“I’m waiting until the foal is born and old enough to wean. When it’s a few months old, I’m going to turn it out with the wild horses. It can go live with its sire’s herd, and then I’m going to bring Aria home. I haven’t decided what I’m going to tell Kalene and Joel yet. Maybe that I found her walking down the road toward home. I read a book once about a horse that was stolen, but managed to return to its old barn.”
“That sounds pretty suspicious to me. I don’t know if they’ll believe it,” said Max, sceptically. “Especially if Aria’s healthy. She won’t look as if she’s traveled a long way by herself.”
“Maybe you can help me come up with a different plan,” said Sophie as she found the switch and light flooded the barn. Eager neighs greeted them. “We have a few months to think of something. The foal’s not even born yet.”
“When is it due?” asked Max.
“Any time now,” answered Sophie.
When Sophie and Max walked into the barn most of the horses left their feed to watch over their stall doors. Sophie had learned to love them all, even the grumpy white mare that lived in the end stall on the right. Rosie had been the last to warm up to Sophie, but now, even she was looking over the door in anticipation. Her two-week-old filly was trying to do the same. Sophie could see Starlet’s dark nose poking over the wood, but the filly was too short to see over.
“Just a minute, Starlet,” called Sophie. “I’ll be right there.”
As the girls passed the first stall, a dark bay stallion thrust his sculpted head over the stall door. A loud neigh pierced the air.
“Hey, Rolly, old boy,” Sophie said as she turned toward him. “How are you doing tonight? Did you miss me?”
Rolly was the herd sire and, other than Aria, was the most beautiful horse Sophie had seen in her life. He had won scores of ribbons in important shows and the second barn on the property held eight mares that belonged to people who were paying to have their mares bred to him. Their owners were all hoping for the next National Champion foal.
Just like we are, thought Sophie. Kalene and Joel had such high hopes for Aria and Rolly’s future foals. I wish the baby she’s about to have could have been Rolly’s, instead of the wild stallion’s. But Aria and Rolly can have a foal next year. I know their baby will be the most beautiful foal in the world.
“I know you miss her, Rolly, but don’t worry. She’ll be back in a few months and I’ll take good care of her until then.” Sophie reached out to stroke his nose. The stallion lowered his powerful head and snuffled in her hair, blowing strands across her face. Sophie laughed and pushed her hair out of her eyes.
“He sure is beautiful,” said Max softly beside her. “Almost too beautiful to be real.”
“I know,” said Sophie. “Kalene says that if Rolly knew how gorgeous he was, he wouldn’t pay any attention to us lowly humans.”
“Yeah, he’d be way too good for us,” said Max.
Sophie leaned forward and kissed the stallion on his lowered forehead, right in the middle of his white star. “And you’re a pest too, aren’t you boy? A very big pest. And much too hard to handle under saddle. I wish I were good enough to ride you out to Aria’s canyon with the hay and grain tonight.”
“Hey, how are you going to get the hay and grain out to her?” asked Max. “You can’t ride your bike with a broken arm.”
“I’m going to have to walk and pack it,” groaned Sophie.
“Do you want me to go instead? That way you can answer the phone yourself when your mom phones,” said Max.
“I wish you could, but you don’t know the way. I hid Aria so no one would ever find her. You could be wandering out there for days and not see any trace of her,” said Sophie. “But it’s going to be awful. My arm aches already. And the rest of me is so sore.”
“What if you rode one of the other horses?” asked Max.
“They’re all due to foal soon or have babies that would have to tag along,” said Sophie. “I can’t take the chance of something happening to another one of Kalene and Joel’s horses.”
“I wish I could do more to help,” said Max, her voice discouraged. She ran her hand through her short black hair.
“Me too,” agreed Sophie. “But you’re already doing lots. If it wasn’t for you, I’d have to wait until Joel and Kalene got home and went to sleep, then sneak out and hope they wouldn’t get up in the night to check on me. This way I can go a lot earlier and have it all done by the time they get home.”
