The three brothers broke through the brush that separated them from Ali and her sons, dragging their horses behind them. Twigs stuck out in all directions from their hair. Burs clung to their unruly beards. Their muddy, sweaty clothes hung on them, attracting flies.
Breaking into a run, Drachen waved his arms, shouting, “That’s my horse!”
Ali’s sons exchanged curious glances.
“I know them,” said Shem, the eldest of the three. “They’re from the town.” He walked forward to meet them. “You’re a long way from home, my friends.” He frowned. “You’re … Drachen, aren’t you?”
Drachen caught his breath at the recognition.
“I remember you as a boy.”
Drachen’s muscles tensed, ready to deny any accusations.
“I hear you paid a visit to my mother.” Shem’s eyes were filled with mischief. “You told her you saw … a unicorn?”
“Er, ah …” Drachen stumbled over his words. His eyes shifted for a moment, searching for Xavier’s travel companions. They had to be close by. He’d seen the droppings. Had Ali’s sons noticed them too? “I thought I did, but … it turned out to be a white stallion. That’s all. Belonged to … ah … some fella in town.”
“Really, now?” Shem held his chin up with his right hand, resting his finger on his lip. “And who might that be?”
“Er … Joseph.” Drachen nodded, a polite smile on his lips. “That’s right … Joseph.”
Shem narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. “But didn’t he die last year?”
“Ah, ah …” stuttered Drachen. “It belongs to his wife now.”
Shem exchanged knowing smiles with his brothers. “Alright, then. So why have you been following my mother around?”
Drachen’s breath quickened.
“We know you were because we found the remains of your camp in the woods. And Grandfather saw you peering through the trees at our settlement. Not to mention the ruckus that night.”
“I … I … didn’t mean –”
“You had your eye on our livestock, no doubt?” said Ali’s second son, Ham, moving closer.
“Or possibly after the horn of the Great Stallion?” added Japheth, the youngest of the brothers. “You know you’ll never find it, don’t you?”
“No,” said Ike before Drachen could speak further. “We were lookin’ at the ra –”
Ike grunted as Drachen shoved his elbow into his rib cage.
“Rabbits? So it was the rabbits you were after?” asked Ham.
Drachen’s eyes shifted as he fabricated his story. “Um, yeah. Ya see, we thought we’d … buy some from ya.”
“Yeah,” mumbled Ike, his hands held tightly behind his back, a fake smile spread across his lips.
“We were hungry and hadn’t shot anythin’ in a while,” said Kayden.
“Then why hide?” asked Ham. “We would have been glad to oblige. You know how quickly rabbits breed. There are always a few to spare.”
“Uh … uh.” Drachen searched his mind. “I remembered we still had some jerky left over, and we wouldn’t be needin’ ’em after all.”
“Ohhhh,” said Shem, his chin rising and falling as he stretched out the word.
The three sons shared amused smiles.
Then Shem walked to Xavier and took the halter from Ali. “So you say this horse is yours?”
“Yes. My mare’s its dam.” Drachen thrust his arm out to grab Xavier’s rope.
Xavier bolted backward at his approach, an angry neigh ripping from his throat. He reared, pawing his hooves in the air, the whites of his eyes showing, and his ears flattened against his head.
Drachen threw his arms up, shielding his face, and backed away, the sharp hooves narrowly missing him.
“Hoo there, boy. It’s okay.” Shem said in a soothing voice.
The horse let out a rumble. His skin rippled, and then he grew calm again.
“Hmm,” said Shem. “Seems he doesn’t like you. Were you mistreating him? Is that why he ran away?” He turned to Xavier and smoothed his hand over the horse’s uneven coat. “Look at the length of these scars. Did you whip him?”
Drachen stiffened. Who was this man to judge him? He didn’t know this colt. “Ah … ah … he’s a real difficult animal. There was nuthin’ else I could do.”
Shem eyed the now docile colt and raised his brows. His eyes wandered to where the other horses stood. “It seems your horses are packed too heavily. Perhaps the colt was revolting to the heavy burden you placed on him?”
Drachen’s face grew warm with humiliation. Heat spread throughout his entire body.
“Who cares? They’re just dumb animals, an’ they belong to me. I can do what I want with ’em,” he snarled.
Tension mounted in the silence that followed until a small but powerful voice spoke. “Why don’t we buy him from you?” asked Ali, her eyes burrowing into him.
A shiver passed through Drachen. Why did she have this effect on him? “H-he’s not fer sale.”
Ali pressed her lips together in thought, her eyes burning with passion. “And if I gave you ten pieces of gold?”
Drachen’s mouth dropped. No one paid ten pieces of gold for a horse. It was unheard of. He turned to his brothers. They nodded exuberantly.
“Alright,” he said, trying to hide a smile. “Ten pieces of gold it is.”
Ali held him in her gaze, her eyes judging, and then she opened her pouch and pulled out the shiny pieces.
Drachen’s eyes bulged. Whoever thought this stupid, untrainable colt could bring so much wealth? He snatched the pieces from the tiny woman’s hand and shoved them in his own pouch before she could change her mind.
“And if it’s food you need, we can share some of ours,” Ali said, motioning to Japheth.
Japheth took fast steps to where they had dropped their buck. He pulled out his knife, sawed off an entire leg, and handed it to Drachen.
Drachen’s mouth watered at the man’s generosity.
“Now be on your way,” said Ali, her powerful voice commanding. “You’ve got what you want. You’ve no need to follow us anymore.”
Leading his brothers away, Drachen turned one last time to see Ali and her sons disappear into the landscape.
As they picked up the trail, he heard Shem say, “Mother, did you have to give him so much gold?”
“Son,” she said, “All the gold in the world won’t help him when the time comes. He’s made his choice.”