Chapter 4:
Author's Note: I'm now at college, so I'm not sure exactly when I'll be able to update, but I'll attempt not to take too long.
Disclaimer: Not mine, blah blah woof woof.
~*~
"Alec." Max said, kneeled down at the end of Alec's bed. The other transgenic didn't respond. Max patted the bed firmly. "Alec," she said a little more loudly.
A mild groan came from the general direction of Alec's head. "Alec," she called insistently, a stern set coming to her mouth. "hey Smart Alec!" She moved forward and shoved him roughly.
"Go way," came the muffled reply. Alec swatted at her with one hand, twisting up even further in his sheets. He turned away from Max, digging his face into his pillow.
"Oh give me a break," Max grumbled. She stalked into Alec's kitchen, hunting around the cabinets for anything she might use against him. Her eyes came to rest on the empty pitcher sitting next to the cluttered sink. A devilish grin appeared on her face.
She went back into the bedroom. "Alec." Her tone was light and friendly. The figure beneath the covers didn't stir. "Okay then." She shrugged and tossed the contents of the pitcher onto the bed.
"Aaaaaahhhhhh!!!!" Alec leapt straight into the air, eyes wide and wild. He half fell, half jumped from his bed. "What the fuck!!!???" Beads of icy water rolled down from his hair into his eyes. His shoulders were hunched over, hands clasped by his sides. He glared daggers at the girl at the other end of his room. "Max!!!!"
"What?" she asked innocently.
"What the hell is wrong with you, you sadistic freak?"
She shrugged. "You wouldn't get up. I'm assuming you're coming with me, right?"
"Well yeah but…." He glanced over his shoulder. "It's four in the morning? I only got home four hours ago. Did you even go home?"
"I went, I packed, I came here. It's a long drive to Colorado. Come on, get ready."
Alec ran his hand through his damp hair and held out the other. "Fine. Pass me the towel." Max rolled it into a little ball and chucked it, the fabric clinging to his damp chest. "T-shirt on the dresser." That hit him square in the face. Alec shot Max a withering glare she pretended not to notice.
Twenty minutes later the two transgenics were descending the stairs from Alec's apartment. "Shouldn't we head for the other side of my building?" Alec questioned. "My car isn't parked on this side."
"We're not taking your car," she stated simply.
"So what? We're just going to double it all the way on your bike?"
"Nope."
She heard him growl in annoyance, knowing just how much he hated being left in the dark. Max followed a few steps behind Alec, only her catlike reflexes keeping her from running into his back when he stopped dead. Alec glanced back at her over his shoulder. "Did you hit me over the head?"
She stifled a chuckle. "No. Why?"
"Well, I see your bike. And I see another one just like it."
"Yep."
Alec grinned wildly. He trotted over to the bike almost identical to Max's own Ninja, but for the fact that the one he was gawking at was a deep midnight blue. "Aww Maxie your bike had a spawn," he teased. "But seriously, mine?"
"Yours." She shrugged. "The dealer I heisted it from really didn't deserve it. And besides, as you said, it's a long drive to Colorado. I really don't need to spend that much time in your car or hear you bitching about driving my baby." Alec glanced up from inspecting the bike's engine only long enough to roll his eyes. "You ready?"
Alec secured his pack to the back of the bike. He straddled the machine and started the engine, revving it until she was certain he had woken most of the neighborhood. "Never more. But you know what Max?"
"What?"
"This machine is a newer model than yours. Now I'm not just gonna beat you, I'm gonna dust your ass." With a sloppy half salute he kicked the bike into gear and tore out of the lot, leaving a streak of rubber behind.
"hey!" Max shouted indignantly. She jumped onto her bike and streaked after him, until they were just two little red lights in the night.
--
It took nearly three days for the two transgenics to drive into the Colorado high country. They might have made it to the ranch sooner, but they had taken a wrong turn on a back road and ended up 100 miles South of where they wanted to be. Max blamed it on Alec's crappy map reading skills. Alec blamed it on Max's crappy map.
