Splotch by TempleOfHephaestus

[vended]

Not mine, but the autor disappeared from the internet.

Splotch
by TempleOfHephaestus

Courtney leant against the window of the bus, eyes heavy. It was such a long journey. She hoped it would be worth it, though.

It had been so long since she'd seen her aunt and uncle. In her youth, she'd spent a lot of time with them, to the point where she regarded them in the say way she regarded her own parents. But Courtney moved to the city when she was eleven, and she saw them a lot less. That was also when things got tough for her. She felt like an outcast in her new school, finding it difficult to make new friends. She knew why, too; she had an unusual birthmark over her left eye, almost like a splotch you might see on a furred animal. She was an attractive girl, long-black hair and an athletic figure, but the mark had unfairly condemned her to being an outcast among her peers.

Courtney felt alienated. Now eighteen, a surprise trip to the country to see her aunt and uncle was exactly the kind of thing she needed to get her life back on track.

She arrived at the farm wearing only the clothes on her back. She was sick of stressing over wearing something nice, only for her peers to reject her regardless. Climbing off the bus, the smell of the fresh country air filled her nostrils, a welcome throwback to her youth.

She wandered down the winding path to the grand farmhouse, and knocked on the old oak door. Smiling, she rocked back and forth on her heels, ready to surprise her aunt and uncle.

"Hello?" A bespectacled woman said, opening the door.

"Um, who are you?" Courtney asked.

"My name's Sandra. You haven't come looking for Jim and Vanessa, have you?"

"Yes, I'm their niece, you see. I thought I'd surprise them." Courtney was embarrassed.

"I'm afraid they're holidaying for the summer. I've rented the farm out for a research project I'm conducting."

"Oh. I'm sorry for bothering you, then. I'll be on my way."

Courtney turned and began to walk away. She had come all this way for nothing!

"Wait, wait a second," Sandra said, opening the door further. "You look tired. Feel free to stay the night. This is a family residence of yours, after all."

***

Courtney sat at the table drinking a fresh lemonade. It was definitely what she needed after that hot bus journey. She was beginning to regret not taking a change of clothes.

"So, what brings you here for the summer?"

"Well, I just wanted to spend some time here, I guess. Summers aren't great for me." Courtney laughed awkwardly.

"A girl your age? Why ever not?" Sandra asked with compassion. "Do you not have plans with your friends?"

Courtney's awkward laugh grew harder. "Uh, not really. I'll be honest, I don't have many friends. School was kind of tough for me."

Sandra looked at her with concern, but Courtney simply pointed to the birthmark over her eye.

"I see," Sandra said. "That must have been hard."

"You know, it's okay, I mean, it's just bad luck I was born this way, right?" Courtney said. "You're born the way you're born. There's not much I can do."

Sandra was taken aback. She felt so sorry for this poor young girl. It was with that that she decided to offer Courtney some help.

"Listen, Courtney, the reason I'm looking after the farm this summer is because I'm conducting some experiments. I'm a geneticist, you see. I recently won something called the Nobel Prize, have you heard of it?"

"Sure, I've heard of it! The Nobel Prize? Wow!"

"Oh, you're interested in science?"

"Sure I am!" Courtney seemed genuinely excited. "I was actually thinking about majoring in biology. I don't know if that's the field of science you occupy..."

"It's not unrelated," Sandra replied. "Being involved in such a major experiment would like great on a resume, or college application."

"You mean, you'd like my help?" Courtney's eyes were wide with anticipation.

"Sure, if you'd like to spend your summer doing something quite special."

"Absolutely!" Courtney leapt up from her seat, almost spilling her drink. "Doing what, exactly?"

"I was awarded the prize for some groundbreaking genetic studies which enabled me to transform one breed of a species into another. I'd like to take it one step further."

"Oh, gosh!" Courtney replied. "How can I help?"

"Well, and I must stress that you are free to reject this outright; we've most recently been working on a process that will turn one species into another, rather than breeds within species. We are looking to test a formula which will turn a human into a Palamino horse. Ostensibly, that might seem a little odd, but it is the process we're interested in. If we can pull this off, we should be able to transform any species of mammal into another."

"Turn me into a horse? You're kidding, right?"

"Like I said, it would be a big thing for a girl your age. I just thought you might like the experience. I can promise you it would be amazing, unlike any human being has ever known."

"How long for? Forever?" Courtney asked.

"No, no," Sandra laughed. "I will only be administering a limited course, which would probably see you through until not long after the summer is out. You could just turn back independently, but I'll be ensuring you're back to being a girl before your aunt and uncle return. Returning you back to human form is just as much a part of the experiment as making you an animal."

Courtney had to have some time to think about it. She decided to stay the night and sleep on it. During the night, the fresh summer air drifted in through the open window. She could hear the horses playing on the fields outside.

