by Jack Doe
"All set?" he asked Ing'ma.
"Ready when you are," Ing'ma replied.
"All right," Anul'thek said. "Bring us home."
Someone with a very keen eye and perfect timing would have noticed a strangely shaped black blob as it streaked in front of the moon for an instant on its way out of the atmosphere, but that was the only sign that two humans and one centaur had left the planet.
Chapter 18
Bryce felt the pod stand him up as it pointed him head-first away from the planet. A second later, he felt as if he was riding a nuclear warhead. He screamed involuntarily as the G-forces sent his stomach to hang out with his feet. The nose of his pod turned transparent, and seconds later, he could see the rim of the Earth out to his left and right, the giant ball drifting away from him. His pod turned towards the moon, and the Earth came into full view to his left. It took his breath away. He had seen pictures of it from the space shuttles, but he never dreamed that he would see it in person. It sat like a precious jewel in a mount of tiny stars, drifting placidly in space. To look at it, nobody would know of the tumult that occurred on its surface. Here, it was perfect. He could see why the centaurs would want to come back to it.
The space station came and went in a blink of an eye. Anybody onboard would have seen little more than a black speck, if they saw even that much. In front of him, the moon loomed larger and larger, its craters becoming more and more visible. Soon it was so close that Bryce could see the individual ridges in the dust. As his pod turned to orbit around the backside of the moon, he saw something that most humans will never see: the moon's dark side.
To call it the dark side is a misnomer: in fact, it was dazzlingly bright on this side as he faced the sun full-on, and the surface of the moon glowed like a million spotlights pointed at him. He could see a strange shape in front of him. It looked almost like a turtle on its back that had been given a sleeker look. Four bulbous lumps on the top side jutted out, while the main body rose beneath them like a flattened turtleshell. It was the sleekest thing he had ever seen, and the light shone off it like a polished mirror with a black background. Peering into it, he could see emerald green with ribbons of deep blue deep inside. It was like looking into a snow globe without snow. The insides of the bulbous chambers appeared to be empty and gray. He realized with anticipation that this was the centaurs' ship.
The ship drew nearer and nearer, and his tiny pod disappeared beneath one of the protrusions. All he saw was gray as his pod merged with the skin of the ship.
The next thing he knew, he was sitting on a textured gray surface. All around and above him was a giant glass window. He sat Indian-style, catching his breath. Anul'thek stood over him, and Charles sat to his right, likewise sitting Indian-style, rocking forward and backward slightly.
"How do you feel?" Anul'thek asked Bryce.
"That was..." Bryce trailed off. He found himself catching his breath again. His heart was pounding, and his ears were ringing.
"Lie on your side," Anul'thek said, helping him to get into position before doing the same for Charles. His ears stopped ringing, and his heart slowed. His breathing returned to normal. He moved to get up.
"Don't get up, yet," Anul'thek told him. "Let your body rest. It's just been put through a lot."
Bryce nodded and lay still. Outside he could see the surface of the moon beneath him. The sun beat down above him, but it was comfortable in the chamber where he lay. He realized he must be inside one of the bulbous protrusions he'd seen.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"The observation deck," Anul'thek said.
"How did I get here?" Bryce asked.
"You flew in your pod," Anul'thek replied.
"I remember that," Bryce said, "but the last thing I remember was getting eaten by the ship's skin."
Anul'thek smiled. "When pods return to the ship, they enter through the floor of the observation deck," he said. "They essentially dissolve into the ship, leaving you lying on the floor."
"How do you get more pods?" Bryce asked.
"The extra material from the pod moves downstairs. When a pod leaves from the ship, it buds off the bottom."
Bryce lay quietly. That was impressive.
"How are you feeling?" Anul'thek asked Charles, who took a breath and let it out slowly.
"Doing all right for an old guy," Charles said wryly.
"Good. If you two are able to stand, Ing'ma would like to meet you. Don't rush," Anul'thek told them.