They were still arguing about it when they finally reached the ranch. They stopped the bikes just on the outside of the ranch's property. "See, we made it," Alec told her.
"Yeah," Max grumbled, "no thanks to you."
"I'm telling you, that map Logan gave you was outdated."
"Logan's map was fine."
"Look Max, I know Logan's your uh…whatever, but the man isn't infallible."
Max shot him a withering glare. "Forget it. Come on, we've got to find Jondy." She started her bike again, and headed down the bumpy gravel drive. There were several buildings set on the end of the drive, smaller huts she guessed were for guests and a main lodge. The entire place seemed basically deserted, save for a beat up, rusted out Ford pickup parked in front of the lodge. Max's keen eyes swept over the grounds, watching, cautious.
The large oak door swung outward, and a formidable, rough looking man walked out. He was wiping his hands on a rag, eyeing the two people on motorcycles suspiciously. "Can I help you?" He slung the rag over his shoulder, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest. "We're closed for the winter. Besides, guests need to make reservations." He didn't like the looks of the two people now walking toward him.
The girl, was darkly beautiful, face hard, stern. Her demeanor was deceptively passive, with the way she sauntered toward him, her eyes dark, but simmering with something almost feral. The man beside her was much the same. Anyone at passing glance would simply have dismissed him as a pampered city boy, but Curt had seen many dangerous men in his life. The young man stood protectively behind the girl, an amused quirk coming to his lip.
"We're not here for a vacation. I'm Max." She jerked her thumb at the man. "This is Alec."
"And that's supposed to mean what to me?"
"We're looking for my sister," Max began.
"Your sister?"
"Her name is Jondy? Last news I had was that she worked here. It's important that I get in touch with her very soon."
The man's eyebrow shot upward. "Jondy is YOUR sister?" Somehow he couldn't picture blonde haired, blue eyed, energetic, sarcastic Jondy and this girl as sisters.
Max checked herself quickly. "Half sister," she amended. "Do you know where I might reach her?"
"Now, and I'm not sayin that I do or don't know where she is, but what exactly would this be regarding?"
Alec stepped up closer to Max. "It's about their father. He…he's been sick now for a while," he paused putting an arm around Max's shoulders. He gave her a little squeeze, leaning closer and whispering so only she could hear. "Cry."
"Their father passed away a couple days ago. Cry," he insisted to Max again.
"Why?" She said through gritted teeth.
"Your father just died. You should be mourning."
"But he didn't just die."
"I'm sorry about my wife. It's still such a shock," Alec told Curt. The man was buying it, he could tell by the way his face softened and his arms dropped.
"Your wife? Alec I'm gonna kick your ass," Max whispered fiercely.
"Would you please just play along? It's working."
Max sighed. She let her shoulders slump forward. Lifting her arms, she wrapped them around Alec's midsection and buried her face in his shoulder. She took small satisfaction in holding him hard enough to make him shift uncomfortably. "You're so dead Alec."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah."
Curt felt his heart go out to these two young people. Jondy had become like family to him these last few years. Maybe in his old age he was getting soft, but he decided to tell Max and Alec what they needed to know. "I'm very sorry Mrs. er…"
"Smart," Alec cut in. "Maxine and Alec Smart."
"I'm very sorry Mrs. Smart, for your loss. Unfortunately, at the moment Jondy isn't here."
Max lifted her head from Alec's shoulder and turned. "Do you know where she is?"
Curt lifted the ball cap off his head and scratched his temple. "Yep, as a matter of fact I do. Problem is I don't have any way of reaching her. She's moving our herd up in the high country to our Spring pasturelands. There's a cabin up there. She won't be back for at least another week or two."
"Oh. Is there any possible way we might be able to go to her? I know she'd want to know about…Dad."
"Well now, the cabin is pretty remote, and it's a rough ride to get up there. And I'm afraid I can't leave the ranch to give ya'll a guide. And my horses, they're my business you know?"
