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Красные маковые поля Казахстана.
Red poppy fields of Kazakhstan.
Начало мая – прекрасная пора цветения маковых полей на юге и юго-востоке Казахстана. Они радуют глаз всего две недели, в зависимости от погодных условий. Яркие алые поля раскинулись на десятки гектаров , на их площади в большинстве своём, растут самосейки и мак павлиний.
Цветение маков проще всего запечатлеть алматинцам. Поля есть вдоль Капшагайской и Кульджинской трасс. В большом количестве цветы растут в предгорьях Тянь-Шаня, растянувшись вдоль гор, и на полях в сторону Кыргызстана. Важно отметить, что маки каждый год кочуют, поэтому необходимо в сезон цветения проверять в соцсетях актуальную информацию по их местоположению.
The beginning of May is a wonderful time for poppy fields to bloom in the south and southeast of Kazakhstan. They are pleasing to the eye for only two weeks, depending on weather conditions. Bright scarlet fields stretch over tens of hectares, and in their area, for the most part, self-seeding and peacock poppy grow.
The blossoming of poppies is easiest for Almaty residents to capture. There are fields along the Kapshagai and Kuldzha highways. Flowers grow in large numbers in the foothills of the Tien Shan, stretching along the mountains, and in the fields towards Kyrgyzstan. It is important to note that poppies migrate every year, so it is necessary to check social networks for up-to-date information on their location during the flowering season.
Источник:/ia-centr.ru/publications/krasnaya-koroleva-rossiyanka-originalno-pokazala-krasotu-makovykh-poley-kazakhstana/,
/vm.ru/news/938041-bloger-ilya-varlamov-v-moskve-net-plohih-rajonov?utm_source=vm&utm_campaign=scroll&utm_medium=scroll,
/mir24.tv/articles/16540955/tumany-makovye-polya-i-luna-almaty-i-predgore-alatau-v-obektive-fotografa,
/astana.citypass.kz/ru/2022/05/20/kazhdyi-raz-krasivy-po-raznomu/,
//dzen.ru/a/XLA7pHws6ACv4ikw?experiment=931375,
/vse.kz/topic/232026-makovye-polia-v-almaty/page-10,
/procvetok.com/247327/, https://t.me/+HLoqW4OcT5VjZjM6,
//vk.com/wall-37896236_1722494.
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Sorry it took me so long to write this one. I asked my fans what they wanted next, and the most responses leaned toward something of a more mythical persuasion. So, I hope you all enjoy this lovely TF. I’m afraid it’s a long one, so this once, I’m going to use the read more function. Please click it and read all the way through. Trust me, it’ll be worth it.
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The Meadow
It’s been a while since I came here. I ... don’t really even remember anymore. I remember walking through the park and seeing this weird gate. It’s always been there. I mean, the posts were old and worn by the weather. And besides that, the grass had grown up all over the sides in clumps. The only strange thing about the gate was just that. It was only a gate, a small swinging wooden one, in the middle of nowhere. There was no fence, no wall, just ... the gate.
So, curious that I am, I finally worked up the courage to open the thing. Nothing seemed all that out of the ordinary until I stepped through.
Ever heard of that premise of stepping through into another world? I think it’s called ... um ... hmm ... I don’t recall. That ... should worry me, but it doesn’t. It’s just so ... content here in this place. Peaceful.
Does it ... really even matter that I don’t remember? I know it used to, but now ... now I’m not so sure.
I do remember closing the gate. There was a sign there. Something that asked me to close it again after, rather than leaving it open. I complied by pulling it shut behind me. I didn’t realize what that gate was until after I’d already let go of the wood. It rattled like the door of a paddock, and suddenly there was a fence behind me. And green, verdant forests beyond. Groves that were lush and dark, tantalizingly so. I could smell the fresh scent of wet grass and wildflowers in bloom. The wind carried no signs of the city I had been in. No car horns blared. No motors roared. No dump trucks clanked as they seized their loads and chucked trash into their crushing jaws.
