Disclaimer: Unfortunately, the Black isn't mine .
A/N: Whew! It's a relief to be writing in English again, because I've had to spend the last two weeks and a half translating the biographies of our five presidential candidates (with about three to four pages each, including the platforms) from English to Tagalog, for our A.P. (Social Studies, I think) project. Which makes it 15-20 pages altogether.
Actually, we have to juggle more than three projects these weeks: an English movie review (Bruce Almighty), another English project (creative autobiography, and if you put in lots of humiliating baby pictures that show you drooling or doing who-knows-what-else, you get more points, which means a higher grade in Project, which means you get a higher average in English, which in turn will affect your entire general average for the whole quarter…), said Social Studies project, and other bits and pieces that aren't really that small…L…oh well…at least I'm not the only one staying up late; my friend did a survey and she found out everybody in our class (not to mention the whole Grade Seven batch) is staying up till 12-1 o' clock am to work, with the occasional record-breaker of someone going to bed 4:30 am and waking up 6 to get ready for school…
No wonder everybody's sleeping in class, which is a bad sign since this week is also Review Week, because next week are our final exams and we do need the reviewing…but we need the sleep more than the reviewing…:O…
Okay, I've talked long enough…
Chapter 19
"How?"
I explained. "Because even if they didn't see us, they will see the patches of flattened grass we stepped on, the twigs we snapped when we went through, and if they've brought dogs, our scent."
"I didn't see or smell any dogs."
"There's another reason."
"What?"
"They knew we went up that incline. And where would that incline lead? To this place. There's no other way back down, not for a long mile. So they'll come up here. And they'll probably have men down on the other side, waiting for us. We have to beat them to it."
Moon looked worried. "How much time have we got?"
I glanced at the skyline. It was still dark, the stars still twinkling merrily.
"Not much. But enough. We've got till sunrise, at the most."
She didn't say anything anymore. We just took off, jogging.
Our muscles cramped and burned. Our coats darkened with sweat. We kept on jogging, trotting, trying to keep awake, fighting the urge to close our eyes and keel over sideways right there and then, the terrible urge to sleep, to rest, knowing that if we did, we would wake up inside a human trailer.
Each step we took made our hooves feel heavier and heavier, until finally, it was like we were dragging tons and tons of rock with us. Moon finally stumbled to a stop.
"What about just sleeping the night off then galloping straight in the morning?"
"Have I ever told you that you are brilliant?"
She rolled her eyes wearily, panting. "It's not funny right now."
I relented. She wouldn't be able to walk a step farther anyway, if we didn't rest now. "I'll take first watch."
"Watch?"
"You didn't expect me to be snoring
away beside you and letting the humans creep up on us, did you?"
"I don't snore." But she gave me a grateful look just before her eyes closed.
"I don't snore either." My eyelids felt heavy. Heavier…heavier…
We'd been cantering, galloping all day. She was tired. I was tired.
My eyes closed. No! I forced them wide open.
We'd been jogging all night too.
Tired…so tired…
My eyes closed again. NO! I mustn't fall asleep. I shouldn't…
Somewhere out there, unaware of the humans, a bird was singing. Somewhere out there, in the cool night, a bird was singing a song. It's voice was sweet.
It was singing a lullaby.
Maybe it was ok to just close my eyes… I needed rest too…after all…
Yeah…maybe it was ok…I would wake up again after a few seconds…and everything would still be okay…
Just for a few seconds…just close…eyes…
"Spirit. Wake up."
Someone was nudging me.
Go away. I'm tired.
"SPIRIT! WAKE UP!"
"Wha-huh?" My eyelids shot open.
Moon was prancing in place, nervous, tense…afraid.
My gaze swept from her to the sky.
Uh oh…
The sky was gray. The sun was rising.
We looked at each other and said one word at the same time.
"Run."
Sleeping hadn't taken away the fatigue.
But it had helped. Now we were galloping, just as Moon had suggested. Only we were a bit behind schedule…
The cold dawn air knifed through our noses and down our throats. We ran, not caring where we stepped, just as long as we made it…
A whole night had been lost. A whole night of running had been wasted. Now, we would probably run right into a net the moment we took a step down.
And it was my fault. I shouldn't have fallen asleep. I shouldn't have closed my eyes.
Argghhh! I felt like hitting myself on the head.
Why was I so stupid? It was like running on nails barefoot, without shoes, because you'd forgotten to put them on…or like going wading in the middle of the monsoon season, when there are millions of mosquitoes and you know very well how hungry they're …
We didn't talk. Moon didn't blame me.
