User:Erastus/Serving the Sentence - Part 12
{{#ifeq: User |User| Serving the Sentence - Part 12/14 | Serving the Sentence - Part 12/14}}[[Title::{{#ifeq: User |User| Serving the Sentence - Part 12/14 | Serving the Sentence - Part 12/14}}| ]]
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{{#ifeq: {{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus Centaur | Erastus Centaur}} | |
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Author: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus | Erastus}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus | Erastus}}]] [[Author::{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus | Erastus}}| ]]
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Author: {{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus Centaur | Erastus Centaur}} |
Author: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus | Erastus}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus Centaur | Erastus Centaur}}]] [[Author::{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus Centaur | Erastus Centaur}}| ]]
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{{#ifeq: {{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus | Erastus}} | | Authors: ' |
Authors: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus | Erastus}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus | Erastus}}]]
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{{#ifeq: {{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus | Erastus}} | |
Authors: {{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus Centaur | Erastus Centaur}} |
Author: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus | Erastus}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus Centaur | Erastus Centaur}}]]
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The leaves had started to turn color in late September when Amos told Dave, "I don't feel so good." She went to her stall and settled herself in the straw.
Dave found Stan. Stan called the vet and Professor. Even though the vet arrived promptly, there wasn't a lot he could do. Amos miscarried.
As soon as the vet left Dave squeezed into Amos' stall and settled down next to her. "I'm so sorry," said Dave. "I'm sorry that you've lost your child. I'm sorry that you'll be stuck as a horse for at least an extra six months."
"Thank you, Dave, my man. I appreciate that. But that little life wasn't just mine. It would have been yours too."
Amos paused for a moment. "But don't fret over me being stuck as a horse for an extra six months or so. Believe it or not -- and I'm sure Jack won't -- I like my life as a horse."
The other horses were in earshot and with that comment they came to gather outside her stall.
"Think about it," said Amos. "As a human, I was an African-American male, tall enough to be intimidating. I was seen as a sinister character first, human second. The value of my PhD dropped when people saw my skin color." There were murmurs of protest, but Amos continued. "All of you knew me well so you disregarded my skin color. That was never true outside the department.
"But as a horse, I'm a beauty. Everyone exclaims over how my patches are so small and jumbled. People are attracted to me because of what they see rather than repelled by it. Add to that the feeling of the wind in my mane as I gallop across the fields, and my choice is clear. I'll take the horse, thank you."
"Don't you want to get back to family?" asked Zane.
"My wife died just before I went to Mongolia. It was why I decided to go. My son decided that a gang was smarter than his father. His initiation rite landed him in jail. I think our foals will cause a lot less trouble."
"But what about hands? And your cock?" asked Jack.
"Oh, I miss my hands all right, but enough of what I want to do with my brain, I find I can do through the computer. And as for my cock, it is highly overrated." Jack did not look convinced. "I'll admit that had I been given a choice, I would have preferred being a stallion. With a choice between mare and human male, I'll take the mare."
Traitor, thought Jack, traitor to being one of the guys. But the subject was now open. Jack could express her own views. "As much as I want the life inside me to grow, I hate the thought of being pregnant. I hate the idea of me giving birth. And I hate the thought of the sweet little dears suckling on me. I want my cock back, the sooner the better."
"We are all quite aware of your desperation," said Piet. "Even so, I'll be glad when this is over with also. I've felt my life has been on hold. How 'bout you Zane?"
"Oh, I don't know," said Zane.
"Whaddaya mean, ya don't know? You've had more than a year to think about it, man!" said Jack. "You haven't made up your mind yet?"
Zane's ears twitched. "According to the curse, I don't have to decide until my foal is weaned. But I have thought of it. It has been a nice break. I might recommend it to some particular type A personalities at the university. Send them off to Mongolia and tell them to ride wild horses."
Several pairs of ears twitched. "I could probably guess which people you have in mind," said Jack. "But do you want to stay a horse?"
"Nah," said Zane. "As I said, it has been a nice break. but I want my hands back. Though I don't need to do it much, I hate typing with a pencil in my mouth."
"Dave, what about you?" said Piet.
