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The students seemed more and more confused every year, Doctor Richard Eccelstone thought, as he watched a young man- clad in shiny loafers instead of the lace up hiking boots that Eccelstone had specified his students wear on the field expedition- jab a small shovel into a mound of dirt. "William, what are you doing?"

"This looks like a burial mound of some sort," the student replied.

"If it were, you'd be damaging any artifacts," the professor chided gently. "But remember that the Alworti did not bury their dead- they left them exposed, to return to nature."

"Oh." The student looked sheepish. "But what would have created this mound?"

"Judging by it's proximity to the road, I would speculate a bulldozer." Watching the student move off to join a group of his peers, the thin science professor took off his glasses and wiped his face, silently cursing himself for having required the field trip as part of his course. Next semester, it'll be invitation only- the best students, instead of the ones taking archaeology to just cover their science requirement.

"Professor, look! We found some pottery fragments!"

Eccelstone turned to two other students- at least the girls were dressed properly, he noted, with thick leather boots, blue jeans, and long sleeved cotton shirts- it wasn't too cold, but short sleeves invited scratches and insect bites. He looked at the small bits of ceramic they held out and nodded approvingly. "Yes, the uneven glazing shows that this was done by hand- I'd guess about two hundred fifty years ago. Likely the Alworti traded for these- they were noted farmers and had a very advanced culture, but their technology was backward, even by the standards of other Native Americans."

"Was that why they all died off?"

"No one knows." Eccelstone was one of the foremost authorities on the elusive tribe, but even he could only speculate. "Their writings of the time reveal that they were very dismayed at the coming of the Europeans, and their spiritual leaders called for them to become as one with the creatures of the earth. And then one spring, when the Alipani came to trade with them, they were all gone- the Alworti settlements empty." No bodies, no signs of violence- just all of them gone. He motioned toward where another student sat at a folding table. "Catalog these in, along with where you found them, and ask the other students to help you sift through the dirt- you might find the rest of this."

He watched the students walk off, then turned to replace the divot of grass that his other student's shovel had dislodged in the road berm. It was unfortunate, but the state had built a road through the remains of the Alworti settlement in the 1930's, not knowing- or perhaps not caring- that they were ruining a historic treasure. Eccelstone's eye caught a slight glint- a gleam of metal. A beer can? No, not from the 30's- they were steel then, would've rusted long ago. He scraped gently at the dirt with his hand. The object was a slight golden color- without corrosion, it had to be something modern, perhaps a hubcap from some car, since only gold would have still retained it's luster after two and a half centuries.

The nearby students forgotten, the professor dug at it, first gently then almost frantically, ignoring the painful scrapes on his fingers as the object became more and more revealed. It was rounded, perhaps six inches in diameter, and the instant that Eccelstone saw one of the elegant figures of Alworti writing he knew that the sloppy jab of a careless student had uncovered a significant artifact.

*********************************

"How was your field trip, sweetheart?" Eccelstone's wife Elizabeth gave him a bear hug as he walked into their house. Elizabeth and the professor made a strange couple- he was thin and mild mannered, gentle to the point that most of his students were surprised to find he was not gay. Elizabeth was a policewoman- charitably, she could be called heavyset- and usually rough in her mannerisms.

"We found something quite significant," he said excitedly. "An Alworti prayer ball- very possibly one of the last ones they ever made.."

"Really?" She released her hold, running her hand across his back. "And what is that?"

"Their Mystics would scribe their magic spells on these to preserve for their future generations. It's made of wood, clad with gold." He knew that she would be interested- Elizabeth dabbled constantly with magic, as she had a strange fascination with animal transformation, even having dragged the professor to an anthromorph convention- he remembered with embarrassment that he'd feared being seen and becoming a laughingstock on the faculty.

But he loved Elizabeth- he'd do anything for her, he thought to himself as she looked at the artifact. One of the 'perks' of being a tenured professor was that one was expected to do research at home, and no one doubted that with a burly policewoman in the house that there was any danger of theft. "Here, take a look at it." The gold was remarkably preserved; the artifact would doubtless soon be housed in a glass case after careful cleaning and photography from every possible angle- that was what he intended to do that evening, with his well equipped digital photo lab.

She touched the tiny raised inscriptions, running her finger across them. "What does it say?"

"Part of it is a lament- the sadness of the coming of the European traders and their hunting of the Elk and Buffalo only for their hides," he said. "The rest is a bit...odd. It's almost a 'how to' for a magic spell, more detailed and direct than any other that I've seen."

"What kind of spell?" She looked at the ball intently, as if by staring she would also be able to read the Alworti inscriptions.

He gently took the ball from her hand. "Here is what it says..."

" The ones from far away bring their thunder sticks and slay our brothers of the forest. We hear them cry in pain. For nothing they die, not to satisfy hunger as the wolves only take what they need to live. Our brothers die for nothing. The ones from far away will bring their ways and make the Alworti like them if we stay. We see this in the future as one of the two paths. We choose the other."

He looked up. "That's the lament. The spell is after that."

"Take the bowl, one that you have fed your brother of the forest in. That you have shared the bounty of the earth, taking only what is needed to live and leaving the rest for others. On the night that the moon looks full on the earth, as the sun hides away take some hair from your brother that he willingly will share and mix it with some of your own and your mate, then bind it together and consume it with flame as you see yourself to be as your brother. Call to his name in your tongue.. Your brother will welcome you and your mate on the fourth moon.

"It loses something in the translation," Eccelstone said lamely, but Elizabeth seemed in a near trance.

"Does it work?" she asked. "I mean, is it real?"

"Magic?" He was too kind to tell her what he really thought- this is the twenty first century, we are a civilization of science, not of hidden arts tapped from some mysterious force. "Almost anything is possible," he said diplomatically.

