*The next morning, Donovan split the group into two parties. He took two guys in his truck and told Otto to follow him with the other two guys in his truck. They drove back farther than Donovan had taken them before, but nowhere near the white elk rock, as he’d started to call it in his head.
He had gotten smart and bit the bullet, buying some high-end two-way radios. Donovan passed them out to the group. If they came up empty with elk today, they could always hit the whitetails that came at sunrise and sunset to snack at the automatic corn feeders he had set up. They parked the trucks and made sure that the ice chests were secure to store the meat in. He led them down to the blinds he’d set up along the area where he’d tracked the other herds and assisted in getting the men settled in them.
They’d stay here for a few hours and then move to another area. Donovan had set up a few salt licks there, so they may have better luck. As the hours passed by, the only thing they saw was a few javelinas and a couple of wild turkeys. The group decided to hold off on taking them so as not to scare off the elk. When it was time to move on, Otto and his group were itching to shoot something.
“Patience,” he advised. “But if you want to take out the smaller game, be my guest.”
They were hiking up an incline when they heard hoofbeats. “Hold up,” Donovan said. It didn’t sound like a herd.
There was a flash of white in the distance and Otto cried, “There she is.”
“No,” Donovan said, as Otto took aim.
He was too far away to stop him. Otto fired.
There was a very human scream. Donovan was already running in that direction. The panicked horse made high-pitched cries and fled, its hoofbeats thudding off in the distance.
Then he heard Emily shout hysterically, “Help me. Sunflower’s been hit.”
*
Emily was bruised and scratched up from being thrown from her horse. She was bloody, but it was from Sunflower. She was barely aware that Donovan had scooped her up and was carrying her.
“Is she all right? I didn’t hit her, did I?” Otto said, pushing in close.
Donovan shoved him back with his shoulder.
“He killed her,” she cried.
“Sunflower ran away,” Donovan said. “She’s probably heading back to the ranch.”
“You shot at me,” Emily said, getting some sense back. “Put me down.” She wiggled to be free.
Donovan reluctantly set her on her feet.
“What the hell were you doing out in an active shooter zone, girl?” Otto said.
Donovan whirled and punched him in the jaw. Otto staggered back and would have lunged at him, but his friends got in the middle of it and held both of them back.
“Hogs,” Emily panted. “They’re all over the wind turbine site. I can’t bring in the cell tower surveyor because they’re menacing anything that comes near. I wanted…” She took in deep gulps of air. “I couldn’t reach you on your phone. I thought…” She put a hand to her head. “I’ve got to find Sunflower.” Emily’s head felt like it had split open, but she couldn’t find a wound and it was getting awfully hard to think.
“I’ll take you back. Let me carry you to the truck.” Donovan moved to pick her up.
“I’m fine.” She staggered away from him. “You can’t leave these madmen out here alone. They’ll kill Ghost. They’ll kill everything.” Was she even making sense? She couldn’t feel her tongue.
“You’re more important,” he said, reaching for her again.
“No. We all go. Or I’m not going. I’ll make so much noise, you boys won’t even catch a cold.”
“This is bullshit, Link.”
“You shot at my woman, Otto. You deserved more than a punch.”
“Look, Neanderthals, pound your chests later. My horse could be dying,” Emily cried. Her vision doubled and things got blurry.
“I’m real sorry about that,” Otto said. “I thought you were the white elk.”
“Which you were told you weren’t allowed to hunt.” Emily sagged against Donovan. “I told you. I told you. Men like these can’t be trusted.” It hurt to breathe.
“You watch yourself, missy.” Otto pointed at her.
“Or what?” Donovan said between his teeth and would have gone after him again, but she tugged him away.
“Stop. Stop. Look, you can hunt all the hogs you want today or I can cuss you out until dark. And if my horse is dead, I may take a rifle to you myself. And if you think you can cut her up and send her to process for her meat…” Emily’s voice sounded shrill and hysterical to her ears and she fought to shut up, but her head was pounding and every bone in her body ached. “I hate you. I hate that you have to kill things to feel like men. I hate that you have to destroy beauty. That you have to eat it. I hate it!”
Her legs gave out, and everything went dark.