Wagner Figueiredo de Lima was 34 years old and had a four-legged life companion.
He was a cowboy in Cajazeiras, Paraíba, and for eight years he traveled through the sertão alongside Sereno, his white horse. They were not just owner and animal: they were the kind of duo that understood each other without words. On January 1, 2017, a motorcycle accident on the way to Tibau beach claimed Wagner’s life.
His brother Wando had an idea no one expected: to take Sereno to the funeral two days later so he could say goodbye. When the coffin arrived, the horse approached, rested his head on it, and stayed there. He walked around it, neighed loudly, and struck the ground with his hooves throughout the entire journey to the cemetery, as if he understood exactly what had happened.
Wando did not leave him alone after that. He took Sereno to live with his family forever, as a final way of caring for what his brother had loved so dearly.
