//------------------------------// // 2. What the hay? // Story: Orchestrated Chaos // by ReFro //------------------------------// A black tendril shot forward from the darkness, enveloping Chloe’s torso in its powerful grasp. Chloe screamed out to Gennie, trying desperately to grab her hand as the unknown assailant pulled her, kicking and flailing, out of the still falling vehicle. Gennie desperately grabbed out for her best friend, but it was too late. The tendril had pulled Chloe completely out of the vehicle and into the void.   ...et me go! Gennie, help! Her head snapped up, eyes shooting wide open. Her breathing was shallow and rapid. It felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest at any moment.  She winced, instantly closing her eyes from the blinding sunlight. She waited a few moments for her vision to acclimate to the light and to catch her breath. The sounds of birds singing and the wind blowing softly through the foliage could be heard as she recovered from the nightmare in her mind only to have to face the nightmare of reality.  No. Please no… Tentatively opening her eyes, and taking a quick survey of the area confirmed her fears as the blood drained from her face. She was in the same forest, with the same awkward colors, and no idea how in the world she had ended up here. Oh, and she still had hooves.         Closing her eyes and taking in deep, steady breaths, she was able to maintain her composure and not completely freak out like earlier. She let out a long sigh, forcing herself to open her eyes. She blinked a few times, still not quite used to the bright light.   Well... I this can't be a dream, since I’m still here. She looked to the ground in front of her and then to her forearms. The sensation was still very odd to her as she curiously moved her new hooves in circles on the grass. If my arms were replaced with these, ugh, hooves, do I really even want to know what the rest of my body looks like? It took a few minutes but curiosity got the better of her, as she turned her head around to get a good look at the rest of her new form. Her frame was small and thin, roughly the size of a small dog. She was completely naked, albeit covered in the same grey fur as her forearms. A small tail was protruding from the back of her body; dark grey with light grey highlights running throughout its length. She also had dark grey hair that was flowing down past her shoulders, it had the same grey highlights as her tail but she couldn't see much more of it without a mirror of some sort. After examining herself for a little while, she had determined that she was now in the body of a small horse-like creature, but why she was in this body and this strangely colored place was a whole different question altogether.         Alright, now is not the time to be freaking out. You need to think! You're in an unfamiliar place, in a strange body, everything looks like some badly colored art project, and- The pain emanating from her stomach caused her to wince as it twisted and gurgled. She hadn’t eaten since the bar and had no idea how long ago that actually was. Finding food was now a top priority. Squinting up at the sky, the sun was just past its zenith overhead, indicating that it was slightly past noon, and she had to try to get up and move before nightfall. That was easier said than done… Quickly pushing herself up with her front legs wasn't really the most well thought out of ideas. Her smooth hooves slid forward, trying desperately to find purchase on the grass. Her efforts were in vein as her chin smacked against the ground, hard. A cry of pain escaped her lips as she tasted blood in her mouth. Running her tongue against the inside of her bottom lip, trying to locate the source of the pain, she found a raw area that was now missing a small chunk of flesh. After holding her tongue there for a minute, easing the pain, she attempted to stand up again, but this time with a bit more caution in her movements. Spitting out the blood that had pooled in her mouth, she contemplated how to stand up without further injury. Okay, front right arm first, pull it back a bit then push down... The neural pathways in her brain started to reconfigure her motor function, piece by piece, to her new form, as she willed her body to move with her thoughts. Inch by painstaking inch, the front of her body began to rise off the ground. Now repeat the same process with the front left arm... A grin started making its way across her face as both of her forearms pushed her up and back until she was in an upright sitting position. Back legs, your turn! With more confidence now that her front legs seemed to obey her commands, she willed her back legs to move. They, however, had different plans. All she could get them to do was to twitch slightly as her grin faded into a frown. Why can’t I move my back legs? Are they injured? She didn't feel any pain coming from them, so that couldn't be it. Are they crippled? And if they are...how will I be able move from here? She slunk back down to the ground as she started to panic again, thinking about all the different possible scenarios of why her back legs didn’t work and what would become of her if she was stuck in this spot with no food and no water. I need to find food before I starve to death! The pain from her belly was ever there, pushing her—no forcing her. I have to get up, I have to move! I don’t want to die here! With a look of determination on her face, she got back into a sitting position. She smirked, and her tail swished on its own accord at how easy that was now as she thought about what to do next. Now if I can start rocking myself back and forth, maybe I can feel the muscles move in my back legs and try to focus on moving them myself. It took a few minutes to figure out how to correctly push her forearms to get a steady rocking motion going, but once she did, her thoughts were confirmed. The rocking was starting to pull her back legs up and down with her body, and she was able to feel the muscles in them expanding and contracting, all while memorizing the new feeling in her mind. Come on! I can do this...just a bit more...  Concentrating on the part of her brain that controlled her hind legs, a small grunt escaped from her mouth as she pushed with all her might on the next forward motion. She was now up on all fours, if only for a brief second. Pushing with all her strength might have been a bit overkill. Her hind hooves slid out, bucking backwards. On instinct she stuck out a hoof, stopping herself from face planting again, but she could not get her hind legs back into position quickly enough to keep her hind quarters from hitting the ground, leaving her legs splaying out behind her. At least I didn’t hit my chin again.  