The Forest
It was just nearing dark and Bluesky was trotting through the forest. Her hooves hit the soft ground with barely any sound as she was a master hunter. A master hunter of the Centaurs. She was no longer with her family and she had to manage by her own. Her herd had cast her aside when she had protected a young human boy. She had truly felt for him and did indeed try to save him, but in the end the herd leader har killed the boy. Bluesky had to leave. She was no longer welcome.
"I do not need them," she muttered as she slowed down.
She had been well trained as a Centaur warrior. Her weapon of choice was the bow with the arrow. She was a huntress, and a great one at that. She had defeated many enemies before, until she understood what useless killing it was. She was good at heart.
She listened to the waterfall nearby and she decided that she needed a well deserved bath after many days of traveling. She reached the pool the water fell into and she tilted her head. It was almost magical.
She could see the soft sparkling lights just above the water. She could hear the quiet wildlife. She looked up. She was right. It was almost a full moon and soon she could transform fully into a human.
She stepped into the pool and let the water soak her, up to her human stomach. She washed herself and let her hands through her blue and silver hair.
It had not been an easy day. She had gone without food. She had eaten the last piece of cheese in the morning. She sighed. She needed to hunt. To find food.
When she was done with her bath, she stepped out of the water and retrieved her weapons. She made sure to save some of the fresh water for later and tucked it away over her shoulder so it hung by her side.
She started walking again. Bow at hand and ready to be used. The arrow was pointing out in front of her in case of a threat. She grew more and more tired and she had to lie down underneath a tree. She fell asleep for only a moment and when she opened her eyes again, it was morning.
Her hunt continued and she could feel that she was weary. The sound of a twig breaking near, made her alert and she looked quickly around.
An arrow came her way and graced her left side and she screamed out in pain. Never in her life had she ever taken a hit.
The sounds of running steps made her run in turn. Her gallop was not fast enough as the human gained on her.
Blood was seeping out of the wound and it was hard to keep up her pace and she slowed. She collapsed and her four legs lied underneath her as she held a hand to her side over the wound.
She was aware of the human that was coming closer, but she could not do a thing. The wound was worse than expected and the arrow must have had a spell on it. Bushes behind her rustled and she barely looked when she saw a pair of human legs in front of her view. She lifted her head and gasped.
In front of her stood a beautiful man. An archer at that. His black hair had fallen in his eyes and he attempted to move it out of the way. She was met with piercing green eyes. His tanned skin from the sun would come from many days of being outside. His expression was hard, but upon meeting her sky blue eyes, his eyes softened.
“I deeply apologize,” the man said.
“Did you not hunt me?” Bluesky asked and narrowed her eyes.
“I was chasing a deer and when I fired my arrow it jumped out of the way, in turn hitting you,” he explained.
“You are not the first to shoot a Centaur,” Bluesky said and rolled her eyes.
The man looked towards her side and frowned. “Please let me look at it,” he said and crouched down to her level.
“It was a spell on the arrow,” Bluesky stated.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“These are dangerous times.”
“So it is,” Bluesky agreed and hissed in pain as he pressed a cloth against her wound.
“Tell me,” he started. “Why are you bare?”
“What do you mean?” She frowned and did not like what he was implying.
“You do not wear clothing,” he stated.
“No. Most of us live with the nature. Some of the warriors got armor,” Bluesky explained. No idea why she was telling this stranger so much.
He wrapped a cloth around her and poured some liquid over the wound. “This will heal it,” he said softly. He stood again and held a hand out for her. She took it and felt all her four legs become a little unstable. He hurried to support her and she smiled gratefully at him. “So what does a Centaur do away from her herd?” he suddenly asked.
Bluesky stiffened. “I tried to save a human boy, therefore I had to leave,” she said and felt her eyes water.
“I’m sorry.” He was not sure of what else to say.
“It’s alright, I live. I am a great huntress after all, but today it seems I have been without luck.”
“Then may I offer you some of my food? I have enough and it is the least I can do after hurting you.”
“But you are human, why would you want to help me?” Bluesky asked confused.
He chuckled and handed her an apple. “Why would I not? I live out here. I love the forest. I help those who need it.”
“Quite the hero, aren’t you?” Bluesky asked with humor clear in her tone.
He shrugged and tilted his head backwards. “I don’t see myself as the hero of this forest. I simply like to help. One day I might find my soulmate,” he said softly.
Bluesky’s heart wept. Never had she met such a human. Or a male for that sake. Her heart sung for him and she wanted to reach out to him, however she was afraid that he would reject her.
“Will you let me stay with you for this night?” he suddenly asked.
Startled Bluesky backed away and nearly lost her footing. Today she would transform. She had not expected anyone to be present. She looked another way and her blush did not only show on her face.
“Did I say something wrong?”
“N-no. It’s just that…” she trailed off. Could she really tell him? She trusted him. He had already helped her a lot. “Today is a full moon. Centaurs can turn into a full human form on a full moon and also choose to stay human until the next full moon, however, then he or she has to turn back to a Centaur again before choosing which form he or she will stay in for the next month,” she explained and hugged herself.
“Is that so wrong?” the archer asked.
“I will choose to stay human, but I will be without clothing. I will choose to live as a lone maiden in this forest.”
The archer cupped her face and she met his eyes. He stared at her for a long time before he pulled her closer. “I shall be yours if you will be mine,” he whispered.
Night fell and Bluesky could not help but think over what the archer had told her. He was out gathering wood for a fire when the moon lit up the sky above her. She closed her eyes and felt her body tingle. It was time. It did not hurt as a part of her disappeared; only a tingling sensation could be felt over her body. When it was gone, she opened her eyes and looked down on herself. She was still tall as when she was in her Centaur form. She had long pale legs and a part she was not familiar with. However, her upper part stayed the same.
She felt colder than she had and she hugged herself while goosebumps became quite visible on her skin. She was human. She was no longer part horse with a higher body temperature. For now she was human Bluesky.
Suddenly she felt something warm wrap around her and startled she opened her eyes just to meet with the archer. He was wrapping a cape around her. It was warm and it smelled of him.
“A beauty you still are,” he said and smiled.
“Did you get the firewood?” Bluesky asked.
The archer nodded in return and led her to the fire. Yet another surprise was showed to her. A human dress laid out for her. He motioned for her to put it on and she shook her head. He stared at her with confusion.
“You said you will be mine if I will be yours.” The archer nodded and Bluesky led him to sit by her side. “Then I want to be one with you. I might not know this body as well as my Centaur one, but I want to experience the magic of being a human and share love.”
The archer chuckled and pulled her closer. “Silly you,” he whispered and pressed his lips against hers. When they pulled apart, he listened to their heartbeats. “Never have I known much love, but I can already tell that what I feel for you is strong. I promise to love you as much as I can, but at the same time I hope you will be patient with me. I am neither much experienced.”
They laughed together under the sparkling stars and the shining moon, and with passion they made love. When morning came, Bluesky dressed herself in the dress her lover had brought. Then she lied down beside him and fell asleep once more.
Bluesky and her archer found happiness and love with each other and they lived in the forest for all of their remaining life. They had children who grew up to cherish love and the nature they lived in and they brought that to their own soulmates.
When the time came, Bluesky and her archer died in each other’s arms, peacefully.
