Property or person? My decision came down to that. And I sure as Hell did not want to be property, no matter how beautiful I might be. The more I focused, the more I realized that the horse the elves were turning me into really didn't think much at all - I would be an animal to them, a beast of burden. At least with Runt I was still an individual, a person with a mind.
I snorted and moved to stand by Runt. Something dark flickered behind the elf leader's eyes - he was surprised and not happy. However, the look was gone the next instant and he nodded to Runt. "You have won." Then he looked at me. "As we said, you may return to us any time and be assured of a safe and contented life."
Runt hopped up on my back. "Come on. Let's get going." I hesitated a moment, briefly tempted by the elven offer, but then turned and trotted back along the path. It was easy to follow Runt's scent with my equine nostrils. He waited until we were well away before he spoke. "That was close! You almost ended up as an animal for real and for good. Question is now how much of you can we get back?"
Before I could ask what he meant, my head throbbed and I stumbled as I changed back into a centaur. Almost. I had arms and my neck was more like a human torso, but it was completely covered with the same horse hide as my equine parts, and vision had not changed much. I felt my face and discovered it protruded out in a partial muzzle. And my arms and hands were small and furred, usable but not proportional.
Runt hopped off and walked around me. "I was afraid of this. They were changing your core. Basically what the real you is. Hopefully just for this world."
"wha..." I had trouble getting words together in my head, and then more making my mouth work right. "What... is.... core?"
Runt shook his head. "Your main self, I guess what you would consider your soul. I'm guessing that it is now about 75% draft horse. 75% animal and 25% human."
"You... change... me... back?" Why was it so hard to think?
Runt shrugged. "Once we get off this world, I hope so. Core changes are pretty hard to undo, especially when the moron being changed is willing."
I felt a flush of anger. "Not... willing!"
"Oh, yeah? How hard did you fight the changes? You went with them, pulled their logs, and let them turn you into a horse without any kind of struggle. I cant ell that much. You liked being a horse!"
"Didn't... know." Even as I said that I remembered seeing he odd reflections and wondering, but not being concerned. I guess that was enough to imply consent.
Runt snorted. "Yeah, right. Well, at least no one following us will recognize you. They are looking or a human, and you read as a draft horse. Works great for me, but kinda sucks for you unless we get you sorted."