Imagine falling into a Jusenkyo spring, and never finding out how to release the curse…
River Wind
By Dan Stickney
Based on concepts and characters created by Rumiko Takahashi
******
Chapter 3 – The Big Time
*******
Wow, whatever show this is, it's a really big one.
Over the years we've been going to bigger and bigger shows. We started with little one-day shows, and sort of built up from there. Lately, the shows have all been three day marathons, with dressage the first day, cross-country the second, and stadium jumping on the last. I get the distinct impression that these are big time events. As usual, though, no one ever tells me anything.
Sometimes, I wish I'd paid attention to horse stuff when I was human, maybe then I'd have some idea about where I fit into this world. Unfortunately, the closest I'd ever been to a horse before I became one was at the movies.
Still, there was no disguising that this show was going to be a big deal when they loaded me onto an airplane. That's never happened before. I have no idea how long the flight was, because I have no time sense any more, but it seemed to be a long time. It was dark when I got here. Wherever this place is, it's very green and wet. At least it has nice grass.
****
Well, I finally figured out where I am -- New Zealand. And this show must really be a big deal, because I've just gone into heat for the second time since I've gotten here. We've never trained this long or this hard before.
Actually, I'm kind of grateful for the extra time. This place is so different from home that it's taken some getting used to. A couple months of training sounds about right.
New Zealand has its compensations. Keiko has been taking me on long conditioning rides through the mountains. They're much more interesting than that boring track at home. Sometimes, they remind me of the Chinese mountains of my second youth, just after my change. Those months would have been a lot less scary if I'd had Keiko with me, like I do now.
Oh, and Keiko has a new boyfriend, too. He's another Japanese rider on the circuit. At least this one won't dump her for spending too much time with me.
Ironically, I've learned more Japanese here than I ever did in Japan, because everyone is talking through translators. So I get to hear both sides of the conversation, and finally have some context. Unfortunately, it's been slow going, since I only have this stupid horse brain to work with.
Well, we've definitely hit the big time, in more ways than one. All of the other horses I've seen have at least a full hand on me, if not two, and the other riders all tower over Keiko. Still, after all I've been through, I'm not about to let a bunch of oversized foreigners intimidate me. This pair of little girls from the land of the rising sun are going to show them that the river wind is a force to be reckoned with.
****
I'm headed for the dressage arena, but my mind is on the cross country tomorrow.
Of all the things we compete at, I love the cross-county the best. That's when I can stretch out and really run. On the course it's just me and my lady, with everything on the line, and no guarantees beyond effort. It's enough to make me start jigging just thinking about it. There is nothing quite like the feeling of running all out with the scent of other horses in my nostrils, just waiting for me to run them down.
I sometimes wonder what sort of horse drowned in that spring all those centuries ago. She must have been an imperial messenger's horse, or something similar, because I'm pretty fleet. Thank you, mother, whoever you were, for giving your daughter the genes to run.
Keiko gives a sharp tug on my reins, and I snort apologetically. It's time to stop champing at the bit over tomorrow and start thinking about the dressage I have to do today.
Shall we dance, my lady?
****
Man, I thought I was gonna get killed on that cross country course today.
I was bombing down the slope towards that freaking scary water jump, going way too fast and on the wrong lead to boot, and I just knew we'd end up having a serious crash into the pond. That's when Keiko starts telling me to lengthen my stride!
Well, when my lady cues me like that, I don't think, I just do. So I stretched out as far as I could, and launched myself into the hardest, flattest jump I've ever made. And the next thing I know we're blasting through the water and up the slope onto the other shore.
I would have never made it without my lady. Heck, I would have never even attempted it without Keiko. You have to remember that I often can't see where I'm going to land. I wouldn't dream of trying to jump anything without Keiko on my back telling me it's safe. It's just too scary. I'm literally trusting her with my life. Luckily for me, she's never overfaced me.
