Aside from being saddled with a gay name like Buttercup, Ian's horse was everything he could have asked for. Once they'd managed to get over the attempted biting issue, and the gelding had been saddled and readied, Danin and Ian had swung into their saddles and taken off back down the trail, eager to catch up to the ponies, but more enjoying the gallop – especially since they wouldn't be able to go all out once they'd caught up with the kids and the ponies. Buttercup was fairly agile; while the trail was worn smooth by years of constant use, there were still the occasional root or rock to contend with, and the gelding didn't have any problem with them. Nor did Danin's. They made great time, and less than an hour after they'd left them, they came upon the ponies and kids – almost running into the rear of Jacob's horse, which was at the very end of the last string.
The wrangler steadied his horse, which had shied slightly at the sudden appearance of the two, and flashed Ian and Danin both a look that was slightly annoyed, but mostly relieved.
"Made it back, I see."
"Yeah."
"Buttercup give you any problems?"
Ian shook his head.
"Nah."
Jacob didn't look like he particularly believed him, but the wrangler accepted what he said. The boy wasn't bleeding, so obviously he hadn't been bitten or kicked, anyways.
"Go on and join the others…"
Danin smiled, and she and Ian urged their horses forward, where they slowed to chat with all the kids as they moved beyond them – well, Danin chatted, mostly, Ian flashed a few smiles at his excited boys but didn't make a lot of small talk with them.
"It's about time you got back," Shawn said when they moved up to where he and River were riding in between the two strings of ponies.
"Miss me?" Ian asked.
Danin giggled, and gave River a sympathetic look. The Californian wasn't any more comfortable in his saddle than he'd been when they'd left the camp, and up close, he looked down right miserable.
"Are you-"
Before she could finish her question, her horse reminded her that he didn't like being by other horses – although he'd been nice enough to Buttercup while they'd been running. He lunged for River's horse, teeth first, and the Californian's gelding shied to the side to avoid the bite, spilling River out of his saddle with the motion. Shawn's mare once more proved that she didn't like Danin's horse any more than he liked any of those around him, and she kicked him, which caused him to lunge sideways with any angry squeal. Danin's horse stumbled into Buttercup, who reared in protest, and then lashed out with a rear foot at the other gelding, narrowly missing River, who was just trying to get out of the way.
"Watch out!"
Ian wrenched Buttercup's head down, forcing the gelding to behave, but Shawn's mare had had enough of the young upstart Danin was riding, and she pressed her attack, despite Shawn hauling in on her reins. The mare stepped on River as she charged Danin's mount, and the Californian yelped in pain, and rolled out of the way – right under Buttercup.
Completely instinctual, Buttercup reared to get his unprotected belly away from the possible threat, but before he could lash out at River – which he'd intended to do – Ian reached up and grabbed his ear, yanking him to the side, even in mid-rear. The brown gelding stumbled at the sudden motion and went down, rolling once more, and this time Ian didn't manage to move out of the way. Just as bad, River was under him, too, and when the horse scrambled to regain his footing only a moment later, neither cadet moved to catch him. Both were lying flat on the trail, dusty and battered, and not moving.
Shawn had only managed to keep his mare from pressing her attack on Danin's horse by jumping out of her saddle and hauling her head down by the bridle. Danin had done the same with her gelding, and the wranglers were converging on them, while Ann and Sierra – and sixteen six-year-olds watched in stunned concern. The kids were immobile with shock, and Ann and Sierra just didn't dare bring their horses any closer – for fear of having them start a new fight with the other horses.
A quick glance at the completely unflappable ponies showed them to be standing quietly – although they were watching what was happening as well – so Shawn hurried over to drop to the ground by Ian and River.
"Are you all right?"
River groaned, moving first.
"I don't like horses…"
Relieved that he hadn't been knocked unconscious, Shawn turned to Ian.
"Ian…?"
"I'm not dead, Adams, relax…"
He felt like shit, though. Buttercup should have been named Butterball, because that horse must have weighed a ton. And all of it had landed on Ian. And River. Ian made a noise that sounded like a groan, and opened his eyes, looking up and finding a growing crowd around him and River.
Buttercup whickered, reaching down with his nose and nuzzling Ian, almost apologetically, and Ian pushed his nose away. He didn't need horse snot all over him just then. Shawn stood up and moved the gelding aside, while Tom and Jacob knelt down by the two counselors.
"Anything broken?"
Ian forced himself into a sitting position – with a little help from Tom – and started checking himself out. It was hardly the first time he'd ever taken a fall, after all – although it'd been a long time since the last time.
"I don't think so… River?"
It was a mark of how concerned he was that he'd called River by his first name, and not Hayden. Something River noticed, even though he ached abominably.
"I'm alive…"
"And unbroken?" Jacob asked, concerned.
River sat up, too, looking around for a moment before turning his attention to himself. Ian reached over to steady the Californian, checking him out without anyone – including River – being any wiser. There was a gash above River's right eye, which was bleeding slightly, but Ian didn't do anything about it – it was bloody, but not dangerous – and he had a lot of bruises. Nothing broken, nothing internally injured. He probably felt about as awful as Ian felt, but none of it was serious enough for Ian to wear himself out fixing. Instead the New Yorker reached a hand out to Shawn.
"Help me up."
Shawn wasn't the only one to look concerned at the notion of Ian getting up so quickly after being rolled over on.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
Shawn looked at Tom, who got to his feet and offered Ian one hand, while Shawn took the other. They carefully got him on his feet, and although Ian winced, he didn't sink back to the ground, and he didn't show any signs of being any more hurt than a fair number of bruises.
"We'd better get you two to the nurse…" Tom said, looking down at River, who was just being helped to his feet as well. He was moving just as unsteadily as Ian, but again, nothing appeared to be badly injured or broken, and they all knew it could have been a lot worse.
"I can finish the ride," Ian said.
Jacob shook his head.
"You're done."
Ian scowled, but he didn't argue. Truth be told, he wouldn't have minded stopping – at least for a while.
"Shawn? You take over Tom's spot on the pony string, will you?"
Shawn's mare was good with the ponies, and now that she'd calmed down, they wouldn't have any more problems with her. Especially since Jacob was going to take Danin's horse with him.
"Danin, trade me horses, and then take over my spot on the string. Tom and I will take River and Ian to the camp nurse and then meet you guys either at the end of the trail, or at the corral." He turned to the campers, who were looking a little scared. "You guys listen to your counselors and Joe and Harold, okay?" (Joe and Harold were the other two wranglers).
The kids nodded.
Jacob brought River's gelding back over to him.
"Come on, son… I'll give you a hand up."
River looked like the last place he wanted to be was back in the saddle, but he didn't argue. Instead, he hauled himself back up, wincing as he hit that saddle horn again – a pain that hurt even more than the bruises he'd managed to pick up.
Ian got into Buttercup's saddle, feeling just as achy and looking only a little more steady, and the four of them headed back to camp, taking a side trail that would get them there a lot faster than the main trail.