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Chapter 27.0

'Why?' Lisa asked, trying to make sense of what was going on. Jessie pressed closer to her and she squeezed the girls shoulder, trying to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. 'Why the urgency?'

'I have to take another child to Vancouver and the agency decided that I'm to take Jessie with me to save having to take another trip. I had no control over it.' He looked down at Jessie, the girl clinging to Lisa. 'I'm sorry Jessie. You need to go pack your bags, the plane leaves in three hours and I have to pick the other child up on the way.'

Jessie looked up at her and Lisa kissed her head gently. 'Go on honey. It's going to be okay.' The girl nodded, her face devoid of emotion and Lisa wondered what thoughts were going through the child's mind. 'Go on sweetie.'

Jack turned to Clint as the girl slowly headed towards the house, standing with Lisa. 'What's going on Clint?'

'Did they refuse our application?' Lisa asked as Jack put his arm around her waist.

'They haven't made a decision yet.' He replied. 'They just told me to continue with what had been planned for her till they decide what they are going to do and then this morning they tell me that they want her on the plane to Vancouver.'

'How long is it going to take them to come to a decision?' Jack asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. 'Jessie's already been through enough, her having to leave like this isn't in her best interest.'

'I have no idea.' He could understand their concern for the girl and he knew it was legitimate. They were right, Jessie had been through enough but he had his instructions from his superiors and regardless if he liked or agreed with them or not he still had to follow them. 'I don't make the orders, I just carry them out.'

Jessie fought back tears as she packed her bags, wrapping the model horse Cindy had given her securely in a shirt and placing it between her clothes so it couldn't get broken. Why did she have to leave so soon? She wasn't supposed to leave for another three days. None of it made any sense and neither Jack or Lisa were saying anything about him taking her early. Did they ask for her to leave early? Was it something she had done why she had to leave this instant?

She bit her lip till it bled, zipping up her suitcase as she stood up. With one last longing look, she glanced around the room then headed back outside. Clouds had started to cover the sky, the sun hidden behind a scattered grey veil. She shivered as she put her head down, walking back over to the group with tears in her eyes. 'I need to get my things from the barn.' She whispered to Lisa as she put her bag down beside her. She looked up at Clint as the man went to put her bag in his car. 'Can I say goodbye to Warrior?'

'Just for a couple minutes.'

'He's in the round pen Jessie, we let him out to have a bit of exercise.' Jack added. 'There are some carrots in the tack room you can give him if you want.'

'Thank you.' She acknowledged as she walked to the barn, her eyes filling with tears. When would she get to see Warrior again? Would she ever see him again? She put her head down as she entered the barn, not looking at Ty and Caleb who were tacking up horses in the isle.

'Nice of you to finally grace us with your presence.' Caleb remarked, trying to make a joke as the girl walked past. 'I've had quite a fill of cleaning your stallions stall this week. Glad your back.'

Ty glared at him as the girl made no reply, heading for the tack room without so much as a backward glance. 'Good one.'

'What? I was only joking.' He shrugged, having no idea at all what Ty was talking about. 'What did I say?'

He rolled his eyes as he placed the bay's saddle aside and followed after Jessie. The girl was standing at her things, packing a bag as he walked into the room. 'Jessie?'

'Clint came for me. I have to go now.' She replied, her voice barely audible as she tried to keep herself together. She looked down at the brown paper-wrapped parcel that she was holding in her hands. She had wanted to give it to Lisa herself and had planned on giving it to her before she left but now everything had thrown her through a loop. She bit her lip again as she looked up at him, her eyes blurred by tears. 'Can you give this to Lisa for me? I just can't.'

'Sure Jessie.' He took it from her, placing it back down on a shelf as he looked at her. Something must have happened, did they say no to Jack and Lisa's proposal? He placed his hands gently on her shoulders, looking into her eyes. 'You take care of yourself you hear? You're special, don't let anyone say that you aren't. You're stronger than you know.'

'Thanks Ty.' She looked down at the floor then grabbed her saddlebags with the rest of her small items, leaving her skins behind. 'Tell Mallory that she had better keep an eye out for the cougar, it's a little joke of ours.'

'I will.'

'Thank you.' She smiled sadly. 'I'll say goodbye now, there's someone I need to talk to before I leave.'

'Alright, goodbye Jessie.'

Jessie nodded, shaking his hand then left the room and headed back out past Caleb without a word. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Jack and Lisa watching her with Clint as she walked to the round pen and she blinked back tears. Why couldn't she just stay? Damn the whole foster care system and the authorities. They didn't know her. They didn't really care about what happened to her or they'd try and make something work. She knew she was just another number to them.

