Cee

›› As a human Cecily can actually speak six languages, more or less fluently. Finnish (or whatever the common language in the world of New Start actually is), German, French, English, Russian and Spanish.

›› Cee is colourblind, both as a horse and as a human.

›› pinterest moodboard

›› Cecily Voll was the firstborn child of a poor family. She grew up, worked hard and eventually left her childhood home to move to a city to get an education. She wanted to study mathematics or physics or astronomy, idk. The first time she turned into a horse was when she was alone in her apartment, studying for her entrance exams. The stress was getting to her and suddenly everything just felt too hard and too big and impossible -> horse.

›› The first shift lasted a long time and it was a near thing that Cecily didn't get stuck as a horse, because prey animal's instincts and a sudden change just fed the anxiety. It took a while, but finally she did calm down and managed to turn back into a human. All that happened a couple of times more. Cecily started meditating and learned how to keep the horse away.

›› She got into the school she wanted to. Everything was going great! Meditating helped with the horse. The studies were going well. Cecily met Eliah. Eliah was a shifter too, some big cat - a snowleopard or a tiger etc). They believed in ufos and aliens, but mostly they were very critical of the state of the society and the oppression shifters faced. Cecily found all that out only after they started dating, but it was fine. Eliah was a revolutionist mostly in theory and he's secret complaining was more like wild conspiracy theories than actual criticism of the rulers.

›› Until one time. They were visiting Cecily's parents and Eliah got into an argument with Cecily's younger brother who worked for the government. The argument got worse and worse and finally got totally out of hand. Authorities were called.

›› Cecily was beaten pretty badly, as well as a few her innocent family members. It was a mess. Eliah turned. One of Cecily's nieces or nephews were caught in the middle of the fight and was badly hurt. Eliah was basically beaten to pieces. Cecily - still a human - ran. Someone ran after her, trying to keep the situation under control (it wasn't) and still thinking Cecily was just another innocent civilian.

›› Running Cecily turned into a horse, and accidentally kicked the person after her. They died. Cecily ran.

›› Cecily was stuck as a horse. She managed to become human only for short periods of time, and even those felt like too much. She decided to stay a horse. Someone - knowing about that decision, cared for her until she was healed, and sold her as a horse called Cee to a friendly hardworking family in the slums. That was fine by Cee. New life.

›› The father of the family probably knew Cee wasn't a shifter, not a real horse, but he didn't care. The mother, two teenagers and three children didn't know, and were thrilled about a new horse. Cee pulled a cart from where the father and mother sold street food. Cee, being a beautiful colour if not otherwise pretty, attracted lots of admirers that sometimes were hungry enough to buy a hot dog or a meat pie or two. The children of the family rode around on her back. Sometimes Cee and the father offered a cab service. Life was simple. To the work in the mornings, to the stables in the evenings.

›› It was easier being a horse and Cee was starting to forget she ever had been Cecily Voll. Or maybe she just didn't want to remember. The family even got another horse, a real one, that she got along with and who became her friend.

›› But thing about needing to stay anxious was that when Cee was sedated for floating her teeth she turned back to a human. People were horrified and she was sent to Torni.

›› There she continued living as a horse, but because she had to shift back into a human every time she ate, given more time might've learned how to be a human again.