Max was stumped. She needed this man's information. "Not a problem," Alec said, surprising her. "We can pay." He took his wallet out of his jacket, pulling several large bills from the thick wad. For once, Max was speechless. Alec was actually volunteering MONEY in order to help someone other than himself.
Curt whistled. Right there in Alec hands was at least a couple of thousand dollars. Money was always tight in the winters. He wasn't about to pretend he wasn't at least tempted. "Well young man, that is a right generous offer of ya. But tell me, have you city folks ever actually sat a horse before? It's a long, rough, ride up these mountains in some dangerous country. I wouldn't want the two of you to go off and get in over your heads."
"We can handle ourselves," Alec told him dryly.
"And we can ride," Max jumped in then. You just have to tell us where to go."
Curt, after a few more minutes of gentle persuasion, was convinced to tell Max and Alec how to get to the spring meadow. "Now then, there are two ways to getting up there. The easiest is to ride around the mountain and then cut up into this ridge here," he said, pointing to the map.
"What's the faster way?" Max queried.
"Now, that way I wouldn't be recommending to a couple of greenhorns like yourselves. It takes riding straight up through the mountain pass. It can be dangerous, especially now. Blizzards roll in up here with very little warning. And it's avalanche season too. During the day the snowpack softens, then at night it freezes on top, get heavy. Any new snowfall and you're looking at a big slide. Naw, goin around really is the best idea."
"Okay," Max answered quickly, careful not to push this man too much. "I was just wondering."
"All right then, you two go pack up your things. You may be wanting to change outta those clothes too. I'll grab you enough grub for the trip from the kitchen and catch a couple of our horses." He tipped his hat and headed back inside the house. Max breathed a small sigh of relief. That actually hadn't been as difficult as she had anticipated. Largely, she grudgingly admitted to herself, because of Alec's involvement.
Alec glanced at her sideways. "Why do I get the feeling that we're going the fast way?"
Max grinned. "Come on Alec, why would you think that?"
"Because I know you."
She chuckled, smacking him lightly on the shoulder. "Live a little. It'll be…fun."
--
Alec eyed the large, stout gray horse warily, standing a few feet away from it's massive hooves. He glanced over at Max, who was nonchalantly adjusting her tack, patting the neck of her lanky sorrel. Alec's gray craned his head around, blinking lazily at his prospective rider. Alec shifted uneasily from foot to foot, loathe to approach any further.
Max laid her hands upon the saddle, closing her eyes. After a moment or two, she smiled, tightening the cinch deftly. She gave the horse's neck a pat and untied the chestnut from the hitching rail. "You ready?" she asked.
"Uh yeah, sure." Alec took a few, tentative steps toward the gray. Max turned to watch Curt coming out of the lodge. He reached up to touch the gray's nose, but quickly jerked his hand back when the horse snorted. He cursed himself silently. If Max could do it so could he. He untied the horse and led it up next to Max's chestnut. Without even so much as a glance she swung nimbly into the saddle.
"Come on Alec," she growled, "Curt is watching. We're supposed to know how to ride." After another moment without Alec moving she finally looked in his direction. His lips weren't curved in their customary smirk, his eyes showed no mirth. The muscles in his cheek flexed sporadically. She guffawed. "Oh, don't tell me you're afraid of the horse."
Alec glared at her. "Okay, I won't tell you." Max shoulders began to shake. "Oh shut up Max, I don't want to here a word."
She held up her hands innocently. "Did I say a word? Just get on already. We can deal with your phobias later."
Alec forced himself to place one foot in the stirrup. "I do not," he tried to sound convincing as his heart leapt to his throat. He gritted his teeth and grabbed the pommel. "have a phobia." He swung on with a grunt, settling less than nimbly in the seat of the large western saddle.
"Right." Curt ambled over, hefting two very large sets of saddle bags.
