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"Hey, babe. You feeling better?"

Claire felt her head throb as the car slowed to negotiate the sharp curves of the road. The straps holding the surfboards on the roof had buzzed at high speeds, and the constant noise on the motorway down from the city had set her head throbbing. Now that she could smell the sea and the noise was dropping, and she hoped the turns wouldn't set her head pounding again.

The white coated mare reached behind her head an pulled her waist length golden mane out of a hairband and shook it free, letting the wind coming in through her window blow it about. "It was just the noise."

Andy glanced at her, then back at the road. The husky's black eyebrows contrasted sharply with his mostly white face, and gave his sharp blue eyes an intense look, even when he was relaxed. "I'm sorry. I tried adjusting the straps, but there's only so much I can do..."

She waved her hand. "I know, I know. Just happens. It's better now, and I'll have a lie down when we get to the house."

Andy tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. "Won't be long now, babe."

The village was coming into view as they rounded the headland, the narrow road clinging to the cliff. Below, a sheet of rocks sloped into the wide expanse of the beach, nestled in a valley between two headlands. A small stream emptied into the bay, fading as it flowed into the sand at low tide. Further up the valley lay houses and a holiday park, caravans and tents clustered together in the lee of the hill. The spring had been late in coming, but now the trees had spread their green canopies over the soft yellow stone of the older buildings; the newer houses having less foliage surrounding them.

The bungalow they'd rented was small and cramped, smelling of damp. Claire had opened the door while Andy unloaded his surfboard from the roof of the car, and examined the place. There were three bedrooms, two barely larger than the double beds in them, and one even smaller than that which had a set of bunk beds. The bathroom was bigger than the last room, though dark and mildew stained.

Andy thumped his back into the door, trying to keep his surfboard - still in its bag - from banging into the walls. "I'll shove this behind the sofa. It should be out of the way enough there."

Claire nodded, and followed him into the living room to watch him struggle with the couch, which had clearly seen better days. Half the room was devoted to the musty furniture, with an old television resting on a table, the other side holding a kitchen counter with an electric hob, oven and a few cupboards. He saw her looking at the kitchen, and said, "Oh, don't worry. There's a couple of places to eat that are pretty decent. We won't be eating in too much."

She nodded, contemplatively. To be honest, she hadn't been thinking about who the cooking duties would fall to, more about how dank and depressing the whole place felt. Being cooped up in here by rain would drive the mare crazy. She needed her space to roam.

Andy came up behind her, and put his arms round her waist to hug her. "I know it's not a brilliant place, but we won't spend much time here, okay? You can try surfing, and if you don't like it, there's still the beach, and Tomo said Amy was coming, so the two of you can go off and, y'know, see the place."

She lent back against him. "I know, I know, I decided to come, and if it's boring, it's my fault."

"Hey, I didn't mean that. I just want to make sure you're happy, okay?"

She smiled. "Okay. Hey, if you want to make me happy, I could do with a sandwich while I run a bath."

"Sure," he said, nodding and letting her go. "I think we've got some aspirin in the car, too."

"You're a lifesaver."

***

Claire woke early, as she had gone straight to bed after her bath. In the half conscious moments between sleep and wakefulness, she couldn't place the soft distant roaring. She sat up, ears flicking, and stared around confused for a second. The familiar breathing of the husky lying beside her grounded her, and she shook rubbed at the corner of her eye, trying to rouse herself from the lingering dream-state. The constant sound of surf was dragging something out of her dreams, following her into the waking world - no, she'd heard it in her dream, that was all. Maybe if she could see it it would help her wake.

Tossing her sheets onto Andy, she placed her hooves delicately on the carpet and stood. At the door, she paused for a second, looking down at herself. She had slid into an oversized t-shirt before bed, and one of her shoulders was poking out of the neck hole. She shifted it back over, and checked she was wearing panties before heading out.

It was early. The sun had risen, but still hung low behind the hills, casting rays into the clouds above. The bungalow was at the end of a lane, curving away from the shore, and she couldn't see the sea. There was a gap in between the other bungalows, though, and maybe if she clambered up on that fence...

"Babe? What are you doing up there, Claire?"

