Magic on Changeling Mountain

Carolyn woke up the next morning and knew that something was out of place but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She went into the kitchen and turned on the coffee pot then back to the bathroom. She fully expected to find that she had started her period with the way she was feeling, except that she didn’t have the normal cramps.

She got dressed and went back into the kitchen to find Tammy up and fully dressed. She was pouring coffee for both of them. She helped Tammy load her finished laundry into her car and said “I think I’m going to run a patrol. I can’t put my finger on it but something is up. I feel edgy and irritable.”

“I thought you said that whoever was here last night had left?” Tammy said and then her eyes got really big as she looked over Carolyn’s shoulder and couldn’t believe her eyes. There was a large chestnut centaur standing in the clearing behind Carolyn’s cottage.

“Carolyn, don’t turn around too quickly but there is something you need to see in your backyard.”

Carolyn slowly turned and couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She had read stories about them and seen them in movies but had always assumed that they were a myth. But there in an early morning ray of sunlight was a large creature that was half man, half horse. He had large, muscular arms crossed over his equally muscular chest. They all stood and stared at each other for a long moment and then the centaur stepped a few paces towards them. He dropped his arms to his sides but his hands were in fists.

Carolyn debated about changing back into her cat when she suddenly felt and then saw Tammy’s aura, like a protective shield around her. The centaur watched as Tammy expanded her aura to protect her friend and he gave them what they supposed passed for a smile, as he stepped forward a few more paces. “I come in peace. I mean you no harm.”

“Who are you?” Carolyn asked.

“I am called Damien.” The centaur said.

“What do you want here?” Tammy asked.

“We have been looking for a place to settle. The humans have harvested so many of the trees in our home that we can no longer stay hidden there.” Damien said.

Tammy and Carolyn looked at each other and then at Damien. “You are going to have to talk to my father if you are looking to stay on the mountain. You said “we”. How many of you are there?”

“Currently ten.” Damien replied.

“Ten? How did you manage to get here without anyone seeing you?” Tammy asked.

“We traveled mostly at night. Not that we need his permission, but where is your father?” Damien asked.

“If you are going to stay on this mountain, you will need his permission. All of this land is owned by changelings. My father is one of the leaders. I’m not sure how this is going to sit with him or any of the others. I think it would be best if I talk to him first. Sort of breaking the ice, so to speak.” Carolyn said, not looking forward to the conversation.

“If you think that is best but just so you know, centaurs are not the only magical creatures headed this way.” Damien said.

“Uh-oh. What else is coming?” Tammy asked timidly.

“We saw forest fairies, several gnomes and a couple of trolls. Smelly creatures, trolls and not very friendly.” Damien told them.

“I definitely need to go talk to my father and Tammy, you need to get on the phone and call Amelia and Lucinda and get some advice. This is going to get interesting. Damien, where are the rest of your………ummm, party?”

“My herd is down by the stream waiting for me.”

“Well, I’m going to go up to my parents’ house. I’ll come down to the stream once I’ve had a chance to talk to him. Please stay out of sight until I can get some answers.”

Damien nodded and turned to leave but then stopped and looked back at her. “I’m surprised that you are not more surprised by my showing up here. Why is that?”

Carolyn smiled and transformed. She was not surprised when he backed up several steps and had a surprised look on his face. Carolyn transformed back into her human form and Damien asked “Is all of your family big cats like you?”

“No, my father is a bear, my mother and sister are doe’s and my brother is an otter.”

“And what are you?” Damien asked of Tammy.

Tammy began to glow and floated several inches off the ground.

“Ah, so you are the reason we are here. It was your magic that we followed here.”

“What do you mean?” Carolyn asked as Tammy returned to the ground and pulled her aura back in.

“We have been wandering for several weeks, looking for a safe place to live when I sensed your magic. It was quite strong for several days. It has faded considerably now but there is still a trace of it lingering just along the ground in some areas.”

“Great. Tammy please cast the air clearing spell before we have something nasty show up. Then go call Amelia. I’m going to go see my father.”

Damien turned and went back into the woods. Afraid to go into the woods without Carolyn, Tammy cast the air clearing spell around Carolyn’s cottage and then went into the cottage.

Carolyn got in the jeep and went up to her parents’ house. All the way there, she kept a sharp eye out for anything that looked out of place but saw nothing. She tried to think of a way to start the conversation with her parents but as she pulled into their yard she realized that there was no other way to go about it but to just tell them and then wait for the explosion. She wasn’t surprised to see Harvey Two Moons sitting on her parents’ front porch.

