Magic on Changeling Mountain

They met with the other members of the community council and it was agreed that they would allow the centaurs to stay for a trial period of one month. They must stay hidden and they must not cause any harm to anyone, human or changeling.

Changelings were not to be expected to feed or house them but would not deny them to gather what they need to eat so long as it was not from their fields.

“All of our harvest is done so we do not have to worry about them taking from our fields but if any of you can spare anything, I’m sure it would be much appreciated especially since they are expecting a new one to be joining their herd soon. One of the females is about to give birth.”

Angela, who had been in the kitchen, came back into the room just then. “What? One of them is about to give birth? Has Carolyn gone to check on her?”

“No. She offered but they refused. They claim they are healers and they didn’t seem real eager to have anyone interfering in such a private matter.” Daniel said.

“But it’s going to be winter soon. A new foal won’t survive if it snows, especially if its upper body is skin and not covered with fur. They will need blankets, clothes.” Angela said. She was worrying for someone she didn’t even know and Daniel was again reminded of why he loved his wife so much. She was the most caring and giving person he had ever known. His daughter, Carolyn was so much like her mother in so many ways.

“I’ve told them they can stay in the small cave on the back side of our farm but that cave is not big enough to hold all of them. Arthur, isn’t there a larger cave just above the river on the back side of your farm?”

“Yes but the last time I was there, there were a bunch of razorbacks living in it. That male is a nasty customer too. He’s huge and mean as they come. I’m pretty sure they’ve been nesting there the past couple of winters.”

“Well, they are going to have to find another place to nest. The centaurs are going to need that cave soon. Maybe we had better go check it out before we say anything to them.”

Ray stepped up and said “I will fly over and look. That will be faster than you can walk over there. I’ll go check it out and let you know what I find.”

He left the house before he transformed and flew off in the direction of Arthur’s farm, which was two farms over from the Masters farm. On the way, he spotted Eric and his mate following Carolyn, still in her animal form, back from the small cave on the back side of the property. He saw Carolyn look up at him when he called out to her and then Eric and Sandra looked up.

Ray flew several miles north east, following the small river that ran on the lower edges of their properties. As Ray flew he smelled something rotten but didn’t spot anything dead on the ground or any vultures circling but the smell was awful. Luckily the higher up the mountain he went the more the smell seemed to fade. He would have to investigate more later on, he thought to himself.

As he reached Arthur’s property, he landed in a tree and looked around. He flew down lower into the branches of another tree and scanned the bank of the river. He had a general idea of where the cave was located but it had been years since he had been back here. When they were young, he and his brothers and friends had often camped out in the cave on what had been Arthur’s fathers’ property. Arthur had inherited the land from his father when he had passed on several winters before.

Ray finally located the cave entrance and indeed there was a large cluster of razorback pigs wallowing in the mud and rooting for grubs and roots along the bank of the river. He did not see any babies among them but there were several younger ones. More than likely they had been born this past spring, which was normal for most forest animals. He counted about 20 of them. The centaurs should be able to all fit in the cave on the back side of Arthur’s farm but it would be a tight fit. Ray didn’t take a chance on getting too close but from what he could see, the cave opening was large enough to allow the centaurs to enter, if they bent down some.

Ray left the pigs and flew higher up the mountain to where more of the land was rock and shrubbery. There was a large overhang that was surrounded by evergreen bushes and trees. He had never been very far under the overhang but he flew into the opening and landed on a low hanging branch that stuck out in front of it. He transformed and walked farther under the overhang. He had never realized how far back it ran. There was a natural curve in the solid stone that told him at one point the river had run through here and the water had carved out a natural bowl under the stone that was the top of the mountain. It would provide the perfect shelter for the centaurs and was even large enough to hold more than just 10 of them.

They were close enough to the water but not as close to anyone who currently lived on the mountain. This area was not really farmable yet because of all the rock that made up this side of the mountain. While the majority of the mountain belonged to the Masters clan, he wasn’t sure if this was part of their land or if it belonged to another changeling family. But he knew Daniel would know.

It had long been accepted that Daniel was the keeper of the mountain’s history and records. He had maps of the whole mountain that showed who owned what sections of it, both changeling and human.

Originally, there had been 8 families that settled on the mountain over a hundred years ago on the plot of land where Daniel’s family now had their homestead. They had come from all parts of Europe but mostly Ireland and Scotland. They had worked hard and transformed this rugged mountain into a sanctuary.