Andy's voice made her start, clinging to the fence. "Oh!" she gasped. "I was just - looking at the sea..."

"From a fence? You know, we could just go down the road. Once you're dressed."

The mare looked down at herself, half naked in the dawn light. "Yeah... that might be a good idea."

***

Claire rooted through her luggage for something to wear. Andy had said they would have to go through the village to get to the surf shop where he'd arranged lessons for her and Amy, so rather than just her bikini, she slipped a t-shirt and some shorts on, ready to be taken off for when it was time to go into the water. She could hear the boys moving about in the next room, and a kettle boiling.

There was a mug of tea waiting for her on the table when she stepped out, the two tiger twins digging into bacon and eggs. The horse didn't know Tomo and Ban very well, just through Andy, and she had no idea which was which. "Hey, uh, boys," she said, before thinking that might sound a little too risque. "Where's Amy?"

She glanced around the kitchen, looking for her only female company this weekend. All she saw was Andy, the husky standing at the stove with a spatula in his hand and a few spatters of grease on the fur of his bare chest. "Oh, uh, she called off at the last minute. You want some eggs?"

One of the tiger brothers shifted awkwardly. "Yeah, she had some work to sort out, some big job, so she was going to stay home and work. Boring, but hey."

"Oh."

The mare pick up the tea and sat down. She had met Amy a couple of times, but mainly wanted her there to avoid being alone in a house full of men. Not that she thought anything dodgy would happen, but it would have been nice not to be the only woman there. "Okay, well, I guess I'm the only non-surfer here, right?"

"Yeah, but don't worry!" Andy slid a plate of eggs in front of her. "Once you've caught one good wave, you'll be into it too. Eat up, you'll need some energy later!"

***

'Town' was not exactly the right word for it. The whole village was one street, lined with holiday houses up to where it bridged a small stream. There were four shops - a village store, a clothing shop selling surf brands, and two buildings with racks of boards and wetsuits hung in front of them. It was to one of those that Andy and the tigers led Claire. When they stepped inside, an otter jumped up from behind a display packed with pastries and hot food. "G'Day! Good to see you guys! And you must be Claire!"

He was energetic and bouncy, his thick Australian accent making him sound cute. He came round the counter, shaking her hand with a smile. "Come on out the back, we'll get you kitted up with a suit."

He headed deeper into the shop past shelves of touristy knick-knacks on one side and surf gear on the other. The bright sun outside made the interior seem dark in contrast. The mare glanced at her boyfriend,who was still looking at the otter. "We'll be headed down to the beach. Should still be out there by the time you are heading in." He turned to Claire. "I'll be able to help you once your down there. Have fun!"

He didn't look back as he went to join the tiger twins. Claire stared after him for a moment, then headed to the back.

***

She pulled awkwardly at her wetsuit. Ben hadn't been able to find one that fitted her exactly - they were either too tight across the chest and hips, or too loose, leaving air gaps between the neoprene and her fur. He said that too tight was better - that way, it couldn't fill up with water and weigh her down. It was squashing her breasts against her chest, though, and he apologised as she struggled to get it on.

There were three others having a beginner's surfing lesson - two hyperactive kid goats, and one gawkish and slightly overweight teenage male golden retriever. As they walked down to the beach, she could feel how he was staring at her every chance he got, and tried placed herself behind him, next to their otter instructor. He towed a wide-wheeled cart with a rack mounted on it that held four long, wide surfboards, all with a soft foam top that made them look more like pool toys than professional surf gear. It bounced between the ruts in the ground until they reached the sand of the beach.

"G'Day you lot! Right! Okay, all you guys ready to learn how to surf?"

The kids - maybe about twelve - jumped up and down enthusiastically, yelling "YEAH!" at the top of their voices. Claire nodded, trying to be enthused.

"Okay, great! But first there's a few things I've got to go through before we go into the water. First off, you can all swim? Well enough to be confident in the waves? And you've all got your forms signed - by your parents, for you two?" He said, indicating the two kids.

The group nodded.

"Good! Can't let you in the sea without that. Are your parents going to be swimming, too?"

"Ah-hah!" bleated the kids, together.

