Bluegrass Country

by Tekwolf

Robby had hated to move. He had just started high school at home, when his father had been transferred to Kentucky. He really wouldn't have missed Texas at all, if it hadn't been for his friends. They had always been close and already, Robby missed them. His father could never control where his job led him. The company had eliminated the division where his father had worked and he was offered an option to quit or move to Kentucky. He had twenty years with the company and only needed ten more to qualify for retirement, so he really had no choice in the matter. It was either move or loose 20 years of seniority.

That didn't make it any easier for Robby though. He would have to start a new school next week and try and fine new friends. It always seemed that the new kid was the one to get picked on, no matter what. He was not looking forward to this. He figured, that after several fights, when all the others found that he wasn't going to be pushed around, then he would have no more trouble. Oh well, maybe he was just jumping the gun. He really didn't know what the people here were like, as he had only met the movers and the real estate agent and no others, so far.

His father had bought a 300 acre farm on the outskirts of the city and that was one good thing. When you have lived most of your life in a suburb of a big city, 300 acres to roam on, seemed almost like a whole world. He explored the place over the next few days. The whole place was fenced, as the former owner had raised horses. Robby's father had always wanted a horse and intended to get one. Robby didn't care. He had never even been very close to a horse and didn't really have an opinion.

His father Dave, took Robby with him on Saturday, to look at horses. He seemed serious about getting one. The bad thing, was that even though Dave had ridden when he was younger, he had no idea what kind of horse to buy. He was at the mercy of the seller. They got really lucky with their choice. They went to a neighbors, that was 30 minutes away, to get a horse. He was a kindly older man and took the time to explain about the different kinds of horses he had and what they were used for. This man was proud of his animals and wouldn't sell to just anyone. He realized that this father and son, would do their best to take care of the horse, but recommended that both of them enroll in riding and horse care classes at a local stable.

"Robby," his father said," I have to learn this new job and I really don't have time to take the classes right now." "Can I count on you to go to the classes and take of him until I can find time to do it?"

"But dad, I don't know anything at all about horses and he's so big!"

"I'm sure you will do fine," his Dad told him.

They had finally chosen a Quarter Horse, on the advice of the old man. He said that this was a horse that was fairly gentle, yet spirited enough to be fun to ride. The one that they had chosen, was a deep brown in color, with four white stockings. He was a three year old gelding. Robby shivered when the man told him what that meant. As the deal was finalized, the Man said that he would deliver the horse to their farm, sometime in the afternoon. Dave and Robby went back home and started to walk around the fence, repairing any places that needed it. By lunchtime, the pasture was ready for its new occupant.

Monday was going to be an aggravating day for him. Of that Robby was sure. Dave had called and set up the first horse lesson for him, after school. He caught the bus and sat in a seat all to himself, thankful that the bus wasn't too crowded. He went into the school and found the office. He checked in with them and got his schedule. The next fun part, was finding homeroom. They had given him a map of the school, but it was hard to read. He finally found what he was looking for and chose a desk. This was the start of a long boring day. He went through the motions and by afternoon, he was firmly entrenched in another school year.

He met several people during the day, but no one that he really wanted to get to know. A lot of them, were real losers, that no one else would associate with. While he felt for them, if he hung around them, he would get the same reputation and he couldn't stand that. He sat in the last class, which was Algebra. He had always hated math and they weren't really doing anything that mattered anyway. Finally, the last bell rang and Robby was able to get out of there. He much preferred being outside. He felt claustrophobic when he was inside a lot.

The bus driver dropped Robby off at the stables. He knew that his father was going to pick him up after the lesson. He walked up the drive and saw a man standing out of the stable. He looked like the classic cowboy, that Robby had seen on TV for years. He was dressed in jeans and had an old flannel shirt on, with the sleeves rolled up. Robby figured that this was the Mr. Jones that he was supposed to see.

"Are you Mr. Jones," Robby asked?

"That's me and you must be Robby, he replied. "Don't call me Mr. Jones either," He said. " The name is Ed." "I'm going to show you all I know about caring for a horse and how to ride also, so we don't need to stand on niceties."

Robby realized that he was going to like this man. He didn't come off as a jerk like a lot of people did this day and time. Robby knew that they were going to get along rather well. One thing that he found out quickly, was that Ed knew an awful lot about horses. He was also willing to take the time and effort to teach someone who was willing to learn. Robby didn't really know if he wanted to work with horses, but with Ed teaching him, he found that they were less scary than he had thought Ed led him into the stables, where a large brown horse stood.