She crept out of bed and leant against the wooden frame, curtains wafting in the breeze. This evening alone had been better than any in the city. What would it be like to spend the summer here? As one of them... an animal? It would be a life-changing experience, that's for sure. And she'd be working with a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, on an experiment that was potentially game-changing for humanity. And it would look great on her resume, to say the least.

The next morning, she came down to breakfast with a broad smile on her face.

"Why the heck not?"

***

The transformation process was simple. A series of injections taken across seven days. Courtney hated the sight of the needles, but she learnt to just close her eyes and bear the pain.

"So, what will it feel like?" Courtney asked.

"We're not really sure. That's where you come in, really."

Courtney rubbed the needle puncture on her upper arm. It was a little sore, but she didn't feel like she was about to start neighing, yet. Courtney's excitement continued to be underpinned by lingering concerns. She certainly couldn't say she wasn't scared, even in such capable hands.

"Uh, Sandra? Is there any chance I'll... lose my mind? Will I lose my human memories?"

"Not with your specific course of treatment. Although, again, it's hard to say how much you'll be affected. You're the first human test subject. But from what we know, mental changes will likely be limited to certain instinctual drives."

"What about mating?" Courtney asked, spluttering slightly on the last word, surprised to hear it come from her mouth. "I don't want to have... relations with a horse."

"No," Sandra reassured the young woman. "That's absolutely out of the question. Your safety and comfort is paramount in this process. Besides obvious ethical considerations, we've found that in non-human transformations, mating as the new species often locks the genetic changes in place. We're not sure why. But, in essence, mating would make you a horse for good. I assume you wouldn't want that."

Courtney shook her head. This was all suddenly sounding a little scary. Was she in over her head?

Courtney had little time to contemplate the situation, as the changes came rapidly. On the second day of her injections, Courtney found find light hair in places across her body as she showered. It seemed to be centering from between her legs, but was definitely of a different shape and texture to normal human hair. This was horse fur, all right. Climbing out of the shower, Courtney also noticed that other parts of her felt off- her mouth felt strange, her stomach was upset. It was an uncomfortable start, but Sandra assured her these were signs the formula was working.

As Courtney lay in bed that evening, she found herself writhing in confusion as a long tail grew from out above her backside, soft and silky. Given how the fur had started, Courtney had not at all expected such a sudden and rapid growth to occur. And yet, lying naked on crumpled sheets, Courtney watched as the thick hairs grew out from above her rear, splayed out on the bed. Tentatively climbing out of bed, Courtney padded over to the full-length mirror to examine her new appendage. Yep, there was no going back now. Patches of fur, and a tail. She was going to be a horse, all right. Misgivings aside, it was quite an exciting image. Could she move the tail? With little mental effort, Courtney flicked the tail above her pert behind.

"Amazing", she whispered aloud, smile across her face.

The next morning, Sandra would clap her hands in delight as Courtney came down for breakfast with a tail draped over the back of her long legs. "You're looking wonderful", Sandra said, placing a hand on Courtney's back. "You're going to make a beautiful mare."

The next day, it was her face that was affected. Courtney's teeth came loose as she brushed them. The feeling was awful, like that one nightmare she always had, and she spent some time thereafter spitting out the gooey, bloody pulp, but it was a surprisingly painless process. Sandra assured her that new teeth, better suited to the equine diet, would take their place. Her lower jaw felt unusual, swollen and numb, and Courtney initially dismissed this as being a byproduct of teething. However, looking in the mirror, it was clear to see her whole face was changing shape in some way. Courtney had realised that little trace of her human body would be retained in this transformation, but looking in the mirror and seeing her face like this still felt so odd.

From there, her ears extended, poking out from her hair, and were further up each morning that she examined them. Further still, Courtney's hands were growing swollen and unwieldy, and seemed to be fusing at the base of each finger. That evening, as she sat down for dinner, Courtney found herself unable to pick up her knife-and-fork. She'd been having trouble since the morning before. Letting out a little whimper, Sandra rubbed the girl's neck and whispered reassurances to her. She'd be eating from a trough from there on in. It was becoming difficult for Courtney to undertake such basic tasks. Bathing was not exempt, and Sandra had to help out in the bathroom, too. It was incredibly embarrassing to have Sandra, a woman she barely knew, tend to her in the bathroom. But then again she was completely naked, covered in patches of fur, and bearing a strong facial resemblance to a horse. "Don't feel uncomfortable," Sandra said, rubbing Courtney's smooth flank with a cloth. "You're an animal now, and it's my duty to care for you."

