Chapter 79 (2/2)
I was still widely known for my bad temper and still kept clear of by humans and horses. The King came to see me later; he was an old man, probably very formidable in his younger years, but is now feeble. This is naturally unimaginable to horses: if a leader horse gets old, it will be ousted by another young stallion.
The King's laughter was very grand and bright. No matter how many objections his subjects had, he was set on taming me himself, saying, “If a Huihu man cannot ride a wild horse, is there any point in him being alive?”
As a result, he climbed on top of my back, and after putting on a show of jumping a few times, I turned obedient. The King got off, pleasantly surprised, and the explosion of cheers was even more intense than last time.
I was very polite to the King, but anyone else getting near me would get bitten and kicked, my temper all the more violent. The King was happy to the fullest about this, believing I knew who the Son of Heaven ordained by fate was, and an unusual horse that's loyal to its Keeper is more important to him than his daughter or his kingdom. I live in a splendid room, sleep upon embroidered felt blankets, and eat the best gra.s.s, with no horse being in a higher position than me.
At the time, I thought that Keepers or whatnot have nothing to do with me. I'm more significant than the majority of humans, and that's just fine.
Then the old King was extinguished. It was not a young man of his own country that killed him, but one that came from the distant Central Plains. My life was also shattered.
I felt that it was okay, going to go see what's different in a far-off place.
Then I went on a very long journey, uncomfortable the whole process.
And then I was sent to their home.
I was indifferent to changing Keepers, as I could handle every human regardless, but for reasons unknown, my mood was quite bad.
Then that human showed up. They were very young, and very pretty, and very happy to see me, taking out sweet and good-smelling things to try and please me. The moment they tried to approach me, I bit them, but I didn't use much force. Though they were pained and shocked, they didn't cry out in alarm or curse in anger. They looked at me tenderly and spoke to me softly to pacify me, under the impression that I was afraid.
Their eyes made me think of when my mother left very long ago, but they endured the pain while looking like a pitiful animal much weaker than me. I felt like it was beneath me to bully them and let go.
We got along well. They didn't give me a gorgeous stable, but they tended to me with the utmost of care, made me comfortable, and frequently ran off alone to come see me, talking on and on about many things to me.
I slowly came to like them.
It was the first time I liked a human.
One day, theu rode me to go on a hunting excursion with some humans, and ran into enemies.
Sensing their anxiety and fear, I ran as hard as I could, but I had three humans on my back and found it hard to run through the woods. The enemies were catching up.
When they rolled off my saddle, I felt so mournful and panicked, yet I still listened to them and carried the two people on me forward.
As the wind flitted past my ears, I though, unlike last time, if I never saw them again, I'll be inconsolable. I'm not willing to change Keepers again. I'm not willing to change location again.
Therefore, when I did see them again, I had never been so glad. I allow them to ride me even without getting pine nut candies.
Rumor has it that my temper's getting better and better.
Ah, that's right, speaking of which, I can't clearly tell whether they're a man or a woman. If they're a man, they wouldn't have such gentle eyes; if they're a woman, they wouldn't be so brave.
My Keeper is the gentlest, bravest human in the world.
‘Keeper' is just the word 主人 (owner), made to sound more imperious.
You know what the worst thing is? This can't even be cla.s.sified as filler.
Filler needs to be devoid of all development, and there's plenty of development of character here. For a horse.
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