That night, as Eccelstone slept, she logged into her internet 'message board', describing the spell to her fellow transformation fans. It was interesting- deep down, just as Eccelstone, she knew that magic wasn't real and that her fantasy was just that- but the members of the board would always discuss such things at length, debating and arguing about the possibilities, then at least one might write a story based on the topic.

***************************************

There were six horses in the city's mounted police unit. Elizabeth wasn't a member of the unit but frequented the barn- she was enraptured by the animals and toyed with the idea of buying one of her own. The idea of riding didn't really appeal to her- but as a hefty child, taunted by the other youth, she'd lost herself in a fantasy of being a large horse, one that would be accepted by people- and other horses. 'Mister Ed' reruns had cemented it. Though she'd never told Eccelstone, her fantasy ended up with her as a horse, a golden palomino just like her television role model.

"Here again, Sergeant?" One of the unit's members saw her and waved a friendly greeting.

"Hi, Mitch. How're my friends?" She ran her hand across the face of a tall gelding- his name was Ed, and he was a palomino, one with a cream colored mane who actually looked a bit like the long ago television horse.

Ed buried his face in her shirt, rubbing about and looking for the carrot he knew she'd bring. She pulled out the small bowl she'd stuck in her pocket, dropping the carrot in and watching the horse gobble it up. If Mitch knew why I was feeding Ed from a bowl... this is stupid. It can't be real. But...

"Afraid he'll bite your fingers?"

"No, I just wanted to let Ed lick the bowl out," she lied. "It had some ice cream in it."

"Eating ice cream? Kinda early in the day."

"Well, at least it's not beer, like MacKenzie has with his corn flakes."

The two laughed at the reference for their fellow cop, and Elizabeth slid the small bowl back into her pocket. She ran her fingers through Ed's mane, pulling out a few loose hairs.

*****************************************

That evening, Eccelstone had night classes. Elizabeth had a few of the professor's hairs, pulled from his comb, and pulled a few of her own out, placing them in the bowl with the pieces of Ed's mane and setting it on the kitchen table as soon as she arrived home. Taking out a disposable cigarette lighter, she set it's flame for high, then paused. I should ask Rich first... but I know he really thinks that magic isn't real. And I know it isn't... but what if it really is? I have to try this.

She lit the hairs, closing her eyes and picturing herself as a tall golden horse, as Mister Ed. It was strangely vivid- almost as if she were watching the television show- but she was startled as the smoke detector suddenly went off.

Jumping to her feet, she snatched some soapy water from the kitchen sink and tossed it onto the burning plastic bowl, then waved a folded newspaper near the smoke detector until it silenced, the air cleared. Embarrassed, she didn't mention her experiment to the professor when he returned home.

It was too late anyway.

********************************************

That night, she felt sexually aggressive. Eccelstone willingly submitted to her attentions; they passed the night in passion, falling asleep exhausted. Both would have been startled to find that they'd had the same dream, of a primitive village and hundreds of people standing together, then slowly fading into invisibility as the moon rose. Elizabeth dreamt then of green fields and Eros; of coupling with mares.

She woke early, just before dawn, disturbed by Eccelstone who was tossing fitfully, and she looked at her husband and lover in the predawn gloom. He somehow seemed different- a bit bulkier, almost imperceptibly. It must be a trick of the light- it's nearly dark in here. She ran her hand lightly down his back, reaching the base of his spine.

But it didn't end where it should- it went down a bit further, protruding another six inches, where it was covered with soft long hair, and she stifled a scream. My god, what have I done? Was it real? Or is this a dream? She reached behind herself, feeling and finding that she had the same. Turning on the bedside lamp abruptly, she shook Eccelstone awake. "Rich, Rich..."

Her voice was filled with near panic, and Eccelstone awoke immediately. "Liz, what's wrong?" He started to sit up, felt the strange pressure against his rump, and saw the creamy white tail his wife sported. His eyes widened for a second, then he smiled. This is another one of those anthromorph costume things...well, I'll play along. "Come here, my mare." He pulled her close, feeling her trembling.

"Rich, get serious," she said. "Stop fooling around. These tails aren't coming off."

He groaned. "You used super glue."

She rolled onto her knees, straddling him and looking down into his face. "Rich, I used the spell. We're turning into horses!"

This is either the best prank she's ever pulled or she's gone off the deep end. "Liz, I don't..." he abruptly stopped. I can actually feel it. I can actually feel my tail, it's pinched... he sat up, pushing her aside, then stood. By tensing his muscles, he could make the tail move. "Oh, shit..."

Elizabeth was suddenly standing there, holding him. "Rich, I'm so sorry...I didn't think it was... I mean..."

"I'm really turning into a horse." Eccelstone stood there, swishing his tail back and forth, feeling the strange sensation. He did feel different overall- his senses seemed different, not sharper, but different.

His wife was already pulling clothes out of the dresser. "We have to do something!"

Eccelstone looked at her. "Dear, I would suggest remaining calm. We have four moons- three months, more or less. Last night's full moon counted as the first."

With her fantasy now turning to reality, Elizabeth's heart was pounding- this wasn't exactly how she'd imagined it. "We can go to the emergency room."

Eccelstone had started with his tail again, swatting it at unseen flies. "This is quite an interesting sensation. You should try it."

"We have to get to the hospital!"

"Let's look at this scientifically," he said, as if lecturing a group of students. "What is happening to us is not medically possible- therefore, it cannot be treated medically."

"Why is it happening to you, too?" Elizabeth pleaded.

