"Hey. Are you the horse guy?"
The old man turned away from the meal he was cooking. A young woman had appeared in the entrance of the place he called home nowadays.
"I need to learn how to ride a horse. They're required to travel long distances quickly when you cannot ride the clouds."
A weird young woman apparently. But only weird things went that deep into the mountains anyway.
"I'm no teacher kid. Just a man asking to live his last years in this world in peace, far away from all this unrest."
"You lived to this day because your horse was fast enough to take you to a grove where your pursuers were ambushed and eaten by a tiger. Teach me to ride that fast."
"That's how you know of me? From that old story I've told a thousand times? Should be flattered some people still remember and repeat it I guess."
"Uh? No? I know because I was there."
"Kid, this happened so long ago I'm not sure your parents were even born back then."
"Was there. Saved you. You are honor-bound to help me."
Okay, weirder than most.
"Kid, you're crazy. Also, I don't do that new honor thing that's all the rage nowadays."
"You do. Honor is as old as the stars, sometimes as tortuous as a torrent, sometimes as simple as clear water. A debt was contracted. A debt must be paid. You promised me thirteen days and thirteen nights of dancing in my name and delivered none. Today I'm asking for thirteen days and thirteen nights of teaching."
The man began another complaint. Held it back. Went silent. Picked a second bowl from the shelf. Cleaned the dust covering it.
"I don't exactly remember what I promised the spirits that night kid. Too busy shitting my pants and crying. But didn't live that old by tempting fate when it's showing its fangs that bare. Thirteen days and nights you say? Well, nobody has ever learned anything on an empty stomach. So let's start with a lunch."