Days on, and Courtney was now covered head-to-toe in a fine coat of fur. Amusingly, the fur was discoloured where her birthmark was, leaving a distinctive splotch over her eye. Courtney was embarrassed, but Sandra thought it was adorable. Her body was still that of a biped, but Courtney walked on two, semi-hoofed feet with some difficulty, her rear increasingly enlarged and her chest already beginning to barrel into that of an equine. Her breasts were all but gone. Soon, it would make more sense to walk on all fours. Being made to lose clothing was a tough ask; for someone so self-conscious, walking around in the nude was kind of a big deal. But she was an animal now, and it was impractical to suffocate her flesh in such a way. Sandra playfully scolded Courtney for wearing underwear one morning. The young woman reluctantly removed the garment, but not without difficulty.

"Look at you," Sandra laughed, peeling the underwear from Courtney's wide hips. "Horses don't wear panties, Courtney."

Uncomfortable? Sure, but not quite as uncomfortable as Courtney had feared. Sandra was right - Courtney was an animal now, and she had to shed such human modesties.

Courtney's neck had already extended to the point that she ate comfortably from the trough, which was strange at first, but the taste of the fresh vegetables quickly took Courtney's mind off the circumstances. She had been spending much of her days relaxing in the sun, reading a book and soaking up the changes as they happened, but she was now having to spend more time in the shade, and her mind also struggled to focus on the literature. Horses struggle with Dostoevsky, evidently.

By the fifth day, Sandra advised Courtney to move out to the stalls with the other horses. Courtney was reluctant, but it made sense. She was led by halter ("You're better getting used to this now than later," Sandra reasoned) into the stables where the other horses spent their evenings. She was overwhelmed by the smell of the place, and also felt slightly unusual at the sight of the "regular" horses poking their heads over their respective doors. Quickly, her human mind snapped back into place. But for how long would she have the ability to respond in such a way? Was she going to lose her mind? Courtney couldn't quite believe she was spending her summer as a horse.

One afternoon, as Courtney lapped up water with her thick tongue, she lost balance and fell forwards, finally becoming a quadruped. Courtney shouted for help, but it just came out as a whinny - she hadn't seen Sandra all day, and hadn't felt the need to speak. Sometime in the morning, she'd lost her voice, apparently.

By the time Sandra came out to help Courtney, she found herself in the company of a Palamino mare. She was underweight, sure, and a little off-looking, but those kinks would be working out by the evening, Sandra reckoned.

"My word! It's worked perfectly!" Sandra was delighted.

Sandra spent the next few days recording her findings, confident more academic accolades were coming her way. Courtney, meanwhile, was living the life of a horse.

She liked the lack of responsibility, the simplicity of life. Being fed, being cleaned, being directed when to sleep. She spent much of her time doing as she had been doing as a girl, relaxing outdoors. Her mind was still adapted to her new body, though. One area of discomfort was sexual - she increasingly found herself seeking release. With her skeletal structure not conducive to such a thing, thoughts of boys were frequently on her mind, as ridiculous as such a situation would be. Sandra was keeping Courtney separate to the other horses, so as to prevent any "unfortunate incidents". However horny Courtney was, she did not want to be a horse forever. As much as she was enjoying this amazing experience, it was mainly serving to remind her how wonderful life was at its most simplistic. Courtney was thinking about all the fantastic things she could do, how this situation had proved that any limitations we see in our lives are just a matter of perception. She'd never felt so optimistic in her life. A week went by, and Courtney continued to enjoy herself. Sandra allowed Courtney to spend some time with the other females, confident that no breeding could occur. Courtney joined the others with some trepidation, unsure how to act around other members of her new species, but there were no problems. The other mares happily accepted Courtney, completely oblivious to her "true" species. She had been instantly accepted. For the first time in her life, she was just part of the herd.

Sandra was so delighted with how things had gone that she decided to return to HQ to deliver the recorded results.

"I'll only be gone a couple of days, you'll be fine on your own," Sandra said to Courtney, stroking her flank. "I've left enough provisions for the herd."

Courtney whinnied in agreement. She didn't really like the thought of being left alone, but things had been fine so far. What's a couple of days in horse time?

It turned out to be a while. Courtney could swear that she still had a concept of time, but by her count, Sandra had been gone more than a few days. Weeks, even. Thankfully, there was plenty to eat and a creek to draw water from, but Courtney was concerned. Was she losing her human mind? Had it really only been a day or two? There was little for Courtney to do except mill around with the other females, the males separated by spiked wire fencing. The other mares were getting worked up, and Courtney instinctively understood they wanted to be back with the males. Courtney couldn't blame them. She was having thoughts - not quite human-style visual fantasies, but vaguer, darker impulses - of the males. She wanted a stud. At first the thought sickened Courtney - "I'm a girl, I'm a human girl..." - but the thoughts were impossible to keep at bay. Her cognitive faculties were being impaired. Sandra couldn't get back soon enough.

Eventually, a car pulled up.

But it wasn't Sandra. It was her aunt and uncle. Courtney couldn't understand. How were they back so soon? Had they returned early? There was little she could do, though, for the time being. Her aunt and uncle spent much of the evening indoors before finally coming out to greet the horses.

