horsey

Unfortunately Nohime's diary contained less secrets than Harumi had hoped for. Most of the entries were about a man named Konoe Tadaki. The man she was probably with at the moment. He was a carpenter. Harumi guessed that this information would come in handy whenever she got the chance to look for the real Nohime. Nohime would never use her real name but the man she was with probably would and now she also knew his occupation what would make the search a lot easier. But right now there was no chance for her to get out of the castle and look for Nohime. She was at her wits end. She had no idea how to proceed from here. The fact that she had even less free time due to Nobunaga visiting her so often didn't really help.

"You have to learn how to ride a horse." Nobunaga said with a stern look on his face while he held the mare by her reigns.

"No way in hell!" Harumi said, still mortified of the animal.

"Look, you will probably never need to ride a horse alone, but it is a skill you ought to have!" Nobunaga said getting angry with her.

"No, it is scary." Harumi said while backing away from the horse.

"NONSENCE!" Nobunaga roared. Harumi flinched at his sharp tone. Nobunaga had been really attentive to her the last couple of weeks and he had completely forgotten what kind of man he actually was. Harumi was scared shitless. She stared at the ground before her feet, trying not to cry. Back home she almost never cried. The last time she had cried was when their family dog died when she was 8. She never cried when she scraped a knie of got shampoo in her eye or what ever. And here? It seemed that she couldn't go a day without crying. It frustrated her so much. Way was she so weak? Nobunaga saw her reaction and sighted. He knew he had crossed a line and he didn't want to scare her but Nohime could be so stubborn. She tested his patience so much that he was bound to snap sooner or later.

"Take it easy, we're just taking babysteps." He said in a calm voice. "How about today not riding her, but at least pet the mare." Slowly he walked towards his wife. Her eyes were still shiny but he couldn't detect any tears. He had selected this horse especially for her. The mere was a bit older. Very quiet and submissive but still strong. She would be perfect for Nohime who was so scared of the animal. There wasn't an easier horse to learn how to ride in the whole of Japan.

"You promise?" Harumi asked in a small voice. Nobunaga nodded his head while he still was holding the reigns of the horse. Harumi slowly and cautiously came closer to the horse. When she was only a few meters away she didn't know what to do. The horse in question didn't seem very scare. The mare looked at Harumi with curiosity.

"And now?": Harumi asked.

"Stick your hand out like this." Nobunaga said while he showed her how she should put her hand. Harumi raiser her arm and opened the palm of her hand. Nobunaga took her hand and slowly ushered her towards the horse.

"First, let her get to know your scent." Nobunaga said while holding Harumi's hand before the nose of the mare. The horse sniffed the open palm of her hand. The nose was big and wet what made a tickling sensation on her hand.

"Don't make any sudden moves, that will scare her." Nobunaga said when he saw that Harumi wanted to yank her hand away.

"Here, try to feed her." He said while giving her an apple. "Remember to keep your hand open so she doesn't bite your fingers by accident." He explained. Harumi held the apple in the palm of her hand while looking at the horse. The mare first sniffed the apple and then gently took it out of her hand to eat it.

"Very good, try to per her neck, horses love that." Nobunaga said while pointing at a spot. Harumi carefully came a bit closer and gently brushed the neck of the horse.

"You see the ears are moved forwards?" Nobunaga asked. "That's a sign that she is happy and likes it." Harumi smiled. This horse was indeed very sweet.

"Does she have a name?" She asked while still petting the neck of the mare.

"Himawari, or sunflower due to her bright personality." Nobunaga explained while petting the neck of the horse himself.

"A beautiful name." Harumi whispered.

"Yes, but you can rename her if you like." Nobunaga said.

"Why?" Harumi asked while giving Nobunaga a puzzled look.

"Well, she is your horse..." Nobunaga said smiling.

"No, Himawari is perfect." Harumi sighted while turning her attention back to her horse.