"The spell- and we must now accept magic as reality- was specific, in that it would change both the caster and their mate." Eccelstone gently touched her, then moved his hand down to her tail. "It's rather becoming for you, you know." He felt a sudden wave of lust, and fought off a primal instinct to mate with her immediately. Will I lose my reason- will we degenerate into ordinary animals? He shuddered, deciding to not share this fear with Elizabeth, and having a sudden determination to not become a science project or a line item in the National Enquirer. "We do have to go somewhere."

"Where?" she asked.

***************

Whenever they went anywhere together by car, Richard insisted that Elizabeth drive- he disliked driving, she was a better driver, and her police badge was a 'get out of jail free' card for speeding tickets. It was an early Saturday morning, and the roads were empty; the exhaust beat of the Lexus was barely audible within the luxury sedan but the white stripes in the center of the highway were nearly a blur.

"Are you sure he'll help us?" Elizabeth asked.

Eccelstone hesitated before answering. "I'm not sure if he can. Or if he will. But we can trust him, of that I am certain."

She knew the route, and braked hard, turning onto a secondary road, then pushing on the accelerator. The distance wasn't much further, and just before the car crested a hill she hit the brakes again, sliding it onto a dirt road that led into what appeared to be a somewhat run down farm. A derelict tractor sat in front, next to a clearly disabled washing machine. There were several pastures, with sturdy looking but faded fencing, and a tired and elderly horse looked over one fence at the visitors, curious as to if they had brought some edible treat. A dog on the porch began to halfheartedly bark as Eccelstone and Elizabeth opened the door and got out.

They walked to the porch- it contained a worn sofa, along with a half dozen rusting coffee cans filled with dirt and featuring small plants. The large mongrel dog stopped barking and wagged it's tail in greeting, sniffing first Eccelstone then Elizabeth and finally lying back down. They could hear music playing within the house- or more accurately, a jumbled and confused sound.

Eccelstone silently pushed the door open and walked in followed by Elizabeth. The room they entered was filled with junk- one couldn't call it antiques. There were numerous dusty old automobile radios, pieces of cameras, what appeared to be a short wave radio set, and more coffee cans filled with dirt. In one corner was a large television set, an old black and white console, and in another a pile of books- they were stacked, one on top of the other, nearly to the ceiling. Disassembled on the table was an automobile carburetor, and beside it was a forty year old copy of 'Aviation Week'.

They silently went into the kitchen, where a man had a large reel to reel tape recorder running backwards. He was a tall man, and thin like Eccelstone, but there the visible similarity ended. The man had dark weathered skin, as if he'd been outdoors and sunburned all his life. His hair was jet black, except for a white stripe down the center. He wore a gray coat with shiny gold buttons and bunting that looked like something that a marching band might wear, along with Bermuda shorts and a pair of green and orange cowboy boots. As he saw Eccelstone, he silently brought a finger to his lips. "We're almost to the key part," he whispered, listening intensely, then he reached over and switched off the tape deck. "Did you hear it?"

"No," Eccelstone admitted.

"Neither did I." James Two Trees motioned toward two mismatched chairs that sat beside the kitchen table. "Please, have a seat. Coffee?"

"Sure," Eccelstone answered. Elizabeth stared at Two Trees, as if he were some kind of apparition.

As Two Trees poured water into a coffeemaker that had clearly not been washed since the Nixon administration, he continued to speak. "Something must be troubling you, Richard, to bring Elizabeth here."

"It's not my favorite place," Elizabeth admitted. She felt uncomfortable here- knowing that Two Trees, besides his poor housekeeping, likely was growing a variety of illegal plants in the rusty metal cans. But the native American was one of Eccelstone's peers, another highly regarded- though eccentric- historian and archaeologist.

As the coffee pot began to hiss and burble, Two Trees opened the refrigerator, taking out a glass bottle of milk and a bottle of Coors beer. "Oh, care for a beer?"

"I think we'll stick with coffee," Eccelstone said. "We are both in serious trouble, James, and I don't know who else to ask for help."

"If you need to hide out, no problem. Are the cops close behind?"

"It's not that," Elizabeth said. "We're turning into horses."

Two Trees looked at her as he opened the beer, taking a gulp. "Richard, I didn't think she smoked. It must be some wicked weed- you got any more?"

"I know what happened to the Alworti," Eccelstone said, taking out the prayer ball and setting it on the table.

Two Trees suddenly became quite serious, sitting in a third chair and looking at the artifact intently. "Circa 1732, give or take five years- the characters are from the final period, and the engraving was done by metal tools instead of wood. Care for some breakfast? I can whip up some pancakes."

"Damn it, we're turning into horses!" Elizabeth almost screamed.

Eccelstone put his arm around her. "Dear, don't worry," he said soothingly as Two Trees stood and poured out a cup of coffee.

"Here, Liz, have this," he urged. "It'll settle you down." He looked a bit worried, turning to Eccelstone. "She's on a bad trip."

Elizabeth sprung to her feet, pulling down the sweatpants she wore. Two Trees took a half step back, wide eyed, as she turned around. "Look- you see? We're turning into horses!"

Eccelstone sat silently, as his colleague slowly sat in his chair, silently staring at the tail that grew from Elizabeth's rump. There's more hair on her rump now- it's spreading. I wonder how long we'll be...no, need to stay focused.. "James, there's a magic spell on the prayer ball. It would appear to, ah, be quite real in it's effects."

Two Trees continued to stare at Elizabeth, until she pulled up the sweatpants and sat back at the table, then he picked up the prayer ball, turning it several times in his hands as he read the ancient runes. "Richard, this is... this changes everything that we know, everything that our society is based on. The implications are enormous- what other 'magic' is in fact real, but merely lost knowledge?" He looked at Eccelstone almost sorrowfully. "You'll be famous."

