Annetta’s heart pounded as she stood frozen, her donkey-like muzzle trembling while she stared at Filippo and Mattia arguing in the paddock. The scent of her transformed friends—Carina, Francesca, Noemi, and Mariella—hung heavy in the air, their mindless brays and swishing tails a constant reminder of what awaited her. Irene’s sobs cut through the noise, her human form still intact but bound by a rope around her neck, her face buried in her arms as she sat on the grass. Annetta’s own furry body itched under her pink dress, her tail twitching nervously as she fought to keep her human thoughts clear.
“Mattia, you fool!” Filippo snapped, yanking on the ropes that held Carina, Francesca, and Noemi. Carina brayed loudly, hopping in place, while Francesca munched on a patch of grass, oblivious to the tension. “The Coachwoman will have our heads if she finds out you brought a girl who hasn’t changed yet!” He gestured at Irene, who whimpered softly.
“I told you, I had no choice!” Mattia retorted, tightening his grip on the ropes tied to Mariella and Irene. Mariella, now a light-brown donkey, lay calmly on the grass, her blue dress in tatters as she nibbled at a stray blade. “She saw me roping this one! I couldn’t let her run off and warn the others!”
Annetta’s ears twitched, her enhanced sense of hearing catching every word. Her blue eyes darted between the two men, her mind racing for a way to save herself and Irene. She glanced at Andrea, who was still grazing nearby, her human face buried in the grass, her tail swishing contentedly. Annetta’s heart sank—Andrea was too far gone, but Irene still had a chance. She had to act.
“Where’d you put the keys to the paddock, you idiot?” Filippo demanded, glaring at Mattia. “If the Coachwoman shows up and this girl’s still human, we’re done for.”
Mattia smirked, patting his pocket. “Right here, safe and sound.” He pulled out a small ring of iron keys, dangling them smugly before tucking them back into his trousers.
Annetta’s eyes widened. The keys! If she could get them, she and Irene could escape the magical paddock. Her heart raced as a plan formed. She took a shaky step forward, her human hands trembling but still functional. She had to be quick—before her own transformation progressed further.
Without warning, Annetta lunged at Mattia, her new equine teeth bared. She sank them into his backside with all her strength, her powerful jaws clamping down through his trousers. “Argh!” Mattia howled, stumbling forward as he dropped the ropes holding Mariella and Irene. “You little beast!”
“Annetta!” Irene gasped, scrambling to her feet as the rope around her neck loosened. Her tear-streaked face lit up with hope as she realized what Annetta was doing.
Annetta spat out the fabric and dove for Mattia’s pocket, her fingers fumbling as she yanked out the keys. She tossed them to Irene, who caught them with shaking hands. “Irene, the gate! Open it!” Annetta shouted, her voice still human but edged with panic.
Irene nodded, clutching the keys as she sprinted toward the paddock gate, her red dress billowing behind her. Annetta turned to Filippo, who was charging toward her with a snarl.
“You’re not going anywhere!” Filippo roared, reaching for her tail. Annetta spun, her instincts taking over. She bared her teeth again and bit down hard on Filippo’s knee, her donkey jaws crunching through fabric and flesh. Filippo screamed, collapsing to the ground as he clutched his leg. “Get off me, you filthy animal!”
The commotion drew the attention of the donkey foals in the paddock. Carina stopped hopping and tilted her head, her amber eyes wide. Francesca lifted her snout from the grass, her braid swinging as she brayed softly. Noemi and Mariella stood up, their ears twitching as they sensed something was wrong. Their blank gazes fixed on Filippo and Mattia, who were writhing in pain and shouting curses. Annetta released Filippo’s knee and scrambled toward Irene, who was fumbling with the keys at the gate.
“Hurry!” Annetta urged, her voice trembling as she felt a tingling in her hands—a sign her transformation was advancing. Irene jammed a key into the lock, twisting it frantically until the gate creaked open.
“We’re free!” Irene cried, pushing the gate wide. She turned to Annetta, her blue eyes shining with relief. “Come on, let’s go!”
But before Annetta could take a step, a blinding flash lit up the paddock. The air crackled with magic, and the Coachwoman appeared in a swirl of black smoke, her eyes blazing with fury.
“What is this?!” the Coachwoman shrieked, her voice like a whip. She lunged forward, grabbing Annetta by her long, furry ears and yanking her back. “You insolent little beast! You dare defy me?”
Annetta yelped in pain, her ears burning as she struggled against the Coachwoman’s iron grip. “Let me go!” she cried, kicking her still-human feet against the ground.
The Coachwoman turned her wrath on Filippo and Mattia, who were still groaning on the grass. “You incompetent fools!” she spat, raising her hand. A bolt of dark energy shot from her fingers, engulfing the two men in a burst of light. Their screams cut off abruptly as they dissolved into piles of ash, scattered by the wind. “Useless!” the Coachwoman hissed. “I’ll have to find better help.”
The Coachwoman tightened her grip on Annetta’s ears, leaning close enough for Annetta to smell the sour tang of her breath. “As for you, little jenny,” she sneered, “I’ll skin you alive and make a fine pair of boots from your hide!”
