Japser’s ears twitched and he shook his head. “Actually, I’m more of an alfalfa hay kind of horse,” he said, trying not to let on that he could tell Trevor didn’t want him tagging along. Jasper just hoped the human was trying to adjust to his new equine personality and wasn’t going to be this much of a jerk during his stay here. In his five years as a counselor at Down on the Farm, Jasper had seen his fair share of them.
“You sure?” Rita asked, sounding a bit deflated.
“I am,” Jasper said back. “Plus, I kind of have to check in up at headquarters as part of my nightly report. See you in the arena tomorrow morning?”
“As always,” Rita called back as, Jasper turned and started walking away from the fence. Trevor couldn’t help himself from stomping his left front hoof on the dirt triumphantly. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he’d won the mare.
“Well, you’re a friendly one,” Rita scowled as soon as Jasper was far enough away.
“What?” Trevor asked, sounding a bit shocked.
“I think you know what I mean,” was her only response. Then, she nudged her head toward the paddock’s open gate as she stepped forward. “Anyway, come on. Let’s go get some oats.”
The two walked in silence for a while, threading their way through the aisles between the barns and stables. After just a few minutes, the stench of fresh droppings and other animals had Trevor longing to be in the paddock amongst the fresh grass again. Still, the barnyard’s odor carried a much different emotional response to it than when Trevor first smelled it after getting off the bus as a human a few hours ago. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but the emotion certainly wasn’t disgust.
Shaking his head, Trevor stepped up next to Rita so they were looking each other eye to eye. Just like him, her head bobbed forward with each step they took.
“Look. I’m sorry if I acted like a jerk earlier. I really don’t know what came over me. It’s just, I don’t know, seeing you with that stallion –”
“His name’s Jasper,” Rita cut in.
An embarrassed nicker escaped Trevor’s muzzle. “Okay. Jasper. Anyway, seeing you with Jasper earlier just made me feel different I guess.”
“It’s your horse instinct,” Rita explained dryly. “Just remember, though, I didn’t come here for what that instinct wants.”
“Yeah, I know,” Trevor said back hurriedly. “I didn’t come here for it either.”
Trevor nearly jumped with surprise when Rita pushed the end of her muzzle up against the end of his muzzle. It was a very different feeling.
“It’s okay, Trevor,” she said. “Those instincts can creep up on you when you’re not paying attention. Just try and have more control over it next time, okay?”
“Sure thing,” he said as the two took their place in line behind a pair of draught horses.