Mitchell was still dazed by his sudden and complete transformation, and simply stood inthe stall for a while as he got used to the sensations of his massive Shire body. It wasn't until the man he thought was Kelly's father had left that the true impact of what had happened struck him.
I'm an animal! The thought cleared a haziness that had been gathering over the former boy's thoughts, and he twisted around and looked at himself in shock and awe. His glossy black hide and long white feathering was beautiful, and it was obvious he was a superior animal. But that's all he was. Property! A beast to be bought and sold. Twenty years from now, when he would have been in the middle of a human life, he would be an old horse.
No college, no marraige, no children he could really raise as his own. Just a long series of mares and foals he might glimpse from a distance, or perhaps even mate with later on. Fed on a schedule, allowed outside on a schedule, allowed to breed only when and to which mares his owners selected.
Yet Mitchell couldn't work up any grief or sorrow. It was odd - he was aware of all he had lost, yet none of it seemed important. Actually, he was having a hard time thinking about it at all. His mind was adjusting to his new form, and thoughts that did not belong to a young Shire stallion were fading away.
Dimly, Mitchell realized that he was becoming a normal animal - still himself, but as he would have been if he were born a horse instead of a human. He didn't know if he could resist the slow mental change, or even if he should. Would a human teenager really be able to find happiness as a horse?