Kojiro and Shota walked companionably down the hill on their way to the village.
"These are our horses," Shota said when they came up to the pasture at the edge of the river just outside the village. "This is Blackie," he said as the handsome stallion trotted over to say hello. "He likes it if you scratch his face," Shota said, demonstrating. The red roan mare, known for her speed but slowed by her pregnancy, shoved her way in under Blackie's chin and stuck her nose into Kojiro's wary hand.
"This is Red Wind. She's in foal, due at New Year's." Lunar New Year came in early spring and was held to be the start of that season. It was a good time for a foal to be born. Shota hoped he sounded like an expert, using all his new horse-related words.
Blackie demonstrated his pride in his impendin