A ... compactor. Is that what they were called? How strange. We have no need of such things here. So, there’s no need to focus on them. No real need to remember. They’re loud and obnoxious and smell bad. It is better without them. It is better here in the field, in the meadow beneath the sun.
I remember the smell of manure. It was strong at first. I followed the fence boundary for a while, letting my nose do the directing. And eventually, I came to another boundary where the fence broke off. The lowing of cows greeted me. There was a large barn in the distance, and I watched, leaning on the fence, as someone led a bull out of the opening. It lumbered slowly and swayed almost drunkenly under the care of its handler.
I know I should have felt alarmed at this. There were no farms in the town limits. No pasture like this. Definitely no ranches. But ... I don’t know. I suppose I felt ... muted somehow. That part of me, I mean. There wasn’t fear or worry, just ... curiosity, like in a dream.
I remember the herd lowing, the figure turning to look at me. He was too far off to really get much of a proper image. I just know he was big based on the outline I could see. He led the bull toward a cow, then untied its nose ring, patted its side gently, pulled something off its back, and strode to me.
By this point, I was convinced I was in some kind of dream. The closer the figure drew, the larger it became, and the more prevalent the smell of cattle. Finally, I craned my neck to look the male in the eye.
You would have called him a creature. I do not feel it right to say such things about him. He is kind. He cares for his herd. He is a good keeper. At the time, I did not understand this. All I understood was the strangeness of it all. He held the cloth bunched in one hand, but I recognized the iconic green face that wrinkled in his grip. He carried the remnants of a Star Wars shirt. Why a bull would have that on it, I didn’t know. It’s possible the cloth was just being used as a rag. I believe that’s how I rationalized it at the time.
As rational as one can be when they think they are dreaming.
He spoke to me in a soft, deep voice. His torso was bared to the world, and it was carpeted in a rich coppery coat of short bristly fur. His beastly muzzle contorted easily to form the words, and a pair of polished horns sprouted on either side of his head to rise high in the air. The weight caused his head to bow ever so slightly. Or perhaps that was merely because of the size of his shoulder muscles by his neck. Bulls are built very stout, you know, even the ones that walk on two legs.
“Well now, isn’t this a treat? Don’t see many of you folk round these parts anymore. Don’t think anyone’s visited that there meadow for ...” He frowned. “Not sure how long, really. Where’s Admentos?”
“Who?”
“Admentos. Your caretaker. He usually greets stallions like you at the gate. Never known him to be late before.”
“Stallion?” I gaped disbelievingly at him. But then again, this was a dream. Or so I thought at the time.
“Admentos handles horses. I handle cattle. We both take care of farming and herding.” He shrugged his titanic shoulders. I couldn’t help but note the fact he had dark hoof tips on his fingers. “S’why we’re neighbors. Someone’s got to work the land.”
“Aren’t there machines for that?”
The wood splintered under his tightened grip. “We don’t got machines here, and we don’t want ‘em.”
I backed away, startled at the sudden change in his demeanor.
The bull man shuddered and took a deep breath. Then the tension left his body, and he released his grip on the fence. I could still see the imprints left by his fingers.
“Sorry ‘bout that. Didn’t mean to scare you, big fellah.”
Off in the distance, the bull had coupled itself with the cow. I quickly looked away and blushed heavily. The bull man looked back and smiled.
“Good to see him settling in. Herd’ll treat him right, I’m sure. As for you...” He frowned. “S’not like Admentos to be late.” He leaped over the fence, and thick powerful hooves clopped heavily on my side of the property. “C’mon, Fellah. Let’s go find him.”
“What?”
“The owner. My friend? He takes care of this plot of land. It’s his territory. I’m not generally one to trespass, but I got a little leeway, seein’ as we’re on such good terms.”
