HOME | DD

Description
I finished this piece last night and am actually uploading it within a reasonable time of its completion! *shock*

Earlier this week, I had a bizarre dream...

----

There were five or six in our party, traveling by foot through the flats in the early Alaskan summer. We had been hiking for nearly a week without seeing another human soul. Tired from our journey, we were seeking a place to rest and find clean water; although there were many small ponds littering the verdant landscape, the water was brackish and foul.

While scouting for clean water or a place to camp for the night, I was separated from the others. I wandered far, to the edge of a large river with sharp, rocky banks. In the distance, I saw a variable city of tents, with several campfires in it, lighting the darkening sky.

It was beginning to get chill, and I knew that the encampment had to have water in it somewhere. My thirst got the better of me and I walked straight into the strange encampment without a second thought. There was no-one to be seen, and I easily located a jug of water near the entrance of one of the tents, near an unattended fire. I upended the jug and had a long drink before I noticed that a huge figure had approached me. From the waist up, he was a man built like a bear, with hairy arms, a generous gut, thick beard and shoulder-length hair. From the waist down, he was a sleek, dark brown bull--three feet in height at the shoulder.

I was terrified. I tried to back away, but there was nowhere to go--I'd been caught. I fumbled several apologies, but the bull-centaur laughed and offered me food and a place to sleep for the night and what had I been doing wandering in the wilderness all by myself?

We made some smalltalk over dinner, which was a bland, firm, cakelike substance made from lentils and wheat berries. He explained to me that his people, the cow-centaurs, had to keep on the move to avoid being seen. Not many people knew they existed, and they wanted to keep it that way. The flats were green enough this time of year, that they were able to harvest store enough grass and grain for winter. While they dried the grains, they they fermented the grass into a foul-smelling, soupy drink, which he offered and I politely refused.

After I had eaten and made somewhat strained conversation with the bull-centaur, who I found out was the chief of the tribe, and a handful of other cow-centaurs, I was very tired. Having traveled all day on nothing but dried fish and finally feeling full made me suddenly very sleepy. One of the cow-centaurs had elected to give up their tent for me so that I could get a good night's rest. Two mismatched bedrolls covered the floor--better than I had slept on in a long time. I quickly fell into an easy sleep.

When I awoke, I felt funny. I tried to sit up, but I couldn't. My legs wouldn't cooperate. Finally, I propped myself up on my elbow so I could get a look at what was going on. What I saw left me dumbfounded; attached to my hips was the body of a long-legged brown cow. I touched the fur in disbelief--it was warm. I could feel a strong heart beating beneath it. My heart.

Once I got over the shock, nausea set in. My human stomach was somewhat upset, but so was the cow stomach. The fish I had eaten the previous day were upsetting it, as well as my anxiety. I pushed myself to a right position and stood. There was no difficulty moving the cow portion of myself. It was strangely natural--apart from the nausea and the nagging feeling of being exposed as I felt my legs brush against my udder and my tail touching the back of my thigh. All of the sensations from my lower half were stealing my attention--I had a hard time thinking over them. They couldn't be ignored like the familiar feelings of my hand against my side or my hair about my neck--they were too new and strange.

Confused and distraught, I walked out of the village without saying a word to anyone, although the chief looked at me apologetically as I passed him. I needed to be alone for a while, to process what had happened. I went off to think and, later, cry.

----

My dream went on for a little while from there, but that was the most significant portion, and approximately when this depiction is set. Very strange dream, even for me! I feel as though it is somehow special or symbolic, but I don't really interpret my dreams. When I woke up, I did, however, search Google for 'the flats Alaska', I found this photo: [link] which, if you replace the city with tents, is nearly identical to what I saw in the dream. The Yukon Flats. My dream very closely matched that Yukon scenery despite the fact that not only had I never seen a picture of the Yukon, I didn't even know that there were any "flats" in Alaska at all. Double-weird.

Painted with this year's homemade walnut ink. It's much redder than the last batch.

