TF STORIES

My mom had completely objected to the idea the instant my grandmother had walked through the door into our acres of backyard, leading a beautiful chocolate brown appaloosa, his back end white and speckled with the same brown hue, as if someone had spilled white paint on his back, or if some of the color had been sucked out. Even so, the stallion was beautiful; everything from the shimmering pools of its eyes or the sleek gleam of its mane.
My grandmother was from my father's side, whose heritage included that of the old Nez Perce native americans, so my grandmother must've thought it fitting to give me one of the prized possessions of that tribe; the appaloosa horse. I couldn't bring myself to be shocked or frustrated with her decision, simply overwhelmed with sheer joy. I ran up and stroked his mane and hugged his neck. "Anna..." my mom groaned to my grandmother. "We can't afford something like this. We don't have a stable, and Jen has school, volleyball and homework! I don't want to be the one to care for this guy 24/7."
"Don't worry, May. If need be, I'll help cover the costs. But I'm sure your daughter will be able to handle the responsibility. Look at her now!" she coaxed. I turned around to see them both staring at me, my mom with hopelessness and my grandmother with pride. Anna then winked at me.
My mouth spread into a grand grin. "Mom! Can I ride him, please?!" I asked gleefully.
"Not until you name him." she looked over at her mother-in-law. "Is he even safe to ride, Anna?"
"Oh yes."
"His name's August." I announced. My mom looked up at me, a small fire smoldering in her eyes. Then Anna came over and supported me while I scrambled up onto the appaloosa. I sat high up above everyone and I examined the shiny smoothness of the fur on the horse. I leaned forward, and August trotted on.
I turned around and waved. "I won't be long!!" I gasped as August's trot turned into a gentle gallop, and he released a whinny, then we were off across our yard. It stretched for about over a half a mile, then reached the shallow woods that eventually sloped upward into hills. Yet August leaped over the small creek that separated our property to the edge of the woods, and we were off into the wilderness.
I smiled at the dazzling array of autumn leaves dancing around my head as they slowly fell off of the brittle branches and landed softly onto the decaying earth to become the soil and regrow as nutrients into the trees. August tossed his head and snorted, bouncing his mane around on his neck. I reached forward, bobbing up and down, and stroked the top of his head.
Suddenly he screeched to a stop, his ears trained backwards and his chest heaving strongly. The whites of his eyes showed at the corners and he was slowly walking backward. The feeling of my fear mingled with his his, and we became very afraid. I looked around, when I heard the growl of a cougar.
I leaned back, trying to coax August to head back, but he wouldn't budge. Then instantly my leg was cursed with searing pain when I felt daggers slice through the flesh, leaking fresh blood onto my leg, warm and sticky. The appaloosa seemed to scream when the side of his face was raked with the cougar's claws. I looked down to my left beyond my mangled leg and saw a crouching cat, staring at us with murderous eyes. August reared and brought his hoof down on the cat's paw. It screeched and darted off, but not before clawing once more into August.
The horse neighed loudly and toppled over, crushing my leg. I screamed at the sudden pounding weight crushing my right leg and hips. It didn't help that the appaloosa was tossing around a little bit until he settled down, panting heavily through flaired nostrils.
I leaned up the best I could to examine the tortured mess of my leg, bleeding heavily. I was losing too much blood and it was hard to feel either of my legs. Ten minutes passed, then half an hour, then an hour. Slowly, I could feel the breathing on the horse become less stressed, but shallow. Under my limp and bloody leg, I could feel August's heart beating heavily.
I felt something stir where my legs touched the dark brown fur of August. I found suddenly that I had two heartbeats instead of one, but the other heartbeat was August's. A mysterious wind rustled through the branches and swirled around us, and I felt dirt sliding beneath me. Something was very wrong.. I realized when I could feel the breathing of both August and I, as if I was breathing twice, had two hearts, and another brain that screamed for help and was slowly waning.
I groaned and leaned up, gasping in agony at the weight on my crushed leg, and examined again my bloody leg. What I saw made one of my hearts skip a beat. Half of my leg was missing. My leg was sinking into August. I was melting into the appaloosa. I no longer had anything in between my legs except the shoulders of the horse, and my thighs had nearly vanished and became the horse. When I felt the other half of me, or at least my other brain fade away, I too, lost consciousness and fell asleep.
--
I must have been asleep for hours, because the sun had moved much across the sky. I moaned and opened my eyes. Where was August? I couldn't see him, or his head. I looked down and was again amazed. I saw my body... or at least... half of it. I was still human until one looked at my waist. My skin suddenly blended into the body of a horse, covered in the same chocolate brown fur of August.
I felt so many new muscles in my body and flexed the four of my legs. I could hardly believe it; I had become half horse... a centaur. My human legs had completely melted into August, and the tissues of my torso had melted into the horse and connected with it. I flicked my tail, a new part of my body. I felt so strong and new... reborn.
I struggled and rolled over onto my feet, supporting myself upon four strong brown legs and sturdy hooves. I looked back at my long brown body and the white appaloosa spotting on my rear end. I gasped. I had become August, and August had become me. Was it because the cougar had attacked us? I wasn't sure, but I was ecstatic at the incredible myth made real in me and I turned around, testing my new legs and flicking my tail again.
I looked down where my abs met the brown fur and how smoothly they melded, as if I was born this way. I was curious as to what exactly happened to August's head, but small curiosities couldn't keep me from testing out my body. So, I ran back to my house. The galloping was incredible, and I made sure to jump several times on the path home. I leapt across the creek and galloped up to my relatives, both sitting in the grass staring anxiously towards me. My mom had a look of concern on her face and stood up, helping my grandmother.
"Jen!" she called. I galloped faster, less than a quarter mile away. But soon my mom's concerned face molded into one of sheer terror, but my grandmother just smiled as a trotted up to them.
My mother was at a loss for words. "But.. when... the horse...?" I just smiled.
"Isn't it great?" I said enthusiastically. I stood tall before them, lifting each of my legs and planting my hooves into the ground. I waved my tail around and slid my hand across my torso where the horse and human met, smoothing the dark brown fur.
"Jen... a... a centaur..." my mom said shallowly.
I looked over at my grandmother who came over and stroked the horse fur. She had a knowing smile on her face, and when she looked into my eyes, she just winked and nodded.