I looked over the long green grass as a breeze spread the sheen of the sun like a wave. And just like the ocean, there was no end in sight. The fence and forest stretched like a shoreline over an otherwise unbroken expanse.
“Big acres,” I muttered.
The bull man shrugged. “Herds need a lot of space.” He pulled an apple from ... I don’t know where and offered it to me. “Hungry?”
“Uh, ... thanks,” I said hesitantly as I took it from him.
“No problem.” He shrugged. “I like to spoil y’all every once in a while. Think of this as a sort of apology for startlin’ ya.” He chuckled. “Admentos’d skin me alive if he knew I had. Some of his herd takes a while to calm down again. They can be excitable.”
“... I’ll bet.” I looked down at the apple and buffed it as best I could against my shirt. The bull man watched me intently, and ... well, I didn’t want to cause offense, so I took a bite.
I nearly dropped the apple. Juice dribbled down my chin, and I lapped it up almost without thinking. It was sweet. It was delicious. And it had just a hint of tartness to balance it out for a smooth ride that left me tingly all over. I’d always had a hankering for apples, but this, this was the best apple I’d ever tasted in my life. My world shrank around the experience, and for the briefest of moments, I think I finally understood what foodies and food critics meant about finding that perfect dish.
The apple was gone before I knew it, and I blinked in surprise at the core that now lay in the palm of my hand. When I finally processed what it was, I looked almost sheepishly at the bull man. “Is it all right if I toss this?”
He raised a brow, but shrugged. “If you want. S’not like it’ll cause any harm.”
I threw it away. And it was only then that I realized we were surrounded by the meadow. I couldn’t see the forest, and I couldn’t see the fence where we’d been walking. My eyes widened. “What the...?”
The bull man chuckled. “Finally noticed, huh? You were too wrapped up in that there apple. Didn’t want to ruin it for you.” He smiled kindly. “We’re almost there now. Should be just over that rise.”
I was surprised to feel the beginnings of a slope pushing against my feet. I had to lean forward to keep my balance as we began our ascent. It didn’t take too long before we were staring down at a reasonably sized farmhouse and a large old-fashioned red barn. The occasional whinny or sputter would carry on the wind from the various horses that trotted around the area, almost like a patrol. Others were busy rolling their backs on the cool grass. I couldn’t help but smile as fond memories of rolling down hills as a child replayed in my head.
“Beautiful, aren’t they?”
I nodded my agreement as we shuffled and sidestepped our way down. One of the horses immediately rushed at us. The bull man stepped in front of me and held up his hands when the stallion reared.
“Whoa there, Thunder. We ain’t here to cause no trouble. Just lookin’ for Admentos.”
The horse tossed its head and whinnied.
“Now don’t give me that. You know I don’t come uninvited ‘less there’s a reason. And I do have a reason, a darn good one. Now where is he?”
The stallion sputtered and pawed at the turf.
“Busy where?”
I felt like I was in the middle of Old Yeller, only the dog had been replaced with a horse. I swatted casually at a fly that had decided to roost on my arm. Darn sucker nearly bit me.
I heard what I thought might have been a groan and frowned in concentration. It took me a few seconds and some extra groans before I pinpointed it at the barn. I pointed. “Uh...”
The two continued to argue with one another.
“Hey.”
Again, I was ignored as the bull man began to tell the stallion off. At this point, the groans had turned to a loud cry, and my heart beat fast in my chest. “Hey, bull man!” I shouted. That drew both the stallion’s attention and my escort’s. I pointed at the barn. “I think you’ll find your answer in there.” I winced as another scream pierced my ears. They almost seemed to twitch in sympathy, though I was sure it was just a muscular response from years of practice. I took a great deal of pride in how I could make my ears wiggle in my younger years.
The stallion glared flatly, almost hatefully at me, as if I’d caused some grave offense. I glared back. “Listen, you jackass. I just got hauled to god knows where out of nowhere, met a literal scientific impossibility, and now I hear someone in pain. I am not in the mood for dealing with a pretentious jerk when someone needs help. This is my dream, not yours. Now shut up and move aside.”