"James...as a friend...I'll ask you a favor. I don't want to become a lab specimen- locked up, tested, and observed for the rest of my life." Eccelstone had thought carefully on the way to Two Trees' farm of the likely consequences to Elizabeth and himself. Either we'll be mentally reduced to animals- in which case I'd rather live as an ordinary one- or worse, we'll still retain our reason and go mad from confinement.

Two Trees nodded in understanding. "You have my oath."

"Can't you help us?" Elizabeth asked. "Stop this?"

"I will try."

*****************************************

Two Trees had a sophisticated personal computer, with an extensive database, and he and Eccelstone were soon lost in reviewing and cross referencing all data on the Alworti. Much of it was anecdotal- second hand stories from other tribes, or partial writings from damaged prayer balls- many had been misused, stripped of their gold by the greedy or the desperate, so few of them remained intact. Elizabeth was left to wander about the farm.

The field, she found, contained the old horse along with a younger one. Both came to her, sniffing curiously across the fence. Feeling a sudden urge to be near them, she squeezed between the boards and stood in the pasture.

Both horses were mares, and seemed after their inspection to be somewhat indifferent to her presence. They walked to a nearby patch of grass and began to graze. Elizabeth sat on the grass, watching them eat contentedly. Why am I so upset? This is what I want, deep down. To be one of them. But Rich... he can't possibly want to be an animal. He's a success, the most highly regarded professor of archaeology in the state, maybe in the country. And I've condemned him to this fate, to never be able to speak again, or touch me with his hand. But to stand about in a pasture and eat grass.

She felt a sudden cramp in her chest, as if someone were pulling her breasts, and pulled up the loose T-shirt she wore- there was no one to see, except the two mares. Her chest was covered with a fine golden hair- not quite as long or thick as the coats of the two nearby horses, but clearly not human either- and her chest physically looked different, as if her firm round breasts were slightly smaller and elongated slightly. Her lower abdomen ached slightly as well, not enough to be painful but uncomfortable, and she felt slightly nauseated, as if she needed to vomit but couldn't.

The younger mare looked toward her and nickered, as if she could feel Elizabeth's discomfort

***********************

"This was written by Pierre DuFrey- a Canadian trapper," Eccelstone said as Two Trees joined him at the computer screen. Eccelstone also was feeling some discomfort, but the research was a good distraction. Both he and Two Trees would have been interested to find that his chest was also covered with newly grown hair- but it was a dark brown- and if they had measured, would have found that his mammary glands had shifted down by nearly an inch and moved closer together.

But the writings of the trapper from two centuries before had them distracted. "So, the animals he encountered in the area seemed more hostile," Two Trees said, "as if they were intelligent- stealing into his camp and destroying his supplies, pulling his gunpowder into the river."

"A coincidence, perhaps? An excuse for a bad hunting trip or a tall tale?"

"The time period coincides with the Alwori's disappearance." Two Trees stopped speaking, as a look of pain came over Eccelstone's face. "What's happening?"

Eccelstone was a scientist, and describing what was happening to him was more of an imperative than life itself. "It feels like someone's ripping my fingernails and toenails out."

Two Trees took Eccelstone's hands, looking critically at his fingers. "They are visibly changing-all the digits save the third are regressing slightly, the third is elongating and becoming hoof like. I would guess the same is happening to your..."

"Dear god, help me get my shoes off!" Two Trees desperately snatched at Eccelstone's shoes, and the scientist sighed in relief as he did. His feet were twisted and malformed. "The hoof has replaced your toes- it's almost complete," Two Trees said. "Richard, I would speculate that the spell is driven by nature to maximize the chance of survival- so in the transitory stage, you will likely remain bipedal- an 'anthromorphic being', as it were. In fact...your ears."

"What about them?" Eccelstone reached with his now malformed hand, touching the side of his head. "Get me a mirror, please."

Two Trees left, returning a moment later with a shaving mirror. Eccelstone looked into it, wiggling his now equine ears. They weren't quite where they had been, but slightly more toward their final destination at the top of his head. He wiggled them slightly, watching them turn from one direction to the other. "Do you have an ultrasound machine? It would be of some interest to determine how the musculature is changing."

"'Fraid not," Two Trees answered. "What else?"

"My mouth aches, as if my teeth are too big."

"Open." Two Trees looked inside Eccelstone's mouth. "They're visibly different- more oval and flattened on the top, and your incisors are broader- that's probably why your jaw hurts."

"You'll have to take notes, James. I don't think I can type very well." He stood, unevenly on the unfamiliar hooves, allowing the other scientist to sit at the computer console.

**********************************

Outside, Elizabeth lay on her back, staring at the hooves that were half surrounded by her broken sandals. It was like the best fur suit that she'd ever seen- except it was very real. Her hooves were a white color, and the thickening hair on her feet was also white- she'd have white hind 'socks'. This is supposed to take three months- it seems like I'm halfway there already. Except that I'm going to get a lot bigger- and my bones and my guts are going to change too. Most of the TF stories describe that as painful... she wondered what her husband was going through, and rolled to her stomach to get up.

It was just an impulse, the smell of the grass by her face was sweeter than she'd ever remembered and she took a bite. Her teeth seemed different, as if they were perfectly designed to crop the grass. She chewed it with her broad molars, savoring the sweetness, then swallowed it.

Feeling slightly guilty at the equine pleasure, she got up on her hooves- they could in no way still be described as feet- and headed unsteadily toward the house. By the time she arrived there, she felt quite comfortable walking on the hooves. Maybe this is as far as it goes- and if I had special shoes, and wore gloves, no one would know.

Hearing the two scientists she walked into the room, nearly screaming when she saw Eccelstone. "Your ears! They're horse ears!"

Eccelstone looked at her. "They work quite well. Do yours?"