I wish I could tell you how I knew she wanted me to run harder, but I can't. She just did and I just knew. You see, I don't take my cues from any one thing she does, Instead, I take them from everything she does. All she has to do is look where she wants me to go and I know where we're going, or think how she wants me to go and I'll go that way. Just the thoughts themselves affect her body language enough for me to read her intentions.
I have never, ever felt so close to someone. The few relationships I had with human lovers pale by comparison. And we're both the same sex and we ain't even the same species!
****
Ouch, I hurt all over, but mostly I just feel blue.
We were doing so well on the show jumping course, and I had to blow it on the last jump. It wasn't even a particularly tough jump, too, just a simple little vertical that I could have popped over in my sleep. We weren't even one stride out when some idiot in the audience chose that very moment to open his umbrella and spooked the hell out of me. Next thing I know we're both on the ground on the far side, any chance of finishing, let alone getting any points, just gone. I wrenched my shoulder and Keiko hurt her leg and if there were any justice in the world the other spectators would have beaten the thoughtless dickhead senseless then and there.
I just hate it when I let Keiko down like this. I failed my lady, and I'm sorry.
****
Hey, I could get used to this jet-setting life.
When I boarded the plane I figured that we'd be headed back to Japan. So you can imagine my surprise when I was unloaded in Australia. As always, no one bothered to tell me anything, because I'm just an animal. Oh well. Actually, I think Keiko did try to tell me, I just didn't recognize the Japanese pronunciation.
Lucky for me, about a week's rest was all it took to make me feel right as rain. Unlucky for me, I'm stuck in quarantine again and likely to remain so for quite a while. I wanted to make some new friends. I guess I can't really blame them. It's not like animals are entitled to any civil rights or anything.
At least I still have plenty to do, quarantine or not. We're training, as always, and I'm trying to get accustomed to the appalling heat. I don't think I've ever been anywhere so hot and dry. Fortunately, the people around here have come up with some clever ways to deal with it. I especially love the misting fans. I've got to figure out a way to get one of those at home, too.
I've also spent some time making a good start on my TV career. My lady and I have always received a fair amount of press coverage, at least since we started winning, but only in Japanese horse publications. My stall at home is practically papered with clippings, not that I can read any of them. Still, we hadn't received any TV coverage before New Zealand.
Now, though, it's like I can't go to my turnout paddock without tripping over a cameraman. I guess no one expected us to do so well, and there seems to be a general consensus that we were robbed. So we've seen news crews from every major network here and at home. And, of course, once they found out what a showoff I am, they kept coming back for more. Keiko and I have demonstrated all of our tricks more times than I can count, though that ain't saying much these days thanks to this damned horse brain of mine.
It's funny, though. Nothing I do seems to convince anyone that I'm anything more than a natural horse. An exceptional horse, yes, but a horse all the same. Even when I grabbed that pompous Brit commentator's hat off of his head and started whacking him with it nobody thought it was intelligent behavior on my part. He deserved it, though. How dare he say those unkind things about my bloodlines!
Overall, though, I think I'm in horse heaven. I just love being the star of the show. Not only does it get me a lot of attention, our corporate sponsors love it too. And we'll do anything to keep the sponsors happy. It must take big money to play in these leagues. Every one of my shenanigans that makes the paper is free advertising. We've also done some photo shoots and commercials. No one can say that I'm not earning my hay these days.
Unfortunately, along with the press comes a lot of pressure to do well. I hope the pressure won't be too much for my lady Keiko. She's the one who'll have to face the music if we fail. Me, I'll just get the same hay, grain and stall I'd get if we'd won. Sometimes there are advantages to being the animal half of this team.
*****
Well, tomorrow's the big day.
Keiko and our support crew are relaxing outside my stall, watching a portable television. I keep one eye on it, but the pictures really don't mean all that much to me any more. Just flickering lights. I can listen to the narration, though.
"...well Nigel, the smart money's on the New Zealanders, as always, but the pair attracting all the attention lately has been the charismatic newcomers from Japan, Keiko Nishimura and the fabulous Kawakaze..."
Keiko and her friends stir excitedly. Me, I just snort and grab another mouthful from my hay net.