She rested for a moment, letting the pain subside. A rustling from a nearby bush caused her ears swivel, and she quickly looked over to the source of the noise. She did not to move or dare make a sound as she focused all of her attention on the bush and the immediate surrounding area, trying to determine what had disturbed it. What the hell just made that noise? She stared at the foliage, her ears swiveling subconsciously at the tiniest noise. Maybe it was just a bunny or a squirrel? But what if...does it want to eat me? Oh god, what if it DOES want to eat me!? A cold shiver went down her spine. Wait, are there even predators here? I should just wait a few more minutes before trying to leave...but where do I go? I don’t even know where I am! But I do need to look for- Chloe’s attention snapped from her thoughts as the bush rustled and a small, brown blur darted away from it. Just a small...something, nothing to worry about. Chloe exhaled, giving a sigh of relief, slumping back to the ground. She went to wipe away the small beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead and were now running into her eyes, only to hit herself with her hoof. She recoiled a bit from the shock and looked at her hoof in bewilderment before shaking her head. I’m an idiot. This time she used her forearm and not the headache-inducing hoof to wipe away the sweat. Spending the next ten minutes or so trying to get up on all fours, she had finally got the hang of using her hind legs well enough to be able to stand on them without falling over. Now that she was upright, walking was next on the list of mundane things she had yet to master in this new body of hers. How do dogs, cats and other quadrupeds walk? Mulling this over in her head for a while, she took a shaky step forward with her left forearm while moving her right hind leg at the same time. Setting them both down at the same time as a smile crept across her face. I took a step! Or is that two steps, since I moved two legs…? Gah, focus! Putting all her weight on the legs she just moved, she repeated the same process but with the opposite legs this time. Chloe started walking slowly, step by step, in a wide circle as her confidence grew. Her legs were no longer shaking as she started moving with more grace and poise. Soon she was able to trot without much thought. I can move! Oh yeah! Now I really need to find some food. I have already wasted a lot of energy today. She looked around, deciding on what to do. There were trees in every direction with a few scattered bushes and other shrubbery. What way, what way? Oh why didn’t I ever join the Girl Scouts like my Mom wanted me to all those years ago... Mom...Dad... A tear started to form as she thought about her parents. Will I ever see them again? What about Gennie? Was she in this place too? I need to find her right away! “Hafoiy!” She quickly put a hoof over her mouth. What was that?! “Hafoiy!” she cried out a second time. “HAFOIY!” What the hell is wrong with my voice!? Moving her tongue around her mouth, it became apparent that it was much longer and the roof of her mouth didn’t have the same shape as she remembered it having as a human. She stuck out her tongue out as far as it would go. It ran up and past her nose, almost waving back at her as she watched it twitch back and forth. Holy crap! My tongue is huge! Her eyes went cross trying to get a better look at it. This has got to be why I can’t... Suddenly it all clicked. Oh that’s just lovely. Just another thing I’m going to have to relearn... Her stomach grumbled again. Oh shut up, you! I’m looking! Gotta find food, and then I’ll search for Gennie. So what do horses eat, let’s see... hay, oats, berries, grass... Ugh, I don’t think I’m going to be finding any hay or oats in the forest and grass...Yuck! I’m not going to eat grass! Berries are alright and there are a few bushes around here. Guess I’ll head east since there seems to be more bushes that way... Chloe headed away from the sun that was now three-fourths its way down in the sky, checking every bush that she came across for any signs of something to eat. After checking thirty or so she was beginning to lose faith that she would find any sort of food. Another hour of walking and hunting, the trees had begun to get farther and farther apart, and it wasn't long before she heard a constant, dull roar in the distance. A river! She picked up her pace to a full out sprint, not bothering to look for food anymore at the thought of finally being able to get a drink was the only thing that dominated her mind. She had not realized how thirsty she actually was until she’d heard the sweet sound of flowing water.   The dull roar steadily increased in volume as she neared the source. It was a wide, fast flowing river, but all she could think about was drinking that precious water. She galloped to the edge of the water, pushing away the vegetation that was growing along the side and plunged her muzzle into the cool, refreshing water; gulping down as much as she could before coming up for air. Best. Water. Ever! With her stomach full, she laid down on the grass, panting a bit to catch her breath and to rest her hooves. The water somewhat helped to lessen her hunger pains as she looked across the river. There was open grassland on the other side, but she couldn't tell what was beyond since it was becoming dark outside as the sun slowly faded into the horizon. I wonder if there is a way to safely get across this river? She got up and started heading south, following the river, in hopes of finding a safe place to cross. The river twisted and looped back onto itself several times before widening. The water was much calmer here, and she noticed that it was not very deep at this point, but still at least 30 feet wide. She stepped in and tested the strength and depth of the water. After a few steps in, the water was only up to her knees and it wasn’t pushing her very hard, so she kept going, slowly making her way across, trying to avoid any slippery rocks or anything else that may be below. She was just about halfway to the other shore and the water was now up to her neck. It was getting harder to keep her balance, and the water was trying to push her over. Should I turn around or keep going? She stopped, looking back before making her decision. She took another step forward, reaching the halfway point. She put her hoof down and it landed on a slimy rock, causing her to slip, and throwing her off balance. The water swept her other legs out from under her as she plunged into the cold water. Panicking, she flailed her legs, trying to right herself and get her head above the waterline. Still struggling after a minute, her lungs started burning from the lack of oxygen as she exhaled her last breath of air. Well, this is it, Chloe. This is how you go, drowning in a river, in some strange place, and in the body of, whatever I am... She stopped struggling, letting the water take ahold of her. Not being able to keep her mouth closed anymore, she gasped for air but there was only water. Mom, Dad. I love you.