She reached up as he had, touching the side of her head, realizing her human ears were gone, feeling the soft cartilage of her pointed equine ears, the smooth hair covering them, and also realizing that her fingers felt very wrong, and looked at her hands. This time she did scream, and continued to even as Eccelstone took her in his arms and tried to soothe her.

*************************

_Transcript of Hearing, three years later

Senate Subcommittee on Un-American Activities

Q- So at this point, Doctor Two Trees, were they still human?

A- I do not know how to answer that question, Senator. To paraphrase President Clinton, it depends on what your definition of 'is' is.

Q- Please answer, Doctor. Remember you are subject to confinement as an enemy combatant.

A- I understand. My people never surrendered, so we are still at war with the palefaces. Can I have my tomahawk?_

Q- Your sarcasm will win you no friends here. Answer the question.

A- My tests at that time indicated that they were undergoing genetic changes- severe genetic changes- that could be measured but not explained by our scientific technology.

Q- Were they still human?

A- Richard and Elizabeth are still sentient creatures. They were then, they were before, they are now.

Q- So they are a threat, then.

A- I do not understand how you reach that conclusion.

Q- They and these other hordes of freaks...there's no telling what they might do. I have sworn an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States, and I intend to do so. We will isolate and deal with them appropriately.

A- Richard and Elizabeth threats? They are horses... out there, somewhere. Horses, Senator. Are you concerned they may kick or bite someone?

Q- And spread this disease? Yes. Yes. The American People must be protected. You already opened Pandora's box by that message three years ago on the internet. Now it is up to me and my fellow Senators to close it.

A- Please listen, Senator. This is not a communicable disease like mumps. I will explain what Richard and I discovered.

"I agree. The cell mutations appear to occur in batches," Eccelstone said, looking into the microscope. It was quite expensive, borrowed from the university, and sat on the living room table where the carburetor had been. "In both of us, the cells appear to be storing a great deal of energy- I would surmise that the 'third moon' will be the trigger for some major cellular shift."

"Elizabeth seems to be undergoing more severe changes than you," Two Trees said in a quiet voice. She was outside, but her hearing and Eccelstone's seemed to have become much sharper over the past three weeks.

Eccelstone wrinkled his nose slightly- his face had become slightly misshapen, though it was not entirely covered with fur, it partly was, and his nose looked bloated, as it was beginning to widen; his nostrils were slightly reoriented, beginning to rotate toward horizontal- they were about at a 45 degree angle now, and he looked somewhat like a cartoonist's rendering of an animorphic horse. His ears were now set quite horse like, and his hair could only be described as a mane running down his slightly long neck. Inconveniently, his fingers were almost entirely gone, each hand replaced by a single dark hoof. "She is," he agreed. "James... this is a difficult question to ask you, but what are you seeing from a chromosomal standpoint?"

Two Trees reached over and turned off the microscope's backlight unit. "Richard, there are two more days before the full moon. We have been working for two months every day, nearly without a break. I think we understand what is happening from a scientific basis- but not what has triggered this."

It was true- Eccelstone and Two Trees, after exhausting the archaeological data, had turned toward their scientific training and with borrowed equipment had catalogued and measured the changes that Richard and Elizabeth were undergoing. The cells seemed to gather up energy- too much energy to be explained by normal nutrition but from some other source- then as a group appeared to rapidly change. The genetic coding appeared to have been rewired a few days before each change, and only the appropriate cells would build up the necessary energy to alter.

"You see it as well," Eccelstone said.

"She loves you, James. As you love her. That will not change. You will both have the same souls."

*************************************

Elizabeth had started to spent almost no time in the house, only coming inside to eat and sleep- and more than once, she had fallen asleep outside in the field.. Though Eccelstone was still human enough in form to pass as one, she had gained considerably more bulk- her hips and shoulders were wider, her arms had become slightly longer and thicker, her rump had become much larger and horse like, and her facial transformation was already more severe than Eccelstone's; her head was more like that of a pony than that of a woman. Only the basic shape and proportion of her arms, legs, and torso were still more or less human- though her large and full breasts were nearly gone, strangely sunken toward her waist and close together like those of a mare.

After the last major change- where her hips and shoulders had suddenly grown wide- she had given up wearing any clothing, as none of it fit and she saw no reason to be modest in front of Eccelstone or Two Trees. She was sitting that afternoon in the pasture, near the two mares- they hovered near her constantly, as if she were another member of their herd. I've always so wanted to be one of you...and I was willing... but I shouldn't have done this to Rich. She absently plucked a leafy dandelion with her teeth and began to munch it.

A motion caught her eye and she jumped to her feet. She'd noticed that she was more easily startled as of late, more so than the two mares, who nickered a greeting to the person approaching.

"Liz, I came to see how you were feeling." Eccelstone came close and clumsily hugged her. It was a bit awkward, as neither had even the vaguest semblance of hands left, long since replaced by hooves.

She regarded him carefully. She had always been a bit bulkier than him, but was now considerably larger. Her coat was growing in evenly, a golden palomino color, and her dark hair had long since become a silvery blonde mane to match her tail.

Eccelstone, on the other hand, was covered mostly with darker fur- more a dark brown- with his hair, previously graying, having become a black and coarse mane. He still held to wearing clothing- which currently consisted of a pair of sweatpants and a loosely fitting t-shirt, that despite his slightly larger 'horse bulk' was still rather loose. "James has gone to town- we needed a break, and he's almost out of food."

"There's plenty of grass to eat," she mumbled. Her throat and mouth had changed, and though she could still speak she still wasn't quite used to her new equine tongue. "Rich, I'm so sorry I did this to you- to us. Please don't hate me."