"...What can you tell us about this pair, Ian?'
"Well, Miss Nishimura has shown incredible grit and determination, literally bootstrapping herself into international competition in a sport that's usually reserved for the very wealthy. But even she would be the first to admit that none of it would have been possible without that remarkable horse..."
I snort again, loudly this time. Everybody laughs.
"...not very big, no. But she makes up for it with quickness and agility. She also shows a rare combination of boldness and tractability."
"A bit flighty though, wouldn't you say? Especially after what happened at Auckland."
"Well, yes, but I think that was just their inexperience showing. The fact that they were contending for first place at all, in their very first international event, is far more telling to me. I expect big things from them in future..."
I nod my head furiously. You just watch, buddy.
"More than anything else, their chances depend upon the footing. Small, nippy horses like Kawakaze need good footing to do well. Slippery footing would negate her advantages."
"So what is the background on this wonder-horse, Ian?"
"Well Nigel, one of the things I love about horses is the great ones often come out of absolute nowhere. Kawakaze is just such a case. Nobody knows anything whatsoever about her origins. She was purchased as a four-year-old in some Chinese backwater, and shipped to Japan for a school horse. Miss Nishimura was a student at the stable. The rest, as they say, is history..."
I rolled my eyes. Sportscasters hadn't lost their gift for cliché during the years I've been a horse.
"...now, at ten, she's at the top of her form."
"So what do you think it is that makes this horse so special, Ian?"
"Well, she's best known for blazing speed and astounding agility, but I think the real secret to her success is her remarkable intelligence. This horse is so smart it's spooky. She always seems to find the shortest distance around any course, and she knows enough tricks for a circus horse. People are still talking about that remarkable scene last week, when Kawakaze literally knelt down on one knee to present her head to that little girl in the wheelchair..."
I shook my head and took another mouthful of hay. Of course I knelt down for her. What did they expect me to do, stand there stupidly waiting for her to stand up?
"...all of her handlers swear she wasn't cued to do that, either. If I didn't know better, I'd swear there was a human mind behind those eyes of hers..."
I closed my eyes for a moment. Buddy, if only you knew the half of it.
*****
I'm tired, but I'm happy, as I close my eyes and relive the last moments of the jumpoff this afternoon...
…I'm charging the final triple combination. Keiko wants me to slow, but I'm too excited. I over-jump the first fence, just manage to bounce the second, and suddenly I'M WAY TOO DEEP! Keiko pulls me up sharply and I just manage to hop over the third fence, twisting desperately to kick my hind feet up over the rail. I hear a loud knock as my back hooves clip it, but I can't worry about that, I've lost my forward momentum and I've got to run NOW!
Time, time, time! I have to shorten the course! Keiko hangs on grimly as I kick it into overdrive for the final sprint to the finish. I snap a quick lead change and throw myself around an unused fence like an American barrel racing horse, sod flying as we race for the finish line. I stretch my nose forward, seeking the light beam...
I shy violently as the crowd suddenly explodes into cheers even before I've finished bucking and sliding to a stop. The rail stayed up! We've won! Suddenly I'm surrounded by the jubilant members of our support team. Keiko throws my reins to her father and dives off my back into her boyfriend's arms.
And for once the noise doesn't bother me as I stand there blowing, an island of equine stillness in a sea of ecstatic humanity. Papa-san has tears in his eyes as he gently strokes my nose, and I place my head on his chest so he can scratch under my bridle behind my ears just the way I like it. He smiles and shakes his head, but he doesn't hesitate to oblige me. I imagine he wants to celebrate too, but I insist on my prerogatives. Winning is nice, but horses have other priorities.
So now it's all over, the awards ceremony, our victory gallop, and the seemingly endless round of interviews. I tried some of the victory bouquets, but they tasted terrible. Finally, I was led back to the stable, to a nice clean stall with fresh bedding and plenty of hay. I imagine my whole crew is off partying somewhere without me, but I don't mind. I've stamped my name on history. No one will be saying unkind things about my bloodlines now.