Description
I finished this piece last night and am actually uploading it within a reasonable time of its completion! *shock*

Earlier this week, I had a bizarre dream...

----

There were five or six in our party, traveling by foot through the flats in the early Alaskan summer. We had been hiking for nearly a week without seeing another human soul. Tired from our journey, we were seeking a place to rest and find clean water; although there were many small ponds littering the verdant landscape, the water was brackish and foul.

While scouting for clean water or a place to camp for the night, I was separated from the others. I wandered far, to the edge of a large river with sharp, rocky banks. In the distance, I saw a variable city of tents, with several campfires in it, lighting the darkening sky.

It was beginning to get chill, and I knew that the encampment had to have water in it somewhere. My thirst got the better of me and I walked straight into the strange encampment without a second thought. There was no-one to be seen, and I easily located a jug of water near the entrance of one of the tents, near an unattended fire. I upended the jug and had a long drink before I noticed that a huge figure had approached me. From the waist up, he was a man built like a bear, with hairy arms, a generous gut, thick beard and shoulder-length hair. From the waist down, he was a sleek, dark brown bull--three feet in height at the shoulder.

I was terrified. I tried to back away, but there was nowhere to go--I'd been caught. I fumbled several apologies, but the bull-centaur laughed and offered me food and a place to sleep for the night and what had I been doing wandering in the wilderness all by myself?

We made some smalltalk over dinner, which was a bland, firm, cakelike substance made from lentils and wheat berries. He explained to me that his people, the cow-centaurs, had to keep on the move to avoid being seen. Not many people knew they existed, and they wanted to keep it that way. The flats were green enough this time of year, that they were able to harvest store enough grass and grain for winter. While they dried the grains, they they fermented the grass into a foul-smelling, soupy drink, which he offered and I politely refused.

After I had eaten and made somewhat strained conversation with the bull-centaur, who I found out was the chief of the tribe, and a handful of other cow-centaurs, I was very tired. Having traveled all day on nothing but dried fish and finally feeling full made me suddenly very sleepy. One of the cow-centaurs had elected to give up their tent for me so that I could get a good night's rest. Two mismatched bedrolls covered the floor--better than I had slept on in a long time. I quickly fell into an easy sleep.

When I awoke, I felt funny. I tried to sit up, but I couldn't. My legs wouldn't cooperate. Finally, I propped myself up on my elbow so I could get a look at what was going on. What I saw left me dumbfounded; attached to my hips was the body of a long-legged brown cow. I touched the fur in disbelief--it was warm. I could feel a strong heart beating beneath it. My heart.

Once I got over the shock, nausea set in. My human stomach was somewhat upset, but so was the cow stomach. The fish I had eaten the previous day were upsetting it, as well as my anxiety. I pushed myself to a right position and stood. There was no difficulty moving the cow portion of myself. It was strangely natural--apart from the nausea and the nagging feeling of being exposed as I felt my legs brush against my udder and my tail touching the back of my thigh. All of the sensations from my lower half were stealing my attention--I had a hard time thinking over them. They couldn't be ignored like the familiar feelings of my hand against my side or my hair about my neck--they were too new and strange.

Confused and distraught, I walked out of the village without saying a word to anyone, although the chief looked at me apologetically as I passed him. I needed to be alone for a while, to process what had happened. I went off to think and, later, cry.

----

My dream went on for a little while from there, but that was the most significant portion, and approximately when this depiction is set. Very strange dream, even for me! I feel as though it is somehow special or symbolic, but I don't really interpret my dreams. When I woke up, I did, however, search Google for 'the flats Alaska', I found this photo: [link] which, if you replace the city with tents, is nearly identical to what I saw in the dream. The Yukon Flats. My dream very closely matched that Yukon scenery despite the fact that not only had I never seen a picture of the Yukon, I didn't even know that there were any "flats" in Alaska at all. Double-weird.

Painted with this year's homemade walnut ink. It's much redder than the last batch.