"My name is Daniel Watson, but the world at large knows me as Sunset Runner. I'm a professional race horse, and the only one of my kind to win the Triple Crown. I spend half of my life in this form, so commanded by the mares of the herd. You see, weres that spend enough time in our animal forms become physically indistinguishable from the feral cousins from where our animal DNA comes from.

I was born as a horse to Winter's Jewel and Obsidian Rose. Bred by our herd's arrangement, I lived as a colt for five years, not even knowing I could become something else. During that time I was free, more than I've ever been before. I was allowed to run and play with the other colts and fillies to my hearts content. I learned what it meant to be a horse with others of my kind. When I was six I was taught to change and sent to a human school to learn how they behave. From that day forth I was denied access to my mother and my father raised me as I became a young man. I was told that stallions and mares do not live together as humans do. The mares were our leaders and they were the ones that kept us safe and protected. We were there to fulfill our role in were society which was to run.

When I was seventeen I was taken once more with other stallions my age. We were trained to behave as horses so well that we were indistinguishable from our brothers. To ensure we remained compliant we were fitted with iron horseshoes. The iron in them kept our bodies from being able to change to human, ensuring that we were at their mercy and command. The mares cared for us and trained us to be ridden by human riders who had no idea of our intelligence.

After we were deemed to be ready I was sent to my first race. We raced other were horses from other herds to determine where we would be stabled. I won. Though my victory meant I was treated well it was not for my own benefit. I was given the finest hay and the best care only as long as I earned it. As the favorite of the mares I was often paraded before them and other humans as if I were nothing more than a beast. To them, that was all I ever was. Though I was popular among common humans for my victories they cared nothing for me other than that I kept winning them money. This was how the mares kept the were species supplied with the funds and things they needed to keep our races out of human view.

They say the best place to hide something is in plain sight. No more so is this true than with the stallions of our herd. We are seen but not heard, and we are never to let anyone know what we are. The punishments for doing so is to watch our brothers suffer. To the world at large, we are simple horses.

From time to time we are allowed to assume a human shape. We are introduced as our 'owners' though the mares hold our bridles and reins even when we walk on two legs. Just as we do when running we put on a performance for the humans all to build the were financial empire even stronger.

All my life I've had my choices made for me. I was told they were for the greater good. Even my body was at their command. Then I met her. It was the first time I'd met another were creature not of my kind. For the first time I felt embarrassed to be naked before such a gentle lady. Like me, she had been hurt by someone, I could tell. I never thought I would see her again.

Then she came back. Even more surprising, she brought me a gift. A simple apple, but what better gift to a horse?

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