He started to brush a tear from her eye, but stopped, remembering that he had a hoof instead of fingers. "I'm a scientist," he said gently. "This is the most incredible scientific paradigm shift that has ever occurred, and I get to be part of it." He smiled, a slightly twisted one- his lips weren't quite those of a horse yet, but they were no longer quite human either. "Quite a major part, in fact."

"I'm ugly and hideous," she said. "You never wanted this, to be a horse."

If she knew how much I love her... why not tell her? Better yet... "Help me," he said, tugging at the sweatshirt with his teeth. She took her hooves, realizing his intent, and helped him pull off the shirt and sweatpants.

They stood together, feeling each other's warmth, then rubbed together, falling to the ground and coupling repeatedly, almost desperately. They spent the afternoon there together in the field, in the warm autumn sun, and fell asleep in the grass.

*******************

They passed the next two days in the pasture, knowing that the next full moon was approaching rapidly. Late in the afternoon, after a particularly intense round of lovemaking, they lay together, watching the clouds that were building against the sunset and threatening a thunderstorm. "Rich, will I... will we forget?"

"Who we are?" He rolled over to face her, to look into her eyes. They were full and brown now, with a lateral iris as horses have. His mind was full of doubt- he'd already held some information back from her. "I don't know. James thinks not. But our DNA is changing- our brains will be smaller, though brain size is not directly related to intelligence." And we're dealing with a force of nature that we can only begin to comprehend the magnitude of. I am afraid- perhaps James is lying to me, as I've lied to Elizabeth by omission, and we will both be mindless beasts in a month. Which is worse? To be a horse in mind and not realize that one was once human, or to have brief flashes of memory, frustrating attempts to grasp fleeting bits of reason? I don't want to lose myself, forget who I was, forget our wedding night...

She looked at the two mares, grazing together contentedly. "If we do remember, promise me... we're still married. Promise you won't...you know... with other mares."

"I promise I won't," he said.

*******************

Two Trees had returned, but he remained at the house, knowing what was to come- he waited anxiously, a medical kit on the table, and checked the two syringes and needles for the fifth time as he glanced at the window, and at the rapidly brightening horizon that promised an imminent moonrise.

In the pasture, Eccelstone was also watching. This is it... James will have the sedatives ready, in case this is worse than I imagine. He turned his gaze to where Elizabeth sat, tense- she knew that another change would happen shortly, and the last change had been at best uncomfortable, as their bodies had twisted and grown in unexpected ways.

The two mares suddenly snorted, as if they could feel a growing disturbance. The thunderstorm hadn't broken, but the moisture could be felt in the freshening breeze, and a distant rumble of thunder warned that it was not too far off. As the top of the moon broke the horizon, both mares suddenly galloped off, as if they didn't want to be present at what was about to occur.

"Rich, I..." Elizabeth suddenly screamed, as the moonlight touched her, and she fell to the ground and rolled to a fetal position. It felt as if her uterus was being ripped out, along with her shriveled mare's breasts, and she gasped for breath.

Eccelstone started for her, but the change came upon him, as well. His jaw and nose felt as if they were becoming rubbery, pulling away from his face and changing shape. The moonlight suddenly seemed brighter and more intense. My eyes have changed- horses have more sensitive eyes than humans. And the colors! I can distinctly see more shades of green than... he suddenly felt guilty, remembering his wife. He could feel changes as well, as his hips and shoulders grew- he was quickly catching up to the phase that Elizabeth had been in, and he realized that Two Trees was there already, kneeling and injecting her with the sedative.

"Richard." Two Trees said nothing more, looking at his friend.

Eccelstone looked on, near helpless- his body was changing too rapidly to help, and even if it hadn't been, there was little that he could do with only hooves but watch as Elizabeth continued her final change, knowing that he too would undergo the same within hours.

Her breath was fast and shallow. All the changes were amazing to watch, and Two Trees suddenly felt a bit of regret that he hadn't thought to bring a video camera. Her arms and legs were lengthening, their shape and proportion changing to support her rapidly expanding torso and lengthening neck.

But the truly amazing thing- which he'd predicted a month ago when looking at the DNA traces- was that her vagina seemed to be turning inside out, rolling together with her breasts in an obscene mass, distending and growing into a large equine penis. It was somewhat limp from the sedatives, and hung loosely from her... no, his, Two Trees corrected himself- sheath. Elizabeth had become a stallion.

"Her physical transformation appears complete," Two Trees said. "I'll have to get her on the ultrasound to make sure, but I don't see anything non equine. Richard, how are you?"

Eccelstone was now the one having trouble speaking. "I'm alive," he mumbled. "This feels rather strange." He looked at his own waist. "It hasn't started yet on me." The scientist swayed unsteadily, then carefully lowered himself until his forelegs- they could no longer be called arms- were touching the ground. "I think that's it for walking on two legs."

"Your neck seems to be expanding faster than your torso," Two Trees said, as he watched Eccelstone's head completing it's transformation.

Eccelstone looked back, making an unintelligible noise- it wasn't quite the sound of a horse, but close. I can still think- at least, I think I can. Would I know? Will I know? He felt his arms and legs- no, his fore and hind legs- seem to firm up, as if they were finished, and his torso expanding, staring from his neck and working back. It wasn't really too unpleasant, it just felt strange, as if a wave was rolling slowly and inexorably backward.

He felt a slight tingling sensation as it reached his own waist and braced himself for the pain. Two Trees stood with the syringe, ready to administer an injection. He and Eccelstone had discussed this days ago- if the pain was not too intense, Eccelstone wanted to remain conscious so as to be able to describe the experience. It seemed ridiculous, but Eccelstone hoped somehow to still be able to communicate. Strangely, the pain was not too severe- it felt as if someone had pushed his testicles up deep inside his abdomen, then shoved his penis inside out. It was uncomfortable, but nothing like the agony that Elizabeth had experienced.

