A Love Story

The woman walked along the way, wondering where they were going. It wasn't the first time and it surely wouldn't be the last. He walked beside her and his presence was a comfort. His strength, his courage, his unyielding belief in himself were a constant source of inspiration for her.

Reaching out, she let her hand touch his head. Her fingers buried themselves in that soft and woolly hair. It was longer than most manes, dark and lush, curling just slightly at the ends. In an old familiar pattern, her fingers traveled down over the slope of his forehead and then over his velvety nose. Looking down she could see his feet, huge, but silent. There was incredible strength in those paws, in his entire body. He was like a huge spring, always coiled to pounce.
And yet, when he wanted, every muscle could relax. He could be as soft and cuddly as a new born baby when he chose to be. The woman often sat and just stared into his eyes then. Deep eyes that seemed to see things no one else saw. Eyes that stayed wide open and yet seemed to be far away.

Sometimes they would sit side by side, high over a river for hours and hours. Below them, the world floated gently by. Above them, only the light changed. Often they sat in silence, or, sometimes the woman would lay her head against his broad chest and just listen to the sound of his breath. But, sometimes, the woman would speak to him, tell him what she was thinking, how she was feeling, even who had built a new house, or what she had eaten for dinner when he was gone and when her babbling rose to full throttle, he would turn his great head, open his cavernous mouth and simply roar! During those times, she didn't know if she should laugh at his obvious displeasure, or walk away in anger. But she never walked away. She was his caretaker. He was her teacher.

And if his ego seemed large enough for both of them, she wasn't sure it shouldn't be. There was not another creature she had ever met who equaled him in any way. His very presence was often enough to turn a situation around, but he never shied away from doing whatever it took to set things right.

He could be frighteningly fierce when he rose up baring those sharp teeth and wielding claws like razor blades, but he could be very sensitive too. She had seen huge tears slip out of those eyes when someone did something brave, or noble, or beautiful. One thing she was sure of, nothing ever got past him, without his noticing it.

Today she walked with him. Tomorrow he might walk alone. It was who he was and to love him meant accepting that, no matter how painful it might be, how dangerous it might be. There could be no leashes, no pens, or cages, no locked gates, or closed doors. Their only bonds were those of friendship, mutual respect and love. Anything else was unworthy of either of them.

The path turned upward and together they climbed past the last big rocks and into a sun dappled clearing. Before them was a pool. Silent, deep, murky, it spoke of old secrets and new adventures. Today they only came to swim in the water. Next time.........