LAME DISCLAIMER!!
I don't own these characters.  Well, I own THESE characters, but not 
the characters I ripped them off of.  So don't sue me...please... I'm 
begging you... I bought too many souvenirs... I'm BROKE!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> A CURE (pt 1) *not rated yet*
   Conor was standing waist-deep in the water, trying to scrub the 
grass stains off his body.  He had tripped on a stone and taken a bad 
fall a while earlier, and the dew-dropped ground had left its emerald 
touch on several parts of his body.  Clutching the lavender-scented 
soap in one hand, he scrubbed at the opposite elbow furiously, 
muttering under his breath.
   "Conor, lad!"  Fergus called to him from his warm seat by the fire, 
"Will ye come out of there already?  Ye're gonna shivel up like an old 
peach, and I'm gonna laugh at ye!"  
   Conor sighed, rinsing his elbow in the water.  "I can't get all the 
marks off!"  He splashed his chest and arms to rinse them of suds as 
well. "I look like a faery - a very leprechaun!"
   Fergus chuckled. "You're a freak of nature as it is, me boy.  Now get 
outta there before I come over and haul your arse out for ye!"
   This made Conor laugh. "You couldn't pick me up if you TRIED, 
Fergus - so don't break your ancient back attempting it!"
   Fergus joined in with Conor's laughter. "Good point, lad... Good 
point.  But c'mon anyway - supper's gettin' cold."
   Conor tossed the soap to the shore.  "All right, all right.  I'm 
coming..."  He began to wade towards the bank, water flowing off 
of his body.  Reaching the edge of the river, he stepped up out of 
the water and onto the shore, his hooves striking the soft ground 
with an echoey thud.  He shook his head, flinging water from his 
blond ringlets, then continued the shake down his spine and through 
his equine half, droplets of water flying from his smooth walnut coat 
and making Fergus hold up his cloak for protection.  He finished his 
drying process with a flick of his long, flowing tail, lashing the last 
of the water from his form.
   Conor was the prince of his centaur race.
   Fergus held up the bowl of rabbit stew.  "C'mere, lad, an' eat - 
before ye drench me further!"
   Conor laughed, walking over to where his friend and mentor sat.  
Taking the proferred bowl, he folded his four long legs beneath him and 
settled his large but graceful form down on the ground.  "Thanks, 
Fergus... Did you cook this yourself?"
   Fergus looked smug. "I certainly did, lad... An' I caught the rabbit, 
too... No thanks to you."  He grinned.
   Conor glared at him.  "It was that stupid rock!  If I hadn't stumbled 
on it, *I* would've caught the rabbit."  He rubbed his elbow, the bone 
still smarting from the bad bruising it had taken.  "Stupid equine 
form."  He looked down at his dinner sadly.  "Fergus..."
   Fergus looked up, still chewing. "Hmm?"
   "I am the last of my people."
   Fergus swallowed, nodding.  "Yes, lad, you are.  The only half-horse 
left in the world."
   "Then there is no one out there for me."
   Fergus paused in eating, the spoon halfway to his mouth. "What?"
   Conor looked at his friend, a tear of utter loneliness running down 
his cheek.  "I can never marry, Fergus, never LOVE.  Don't you see?"
   The look on Fergus' face proved that no, he did NOT see. "I, uh..."
   Conor put his bowl down, leapt to his feet with more speed than 
most people knew a creature of his size had.  "I'm a FREAK now, 
Fergus!  I can never have a wife, and I'll never have children!  I'm the 
last of my species, and will always BE so!"  Tears flowed freely down 
his face as he stormed about, golden tail lashing angrily, stamping his 
forehooves furiously.  "I'm alone, Fergus!  ALONE!!"  His anger 
welled into sorrow, and he sank to the ground, his legs folding neatly 
beside his equine body.  Putting his face into his hands, he sobbed in 
misery.
   Fergus put down his bowl and ran to the young centaur's side, 
kneeling beside him and taking the boy in his arms.  "It's all right, 
lad.  It'll all be all right."  
   Conor cried forlornly against his mentor's chest, sobs wracking his 
entire form.  "I'm tired of being a freak, Fergus," He choked through 
tears.  "There must be a cure or something."
   Fergus hugged the boy a little closer.  Ever since the entire centaur 
village had been wiped out a few months earlier and Conor had lost all 
his relatives and friends, the boy had not been himself, and Fergus 
wondered if the young prince's mind was still intact.  "A cure? Lad, ye 
make no sense."  He smoothed the boy's mussed curls.  "The gods have 
made ye what y'are for a reason."
   Conor sighed, exhaustion replacing his sorrow with weariness.  "I 
can't live like this anymore, Fergus.  I just can't."
*******************************************************8
OK, that's it for now.
Whatcha think?
Write and tell me!
And if you liked it, next installment, meet the Altered Catlin!!
Thanx for reading!

ConorSoul