Centauress Protector Part 2

Finding the old abandoned 2 level house near the northern border of the forest Mina, a house that had been abandon since before she was born but no one bothered to buy and clean up, thought it was best that she stay there this night since the sun was drawing near to its dusk.  "At least, no one will be here to look for me," she thought.  The house itself looked dark and bleak at first glance, but most of that was because the house was surrounded by overgrown Oak and Maple trees that overshadowed the house.  The trees themselves barely allowed any sunlight to shine down upon the house.  The first floor of the house seemed to be engulfed in dead vines; the dirty white of the house panels were indeed nearly overtaken.  The second floor was filth fully covered white wooden panels.  It was amazing to Mina that they house had not fallen down in the past 20 years alone.  Leaves blanketed the yard surround the house.  Although it was the beginning of summer the leaves from the year before had not been raked up and with no to little breeze there was nothing to move the leaves across the ground; with the exception of the occasional wild animal moving by the house.  The dirt below the leaves was usually kept moist at this time of year since the rains of spring have not completely subsided but not so much as to create full blown mud, it was at the stage of soft and moist dirt.  

As Mina continued towards the house it occurred to her how odd it was to be feeling the ground through hooves instead of her normal human feet.  But for her there was no time to actually stop and think about it.  She was single-mindedly focused on getting out of sight before anyone could actually see her and initiate a stir in town.  As Mina well knew the small town in Iowa she lived in felt tradition and ordinary farm life was the key to happiness; as well as their livelihood.   Many people were not conditioned to accept things that were considered out of the ordinary so quickly.  

Mina had made her way to the house from the backyard, which had been facing south.  She galloped up to the back door of the house, quickly, as if someone was following her.  Mina still had the feeling that this happened to her from a shadowy outside source that was now on her trail and not allowing themselves to be seen.  

Having to bend forward to reach the door knob, Mina turned the knob clockwise.  It didn't move far, it seemed that it was stuck.  Jiggling the doorknob several times it final was able to turn completely and the door opened.  Bending from her waist, Mina's head was able to lean into the house.

The house was dank and gloomy.  The little light that did enter the house shown down upon spider webs, dust covered wooden floors, and small rooms full of abandoned furniture from what seemed the early 1900's.  Taking a deep breath, Mina let out a loud sigh; thankful that no one was currently in her line of sight.  Her stress level seemed to suddenly have been abated slightly.  Walking forward, Mina's human half entered the house.

Then, Mina became stuck.  She felt her frontal horse flanks rubbing up against the door's left and right frame.  Looking over her left shoulder at the door frame, Mina seemed agitated that she didn't take into account something that was so seemingly simple.  Turning her head back towards the opposite wall Mina leaned her human half forward and pulled with her human half.  Nothing happened.  Again she pulled with her upper body and again nothing happened.  An idea then came to Mina, "what if I pulled with my horse body.  Maybe with the horse strength I will be able to push myself through".  

Not exactly knowing how to use her horse part of her body Mina thought it may be a good idea to try to pull her front legs forwards as if they were her normal 'human' legs.  Her horse legs moved forward but it seemed like she didn't move forward; her frontal legs just seemed to stamp onto the wooden floors of the house.  

Sighing again, Mina tried to think of another way to enter the house and ungluing herself from the door panel.  "AAAHHHH," Mina yelled in frustration as she pushed her entire horse body forward.   Within two seconds Mina's body pushed forward and into the house.  The sound of cracking wood was the dominate sound.  Looking back over her right shoulder, Mina saw that the door frame actually broke off.  Most of the frame was lying down on the floor; with the exception of several more inches of the wood around the door frame that had come off on both the right side and left side of the door.  Embarrassed, Mina tried to lean to the ground and for the broken pieces of the door frame, but couldn't.  Her arms could only reach to about an inch or two from the ground.  

"Oh, things have changed so much.  I feel so limited now that I can't reach the floor to pick things up," stated Mina.

Lifting her human half up Mina looked around again.  "This will have to do until I can figure things out," said Mina to the house.  

"I can answer some of the question that you have. I can also help you with the basics on being a centaur.  But that may be nothing more than empty answers and barely notable abilities to being a true centaur because I don't fully understand why we were chosen to be centaurs in a world that we may not truly be accepted," said a voice behind Mina, it seemed to be a familiar voice.

Turning around oddly, still not being about to fully being able to walk on four new legs, Mina saw another centaur standing not even 10 feet from her.  The centaur seemed to be about the same height she was; but was older in age.  Looking at the centaur for a moment longer Mina noticed that the centaur was actually her mother.  

Gasping, Mina could do nothing but stare.  

"It is ok my child.  You are now one of us.  I know you have a lot of questions of how you became what you are.  And I understand that you had to run to protect me and your family from what you have become.  But in the end, you are not the only one who has been changed.  Your father and I have been changed.  So have your siblings.  We have all become centaurs over the past 5 months.  Now we have tried to avoid human contact.  We have completely cut off from the outside world in fear that the government or some other entity would try to exploit us for their personal gain," said Mina's mother.

Mina backed into the house even more, not even realizing that she was really starting to feel freaked out.  "But you can't be my mother.  My mother is a woman who has two legs, a human woman.  How can I trust that you didn't do anything to her and then try to take her place in my presence?"

Mina took an arrow out of her arrow holder and put it into her bow.  Mina turned the bow and arrow in the direction of the other centaur and the pulled her right hand back and aimed at the other centaur, showing that she was ready to fire her weapon to defend herself.    

"Please, put your bow down sweetie.  I am who I say I am.  If I wasn't then I would I know that when you were 7 years old you fell off your bike and scared your left knee?  Up until today you still had a scare on the outside of your left knee to prove that you had the accident.  I promise you I am your mother.  Please believe me honeybunch," said the woman centaur, looking at Mina with pleading eyes.

Looking into the woman's eyes Mina knew that she was telling the truth.  Fearful of that truth Mina put the bow down and ran back out of the door and away from the other centaur.  

She ran and ran.  Mina started to cry, everything today just seemed to be too much for her to handle.  First she turned into a centauress and then it seems that her family had turned into centaurs and centauress too.  Why had her family not told her of such a life changing event sooner?

Several minutes later Mina came up to a road, surrounded by several well rooted trees.  Mina stopped and started to fully cry.  Her bow and arrow still grasped in her left arm.  

A moment later she heard hooves coming up behind her.  She looked over her left shoulder to see that the centauress who claimed to be her mother was there, not even 20 feet away from her.  

"Mina, please believe me.  I didn't want this for you.  I wish that you didn't turn into what you are but you are what you are and we must do what we must in the shadows of the world.  Otherwise we may fail to keep the world safe.  I still love you and always will.  Can you forgive me for what happened to you?  I can explain to you what has happened to you if you will just come with me to a safe place," stated the woman, nearing tears.

Still looking at the woman over her left shoulder, Mina saw that she was being sincere in what she was saying.  "Mother, is that really you?  How did you change into a centauress?  How did I change into what I am now?  Explain what has happened to me before I completely lose my mind," said Mina in near tears.