Chapter 3 - 3

Over the next few years, I never put the cowbell on again when I was with Clara or Pa. They ignored my horn and I found I could open up to them and tell them anything. The cowbell stayed tucked away in the cabinet unless we had company over, when I would be forced to stick it back on. For some reason, it didn’t bother me to wear it like it used to. Maybe because Clara and Pa could accept me, so I began to accept myself.

For Clara and I, the next few years were like we were children again. We went and did everything together, and I was no longer ashamed of myself because I had started to grow, so when she had friends over, I often times joined them and found that I could be myself. Some of her friends had younger siblings my age and I made friends fairly quickly, after they got over the fact that whenever they saw me, I had a large brass cowbell protruding from my forehead.

Clara and I grew up quickly, and as the years passed, Pa grew weary and took to staying at the house while Clara and I did the trapping. Neither of us minded. It was more fun without Pa because, when it was just the two of us, we would experiment with my powers. It took a lot of concentration and practice, but eventually, I learned to summon the force fields when I wanted, not when I was in danger. I also learned how to create small energy blasts and summon lightning-something Clara found extremely entertaining. But it was my forms that she liked most of all, and it was my forms that we experimented with the most.

Before I had learned how to use them, Clara and I brainstormed every day under the shade of a tree or in the truck bed. I tired all sorts of things. Imagining being a flying horse, trying to jump off of tall structures in hopes that I’d change, and looking at pictures of the flying horses. Nothing worked. It was when my urges to travel became severe, that I found the key to unlocking my true powers.

I was ten when we went out to trap on a crisp fall morning. I had grown taller and my spindly muscles had become large for a ten year old because of the work Clara and I did hauling dead animal bodies. My black hair had become less curly. In fact, it didn’t really curl at all, but a few silver hairs had sprouted around my hairline and the top of my scalp. I didn’t mind these, because I knew it wasn’t because I was getting old, but my true profile was beginning to take shape. Clara was 19 at the time, and she had grown more beautiful then ever. Her blonde hair was long and thick, and her soft pale skin was flawless. Had a person not been able to see the kind of work she did, they would have thought her a model.

We had finished our trapping for the day-just hares, and Clara sat down under a tree to skin them. I asked her if she wanted help but she said she had it under control if I wanted to work on my transformations again. I couldn’t see the use in trying. I had spent hours on it and I never even felt the need to know how to transform. I wasn’t going anywhere…

But it was times when I told myself I wasn’t that my heart ached to move on.

I stared up at the midday sky. A flock of geese where flying south like they did every year. I reached my hand out and closed my fingers around the image.

Clara looked up from her work. “What is it Al?” she asked, and she wiped her bloody fingers on the grass beside her. “Longing to go with them again?”

I shook my head but didn’t take my eyes from them.

“You know, if you transformed into that horse, you could go.”

I didn’t reply, but I knew she was right. However, I couldn’t pull myself away from her. I felt such a need to stay with the family that had showed me kindness. “No, there’s no use.” I said, walking back to the tree. “I don’t even know if I was right all those years ago. Maybe I can’t transform at all.”

“Oh sure you can.” Clara said. “You were right about the force fields and stuff.”

I nodded slowly and stared back at the geese. I did long to join them.

“Al just go.” Clara said, sitting up. “If you can in fact fly, then you could come back and visit whenever you want.”

I looked at her and my eyes softened. She would miss me and I knew it but she was so worried about me. I got up and walked to the edge of the clearing. I wanted to go, but how could I?

My soul ripped apart as I watched the geese fly, and I suddenly felt a tearing white hot gash run threw my legs. I bent over and grabbed my heart, trying to keep conscious as the pain ripped threw me. I felt it run up my spine and blast threw my forehead and into my horn. This was too much for me and I toppled over, with a dull gasp.

I heard Clara sharply intake her breath and she threw the rabbit to the side, got up and raced over to me, screaming questions that I could no longer comprehend.

I raised my self to my knees and grabbed my horn with both hands. Clara squatted down next to me and put her hand carefully on my back.

“Al, what can I do, what do you want me to do?” she said and her voice shook wildly.

I gritted my teeth as the feeling of hot iron blazed against my scull and shook my head. “Back up-” I chocked. “Get-away.”

She looked madly around her then shot up and ran to the tree. She hid her body behind it and poked her head around to watch.

I yelled out foul words in my agony and felt the pain rip back down into my legs. They seared open and I looked down in horror to see a deep red gash. My skin began to burn and melt away, leaving a strong thick white horse leg in it’s place. The pain crept back up and the same process happened with my hips and stomach. My flesh burned away and I screamed as a gleaming horse torso appeared. The pain moved up to my neck and finally, my head.

