*since you all keep asking me to continue I decided I would. Its not fair to leave you hanging you know? But keep reviewing!
"DARRY!" Soda screamed bloody murder from outside. Both brothers looked at each other and than ran out the front door.
"What is the matter with you?!" Darry demanded angry when he found his brother perfectly fine. "Why are you screamin' like that?"
"Darry, he's gone." Soda said desperately. "I put him out here when I got home from school and he aint here and he aint in the stable."
"Well the gates open little buddy, that's probably your problem right there." Darry pointed out.
"I didn't leave his pen open. I had it all locked up when I came inside."
Pony looked pale. "M' sorry Soda. I musta forgot to close it. I only went in there to get the football out."
"Ponyboy, how do you forget something like that?" Soda snapped.
"I said I was sorry." Pony shot back in defense.
"You need to pay attention." Darry stated evenly. He eyed Soda who looked panicked. "Calm down little buddy. We'll find him. I'm sure he'll turn up somewhere."
"No, we gotta look for him now. Ya' have to come with me, cuz when I find him I havta ride him back."
Darry sighed tiredly. "All-right, let me get my keys."
*****
It was dark by the time they got home from looking. Darry called it quits after an hour but Soda was ready to go back out by himself. "Soda, we'll wait until tomorrow. I'll call the sheriff and report him missing but its dark out and there's nothing else that we can do for tonight."
"He could be halfway across the state by morning Darry!" Soda was whining again. Darry's stomach reminded him how hungry he was. It was almost eight o'clock. He wanted to tell Soda the horse would turn up somewhere, but he just didn't know it for sure.
The phone rang then and Darry grabbed it. "Hello?" Soda looked at him with anticipation.
After listening for a minute Darry winked at Soda who let out a whoop and danced around the living room. "That's great, we just spent the better part of the evening out looking for him." Darry spoke into the phone. "Yeah. Yeah we'll come get him. Uh-huh, thanks." He hung up. "That was one of our neighbors. Said he came walking into their yard about ten minutes ago."
"Lets go!" Soda leapt out the door. Pony looked relieved. Soda didn't get angry easily but he'd been upset over this.
"You be grateful someone found him, Ponyboy. Are you coming or staying?" Darry asked.
Pony shrugged. "I'll come I guess." He didn't have anything else to do. When they got there he was surprised to see Nicky running up to them and Pony jumped out of the bed of the truck while Darry was still going a good ten miles an hour.
"Pony!" He heard his brother holler at him but ignored it.
"Hey, I didn't know it was you that found him."
"Gavin saw him." Nicky pointed to the front porch were a man about Darry's age stood. "He tried to tie him up next to the stables but that horse wouldn't have it."
Darry parked and Soda hopped out of the car. "Hey, where is he?" He asked immediately.
"Sodapop." Darry warned. Talk about lack of manners. The man on the porch came walking over to shake Darry's hand. The house was big, not huge like the socs houses but big. It was about a mile down the road from their own house and closer to the lake Pony heard was worth a visit at school. It figured that Gavin was Nicky's brother but they didn't look much alike. Gavin's hair was dark in contrast to Nicky's bright head of blonde and his face was hard and difficult to read.
"Hey, Gavin Johnson." He introduced himself with a thick drawl.
"Darrell Curtis." Darry shook the hand that was offered. "My brothers, Ponyboy and Sodapop." He introduced them.
"I'm Nicky but I already met, Pony here." The younger boy said with over-excitement. "Man, you're big." Nicky stated looking at Darry with wide eyes.
"Nicky." Gavin snapped.
"Well he is." Nicky mumbled.
"Mind your manners."
"How did you know to call us?" Darry asked.
"Well that's old Mr. Burg's horse aint it, who you bought it from? We known him for some time before ya'll moved in." Gavin said. "Horse is still just as ornery as he ever was. I tried to get him into the stables but he wouldn't have it."
"Where is he?" Soda asked again, anxiously.
"Nicky, go show him" Gavin instructed.
"Okay, he's just over here, around the side a' the house!" He ran off, Soda and Pony right behind him.
Soda was relieved when he saw him just a few yards towards a nearby hill where an apple tree stood. "Stay here or he'll run." He instructed.
"Stupid horse don't like me." Pony mumbled to Nicky. In truth he was a little jealous. Soda spent every waking hour with that animal. The horse responded to Soda's voice as he made his way over and slowly trotted over to him like a well trained dog.
"What is he the horse whisperer?" Nicky asked. "Mr. Burg's used to hate that horse. It nearly stomped him to death once."
"Mr. Burgs used to live in that house we're in now?" Soda questioned, leading the horse back towards them.
Nicky nodded. "You know who that horse reminds me of?" He asked. Pony and Soda looked at him for an answer. "Elvis, the king." Soda looked at him funny. "Cause he's got that cowlick that falls just above his eyes with that big black main." Nicky pointed out reaching out to try to pet him. The animal whinnied and backed up in annoyance, shaking his head up and down with grunts. Nicky sighed. "And because the crazy thing thinks he's royalty."
