Pilar tilted her head with intrigue as Kasabian explained the history of his injuries. Despite his explanation, she was still a bit perplexed. She was slightly younger than Kasabian, but she had no injuries to speak of, as he did. Though maybe this was less due to age and more a result of circumstances. Pilar did not typically travel alone for extended periods of time, and when she had grown up with her Marwari herd there were other horses who did the fighting and protecting. All things considered, Pilar had been lucky.

“What's a kyohtee?” Pilar asked, having never heard of one of those before. She assumed it was some kind of predator, but since it was an unfamiliar word, she wanted to know for sure—especially if there were coyotes around here.

She smiled, mimicking him as he offered to race her to the Paradise.

“A race eh? You got yourself a deal,” Pilar smirked. “If you win, I’ll tell you a story about me! And if you lose, well, I get to hear another about you!”

Pilar was reasonably sure that if she just asked, Kasabian would tell her whatever story she wanted to hear. However, it was much more fun if the stakes were raised.

And with an energetic kick of her heels, Pilar dashed ahead—quite familiar with the road to the Paradise.


pilar

photo © Sally Mann