"Well," said Dave, "I'd like a chance to make Erin happy and I can't pursue that as a horse."
Dave found that being the stallion did not shield him from teasing.
"When she's riding you she looks pretty happy," observed Piet.
"You know what I mean," said Dave. "I want to try creating a family with her."
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Dave had hoped that Amos wouldn't come into heat before winter, but he awoke one morning in late October to a familiar and enticing aroma. He felt himself respond and knew he had to act.
He saw Amos in the paddock on his way through, "Ah, my stallion!" she said.
Instead of going to her, Dave made a wide circle until he was upwind. "Sorry, my dear girl. I must refuse. Mating with you will only delay my chances with Erin. I don't want to risk it, especially since you plan to stay a horse anyway. I hope you understand."
Amos put as much tenderness in her voice as she could. "I do understand, Dave. Life would be so much simpler without this crazy curse. I would like a favor from you, though."
"Name it," said Dave. "I'll do it." Amos could see his tail swishing restlessly.
"I still want you to father my children. Perhaps you can make some donations to a sperm bank that I can use once you are safely back to human."
"I'd be glad to, Amos." He sounded quite delighted by the idea.
"So what will you do while I'm in heat? You look about ready to jump out of your skin."
"I'm going to the western pasture to get as far upwind as possible. Could you ask the other girls to come out and keep me company, and to tell Stan to come out with some hay? And perhaps with, um, a collection kit?" Amos barely had a moment to nod before Dave took off down the lane at full gallop.
Stan arrived shortly after Amos returned to the barn. As Stan opened the large barn doors he heard another car drive up. He waved. Amos saw that it was Erin and Nell, so she called to him, "Stan! Before you greet our customers…"
"Morning, Amos," Stan said as he ambled over to her and stroked her nose. "What's up?" They heard the car door close.
"I’m in heat and Dave has taken off for the western pasture. Can't talk anymore."
"Got it." Stan turned. "Good morning ladies. A late autumn ride?"
Nell said, "You got it. I think it's Amos' turn."
Erin said, "Where's Dave? Behind the barn?"
"Uh." Stan glanced around resting his eyes on Amos for a moment. "Amos is in heat and it's not a good time to breed her. So Dave is in the western pasture. Putting the two on the trail together right now is not a good idea."
Erin winced. She said, "So I can't ride Dave?"
"Oh, I'd be glad to take you out to him," said Stan. "Getting him away from the ranch for a while is a good idea. But Nell can't ride Amos this week."
"That's okay. I can ride Zane today," said Nell. "She's next on my rotation." She stepped over to Amos and stroked her nose. "I'll make it up to you later, my dear."
Stan saddled up Zane and gave Nell a head start. He then loaded Dave's saddle and several bales of hay into his pickup. He held the door open for Erin.
The truck reached Dave about the same time Zane did. Stan unloaded the hay and said to Dave, "Don't eat all of this at once." Dave munched on it and enjoyed watching Erin while Stan put on his saddle.
Erin looked around the area while Stan was busy. "You're actually going to leave Dave out here all week? Yeah, I know it should be good weather, but still."
Stan only said, "When should I meet you back here?"
"Oh, about noon," replied Nell.
"Very good," said Stan and he got into his truck and headed back to the barn.
Erin mounted Dave, patted his neck, and twitched the reins. They headed to the pasture gate. She shook her head and said, "I've got plenty of space at my place if they really want to keep Dave from mating. I don't know of any stallion who could be convinced to stay out here when there's a mare in heat. Though with horses of this quality I'm not sure why they think breeding them is a bad idea."
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It was very early in the morning on an day in early March when Piet woke Dave and said, "It's time." Dave used the intercom to wake Professor, who came out to the barn in only a couple minutes.
"How ya doing?" asked Professor, once he was into Piet's stall. Dave hovered nearby. The others were all awake.
"I don't know why everyone says that animals feel no pain in childbirth," said Piet. "That is certainly not the case here."
"Is there pain all the time, or only during contractions?"
"Only during contractions."
"I'll call the vet." Professor pulled out his cell phone. Since they weren't all that far from Bozeman, the vet was there in fifteen minutes.
