Chapter 25
Reece and Sean gasped, while the third snorted, then the stare down began. They were only forty feet apart although it felt as though they were nose to nose or was it nose to muzzle.
Reece spoke first. “That must be. . .”
“Scottie.”
“Yes, he’s brown but sort of a reddish brown.”
“He has that white stripe on his face, so it must be Scottie,” Sean decided.
Scottie shook his head and stared at them then rotated his ears in the direction the men had taken. He stepped over to the stream and lowered his head nosing the water a few times before drinking it yet never taking his eyes off the children.
The children took another look around then cautiously moved to the edge of the stream keeping the same distance from the horse. They slipped off their hot, scratchy tunics and splashed water on their crusty faces and arms. Kicking off their sandals, they wadded into the cool stream. They grabbed handfuls of water and splashed each other a few times forgetting the possible danger that surrounded them and giggling for the first time since they crossed the field to ask Nathan for help.
Scottie hesitated a few seconds then wadded into the center of the stream which covered his knees. He neighed softly and the children turned to him. Maybe they were making too much noise.
Reece wiped the water from her eyes as she gazed at the horse. She took two steps towards him, but Scottie backed up. The horse didn’t look frightened; he just wasn’t ready to make friends yet. She stepped back giving the horse more space and time to make up his mind.
They were thirsty. The water looked clean, but, they continued to slide their hands through the water tossing some into the air to watch the sun glisten through the droplets of water. But, no amount of splashing water on their skin would relieve the aching dryness of their throats. They cupped their hands, drew some water to their mouths, and after hesitating only a few seconds, drank deeply. After filling the canteen, they sat on the edge of the bank giving their legs mighty thrusts to see whose feet could splash water the farthest. For the moment, their minds blanked out the urgency of finding Nathan’s brother or the fear of Nathan’s enemy.
The role of guardian fell to the horse. And, he took his job very seriously, because while the children splashed and played, he scanned the open area. His ears flickered in different directions as he listened for the return of those men.
Reece’s eyes drifted to Scottie and she stared entranced by the beauty of the horse. “Do you think we could catch him, and take him to Nathan?”
“No.”
Reece turned to her brother. “Why not?” she demanded.
Sean drew his lips inside his mouth as he thought. “He’s too big.”
“What’s that got to do with it? He’s not a wild animal.”
“Just because he’s not wild when Nathan’s around doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be wild with us. He might kick or something.”
“You just don’t like horses.”
“Not as much as you do.”
Reece’s mind struggled to remember what Nathan had said about his horse. “What were the words Nathan used to call Scottie in from the pasture?” When Sean refused to meet her eyes, she added. “Well?”
“Not telling.”
Reece folded her arms looked away then turned back. “If we can get Scottie back to Nathan, we won’t have to go all the way to the camp.”
Sean wagged his head back and forth a few times while he thought. “Okay, it’s ‘come here, big boy’.”
“Yes, that’s it! Then he said ‘let’s go’ so he’d follow along behind.” Reece stood, put the tunic back on and dried her feet on the grass. “Come on, Sean,” she said then slipped the sandals onto her feet.
Sean continued to splash his feet in the water. “I’m not ready yet.”
“What do you mean you’re ‘not ready yet’? We’ve got to get Scottie back to Nathan and go home.”
Sean looked up at his sister who stood with her hands on her hips waiting. “All right,” he said then stared at Scottie for a few seconds before rising. The horse didn’t look quite as huge standing in the middle of the stream.
Nathan probably called his horse from a long distance, but the farthest distance they could create was between the middle of the stream and the edge of the woods. Scottie watched the children dress and walk away. As they reached the first tree, Reece turned and looked directly at Scottie. “Come here, big boy!”
Scottie‘s ears shot forward as he stared at her. These were familiar words coming from an unfamiliar person. The phrase was repeated, and the horse moved forward one step, stopped to stare again, then moved steadily until he was out of the stream.
The children scampered back a few steps, then Reece called over her shoulder. “Let’s go!”
The children walked into the woods checking behind every few steps to make sure Scottie continued to follow. When he got too close, they scurried ahead afraid he’d trample them, but then Scottie only trotted to keep up. Eventually, they decided that the horse would follow at a distance of his own choosing.
They’d walked at least ten minutes when Reece realized that all their focus was on keeping a safe distance from Scottie. “Look, we’re going to get lost,” said Reece. “Either that or miss the tree stump. You watch the road; I’ll watch the horse.”
A person’s concentration can only stretch to so many things, and the horse clomping along covered a multitude of noises, so the children failed to notice someone following them. He kept his distance walking at a steady pace. He was in no hurry.
The Door Into Time Page 25