The horse ran to cut me off. I wasn’t having it. I snatched its ear and twisted hard when he missed biting my fingers. Don’t know how I knew it’d work, but it did. The horse squealed and dropped to its belly. My body surged with exultation and my teeth clacked as I yanked and forced it to look me in the eyes with one of its orbs. “I’m glad we understand each other. You can follow us if you want, but you will not interfere. Got it?”
The stallion tried to bite me again. I twisted harder.
“Got it?”
I loosened one of the buttons on my shirt as the horse squealed softly through gritted teeth and a tear spilled down its cheek. “Good.” It’s difficult to say exactly what happened after. I certainly felt breathless when I got to the barn door, but I don’t remember whether I ran or not. There was a beautiful white horse lying on the floor, and the cries were coming from her. Her stomach was swollen way beyond anything I’ve seen in a horse before, but what really took me by surprise were two things. The fact I heard a very human voice coming from it, and the fact that the man tending so feverishly to her happened to have the lower body of a horse.
The bull swore. “Dekára, Admentos, why didn’t you call me?” Rough hands shoved me aside as the bull man approached and got to his knees. “How long has she been in labor?”
Admentos had shiny black hair that flowed like a mane down his back. The brown fur from his horse body rode up his torso in a trail that was emphasized by the patches of white fur on his wrists and elbows. Like his neighbor, the man was exceptionally well built with muscles to match the size of his breed, which happened to be a Clydesdale. Sweat gave his body an unusual gleam, and his cheeks were flushed from exertion. “Six hours. She’s in a lot of pain. I’ve had to keep a close eye on her to stop her from hurting herself.”
“Twins?”
Admentos nodded grimly. “The pregnancy's been vary hard on her.” Then he looked at me. “When did he come?” he asked.
“Not long ago. He wandered to the fence. We had a chat, and then I brought him here.” He chuckled. “Thunder’s going to have competition.”
“What did he do to Thunder?” Admentos held the mare’s head carefully and stroked her neck gently.
The bull man grinned. “Twisted his ear. I’m telling you, that stallion’s a fighter. I think he’ll be good for your herd.”
“So long as he’s not a blowhard. I don’t need another swollen head.”
“Is she going to make it?” I asked. It was perhaps the first time I had spoken since arriving at the barn. My shirt felt unusually tight, and the blood flow from what I assume was running left everything else feeling like it was getting shoved in a sausage sleeve. My waist felt like it was getting squeezed by a vice.
Admentos shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Another scream. I winced.
The mare tossed and turned, nipping at her flanks, beating her stomach, and otherwise squirming and shifting around.
“What’s she doing?”
“Trying to get the foals in alignment. Once they’re ready to broach, the rest of the delivery should go smoothly.
This time, when she screamed, I understood what she was saying. “Get them out of me! It hurts! It hurts so much!”
Admentos brushed her head comfortingly. “You’re doing great, Fria. Hold on.”
She nickered weakly and sobbed. “I’m so tired.”
“Just a little longer,” Admentos assured her. She screamed again. This time, there was a gush of fluid out her rear.
“Thank the Dagda,” Admentos breathed. “She’s finally ready.”
The hard part of the delivery was over in about a half an hour, maybe a little more, since there were two foals to deal with. We gave her the necessary space at Admentos’ insistence, though he noted a close watch would need to be kept on them, and extra milk would be needed for both foals to receive the nutrients and antibodies to survive.
Admentos was the only one allowed to approach the new family. He didn’t want to risk startling the mare when she was so exhausted, especially since she still had the afterbirth to worry about.
I was led out of the barn by the bull man, and he introduced himself as Adras. We walked to the farmhouse together, and he explained how this place worked.