"Okay, they can help keep an eye on you. So, I'm going to start off with a few basics. First off is your boards. Now, what you're going to be learning on are these soft top long boards."

He picked up a long surfboard with a single fin. The bottom was smooth and plasticy, but the top was soft, like a pool float. "This here is an eight footer - it'll be easy for you guys to catch waves, and these things are stable as a table. The deck is soft" - he rubbed the foam top - "which means you can stand easily. Don't need to worry about things like wax on these."

He glanced up. "Oh yeah, quick board anatomy. The top is what we call the deck, the front is the nose, the back end is the tail - with the fin under it - and the sides here are called the rails. If I'm saying something you don't understand, just tell me and I'll explain, okay?"

He picked up the leash, and indicated the group to do the same. "This is the leash. You attach it around you back foot - your right, normally. Very important, this, it stops your board going for walkies without you!"

The otter quickly went round the group, making sure the leashes were attached properly. Claire had to move it to above her ankle, as she'd wrapped it around there at first.

"Don't worry about swimming with it on, it's not a problem. Also, we won't be going out of you depth today, and me and the other instructors will be helping you onto the waves."

Claire ran a finger over the top of the board. It was clearly light enough to float, but she wondered just how she was supposed to stand on it without it wobbling about.

"So, let me run you through what we're going to do today," said the otter. "First off, don't worry about catching waves. Me and Jeff-" he waved towards the water, where a seal was chatting with the two tiger twins "- will help you by pushing you onto waves. For the first couple, you'll be lying on the board, and we'll push you along until the wave catches, and you can just hang on until you reach the beach. That's so you an get a feel for what it's like. After that comes the real surfing part."

In a single lithe motion, he dropped to the ground, lying on his front with his palms flat by his side, in push up position. He grinned up at the group around him. "You'll be lying on the board , hands on the rails like this." He patted the ground. "Once you're on a wave, your first trick will be getting to your knees, like this."

He pushed up with his arms, raising his chest, then slowly drew his right leg up under him, leaving his left trailing through the sand along with his tail. "You'll ride a couple of waves like this, but see how I did that, so one foot is under me? That's for the next part, when you pop up like this."

He lifted himself smoothly, twisting a little to bring his body to face the side. He had the bent he knees into the perfect 'surfer' pose, arms out. "Okay! So, can you guys try that out?" He gestured to the floor. "Try it from lying down in the sand, like you're on a board."

The mare lowered herself to the sand carefully. She never normally lay on her front due to the size of her chest, and the compression from the wetsuit only made the position more uncomfortable. Trying to do the foot sliding move, she found her legs were set up differently from the otter: the length of foot beneath her ankle meant that as she moved her hoof dragged through the sand, tripping her and sending her stumbling to the beach.

"Woah!" The otter bounded forward and knelt down beside her. "Are you alright?"

Claire groaned and rolled herself over to sit up. "Yeah... I think I just hurt my pride."

He nodded. "Okay, well, that's good. I think I see what your problem is, though, you've got those long legs that are harder to get under you from lying down, right? So, try taking it a bit slower, get your hips higher in the air before moving your hoof forward."

He gestured for her to try again. This time, she was able to get to a crouching position, and he gave her a thumbs up and a smile. "That's it! Now, give it a few more goes, try and get each stage down nice and smooth."

She repeated the motions several times, the otter giving a few pointers, until he looked behind her and said in a pointed manner, "Okay, can you give it a go now, too?"

When she looked behind her, she saw the golden retriever was looking down, blushing. She realised that as she had raised her rear higher in the air...

She muffled her embarrassed groan in the sand.

***

Andy was already in the water by the time the otter and seal instructors decided pick up boards and lead the group down to the sea. The husky waved at her from out beyond the breakers. Claire thought that he wasn't very deep until she saw him rising and falling, and realised that he was sitting on his board, being carried up and down on a swell that must have been as tall as she was, from peak to trough. She paused, with white waves breaking about her calves, suddenly struck by just how much water there was moving under him. Could he even reach the bottom? Did he realise how much depth there was beneath his feet?

The otter tapped her on the arm, and smiled. "Don't worry, we won't be going out that far. Just about waist depth."