"Here ya go. That should be enough food to last you until you get to the cabin. As for water, take what you get in the canteens. When you get high enough get some of the snowpack and boil it. Be sure to keep drinking. Altitude sickness can really get ya." He strapped the bags to the back of the saddles, right behind their packs.
"Thanks so much Curt. You have no idea how much we appreciate this."
"A friend a Jondy's is a friend of mine. Just keep safe and I'll see ya'll in a few days." He grinned and tipped his hat.
The two transgenics set of at a sedate walk. Max sat easily in the saddle, enjoying the mellow four beat gait of the horse. Alec was desperately fighting the urge to grab the saddle horn. When they were out of sight of the ranch, Max turned to him. "Feel up for a trot?"
"A trot? What's a trot?"
"It's faster."
"Faster? Why do we need to go faster? And since when do you know how to ride a horse?"
Something dark flicked across Max's features, but only for a moment. "It was a long time ago Alec. I don't want to talk about it."
"Well that figures." She just shook her head and urged her horse forward. The chestnut eagerly set off at the faster pace, excited to be out on the trails for the first time in several months. Alec's gray needed no such encouragement from his rider. He jumped into the faster pace as well, leaving Alec to bounce along in the saddle. "Max!" She glanced over her shoulder and just laughed. "Hey, I'm serious."
He didn't lose it until the horses hopped over a small log. He lurched forward in the saddle, nailing himself in the gut with the horn. The horses were cantering now and followed the natural turn and slope of the trail. Unfortunately Alec did not. He felt his right foot slip form the stirrup and he was propelled to the left on the side of the trail. He landed with a dull thud. He lay their quietly, cursing Max, cursing the damn horse, and cursing himself for ever having agreed to this little jaunt. Max rode back, his horse in tow and stopped so she was looking down at his still form. Alec groaned, "This is gonna be a long trip, I can tell."
Chapter 4
Okay, I know this wasn't the most serious of chapters, but I needed the transition for the change of scene. Please read and feel free to leave reviews, multiple reviews even,
Author's Note: I'm now at college, so I'm not sure exactly when I'll be able to update, but I'll attempt not to take too long.
Disclaimer: Not mine, blah blah woof woof.
~*~
"Alec." Max said, kneeled down at the end of Alec's bed. The other transgenic didn't respond. Max patted the bed firmly. "Alec," she said a little more loudly.
A mild groan came from the general direction of Alec's head. "Alec," she called insistently, a stern set coming to her mouth. "hey Smart Alec!" She moved forward and shoved him roughly.
"Go way," came the muffled reply. Alec swatted at her with one hand, twisting up even further in his sheets. He turned away from Max, digging his face into his pillow.
"Oh give me a break," Max grumbled. She stalked into Alec's kitchen, hunting around the cabinets for anything she might use against him. Her eyes came to rest on the empty pitcher sitting next to the cluttered sink. A devilish grin appeared on her face.
She went back into the bedroom. "Alec." Her tone was light and friendly. The figure beneath the covers didn't stir. "Okay then." She shrugged and tossed the contents of the pitcher onto the bed.
"Aaaaaahhhhhh!!!!" Alec leapt straight into the air, eyes wide and wild. He half fell, half jumped from his bed. "What the fuck!!!???" Beads of icy water rolled down from his hair into his eyes. His shoulders were hunched over, hands clasped by his sides. He glared daggers at the girl at the other end of his room. "Max!!!!"
"What?" she asked innocently.
"What the hell is wrong with you, you sadistic freak?"
She shrugged. "You wouldn't get up. I'm assuming you're coming with me, right?"
"Well yeah but…." He glanced over his shoulder. "It's four in the morning? I only got home four hours ago. Did you even go home?"
"I went, I packed, I came here. It's a long drive to Colorado. Come on, get ready."
Alec ran his hand through his damp hair and held out the other. "Fine. Pass me the towel." Max rolled it into a little ball and chucked it, the fabric clinging to his damp chest. "T-shirt on the dresser." That hit him square in the face. Alec shot Max a withering glare she pretended not to notice.