“Y’see, folk like you, well, I guess you could say you’re sort of special. You see what most folk don’t. Dunno whether it’s belief, blood, or somethin’ else, but y’all find your way here to our turf. S’not always the meadow or m’ranch. There’s lots of places. Lots of caretakers.” Adras opened the door, one of those swing-style two-part things with a big bulky latch to hold it in place. Adras undid them both easily and opened the way for us to step inside.
The floor was soft grass that seemed almost to give a little as I stepped over it. It wasn’t quite like a mattress, but it was fairly close. I didn’t see any signs of a refrigerator. Instead, the room was full of jars and other tools and knickknacks. Different jars were labeled with pictures and words both to help differentiate them. Flour, honey, butter, bread, cream, milk, and so on.
When I looked up, I could see the open sky stretching just above the rafters as they faded into it, and I gaped. It was like something out of Harry Potter. The two stories outside were more for show. The building itself was all one floor, just built with a much taller ceiling. To make it comfortable for guests, Adras explained to me. Given his size, I could relate to that statement. Everything in the house seemed to be designed with big bodies in mind. Given the fact the caretaker was a centaur who had what I assumed to be a minotaur friend, it sort of had to be.
He handed me a couple of the ones with a horse head and a milk bottle printed next to each other on them. “Here. Carry these.” I was shocked to be able to carry even one of them, given the ominous scrape the vessels made when tehy were lifted up. But I was too startled to say no. When he gave me a second, I shrugged. Once I had my arms around them, the things didn’t feel so heavy.
Adras nodded. “Thought you were a worker.”
I frowned at that. “What do you mean?”
He grabbed a few more ingredients, including a bag of feed, and started walking. The door was left open behind us, but he didn’t seem to care. My hands were too full to really do anything, so I just followed behind. “Just that. You’re carrying those vessels, aren’tcha?” He chuckled. “Bet you could carry more, too, if you’d a mind to.”
I blushed. “They’re not that heavy....”
He grinned and ruffled my hair with a free hand. “That’s the spirit.” Then he smacked ... patted(?) my shoulder. I thought I was going to stumble, but he must’ve held back. Either that or I somehow instinctively knew how to brace myself. I’m ... not sure which.
By the time we got back to the barn, my skin felt like it was crawling, not like a spider on your skin, kind of crawl, more like that tingling sort of wave that spreads over sometimes when you have a strong feeling or hear the right kind of sound, you know? I crouched and lowered the vessels near Admentos.
“Thank you,” he said sincerely.
“No problem,” I replied. Had to clear my throat for part of it. My voice cracked midway. He just smiled at my docility and handed me an apple. “I’m afraid this is all I have to offer as a reward for now.” He chuckled. “It’ll be a while before I’m free to help you with anything else, but you’re welcome to stay here till things settle in properly.”
I bit greedily into the apple. It tasted even better than the last one. I hardly even noticed the strange wording he’d used. “I can live with that.” The heavy clop of Admentos’ hooves echoed in my ears as I ate. The smell of the manure and other horse smells was strong at first, but I got used to it. Felt like I was breathing more and more of it the longer I stood there. My chest just kept inflating. My teeth ground the apple to mush. Then I swallowed. It felt peaceful here, calm. I kind of liked that.
Adras wrapped a burly arm around my shoulders. “Come on, Champ. Let’s get you out of here.”
The big stallion from earlier sputtered at Adras, tossed his head, then nickered when we stepped out of the barn.
“She’s fine, big fellah. You should be proud. Two foals. Admentos is looking after her now. Probably gonna be a while before he lets you in to see her.”
The horse gazed flatly at me. I returned the gaze calmly and took another bite out of my apple. “We going to have any more problems?”
The horse continued to stare at me.
“He expecting something from me?” I asked.
Adras chuckled. “Sizing up the competition. Ol’ Thunder here don’t like gettin’ showed up.”
“And he expects me to be a threat?”
“You handled him, didn’t you?”
