Our story, called “The Scars of a Friend”, tells what happens when ‘the broken’ are accepted rather than cast aside and forgotten. In our last post  Azhar took Wind-Rider home and cared for him.

The snows of winter melted and green grass poked through the brown earth. Wind-Rider sniffed the spring air and fidgeted in his stall. Pleased that his horse’s energy and spirit had returned, Azhar took Wind-Rider to the pasture and turned him loose.

As Wind-Rider frisked about, Azhar leaned over the fence and laughed with delight. One warm afternoon, Azhar decided to take the horse for a ride. He climbed onto the stallion’s back and the two trotted out onto the ridge.

A soft breeze tousled Azhar’s hair as Wind-Rider gradually picked up speed and galloped along the path. The familiar sense of power returned to Azhar, but now this feeling was tinged with a  deeper understanding of what had been gained and what had been lost.

When Wind-Rider inevitably grew tired, Azhar slipped off the stallion’s back without regret. He saw the ragged scar on the horse’s flank and didn’t cringe. The blemish was no longer a painful reminder of loss. Instead, it was a sign of endurance and a testament to what he and his horse had earned through perseverance.

Azhar reached out his hand and gently stroked the scar. Then he walked the horse back to the stable. Azhar and Wind-Rider enjoyed many more years of love and loyalty together, accepting each other’s brokenness and scars without reservation.