Of Hooves and History

Hooved Encounters

Setting up camp felt weird. Any time you'd go camping, the process of setting up a site took place during the afternoon in preparation for the night that would follow. Here I was propping up a tent and arranging blocks of firewood as the rising sun's rays pierced through the trees. While most people would be stretching awake, eating breakfast, and rushing off to work, I had to get some proper sleep. The little nap offshore had helped, along with the pills, but it wasn't sufficient. I needed proper sleep if I was to do any exploring. I ate another granola bar and drank a bottle of juice. Canned soup or oatmeal would've been better, but I'd have to light a fire for that, and getting it up to temperature would take eons.

Three hours later, at the midpoint of daybreak and noon, I arose from my slumber, still groggy thanks to the calming birdsong in the trees up above and the lapping waves below. The sunlight was much stronger and knocked the senses back into me. I sat up, packed my food into a secure critter-proof container, and opened my bike bag.

While assembling my mountain bike, I began to formulate a plan. I didn't know whom these town inhabitants were, but figured they'd at least be friendly people courteous enough to provide some clue as to where things are. Boy, was I going to be proven wrong on one level.

I changed into a fresh clothing, slipped on some grippy sneakers, and stuffed a coin pouch, wallet, and my keychain into my pockets. Then I clicked on a helmet, hopped onto my bike, and pedaled through the trees in the direction of the town. My hair was a little messy, but a quick finger combing did the trick.

The forest felt familiar yet peculiar at the same time. Likely it was something I couldn't see, because all my eyes could focus on were noticing signs of human activity – footprints, rock formations, the like. Yet there wasn't any, which was odd given how the town was literally adjacent to the forest.

"Seriously, has no one ventured through these trees before?" I asked myself, swerving to avoid a squirrel and hopping over a log. "I guess they're too comfortable with urban life to enjoy nature on a higher level."

Despite my soreness from the crash, my legs and the bike's higher gears made mincemeat of the forest undergrowth, and by ten a.m., I made it out. The trees started being sparsely apart, and bumpy ground gave way to short grassland. The further I pedaled, the more scenic the landscape became. Butterflies danced amongst the grass as I ascended a hill. It felt like being in the English countryside, only abruptly cut off by the sea on the right.

My eyebrow twitched at the sight of a large building atop a larger hill. It was half-stone brick, half steel and glass, like a corporate business's headquarters. Next to the small town up ahead, it felt rather out of place. Now two things were driving me down the hill and towards the next one: I needed to know who and what was a need for such a humongous building next to a little town, and more importantly, where this town was. While the coastline stretched down far out of sight, this could still be a large island like the Dominican Republic or Cuba.

"I wonder if there's a nice restaurant to stop at before I can find..."

The words died in my mouth as I reached the top of the second hill. From up here, I could get a close look at the town and its inhabitants, walking about, entering and leaving stores, going about their day.

They weren't people. Instead, they were covered in soft, bright colored fur, had large, expressive eyes, and four hooves.

Not even one human could be seen.

"Are you sure you're not dreaming?" I asked myself sternly yet dumbly.

I pinched my cheek again until it hurt, then shook my head vigorously. Okay, I definitely woke up to reality in that tent. Taking out a scrap of paper and a pencil, I traced my route from the campsite and tried to figure out the coastline. I'd seen it at the start of my bike ride, but only briefly. If I was in a new world, I might as well try to map it before starting a history quest to discover how it came to be, and all the civilizations that existed throughout the past millennium. Such a prospect sounded very exciting, alongside needing to figure out why there were miniature, big-eyed, talking horses in a seaside town.