Mike was bored. After an hour of standing in the dirty stall of the Lavenguard stables, he was ready to kick the damned door down and run back to their camp. Unfortunately, the stable used some kind of control magic that prevented him from doing anything but obeying the stable hands. It should probably also have kept him content, but the magic was attuned to normal horses and Mike's mind was a lot more active.
"Whoa! Lookit you!" A coarse-featured stale boy, maybe 15, stared at Mike over the stall gate. "Somebody has some serious gold invested in you, don't they?" He opened the gate and entered cautiously, reaching slowly to pat Mike's rump. "You're the most perfect stallion I've seen, ever!"
That pleased Mike - being the best was nice, even if he couldn't talk. And to be honest, he felt wonderful - massive, powerful, full of energy. Being a horse wasn't really bad, except being cooped up like this. He snorted, watching the boy with curiosity.
"A smart one, too." The boy peered at him. "A little too smart, aren't you? Bet you went too close to the Wizard's mares. How'd you like to spend some time in the corral? I have a mare who would love to meet you. And we could end up with a really nice foal."
"Come on, fellah! I know you are bored in here. Come outside and have some fun."