Perhaps it was her hooves not gripping the sand in the way a paw would, perhaps it was just not being used to the constant pounding of waves, but she was constantly stumbling by the time they stopped. Her instructor lay the board he had been carrying out on the waves. White foam swirled across the blue top, brighter than the murky water beneath. "Jump on, then, let's get you surfing!"

It was tricky to climb on. She lay her chest on and tried to swing her legs up, but even with the otter holding on tightly, it wobbled, and she let out a shriek, and she slipped off. She landed crouched on her knees, cold water lapping about her neck. He reached over the board to offer his hand. "Try a bit slower, maybe? Wait a few seconds with your top half on the board, get used to how it feels, then bring you legs up."

This time, she paused, feeling how the board moved under her. The more weight she put on it, the more it wobbled, sliding back and forth over the water. Was there a trick to it? Before she could ask, the otter said, "Loosen your arms a little, stop trying to push it in place and let it swim into place."

She tried to let go, counter to her instincts. To her suspire it settled down, letting her lie on it. Carefully, she lifted her legs up and lay on her front, desperately trying not to hold on too tightly. After a couple of seconds, she started to feel more settled, and let the waves rock her as she relaxed.

"Okay,do you feel like you're ready to catch a wave?"

Claire gulped, and nodded. "Okay!" said the otter. "I'm going to pull you onto a wave - just a little one. You just hold on until you want to stop, and then just roll of, okay? Don't try standing until you're confident with how it feels."

He glanced behind her, watching for a wave. Then, he leaned back, bracing against the sea floor, and with a massive heave he thrust her forward. Her board skimmed forward, faster than she thought he'd pushed it, and it wasn't slowing! Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the white mass of a broken wave splashing about her hooves and calves, thrusting her forward.

The mare gulped. The water in front was deceptively calm in the space between the waves, passing by at an unbelievable speed. She couldn't have been going very fast, but this close to an unchanging surface? Completely unable to control her speed? She wanted to stop, but the idea of rolling off made her stomach clench. All she could do was hang on desperately until something caught, yanking the board from behind. The nose tipped down, and a rush of water separated her from the deck of the board. With a shriek, she shot forward, muzzle first into the water.

For a couple of seconds, she panicked. She hit out at the water around her, searching for a way up but crashing into something solid - but it gave, filling her hands with gritty sand. She pushed up, levering her face out of the water, and sat up. Another wave was coming but this far in, it just splashed about her legs. The tug had been from the fin of the board cutting into the sand. She spat out a mouthful of saltwater, and breathe heavily.

"Hey, you caught one!" Andy splashed through the water towards her, his own board under his arm. He must have stopped further out. The husky offered her his hand, and pulled her up. "Looks like you've got the hang of it!"

"Really?" Claire climbed to her hooves. "I don't think it's supposed to end like that..."

"Just try rolling off a bit earlier, while you're in control." He stopped her soft board with his foot before pulling the nose out of the water to hand to her. "Come on, let's try again!"

A little reluctantly, she followed him out to the depths of the water. "Mind if I help Claire out now?" he asked the otter. From where he was trying to persuade the dog boy to jump back on the board, the otter waved him on.

"Come on, hop on and I'll push you into another wave," the dog said eagerly, patting the top of the board for her. As she lay across it, she asked, "It seemed like it was , uh, really fast. Is that normal?"

Andy smiled and said, "Yeah, it feels pretty fast, but it isn't. You're only going about walking pace - when you're going with the wave, not across it, anyway. It just feels fast 'cause normally you're not that close to the ground. It feeling fast it half the point!"

Claire watched as white bubbles washed around from behind her, over the nose of the board. His hands on the board held her steady, and she could see the wave pass slowly by. Had that really been so fast she had panicked?

"Ready to go again?"

She gulped, steeled herself, and nodded.

***

"Okay, you've got that hang of how it's supposed to go! Do you want to try going up on your knees this time?"

Claire leaned on the board and looked around. She'd done four or five of these board clutching runs now, feeling how the board slipped and slid under her. It felt a lot more natural now, and the last time she had managed to slide off without even going under the water. Over in the shallows, the two goat kids were jumping on and off their boards, and the golden retriever was too far out, trying to get onto a board that was at his chest as the otter tried to persuade him to go further in.

