Ultimately, Trevor decided to resume his hunt for the lake to try and get a drink there before heading back to the stables. He was just glad the temperature had cooled down significantly since he first retreated to the spot under the cottonwood trees to get some rest and some food.
The sun was somewhat behind him now, and Trevor nearly smiled when he spotted his new shadow on the grass next to him. As if the fur, the hooves, and the tail wasn't enough, his shadow more than confirmed that he was a horse now.
As he was watching his shadow move across the grass, a new scent drifted across the end of his muzzle and Trevor immediately jerked his head up in response. There was another horse nearby. It was the first one he'd come across since he'd first encountered Irene's small herd. This horse's scent was certainly different than Irene's, though.
Twitching his ears around and trying to pinpoint the direct the scent was coming from, Trevor did his best to find the horse. After a few moments, his senses locked on to a shape Trevor could just make out striding across the paddock towards him.
As it got closer, Trevor could see that it was a riding horse like him, but this one had a tan coat and a black tail and mane. The dark stripe running down its back confirmed it was a dun. As the new horse's scent grew stronger, Trevor realized something else. This was a mare. Just like Irene earlier, the mare's scent was different than the geldings or even the other stallions he'd picked up traces of while strolling through the paddocks earlier.
“You new here?” the mare called out as soon as she was close enough.
Trevor let out a nicker and shook his head, knocking himself out of the trance he'd fallen into. “What? Oh, um, yeah. I just got here earlier this afternoon. How could you tell?”
The mare laughed, even though Trevor's human side could tell it was a shallow whinny. “Oh, if you're here long enough, you can tell. Plus, you smell new enough. I'm Rita, by the way.”
“Trevor,” he answered back shortly before she got close enough for them to puff into each other’s nostrils. The grassy smell coming from her breath was stronger than Irene's. “So how long have you been here?”
“About three weeks,” Rita answered.
Trevor's ears perked up. “Wow! Three weeks?” Then, remembering the resort’s rules, he dipped his head off to the side nervously and asked, “It's not because you're, um, pregnant, is it?”
Rita let out another laugh and stamped one of her hooves into the ground. “No, silly. That's not what I'm here for.”
“Then what is it?” Trevor asked, his ears perked up with curiosity again.