The more you thought about facing the town as a whole, the more terrified you became of things going wrong. It is hard enough for you without the risk of public humiliation. Better play things subtle and go straight home. You trot off the path. Taking a wide berth from any buildings. Most of the homes were built a large distance from each other. Your house in particular was located in an area you could reach without passing close to another. This did not eliminate the risk of being spotted. Not much to be done about that. Just move along as briskly as your legs could take you without tripping.
You spotted home in the distance. The sun was still up and you were not seen as far as you could tell. Your pace slowed. What would you say to dad? There was still no answer after wracking your brain the whole walk here. You sigh and decide the only thing you can do is start talking. You approach the wooden house with a high thatched roof. It is a sturdy and comfortable place that had been built by your grandfather. Made of many small rooms stationed around a large hall. As familiar as it is, you could not just walk right in. You were in the guise of a stranger. Instead, you lean forward and knock on the door with a nervous tap.
Temic is not an old man. His eyes had a perpetual squint that looked like a man trying to hide how tired he was. Aside from that, he was very similar to you before you had a canter. He pulled the door open and peered out. His eyes even more narrow than usual.
"Hello young lady. Is there something I can do for you?"
You stare at each other with equal looks of confusion.
"Ahem. Yes, sorry. I need to speak with you. Would it be alright if I come in?"
"If you can fit, you are welcome."
Temic shrugs his shoulders and opens the door wide. It is a bit of a squeeze. The only way to make it is to bend low and shuffle with your legs tucked beneath you. Once inside, you are able to move a bit more freely. The space feels much more cramped than you remembered. Dad was sitting at the table facing you. He had poured both of you a cup of tea while you were struggling to enter. He had also moved a couple chairs to the side allowing you to kneel at the table. Wordlessly accepting the tea, you taste its sweet warmth before you begin.
"OK. I know this will be difficult to believe, but please listen to me. The truth is I am Teren your son."
Temic's expression does not change as he thinks this over a bit.
"I see. Well son, son doesn't seem to be to be the right term for you anymore."
Temic chuckles at his joke and takes a drink. Your jaw drops.
"You believe me? simple as that?"
"Father's intuition. You being turned into a centaur is more believable than one coming to me and lying about being Teren. I always did tell you: 'one day you'll get in trouble with all your thirst for adventure.' So what was it? Pick up some cursed artifact in the forest? No wait. I bet you chose this form yourself. Having the body of a horse could be quite useful for traveling. I guess you wanted the boobs to entertain yourself on the long lonely nights."
Temic throws his head back in laughter as you cross your arms self-consciously. Still unable to grasp that your father had not called you a crazy woman and tried to toss you out. Eventually you manage to stop sputtering and get out a coherent sentence.
"NO! You've got it all wrong! A sorceress did this to me. She got mad at me and the next thing I knew."
You indicate down to your body. Temic calms down.
"Well that is a shame. I wish your mother could see you now. She always wanted a daughter. Why was this sorceress mad at you?"
"Apparently I broke something she had been working on."
"So you deserved this then?"
"I had no way to know those sticks were so important. This is no fair punishment."
The two of you continued talking for a few minutes. He seemed to think your predicament was quite hilarious. There was no sense of urgency. He even suggested you may be happier in this form. You pout and told him you would be turning back just as soon as you knew how. Then you both heard a knock at the door.
"Another visitor, eh?"
Temic stood and went to the door. You look over your shoulder to see a familiar face beneath a shock of blonde hair. It is your friend Harold. It was strange for him to visit so late. Usually he would be too exhausted after a day working under the smith. In fact he looked quite tired now.
"Evening Harold. What are you doing here?"
"I don't mean to disturb you sir, I just wanted to let you know Teren hasn't returned from the woods yet. He was supposed to meet me tonight."
"Don't fret about that my boy. Come in, I have a guest I would like you to meet."
You snap your face away from them and freeze. What is he doing! You were trying to avoid situations like this. Their footsteps grew close and soon they are both in view. Harold's eyes met yours both quickly looked elsewhere. His voice takes on a slightly affected deepness.
"It's nice to meet you miss."
"This lovely young lady is currently looking for a suitor. I think you two would be an excellent match."
"DAD!"
You shouted, slamming both hands on the table. His laughter echoed around the house. A stolen glance at Harold revealed he was flush but smiling. You dropped your face to your hands. Temic is taking this issue far too lightly. Your behavior must look like a demure maid. Too shy to express herself in matters of love. It is actually shame that was slowly converting to anger. You calmed yourself. The last thing you need is to become a shrieking mess in an attempt to protect your pride. Concentrating hard, you force yourself to look directly at Harold, who turns his head in discomfort.
"Don't listen to him. He thinks he's funny. It'll only stop if we can ignore him for long enough."
"You seem to know each other well. Wait, you said dad a moment ago. Is she really your daughter?"
You grimaced. You already had a slip of the tongue give you away.
"Sir I didn't know you were... involved with the centaur in such a way."
Perhaps not. As silly as Temic could be. You think he would likely play along if you did not correct Harold. In fact, he would certainly relish an opportunity to tease you further.
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