"Richard, can you understand me?" Two Trees looked at his colleague. Eccelstone had become a bay mare, with a white blaze on her face. She wasn't very tall, perhaps fourteen and a half hands at most, and Two Trees was slightly relieved as Eccelstone bobbed her head up and down. She began to make a sound, but it was garbled. "Don't worry Richard," he replied, turning his attention back to Elizabeth, who was stirring.

The palomino stallion suddenly snorted, as his eyes opened, and he scrambled to his feet. Two Trees backed away quickly- Elizabeth seemed disoriented at best, and he knew better than to stand too close to a confused horse who might lash out unexpectedly with a kick.

The sedative's effect wore off quickly- it was a feature that veterinarians favored. Elizabeth looked about, then suddenly and unexpectedly wheeled and galloped off, whinnying loudly. Eccelstone hesitated for a second, then galloped off as well in pursuit.

"Damn it all." Two Trees picked up the medical kit, throwing the syringes inside, then ran after them. The pasture was big- nearly forty acres- and he could hear the hoof beats fading quickly in the darkness.

**********************************************************

_Transcript of Hearing, three years later

Senate Subcommittee on Un-American Activities

Q- This is disgusting, this sex changing stuff.

A- I am reporting events, not judging them.

Q- Why did she become a male horse?

A- She mentally pictured and identified with 'Mister Ed'.

Q- So?

A- 'MISTER' Ed. Do I have to draw you a picture?

Q- So, you claim that they both just ran off.

A- (Shrugs) That is what happened that night.

Q- They were in your pasture.

A- My fence was not in good condition.

Q- But your two horses stayed in.

A- They were horses all their lives, and were accustomed to living there.

Q- Why would you let the fence deteriorate? I don't believe this story.

A- You are willing to accept the fact that magic exists, but unwilling to accept the idea that an aging pot smoking hippie might not take good care of the fence of a forty acre pasture?

Q- Exactly how do you explain magic, Doctor? How do we know this isn't some kind of a desperate Communist plot to destroy American civilization?_

A- How do you explain the American people electing a paranoid moron to the United States Senate?

Q- You're in contempt, Doctor.

A- Very much so. But to answer your question, I cannot explain it, just measure it. It is a force that exists.

Q- Stop talking in riddles.

A- There is a force like gravity or time. Let us call it reality. We know gravity exists, and can measure it, but cannot explain why two bodies attract each other. We know time exists, and can measure it, but do not understand why time is linear. And we know reality exists. When we push an object and it moves, we are changing the effect of gravity. When we move that object, it is subject to relativity, and changes the effect of time. And finally, we are altering reality on a very basic level- it is now in a different place.

Q- So what is magic?

A- A more powerful shove on the object.

That night, Elizabeth had run and smashed through the fence, but Eccelstone had caught up as Elizabeth became winded from panic. I can think- you must be able to as well, Elizabeth. The mare looked at the stallion with a bit of apprehension. At least, I hope you can. Eccelstone walked over, carefully approaching Elizabeth from the side, and watched the stallion's nostrils flare as he smelled the approaching mare. Eccelstone stood near Elizabeth's face, their nostrils almost touching, as both snorted in and out, tasting each other's breath. Eccelstone felt a stirring within herself, reacting, and involuntarily some urine dribbled out of her, into her tail. I guess I should've held my tail up a bit. She swished her tail from side to side, to try to dry the dampness, but only succeeded in spreading the pheromes into the air.

Elizabeth started to nicker, a deep and rumbling sound, and moved his nose toward Eccelstone's rump. The bay mare started to trot, knowing that the stallion would follow, and returned to Two Tree's pasture.

The scientist stood by his fence as the mare trotted through the broken section, followed by an obviously aroused stallion. "Richard, keep going, or..."

The mare had stopped, lifting her tail and squatting slightly, turning her head to watch the stallion as he reared slightly, jumping to her back and thrusting deep within her. He felt the mare squeezing his penis as he thrust, his forelegs straddling to either side of her back as he pushed into her with increasing urgency, then felt himself throbbing as he and the mare shared their orgasm. Spent, he pulled out, satisfied, and after sniffing her nose politely started to eat grass.

Eccelstone looked at Two Trees, who watched uncertainly. David, I'm a horse now. A mare. I'm still me. But there's something else I need now too.

*********************************

The next week was filled with a strange combination of science and animal husbandry. Two Trees carefully checked both Eccelstone and Elizabeth as they stood in his rundown barn.. "Richard, you both are indistinguishable from ordinary horses," Two Trees said, watching his friend carefully.

The bay mare nodded. "Uuur you seeing urny compuurhenshn uurum Elisuurbeth?" Eccelstone was able to mumble out a few words at a time.

"I'm sorry," Two Trees said. "The mental shock...maybe the magic...I just can't tell."

Elizabeth looked at the strange human who spoke to the mare. _I can understand the human- the mare mumbles. I wonder why the other mares don't speak. _ Bored, she turned back to her hay. The mare was still in heat, and he intended to cover her again as soon as they were turned out.

*************************************************

That evening Two Trees carefully filled his pipe, lighting it and drawing in the rich pungent smoke. He'd not used any pot in nearly four months, but now needed the narcotic to soothe his conscience. He and Eccelstone had discussed Elizabeth's posting of the account of the 'prayer ball' on the internet, and had agreed it was best left alone- that it would soon be forgotten.

Yet one of the other members of Elizabeth's discussion group had become obsessively interested, and kept the 'message thread' alive. Two Trees was a moralist, and felt that people deserved facts- they needed to understand the risk they were in. It all seemed quite clear, and Two Trees started to giggle as he logged in, creating a new account on the message board to post his warning.

