*And a few minutes more earlier*
“So that is why my master named me Nova,” the black furred horse shaking his head in confusion. “Because of my beauty mark,” the horse straining his neck to try and see but with no avail.
“I kid you not,” Jessica being serious; “this patch of white fur on your right flank looks like an exploding star. If your mane and tail were pure white you might have been named comet,” Jessica remarking; giving the stallion a gentle rub with a soft bristle brush she found nearby as she mingled among the horses her party the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scout party were chatting softy amongst each other.
“If this mark represents a star,” the horse nickering as he enjoys the rub down; “then what does my black fur represent?”
“Space,” Jessica responding; “the great infinite void between the stars, solar systems and galaxies.”
“That sounds jarring,” the horse named Nova responding; “an empty void feels like a nightmare.”
“Not the one you might be thinking of,” Jessica shaking her head; “scientists have always theorized that the universe was formed from a cosmic event known as the big bang. Energy turned into matter that slowly clumped and coalesce into the stars and planets we can see either with the naked eye or with a telescope. I look up at this sky,” Jessica viewing the stars poking pinpricks of light in the inky black sky above; she knew they were on another planet as the stars form constellations she doesn’t recognize; “I see unfamiliar groupings that I can’t place. One of these stars twinkling up the night’s sky could be the sun Earth orbits. We truly are stuck here,” Jessica looking forlorn as the reality of the situation dawned on her; “those I know at home, they’ll forget about me, won’t they.”
********
“I’m glad you took a liking to me,” mare sitting next to Steve speaking; finding the words slow and clunky as they come out of her equine mouth; ”most riders are scared to go near me.”
“I’ll admit,” Steve sitting next to the horse as he watches his son Jeremy doing his best to be social with the girl’s; “you did look intimidating when you were pawing the ground with your hoof and lowering your head as if to charge. I thought you were going to trample one of the boys.”
“I was excited to see new faces,” the Arabian-Berber mare answering; giving Steve a gentle nuzzle of affection as she observes the children running around. Scrambling to observe the changing horses and humans into Centaurs; the boy cavorting noisily as they whoop at seeing genitals regardless of sex. Finding the immense size of a stallion’s balls and length of the sheath guarding the massive phallus they too will soon sport. Giggling when they see the teardrop leathery lips of a mare. The girls meanwhile did manage to keep their curiosity more muted; preferring to observe in silence; it was still a fascination that made them react differently. The mare could smell the arousal coming from the girl’s as they silently swooned at the sight of seeing such large tools under a male. Their minds comprehending that their sex will soon relocate to just under their anus and looking similar to the other centaur mares. Like the boy’s the girls had developed to find the opposite sex fascinating. Unlike the boys, they had the maturity to keep it to themselves.
“These children are fascinating,” the mare managing a short chuckle that felt more of a snort before continuing; “they act that seeing the others gender is a private thing. Taboo if that is the right word to use,” the horse adding.
“Modesty is rather big for human society,” Steve answering; “some feel the showing of private parts can be a criminal act. Plus when children enter puberty,” Steve adding; “they lose all sense of control in trying to picture the other one’s bits.”
“I guess being a horse allowed me to not care of such concerns,” the horse answering; “no shame if others saw me expelling waste or having a stallion sire a foal in me. Such actions were as natural as breathing.”
“Add a society founded on rules, laws and differing opinions then get back to me,” Steve chuckling.
“When do you think it will be are turn,” the horse absently commenting as she watched three humans and three horses become centaurs. A man named Fred turning into a paint horse centaur. A mare into a blonde haired, green eyed centauress with a massive chest that was straining the blouse a human put on her. The second pair was a rider and her steed. Not recalling their names; the horse then reflected on the last couple to change. A woman named Zoey deciding to make a spectacle and shout to Epona she was ready to change; going so far as to grab everyone’s attention by stripping naked from the waist down. She did find the woman becoming an impressive Australian Brumby for her equine half. Seeing the stallion having a hair chest and a beard; they stumble off to who knows were to get better acquainted.
“Epona will let us know Starlight,” Steve answering; turning to the Arabian-Berber; a horse with dark brown fur with a black mane and tail. What gave starlight her name was her head complete with white fur; her ears transitioning to the black fur as they twitch to capture the various noises. Her forelegs with white fur at the hooves up to the elbow joint. She was coy as to why her owner name her starlight; but she was clearly well cared for when she and eight other horses were used as mounts for the Boy Scouts as they toured a section of the Grand Canyon; that thanks to a drought, exposed once mapped and explored canyons that sat underwater after the construction of the Hoover Dam flooded a portion of the Colorado river that became known as lake Maed.
“You said you had a stallion sire a foal in you,” Steve looking at the mare; “what became of the foal?”
“After he was weened,” Starlight sighing; “he was taken away from me. I’m not sure where my colt ended up. I’m not ever sure he remembers me. I also have very few memories of my days as a filly,” Starlight neighing sadly.
“No one deserves to be forgotten,” Steve shaking his head as Jeremy attempts to chat with one of the girl scouts. He recalls the girl's name was Kyra. 'She said it meant throne or sun in ancient Persian,' Steve thought to himself. She was the oldest of the Girl Scout group and was acting as a buffer to some of the older boys that wanted to tease the younger girls as they watched the various transformations. The Iranian immigrant whose family escaped the Arab Spring uprising that the Iranian Government brutally cracked down on when she was still a baby. “Boy she is out of your league,” Steve chuckling as the sixteen year old girl wearing a green head scarf in lieu of a beret, just flat out ignores Jeremy. Steve watching as his son hears him and come running up to him. The fourteen year old was looking worn out and was starting to stifle some yawns as Steve encouraged his son to sit next to him.
“You look ready for bed,” Steve letting Jeremy to rest on his shoulder.
“But I want to stay up more,” Jeremy yawning as he fights to stay up; “plus where are the beds?”
“That is a good question,” Steve looking at Starlight, who looked confused as to what a bed was.