Jane accepted Jenny's offer. The mare seemed so sad, and she felt that giving her a job to do would cheer her up. It helped that Jane really wanted to know what else she was missing. She wanted to know all the tricks of being a horse, and Jenny was happy to oblige.
Jenny spent all day with Jane going over the basics, then drilling her. It began to come naturally to her, and Jane began to act like a horse without thinking about it. Jane was excited by her progress, and was thrilled when Jenny offered to show her some of the more advanced things, like leaping, jumping, racing and how to run between barrel. She promised to make Jane as good as any riding horse, rodeo horse, or racing horse.
Jane spent all of her time with Jenny, and gradually all of the horses she met when she first entered the pen cycled out. The new horses gave her a wide berth and avoided her because of her friendship with Jenny, but Jane didn't care. She was learning so much, and having too much fun.
On the seventh day, after a particularly exhausting workout, Jenny and Jane lay beside each other to rest. And Jane finally got the courage to ask about her brand.
Jenny sighed. "I guess I should tell you. You've earned it, and you probably should know. My problems all arose from a boy, or I guess I should say a stallion. I was still a young filly, just beginning as a Counselor. Then I was assigned to help out a new guest. At first it was just business, but gradually that gave way to friendship, and finally something more. He was my first, you know. And you never forget your first. Regardless of how clumsy and bad they are. But I was happy to teach him, and he got much better. "
"When it was time for him to leave, I begged him to stay. It's possible, you know. Humans can stay forever if they choose, but they do have to work to pay for their stay. He said he would consider it, but the next day he was gone. I foolishly believed he was forced to leave - by his family or maybe by the staff. So I decided if he couldn't join me, I would join him. And I have been trying to escape ever since."
Jane was shocked and saddened by her story. "Did you ever see him again? Find out what happened?"
"Yes, " said Jenny sadly. "On one of my more successful attempts I made it to the City. You know, that area with all the shops and stores where people sometimes wait to be transformed. I saw him there, eating at a café - with a human girl.
He took me aside and said that our relationship wasn't meant to be serious. He just wanted the 'real horse experience' and evidently that included sex with a mare. He said he cared for me, but just as a friend. Then he alerted security and had me taken away. The last thing I remember about him is seeing the angry look on his face as they dragged me away. He was complaining about 'animal stalkers' and threatening to sue the park. And that was the last I saw of him."
"That bastard!" said Jane angrily. "How could he treat you that way? And after all you had done for him?"
Jenny said nothing, just stared up at the stars in the sky above.
Jane dared to ask another question. "Jenny, if he didn't want you, why do you keep trying to escape? I mean, it seems pretty nice here. Well, at least in the main area of the Farm."
Jenny scoffed. "Oh, you think so? Let me ask you, Jane. How would you feel if you spent your whole life in a field, thinking it was the whole world. Then suddenly, you escape and see there is much more out there, and that your field is just a small part of a much larger world. As I ran through the other areas trying to escape I saw the real world. A world full of excitement and wonders. Things I had never even dreamed of or thought possible. And as I explored more areas, I realized I wanted to see more. I wanted to see it all, to experience it all. So I kept trying to escape, and I still will. Until I die, or they kill me."
"You aren't missing much, believe me, " said Jane. "The world outside can be pretty dull, too. Sometimes I envy you. Your life is so simple here. Everything is provided for -shelter, food, safety. You might have to do a little work, but from what you have shown me, your work is pretty fun. I'd like to come back some day. Maybe even stay a little longer."
Jenny suddenly perked up, and her ears twitched. "Really? You really like it here? I mean, this is just a small corral. If you like this, you will love the rest of the Farm. So you'd like to stay a little longer if you could?"
"Sure, " said Jane. "But I'm changing back into a human the day after tomorrow. Then I have to go home and back to my humdrum life. "
Jenny suddenly stood up. "Well then....Let's make the most of the time we have left. I still have a lot to teach you about being a horse."
Jane jumped up, suddenly excited. "Okay, let's go!"
Then the pair trotted off together into the night.