“Great, I bet he’s already broken the ice for me. Now I have to deal with the fall out.” Carolyn thought to herself as she parked her jeep and got out.

“Hi, Harvey. What’s brought you here?”

“Why are you asking questions you already know the answer to?” Harvey laughed at her. The rest of the council are inside. They are waiting for you. Where is Tammy?”

“She’s at my house, calling Amelia and Lucinda. Do I need to go get her?”

“No, perhaps it is better if she is not here at first. I must say, no one is particularly happy they are here. Now we must discuss what to do about them being here.”

Daniel Masters stepped on to the porch and told Carolyn “Come on. We’ve been waiting for you.” Daniel Masters did not sound happy at all.

“Dad, I didn’t know this would happen. I’m sorry. We are as surprised as you are, believe me.”

“Uncle Ray spotted them this morning. So far, he’s seen centaurs and what we think is a troll. There has been an awful smell coming from down by the river. It’s not going to be long before the towners notice it and come complaining.”

“I promise, this is not something either of us knew would happen and no one said anything about it until today. Tammy is on the phone now with Amelia and Lucinda now. We are hoping they will have a solution. The leader of the centaurs came to the cottage this morning. He wants to know if they can settle here.”

They entered the living room where all the elder male members of the changeling community that lived on the mountain were gathered. No one looked happy and Carolyn felt her heart drop. Daniel Masters stepped up next to his daughter and said “This was not done on purpose. I think we should count ourselves lucky that we have remained a single kind for so many years. We all knew this was possible and now they are here. Now we need to discuss how we are going to handle it.”

“You knew this could happen?” Carolyn was stunned.

“Hon, we are part of the same magical community that they are. We just don’t have any other power than the ability to change into animals. That’s why we’ve managed to stay under the radar for so long. Our magic is only within ourselves. Tell us, what did the centaur tell you?”

“One of them contacted you?” Chester Pence asked.

“Yes. The leader of the centaurs, Damien is his name, came to my cottage this morning. He is very formal and his accent is a little different from ours but otherwise, he seemed nice. He said there are 10 of them and they want to know if they can settle here. I told him he would have to talk to my father, who I knew would want to discuss it with all of you. He also said there are at least two trolls, some fairies and gnomes as well but I didn’t see or talk to any of them.”

“What do they want here?” Uncle Ray asked.

“I’m not really sure but if I have to guess, I would say a safe place to live. He said the humans have cleared almost all the trees where they were living and it was no longer safe for them to stay there.” Carolyn said. She felt so out of place, not having been part of such a large meeting of the elders before, much less the center of attention.

“Look I don’t know any more about them than any of you do and I can only guess at what they want or what they will do. It makes the most sense to have them come and meet with you. I’m sure Damien will be able to answer all of your questions. I would suggest that you come up with a list of things you want to know and either put together a small group to meet with them or give it to me and I’ll find out what you want to know.”

Daniel was proud of his daughter. He stood and stepped up beside her and spoke to the gathering. “I think Carolyn is right. Perhaps we should at least find out what they want before we make any decisions about what to do about them.”

“Let’s make up a list of questions first. Mom, can you get me some paper and a pen, please?” Carolyn asked her mother.

Angela turned and grabbed a pad of paper she used for shopping lists and her pen and handed them to Carolyn with a smile.

For the next hour, everyone discussed the questions that they wanted answered and then agreed that Carolyn, Daniel, his brother Richard, who by coincidence was a horse and Harvey would meet with Damien.

Just as the four of them were leaving the house, Tammy pulled up in her little Volvo which was overheating and steam was coming out of the front of her car as she pulled into the yard.

“Remind me to get your phone number, please. I’ve been trying to call Carolyn’s phone for over an hour. I’ve got information from Amelia and Lucinda. I thought I was going to have to walk the last two miles. My car died on me 3 times trying to get up here.” Tammy said, as she climbed out and slammed her door.

“We were just coming down to go meet with Damien. What did Amelia and Lucinda have to say?”

“Well, she told me that centaurs are very intelligent and noble creatures for the most part. They are teachers, scholars and healers. They know about astrology, herbs and healing. She also said they don’t mix well with others and will stay to themselves. They are not very forgiving when it comes to insults and are into protocol and formality. They are also great warriors when it comes to a fight. For the most part, they just want to live in peace and will keep mostly to themselves. Lucinda said they would come back and help me put up a protective shield, if need be.”

“Well, we are going to need some answers from them about some things before we can decide if they will be allowed to remain on the mountain.” Daniel said. “But in the meantime, tell Lucinda and Amelia to head this way. I’ve got a feeling we are going to need them before this is over. Carolyn, this time they stay at your house. Tammy, will you stay here while we go to meet with Damien?”