Few humans ever came this high up. The winters were too cold for them and they were too greedy, wanting to plant every inch of land by cutting down the trees and destroying the forest but this part of the mountain also had a lot of rock in the soil. Every fall they would take turns helping each other clear rock from their properties, using them to add to their homes or to build outbuildings for storage, animals or in some cases to build fences but that was mostly to keep animals that were not changelings out of their crops and to prevent erosion that would damage the land and destroy what they had worked so hard to build. Ray wondered if the centaurs were going to be able to fit into their community as he left the cave. He stood looking out over the land below. There was a beautiful view of the mountain ranges from here.

He transformed and flew back to his brothers’ house. He landed on the porch and heard raised voices coming from inside. He went in and found Daniel Masters and Arthur MacKenne standing toe to toe, yelling at each other.

“I say we tell them to leave. They don’t belong here. They are going to bring trouble, mark my words.” Arthur yelled.

“They were led here by the magic from the witches being here. I’m not going to turn my back on them. If you don’t want them on your land, then it’s up to you to tell them they are not welcome. But know this Arthur, there will more than likely be more magical creatures showing up here.

We are lucky that we have been able to live on this mountain alone for as long as we have and it was only a matter of time before other magical creatures sought refuge here. We don’t need to be making enemies out of any of them. We have lived in harmony so far, let’s not start drawing boundaries and building fences.”

Ray entered the house and pulled his brother aside to talk privately with him. Arthur grumbled under his breath but returned to his seat. It did not escape Ray’s attention that not many of the others agreed with Arthur, but then they might not want to make their feelings known yet.

“What did you find?” Daniel asked, as he watched Arthur return to his seat.

“The cave on Arthur’s land is occupied by a whole pack of razorback hogs. It would not be easy to get them out of there and I don’t know where they would go. There were no really young ones from what I saw, mostly half grown young ones and females.

But there are at least 20 of them. I know I wouldn’t want to challenge that big boar. He’s got some impressive tusks on him. So, I flew up to the ridge and found a large overhang that has a natural curve to it that would provide shelter and it’s surrounded by evergreens for cover and warmth. Problem is I don’t know who owns that land, if anyone. It’s kind of high up.”

“Can you get up there with an automobile?”

“No. No way. Beautiful view of the mountains but other than the evergreens, there’s not much up there but rock.”

“I think I know the area you are talking about but I want to be sure. Take me up there but hang on and let me get the land maps.” Daniel went into his study and Angela followed.

“Do you want me to ask them to leave until I get back?” Daniel asked his wife.

“No, that’s alright. I’ll be Ok.” Angela said, but Daniel could tell she was nervous.

“I think I know where this place is but I want to be sure. If it is where I think it is, then Arthur shouldn’t have any objections. It’s nowhere near his property and there should be enough land up there for the centaurs to live without interfering with any of us.”

“That’s great. Please be careful, Dan. We don’t know anything about these centaurs. From what I’ve read in books, they are not exactly friendly.” Angela said, as she stepped close to her husband.

“Those books were written by humans who have very active imaginations. From talking with Damien and some of the others, they seem to prefer to be alone with their own kind and they don’t seem like trouble makers.” Daniel hugged and kissed his wife, then rejoined his brother in the hall.

“We are going to check out a location near the top of the mountain that should be suitable for the centaurs that’s not on any of your lands. We’ll be back soon. Arthur, if you cannot be civil while we are gone, then please go now. I will not tolerate coming back to find my wife or children upset in any way. Understood?”

“I might as well go anyway. Just know, they are not welcome on my land or around my family.” Arthur said and stood up to leave.

Daniel and Ray waited until he was out of the house. He transformed into a donkey and trotted off in the direction of his land, which was two farms over on the other side of the creek on the north side of the mountain.

“Let’s go as far as we can on the truck. I don’t feel like walking all that way.”

“Yeah, it’s a long way for you grounded animals.” Ray teased his brother. Ray thoroughly enjoyed being an eagle, even if it did often make him a target for hunters.

They drove as far as they could, which left a good 2 mile hike to the cave/overhang Ray had located. As Daniel had figured, it was land that was owned by his family. He spread the maps out on a large boulder that sat near the entrance to the cave and checked the landmarks that showed the boundaries of each changeling family’s property on this side of the mountain.

