Before Sarah’s news got around…
Breakfast had just ended. Sarah and Jessica had been giving all of the girls scouts-turned-centaur fillies a hug – whilst Steve had hugged his son Jeremy, before backslapping the rest of the boy scouts-turned-centaur colts, congratulating them all for accepting their transformations so eagerly.
Now it was the time for the adoptions. Each designated couple came forth from their finished bowls on the tables, to embrace their new, adopted foal, as the kids ran from their overnight lodgings. There were squeals, tears of happiness, embraces, and heartfelt commitments to honour, love, and protect each other.
Having slept alone in one of the other bungalows during the previous night, hugging herself in anticipation of a transformation that never came, Sarah had eventually drifted off sleep after all of her thinking. She had cried upon the pillow that had been provided for her, whilst she lay underneath her scout-issue, rolled out blanket.
Waking up to find that Jessica still had two legs was a huge relief – given that Steve was now a Percheron centaur stallion who now towered over them. Though his horse, Starlight, hadn’t been the equine animal to change with him. Instead, that had been Nova – who Jessica was bonding with. Nova himself had volunteered to look after the remaining horses in the nearby barns.
As the kids parted ways to spend time with their new centaur parents – Jeremy trotted off to spend time with his father and Starlight. The youth was smirking and prancing – eager to run off, and burn his new-found energy. He had also been eying up the rear ends of the new fillies as they walked away.
“I feel sorry for Steve…,” Jessica began, as she finished the last of the apple juice in her glass – juice that had prepared for everyone by Snow and a team of her kindred ‘taurs.
“Oh? He seems to be happy that both he and his son have been transformed. They just need to wait for Starlight to join them,” Sarah muttered, her chin resting on the palm of one hand. Birds were in the trees, and the sky was clear enough, with sunshine and a cool morning breeze – but she still felt uneasy. Troubled.
Jessica shook her head. “Not that. Steve seems to think that Tim is the most immature of the boys – but from watching and listening to the lads yesterday, to me it’s his own son who is potentially the worst. Not Tim. I just wonder what mischief is going to happen, now that we’ve got kids excited with their changed bodies! I’m worried that Jeremy is Steve’s blind spot.”
“Hmmm… And I notice that Deputy Jackson – or rather Josephine as she’s now called – isn’t here to keep the colts in line either. So…”
“…it’ll be down to us to aid Steve there. But no teaching today – given the adoptions, and the fact that we can’t read the text books in that school!” Jessica pointed out. “How do we set out a curriculum, when we don’t know what the previous villagers set out for their foals? We would need to be clear about the rules of behaviour, too. No kicking from the foals, for starters!”
“We’ll have to start by teaching archery and map-reading, I guess,” Sarah ventured. “Until we transformed and can then read the centaur language.”
“Not so simple as that, girls. You’d need to mate with your chosen centaur partners – before you mentally pick up the native language,” Zoey clarified as she strolled over to speak with them.
Jessica sighed. “Oh yes. I was forgetting that… Wait a minute… You’re not staying to get to know your new daughter, Zoey?”
The former goth girl-now-Australian Brumby centaur grinned. “I’ve left Beth with Pegasus. He’s talking about his former life as my horse – and how he feels better as a centaur, now that he’s got a human brain and hands and arms. Anyways, I spotted you two left behind – and I wanted to be at hand, ‘case you needed some support. Now, my father was trained in the law – so I’m hoping to draw up a template of laws for us all to agree on within this herd. Such as no lying. Food and drink is shared amongst all. And no intercourse, unless it’s between two consenting centaurs of adult age…”
“Wise…,” Sarah remarked, with a weak smile. “And the horses won’t be frisky today, in the meantime. Well. Hopefully.”
Zoey ploughed on. “Now, I could translate the centaur’s writing in the school for you ladies – but you’ll both probably become herd sisters yourself, before the end of tonight, anyway…”
“We were told we were going to be changed last night,” Jessica huffed. “Didn’t happen. Now Sarah and I are the last two humans left in this village!”
Zoey frowned and started counting on her fingers. “Hold a mo’… How many were changed last night? I was the fifth… Um. I’m losing count! Not enough hands… Oh! Thank you, Epona! The goddess has just sent me an image in my mind. The number twenty-four! Strewth! No wonder you pair weren’t transformed. The goddess must have been exhausted changing me and the others – plus the kids – last night! It was only six, the night before.”
Jessica gave a low whistle. “And Epona is able to touch the minds of all of you centaurs, after after…her busy night of weaving magic?”
“Yeah… I’m still new to some of this stuff, myself, mind…,” Zoey trailed off, seeing Sarah’s watering eyes. “Hey! Don’t cry! What is it, Sarah?”
“Seeing the kids so ha-happy as they walked off with their new parents…,” Sarah sobbed, pulling out her handkerchief and dabbing her eyes. “I won’t…be able to experience that my…my…myself!”
Jessica stood up at their table and comforted Sarah – who leaned her head against her shoulder. Turning Jessica into a makeshift pillow, with her tears wetting the other woman’s Den Mother scout blouse. It was at that moment that the kind-hearted Snow cantered over to them, ears twitching. The white-haired centaur seemed to have a keen radar-like sense of other people’s feelings – and now she knelt down to Sarah and stroked her back.