Slowly, the two sat up Indian-style again and then slowly ascended to their feet. The view outside the pod was breathtaking: they had a 200° view of the moon's surface, the other part being a gray wall that separated the observation deck from the main body of the ship. Bryce took it all in with wonder. As Charles stood and looked out, he felt a strong case of vertigo. Before he fell, the pod went opaque, and he gained his bearings.
"How...?" he asked.
"The ship can sense many things," Anul'thek said. "Vertigo is one of the things it detects."
"How do centaurs get vertigo?" Bryce asked. "You stand on four legs, don't you?"
Anul'thek nodded. "Yes, but foals' legs do not lock. If I get dizzy, I can lock my legs and be okay. They cannot. This ship was designed for the specific purpose of conveying some of my people here, and the designers knew that there would be foals on board."
"Your engineers really are impressive," Charles said. "If our engineers could do half of this..."
"They will, in time," Anul'thek said encouragingly. "All in good time."
Charles nodded, and he and Bryce looked at each other, squared their shoulders, and nodded at Anul'thek. "We're ready," they said.
A door appeared like sticking a strawberry in a chocolate fountain: a seam appeared and melted away, leaving a portal through which entered a centaur with a wizened face, deep brown eyes, and white hair that formed a crown around his head. His body was gray with darker dapples on it, and his tail was gray and thinning but well-kept. A thin ribbon of white hair ran down his back, turning gray to match his coat as it melted into his withers. Gray and white, wiry hair decorated his chest, and his arms and chest were wrinkled with age. Despite his wrinkles, he did not look frail; on the contrary, he looked like an old sailor who would as soon tie you into a pretzel as look at you, yet his disposition was gentle, wise, and kind.
"Ing'ma!" Anul'thek said, rushing forward to greet his mentor. The two each ran their right hands down each other's backs, and then they embraced. "I have missed you so much," Anul'thek said, holding his mentor tightly.
"And I, you," Ing'ma replied, holding his pupil fondly. The humans looked on, feeling a profound sense of tenderness at the sight.
The two centaurs parted, and Anul'thek turned to face the humans. "Ing'ma," he said, "I would like to introduce Charles and Bryce." He gestured to each of the humans in turn. "Charles, Bryce, this is Ing'ma, my mentor."
Ing'ma stepped forward, and Charles extended his hand to shake. Ing'ma took his hand in both of his and shook it warmly. Bryce, in his turn, stroked Ing'ma's back, and Ing'ma nodded, smiling in pleased surprise. Charles silently chided himself for forgetting the greeting, but he didn't worry too much about it.
"Welcome, both of you," Ing'ma said earnestly. His eyes were wet with joy. "I am so happy to meet you." He took a moment, and Anul'thek held his mentor, who sobbed once.
At last, he composed himself and readdressed the group. "I apologize," he said. "My joy is complete. After 1030 years of waiting," he paused, calculating in his head, "that's 515 of your years," he clarified, "I have finally met mankind. Words cannot begin to express my joy this day. May I–" he paused, hesitantly. "May I embrace you?"
Bryce all but threw himself into Ing'ma's arms, and Ing'ma laughed for joy. Charles, who was just as eager as Bryce but who knew that such an occasion deserved reverence, embraced Ing'ma. Both seniors wept. Their whole lives, they had waited for this moment. The stories their grandfathers had been told by their grandfathers before them had
finally—to the extent they could—come true, and man and stallion each considered himself the most joyful of his respective line. The younger generation stood in respectful silence. When the elders' embrace parted, Charles and Bryce stood together.
"Ing'ma, Anul'thek," Bryce said, "We have a gift for you. It's not much, but please accept it as a token of thanks and friendship." He presented the Stonehenge figurine.
Ing'ma looked closely at the figurine, and then gasped. "This is the installation at De'ru!" he said. He looked at Bryce in disbelief. "Where did you get this?" he asked.