For the next several hours, Ed went over horse anatomy and then riding equipment. When he was finished, Robby had a good of how to saddle and ride a horse. They didn't have time today for a ride, but there was tomorrow. Over the next several days, Robby became an accomplished rider. Ed always made him saddle his own horse. After the ride, he would put up the equipment, brush the horse down and feed it. While a lot of stables would do all of that for their customers, Ed believed, that if you were going to ride, you should know how to care for the horse you rode.

While riding lessons were going well, school was still a boor. Robby sat at lunch on day looking over the cafeteria, at the people. He usually sat alone. There were two different lunch periods and it was never crowded. He surveyed the scene, he noticed that there was a small group that was also sitting by its self. He was curious about them. There were three girls and two boys. They were sitting in the corner by themselves and every one else left them alone. He had seen them before, but had never really paid attention to them.

Robby watched them in the cafeteria over the next two or three days and noticed several curious things about them. The first thing that he noticed, was that they , all of them, ate salads or vegetables and no meat, for lunch every day. Maybe they were some kind of diet club. They finally noticed that he was watching him and one of them came over one day.

"You're the new kid, aren't you," The girl asked? "I've seen you at the stables and also out riding." "Do you like horses," she asked Robby?

"I didn't know whether or not I did," he replied. "My father bought a horse and I had to care for it. After I started lessons, I realized that it was fun." "To answer your question, Yes I like them."

"Well, they guys wanted to know if you would like to join us for lunch," she told him.

Robby couldn't believe his luck. Finally, after several weeks, someone finally approached him. The group wanted him to eat with them. He got up and took his tray and followed the girl over to the table.

"By the way, I'm Myra," the girl told Robby. "This is Wendy," she said, pointing at the girl with the dark brown hair. "The blond here, is Anne, the two guys are Daniel and Steven."

"Hello, guys," Robby said.

After the introductions, they finished eating and went back to class. Robby couldn't figure why they had approached him, but he was happy, never the less. He finally had some new friends, he hoped. He had told them, that he had riding lessons again after school, so he couldn't go with them to the ice cream shop. They were going to meet there after school. He hoped that this wouldn't make them mad.

Robby got off of the bus and walked up the now familiar driveway, to the stables. He didn't see Ed, so he went on into the stables and saddled his usual horse. He led the gelding out and saw Ed coming towards him.

"Robby, I've got a sick horse and I am waiting for the Vet to get here," Ed told him. "I can't go with you on the ride this evening. I think that you are good enough to handle the horse now, so why don't you ride by yourself."

Robby had always had Ed there with him on the rides and a kind of thrill went through him and he mounted and started out. It was just him and the horse now. The stables was on a huge tract of land and there was lots of room to ride. There was hills and valleys, but the trails were marked well. Robby was enjoying himself immensely. He wasn't scared of the horse any more. The gelding was a really gentle animal and had proved to be a good animal for a beginner.

Robby rounded a bend in the trail that he was following and the gelding suddenly got nervous. He crow hopped and pranced around. Robby could see nothing that would have scared the horse, but was having a time trying to hang on. The horse bolted off of the trail and through the woods. He was running really fast and Robby ducked and tried not to get thrown. He never saw the big limb that hit him in the head. Things were going by too fast. He was knocked from the saddle and the horse continued on down the trail. Robby lay there in the edge of the clearing, unconscious.

When he woke, Robby shook his head and propped himself up on his elbow. He felt his head with the other hand and winced as he hit a huge knot. His hand came away bloody. He realized what had happened. He had hit his head, when the horse went on the wild tear through the woods. Suddenly, Robby heard sticks cracking and out of the nearby woods, came five horses. They were a dapple gray, a chestnut, a palomino, a buckskin and a black. Robby stared in wonder as they took up places, in a circle around him.

He was inside a circle of horses! Never, had he seen or heard of horses acting this way and he started to get scared. What the hell, were they doing? The Black, stomped his foot and they started to close the circle. Robby quickly scrambled to his feet and looked for a way to get past them. Even as he looked the circle was closed and there was no way out. Robby was watching the Black, who seemed to be a kind of leader, when the Gray stepped in close and bit him.

