop, and liberally applied it to his anus. Almost instantly, Jeff felt a cool relief get to work back there!
Going along both flanks, the man was trimming Jeff's gray coat. Applying a powder that would take care of ticks and fleas. Coming around to Jeff's enormous heavy head, he looked in his large brown eyes. For a moment, Jeff was hoping that old man would somehow "see" him! Jeff! A human boy's consciousness stuck behind those big brown eyes! But all the doc saw, were the large brown eyes of an equine. A donkey. Even his "windows to his soul" would keep him locked away, unknown by real humans as nothing more than a donkey!
Frustrated, Jeff managed a string of "heee hhaaww heee hhaaww heee hhhaaaaaaawwwwww!" And stomped a heavy hoof again.
The man finally got to his mouth. Aghast, he immediately got to work. FINALLY! A mouth 'cleaning! But it was uncomfortable, as periodically his gums would bleed from being picked at and brushed. With his mouth open and his large slab-like teeth being examined and cleaned, Jeff would periodically "heee" and "haaww," hoping to make SOMETHING that sounded like a word to come out.
But no such luck. The doctor was just looking at and cleaning a row of dirty, but otherwise decently-shaped donkey teeth with blasts of ordinary healthy donkey noises.
He finished brushing and grooming Jeff's heavy gray coat, black tail, and black mane. Next came a good washing down of his body! For the first time since swapping with this donkey, Jeff was in heaven. The man used little scrub brush mittens as he rinsed and lathered him up. He even cleaned Jeff's anus and dick!
Once he was finished washing him down and washing our all the loose hair from the nice trimming he received, next came the final step in his evaluation and check up on this poor lost animal. The source of Jeff's biggest frustration:
His hooves.
Gathering several supplies including a stool and setting them down on the ground before him, then with a practiced hand, the old vet started with Jeff's left front leg. Leaning his shoulder against his side, he grabbed Jeff just above his fetlock and below his knee. He maneuvered his hand around Jeff's left front leg in such a way, as to get him to left it up and bend it backwards at the fetlock. Jeff found the stability he needed with the doc leaning his shoulder against his side.
"Vet, not doctor," Jeff thought grumpily. "Oy humans go to doctors, and they don't have their clinics at their houses....."
The vet, using his hands, felt up and down Jeff's leg. He was looking for any signs of swelling or bone chips. Satisfied, he examined the hoof.
"Well. That just won't do, will it pal?" He said.
Jeff's hoof was unshapely. Overgrown with uneven wear. While he was feeling Jeff's hoof, he in turn, wanted to be able to grasp this kindly old man's hand. But. Well. It was a hoof. No matter how much he imagined trying to use his hands and fingers, it just remained a simple immobile block of keratin.
Grabbing a pick, the vet set to work, cleaning out the bottoms of his hooves from god knows how long of muck, dirt, and manure. Jeff had to admit that this pedicure actually felt kind of good! Once he was satisfied with the cleaning, he set to work reshaping Jeff's hoof. Grinding away excess keratin growth and shaving it into shape.
Last came what Jeff hadn't thought about until now....
With a sinking heart and a tightening up of his stomach anytime he's met with something new and lowly about his existence, Jeff clearly saw them.... Iron horse shoes!
Jeff began to bray in fright and humiliation, even as his body refused to obey him. Preferring instead, to obey this human that has earned it's trust. He was still fitted with the bridle over his face, which he was completely incapable of ever being able to remove on his own. The bridle that really put a dampening on his independent movements....
"Please," he tried begging. "I.....I don't wanna be outfitted with a pair of....of ....HORSESHOES!" "Heee hhaaww heee hhaaww heee hhhaawww!"
But when the pounding of the nails into his hoof began, which surprisingly actually felt kind of good, Jeff felt yet another moment of his fate being sealed for good.
With all the nails holding Jeff's shiny new horseshoe into place, the vet let his leg drop to the floor. There was definitely a noticeable difference he could feel! It felt heavier, for one. He could no longer "feel" the ground so well beneath his hoof. His hood itself felt somehow.....TIGHTER.
The vet quickly moved to Jeff's rear left hoof and did the same. Checking for any signs of swelling, pulled muscles, bone chips. Cleaning and reshaping the hoof. And pounding yet another horseshoe into place.
Moving around his backside, the vet continued with the rear right hoof. And finally came up to his right front hoof, which was formerly his dominant hand that he used to write with. Threw baseballs with. It was gaming mouse hand. All of those previous human activities came with a final close in his mind. Like a door that was already shut, suddenly being locked tight.
Feeling the new weights on all four of his feet, Jeff began to lament. Those things were stuck on him for good, unless a human with proper hands and fingers and tools decided to remove them! It was virtually impossible for Jeff to ever remove his brand new horseshoes himself. ("DONKEY shoes," he reminded himself. "I'm a DONKEY! Not a horse!") And that was a frightening thought. He was now stuck with four hunks of iron, nailed tightly onto his four hooves! He had not a single useful appendage that he could ever use to even attempt to get them off!
"Heee hhaaww hhee hhaaww!!" And neither could he ever speak!
"God fucking dammit!" He thought to himself. "A god damned DONKEY!"
"And there ya are!" Said the old vet. "Good as new! I bet you feel good as new, doncha boy?" he said.
Jeff just stared doubly at him, knowing this time he couldn't answer him even if he wanted to. In truth though, Jeff DID feel better overall. Relatively speaking, of course. He was still a fucking donkey that couldn't speak and didn't have hands. Who couldn't read or write, nd had no real means to communicate his human thoughts to the outside world.
Grabbing the reigns, the old vet led the mysterious wandering donkey back outside and into the small pasture behind his clinic. There, he took off the bridle to allow the beast to eat to his heart's content. Which his body got right on to doing. Jeff being forced to yet again, graze on grass.
"Now. To see to advertising that I had found a lost donkey...." the old man muttered to himself in his British accent as he walked away.
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