Bryce beamed and fought the urge to be smart-alecky. "At the gift shop where I work," he said.
"Bryce works at the installation," Anul'thek explained. "Mankind has taken an interest in it."
"This is most exciting!" Ing'ma said. "Thank you; thank you, Bryce," he said solemnly, and then turned to Charles.
"I wanted to bring wine, but I couldn't figure out how much to bring," Charles said, casting a sidelong glance at Anul'thek. "It is hard to extract anything out of that pupil of yours."
Ing'ma chuckled. "You have no idea," he said wryly with a grin. "You should have seen him when he was younger. It was constantly a battle of, 'Anul'thek, where did you get that?' or 'Anul'thek, why are your hooves cracked?' or 'Anul'thek, what is that in your tail?'" He grinned and shook his head. Anul'thek blushed and rubbed his shoulder awkwardly.
"I know just what you mean," Charles chuckled, giving Bryce a conspiratorial wink.
"Come," Ing'ma said. "Let's introduce you to the rest."
Chapter 19
The door, which had closed behind Ing'ma when he entered, re-opened to reveal a scene that looked like it belonged in the Garden of Eden. Stretched out before the humans lay an immense field of the greenest grass they had ever seen. Streams of water cut the field into quarters, and little rivulets ran here and there among each of them. Tall trees with ripe fruits of all sizes such as the humans had never seen before grew here and there in the fields. Overhead, the sun beamed down through the glass canopy. The humans could only imagine what a sight it would be when out amongst the stars. Vines with grapes and other fruits they didn't recognize grew along the walls of the ship, and spouts in the walls poured forth a never-ending supply of fresh water to feed the streams. Everywhere were sounds of songs and gaiety.
Bryce and his grandfather stood just inside the door with their jaws slack. In all the wondrous pictures the Internet had to offer of beautiful places on Earth, none rivaled this place for beauty. Perhaps the most impressive sight, though, were the centaurs, who sat, lay, stood, ran, or cavorted in the field as if they hadn't a care in the world.
This must be bliss, Charles thought, and a feeling of desire to join the centaurs in their play overwhelmed him.
"I don't mean to make you uncomfortable," Ing'ma said to the humans, "but we centaurs do not wear clothes. If you prefer, you don't have to, either. If you would rather keep them on, that is also fine. I'm just making it clear."
Bryce blushed, a bit embarrassed. Suddenly, he saw a streak go running past Ing'ma. His jaw dropped: it was Grandpa, screaming "cannonball!" as he jumped, nude, into the middle of the streams where they met. Where his clothes had gone, Bryce hadn't a clue.
Ing'ma threw his head back and laughed, then looked at Bryce with a grin. "Your old man knows how to relax," he said. He patted Bryce's shoulder and left him alone to join Charles, who was delightedly surrounded by centaur foals and adults, all splashing gaily in the warm water and welcoming him as if he were an old friend.
"Come on in, Bryce," his grandfather called, "the water's great!"
"Have a good time," Bryce called back. "I'd rather stay dry for now."
"Suit yourself!" came the reply as one of the centaurs followed Charles's example and cannonballed into the water, dousing everyone within a 10-foot radius. Bryce chuckled and walked through the grass, hands in his pockets, taking in what he saw with mixed feelings of both joy and wistfulness, knowing that only a little over a day later, he'd have to leave.
In front of him were two centaurs. One, a female, reached down and stroked the belly of a male, who grinned and kissed her passionately before mounting her right there in the field. Bryce's jaw went slack yet again. He had never dreamed that such a place existed.
To his right, a centaur reached up and took a fruit from one of the trees, a large purple thing, and bit into it, spewing bright green juice down his front. Someone caught his attention, and fleet as a hummingbird, he charged across the field, flying over and around trees other centaurs to meet his friend. The two exchanged the greeting that Bryce was coming to find familiar, and then they strolled off to meet some other friends, picking other fruits and humming in harmony as they went. As they finished their fruit, they tossed the remains into the streams, which carried them down to where his grandfather was cavorting before they were swallowed into the belly of the ship. What became of them there, he didn't know.