“Sure. If you don’t mind, I’ll call them from here. I’ve got a feeling they are already packing.”

Richard turned to Harvey and said “Want a ride?” Richard transformed into his horse form and with Daniel’s help, Harvey got on his back. Daniel and Carolyn transformed and they all headed down the mountain towards the stream.

They were about 100 yards from the stream when they saw 3 male centaurs waiting for them. Damien was a chestnut color with a reddish brown coat where he was covered in horse hide and a deeply tanned skin torso and dark auburn hair that hung all the way down his back. He was definitely an impressive figure but so was the almost all white male standing next to him, only his hair was a very yellow blonde. The third member of their party was a jet black color with the most beautiful silky black hair that was so dark it had blue hues to it. They all turned towards them as Daniel stood on his hind legs and transformed. Carolyn transformed and they helped Harvey off of Richards back and then he transformed as well.

“You allow the humans to ride you?” Damien asked Richard.

“Not often but when it is necessary, yes.” Richard replied.

“Hmmmmm.” Was all Damien said.

Daniel Masters stepped forward and held out his hand. “I’m Daniel Masters, Carolyn’s father. This is my brother, Richard and this is Harvey Two Moons, he is a shaman.”

“How do you do? I am Damien. This is Eric and Garth.” They did not shake hands but nodded at Daniel as Damien introduced them.

“How did you come to be on our mountain?” Daniel Masters asked.

“As I told your daughter, the humans have cut down so many of the trees where we have lived for the past 10 generations that we can no longer safely live there.

Many of the forest creatures are being run out of their homes because of the humans but there are too many of them for us to fight alone. Their weapons are more effective than our bows and arrows and spears, so standing our ground and defending our homes would have been suicide.

We apologize for intruding on your land but we have been running and hiding for many weeks now and we are tired. We need to rest, eat and regain our strength.”

“Speaking of eating, what do you eat?” Carolyn asked.

“Roots, berries, nuts, vegetables when we can get them.”

“How long are you planning on staying here?” Richard asked.

“Well that is going to depend on you.” Eric replied. “We sensed that someone has been using a great deal of magic on this mountain. That usually means there are no humans around.”

Carolyn glanced over her shoulder when she heard a twig snap in the woods behind them and saw a female centaur partially hidden behind some bushes. She touched her father’s arm and he turned to see the female quickly retreat behind the bush.

“They do not need to hide from us. We mean none of you any harm.” Daniel told Damien.

“Sandra, you may come forward.” Damien called out and a beautiful blonde female stepped out from behind the bush. “Sandra is my sister and Eric’s mate.” Damien told them as Sandra made a wide circle around them to join Damien and Eric on the other side of the stream. The two blonde centaurs made a very striking couple.

“Garth, I’ve come to let you know, Kala’s time is near.” Sandra was very soft spoken as she told Garth when she came to stand near Eric. Garth looked at Damien and while he did not ask to leave, Damien told him “Go to your mate, Garth. She needs you and we can handle this. I do not think these changelings mean any harm to us.”

“I’m a doctor. Is there anything I can do to help?” Carolyn said and felt her father tense. He did not want her to leave but knew her calling as a doctor was very strong, not to mention her natural cat curiosity. She may never get to see the birth of a centaur again so long as she lives.

“No, we are well skilled in how to take care of our own but thank you.” Garth said. He was very soft spoken and he smiled at Carolyn as he passed by. He trotted off in the direction Sandra had come from and disappeared in the woods.

“Forgive our ignorance but we have never encountered centaurs before. Do you require houses?” Richard asked, after Garth had gone.

“No, we do not build houses. We mostly live under the stars but when we need protection from the elements, we usually find caves or overhangs to protect us from storms.” Damien replied.

“What do you do?” Richard asked.

“What do you mean?” Damien asked in return.

“Well, we, most of our kind, work our farms, growing most of the food we consume. We trade with each other and are a community. We help each other as needed.”

“Centaurs do not interact with others normally. We keep to ourselves and do not ask for anything from anyone. We harvest what we need to survive from the forest and leave little or no mark on it. We are teachers and healers and prophets. We were once great warriors and would have taken what we wanted. That is why it is so hard for us to ask you to allow us to remain on your land. We will not interfere with your lives. We just want a safe place to live.”

“We can understand that but we also need you to realize that we are a community here on the mountain. Our children are allowed to run free here, in their animal and human forms. Normally if they are in their human forms, it’s because there are other humans with them. We need to know that you will not expose yourselves to humans or bring any one any harm, human or changeling.” Daniel said.

