Shifting Hearts

Chapter 1 - Riders and Wolves and The Ranch

The herd was crossing into the danger zone and all of us were getting nervous. This was my first crossing and I was especially jumpy. Being around humans was something I only remember happening once, and no good had come from it.

I'm Eli. I don't remember any of my life except for the past couple of months. Also, I am the world's one and only Horse Shifter. And I don't even know how it happened.

During the very beginning of spring, I woke up as something nudged me and I opened my eyes to a big paint horse snuffling at me. It was then that I noticed I was a horse, too. I didn't remember not being one, but I knew I wasn't like the other horses. But I went with the paint horse, whose name was Skipper, and joined his herd.

Now, you might be wondering how I found out that I was a shifter. It was that one time I met a human. I saw the men riding across the plain while the herd was sheltered in a patch of trees. I don't know exactly what happened, but I felt a familiar pull and next thing I knew I was standing on two legs and didn't have a fur coat anymore.

I soon learned to control it and shifted back, which is how I've stayed since then. Being a horse was simple. I may not have memories of being a human, but I could feel how much more difficult life was as a human.

People were cruel and cunning. They were devious and selfish. Horses' lives were simple. Survive. And they depended on each other to do that.

So that's how we got here—the edge of the danger zone. This was where the plains passed by the human hunting grounds, where they caught wild horses.

As I said, I'd never been on the journey to the summer plains, but rumor was that sometimes horses were caught, but I refuse to let that happen to me.

I shivered and shifted closer to Rosie, my best friend, and snuffed nervously. We were some of the few yearlings in the herd.

I should explain that as a horse I am a yearling, a year-old horse who is not yet fully grown, but as a human I was about 17. Both forms are on the verge of adulthood.

Rosie responded with a light brush of her tail before chuffing, "We can do this. It happens every year so we might as well get used to it."

I laughed and urged her into a canter, wanting to stretch a bit. She was shorter than me and had to gallop to catch up.

For some reason I'm different from the rest of the herd. Probably because I'm a shifter. All of their coats were longer, and they had shaggy socks on their short legs.

I was tall, the same size as our stallion and still growing. And my bay coat was short and glossy.

This was one reason why I hoped we didn't run into any humans; I was different and would be singled out because of my looks.

At the top of a grassy hill I slowed and turned as Rosie caught up, neighing happily. This was why being a human could never amount to being a horse. The freedom as I raced across the plains with my best friend was something no two legs could ever understand.

I reared happily and neighed, voicing my freedom so everyone could hear. I laughed as a bunch of my herd neighed in response.

Rosie nickered happily and sighed, stretching her neck to brush me lightly.

"I can't wait until we reach the Summer Grounds," she told me. "They're perfect, or at least that's what the older mares are saying. They say the grass is so sweet and the water is as clear as air and there are no predators and..."

I laughed at her, "Next you'll be saying that we sprout wings when we arrive. You're such a starry-eyed foal, Rosie."

Rosie charged at me playfully, but I nimbly jumped away, whinnying a tease at her. Soon we were playing tag, and some of the other young horses joined us.