“I’m sorry that you are distressed, Sarah! Can we help at all?” she said softly.
“Should I tell them?” Jessica asked Sarah. She got a nod, in reply. Jessica turned to Snow and Zoey. “Sarah’s got…cervical cancer. It was diagnosed just before the scouting trip.”
“Bummer!” Zoey exclaimed, eyes wide.
“Cervical…cancer?” Snow questioned. “Apologies. My head has been filled with so many new concepts about the ways of humans, it is difficult to pinpoint something that horses have never heard of before…”
“Fair enough. It’s a nasty disease, Snow. And the cervix is…deep within a female’s reproductive system. No wonder Sarah’s looking at our happy foals, and crying at the thought that she might never have kids herself,” Zoey explained.
“Oh. That’s a horrible feeling…!” Then Snow closed her eyes for a long moment, before reopening them. “But Fred and Ben have stopped wearing their glasses now. Epona has cured their eyesight issues… And Sandy was a gelding until last night – now he’s a stallion! Same for Lightning! Maybe…?”
“…maybe your goddess will work her magic on me in more than one way?” Sarah tried to smile. “After all, I understand that she wants us to be healthy breeding stock.” She patted her plump figure. “I’ve been trying to lose weight for ages. But instead I’ll be gaining weight – like you former humans all did, when you turned into centaurs!”
“Well, yes. Epona wants us to be fit and healthy… But she wants us all to be happy too, Sarah.” Zoey reached down and squeezed Sarah’s hand. “Have you found someone who makes your heart feel a’flutter?”
“There’s been no soul mate moment, yet. I’ll need to check around on the horses we’ve got left,” Sarah sniffed.
“And there’s fifty-four souls in this village now. We don’t need more arrivals for a while!” Jessica pitched in.
Zoey nodded in agreement. “We’ll soon have over a hundred stomachs to fill! That’s enough. We need everyone we’ve got here now to pitch in, helping this colony work.”
Sarah tried to smile. “You know what? You centaurs have been appearing as countless breeds of horses – but I don’t think I’ve seen any from South America! If I do change tonight, I’d like to become a dun-coloured Nordestino. They’re an endangered breed. I rode one once – when I was once on holiday there. Lovely horse, he was.”
Snow fell quiet for a moment, then she smirked and spoke again. “Come on, Sarah and Jessica. Let’s go to the church. Epona might be too tired to speak to you direct – but maybe she can channel her thoughts to me, or Lightning. If he’s there… And if you want to pray to another god instead, I know that Epona won’t mind! But if you speak with your heart as to what you really want… Well, I think she’ll be glad to help you! Climb on me. Let’s go.”
Sarah sniffed, dried her eyes, and gave Jessica a look. “Let’s do this,” she declared. “I don’t want to be crying again on my pillow tonight.”
“To the church, then. Right now,” Jessica agreed. “I’ll get Nova.”
“I’ll take over from Nova on watching the horses,” Zoey suggested.
And with that all sorted, Sarah rode Snow – whilst Jessica was riding Nova. The human ladies then dismounted before they entered the empty church. At the front of the congregational area, Nova lay on his equine trunk next to the kneeling Jessica, who joined Sarah in prayer. Snow lay down on the other side of Sarah. The two centaurs watched and listened to the Den Mothers as they whispered a prayer of acknowledge to Epona, asking for permission to speak to her, as they glanced up at the stained-glass depiction of the centaur goddess who was smiling down at them.
Snow promptly felt herself fall into a light trance, as she was channelled as a medium. “Epona hears you, Sarah and Jessica... She is sorry for not transforming you last night. She barely had enough power left to transform Steve and Nova – due to changing all of the children into centaur foals. She should have changed a dozen horses when she transformed the younglings, for balance – but she was unable to cast that much power in the end… Now she needs to rest – to save her energies for tonight. She hopes to change all the remaining halflings – so that by tomorrow morning, there will be no horses or humans left. Only a colony of fifty-four centaurs. All embracing and enjoying their new-found lives – as they work together and help each other.”
“I…accept your apology, Epona,” Sarah whispered. “Can you…heal this stout woman before you? The cancer diagnosis… I received it only days ago – there was no opportunity to pull out of the scout trip. And I didn’t want to let the girls down… Now I’m here. In a world that I guess has no cancer treatment surgeons…”
Jessica patted and rubbed Sarah’s shoulder, emotionally supporting her.
Snow reached out and gently laid her hand on Sarah’s other shoulder. “The goddess feels your sorrow, Sarah. And she wants to help you. This disease is new to her – but she will try to heal you during your transformation – as she helped Ben, Fred, Lightning and Sandy with their physical issues. And yes, she will change you into a dun-coloured Nordestino-breed of centaur! As your heart has decided.”
“Thank you, my goddess…,” Sarah whispered, pledging her devotion as she spoke. She wiped her eyes dry.
“Do you have a horse breed in mind for your new form, Jessica?” Nova asked her.
Jessica shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t mind. So long as I’m content being by your side, Nova. And that Sarah is happy and healthy too – along with everyone else…”
Sarah turned to Jessica and gave her a quick hug, which was exchanged.
“Amen to that, my future herd-sister! Amen to that,” declared Sarah.