His property was the largest on the mountain and his say held a lot of weight. He was worried about destroying his relationship with his changeling neighbors and friends over this but then realized that if they were truly his friends, they would stick by him, no matter what he decided. He knew for sure that he couldn’t turn his back on the centaurs.

All of the changelings stayed on the mountain because they didn’t want to be discovered. They just wanted to be left alone, to live in peace and raise their families. From what he had learned from Damien so far, the centaurs wanted the same thing.

“Hey come check this out. I didn’t go all the way back into the cave earlier because I was alone but it really does go back quite a ways.” Ray called out to Daniel.

Daniel rolled up his map and stuck it inside his shirt and joined his brother at the mouth of the cave. Together they explored some of the cave and were rather surprised at how large it actually was. There was even a natural well of water that made a small pool in one of the “rooms”. They walked until they reached a place where there were several openings that went in different directions.

“This should work out fine. There’s plenty of room in here and they will even have their own water. I wonder if this cave goes all the way through the mountain or if it eventually comes to a dead end?”

“There’s no telling. It branches off in so many different directions from here, it could take us days to explore them all.”

“Well, we probably should make sure it’s completely safe for them. Wouldn’t do for someone from the other side of the mountain to come up here and be wandering through the caves and come up on them by accident.”

“Look I know you love exploring these old caves but the women folk are going to be worried if we are gone too long.” Ray said. He had never shared his brothers’ love of caves. He supposed it was the bear in Daniel that made him enjoy it. As for Ray, he liked being outside in the fresh air, soaring high above the trees.

Daniel finally conceded and they left the cave. He would love to come back and explore more but Ray was right. Angela would worry if he was gone too long. Maybe Damien would allow him to come explore more some other time. For now, he and Ray walked back down to where they had parked the truck and drove back down the mountain.

Sure enough, Angela was on the front porch waiting for them. She looked worried. More than she should have and Daniel sensed something was wrong. She rushed down the steps as Daniel and Ray pulled into the yard.

“Dan, Carolyn still hasn’t come back. I’m worried. What if something has happened to her?” Angela said, nearly in tears. She was right. Carolyn should have been back by now. Ray immediately transformed and took off in the direction of the area where they had met with the centaurs by the stream.

“Ray will find her. He can see everything from way up there.” Daniel said but he was worried too. If anything had happened to his daughter, the centaurs wouldn’t be able to leave the mountain fast enough for him. “Have you called down to her house? Maybe she went home.”

“Tammy tried it about an hour ago. If she’s there, she’s not answering. Oh, by the way, Lucinda and Amelia will be here in the morning. They called right after you left.”

Ray flew in wider and wider circles around the spot near the stream where they had met with the centaurs. He spotted the blonde centaur called Sandra and flew down to her. He landed on a branch that was sturdy enough to hold his weight as he transformed. It startled Sandra and she started to run away when he called out to her. “Please, I mean you no harm. I’m looking for Carolyn. Do you know where she is?”

Sandra nodded and then spoke in a soft voice “She is with Kala. Her birth is not going well and Carolyn said she could help. The foal is a breech and Kala’s strength is waning. The trip here was very hard on her.”

Ray had hoped it was something like this. Carolyn never could turn away from someone who was injured and needed help.

“I hope she is going to be alright. Can you please let Carolyn know that her parents are concerned about her and that she needs to check in with them as soon as she can?” Ray said.

Just then they heard a woman scream and a few seconds later, a baby’s cry. Ray smiled at Sandra and then transformed and flew back to his brothers’ house.

He landed on the railing of the front porch where Angela and Daniel were waiting for him.

“She’s fine. The centaur mare was having trouble giving birth and Carolyn was helping. I didn’t stay to find out what it was, but she apparently was able to save the baby as I heard it cry just before I left.” Ray reported to the relief of Angela and Daniel.

“I’m sure they will all be glad to have a permanent place to live soon. Did you tell Damien to come see me?” Daniel asked.

“I didn’t see him. I spoke with a beautiful blonde female centaur.” Ray said.

“That must be Eric’s mate, Sandra.” Daniel said. “She is Damien’s sister. Angela, who is still here?”

“Harvey and Richard and a few of the others. Most of them left. They said they trust you to do what’s best. Chester Pence is kind of on the fence about the whole thing. You know how he can be. Such a stubborn old goat!” Angela joked. She was so relieved now that she knew Carolyn was safe.