That was one of the things I liked about her: her attitude of what's-done-is-done-and-blaming-someone-isn't-going-to-make-a-difference-anymore-so-just-keep-your-mouth-shut-and-face-the-consequences.
What were the consequences in this case? I didn't want to think about them.
"SPIRIT!!!"
Moon's scream cut through my thinking.
I stopped just short of plunging to my death, rocks and bits of ice I had dislodged tumbling down and crashing to the bottom.
We'd come to the end of the high place. Here, the cliff sloped back down. Steeply. Very steeply.
And I hadn't been watching where I was going.
A trail. "There!"
We raced down the incline, hurrying, and trying not to slide off at the same time.
Then Moon had another of her brilliant ideas. "Instead of fighting the slope, why don't we just slide down it?"
She didn't even stop for me to answer, but planted all four feet firmly on the smooth trail winding downwards and leaned forward.
She started to slide. Now she leaned backward, carefully maneuvering, keeping her balance.
It took her one tenth of the time to slide down than it would have taken her walking.
She turned and looked up at me, still high above her, her silver profile blending into the background.
"Come on."
"You know," I said to Moon as I started sliding too. "I wish brilliance is contagious so you can share some of yours with me."
"If I were sick with it." But she bumped me lightly to show she was just joking and took off again.
Now we could slow down a little, relieved.
" I just hope the humans are still snoring away…"
It was midday when it started to snow again. But at least we didn't have to wipe away our tracks.
And at least it was a light snow. You know? Feathery white stuff raining–snowing, sorry–down on your back and neck and covering everything in a white film, shimmering and dusty.
"We've got to go somewhere the humans won't think we went to." Moon was behind me, trudging, ploughing through the snow, just like I was, only hers was an easier job, since I'd already broken a trail through the really hard part.
"Good thinking. But where?"
"Like somewhere where we won't hear dogs barking?"
My head shot up. I flicked back my ears.
Nothing. Just this deathly silence. No birds, no wind, definitely no dogs…
Wait. Wait…
My pricked ears picked up a faint something that hers could hear clear as day.
"Is it just me or–"
She saw first. "Shake your head. Shake your head now."
Bewildered, I obeyed. And a whole load of snow went sliding off.
"Oh."
Now I could hear what she could hear.
But my senses were sharper than hers. I could hear more.
She heard the dogs barking. I heard the scuffling of noses on snow, feet pawing, breaths coming out wet noses.
Then, there was a huge sharp bay that cut through the silence. It echoed, went around and around and around…
"They've picked up our trail. Run!"
The way ahead was hard. But now, looking back, there were dark specks on the horizon. Dark specks that would get steadily bigger and bigger and bigger…
I turned my head to look forward. And skidded to a stop, hind feet flying underneath me, almost sitting down.
Moon nearly crashed into me. "What is it?"
I jerked my head. My forefeet were inches from a river. A flowing, rushing, deep, cold current that, at this time of the year, was swollen with the melted snow and ice. It was wide. Very, VERY wide.
My eyes flew right and left along our side of the bank.
Trees , trees, and more trees, right to the water's edge.
The dogs were much louder now. I turned and saw the dark shapes, now with definable outlines, running towards us.
No choice.
I whirled and without hesitating, plunged in, face first.
The water hit me with a shock. Ice cold, in a second, it felt like hundreds of needles were pricking my skin.
It closed over my head. Fighting, I broke from the water, gasping for breath, water streaming from my mane and forelock, making the hair cling to my skin.
The second thing was the current. I pawed madly and could just feel the tips of my hooves brushing the river floor. The water pushed against me, pulling me with it, pushing, pushing, swirling, churning, surely heading for a waterfall…
Then, my hooves found a shallower spot. I clung with my feet, steadied and looked back.
Moon was still on the bank.
"Are you crazy!?! The water's ice-cold! Hello, it's WINTER!!!"
Despite the cold, I forced up the corners of my mouth and grinned at her.
"Come on in! The water's…" I trailed away. My expression must have been ghastly, because she grimaced, shook her head, and plunged in too.
For a moment, she disappeared from the surface. I felt alarm rising when she didn't come up. Was she okay? Did she know how to swim?
Then, Moon burst from the water, droplets flying, eyes wild.
"SPIRIT!"
And no, this wasn't Moon joking or being sarcastic. This was Moon. Terrified.
She went under again as the current swept her past me, spinning her in a slow circle.