"Yeah," she said, looking back at him. "I'll give it a go."

He waited for a good wave for her. Each time she felt a wave, she gripped the rails of her board harder and tried not to jump, until Andy finally said, "Alright, here you go!"

He gave her a strong push, and her board shot forwards. This wave was powerful, catching her board and lifting it immediately. There was a second while gathered herself, then she pushed down with her hands. She brought her left knee up to level with her hands, and sat back, her right hoof stretched out beneath her. The board shook beneath her as her balance moved, shuddering a little until the she held the rails still, gently balancing the pressure to stop the shaking.

The mare looked up, and gave a snort of pleasure. A nervous smile played on her lips. She was actually doing it! A rush of confidence surged through her as she slid over the water, the awesome power of the tide controlled at her hooves. She felt like she could do anything!

Which is when everything went wrong.

Filled with belief, she tried to jump to her hooves, like she'd seen proper surfers like her boyfriend do. Her trailing right hoof caught in the foam deck of the board, cutting a ridge out and arresting her motion. Off balance, she flailed her arms for a second before she twisted too far and collapsed, falling heavily onto her board. Her side slammed into the edge, and the foam suddenly didn't seem thick enough.

She couldn't work out where she was, hazily looking around her. Someone was screaming. It was her.

Water bubbled around her mouth. A bust of pain wracked her body and all she could see was stars, no way up and out of the water. She couldn't get her legs to under her, she couldn't move her right arm at all.

Something grabbed her. Strong arms wrapped round her chest and yanked her out of the water, crushing her injured side and making her howl in pain.

"CLAIRE!" yelled Andy, inches away from her ears. "Claire,are you alright? Can you breathe?"

She tried to answer, but drawing a breath sent fresh waves of unbearable pain through her chest. The horse gave a ragged moan, her entire body shuddering. "Shit," Andy swore under his breath, and lifted her, one arm behind her back and the other under her knees. She let out cries of pain with every one of his steps as he splashed through the low waves, already far in enough that he could lift her entirely out of the water. Her tail trailed in the water, slapping at his legs. Tears replaced the seawater in her eyes.

By the time Andy reached the flat of the beach beyond the waves, the otter had charged out of the water, with the seal dragging the other new surfers behind him. "Is she hurt?" he yelled. "How bad is it?"

The husky knelt, laying his girlfriend on the sand still damp from the leaving tide. She moaned and clutched her side, clawing at the wetsuit. The otter grabbed at one of er hands. "Okay, I need you to listen, and answer calmly. Did you breathe in any water?"

Claire gasped, closing her eyes and trying to centre herself. "No," she whimpered. "It's my side- I fell on it..."

Andy nodded. "Okay, is it alright to take off your wetsuit?"

Claire nodded, grimacing. She whinnied with pain and Andy propped her up, resting her elbows on the sand until he could reach behind her and start pulling down the zipper. Moving slowly, he pulled it down and and lifted her to sit, so he could peel the neoprene off her back, revealing the rash vest beneath. She gasped as it rubbed over her injured side, down to her waist. She went to lift the vest, but cried out when she tried to lift her arm. A murmur went through the crowd gathering around her, and she looked up, suddenly embarrassed. It wasn't just the surf school and Andy, the tiger twins had come in too, along with several other surfers, and a passing dog walker. She lowered her head.

She twitched as the otter reached to her waist and lifted the rash vest, laying one hand over her injury. "Okay, can you take a deep breath?"

Claire nodded, and breathed deeply. Her side throbbed underneath his hand. "Is it a sharp pain, or dull? Like a stabbing, or like a bruise?"

"Like a bruise."

He nodded. "Okay, I don't think it's a broken rib, but it's pretty badly bruised. You should definitely not be in the water - I can call an ambulance if you think you need it..."

He obviously didn't want to ruin the reputation of his surf school by having a student hospitalised. And Claire didn't want the attention, especially as the pain in her ribs has started to fade. "No... I don't think that's necessary. I just, panicked, when I fell..."

