We were galloping across a meadow when I felt Twilight’s interest perk up. Though I couldn’t see her, she wasn’t too far away and I could sense her emotions easily. I tightened Rusty’s reins a bit to slow him and closed my eyes to concentrate on what she was feeling, hearing, seeing.
Movement between tree trunks, she said, sensing my question.
Twilight, come near. Safe with us.
Might be family.
I knew she’d hoped to see them at Cartop Meadow and was disappointed when we didn’t, but the chance of the movement being one of her old herd was super low. Might be danger.
If danger, will run, she thought to me, and stepped forward.
I opened my eyes and pulled Rusty to a quick stop, then turned him in Twilight’s direction.
Twitchy’s hoofbeats slowed and stopped. “What’s wrong?” Kestrel called back to me, sounding out of breath from our gallop. “What do you see?”
“Nothing, I hope.”
Twilight, please come. My filly thought she was invincible. She thought nothing could outsmart her, catch her, or even want to harm her. I don’t know where she got that last one from. What about the wolf that tried to eat her last winter, and the poachers that chased us just months ago? Why hadn’t she learned from those experiences? She could be sneaking up on a bear right at that moment, and bears can run awfully fast if they don’t have to run too far. Rusty moved nervously beneath me as he felt me think of bears. He knew enough to be cautious.
I heard Twitchy and Kestrel trot back to us and then…
A dark shape rushed toward me. Fear speared my heart and I leapt in the air. My legs felt a jumble as I tried to run away from the charging beast. It was gaining on me! Gaining! And then I caught my stride. As I darted nimbly through the trees and pulled away from it, my fear morphed to smugness, then to interest – my pursuer wasn’t a bear. It was a horse.
As Twilight’s fear lessened, I was able to grab it and wrestle it under my control. Terror free, for the moment anyway, I could think – and I could see what horse was after her.
My own fear spiked. The mustang stallion!
Run faster! I mind-yelled to her.
“Evy, are you okay?” I heard Kestrel ask, but her voice sounded from another world.
Steady, thought Rusty. Gather yourself.
Twilight didn’t seem inclined to run faster. In fact, she was slowing down. She looked back as she loped along, checking him out. He looked terrifying to me – ears back, eyes hard, nostrils distended, muscles straining – but Twilight didn’t seem to notice that.
“Evy?” Kestrel was sounding really worried now, but I didn’t have time to answer her. I had to save Twilight. I understood what my young, inexperienced horse did not: she was in danger of being stolen away forever.
Run! Do not ask why. Run as fast as you can!
And for the first time ever, Twilight didn’t question. She ran. I almost fell from Rusty’s back in shock. Twilight had listened to me? Amazing!
Kestrel’s hand gripped my shoulder. “Evy!”
With my filly racing through the forest toward us, trusting me enough that she ran even when she didn’t feel danger, and with the palomino stallion pounding just yards behind her, fully intent on stealing her away from me, I turned to my best friend and tried to act as ordinary as possible. “Let’s ride this way!” I said with artificial cheer – too loud, almost shrill. I smiled what I’m sure was a ghastly smile, then leaned over Rusty’s neck and asked him to gallop toward the trees where Twilight would emerge.
If the stallion didn’t catch her first.
“Evy? Evy, wait! Evy!”
“Twilight!” I yelled.
I felt the palomino stallion falter. He’d heard our shouting, and after his experience that morning with the freaky little human that appeared from nowhere, he was feeling a bit cautious. He slowed and stopped and sniffed the air, inhaling Twilight’s scent. Memorizing it.
Twilight slowed to a lope when the stallion stopped chasing her and, moments later, trotted from the forest looking calm and serene. Her coat glittered in the summer sun and her blue-black mane shone like falling silk as she dropped her head to graze.
I, on the other hand, looked crazy.
I turned Rusty to find that Kestrel hadn’t followed me on my mad dash toward the forest. She sat stock still on Twitchy in the center of the meadow, staring at me with a look that said she’d just realized I was completely and totally insane. Too soon, Rusty started walking back to Kestrel, and as we neared her, Twilight trotted past us, looking even more relaxed than before.
I stopped Rusty in front of Kestrel and swallowed nervously. “So I guess you want an explanation?” I asked in a small voice.
Kestrel nodded.