"SPI–" Her voice ended in a choked gurgle as her head surfaced, then disappeared in a circle of bubbles.
I let go with my feet and let the current carry me, swimming with it. Then, I took a deep breath and went underwater.
Moon was floating, her mane and tail streaming forwards, her silver legs pawing madly, her head a few inches below the water surface, and straining, straining to reach air. Bubbles were issuing from her mouth.
I reached her, swam beside her, my own breath held, turned her to face me.
Her eyes were open, fixed on some distant spot. The bubbles died down. Her legs slowed down, stopped paddling.
And all this time, we were being swept downstream.
No way. We'd come this far. She wasn't going to go now…
I paddled, went under her, watching, swimming sideways, my lungs starting to burn. There! A rock. I tapped a hoof against it, careful to do it just right, and used the momentum to rise and change direction.
Relief flooded me when I felt Moon's warm weight settle over my back. She was surprisingly light. But my lungs were burning more. I was getting dizzy.
Air. Had to…get…air…
But it was harder now. I had an extra weight to carry.
My face broke the churning surface as I half rose and gulped in fresh air. Moon nearly slid off, but I caught her just in time.
She was still a dead weight. No movement. No anything. No breathing…
Now, it was swimming straight, against the flow. I drifted sideways, the water against my shoulders, where the current was weaker, and began fighting.
My legs were paddling furiously as I struggled. But with each flow, we were still going backwards…
Cold stone brushed my hip. We were passing boulders!
And another one. We'd be killed if the current smashed us against one of those…
Then, I felt movement. A huge shadow fell over my head and I was sure we were going to be crushed, but instead, I felt movement! Instead of going backwards, Moon's hooves met the rock, pushed against it, gave me enough momentum to surge forward. She was weak. But she was alive!
Relief…happiness, flowed into me. And with it, new strength.
I found new footing. We edged upstream, our manes and tails flowing sideways, still being dragged by the current. I kept my face clear of the water and hugged the bank until we reached the shallow part where I'd stopped before.
Moon coughed. And spat out a great stream of water. She coughed some more and just laid her silver head against my neck. I just stood there, keeping my balance, resting, breathing, trying not to think of what might have happened…
She murmured something. My ears flew back. "What?"
"Let me off."
"What!?!"
"I said, let m–"
"No, I heard you. But I mean…are you crazy!?! Is your memory so short you've forgotten you were almost swept away the last time?"
"I seem to remember having said those exact words a while ago…but never mind. It's okay. If you can stand, I can too."
Speechless, I felt her slide off, felt her warm weight settle against my left shoulder as she came to stand beside me. The water rose to my chest, just above her shoulder.
"Do you want to rest here or go up the bank?"
"Do you wa–"
A twig snapped. Both our heads shot back. We could now hear the humans talking.
"Okay, no choice," I muttered.
"Come on."
Her eyes went wide. "Now you're the one being crazy!"
"No. It's just this idea I have…but we have to try it first…"
"What? Just jump out there, yell 'AAHHHH!!!!!' ? and go shooting over the waterfall?"
Despite everything, I snorted. Any other time and I would have laughed. But this wasn't any other time.
"See, you can swim, but you can't fight the current. I'm stronger, so I'll swim to your right side, because that's where the current comes from. You stay to my left. I'll break the force of the current, and you stay there so I won't be swept away. We'll have to go together."
We didn't say 'go!' We didn't even count to three. We just leapt out, from the shallow place, trusting our instincts, swimming frantically.
But now, with the two of us, it helped. A little. Whenever I lost my footing, I had the assurance that at least someone was keeping me from being swept away, though once, when the water slammed me onto Moon, I heard her catch breath and sway. On the other hand, Moon wasn't being swept away because I was there, taking the current.
I looked back. The trees on the near side looked farther already.
The water was now to my shoulder, and halfway up her neck.
We angled sideways, legs churning, heads held high. But our tired muscles were burning, we were gasping. The cold of the water was more intense now than ever.
The water rose higher still. It was now to my neck and just below Moon's chin.
I couldn't even feel the icy needles anymore, just this vague numb feeling I'd recalled having felt in the snowstorm that had driven me to the hidden valley.
This numbness could only mean one thing: we were freezing up.
I glanced sideways, and sure enough, Moon's nose and the tips of her ears were tinged pale and blue, instead of pink.
I felt more and more sluggish. And we weren't even half-way across yet! The trees were still the same size.
Then, I felt a hoof sink into nothingness–and pitched forward.