Andy knelt down and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so sorry, babe, I shouldn't have pushed you so hard-"

The mare gasped. "Not so tight!"

He released her and spread his arms. "Aw shit, I'm sorry!"

Claire leant forward, and with Andy's help, staggered to her hooves. "I just want to get out of here."

***

The two sat in the town's cafe, Claire listlessly picking at a cheesecake Andy had got her. She was still wearing her bikini, with a thick hoodie over the top to warm her up. "I feel such an idiot," she said, putting down her fork.

"Everyone makes mistakes when they start at these things," the husky replied. "It was just a bit unlucky, that's all."

"I shouldn't have tried to stand up. I made a fool of myself, catching my hoof and freaking out like that-"

"Hey, it's normal to freak out when you're injured and underwater. I know what it's like, I got hit in the head a while back by another surfer, damn near drowned trying to get back up the surface but going the wrong way."

Claire looked at him with shock in her eyes. "R-Really? I never thought it was all that dangerous..."

Andy winced, realising he'd put across the wrong point. "Well, not when you know what you're doing."

She sighed, and picked up her fork again, loaded with chocolatey cheesecake. "Maybe, but I'm not sure if I want to find that out."

"I don't want one bad experience to put you off from surfing forever-"

"Andy, it's fine. I have other hobbies, I don't need to do everything you do. And I won't be going in the water again this week, not with my side still throbbing like this."

He opened his mouth to argue, but stopped. "Okay, I'll stop trying to persuade you. I just wish I could show you how much I enjoy it..."

He trailed off, looking sideways.

"I think I'm just going to spend the afternoon lying on the beach," said Claire.

***

She'd been alternating between reading a romance novel, and staring up at the afternoon clouds scuttling across the sky. The intermittent sunshine warmed her, although it wasn't too hot yet, the dry sand up by the dunes giving her a comfortable place to rest, though her side throbbed every now and again. She tried to plan what she would do the rest of the week, if not surf, or even swim, but the days seemed very empty as they stretched in front of her.

"Hey Claire!"

She sat up. Andy had come out of the water, leaving a dripping trail to the sea. "I'm fine, Andy, no need to come out to check up on me," she sighed.

"So I was just thinking, what if there was a way you could go surfing? No effort on your part, just me doing everything, and showing you how it really feels?"

The mare laughed. "Yeah, that sounds nice. You got some magic up your sleeve that'll do that?"

"Something like that," the husky said, grinning. "I can help you put on some sun cream, at anyway."

"You just wanted a break to come and rub your hands all over me, didn't you?"

"You got me," he said, picking up a bottle. "Care to roll over?"

She grinned. "Move over, I don't want to lay on this side."

He shuffled back a little, letting her roll towards him before shuffling back onto her towel. She folded her arms in front of her, resting her head on them and closing her eyes. There were a few liquid sounds from above her as Andy spread lotion on his hands, and then she felt cool hands on her shoulder blades, gently rubbing the sun cream into her fur. Most furs didn't need to worry about sunburn, but Claire's fur was light and thin, especially in the summer, and she sometimes burned a little. A cloudy day probably wouldn't hurt, but it was nice to be massaged occasionally, and she moaned appreciatively as her muscles melted under the husky's firm touch.

"I hope I'm not hurting you," he said gently, moving his hands down her back to near her injured side.

"No," she replied. "It feels...nice."

It did, strangely. The pain of the bruise on her side seemed to be fading away, and the whole of her back strangely stiff, but in a nice way. No, not stiff - solid. Almost like it should be.

He ran his big hands over her sides. They felt so big that he could almost wrap over her sides, touching her deck and underside at the same time.

What?

She went over her thoughts, not quite understanding why she'd thought that. Before she could open her mouth to ask a question, though, firm hands pressed on the back of her head, pushing her face down into her arms, merging the two together and smoothing out every feature. "Okay," said Andy, as he teased her arms up and shaped them into the nose of a surfboard. "It's not something like magic, it is magic."