“We understand and agree. We do our best to not come into contact with humans at all. He is the first that I’ve ever seen close up.” Eric said, motioning to Harvey.

Harvey smiled and nodded. “You are the first centaurs I’ve ever met as well but I have lived among the changelings all of my life and keep their secrets. My wife was a changeling but she died many moons ago.”

“Changelings mate with humans?” Damien asked, aghast.

“In rare instances. Most humans can’t accept our abilities but a few, like Harvey, have become trusted friends and in some cases, mates.”

“Do centaurs mate for life?” Carolyn asked.

“Yes.” Damien replied.

“You said before that there are 10 of you. Where are the rest?” Daniel asked.

“Because Garth’s mate is giving birth soon, they are making sure no one gets near her. She won’t be able to move until the foal is born and then it will be several days before the foal will be able to keep up with us if we have to move.”

“We are going to meet with the other members of our council and discuss what we have talked about today. How do we find you when we need to talk with you again?”

“There is a storm coming in the next few days. We are going to need to find shelter. Are there any caves around here?” Damien asked.

“Yes, there is one not far from here but I’m not sure it’s big enough to hold 10 of you.” Carolyn said.

Damien and Eric looked at each other and then back to Daniel. “The foal is going to need shelter. Winter is going to be here soon after the storm. We need to know your answer soon. We will keep watch on this area near the water. If you come here and call my name, I will come. In the meantime, can you please show Eric where the cave is located?”

Carolyn looked at Daniel and he nodded his approval. “I will inquire around about larger accommodations in the area. Something that will be big enough to hold all of you comfortably.” Daniel said as Carolyn transformed and began to lead Eric and Sandra to the cave on the back side of the Masters farm farther up the river.

“Why is it that you are a bear and your daughter is a cat?” Damien asked.

“We are not sure but we think it is because our family has not always stayed within the same species. I am a bear. Richard is my brother and a horse. My other brother, Ray, is an eagle. I also have a sister who is a horse. My father was a stag and my mother a goat. My wife is a doe. Carolyn is a big cat, her brother is an otter and her sister a doe, like my wife.”

“The Gods must make the choices then.” Damien said.

“Must be.” Daniel agreed. “I guess it’s much like their choices of colors for centaurs. You are reddish brown and your sister is blonde.”

“True. Well, unless you have more questions for me, I would like to go check on the rest of my herd.”

Daniel suspected that he wanted to check on the female they had called Kala and how she was coming along.

“If you need to go to the cave now, we can help you move them.” Richard offered.

“Thank you. I must see how she is and the cave before I can make that decision.”

“We understand. We will be back tomorrow with an answer.” Daniel told him.

Richard transformed and Daniel helped Harvey mount him again. They all heard Damien huff his disapproval.

“I take it you do not approve that Harvey is riding Richard?” Daniel asked and when Damien nodded in agreement, Daniel drew himself up to his full height and said “We work together and share of ourselves here. We have not only survived but thrived on this mountain for over 10 generations.

We have worked with the humans in our human form and earned the money to legally buy this land so that we have a registered deed to the land. It is the reason humans do not come here unless invited. If you are going to have issues with interacting with others different from yourselves, then we can give you our answer now and I’m afraid it’s not going to be favorable.” Daniel said.

Damien slowly nodded his head. “Understood. Everyone has their own way of doing things. I’m sure many of our customs are different. I think we can work through them, if we all try. So long as you do not ask us to transport them, then we should not have a problem.”

“If nothing else, he’s a diplomat but I’ve got a strong feeling it is learned and not inherent. I just hope he’s being honest with us.” Daniel thought to himself.

“I ride now because I’m over 100 years old and my body is too old to walk so far. The human body is not as strong as that of children of the gods. One day soon you will need this old man. Would you deny helping an injured person just because they are human?” Harvey asked.

“No, I would not but I would not allow one to ride me. I would chase away the danger and lead help to them but we try not to expose ourselves to humans. We have been believed to be only myths to them for centuries now because we stay away from them. Normally we live in areas protected by magic but there are not as many practicing witches around anymore. At least, not ones that practice openly anymore and even fewer have the kind of power as the white witch that was at Dr. Master’s house.”

“Changelings usually change back to their human forms if injured or unconscious. If you came upon an injured changeling that was in its human form, would you help them?”

“Yes. Because they are part animals. We can smell the difference. No offense but humans have a totally different smell and it’s not always pleasant, like yours.”

“Why thank you. I could say the same about some animals.” Harvey laughed and was amazed when Damien smiled slightly.

Daniel transformed and followed Richard and Harvey back to the house.