The water closed over my head in a shimmering myriad of blue and dazzling white. Moon gasped as the current hit her on the neck.
No I couldn't even feel the bottom anymore. I glanced down, eyes wide, cold water making my eyeballs sting, and let out a stream of bubbles in surprise.
The river shelf sloped down to bottom. I–we–were now entirely on our own, without land to support us.
My head rose above the water again. I gulped in breath, gasping and sputtering.
"Moon! You should take a look dow–"
A wave of water caught me with mouth wide open. An icy mouthful seared my throat as I swallowed, failed, tried to get it back out, and failed too.
But Moon got the idea. She took a breath, looked down, and nodded to show me she saw I too.
I turned my head. We were now half-way across. It was equal distance to either side.
But the trees looked the same. How could it be? Were we moving at all? Or were we just treading water, stuck there forever?
I could make out two-leggeds on the bank we left, watching us.
And right now, I didn't care.
But by now, the water was up to my chin. Moon was almost entirely submerged, her whole silver body underwater, her mane and tail clouds of silver hair, only a stripe, a sliver of her nose and mouth was above water. And incoming walls of water would frequently wash over her.
She was fighting. And losing.
"Harder," I urged her. "Swim harder!" Silently, I was also urging myself.
I was swallowing mouthfuls of water each time I opened my mouth to try to speak. So I gave up and butted her with my nose instead.
Her knees must be aching. How long had it been since we entered the water? I was past feeling numb anymore; now, I just felt…nothing. No sharp prickles, no icy water, no numbness, just…nothing. Nothing but my heavy water-logged mane dragging me downwards, my tail twisting and turning and getting in the way of my legs as I paddled, my hooves feeling as if they were a couple of elephants heavy each, the feeling that we weren't moving at all, that we still had miles and miles and miles to cover and that we wouldn't make it alive…the desire to give up and simply let the water win, to let the water wash over my head…to surrender completely…
And I knew. I was already feeling this way, with my long, winter coat. How would Moon be feeling in her clipped, short supposed-to-be-but-really-wasn't-working insulation?
Just keep paddling, just keep paddling…my movements were growing slower…feebler…
Then, amazingly, one hoof struck rock. I stumbled, taking in a huge gulp of water and spitting it back out almost instantly.
We were on the shelf!
Then, we were rising out of the water, clambering up the bank, water streaming off our manes and tails, the cold air cutting us like knives as we made for the bank and trees, looking back over our shoulders at the astounded humans as we disappeared.
I glanced at Moon and couldn't keep from laughing.
"You look like a drowned rat!"
It was true. Her mane stuck to her neck, tail pasted to her hocks, water still dripping, forming pools. Her sodden coat was slick and wet, all smooth and shiny.
She laughed back.
"So do you! You've got spikes of your mane sticking up all over your head!"
I laughed with her.
A sound made us look back, over the river.
There were now four humans standing on the banks, each holding a horse, with an extra horse trailing behind on a lead line. They were pointing up and down the river, gesturing, making mouth sounds.
I was pleased at the shocked look on their faces.
"They didn't expect us to swim across it."
Moon nodded. "And they don't want to get their pretty white hides wet when they follow us."
"I think they're going to ford the river higher up, further east where it's not that deep. At least that'll give us time."
Moon sneezed.
I glanced at her, then glanced at her again, concerned. The tips of her ears, nose and mouth, instead of pink like I knew mine already were, were still pale with a tinge of blue.
"Moon! Shake of the water now!"
I was already shaking mine off, like a dog.
She followed me. I exhaled a warm breath in her face, decided she was probably too tired to go on today, and began looking for shelter for the night.
We could use a day of rest, since the humans were…presumably…far, far away…unless they found a shortcut…
We found some seed pods hanging onto some bushes. No grass. So we had to be content with crunching up seeds for dinner.
Hello Jack. Hello beanstalk. No giant…
The next few days, the terrain changed. Where before the river, it had been alternately flat with cliffs, now, it was almost always rocky, with an uneven path winding up and down among the rocks, which were getting taller, some forming towering rock formations. Below these formations, deep trenches formed, running down to others to become deep canyons, with the cliffs rising far above our heads.
The going was tough, but at least I knew where we were–in the canyons west of what used to be Northlight's–now Fleetfoot's meadow.
And by now I had a plan. With the humans behind us, and no sign of them ever since the crossing, I formulated something, which, if it would work, would not only get the humans away from us, but would make sure they stayed far, far, ffaaaarrrrrr away.