Claire knew she should have been panicking, but the feeling just would rise in her. Maybe, as her stomach hollowed out into the underside and deck, her lack of adrenal glands meant she just didn't have the equipment to feel panic. Instead, she felt anticipation. Her new body was made to be ridden, desperate to feel water rushing beneath. She twitched her hooves as Andy pulled them down, shaping them into a fish tail, a fin protruding from beneath. He pulled her tail - her horse tail - and it lengthened, twisting together into a plastic leash.

"You're going to love this," he said.

He gripped her rails, and lifted her up, gently. She found that despite lacking eyes, she could see all around her, in even more detail than normal. She could see his back and his front, her deck and her underside all at the same time as whatever magic changed her had given her a strange, overwhelming vision. It only went out so far, like she was focused in on the one area, but the sensations were so strong - she could feel every hair of Andy's damp fur as he tucked her under his arm, and the breeze blowing across her resin surface.

He held her so that her deck was against his side. She could see the decal on her deck, and would have laughed - it was her, as a mare, as she must have looked just before she was transformed. From the outside, she looked peaceful - eyes closed, lips slightly parted, resting gently on the sand. No one would know that she was almost trembling with excitement at the idea of being ridden across a wave, because the picture wasn't her any more - she was the board, not a mare.

As the husky splashed through the breaking waves, drops of water flew up and landed on her pristine surface. By the time they reached the depth she had started out, he was waist deep and had to push against the water, bracing his paws in the sand to stop being knocked back. He slid her into the water, and ran a hand over her deck, where the stomach of the picture was. "Mm," he said. "No wax. Not sure... well, I'm sure it'll be fine. I don't want you caked in it when you turn back, anyway."

The water washed gently over her deck. He took a few more steps, pushing her forward, before leaning over her, hands on either of her rails. He thrust himself up, leaping into the onto her deck and swinging his legs up and onto her. Holding her tight as a wave tossed them about, he whispered, "Okay, here we go!"

The husky thrust his arm into the water, and drew it back. Together, they surged forwards, the ripples slapping against her underside. She could feel his chest muscles flexing as he swum his arms into the sea over and over, until a large broken wave came towards them. He paused his swimming to grip her rails, and lifting his upper body, thrust her nose down into the water and ducked close to her. Putting his head under the incoming wave, the weight of the water pushed them back as the white water of the break travelled over them. Husky and board popped up, and he started swimming again, letting out a laugh and shaking the water off his head.

They had to travel through a few more white waves before they were beyond the breakers. Now the waves were as high from peak to trough as she was long, and Claire would have been terrified if she hadn't been a surfboard. Andy wasn't put off, steering them confidently up the unbroken face, further and further out to sea.

The board couldn't tell what it was that made him stop. Andy sat up on her, one leg over each of her rails, and leaned forward, resting his hands on her deck. He stared out, towards the shore, and tapped his fingers on her deck. "This'll be about right. Just have to wait for the right wave."

She couldn't see very far, not with her new senses. Instead, she relaxed into it, feeling the ripples slap against her underside, sending light vibrations through her body. Her tail was pushed down into the water by his weight on top of her, so water washed over her deck with each little swell. Andy let the larger swells that hadn't formed up into nicely shaped waves carry them up and down, kicking his legs to maintain their position.

He started, looking out to sea. "Okay, here we go!"

He leant forwards to lie flat on her. A few strokes of his hands sculled her round to face the shore, and he glanced over his shoulder for a split second. Then his hands were plunging into the water, both arms at once, pulling them forward. She could feel the wave behind them, the face pushing her tail up and tipping her nose down. Andy's strokes carried them at an angle, not quite down the face, but something was wrong - he suddenly stuck both hands in, pushing back to slow them down. "Nope," he said to himself. "That one's not right."

She could feel that something was odd about the wave, like the power of that water was spread out too much. It passed under the two of them as he paddled out, covering the water back to where they had been.

"Next one," the husky said, tapping fingers on her. He sat back up and stared out, looking for a better wave.

It must have been a minute before he shifted again. He seemed more sure this time, pushing slowly as the wave began to lift her tail. The gradient of the peak was sharper this time, and he twisted her a little in the water to cut across the face of the wave before starting to swim.

