Her father forced her into going into town with him and introducing her around. There was no doubt that he was very proud of her.

Sometimes he took her away for a weekend. Lightning was very surly and hard to handle when she came back.

Sometimes it felt like the horse had a will that kept drawing her to it. Sometimes it did the smartest things.

Like today Lightning knew that everyone was watching them. And as long as they were he was going to impress them.

If they were wondering why the both of them spent so much time together, bolting away from them like that at top speed gave them an inkling as to why.

Lightning could thrill her like no other being on earth. He was showing off his strength in front of the husky men.

Top that, the horse was trying to say as they sped from the ranch at top speed, I dare you to do better than this.

Her imagination often dwelled on her love for the animal. She also knew that perhaps she was imagining a bit too much.

Perhaps the horse was just feeling particularly vigorous today, for whatever reason. She remembered the dream. When she had wakened from the dream, she had heard Lightning call to her in a high-pitched whinny. Had she imagined that too?

As if the horse was reading her thoughts this very moment, Lightning whinnied and slowed his pace with short, jolting bucks.

She had not expected the horse to pull up like that. She was so used to her legs around its form that she adjusted with hardly any trouble at all.

The horse stopped short and then pranced at a slow gait gently rocking her from side to side from the swaying motion of its flanks.

She could feel her body mold to the power of the horse's powerful form. She felt as one with it, not a separate entity at all.

They were together. It was at these moments that Lightning ceased to be a thing – HE BECAME A PERSON.