Once there, the vet squeezed past Dave and into Piet's stall. By then, Piet was lying in the straw with her head in Professor's lap. Professor didn't stop stroking Piet's neck while he turned to Dave and said, "I know you are the father, but please stay out of the way."
Dave moved to the side a step or two, but stayed where he could watch.
By the time Professor turned back to the vet, the man had an odd expression on his face. "I've never heard a man say that to a horse and I've never seen a horse respond that way." The vet turned to Piet, and ran a hand across her flank. "So what prompted you to call?"
"She's in pain."
"And what indication do you have of that?"
"She told me."
The vet turned to Professor with an obvious yeah, right expression.
"Um... Have you ever heard of horse whisperers?" offered Professor.
The vet just shook his head and turned back to his charge. He conducted an exam. "She looks normal. Birth should be in a couple hours."
Just then Piet gasped, then let out a long groan.
The vet's head snapped around to look at Piet's head. "I've never heard a horse make a sound like that! It sounded almost human."
Professor said nothing. He kept stroking Piet's neck.
The vet continued, "But I believe you when you say she is in pain." He took some pills out of his bag. Piet accepted them eagerly.
Five more seemingly human groans came from the horse before they tapered off. There were no other complications and two hours later Piet gave birth to a filly.
She was a pretty animal, a strawberry-blonde color with a star like her mother's. The vet checked her over and assured Professor she was in good shape. She was standing within the hour as she should. The vet departed. Piet named her Topaz, a suitable horse name.
Piet let out a yelp the first time Topaz grabbed a nipple. "Oh man, that is going to take some getting used to -- as if giving birth wasn't enough of a psychological strain already."
A month later, the vet was back twice more. Zane gave birth to a dappled red colt who was given the name Logan. And finally, Jack gave birth to twins. The colt was the spitting image of Dave and was named Spike; the filly was reddish brown, similar to her mother. Jack chose the name Ruby.
Dave said to Jack, "Not content with just one, huh. Had to go and prove how macho you were and have two."
Jack laughed.
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Professor was standing in the doorway of the barn when Erin and Nell drove up. It was a balmy Saturday in early April. The women had decided it was a great day for a ride -- and to see Piet's filly. "Hello, Professor," said Erin.
"I'm glad to see you," said Professor. "Don't be too quick to saddle up Dave. Jack and Zane have given birth."
The women raced through the barn and were soon in the paddock cooing over Logan, Spike, and Ruby. It took only a moment before Topaz insisted on being included in their attention.
When Dave was a boy and playing on the floor with his brother, he had wondered, when his father occasionally sat in the easy chair and watched them, why there was a smile on his face. As Dave watched his own offspring frolic with the women, he felt he understood his dad's smile. These children would never learn to speak, but they were healthy and beautiful. And they were his.
His heart about popped with joy when Erin came over to him. "Congratulations, Daddy," she said as she tenderly stroked his nose.
It was all he could do to avoid saying, "Thank you."
Alas, the moment was bittersweet. It was time. He had nearly missed the birth of Logan, Spike, and Ruby because he had been at the far end of the pasture while Amos and then Piet came into heat. Soon, he would have to contend with four mares in heat. More than likely, it would be one mare at a time.
While Erin still stroked his nose, Professor came up to them. "I'm wondering if you could do something for me, Erin. Could you keep Dave for a while?"
Her eyes lit up, as Dave knew they would. "Oh, that would be wonderful!" She faltered for a moment, "I don't mean to look a gift horse in the mouth --" she patted Dave's nose again, "-- but why?"
"It is best that I not breed my mares this year, and yet with mares this healthy, I can't seem to convince them not to come into heat." Erin laughed at that comment. "And I certainly don't want to geld Dave." Erin felt Dave fidget. "So having you take him for a few months will solve my problem with a lot less stress for Dave."
"I hope you are aware that the longer I keep him the harder it will be to give him back."
"Noted," said Professor with a grin. "I'll want him back by the end of June."
"Mating season is hardly over by then," said Erin.
"Perhaps, but I may want to use Dave myself. He is my horse after all."
Erin turned to Dave, "Then we'll just have to make the best of the time we have, won't we."
We certainly will, thought Dave.
