Zeru took in her scent with deep audible breaths. Just letting the scent was over him and fill his mind. She had shown him the first kindness he could remember save for the ties he had with his brother. He committed this smile to his memory though it could not completely erase those of his mother and father and their disgust at his imperfection. As she stayed close to him and clearly relaxed he also calmed down and grew more curious about her. He even stepped closer, ears pricked in forward in interest. Head higher now, he ran his nose over her body, still occasionally glancing at her to make sure he did not received a sharp bite. Her scent he would now never forget. As he politely sniffed at her and the immediate area he learned. There was the faint scent of other horses, stronger on her, that gave him pause. He trusted her quickly though… a youth’s last grasp at being naive.

With each movement he made he watched hers, too. More of his fear dissipated at her encouraging nod and smile towards the forest. She shook her head towards the water and without a second thought, he continued towards the forest, thoughts of swimming again instantly forgotten.

With an eagerness that starkly contrasted with his initial fear, the boy explored the terrain with a vengeance. Without going too far from the mare, he sniffed at everything within body length and seemed to shift his eyes around as constantly as most horses shifted their ears. Occasionally he would tap a particularly interesting looking leaf and watch how it moved with the others around it. When the wind caused shifts he would leap away to and back to the mare’s side, peering around her to study the movement. Snorting once he had an understanding he would move forward again to continue his quest for understanding.

Soon enough the trails split and he stopped to look around again. Unsure of the rules of this land, he looked back at her, head tilted to the side, otherwise useless ears flicking questioningly.