To his left, two centaurs were playing tag, and one, having caught the other, gave a teasing flick of his friend's ribs. The flicked centaur mounted the other, and their faces both expressed bliss. When finished, they sat down together, and one rubbed the other's shoulders, back, and withers, much to the other's delight. Both made melodic noises as they played, as if singing came as naturally to them as breathing.
Bryce shook his head in wonder. Part of him yearned to join in, to throw himself headlong into such a wonderful world where hedonistic pursuits were not only welcome but run-of-the-mill, expected occurrences. Yet part of him was held back, inhibited for some reason he didn't understand.
A female centaur approached him from behind, and pawing the ground mischievously, tapped him on his waist and trotted off a few feet, glancing at him over her shoulder. She raised her eyebrows invitingly and moved her tail aside coyly, lifting one of her back legs onto its toe in what had to be the most obviously seductive move Bryce had ever seen. He blushed, flattered, and bit his lip. He smiled, but ultimately he shook his head. Unfazed, the mare shrugged, smiled, waved, and trotted off to find someone else to mess with, humming as she went. Bryce stood looking after her, his head cocked slightly to the side, lost in thought.
"They're a handful, aren't they?" Anul'thek said, coming up beside him.
"Heh, yeah," Bryce said halfheartedly.
"What's wrong? Don't you like it here?" Anul'thek asked him, coming around in front of him and sitting. He patted the grass to invite Bryce to sit as well. Bryce smiled and sat next to him.
"I–" Bryce fought for words as a lump formed in his throat, a frustrated emotion stronger than he'd ever had before choking him. He held up his hands in agonized inability to express himself as tears came to his eyes. All that came from his mouth was a moan.
Anul'thek watched him, his head cocked to the side, eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Take off your clothes," he said at length. Bryce's anguish ceased instantly, and he stared at his host, dumbfounded. "Trust me," Anul'thek said with a smile. "If you don't like what happens, you can say 'stop,' all right?"
Bryce looked at Anul'thek nervously. The centaur had always had his best interests in mind—even when Bryce was passed out cold—and he saw no reason why now would be any different. Hesitantly, he took his shirt off, revealing his delicate abs and hairless torso. He kicked off his socks and shoes next to his shirt and felt the grass under his toes. He gasped. It was cool and strangely both soothing and invigorating to his feet. Part of him suddenly had the urge to get up and run with the other centaurs, but he resisted.
His jeans came next, dropped on his shirt and shoes. His legs had scant blond hair on them. Slight of build, they looked almost delicate, as if they belonged on a doll. As he shed his clothes, his inhibitions went with them, as if the clothes were all that prevented him from joining the fun that everybody else was having.
Lastly came his underwear, which Anul'thek watched with interest, since that explained where the human's genitalia were: Bryce's uncircumcised
cock emerged from his underwear, already tumescent but not hard. Anul'thek made a note to ask Bryce about this extra layer of clothing later. For now, he had other things on his mind as his cock stirred in his sheath beneath him.
"Lie back," he said gently, and as Bryce did so, the grass contacted more of his skin, filling him with that same tingling, soothing feeling his feet had felt before. Anul'thek ran his fingers over Bryce's nude body, and both shuddered, Bryce from the touch; Anul'thek from finally getting to do what he'd been wanting to do for days. Bryce's cock stirred. Anul'thek leaned over and grazed it with his lips, and it rose in response. He stroked over it with his hand, and it rose again. He smiled; the human was fun to play with. Bryce gasped when Anul'thek grazed his nipples, and again his cock rose in response. Anul'thek leaned over again and nuzzled the appendage, mouthing it until it became fully hard. Then he took it into his mouth and began nursing it.