Together the two girls walked along the line of stalls. As they passed the next stall, Sophie averted her eyes. The sight of Aria’s stall standing empty made her feel guilty. Kalene and Joel still hadn’t moved another horse into it, even though both barns were full and they could use the room.
Max and Sophie stopped at each of the two stalls after Aria’s and spent a few seconds with each mare. Max admired a new foal she hadn’t yet seen, then they crossed the barn aisle and greeted the horses on the other side.
When they reached Rosie and Starlet’s stall, Max gasped. “She’s getting even cuter. Every day she’s prettier. So tiny and perfect,” she breathed and reached over the door. “Can I take her home yet?” The dark gray filly whinnied to Max, then reached out and sniffed at her hand.
Sophie laughed. “It would be great if your mom and dad let you have a horse, especially when you guys have some land and an old barn already.”
“Maybe someday, but it could never be Starlet,” said Max, her voice sad. “She’ll cost a lot more than my parents can afford. But she’ll be here for a while. I’ll just spend lots of time with her while I can.” She reached as far as she could toward Starlet. The little filly didn’t move away and Max scratched her neck. Starlet curled her lip at Max and the girls giggled. Then Rosie moved in front of her baby and gently pushed Starlet back.
“Sorry Rosie,” said Sophie. “I know it’s time for her to go to bed.” She patted the white mare on her shoulder.
“I’m going to come visit again though,” Max said to the white mare. “You’ll get to like me eventually, Rosie, or my name isn’t Maximillian.”
“It isn’t Maximillian,” said Sophie with a laugh. “It’s Maxine.”
“Shhh! She doesn’t know that,” replied Max. “And besides, you promised you wouldn’t call me Maxine anymore.”
“But I didn’t say I would start calling you Maximillian,” said Sophie and rolled her eyes at Max. “You’ve got serious name issues.”
“I just don’t know why my parents didn’t call me Megan or Samantha or Heather. You know, a normal girl’s name,” replied Max.
“Maxine is a normal name,” said Sophie as the two girls turned toward the end of the barn where the hay was stored.
“Correction – was a normal name,” said Max. “I don’t think anyone but me has been named Maxine in the last hundred years.”
“Well, it’s unique, anyway,” said Sophie. “You’ve got to look on the bright side.”
Max’s only reply was a huff. When they reached the haystack, Sophie held out the net and Max stuffed fresh-smelling hay into it. As soon as the net was full, Sophie scooped some sweet feed mix into one of the buckets. Then she sprinkled some special horse vitamins on top of the feed and stirred. She slipped her good arm under the bucket handle, letting it hang from the crook in her elbow, and swung the hay net over her good shoulder.
“I can help carry it for a little way,” said Max, and held her hand out.
“Okay,” agreed Sophie. “I just wanted to be sure I could carry both.” She swung the hay net off her shoulder and Max picked it up.
Rolly and the mares watched Sophie and Max longingly as the two girls walked back through the barn. Their liquid brown eyes were fixed on the bucket.
“You guys already had yours,” said Max as she reached for the light switch and pulled the door shut behind them. “Stop begging.”
Sophie and Max walked into the field behind the house. The sunset was fading. At the back of the pasture, Sophie
laid the bucket on the ground and climbed through the fence. Then Max passed the grain and the hay net over to Sophie.
“Be careful, Soph,” said Max. “I know you’ve been doing this for months, but it wasn’t with a broken arm before.”
“Don’t worry,” said Sophie reassuringly, picking up the bucket and hay. “I’ll be fine. And I’ll do my best to be back in three hours. Joel and Kalene will probably be four hours at least, but I don’t want to take any chances.”
“I wish I could go with you,” said Max.
“Me too,” said Sophie. She smiled at Max before she turned away. “See you soon.” Then her eyes moved to the hills in front of her and she started to walk. Sophie prayed that Aria was still in her canyon, deep in the pink-washed hills, then she quickened her pace.
I’m not going to think about all the horrible things that could have happened, she decided. I’m only going to think of Aria standing there safe and calm in her corral, reaching her nose out to get her grain like she always does. She’ll be happy to see me and she won’t be mad at all. She’ll forgive me for missing a day. She’s the nicest horse I’ve ever known.