Twenty minutes later the two transgenics were descending the stairs from Alec's apartment. "Shouldn't we head for the other side of my building?" Alec questioned. "My car isn't parked on this side."
"We're not taking your car," she stated simply.
"So what? We're just going to double it all the way on your bike?"
"Nope."
She heard him growl in annoyance, knowing just how much he hated being left in the dark. Max followed a few steps behind Alec, only her catlike reflexes keeping her from running into his back when he stopped dead. Alec glanced back at her over his shoulder. "Did you hit me over the head?"
She stifled a chuckle. "No. Why?"
"Well, I see your bike. And I see another one just like it."
"Yep."
Alec grinned wildly. He trotted over to the bike almost identical to Max's own Ninja, but for the fact that the one he was gawking at was a deep midnight blue. "Aww Maxie your bike had a spawn," he teased. "But seriously, mine?"
"Yours." She shrugged. "The dealer I heisted it from really didn't deserve it. And besides, as you said, it's a long drive to Colorado. I really don't need to spend that much time in your car or hear you bitching about driving my baby." Alec glanced up from inspecting the bike's engine only long enough to roll his eyes. "You ready?"
Alec secured his pack to the back of the bike. He straddled the machine and started the engine, revving it until she was certain he had woken most of the neighborhood. "Never more. But you know what Max?"
"What?"
"This machine is a newer model than yours. Now I'm not just gonna beat you, I'm gonna dust your ass." With a sloppy half salute he kicked the bike into gear and tore out of the lot, leaving a streak of rubber behind.
"hey!" Max shouted indignantly. She jumped onto her bike and streaked after him, until they were just two little red lights in the night.
--
It took nearly three days for the two transgenics to drive into the Colorado high country. They might have made it to the ranch sooner, but they had taken a wrong turn on a back road and ended up 100 miles South of where they wanted to be. Max blamed it on Alec's crappy map reading skills. Alec blamed it on Max's crappy map.
They were still arguing about it when they finally reached the ranch. They stopped the bikes just on the outside of the ranch's property. "See, we made it," Alec told her.
"Yeah," Max grumbled, "no thanks to you."
"I'm telling you, that map Logan gave you was outdated."
"Logan's map was fine."
"Look Max, I know Logan's your uh…whatever, but the man isn't infallible."
Max shot him a withering glare. "Forget it. Come on, we've got to find Jondy." She started her bike again, and headed down the bumpy gravel drive. There were several buildings set on the end of the drive, smaller huts she guessed were for guests and a main lodge. The entire place seemed basically deserted, save for a beat up, rusted out Ford pickup parked in front of the lodge. Max's keen eyes swept over the grounds, watching, cautious.
The large oak door swung outward, and a formidable, rough looking man walked out. He was wiping his hands on a rag, eyeing the two people on motorcycles suspiciously. "Can I help you?" He slung the rag over his shoulder, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest. "We're closed for the winter. Besides, guests need to make reservations." He didn't like the looks of the two people now walking toward him.
The girl, was darkly beautiful, face hard, stern. Her demeanor was deceptively passive, with the way she sauntered toward him, her eyes dark, but simmering with something almost feral. The man beside her was much the same. Anyone at passing glance would simply have dismissed him as a pampered city boy, but Curt had seen many dangerous men in his life. The young man stood protectively behind the girl, an amused quirk coming to his lip.
"We're not here for a vacation. I'm Max." She jerked her thumb at the man. "This is Alec."
"And that's supposed to mean what to me?"
"We're looking for my sister," Max began.
"Your sister?"
"Her name is Jondy? Last news I had was that she worked here. It's important that I get in touch with her very soon."
The man's eyebrow shot upward. "Jondy is YOUR sister?" Somehow he couldn't picture blonde haired, blue eyed, energetic, sarcastic Jondy and this girl as sisters.
