(Woman to Horse)
“So you’re, like, a famous adventurer?”
“You could say that. I’ve had a few travels, slain some monsters, made some gold.”
“That’s so awesome!”
“And dangerous. But, at the end of the day, the danger is its own reward.”
Marcus the Younger was obviously playing up his modesty, but Robin didn’t care. As if it wasn’t enough that the sorcerer was attractive, he also happened to be quite the charming socialite. Plus the way he kept glancing at her décolletage told her that he had other ideas in mind for her for the night.
“Well, if you want another reward…” She ventured, a small grin spreading across her features. It was a slow enough day at the bar, so she was able to spend her free time conversing with the man.
“I wish I could, but I’m afraid I need to hit the road before long. You know how it is with us heroes.” Marcus chuckled. “I’m afraid that the only companions I have time for are those capable of traveling, and I’ve no doubt you can’t afford to leave this tavern.”
Robin’s eyes lit up, real excitement welling up in her heart. She’d thought that the night might be fun, but this could turn into a lifetime of excitement. “Are you joking? Of course I’d love to go with you and see the world! I’ll have you know that I can fend for myself; I’m quite the capable hunter.”
“It’s not a hunter I’m looking for.” Marcus grinned, shaking his head.
“Whatever it is, I’ll gladly be yours!”
His eyes twinkled at that, which should have been something of a warning sign for the girl. Instead, she was too preoccupied with thoughts of finally leaving her small hamlet, adventuring on the road with an accomplished sorcerer, no less.
“I suppose that I can’t possibly argue those terms.” Marcus rose from the table to his full height, standing head and shoulders over the girl. He clasped her shoulders with his broad hands, before looking out to the rest of the tavern. “Hear me now! I, Marcus the Younger, hereby claim Robin as my own personal companion!”
It was more than a little flattering, and the ceremony made Robin feel like she’d really found her way away from working in the tavern. The girl smiled and dipped to a knee, offering him a polite bow. Doubtless the barkeep would like to keep her, but there was no way he could argue with an official adventurer like Marcus.
“No need for that!” The sorcerer laughed good-naturedly, cupping Robin’s cheek in his hand. His palm felt strangely warm against her skin, and she smiled absently.
Little did she know, while the man needed a companion, he didn’t need a human. Already his magic was beginning to work its way across her body, starting with her cheek. A rich chestnut fur was coming in across her skin, just beneath the sorcerer’s palm. She reached her fingers up to scratch at herself, and offered him a kind smile.
“So… When do we begin? In the morning?” Her hand brushed against his, and she fought the urge to keep her discomfort from reaching her features. Much as she wanted to push his hand away and dig her nails into her cheek, she couldn’t well risk offending her new companion before they’d even set out.
“I was rather thinking I’d set off now, as a matter of fact. The only reason I’ve remained here for so long is that I’ve been in need of a good steed, someone who could carry me across the Fields of Avalon.”
“Lucky for you, I happen to know the town’s finest horse trainer.” Robin beamed proudly, sniffing as something tingled within her nose. The girl’s delicate features had begun to stretch, her nose broadening and her jaw creaking away from the rest of her head, forming a slight proto-muzzle.
By now, most eyes in the bar were on the couple. Though it was clear nobody was so much as thinking of intervening with the man’s magic, they also weren’t going to pass up the opportunity for idle gossip. Murmurs about Robin’s rather equine features were starting to spread, and her changing ears could pick them up with ease.
“Huh? What are they talking about?” Robin blinked, looking around. The motion was accompanied by a creaking in her neck, her throat broadening and her spine stretching. Both her back and neck grew longer, offering her a higher vantage point over the rest of the bar.
By the time she looked back to Marcus, she was well taller than him, the view providing her a first inkling that something was awry. “And why…” She trailed off, noticing her shift in posture, and finally realizing that there was indeed something odd about how much of her face she could see in her peripheral vision.
“Shh, calm down girl.” The man stroked her longer neck, and a mane flared to life beneath his fingertips. “There’s no need for us to see that horse trainer, I’ve already got just the mare in mind.”
“N-no! NhrrrEEE-HEEIGH!” She let out her first whinny in earnest, feeling her body begin to warp faster and faster now that she’d noticed it. Her whole body felt so warm, the changes kneading her frame like dough. Her legs tingled with a faint itching, and she could actually feel them begin to stretch.
A look down let her see her feet literally explode from her dainty shoes. They hardened, thickened, and became little more than the common hooves of a beast of burden. The strange feeling of change swept to her ankles next, which stretched and grew a thick set of fetlocks.
“Easy, easy!” Marcus laughed, pressing his hand to her cheek again. His touch was almost magnetic, and she found herself easily pulled off balance despite their newfound size difference.
She fell onto all fours with a loud thud, her hooves splintering the tavern’s wood. “HrrEEEee-hee-HEEE! Not ahrEEIGH horse!” Robin tossed her head from side to side in fear, but only managed to shake her mane out in the process.
A strange pressure probed at the corners of her mind, no doubt the mind of the horse she was becoming. It was anxious, worried, more than a little bit frightened by the lights and people of the tavern. Her own mind was even more terrified of the implications this provided.
Her chest barreled out, swallowing her breasts in a massive growth of horseflesh. They reappeared between her legs as a set of dainty udders, and she feared their purpose. A tail sprouted from her backside, her spine stretching to accommodate it. As it did, it pulled her head back, giving her a posture better befitting a horse than a girl.
She hadn’t even noticed her clothing tear, but couldn’t deny that she was stomping about atop the tatters of her old uniform. Her new fur covered the girl well enough that she hadn’t so much as felt a trace of the tavern’s air on her naked skin.
Nor did she feel the night’s air a moment later, as she was led outside. It was getting harder to think, harder to concentrate. She’d let her mind wander onto the changes and had missed the transition between the candlelit warmth of her workplace and the crisp moonlit air of her new home.
Robin’s eyes slid towards the sides of her head, and her skull shrank around a brain not suited for complex thoughts. Her teeth thickened in her snout, and she chuffed at her lips anxiously. It was the greatest expression of panic she could muster—though she wanted to run and buck her legs, the calming touch of her owner was settling her mind.
Her… Owner? “Nnrrghee-heeugh.” She tried to ask Marcus what he was doing to her mind, but couldn’t speak in anything close to a common tongue. Her own tongue felt clumsy and thick in her mouth, and she embarrassedly swayed her tail back and forth, along her ample hindquarters.
“That’s a good girl, remember your place.” Marcus cooed into her ear, and her eyes glazed further. Obediently, the horse allowed her rider atop her back, feeling his weight atop the curve of her spine. It was refreshing to know her purpose in life, and she followed the gentle motions of his thighs and hands, turning on command.
“Sorry about the mess!” Marcus called back towards the bar. “Though I’m sure the barmaid’s life savings will more than cover any such cost.”
That sent a small flare of aggravation through Robin, though she did not know why. Her mind couldn’t fathom the use of currency, after all. She chuffed her lips again to express her displeasure, and was quickly soothed by a scratch behind her larger, pointed ears.
Marcus leaned in close, whispering warmly beside her cheek. “Now… Who’s ready for an adventure?”
Robin’s response was a proud whinny, and she reared back onto her hind legs. Her body felt so much stronger than she’d ever known before, and she was ready to use it. The mare thumped her forehooves back onto the ground and began to run, galloping with purpose and drive alike, and leaving behind a human life none would miss.