The mountain lion had little luck with his hunt after leaving the Bright Creature the night before. The only living thing he saw besides the gray mare was a small jackrabbit he surprised at dawn. As the sun rose, he reluctantly took the rabbit back with him to hide in his hole in the rocks. He dreamed all day in his cool cavern, hidden away from hunters and from the desert heat.
The cat remembered a time when he hunted in the daylight too, but that was when he only killed for food. Shortly after he began doing it for sport, the humans began to find many bodies of dead cattle and horses, and started tracking him. That was when the big cat started to hide during the day and to kill at night.
When dusk returned and the sky over the desert turned red, he felt his blood rise within him. It was almost time to kill again. This time he would not be denied. He would find more than a measly rabbit.
The cat crept from his lair and, again, leapt to the top of the ridge. He raised his nose and sniffed for prey. Almost immediately he smelled deer. With a low growl, the lion dropped to the ground and crept toward his next victim.
I feel fear breaking over me in waves. No. Not fear. Terror! It is not a horse, but another creature. Aria feels it too, though not as powerfully. She stamps her hoof and sniffs the air, alert and watchful.
I will climb to the top of the canyon to see if I can find the terrorized creature. I must help it if I can.
The desert grew darker as Sophie walked. A few red streaks still illuminated the sky behind her, but they were fading fast. The cherry-coloured light spilled over the sagebrush, casting long dark shadows behind each desert plant. Sophie did her best to ignore the pain in her body and arm. She remembered seeing a TV show where someone had said that when he was hurt he forced himself to believe it wasn’t pain he felt, but merely sensation. It’s just a feeling, concentrated Sophie. It only hurts if I think of it as hurting, so it doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t hurt. It’s only a sensation. Just like being touched. Or having Kalene brush my hair.
When the moon rose over the mountains in front of her, Sophie was momentarily distracted. At first there was just a bright sliver above the tallest peak, then, slowly, slowly, it rose into the sky, large and luring. Its ivory glow touched the desert in front of her, turning the sagebrush from black to silver. The sight was almost enough to take her mind off of her aching arm. Almost, but not quite. It’s only a feeling. It doesn’t hurt, Sophie kept telling herself.
After walking for almost an hour, Sophie flopped the hay net on the ground and set the heavy bucket down beside it. She was getting so tired, and now even her good arm was aching. She stretched her left arm high above her head and then swung it in circles at her side, hoping to increase the circulation. Then she lowered herself to the ground and lay back on the soft hay.
She was only about a quarter of a mile away from the canyon now. The desert was breaking up into dry hills and arroyos and the rest of the way would be slower going. Aria’s canyon was farther back in the hills, well hidden in the maze of precipices, arroyos, and canyons that made up the wild foothills. Behind them, arid mountains spiked to the sky.
I’ll just lie here for a minute and rest, thought Sophie and shut her eyes. She cradled her broken arm carefully across her body and sighed. Life was getting way too complicated. She loved living with Kalene and Joel. She loved Aria and Rolly and the other horses. School was even okay and Max was great. Sophie was finally in a home where she felt appreciated, even loved, and sometimes she almost convinced herself she was a normal girl with a normal family.
When Sophie first realized Aria was in foal she knew she couldn’t bear to lose Kalene and Joel. She couldn’t bear to leave the ranch. That meant she couldn’t tell them about what had happened, even though it was only a mistake. She couldn’t take the chance that they might send her away. And her plan was almost complete. The foal would be born soon and would be old enough to wean in three or four months. She could keep it in the corral and feed it for a while after Aria was gone to make sure it was okay. That wasn’t the hard part. The thing that would be tricky would be getting Aria back home without Kalene and Joel suspecting her.
There has to be a story Kalene and Joel will believe, thought Sophie. There just has to be. And it’s got to be good enough to fool them into thinking I had nothing to do with Aria’s disappearance at all.