Max checked herself quickly. "Half sister," she amended. "Do you know where I might reach her?"
"Now, and I'm not sayin that I do or don't know where she is, but what exactly would this be regarding?"
Alec stepped up closer to Max. "It's about their father. He…he's been sick now for a while," he paused putting an arm around Max's shoulders. He gave her a little squeeze, leaning closer and whispering so only she could hear. "Cry."
"Their father passed away a couple days ago. Cry," he insisted to Max again.
"Why?" She said through gritted teeth.
"Your father just died. You should be mourning."
"But he didn't just die."
"I'm sorry about my wife. It's still such a shock," Alec told Curt. The man was buying it, he could tell by the way his face softened and his arms dropped.
"Your wife? Alec I'm gonna kick your ass," Max whispered fiercely.
"Would you please just play along? It's working."
Max sighed. She let her shoulders slump forward. Lifting her arms, she wrapped them around Alec's midsection and buried her face in his shoulder. She took small satisfaction in holding him hard enough to make him shift uncomfortably. "You're so dead Alec."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah."
Curt felt his heart go out to these two young people. Jondy had become like family to him these last few years. Maybe in his old age he was getting soft, but he decided to tell Max and Alec what they needed to know. "I'm very sorry Mrs. er…"
"Smart," Alec cut in. "Maxine and Alec Smart."
"I'm very sorry Mrs. Smart, for your loss. Unfortunately, at the moment Jondy isn't here."
Max lifted her head from Alec's shoulder and turned. "Do you know where she is?"
Curt lifted the ball cap off his head and scratched his temple. "Yep, as a matter of fact I do. Problem is I don't have any way of reaching her. She's moving our herd up in the high country to our Spring pasturelands. There's a cabin up there. She won't be back for at least another week or two."
"Oh. Is there any possible way we might be able to go to her? I know she'd want to know about…Dad."
"Well now, the cabin is pretty remote, and it's a rough ride to get up there. And I'm afraid I can't leave the ranch to give ya'll a guide. And my horses, they're my business you know?"
Max was stumped. She needed this man's information. "Not a problem," Alec said, surprising her. "We can pay." He took his wallet out of his jacket, pulling several large bills from the thick wad. For once, Max was speechless. Alec was actually volunteering MONEY in order to help someone other than himself.
Curt whistled. Right there in Alec hands was at least a couple of thousand dollars. Money was always tight in the winters. He wasn't about to pretend he wasn't at least tempted. "Well young man, that is a right generous offer of ya. But tell me, have you city folks ever actually sat a horse before? It's a long, rough, ride up these mountains in some dangerous country. I wouldn't want the two of you to go off and get in over your heads."
"We can handle ourselves," Alec told him dryly.
"And we can ride," Max jumped in then. You just have to tell us where to go."
Curt, after a few more minutes of gentle persuasion, was convinced to tell Max and Alec how to get to the spring meadow. "Now then, there are two ways to getting up there. The easiest is to ride around the mountain and then cut up into this ridge here," he said, pointing to the map.
"What's the faster way?" Max queried.
"Now, that way I wouldn't be recommending to a couple of greenhorns like yourselves. It takes riding straight up through the mountain pass. It can be dangerous, especially now. Blizzards roll in up here with very little warning. And it's avalanche season too. During the day the snowpack softens, then at night it freezes on top, get heavy. Any new snowfall and you're looking at a big slide. Naw, goin around really is the best idea."
"Okay," Max answered quickly, careful not to push this man too much. "I was just wondering."
"All right then, you two go pack up your things. You may be wanting to change outta those clothes too. I'll grab you enough grub for the trip from the kitchen and catch a couple of our horses." He tipped his hat and headed back inside the house. Max breathed a small sigh of relief. That actually hadn't been as difficult as she had anticipated. Largely, she grudgingly admitted to herself, because of Alec's involvement.
Alec glanced at her sideways. "Why do I get the feeling that we're going the fast way?"
