'Have you seen Diablo?' she asked.
'Have you lost another horse?' Chad asked. 'Do they normally go missing this much, or are you just hopeless?'
Shelby turned Bandit around, nudging him with her heel more sharply than she intended. The gelding laid his ears back and swished his tail.
'Don't be mad with me, Shel,' Chad called out. 'I was only joking!'
Shelby looked over her shoulder as Bandit moved away. 'I'm not mad, I just have to find this horse before something bad happens. I think it's good that you're learning to ride. I have to go. Catch you later.'
He grinned. 'I look forward to it.'
Shelby and Erin continued on down the path. After they were out of earshot Erin said, 'He loves you, Shel!'
Shelby snorted. 'He does not!'
'Does too! He was just about falling over himself to make you happy. And you were so cool. I've never seen you be an ice queen before. Looking down your nose, all superior.' Erin flicked her hair dramatically. 'Catch you later, Chad,' she mimicked in a breathy voice. Then she pursed her lips together, making a kissy noise.
'I wasn't being superior,' Shelby muttered.
'Were too! And he's cute as well, for a horse stealer.'
Shelby stared at her friend. 'Haven't we just spent the last few hours proving that he had nothing to do with it?'
'Oh yeah, I forgot about that bit,' Erin said, grinning. 'Funny, isn't it? When you decide the way you think about someone it's hard to undecide it again.'
'Well, you need to undecide about Chad, because he's my friend,' Shelby said.
'Oooh! Chad and Shelby sitting in a tree,' Erin teased, 'K-I-S-S-I-N-G.'
'Shut up!' Shelby said, smiling. She was so pleased to hear that Erin thought that Chad liked her. She'd almost given up on him. She was also glad that Erin was back to her silly old self. She was such a good friend, Shelby thought. Erin never held grudges.
Still, there was plenty of time to think about all that later. For now their priority had to be the stallion.
The two girls rode quickly, following the path around the side of the Gully. Soon there was a trail that zigzagged down towards the creek and the girls took that turn. Bandit was more used to Shelby now. She found it easier to balance as they headed for home.
They listened for hoof beats along the other trails, and after a few minutes they could hear horses on the trail ahead.
Shelby hoped that it might be Diablo and got as far as wondering if he would let them catch him, but it was Monica and Kim. Both of their faces were flushed with the exercise.
'Nothing?'
Erin shook her head.
'We went all the way around.' Kim used her finger to indicate the rim of the Gully. 'And then straight across and up to the lookout. There was a group of bushwalkers. They'd come from the other side of the Pony Club and they haven't seen him either.'
Shelby shook her head. 'There are just too many little trails he could have taken. It will take us forever. We're going to have to head back and get reinforcements.'
'Are we the only ones looking?' Monica asked.
Erin and Shelby looked at each other. 'We haven't exactly told Mrs E that he's missing yet.'
'What?' Kim asked. 'You have to tell her!' She kicked her horse and he trotted. 'I'm going back right now. Imagine if it was Blue and nobody told you? You would be so mad.'
Shelby felt embarrassed. She knew Kim was right. Kim turned her horse around and they followed her in single file – Shelby at the back.
Telling, not telling, dobbing, lying, hiding the truth, and fine lines – it was all so complicated. No wonder teenagers were moody!
The four girls cantered up the hill, returning to the stables.
'Man! I hope we find him soon, because my bum's sore!' Erin complained.
As they rode along the trail towards the back gate they could hear the thunder of hooves.
'Wow, they're still going nuts!' said Monica.
Soon they were out of the trees and they could see what was happening. The whole herd from the back paddock rumbled full-tilt up to the crest of the hill away from them and out of sight.
Bandit pranced and tugged at his bit.
After a moment the horses came around the side of the hill, bucking, wheeling and turning all at once, like leaves caught in the wind – some with their tails held high, others bouncing on the tips of their toes, like Pepé Le Pew. Even from this distance Shelby could see the dark patches of sweat on their necks and flanks.
Shelby watched as the buckskin colt tucked up his legs and leapt nothing at all. The mare with the scarred face, in full flight, bucked and plunged, twisting her neck towards the other mares.
There at the front, looking mighty, wild and handsome – even in his rugs – was Diablo. He raced across the paddock, tail flashing and head thrashing. He bucked and Shelby guessed all four feet must have been a metre above the ground.
'Oh, thank God for that!' Erin said, putting her hand to her chest.
'You mean he was here the whole time? After all that!' Monica groaned.
'Last time he must have gone over that fence that was down,' Shelby said. 'Lucky he didn't cut his legs or get tangled.'
'He probably jumped it,' Kim added.
'Boy, can he jump!' Erin observed.
The herd wheeled around again.
Bandit pigrooted. Shelby held on to his mane. Bandit lifted up his front feet and then pigrooted again. Shelby could feel herself beginning to slip, and so she quickly slithered to the ground – holding the lead rope around Bandit's neck. He let out a high-pitched whinny right in her ear. She could see the whites of his eyes and the sweat curling the hair on his neck.
Diablo charged towards them, ears back and teeth bared. The whole herd stampeded their way – their hooves drumming against the ground so hard that Shelby could feel the rolling, thrumming noise of it in her chest. They covered the ground quickly.
'They'll turn,' Shelby thought. They had to turn; there was a fence.
But they weren't turning. Fifty metres closed to twenty in seconds. Monica and Kim's horses panicked and bolted up the trail. The two girls shouted and tugged at the reins hopelessly.
Blue's nostrils flared, his eyes widening in terror as the stallion bore down on them. The little gelding backed away, trampling bushes and brushing against tree trunks. The stallion didn't stop. He was ten metres away, with the rest of the herd hard on his heels. Erin's face went white. If Diablo didn't stop, if he jumped the fence, he would crush them. How many of the others would follow him?
Blue reared – something he had never done before – and wheeled to the side, heading along the trail after Monica and Kim's horses.
Shelby held onto Bandit with all her might, calling, 'Whoa, whoa, whooooah!' She turned Bandit's head away, and the gelding danced on the spot, squealing, trembling and shaking his head.
At the last moment Diablo skidded on his back feet, switched directions and flew up the fence line. Like a flock of birds the herd turned, chasing Diablo. The dirt from their churning hooves sprayed into Shelby's face and she closed her eyes.
Away they soared. Shelby opened her eyes again. She had seen horses running around before, but this was something else. It was fierce and wild.
'Wow,' she whispered.
The other three girls trotted up behind her. Their horses were still spooking and shying, but were under control.
'Yeah, awesome, but how on earth are we going to catch him?' Kim asked.
'And get him back into his stable before Mrs E –'
Erin was interrupted by a shrill whistle. The girls all turned their heads in the direction the sound had come. Standing up on the crest of the hill, hands on hips, were Lindsey and her mum.
'. . . finds out,' Erin finished.