“On an impulse, because this is a dream, or at least feels like one.” I shrugged. “Read that’d work in a book somewhere. He was being a jerk. If he’s not a jerk, we won’t have any problems.” I looked at the horse. “Sound good, Thunder?”
The stallion sputtered, reared, boxed at the air with his forelegs, then turned and ran off.
Adras smiled ruefully and shook his head. “Always gotta show off, don’t ya?” He chuckled. “He’ll probably be back at you again later, but you’ve shown you can handle yourself. I don’t think he’ll be much more than an inconvenience.”
I nodded and raised my hand to take another bite, only to find the apple was gone. Had I really eaten it all already? And what had happened to the core?
Adras smiled, walked over to a hill, and leaned back against the slope. “Might as well get settled in. S’gonna be a while before Admentos comes out. Besides, this here’s good country, old country. Folk like you don’t get the chance to really enjoy this kind of thing that often. Not anymore, anyway.”
I followed his example and kicked back on the grass. The coolness of the surface sent a pleasurable chill over my skin through the fabric. I couldn’t help but stretch and groan as my back arched. I squirmed to eek out as much pleasure as I could. And like an eel, my back contorted and twisted with me. In time, it became less about finding comfort and more about just ... being in the moment, enjoying the sensation. It was almost like that feeling you get when you’re scratched on your scalp enough times that it just sort of tingles repeatedly. And I felt that I wanted, maybe even needed, more of that.
The sun shone down on me, and my skin baked, thickening as my body soaked up the rays. The whinnies of the horses rang in my ears as my groans of pleasure became deep and, pardon the pun, hoarse nickers. I didn’t care when my shirt began to tear. I did care with the tightness of my waistband and pants. Seriously, they were cutting off my circulation. I ... think Adras had something to do with fixing that. Either he cut them off or ... broke them down to their base components somehow? I don’t know.
Thinking back on it, I ... sort of remember what it was like when my hands changed? Not exactly, though. I know my hands merged into a solid hoof each, and that they weighted heavily on my wrists until they became a proper pair of pasterns. The feathers that sprouted tickled against my chest. And the smells! The whole meadow seemed to seep through my nostrils and into my chest in one go. It felt ... liberating, I suppose. I breathed again.
And again.
And again.
By the time I was done really giving my back a proper roll in the grass, I didn’t have hands anymore.
Or feet.
Or ... very much of anything human, really. I felt ... different is the best way I can describe it. I wasn’t exactly shocked. It was like I was ... muted to an extent. And maybe I was. Maybe the apples had something to do with what was going on.
I remember rolling to my front and jumping up on all fours. The ground didn’t shake, but I could feel the sheer weight of my body as I landed. I saw the huge muzzle that now protruded where my face had once been. And ... I was disoriented seeing things from such a wide view. I could see ... almost everything. My new tail swayed behind me to smack at the bugs that had started to gather. I looked ahead, and there Adras was, only ... shorter. The two of us were a lot closer in height now. It hurt when he came closer. His body got blurry. If it weren’t for his voice and the smell of apples, I think I would’ve bolted then and there.
“Yup, you’re definitely gonna be a stud.” He patted my shoulder. There was no pain or pressure this time. My legs took the weight. My hooves channeled the vibration, what little I felt, into the ground. I nickered in discomfort, and he ... I guess he smiled? Maybe? He sounded apologetic, at least. “Yeah, sorry ‘bout that. Can’t really focus too well up close, can you?”
My lips curled against my will as he ran his hands over my head and down my nose. It felt ... very soothing.
“No need to worry, though. We’re all friends here, aren’t we?” he prompted. “We can just relax and be ourselves.”
My gut churned. My eyes hooded as I stared into the blur and just ... let things go. I suppose that’s when my pupils would have adapted, gotten that blurry rectangle we’re supposed to have. When I came to, I felt ... relieved. A new smell that was and yet wasn’t familiar wafted into my nose.
Again came the pat and the praise.
