Winnie and Shadow

I have a horse her name is Winnie. My name is Jay and I'm 11 yrs. old. Winnie was given to me by a very old man who could not care for her anymore. I took her in and have been caring for her ever since that wonderful day she came into my life. Her coat was chestnut brown with her long blonde mane flowing in her eyes as she ran in the meadow. Winnie, I would call to her. She came running towards me coming to a stop before the fence. Letting me rub her head I give her a carrot, her favorite treat. I climb over the fence and walk her to the barn. She needs to be brushed her bedding needs to be cleaned and re done. She beds down for the night. When morning comes, I saddle her up and we ride through the meadow without a care in the world. Through the fields of wildflowers and rolling hills. Giddy up, giddy up Winnie. Over the hills so swift, she slows to a trot downhill being ever so careful. We come to a river. She eats the sweet grass and drinks. Suddenly Winnie lifts her upper lip to reveal her teeth, thats what horses do when the smell something new to them. Low and behold she did smell something new. A kitten laying by a rock shivering I dismount Winnie and walk towards the kitten. It lets me pick it up. I put it in my jacket to keep it warm. I get back on Winnie and head for home. We go into the barn Whinnie's stall is quite warm. I make a bed out of hay for the kitten. Winnie lays down by her newfound friend and starts cleaning the kitten. I fill up Winnies' feed bag with oats and hay and finish up my chores. As nighttime approached, I filled a bowl with warm milk for the kitten. I went to the barn to check up on Winnie and the kitten. I saw the kitten all curled up next to Winnie. I placed the bowl of milk down and the kitten lapped it all up. I guess the kitten found a new mama. They were inseparable at that point. Wherever Winnie went the kitten would follow. Wherever the kitten went Winnie would follow. I named the kitten Shadow, because he was Winnies little shadow. Shadow would be sitting on the fence and jump on Winnie's back to snuggle up and go for a ride. They were comical. When I would ride Winnie, Shadow would tag along right next to us. They had a bond like no other. They became loyal companions. Theirs was a magical friendship. The moral of this story is friendships can be found in unusual and surprising places. With unique individuals. Friendships can develop and create bonds between individuals of different sizes and species. So, we need to wake up and learn from our four-legged friends to love and respect each other. End of story!