All it took was a few seconds. Then they were falling, held up by one of her rails cutting into the face of the wave. A thrill of fear ran through her - no, not fear, exhilaration. She felt like she was out of control, but Andy had her gripped neatly between his hands, twitching until she felt more stable. Then, he pushed down, and his body left her for a second before his paws slapped down onto her deck.

He wobbled for a second, but got it under control and stood, knees bent, testing out how she moved. She thrummed to his touch, sliding eagerly as he leaned from side to side until he pitched her forward, speeding up as her nose lead her down the unbroken face of the wave. Spray pattered against his feet and her deck as they shot sideways, crossing the path of the wave.

As they reached the bottom of the wave, he leant back towards it, pulling them up slightly. She could feel that ahead of them, the wave had broken, and a mass of turbulent white water was rushing along the crest towards them. Andy grinned. He took them further up the wave, their speed dropping as the break approached. Claire didn't know what he planned - to plunge into the break, ending this ride?

Instead, a second before they were thrown off by the break, the husky threw his weight back, standing on her tail, and Claire's nose rose out of the water. With a twist of her hips, he turned her body in mid air, raising it over the crest of the wave. With her fin anchoring her, she swung around and completely flipped, so that they were facing away from the break, slapping down into the water with a 'thunk' that echoed through her body.

Andy let out a yell, and thrust her forwards again. The white water was over her tail as she picked up speed, and her body sang to the turbulence from behind, little vibrations making her twitch at his feet.

Then they were free of the break, speeding down the face of the open water. Claire thrilled over the ripples, racing across the sea. She could feel the power of the water moving beneath them, the immense weight sweeping towards the land, and how they could use it, how her body had been remade into the perfect vessel to take that power and ride it. Andy's weight pressed her down, in perfect unity with the upward force from the water, both serving to drive her on and on, into the sea that went as far her transfigured senses could perceive.

But nothing lasts forever. Rolling along the top of the wave came a second break, ruining the smooth face of the wave. Andy span her around, standing on her tail to slow them a little. Instead of hitting the white water, they let it catch up to them, and Andy changed his stance. He crouched down lower so that his centre of mass dropped and made him more stable, compensating for the random slaps of the breaking wave on her tail.

The water ahead of them was changing as well. They were catching up to ripples of dying waves, each one causing her to rise and then slap down, her whole body vibrating up to Andy's feet. She couldn't see how far from the shore they were, but the way the water was flowing told her that they were close. The turbulence was getting worse, forcing her to jerk about under the husky. A few seconds later, his back paw slipped, and he tumbled onto her, wrapping his arms around her and and falling in the ruching water of the break.

He pushed her up. Her head broke the surface, and she breathed in deeply. Claire held up her hands,looking at them in surprise. "Hands? Oh! Oh, my... lungs?"

Then a wave hit her, and she shrieked. It wasn't enough to knock her down, just sideways, and she found that the water was only an arm's length deep, so she could comfortable keep her head above the water by kneeling. She ran her hands over her body, above and below the water. "I'm back to ...me?" she said, almost to herself.

"Sure you are," said Andy, kneeling and wrapping an arm around her. "I wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

"Oh," she said. She could feel the air rushing in and out of her lungs, the way her flesh gave a little under his grip. So different from her solid resin body of a minute ago.

"Did you enjoy it? Surfing?"

She closed her eyes, letting the next wave wash over her. "It was... incredible. The way the water moves you, but it's like going down a hill, too? And then once you're going, it's like the world is moving under you?"

"Yeah, it's kind of difficult to explain unless you know what it's like, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

Then, she broke away from him and gave him a playful punch on the arm, giggling. "Hey!" he said.

"That's for turning me into a surfboard!" she said, and laughed. "Which weirds me out a lot less than it should. How does that work? What the hell?"

Andy laughed, and braced against another wave. "It's... magic. it stops you panicking, so you get to enjoy being something else, not just freaking out the whole time."

"Does it so anything? Like, to you, long term?"

He laid a damp hand on her shoulder. "Claire, I really wouldn't have done this if it could have ended badly. The magic had all kinds of limits - it always fades, and I wasn't going to let you out of my sight."

"It fades? So... you wouldn't be able to ride me on some more waves?"

A slow grin spread over the husky's face.

"You know what I meant!"