*****
Next up: Chapter 4: Homecoming
River Wind
By Dan Stickney
Based on concepts and characters created by Rumiko Takahashi
******
Chapter 3 – The Big Time
*******
Wow, whatever show this is, it's a really big one.
Over the years we've been going to bigger and bigger shows. We started with little one-day shows, and sort of built up from there. Lately, the shows have all been three day marathons, with dressage the first day, cross-country the second, and stadium jumping on the last. I get the distinct impression that these are big time events. As usual, though, no one ever tells me anything.
Sometimes, I wish I'd paid attention to horse stuff when I was human, maybe then I'd have some idea about where I fit into this world. Unfortunately, the closest I'd ever been to a horse before I became one was at the movies.
Still, there was no disguising that this show was going to be a big deal when they loaded me onto an airplane. That's never happened before. I have no idea how long the flight was, because I have no time sense any more, but it seemed to be a long time. It was dark when I got here. Wherever this place is, it's very green and wet. At least it has nice grass.
****
Well, I finally figured out where I am -- New Zealand. And this show must really be a big deal, because I've just gone into heat for the second time since I've gotten here. We've never trained this long or this hard before.
Actually, I'm kind of grateful for the extra time. This place is so different from home that it's taken some getting used to. A couple months of training sounds about right.
New Zealand has its compensations. Keiko has been taking me on long conditioning rides through the mountains. They're much more interesting than that boring track at home. Sometimes, they remind me of the Chinese mountains of my second youth, just after my change. Those months would have been a lot less scary if I'd had Keiko with me, like I do now.
Oh, and Keiko has a new boyfriend, too. He's another Japanese rider on the circuit. At least this one won't dump her for spending too much time with me.
Ironically, I've learned more Japanese here than I ever did in Japan, because everyone is talking through translators. So I get to hear both sides of the conversation, and finally have some context. Unfortunately, it's been slow going, since I only have this stupid horse brain to work with.
Well, we've definitely hit the big time, in more ways than one. All of the other horses I've seen have at least a full hand on me, if not two, and the other riders all tower over Keiko. Still, after all I've been through, I'm not about to let a bunch of oversized foreigners intimidate me. This pair of little girls from the land of the rising sun are going to show them that the river wind is a force to be reckoned with.
****
I'm headed for the dressage arena, but my mind is on the cross country tomorrow.
Of all the things we compete at, I love the cross-county the best. That's when I can stretch out and really run. On the course it's just me and my lady, with everything on the line, and no guarantees beyond effort. It's enough to make me start jigging just thinking about it. There is nothing quite like the feeling of running all out with the scent of other horses in my nostrils, just waiting for me to run them down.
I sometimes wonder what sort of horse drowned in that spring all those centuries ago. She must have been an imperial messenger's horse, or something similar, because I'm pretty fleet. Thank you, mother, whoever you were, for giving your daughter the genes to run.
Keiko gives a sharp tug on my reins, and I snort apologetically. It's time to stop champing at the bit over tomorrow and start thinking about the dressage I have to do today.
Shall we dance, my lady?
****
Man, I thought I was gonna get killed on that cross country course today.
I was bombing down the slope towards that freaking scary water jump, going way too fast and on the wrong lead to boot, and I just knew we'd end up having a serious crash into the pond. That's when Keiko starts telling me to lengthen my stride!
Well, when my lady cues me like that, I don't think, I just do. So I stretched out as far as I could, and launched myself into the hardest, flattest jump I've ever made. And the next thing I know we're blasting through the water and up the slope onto the other shore.
I would have never made it without my lady. Heck, I would have never even attempted it without Keiko. You have to remember that I often can't see where I'm going to land. I wouldn't dream of trying to jump anything without Keiko on my back telling me it's safe. It's just too scary. I'm literally trusting her with my life. Luckily for me, she's never overfaced me.
I wish I could tell you how I knew she wanted me to run harder, but I can't. She just did and I just knew. You see, I don't take my cues from any one thing she does, Instead, I take them from everything she does. All she has to do is look where she wants me to go and I know where we're going, or think how she wants me to go and I'll go that way. Just the thoughts themselves affect her body language enough for me to read her intentions.
