A Horse's Tale
Note: Black thinks everybody who walks on two legs and talks is a Two-legger. To him, the Mazoku and humans are all the same.
Black had always been a smart horse. He knew that because that's what the stablehands and the trainer would always tell him. He was a smart, beautiful horse.
Sometimes, though, they called him something else. Mischievious. They liked to call him that a lot when he was younger, and would lock his legs in the middle of a gallop in order to watch the trainer fly head over heels and hit the ground with a Thud. Black had thought that was very funny, and would whicker in amusement as the trainer rose, cursing and holding his back.
Two-leggers were so funny, after all. They had funny ways. They walked on only two legs, which made Black pity them. No wonder they had to ride horses like him in order to get anywhere, walking like that! Two-leggers would talk and laugh, and Black liked it when they talked to him and told him he was a good boy. He especially liked it when the white-maned Two-legger would snuggle him at night. It helped him calm down and he would always fall asleep right away in his stall.
Two-leggers liked to carry long, shiny things and hit each other with them. Black had watched the Two-leggers do this often when he was foal. One day, the trainer saddled him and took him out to the paddock. He saw someone with one of those long, shiny things on his belt, but didn't think about it. They all carried those. Black knew it wasn't part of their body, because he had seen them take it off after coming in from a ride on one of his brothers. But usually they all had them. So Black wasn't paying attention when the man came up right next to him and quickly pulled it out with a Schwing! The sound and sudden movement made Black jump, his ears folded down and his eyes wide. The trainer had kept a hold on him, the only thing that had kept Black from running away. He whispered, "Good boy, good boy Black," and patted Black's neck, which calmed him down. The next time the Two-legger did this, Black only jumped a little, which got him even more praise from the trainer. Eventually Black had gotten so used to the Schwing! that he didn't even flick his ears toward the sound anymore. Then the Two-legger got in his saddle and pulled the shiny-thing from above him, but Black was used to the sound and quick movement. That was when the interesting training began.
The Two-leggers would take him and his sister or brother out into the training ring and play with the shiny-things while riding them. It took Black only a few times to get used to the sudden clashes of the shiny-things when they hit. They would teach him how to not get hit by the shiny things, like putting his head down when his Two-legger signaled a charge with the reins. He learned quickly, and the Two-leggers would praise him as they brushed his coat, the smooth strokes calming his body while the spoken words calmed his mind. He liked these words of praise, almost as much as he liked to knock the water bucket down on the trainer's head when he wasn't looking.
Soon, Black had gotten so good at his training that the Two-leggers brought their foals to him to be trained in how to ride! Black was very proud of this, and would always be very gentle with the smaller Two-leggers. The only time he'd ever dropped a Two-legger foal was when the boy hadn't saddled him properly. It wasn't Black's fault that the boy slipped right off him just when he had began his canter!
One day, all the Two-leggers were talking excitedly. Their quick words and higher-pitched voices reminded Black of a busy bumblebee so excited to find a patch full of untapped flowers. Black listened to their words, but didn't understand them all. He heard something about a "Maou," but he didn't know what that was. It must've been something important, because all the Two-leggers were buzzing about it!
His trainer came by with a big gray-haired person. They stopped in front of Black's stall and watched him while talking excitedly. Black wanted a better look, so he put his head over the stall door and sniffed the gray-hair's jacket, then turned his head so he could get a better look at this one. The man reached up to scratch the horse's neck, and Black submitted to him, leaning his neck into the man's hand and closing his eyes blissfully. Black just loved neck scratches!
The man said, "He will do." Then he turned and left. Black snorted with indignation. Why'd he stop the scratches?!
The trainer chuckled as he opened the stall door. Black watched as he put the halter on Black's face, securing it, all the while whispering to the horse. "Oh, what an honor, what an honor! One of my horses being chosen for the Maou! I just knew they would chose you when I heard that the Maou had never ridden before. You're the best horse in the whole stall!" The man kept whispering to the horse as he brushed his coat until it gleamed, and the horse listened carefully, his ears flicked back in order to catch every word. "Now, you be nice to this Maou, ok? They say he's young, and not used to our ways. You must train him! You will serve him, but you will also teach him, ok? I know you can do it. You will be living in the Blood Pledge Castle stables, but no other Two-legger will you let ride you, ok? Just the Maou. I hear he has black hair and black eyes, just like you! You two will look magnificent together. Just imagine, you and the king, riding off into the sunset after a glorious victory!" The Two-legger continued speaking, his voice becoming dream-like as he spoke his fantasies aloud.
Black snorted. A new rider, huh? And someone so important! The horse could feel the pride in his chest as he listened to the trainer. He was glad the man was taking such care in his appearance, he wanted to look good for this "Maou." Black wondered what the "Maou" would be like. Would he be a kind master, that gave him a lot of sweet hay and oats? Would he be cruel, like the poor speckled-horse's master, who had ridden him to exhaustion and then forgot to give him food or brush him? Would he be a warrior, like the ones who had trained him while using the shiny-things that clanged when they hit? Black shivered in excitement and anticipation.
He was soon saddled, and the trainer led him to the courtyard. The horse stamped nervously. Is this where he was going to meet his new rider? The doors to the big building opened and out came some more people, talking excitedly. Black looked at each one, then saw the one with black hair. Wasn't this the one he had let ride him just the other day? This was his new rider? He snorted. Why, he was hardly older than a foal!
Then the young one laughed at something the other man said and approached the horse, smiling widely. He put his hands on either side of the horse's head and snuggled his face against Black's nose. Oh, how Black loved snuggles! This foal's snuggles were even better than the white-haired ones! The horse whickered and snuggled back, his heart filling with warmth at this young one's reaction. The black horse could sense kindness in this two-legged foal, and he suddenly realized that he had fallen in love with the young one.
The others told the young one to name him. Ao. That was his new name? Yes, Ao would do just fine. Ao whickered again in pure joy. He just knew that they would have lots of fun together!