_Dear discussion group members of the TF forum,

I think all of you need to know what happened to 'Ponygal'. I've seen your postings, wondering what happened to her.

Well, it has to do with the prayer ball that her husband, Doctor Richard Eccelstone, had found..._

_Transcript of Hearing, three years later

Senate Subcommittee on Un-American Activities

Q- So to compound your treasonable activity, you posted a virtual 'how to' on the internet? Did you realize the consequences of your act?

A- Elizabeth had posted the how to. I had to warn people to not try this at home.

Q- So now, every day, it seems we read about someone - some couple- becoming animals, or some weird freak. (Senator holds up copy of 'National Investigator'). Do you see this?_

A- I am not blind. It is a newspaper, if I am not mistaken.

Q- Look at this- a woman has turned into a five foot skunk.

A- That stinks.

Q- I would advise you to stop taking this so lightly, Doctor. If this reaches the mainstream press- if people stop thinking this is a hoax like flying saucers, do you know what will happen?

A- Yes. (silence)

Q- Our society will be disrupted, Doctor. People will be changing themselves and their unknowing husband or wife in moments of weakness. I have a statistical study here that says we could lose twenty percent of our population within three years. Twenty percent! Even homosexuals will be impacted.

A- I take it that you aren't concerned about losing other deviants, then? You'll save on concentration camp expenses in the future.

Q- That's quite enough, Doctor. We are not Nazis.

A- My mistake. Did you ever consider the impact of human overpopulation? Perhaps this is a balancing force of nature.

Q- The United States Government will not allow this to go unchecked.

Henry Wing looked up as the slightly dusty sedan pulled up the driveway to his stable. It was dark blue, relatively new, and had the cheap pie plate hubcaps that screamed out 'police car'. Two men wearing suits got up and walked to Wing briskly. "Mr. Henry Wing?"

"That's right."

"Mr. Wing, Special Agents Banks and Chen. We're with the FBI."

"The FBI?"

"Mr. Wing, we're looking for two horses- a palomino stallion and a bay mare- and we have a report from one of our sources that you have horses here answering their description."

Wing was slightly incredulous. "Do you know how many bay mares there are? And palomino stallions..."

One of the agents- the taller one, who looked slightly Asian- pulled out a document. "We have a search warrant."

Wing snorted- a horse like sound that had Banks tense up, placing his hand near his jacket and the 9mm pistol concealed in the shoulder holster. "You don't need a warrant. Come on, I'll show you my barn."

They walked in- the horses were in their stalls, finishing their breakfasts. Wing led the way and pointed into a stall. "Here's my palomino stallion." An elderly pony, his coat slightly graying but still mostly gold, was munching on hay, not bothering to look up. Wing gestured toward a group of stalls. "There's at least a half dozen bay mares here, but feel free to look around."

The two agents were tired- they'd been to a dozen stables the previous day, and would go to a dozen more today- but they were FBI agents. "Thank you, Mr. Wing. We'll do so."

They looked at the others- neither was a horse expert, and all the bay horses looked pretty much the same. "Thank you, Mr. Wing. We'll be in touch if anything comes up."

After the pair had left, Wing walked over to one of the stalls, picking up a halter. "Time to turn out, Nikki." He put the halter on the mare, speaking softly to her in a near whisper. "If they come back and do a thorough search, they'll find Elizabeth. A stallion is hard to hide."

If anyone else had been there to listen, they would have been stunned to hear the bay mare reply- it was slightly mumbled, but after three years of practice was understandable. "I have to stay with her, Henry."

He led the mare down the aisleway toward one of the turnout pastures. As they walked past a slightly battered building, one of the horses stuck his head out and whinnied a greeting at the familiar hoof steps, and the mare whinnied back. Elizabeth's coat looked awful- the hair coloring had stained it an odd murky brown color, and any horseman would have realized that it was artificial. But it served as a passable disguise, and Wing felt a moral obligation to protect the two. It was why he'd joined the rapidly growing network that called themselves 'The Protectors', the underground group that the FBI was already trying to infiltrate. It was easy to hide someone who was a small animal- a pair of dogs or rabbits would cause no notice- harder to hide a horse or cow pair, almost impossible to protect deer or other large wild animals. Wing still felt regret that he couldn't have done anything for the elephant couple- they were now rotting in a secure government research facility somewhere- or the lions, who'd had the misfortune of falling in with a bankrupt traveling carnival and were now in the St. Louis zoo.

The animorphs were another case- some were insane, trapped halfway between animal and human. Others were reasonably successful in remaining within human society, masking their true nature under bulky clothing but at constant risk of being exposed. Many had been early victims of the government's vendetta, traced down through their membership of TF groups and arrested. The rumored relocation camp near Amarillo Texas was already becoming a near legend, like 'Area 51' with UFO groups.

Wing thought of all of this as he let Eccelstone loose in the paddock. The mare was safe- she was quite lucid enough to act like a normal horse, and relatively common looking. Two Trees had the foresight to destroy any photographs he'd taken, so the government had only general descriptions of what Elizabeth and Richard now looked like. But palomino stallions really weren't entirely common, and Elizabeth had never shown an ability to speak, or consistently that she was mentally more than an ordinary horse. He had urged Eccelstone to split up with her, as without Elizabeth the mare would be quite safe, but Eccelstone had repeatedly refused.

As the mare trotted into the pasture, Wing turned and walked back toward the barn. He'd turn Shadow out next- she was a bay, like her mother. The two year old filly was already showing a disturbingly high intelligence, and Wing worried of what the government would do once they realized there was a second problem coming of the offspring of the transformed.