I have never, ever felt so close to someone. The few relationships I had with human lovers pale by comparison. And we're both the same sex and we ain't even the same species!
****
Ouch, I hurt all over, but mostly I just feel blue.
We were doing so well on the show jumping course, and I had to blow it on the last jump. It wasn't even a particularly tough jump, too, just a simple little vertical that I could have popped over in my sleep. We weren't even one stride out when some idiot in the audience chose that very moment to open his umbrella and spooked the hell out of me. Next thing I know we're both on the ground on the far side, any chance of finishing, let alone getting any points, just gone. I wrenched my shoulder and Keiko hurt her leg and if there were any justice in the world the other spectators would have beaten the thoughtless dickhead senseless then and there.
I just hate it when I let Keiko down like this. I failed my lady, and I'm sorry.
****
Hey, I could get used to this jet-setting life.
When I boarded the plane I figured that we'd be headed back to Japan. So you can imagine my surprise when I was unloaded in Australia. As always, no one bothered to tell me anything, because I'm just an animal. Oh well. Actually, I think Keiko did try to tell me, I just didn't recognize the Japanese pronunciation.
Lucky for me, about a week's rest was all it took to make me feel right as rain. Unlucky for me, I'm stuck in quarantine again and likely to remain so for quite a while. I wanted to make some new friends. I guess I can't really blame them. It's not like animals are entitled to any civil rights or anything.
At least I still have plenty to do, quarantine or not. We're training, as always, and I'm trying to get accustomed to the appalling heat. I don't think I've ever been anywhere so hot and dry. Fortunately, the people around here have come up with some clever ways to deal with it. I especially love the misting fans. I've got to figure out a way to get one of those at home, too.
I've also spent some time making a good start on my TV career. My lady and I have always received a fair amount of press coverage, at least since we started winning, but only in Japanese horse publications. My stall at home is practically papered with clippings, not that I can read any of them. Still, we hadn't received any TV coverage before New Zealand.
Now, though, it's like I can't go to my turnout paddock without tripping over a cameraman. I guess no one expected us to do so well, and there seems to be a general consensus that we were robbed. So we've seen news crews from every major network here and at home. And, of course, once they found out what a showoff I am, they kept coming back for more. Keiko and I have demonstrated all of our tricks more times than I can count, though that ain't saying much these days thanks to this damned horse brain of mine.
It's funny, though. Nothing I do seems to convince anyone that I'm anything more than a natural horse. An exceptional horse, yes, but a horse all the same. Even when I grabbed that pompous Brit commentator's hat off of his head and started whacking him with it nobody thought it was intelligent behavior on my part. He deserved it, though. How dare he say those unkind things about my bloodlines!
Overall, though, I think I'm in horse heaven. I just love being the star of the show. Not only does it get me a lot of attention, our corporate sponsors love it too. And we'll do anything to keep the sponsors happy. It must take big money to play in these leagues. Every one of my shenanigans that makes the paper is free advertising. We've also done some photo shoots and commercials. No one can say that I'm not earning my hay these days.
Unfortunately, along with the press comes a lot of pressure to do well. I hope the pressure won't be too much for my lady Keiko. She's the one who'll have to face the music if we fail. Me, I'll just get the same hay, grain and stall I'd get if we'd won. Sometimes there are advantages to being the animal half of this team.
*****
Well, tomorrow's the big day.
Keiko and our support crew are relaxing outside my stall, watching a portable television. I keep one eye on it, but the pictures really don't mean all that much to me any more. Just flickering lights. I can listen to the narration, though.
"...well Nigel, the smart money's on the New Zealanders, as always, but the pair attracting all the attention lately has been the charismatic newcomers from Japan, Keiko Nishimura and the fabulous Kawakaze..."
Keiko and her friends stir excitedly. Me, I just snort and grab another mouthful from my hay net.
"...What can you tell us about this pair, Ian?'
