It was late in the afternoon when Ellie and Kate rode down a wooded slope towards a wide stream.
“We’ve nearly finished,” said Kate. “And we’ve only seen the birds so far.”
“Don’t worry,” said Ellie. “There’s still time.” She pulled Moonbeam to a halt beside a fallen log and read the last but one verse on her sheet:
“Find the log and look up high.
Whose home is that against the sky?”
They peered up into the branches of the nearby tree where they could just catch sight of a tangle of twigs.
“What sort of bird lives there?” wondered Kate.
Then a movement caught their eye. A red squirrel scampered into view, sprang onto another tree and disappeared behind the trunk.
“That’s it,” said Ellie, triumphantly. “It’s a squirrel’s drey.”
“And we can cross squirrel off the spotting list,” added Kate. “So we’ve found everything now, except the deer.”
“We might still see some,” said Ellie.
Kate shook her head. “I think they’re too shy.”
Ellie read the last verse. This one wasn’t a question. It was an instruction.
“Across the stream and past the tree
Back to camp in time for tea.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” said Ellie with a yawn. “I’m tired and the ponies must be too.” She urged Moonbeam into the stream they had to cross, but the palomino hesitated at the edge, peering nervously at the water.
“I’ll go in front,” said Kate. “Rainbow’s hardly frightened of anything.” She rode past Ellie and the grey mare stepped happily into the stream.
“Good girl, Moonbeam,” said Ellie, as the palomino followed close behind.
The stream was deepest in the middle. The water reached above Rainbow’s knees and that’s where the grey pony decided to stop. Kate urged her on, but Rainbow took no notice. Instead, she started to paw at the water with a front hoof, sending cascades of droplets over her squealing rider.
“Stop it,” pleaded Kate.
Ellie giggled. “She thinks you should have washed this morning.”
At that moment, Rainbow stopped splashing. She started to lie down instead.
“No!” yelled Kate. She kicked the pony with her heels but it made no difference.
Ellie tried to help. She rode up to Rainbow and leaned forward to try to grab the pony’s bridle. But she couldn’t reach it in time. The grey pony sank down into the stream with a sigh of satisfaction.
Kate jumped off and screamed as the ice-cold water soaked through her jodhpurs. Ellie roared with laughter. It was the funniest sight she’d seen for ages.
Suddenly, there was a crashing in the undergrowth beside the stream. Two terrified deer shot out of the bushes and raced away.
The noise frightened Moonbeam. She leaped sideways in an attempt to escape, and the sudden movement took Ellie by surprise. She was still leaning forward, and she was laughing so much that she wasn’t concentrating on her riding. Before she could do anything to save herself, she lost her balance and slid over the palomino’s shoulder. With a huge splash, she landed flat on her back in the water.
It was Kate’s turn to laugh. “Now we’ve both had a bath. And we’ve finally seen a deer.”
“I wonder what frightened them,” said Ellie, as she struggled to her feet.
“Us laughing, I suppose,” suggested Kate. She looked more serious and added, “Unless…”
Ellie bit her lip nervously. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
Kate nodded slowly.
“The wolf!” they both said at once.