The problem was I didn’t have one. If I told her Twilight had been in danger, she’d want to know how I knew, and I couldn’t tell her about my gift, especially now. She’d never understand why I hadn’t told her before, if she even believed me. There was a good chance she’d just continue to think I was nuts, and then she’d leave for boarding school early just to get away from me.
And I couldn’t tell her a made up story, if I could even think of one in time, because Rusty hates lies with a passion and would probably toss me off his back.
If only Twilight had acted scared after she came out of the forest, or Kestrel had heard or seen the stallion, then I could tell her the simple truth – but all she’d seen was her best friend acting dazed and ignoring her, then yelling something ultra-stupid and galloping off…
Kestrel raised her eyebrows as she waited.
“Well, um, I thought Twilight was in danger.” Lame, I know, but I didn’t know what else to say.
Kestrel turned in her saddle to look at Twilight who, believe it or not, was now napping in the shade as she waited for us. “What made you think she was in danger?” she asked predictably. “She always takes off and comes back when she feels like it.”
Adrenaline was still making me tremble, and my hand shook as I stroked Rusty’s shoulder. “There was that stallion after Cocoa this morning and then when Charlie said there’s a mustang causing problems, well…” Rusty humped his back and swished his tail. A warning not to stretch the truth too much.
Kestrel watched me like she was still waiting for the crucial bit of information.
“I thought maybe the wild stallion was after Twilight, trying to steal her.” Might as well just state it outright. At least Rusty wouldn’t throw me. “It was just a feeling. I can’t say where I got the idea.” All true.
“If that’s what you really thought, I guess I can see why you’d act weird,” Kestrel said, though she still looked perplexed.
“I wasn’t acting that weird,” I said. Even though Kestrel is obviously a forgiving sort, I still don’t like it when she thinks I’m too strange. “If Twilight really was in danger, it would be perfectly normal to try to help her.”
“I guess so,” Kestrel agreed, too polite to argue with the lunatic.
She knew as well as I that there was no reason, no clue, no indication of Twilight being in any danger whatsoever – but apparently, she’d decided to file this under unexplainable, along with all my strange actions of the past. Whew!
She turned Twitchy and we started riding side by side. Twilight got up and started dancing in front of us.
Stay near, I cautioned her.
She flipped her tail at me.
“Hey, do you think you’ll be allowed to go to the rodeo this year?” asked Kestrel.
I reined in my Twilight annoyance before turning to Kestrel. “I doubt it, but I’m going to ask anyway, and probably be told no, just like every other year.”
“Jon will be there,” Kestrel teased.
“Why should I care?” I asked, even though the blood had rushed to my face.
I met Jon a few months ago when a bunch of our neighbors dropped by unexpectedly to help my mom and me build an addition on our cabin. And I must admit, he seemed pretty nice.
“No reason.” Blessed silence dropped between us, but only for a moment. “He’s pretty cute, huh?”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.” I stared straight ahead.
“Well, he thinks you’re cute,” Kestrel said, dropping her second biggest bomb of the day.
“How can you know that?” My voice felt all raspy.
“He told one of his friends, who told my sister, Nova, who says Jon must like you.” Kestrel grinned, then laughed. “You’re so funny, Evy. To most girls that would be a good thing, but you look like you just ate a bug.”
“I do not.” I tried to sound injured, but couldn’t stop a small smile from creeping onto my face. “It’s fine if Jon likes me. That doesn’t mean I like him.”
“Oh, okay,” she said, sounding like she was trying to stop herself from laughing out loud.
What is wrong? asked Rusty.
Nothing. Nothing at all. The last thing I needed was for my horse to start teasing me about boys too. That would be too much.
Thankfully, Twilight saved the day, in the same way she seemed to do everything – with bubbly recklessness. She pranced straight toward us, then reared away. Her hind legs propelled her forward like a bucking, kicking jet in the direction of the barn and cabin. I checked – yes, her mind was quiet. She just felt like being dramatic.
Or maybe she sensed my discomfort and wanted to distract us from our conversation? Okay, so that’s probably wishful thinking.
Beside me, Twitchy did a little hop. I looked at Kestrel, surprised. She was holding Twitchy’s reins tight and the mare was actually trying to go fast. Amazing! Kestrel nodded and I smiled, then leaned over Rusty’s back. Together we raced for home.