Robby screamed with pain and fear. He tried to get away, but it had a grip on his shoulder. The horse bit so hard, that his shirt tore and the skin was broken. He pummeled the face of the Gray with his hands, trying to get it to let loose. As blood ran down his chest, it finally let go. They backed away then and Robby stood there in shock. It was almost as if they had planned this from the start! The horses were still there, standing off at the edge of the clearing, as if waiting for something. He wondered at this, as he held his bitten shoulder.

He felt a tingling under his fingers and the wound started to itch. Robby removed his hand and much to his surprise, there was gray hair growing from his shoulder, where he had been bitten. The wound, that had been there just seconds ago, was gone. Robby stared in wonder. The itching began to spread from his shoulder to the rest of his body. He stood there and scratched. He was getting uncomfortable now!

God, his jeans were getting too tight and there was a pain in his rear. The gray hair was spreading, even as he watched. Robby was too fascinated by what was happening to be scared. Strange new feelings were invading his body, as things changed. His jeans suddenly ripped, as the discomfort grew. Hid butt was getting huge and as he looked back, he saw more gray hair start to cover it and what was that back there that he could barely see. He felt an involuntary twitch and realized that he had a tail.

He was breathing hard. It seemed as though with every breath, his chest expanded and didn't come back. Stomach and chest expanded and his shirt tore and fell to the ground. Now, standing there naked, he saw that indeed, things were different. His fists clenched and the nails grew over the fists, forming hooves. His thighs and legs were undergoing their own change and Robby fell forward to his new hooves. He was still looking at the ground. His face and head started pushing towards the ground. At the same time, his neck stretched and got bigger and longer. His vision was really getting weird.!

A mass, that Robby knew was his face, was splitting his vision. His mouth and teeth got huge as his face moved outward. With an almost audible snap, the change completed and a new horse was born. Robby stood there trembling and tried to get used to his new situation. He saw that the other horses were still there and he had the urge to go to them. He started to take a step, but with four legs to coordinate now, he was having trouble. The others, with a final look back, quickly left, running back down the trail.

Robby whinnied pitifully. His herd mates were leaving and he couldn't yet follow. He tried again and almost fell. They were gone. He still had their scent in his nostrils, but was currently helpless to follow. He concentrated on learning to walk. After a while, he was more comfortable than before and tried a trot. Then he accelerated into an all out gallop. This was cool! He felt the wind blowing through the hair on his body. It was almost a sensual thing and he was enjoying it tremendously. He finally stopped, panting with the exertion and realized again, that he was a horse. This wasn't really too bad. His father was going to get more horse that he had bargained for.

Several days passed, and Robby saw people riding around the area. He knew that they were searching for him. He had time to think for the last few days and wondered what life as a horse was going to be like. He went back to the stream for a drink and looked into the pool. He was a good looking horse. He didn't know it yet, but he was a really pretty Dapple Gray stallion. As he looked in the pool at his reflection, he tried to remember what he had looked like as a human. He closed his eyes and formed a picture in his mind. He was surprised at the clarity of the picture that he formed.

As the picture was completed, he felt the strange feelings again and he was changing once more. Within minutes, Robby found that he was once more human. He went back to the place where he had changed the first time and gathered up the remains of his clothes. He was a ways away from the stables and he considered, once more becoming a horse. The run there would be much quicker. He felt that he could become a horse again anytime he wanted. It would be hard to find a place to change back near the stables and he need time to form a story about the condition he was in and where he had been for the last several days.

Life was truly going to be interesting now. He had so many questions to ask his new friends. That's right, he figured he knew who the other horses had been. He needed to know more about his situation. If he could change back and forth, then that meant that he was a werehorse. Would he change on the full moon? He was pretty sure that he could change any time he wanted. Robby also knew why the group never ate meat. The thought of this almost made him sick!

The stables were finally in sight and he hoped that they would believe his story. He saw that Ed had spotted him and was running out to meet him. Man, if he could get through the rest of this day, things would be OK. Robby longed to turn around and run, but he fought down the urge and went to face the music. He had to get to his herd. As everyone clamored on over the next several hours, Robby smiled. They thought it was because he had been hurt and was still dazed. He knew better. His herd waited!

End

Bluegrass Country copyright 1997 by Tekwolf.