The pain subsided, leaving me numb and shaken. I tired to move, but my body felt so strange to me and I stumbled sideways and slumped against a tree.

I heard footsteps but was too weak to watch what Clara was doing. I felt her wrap her arms around my stomach and press her face against me. “You’re so sweaty.” she commented quietly. I shivered as the last traces of pain faded from my body and my horse senses began communicating to me. Clara watched my face and wondered what she should do.

I looked back at her and tried to speak but a shrill blaring whinny escaped my gaping mouth. Clara drew her breath and staggered back, probably wondering if I was sane. I blinked my eyes and tried again, softer. This time, a gentle, almost happy snort rattled my nostrils and I saw Clara’s face relax a little. I braced my legs and gradually, I stood without leaning on the tree. I swung my huge head around and my eyes blazed into Clara’s.

“Al?” she whispered and she took a timid step foreword. “Al, if you can understand me, shake your head up and down.”

I swung my huge neck up and down in a nodding motion several times and felt my thick white mane brush and catch the wind joyfully. Clara smiled and walked up to my face. She cradled my head in her arms and smiled. “You look so amazing Al.”

I pulled my face free of her clutch and turned around to look at my new body. It was massive. My shoulders and thick neck were powerful, and as I lifted one of my front legs I felt the bulging muscles underneath the skin move and twist. My hind end was just as strong. My hocks were deep set on my leg and my cannon’s were all covered in thick feathers. I knew this type of horse body. It was a Friesian, what everyone thinks of as a warhorse.

Clara stood back and took my new body in. “You look very good.” she said again and I saw her clutch her hands in excitement. “Do you think you can fly?”

I lowered my head confusedly and remembered I had wings. I flexed them and felt their mass weighing on my shoulders and deep into my ribs. They were about ten feet in length and each feather was almost three feet long. When I fully extended them, they were far bigger than me.

I looked at Clara and shook my mane playfully, then walked clumsily across the clearing. I looked up at the sky again and a burst of adrenalin raced threw me. I let instinct take total control and my body began galloping powerfully toward the edge of the forest. With a huge gust of wind, my wings spread wide and pounded the sky. I tucked my front legs up under my chest and jumped.

The wind caught my wings, and they tilted upward. I steadied my body and tried to take control over my wings. My instincts helped guide me and I looked down at the country below me. It was so beautiful. There was not a person in sight, besides Clara, so I flew a little further, not concerned about being seen. I saw the country like I never had before. Saw the deer, the wolves, the foxes, all so small and insignificant compared to me. Some of them turned their faces to the sky and let out long howls and barks, perhaps as a warning or a hail. I tossed my mane and whinnied loud over my new kingdom, and a whale of cries met my calls. They didn’t speak in a language, but I could understand them. Dominant. Ruler. King. I looked down at my kingdom, and they looked up at me.

I flew down to where Clara was waiting excitedly and landed with a pounding thud. I trotted a few steps then stopped and whinnied happily to her. She raced over to me smiling wide and threw her arms around my neck. “You were magnificent Al!” she said and she planted a kiss on my soft nose. “If it’s alright, to you mind taking me up there?”

I snorted and tossed my head and she grinned. I laid down on the ground and she slid onto my back, clutching a chunk of my thick mane in her hands. I got up with a grunt and lifted my wings again to make sure I could still maneuver them with her sitting where she was. She leaned foreword a bit and gripped tighter on my mane. “I ready.” she whispered.

I reared low and charged off in the direction I had taken off from earlier and spread my wings wide. I jumped and felt Clara fall back with the force but she didn’t lose her seat. I flew low to the ground and just took her in circles around the truck and the clearing. She looked around her and let her breath out at the amazing sight. I flew for several minutes, then, thinking I shouldn’t push my luck, landed on the ground again. Clara dismounted and went on a rampage of chatting about all of the amazing things that she had seen. I smiled inwardly and I felt my heart warm with happiness. I could take off right now and leave forever, but I no longer had the desire. I loved Clara too much.

I felt the burning sensation again and my horse eyes bulged in my head. After 20 seconds, the pain left and I lay bloody and soaking on the ground. Clara was still talking, but when she turned around, she saw no the horse, but the boy. She laughed and jogged over to me.

“That was so amazing!” she stammered, and she grabbed my arm and helped me up.

I smiled at her and the blood and ooze dripped from my horn.

“I can’t wait to see your other forms!”

But I knew my other forms would have to wait until I felt the urge to leave again. I had discovered the horse form, but I had no desire to leave. Perhaps in a month or two, I would see one of the others.

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