Description
Patr 14 of 21 (Path B)
Friendship is … 14 B
Luca continued stumbling down the mountain, but the coordination of his body was now slipping completely out of his grasp. While he desperately tried to maintain control, the merciless numbness spread from his arms into his left extremity. Now the very same unstoppable process of fusion began within his left hand as well. His fingers became rigid, pressing immovably together while layer after layer of heavy horn substance swallowed them whole. Eventually, the material fully adapted in color to the dense violet fur surrounding his limbs.
With two hard, unforgiving hooves in place of hands, the descent became a horrifying balancing act. It grew endlessly difficult for him to maintain his footing upon the uneven mountain path. The reason lay deeper within his anatomy: with a dull, painful cracking in his joints, his hips began to restructure themselves. His pelvis tilted relentlessly forward, forcing his upper body toward a horizontal, quadrupedal posture. His spine demanded that the burden be distributed across all four limbs.
Luca realized with naked terror what this anatomical realignment meant. The mare within him demanded her natural stance. Yet his human mind resisted this final loss of control with every ounce of strength it still possessed. He tensed every remaining muscle, fought against the pull of his pelvis through sheer willpower, and desperately tried to force himself to continue walking upright upon only two legs.
Every single step became a painful struggle against his own newly awakening nature, while the village down in the valley still remained agonizingly far away.
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