This time. it wasn’t an apple that I got, but something else he put against my lips. The flappers seized the thing immediately, and my mouth came alive with an explosion of pure delight, followed by an intense rush of awareness. Before I could stop myself, I was nosing Adras. I wanted more.
The bull man chuckled. “Easy there, Champ.”
I nickered in annoyance and nosed him again. He knew what I wanted. And i knew he could understand me. He looked at me critically, then frowned as he bent to look beneath me.
“Still got a little of the old you left, huh?” He frowned. “Not gonna stud like that.”
I looked inquiringly at him. My body language was more than enough to ask with how my ears twitched and my head cocked to the side.
He chuckled. “Don’t you worry none. You’ll grow into it soon enough. Just need a nice mare to get to know.”
“Mare?” The word was choked out of vocal cords that really didn’t want to speak like a human.
“Big stud like you’s gotta get all that mass from somewhere, you know.” He chuckled again. Then he was stroking my chin, my throat, my head behind the ears. I couldn’t help but shudder and enjoy.
Next time I spoke, I couldn’t make a single human sound. “Why do I feel so okay with this?” That’s what I’d wanted to say, at least. The question seemed to translate.
“Because you’re a horse.”
“But I’m not.”
He shrugged. “Sure y’are. Had you pegged the minute you trotted to the fence. You’re one of the biggest Clydesdales I ever did see. You must’ve been a hard worker back in that there city. Now you can help in the fields and the trees. Could always use another set of hooves at the plow.”
I couldn’t shrug, so I tossed my mane instead and sputtered. That didn’t sound so bad, really. The more he talked about it, the more I found myself liking the idea. Something about his voice, I think. It’s just so ... casual, relaxing. It just sort of gets in there and sticks. And boy, did I take to it like a champ. I guess you could say I was born for it, big Puka like me.
I still remember the day I gave up the last of my humanity. As usual, Adras was right. And Admentos wanted to reward me for the help I’d given. Turns out Admentos is the real leader of the herd. Thunder was just jealous and trying to protect his claims and privileges. But his breed wasn’t the only one that needed to be reproduced.
The first time, I was overwhelmed by the experience. That mare got in whiffing distance, and my whole body lit up. You’ve heard the phrase about balls dropping before. This was swelling, then dropping, and finally knocking it out of the park.
I felt different after that. I could still recall things about my old home, but ... they didn’t seem so important to me anymore. My essence, my being, that had been left behind in the city. I was something, someone different. My old name is long gone. I ... think Admentos might have taken it, but I don’t mind. I like being Champ. Things are simple here, and I like it simple. I graze when I’m hungry. I drink when I’m thirsty. I work when I’m called, and I mate when I feel the need. With the mare’s consent, of course. I’m not a monster.
Adras and I still chat from time to time at the fence, and he always has an apple ready for me. Sometimes, we make a contest of seeing who can plow their patch of land faster. There are times where he asks why I don’t try walking on two legs again or taking a form like Admentos, but honestly, I don’t really want to. I’m faster and stronger this way. That’s enough for me.
Have I seen the gate since? I can’t say that I have. I think ... maybe it only appears when a new member of the herd is ready to join us. But what do I know? I’m just a humble work horse. Home is the meadow with the herd, running free in the wind, playing with the others, caring for the mares and foals. Sometimes, we sleep in stalls. But no matter where we are, the herd is never too far apart.
I dream of the old place some nights, the old life, that gate, the room where I used to sleep on the short rough grass and the hay bales that creaked under my weight. There is no fresh breeze there. And it is tight, confined. There is no room to run or move. I would need to be blindfolded and led to keep from bucking my way out. As I said, I do not like that closed sensation. How humans can bear it, I will never understand.
It is far better to be a horse.
Far better to live in the wild and the open.
You’ll see soon enough, if you haven’t already begun to.
Trust me, colt. You’ll soon wonder if you were ever human in the first place.
Now, then, what was that name of yours again? Ah, yes....
Inktober day 30