The Centaur and Me

~1~

"Kira! Wait up, I can't run so fast!' I called after my friend. A thick trail of dust was picking up, not helping, I heard her laughing ahead and I jogged on, huffing and out of breath. Suddenly, I felt a cool breeze on my face and I stopped. It was obvious that I would never catch up to her.

'You win, I give up!' I yelled and fell to the dusty, hard, ground.

I lay there, tired and exhausted. The dust was beginning to clear and as it did, I saw something coming towards me. I sighed in defeat and smiled to myself.

Four hooves  were stood in front of me. Above me, a beautiful centaur stood with her hands on her hips.

'Kira, I've only got two legs, how on earth do you expect me to keep up?' I said breathlessly. Kira laughed and bent down, her face a little closer to mine. Her long blonde hair swept past her face and dangled there. Closing her eyes, she smiled at me and with a flick of her tail, she used her left hoof to nudge me up.

'Alright Two Legs! Maybe I am at a slight advantage, but if you get up, we'll call it a truce and I'll give you a ride back,' she said, kneeling down on her front two legs. She reached out a hand, which I took before pulling myself to my feet and got onto my best friend's back. She stood up straight and pounded her hoof on the ground, before rearing up on her hind legs and taking off. She galloped fast, passing through the slightly rain deprived hills, into the mossy, damp forest.

Kira's hooves were beating into the softer ground. I looked at her, admiring her beauty. Kira was one of the prettiest mares of our herd. From the waist down, she had a spotless and glossy white coat. Her tail, blonde like her hair, was braided, woven with pastel coloured threads. From the waist up, she was petite with a soft, kind face. She always wore a lace tunic which cropped off just above her navel and she wore a belt around where her human's half met her horse's torso.

I'd often wondered what it would be like to be a centaur. Wondered what kind of coat I'd have, how fast I would be able to run. I'd have answers if it weren't for my Mother.

She'd been human, but my Father was a centaur, one of the finest stallions. I had always questioned why I had been born human, it just didn't make sense to me. I'd always wished to have been born a centaur, born normal. Many of the herd would steal strange looks in my direction, regardless of how discreet they thought they were being, it always made me feel as though I were something repulsive stuck to the bottom of their hooves.

When we arrived back to the village, it was busy and bustling. Located just out of a clearing in the forest, our village was one of the main centaur territories. Dotted around were brick and mortar huts, homes for the herd. There was a large fire pit off to the left where numerous events and council meetings took place. There were of course other necessities such as a blacksmith, an archery field, a few local market stalls which were housed in stable-like structures.

Kira slowed to a trot as we approached the village, eventually coming to a halt. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed another centaur cantering over to us. I turned and smiled politely as he came to a standstill beside us.

'Rio,' I nodded. He bowed to me, returning my greeting.

'Sayuri, welcome back! Kira,'

'Brother,' Kira greeted.

Like Kira, Rio's lower half was a glossy white coat, only he had grey speckles in his fur. From the waist up, he was well-built and lean, wearing a brown leather vest. His face wasn't as soft as Kira's but he still shared her kind eyes. His hair was a dirty blonde colour and was a bundle of shaggy curls. 

Kira looked her brother up and down, with a raised eyebrow. Rio followed his sister's gaze, looking down at his legs which were covered in mud and gunk just below his knees.

'Hunting,' he laughed, shuffling his hooves nervously, stomping them a bit to try and get off some of the mud. 'I'm gonna clean up after this,'

'Oh Rio,' Kira sighed. Rio ran his fingers through his hair anxiously.

'Sayuri, your Father sent me ahead to let you know that he's expecting you back soon,' Rio said in a tone which I found a bit off. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

'Always is,' I mumbled. I was about to swing my legs over Kira's back and jump off when Rio stopped me.

'It's muddy here, not worth jumping down, Kira will take you back,' he smiled. I looked at him. Kira started moving before I could argue.

'See you brother, and make sure you get cleaned up!' She told him, waving him away. I gave an awkward wave goodbye to Rio as Kira began trotting again.

'Don't mind him, he just likes you,' Kira said once he was out of earshot. She had obviously noticed my awkwardness from the interaction.

'He does?' I asked. She laughed, not giving my question a proper answer. As we approached the large hut that was my home, Kira came to a halt and knelt down. I slid off her back and gave her a hug. My friend rose up to her normal height and bid me farewell. I found myself watching her trot off, waving to other members of the herd on her way.

I turned to face the hut. A couple centaur guards stood at the main doorway. The bowed their heads as I passed them, but didn't utter a word to me. I took a deep breath as I went inside.

'Father, I'm back!' I called into the main room.