Max grinned. "Come on Alec, why would you think that?"
"Because I know you."
She chuckled, smacking him lightly on the shoulder. "Live a little. It'll be…fun."
--
Alec eyed the large, stout gray horse warily, standing a few feet away from it's massive hooves. He glanced over at Max, who was nonchalantly adjusting her tack, patting the neck of her lanky sorrel. Alec's gray craned his head around, blinking lazily at his prospective rider. Alec shifted uneasily from foot to foot, loathe to approach any further.
Max laid her hands upon the saddle, closing her eyes. After a moment or two, she smiled, tightening the cinch deftly. She gave the horse's neck a pat and untied the chestnut from the hitching rail. "You ready?" she asked.
"Uh yeah, sure." Alec took a few, tentative steps toward the gray. Max turned to watch Curt coming out of the lodge. He reached up to touch the gray's nose, but quickly jerked his hand back when the horse snorted. He cursed himself silently. If Max could do it so could he. He untied the horse and led it up next to Max's chestnut. Without even so much as a glance she swung nimbly into the saddle.
"Come on Alec," she growled, "Curt is watching. We're supposed to know how to ride." After another moment without Alec moving she finally looked in his direction. His lips weren't curved in their customary smirk, his eyes showed no mirth. The muscles in his cheek flexed sporadically. She guffawed. "Oh, don't tell me you're afraid of the horse."
Alec glared at her. "Okay, I won't tell you." Max shoulders began to shake. "Oh shut up Max, I don't want to here a word."
She held up her hands innocently. "Did I say a word? Just get on already. We can deal with your phobias later."
Alec forced himself to place one foot in the stirrup. "I do not," he tried to sound convincing as his heart leapt to his throat. He gritted his teeth and grabbed the pommel. "have a phobia." He swung on with a grunt, settling less than nimbly in the seat of the large western saddle.
"Right." Curt ambled over, hefting two very large sets of saddle bags.
"Here ya go. That should be enough food to last you until you get to the cabin. As for water, take what you get in the canteens. When you get high enough get some of the snowpack and boil it. Be sure to keep drinking. Altitude sickness can really get ya." He strapped the bags to the back of the saddles, right behind their packs.
"Thanks so much Curt. You have no idea how much we appreciate this."
"A friend a Jondy's is a friend of mine. Just keep safe and I'll see ya'll in a few days." He grinned and tipped his hat.
The two transgenics set of at a sedate walk. Max sat easily in the saddle, enjoying the mellow four beat gait of the horse. Alec was desperately fighting the urge to grab the saddle horn. When they were out of sight of the ranch, Max turned to him. "Feel up for a trot?"
"A trot? What's a trot?"
"It's faster."
"Faster? Why do we need to go faster? And since when do you know how to ride a horse?"
Something dark flicked across Max's features, but only for a moment. "It was a long time ago Alec. I don't want to talk about it."
"Well that figures." She just shook her head and urged her horse forward. The chestnut eagerly set off at the faster pace, excited to be out on the trails for the first time in several months. Alec's gray needed no such encouragement from his rider. He jumped into the faster pace as well, leaving Alec to bounce along in the saddle. "Max!" She glanced over her shoulder and just laughed. "Hey, I'm serious."
He didn't lose it until the horses hopped over a small log. He lurched forward in the saddle, nailing himself in the gut with the horn. The horses were cantering now and followed the natural turn and slope of the trail. Unfortunately Alec did not. He felt his right foot slip form the stirrup and he was propelled to the left on the side of the trail. He landed with a dull thud. He lay their quietly, cursing Max, cursing the damn horse, and cursing himself for ever having agreed to this little jaunt. Max rode back, his horse in tow and stopped so she was looking down at his still form. Alec groaned, "This is gonna be a long trip, I can tell."
Chapter 4
Okay, I know this wasn't the most serious of chapters, but I needed the transition for the change of scene. Please read and feel free to leave reviews, multiple reviews even,