"Look at this, Jimmy," her aunt said, approaching Courtney. "Look at this pretty mare. Where did it come from? The doctor?"

"Unlikely. The doctor said everything would be back as it was. Ah, wait a minute," her uncle said, examining Courtney, lifting up her tail in a way that made her a tad uncomfortable. "Pete Moore from up county way owes me money. He must have paid me back with a new mare."

"She's so pretty. I love that patch on her eye," her aunt said.

"Sure, she's pretty. She'll fetch a good price as a breeder."

Breeder?! Courtney was terrified. Courtney had been told by Sandra that pregnancy would make the changes permanent. She didn't want to be bred!

"It's such a shame about the doctor," her aunt said. "To lose such a great mind, in a car accident of all things. The last I heard they don't think she'll ever wake up."

Courtney began to freak out. While careful not to injure her aunt and uncle, she had to try and get through to them somehow. "I'm not a horse, I'm a girl!"

"Whoa! She's got a temper," her uncle said, trying to temper the flailing mare.

"You know who she reminds me of? Little Courtney. She always had a temper. And that splotch over her eye," her aunt said wistfully.

"Let's call her that, then," her uncle said, calming Courtney down. "Courtney you'll be."

***

There was little Courtney could do. Life returned to what it had been with Sandra - evenings in the stalls, days in the field - but without that level of comfort Courtney had knowing Sandra was in control. To her aunt and uncle, Courtney was just another animal, and she struggled to find a method of conveying this. She would stamp and yell, but it would only intimidate her aunt and anger her uncle, and Courtney couldn't take a punishment. But from what little pertinent information Courtney could retain about her situation, it was that eventually, she would have to turn back into a girl. Sandra had said the treatment was temporary, and sooner or later, she would have to turn back, right? Before the end of the summer, she would have to lose the fur, the hooves, the tail. She'd be a girl. Provided she could just hang on until the end of the summer, she'd be a girl again. Her uncle didn't seem to be trying to breed her, either - everything would be all right. She soon relented in her protests, and was treated favourably. Her uncle valued her highly, from what she could gather.

But later that month, Courtney was loaded onto a truck and driven out into town. It was an auction, and Courtney was sold like the livestock she was. Courtney was struggling to understand English, but it seemed as though she'd gone to a breeder. Courtney knew what this meant.

Courtney's new residences were similar to her uncle's farm. The merits of equine life remained constant. The simplicity and the kinship with the other animals. But as time went on, her human consciousness began to weaken significantly. She tried to fight against it. "I'm not a horse, I'm a girl. I'm a girl!" It could only be a matter of weeks before the treatment wore off.

Courtney's sex drive had been driving her crazy, and the breeders knew it. They knew Courtney wanted a mate, and she knew she wanted it too. "I just have to hold on," she told herself, the scent of the studs affecting her in a deeply unsettling way.

Eventually, after what seemed like a lifetime, Courtney felt as though the treatment could be wearing off. The changes had concluded with modification of her skeletal structure, and it felt as though those changes were being undone. Walking felt uncomfortable, and she spent periods of the day sitting. She could also swear that that strange feeling in her skin was returning. Was her fur receding? Was she going to be able to walk on two legs again? It was almost over! If the return to humanity was anything like the transformation to horse, it would take mere days, a week, tops. It was only a matter of time!

But it proved too much. As Courtney looked down at her foreleg, certain she was changing again, the gate to her enclosure swung open. She was to be bred, today. A stallion was being led into the enclosure. She couldn't do this, could she? She was a girl, not a horse. She wasn't losing her virginity to a beast. She had to fight it. But her animal instincts were so strong, so clear. But this would be the end. She could be a girl in a week, maybe! She was so close to returning to human life! But her attraction to the creature was so base, so profoundly chemical, that all forms of rationality were completely absent from her mind. For the first time, she had been let close to a male. And she wouldn't be able to resist the urge.

Within minutes, Courtney relented. It was with a mixture of delight and shame that she became a breeder horse. And, of course, she was pregnant. Courtney knew what this meant - she would be a horse for the rest of her life. But with the ecstasy of the moment came further changes - Courtney's mind was slipping completely, and she could feel it. By relenting to this desire, she'd condemned herself to this life.

Indeed, all mental resistance was an exercise in futility. With time, Courtney's mind adapted to that of an animal. She still had a consciousness of her past, of who she was and how she came to be this way, but it meant little in the simple life of an animal. It was a vague, senseless thing, that meant little to her outside abstract images and memories. A place, a person, a time - but never a feeling. Courtney was a horse in mind and body.

The breeder who purchased her was delighted, though. Courtney was the first in a long line of extremely popular, luxury-breed horses, distinctive by a splotch over their left eye.