Soda smiled widely, jumping up on the animals back. "That's what I'll call ya." He patted the long neck.
"Elvis?" Pony questioned, skeptically.
"Yeah I can just picture him standing up on them big hooves and swinging his hips." Nicky said laughing.
"No, Royal." Soda said proudly. "A great name for a great horse."
….
"Are you gettin' settled in well?" Gavin turned back to Darry once the other three ran off
"Well enough for only being here four days." Darry said. "The house is still full of boxes I haven't unpacked yet. My brothers were satisfied enough that we got the TV out and after that they aint so much help if you know what I mean."
Gavin laughed knowingly. "I reckon I do. Hear ya'll are from the city. Its all Nicky's been talkin' about all night, how he's met a kid from the city. He ain't ever been fifty miles outside this old town."
"Yeah, we grew up in Tulsa."
"Your folks just decide it was time to move on?"
Darry looked down. "Actually they passed on about a year ago. It's just the three of us. I thought maybe they could get into a little less trouble out here." He laughed sadly.
Gavin looked thoughtful. "I dunno. Nicky seems to find plenty of trouble." 'You don't know what kind of trouble I mean.' Darry thought and wondered why their folks weren't at home this late on a weeknight.
"It's just the two of us as well." Gavin answered his thoughts. He was about to continue but the sound of pounding hoofs cut him off.
"Darry I found a name for him." Soda galloped over to them excitedly. He looked at his brother funny. Him and Gavin were silent and staring at each other like they shared some deep secret
"Darry?" Soda tried again.
Darry snapped out of it. "You gonna ride him bare back like that?"
Soda shrugged. "I forgot his saddle. Aint so far back anyways."
"All-right well, get headed home now and put him away. You still got homework."
"Okay, see ya." Soda started off.
"And I mean straight back Soda!" Darry yelled after him, doubting that he'd listen. He scanned over the yard with his eyes wondering where Pony had gotten to.
"I reckon Nicky's got him up in his clubhouse by now." Gavin broke into his thoughts and motioned for Darry to follow. He led him behind the house where a huge oak tree stood, that he'd been able to see when he was in front as well. A huge tractor tire hung down from an extended branch to make a swing big enough for three people. About fifty feet above that he saw his little brother peering down at him from a window in a massive tree house.
"Check it out Darry!" Pony called down. "This place is big enough to live in." Darry looked up wide eyed. Pony was right; it was at least big enough for ten people to occupy at once.
"That's neat little buddy." He called back up then turned to Gavin. "I'm in the construction business but I've never seen something like that in a tree."
Gavin laughed. "We built it when he was a little kid. You'd think he'd have grown out of it by now but…"
"How old is he?"
"Fifteen and a half going on ten." Gavin stated with annoyance.
Darry smiled. "Pony's fourteen."
"Shit, splinter." Nicky stuck his finger in his mouth."
"Who built this place anyway?" Pony asked.
"Gavin did, the summer that I was eleven."
"Its tuff." Pony said, taking a seat at one of the little chairs in the corner.
"Stay up here so you don't have to go home." Nicky grinned.
Pony looked at him funny. "Well, I have to go home sometime you nut."
Nicky just smiled again. "You oughtta come over some night, when it aint a school night and camp out in here with me."
"You sleep in here?" Pony questioned.
"Sometimes, if it aint to cold, Gavin'll let me."
"Where are your folks?" Pony asked.
Nicky shrugged. "Oh, they're out for the evening." He looked away shyly.
"Ponyboy, you come down now. It's getting late." Darry called.
Nicky poked his head out the window. "We don't care if he stays, he can stay."
"It's a school night." Darry countered.
"I did my homework." Pony countered back.
"It's half past eight and you haven't even had supper yet."
"I'm not hungry; I'll eat when I get home."
"Ponyboy…" Darry sighed. Under all normal circumstance he would have insisted but he was glad Pony had found a kid around his age who seemed nice enough. "I don't want you up late tonight. I'll come get you in an hour, hear?"
"Yeah." Pony's head disappeared back into the tree house.
Darry looked back at Gavin. "Do you mind him staying for a bit."
"Nope, its fine. Nicky don't have friends over to often."
"I reckon I best get home and see that Soda does his homework. Thanks for your help tonight."
"No problem." Gavin shook his hand. "Don't be a stranger, ya hear? You need anything you let me know."
It was the polite thing to say but somehow Darry knew that he meant it. When he got home there was no sign of Soda which was almost to be expected, yet he had hoped the kid would listen. He slammed around the kitchen trying to think what he could whip up for dinner quickly seeing as how it was so late and he hadn't eaten since one. The door slammed and Soda trudged in with a guilty look on his face. Darry didn't say anything, just looked at him and Soda knew he was mad.
"I'll do it now." He said, rushing to his room before Darry could say anything.
"Darn right you will." Darry muttered to himself, opening the cupboard and getting out the pancake mix.