Terror surged through Annetta, but something deeper stirred—a primal, desperate instinct. Without thinking, she opened her mouth and let out a bray so loud and powerful it shook the air, a sound that would make any barnyard donkey proud. “HEEEEEEEEEEE HAWWWWWWW!” The force of it startled even her, reverberating through the paddock and sending a ripple of fear through the donkey foals.
Andrea, Carina, Francesca, Adelina, Noemi, Mariella, and the others froze, their ears shooting up. The sound of Annetta’s bray triggered something in their animal minds—a sense of danger, a call to action. With a chorus of frantic “Hee haws!” they stampeded toward Annetta and the Coachwoman, their hooves thundering against the ground.
The Coachwoman’s eyes widened in shock. “No!” she screamed, releasing Annetta as she tried to flee. But the herd was too fast, too wild. The donkey foals surged forward, their furry bodies crashing into the Coachwoman. She stumbled, her black coat tearing as she fell beneath the onslaught. Her screams were drowned out by the pounding hooves, and within moments, she was gone—crushed beneath the weight of the stampede.
Annetta staggered back, her heart racing as the dust settled. The donkey foals milled about, braying and sniffing the ground, their panic subsiding. Annetta turned and ran for the open gate, her human hands clutching her dress as she stumbled into the cool night air. The herd followed, their hooves clattering as they poured out of the paddock and into the forest beyond Pleasure Island. They reached a clearing deep in the woods, where the trees parted to reveal a starlit sky. The donkey foals spread out, some grazing on the soft grass, others nuzzling each other playfully.
Annetta collapsed onto her knees, her breath ragged as she realized she’d done it—she’d escaped the Coachwoman and her minions. But at what cost? She was still a donkey-girl, her body covered in fur, her tail swishing behind her. And her friends…
Annetta scanned the herd, searching for Irene. “Irene! Where are you?” she called, her voice cracking with desperation. Her eyes landed on a figure crouched in the grass—a girl in a red dress, her dark brown hair spilling over her shoulders. But as Annetta approached, her heart sank. Irene was on her hands and knees, her face buried in the grass, chewing contentedly. A pair of long, furry ears sprouted from her head, and a ropey tail poked through a tear in her dress, swaying lazily.
“Irene, no…” Annetta whispered, kneeling beside her. She shook her friend’s shoulder, but Irene didn’t look up. Her blue eyes were dull, vacant, focused only on the grass. “Irene, please, it’s me! You have to snap out of it!” But Irene brayed softly, “Hee haw,” and kept grazing, her human mind gone.
Tears streamed down Annetta’s furry cheeks as she realized she was alone. All her friends—Andrea, Noemi, Angelica, Mariella, Francesca, Carina, Adelina, and now Irene—had succumbed to the curse, their humanity erased by the island’s magic. She buried her face in her hands, sobbing. “I can’t do this alone… I can’t…”
But then, Annetta felt a gentle nudge against her shoulder. She looked up to see Francesca’s dark gray snout, her ginger braid still dangling absurdly. Francesca brayed softly, rubbing her head against Annetta’s arm. Carina trotted over, her red braid swaying, and nuzzled Annetta’s other side. Noemi, Mariella, and Adelina joined them, their warm, furry bodies pressing close, their snouts brushing against her in comfort. Andrea approached last, a bundle of colorful wildflowers clamped in her teeth. She dropped them at Annetta’s feet, her gray eyes wide and earnest.
Annetta stared at the flowers, her heart swelling with a mix of grief and warmth. She realized Andrea had plucked them from the ground—not as a human gesture, but as a donkey’s instinct to share food, to make her feel better. The gesture was simple, animalistic, but it carried the love of the friend Andrea had once been.
“They’re still here… in their own way,” Annetta whispered, wiping her tears. She looked at the herd, their playful brays and swishing tails filling the clearing. She could leave them, try to find a way back to the human world, to a life she no longer fit into. Or she could stay, with the only family she had left.
With trembling hands, Annetta picked up the flowers. She hesitated, then brought them to her muzzle and took a bite. The taste was earthy, sweet, unlike anything she’d craved as a girl. She chewed slowly, then swallowed, feeling a strange calm wash over her.
“Heeeee-hawwww!” Annetta brayed, the sound bursting from her throat without warning. Her hands slipped from the flowers, and she fell forward, her body shifting as her arms lengthened into legs, her fingers curling into hooves.
Annetta stood on all fours, her pink dress tearing as her frame fully became that of a young jenny. Her mind fogged, human thoughts fading like a dream, but the warmth of her friends remained. She bounded forward, chasing Andrea and Francesca through the grass, her tail swishing gleefully. Carina and Adelina joined in, nipping playfully at her ears as they ran, their brays ringing out in a joyful chorus.
They were foolish girls, lazy and selfish, who’d traded their humanity for a fleeting taste of fun and reedom. But in that moment, as they galloped through the forest, free from the Coachwoman’s chains, they were happy—truly happy, as they’d always wanted to be. Pleasure Island was theirs now, a wild paradise for young, carefree jennies. No rules, no worries, just the endless joy of being asses, together, forever.