The deer is dead, poor thing. At least her death was quick. Her terror did not last long. And the hunter ate, so he will not hunt again for a time. Though it is puzzling that he did not eat much. I wonder why? Did I frighten him away? No. He had moved on before I arrived.
And suddenly, I feel more anxiety in the air. It is the wild stallion, Sky. He has heard something near his herd and wonders if something threatens them. Could the hunter be stalking again? But that makes no sense. Why would he hunt again when he has just fed? Why would he wish to harm Sky and his herd? Unless he is more than just a hunter. Maybe he is a killer. Could he have been the dark creature near Aria last night? The one that is so twisted and malformed in spirit? So full of hate?
The herd is nervous. I can feel their unrest reaching out to me, calling me. They have sensed danger nearby, but Sky has not told them to run. Will he approach the killer to investigate, not knowing what it is until it’s too late? I must hurry. I must warn them.
Sophie sighed. The hay net felt so soft and she was so tired. I could fall asleep right here, she thought. Then she opened her eyes. “I don’t ever learn, do I?” she said aloud, her voice angry. “I’m such a loser! Last time I fell asleep in the desert, something awful happened and here I am doing it again!”
She climbed to her feet and bent to pick up the grain bucket, but then she froze. Was that a horse whinnying? Yes. The sound floated toward her again.
But I’m too far away from Aria’s canyon to hear her, Sophie thought. Unless she escaped from the canyon. With a pounding heart, Sophie scanned the moonlit desert.
As soon as she spotted the wild horses, Sophie dropped to the ground. She knew the moment they saw her they would gallop away across the desert, dodging sagebrush and tumbleweed.
They haven’t seen me yet, she realized when she didn’t hear thundering hoof beats. That’s strange, usually they’re so watchful of danger. They’re quite close.. How could they miss me? They didn’t even hear me when I spoke out loud.
Slowly Sophie rose up far enough to see the wild horses again. She peered through the moonlit air, trying to count the mustangs, trying to pick out the one she remembered the most. The blue roan stallion. Big and rough and shaggy. She had only seen him once before, on the day he had stolen Aria away from her, but she knew she would never forget him.
The wild horses milled around, one large dark mass with many heads and tails. Nervous whinnies reached Sophie as the mares commanded their foals to stay near.
They’re not looking in my direction, Soph
ie realized. They’re looking toward the hills. And they’re scared. But of what?
A dark shape broke from the herd. It was the stallion! Sophie gasped as his powerful silhouette trotted toward the canyon cutting into the foothill, his long windswept mane and tail floating on the air behind him.
Sophie knew it was the stallion’s job to protect the herd. She guessed he was probably checking out a foreign smell or a strange noise to see if what he had sensed was dangerous.
The stallion drew closer to the shadows at the mouth of the canyon. He slowed and lowered his nose to the ground. Then he raised his proud head and snorted loudly. The sound echoed between the rocky walls.
Sophie held her breath. The stallion stood as still as a statue, his head high. Sophie imagined the breath rushing in and out of his nostrils as he read the signs, trying to understand what was wrong. His eyes would be sharp, looking into every shadow, every crevice in the rocks.
I don’t see why they don’t just turn and run, thought Sophie, but part of her was happy they didn’t. They’re so beautiful and wild and free! They can’t really be in danger. Nothing can hurt wild horses. They’re way too fast.
There he is. A mountain lion perched on the canyon lip. I will send tendrils of my energy toward him. I will try to frighten him away.
There, he sees me. Good! He is frightened of me. How quickly he fades into shadow. How completely he becomes hidden, as if he is made of darkness.
He is to be greatly feared. The bloodlust in him is overwhelming and pungent. It has consumed his soul. I know now he is the creature I sensed at Aria’s enclosure. The feeling he leaves behind tells me so.
Oh Sky. My beautiful Sky. How glad I am that I was here! I am so relieved the mountain lion is afraid of me. But he may not be for much longer. You must avoid him, my lovely one. You must keep your herd safe.
Desert Song (Horse Guardian) Page 3
