A wide grin grew on Lou's face as Mr. McBride- well, he supposed he could call the man Pony in his head by now -mentioned his horse. Lou too had a strong bond with his mare, Kip, and he told a few stories about her as they ate and drank, then discussed his cat Betty who'd recently had a litter of kittens and his dog Rhino who was the most mischievous scamp of a dog he'd ever known. "And I take in a lot of strays each year!" he exclaimed as he finished up the story. "Tell me about your Jenny," he said, the topic of animals keeping a smile on his face despite the wind starting to howl outside.