"Well, Miss Nishimura has shown incredible grit and determination, literally bootstrapping herself into international competition in a sport that's usually reserved for the very wealthy. But even she would be the first to admit that none of it would have been possible without that remarkable horse..."
I snort again, loudly this time. Everybody laughs.
"...not very big, no. But she makes up for it with quickness and agility. She also shows a rare combination of boldness and tractability."
"A bit flighty though, wouldn't you say? Especially after what happened at Auckland."
"Well, yes, but I think that was just their inexperience showing. The fact that they were contending for first place at all, in their very first international event, is far more telling to me. I expect big things from them in future..."
I nod my head furiously. You just watch, buddy.
"More than anything else, their chances depend upon the footing. Small, nippy horses like Kawakaze need good footing to do well. Slippery footing would negate her advantages."
"So what is the background on this wonder-horse, Ian?"
"Well Nigel, one of the things I love about horses is the great ones often come out of absolute nowhere. Kawakaze is just such a case. Nobody knows anything whatsoever about her origins. She was purchased as a four-year-old in some Chinese backwater, and shipped to Japan for a school horse. Miss Nishimura was a student at the stable. The rest, as they say, is history..."
I rolled my eyes. Sportscasters hadn't lost their gift for cliché during the years I've been a horse.
"...now, at ten, she's at the top of her form."
"So what do you think it is that makes this horse so special, Ian?"
"Well, she's best known for blazing speed and astounding agility, but I think the real secret to her success is her remarkable intelligence. This horse is so smart it's spooky. She always seems to find the shortest distance around any course, and she knows enough tricks for a circus horse. People are still talking about that remarkable scene last week, when Kawakaze literally knelt down on one knee to present her head to that little girl in the wheelchair..."
I shook my head and took another mouthful of hay. Of course I knelt down for her. What did they expect me to do, stand there stupidly waiting for her to stand up?
"...all of her handlers swear she wasn't cued to do that, either. If I didn't know better, I'd swear there was a human mind behind those eyes of hers..."
I closed my eyes for a moment. Buddy, if only you knew the half of it.
*****
I'm tired, but I'm happy, as I close my eyes and relive the last moments of the jumpoff this afternoon...
…I'm charging the final triple combination. Keiko wants me to slow, but I'm too excited. I over-jump the first fence, just manage to bounce the second, and suddenly I'M WAY TOO DEEP! Keiko pulls me up sharply and I just manage to hop over the third fence, twisting desperately to kick my hind feet up over the rail. I hear a loud knock as my back hooves clip it, but I can't worry about that, I've lost my forward momentum and I've got to run NOW!
Time, time, time! I have to shorten the course! Keiko hangs on grimly as I kick it into overdrive for the final sprint to the finish. I snap a quick lead change and throw myself around an unused fence like an American barrel racing horse, sod flying as we race for the finish line. I stretch my nose forward, seeking the light beam...
I shy violently as the crowd suddenly explodes into cheers even before I've finished bucking and sliding to a stop. The rail stayed up! We've won! Suddenly I'm surrounded by the jubilant members of our support team. Keiko throws my reins to her father and dives off my back into her boyfriend's arms.
And for once the noise doesn't bother me as I stand there blowing, an island of equine stillness in a sea of ecstatic humanity. Papa-san has tears in his eyes as he gently strokes my nose, and I place my head on his chest so he can scratch under my bridle behind my ears just the way I like it. He smiles and shakes his head, but he doesn't hesitate to oblige me. I imagine he wants to celebrate too, but I insist on my prerogatives. Winning is nice, but horses have other priorities.
So now it's all over, the awards ceremony, our victory gallop, and the seemingly endless round of interviews. I tried some of the victory bouquets, but they tasted terrible. Finally, I was led back to the stable, to a nice clean stall with fresh bedding and plenty of hay. I imagine my whole crew is off partying somewhere without me, but I don't mind. I've stamped my name on history. No one will be saying unkind things about my bloodlines now.
*****
Next up: Chapter 4: Homecoming