Professor said, "By the time you get back from your ride today, Stan should have all of Dave's things gathered up -- some feed, brushes, tack --"
"Oh, I've got brushes. I got them for my last horse," said Erin.
"-- and his radio."
"Radio?"
The radio was the lucky result of an internet search. It had several station presets that Stan had tuned for him and buttons big enough that Dave could jab by using a stick in his mouth.
"Yeah. He seems to enjoy it."
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Without the radio Dave was sure he would have gone nuts. Erin's barn had space for a half dozen horses, but at the moment, Dave was the only resident. He missed the foals and watching them grow. He missed the company of his mares, especially tutoring by Amos. He missed his coursework and browsing the internet. Coursework was better than boredom.
At least the evenings weren't bad. More than not bad, they were actually quite good. It seemed as soon as Erin was home from work, she arrived at the barn with a saddlebag in hand. It took her only a few moments to get Dave saddled before they were off. They would go for about an hour before Erin decided that some clearing was just right. Then she would open the saddlebag for her own dinner and a generous supply of food and treats for Dave.
After eating and feeding Dave, Erin would pull out a novel and sit on the ground while she read. Dave would approach her from the side and stick his head over hers so he could read out of one eye along with her, though she took it as a desire for closeness and would idly stroke his nose as she read.
When the sun got low in the sky, she would pack up and remount. She would urge Dave -- who didn't need much urging -- into a gallop to get back to the barn before dark. Once there, she would give him a marvelously thorough brushing.
The best day came after a month of such evenings. Dave had a belly full of apples and carrots and Erin had eaten her picnic. The day's book was a romance, not what Dave would have chosen, but better than nothing. The heroine had kissed the hero, who had pledged his love, but they now had to convince their families that their different backgrounds weren't an issue. The arguments put forth by the characters were rather lame in Dave's view and more than he could take, so he pulled his head up. Erin absently let her hand fall away when he moved and he stepped back. From there he got a good look at the meadow and its wildflower and the evening sun that made the flowers and her hair practically glow.
It squeezed his heart. You dear woman, he thought, you've been a faithful visitor as I served out the sentence of this curse. You've taken me in so the curse won't trap me completely. You've tended to my needs with generosity and kindness. I love you so. I love your hearty laugh and beautiful smile. I love your gentle manner. I will be glad when this damn curse is over with so I can court you as a man should, so that you might become my wife.
Dave glanced around the clearing. Yes, those would do nicely. He ambled over to some purple flowers, bit through the stems of a couple of them, used his flexible lips to hold on to them, ambled back to his love, circled around, and, while facing her, dropped the flowers into her open book.
She raised her eyes and looked into his. He held her gaze. She let the book drop to the grass, stood, and put her arms around his neck. "Oh, Dave." She hugged his head. "I've never had a horse give me flowers before. You're so sweet. These lupines are beautiful."
Lupines, thought Dave, don't those have something to do with werewolves? If they do, they're quite appropriate to the situation.
After a moment, Erin pulled back to look him in the eye, though she kept stroking his nose. She studied him for perhaps a full minute. "You're a strange one, Dave. What would a horse know about giving flowers to a woman? You wouldn't happen to be my Prince Charming disguised as a horse instead of a toad, now would you?" She studied him a moment longer.
Easy boy, though Dave. Don't react. Act like a horse.
Erin pulled on Dave's halter until they were standing nose to nose. "There is one way to find out if you are Prince Charming," she said in a husky voice and kissed him mouth to mouth.
Dave almost spoke -- almost cried out -- from the strength of the shiver that ran through him. Two years of practicing silence to protect his secret was strong and Dave was able to keep his mouth shut. Instead, the shiver was expressed in a violent toss of his head.
Erin giggled at his reaction. Oh, that wonderful laugh! She then pulled his head to her shoulder and pressed her cheek against his. "You're such a wonderful horse, Dave," she whispered. "I love you."
On the way back to her barn, Dave struggled with an internal debate. One voice said, we keep quiet because there are too many crazies in this world who would love to put a talking horse on display. Another said, But this is Erin! You're in love! Stop right now and tell her! It's only another month, said the first voice. Then you can tell her all you want.