Warrior snorted as she opened the gate, locking it behind her as she walked up to him. He turned to her, blowing softly on her hands as she gave him a carrot, her eyes misting again. 'This is it boy. This is goodbye. I have to leave.' The stallion ate the carrot, nudging her with his muzzle for more and she chuckled half-heartedly. 'No more mate. You be good for them you hear? I'll come see you as soon as I can.' The stallion brushed his lips across her cheek, blowing softly on her face. She smiled through her tears as his whiskers tickled her skin. 'I'm going to miss you.'

He snorted again softly, looking out of the pen towards the mountains. She looked up at him, his ears pricked as he sniffed the air. He wanted to run. 'Sorry mate, but you know we can't.' She patted his shoulder, looking in the direction he was looking. She longed to go to the mountains, to get as far away from having to go to the foster home as possible. You're stronger then you know. The words Ty had said to her echoed in her mind. A plan began to formulate in her mind as she looked into the distance, Warrior's muscles tense under her hand. She would leave, but she wasn't going to go with Clint. 'I'm going to need you to jump this fence and run like the wind in a moment mate.' She whispered, her heart pumping fast with adrenaline as a sliver of fight re-emerged inside her. No, she wasn't going to go to the foster home. There was no way she was going to the foster home. Not if she had anything to do about it.

Calculating her moves, she slipped her arms around his neck as she slowly worked her way to his withers. The stallion blew on her arm gently, lipping her jacket as she stood beside his shoulder, appearing to be playing with his mane but instead she was gathering herself together to spring onto his back. 'Ready mate?' The girl whispered softly and the stallion nickered as he nudged her. She closed her eyes, grabbing a firm hold of his long locks then with everything she had she leapt onto his back. She breathed in deep from the ache in her ribs, her vision blurring for a second as she breathed through it, Warrior dancing nervously underneath her. The stallion sprang forward into a canter, his body taunt and tense as he caught onto her emotions.

'Jessie-' Lisa started over to the fence, watching as the girl rode the stallion around the pen. A shiver ran up her spine as she ran over. She knew Jessie had the tendencey to be reckless, shehad shown that the night they had first seen her and it was nothing for her to try and run away. She was fearless when she was with Warrior and she knew just how much the girl didn't want to go to the foster home. She was going to make a run for it. 'Jessie!'

Jessie heard Lisa call her name but ignored it. No, she wasn't going to the foster home. Not if she had anything to do about it. Her heel in the stallions flank she turned him and ran him towards the fence. She prepared to go over but the stallion slid to a stop, throwing his head up as he half reared, shaking his head and dancing in place. She held on for dear life as she almost went over his neck, gasping loudly. A horrible feeling rushed over her. He couldn't let her down now, could he? 'Please boy, you have to jump.'

'Jessie don't!' Jack yelled, running over as the girl attempted to jump the stallion over the corral fence. 'Don't you dare!'

She ignored him, turning Warrior away from the fence to try again. Her eyes narrowed as they ran towards the edge of the corral that Lisa and Jack were approaching, Clint coming up behind them. At the last second before they crashed into the rails she spun him around, spurring him into a flat out gallop. Warrior stretched out long and low as he raced to the fence, his tail held up high as he focused on the jump. 'Come on boy, you have to do it.' She begged, preparing to fold herself down over his neck as he jumped. 'Please.'

Warrior hesitated for a split second then leapt, tucking his legs up close against his body as he flew over the fence. Jessie crouched down low over his neck, holding onto his mane as she tried to stay in time with his movements. He extended his forelegs down as he landed, pitching the girl onto his neck. She held on tight, her legs wrapped around his stomach as the stallion gathered his hooves underneath him and bolted forward towards the freedom of the mountains.

'Darn girl.' Jack shook his head as the stallion galloped for the mountains with the girl crouched on his back.

'Aren't you going to go after her?' Clint asked with a hint of exasperation. 'We have to catch that plane.'

He saw the look on Lisa's face when Clint basically told him to go and stop her but Jessie wasn't legally in their care. Until they had custody of her, there was nothing they could do. She had to go with him, regardless of how much either of them didn't like it. There was nothing they could do about it. He turned away from her, not able to look her in the eye. He knew what she was thinking, that they should just let the girl be but he knew they at least had to try and stop her. He looked over at the barn as Ty and Caleb looked at the girl, bolting across the paddock and into the distance on the black. 'Ty, Caleb, mount up!'

Jessie patted Warrior's shoulder as they shot across the empty paddock, her heart pounding. They had gotten away! Now all she had to do was make sure they couldn't find her and wait till Clint left. She didn't have much more of a plan thought through but getting as much space between them as she could was the best she could think of under the circumstances. A plan could be thought up later. She knew where she'd go. Straight to the forest till the heat died down.

She could hear the sound of a shout behind her and glanced back. She rolled her eyes, seeing Ty, Caleb and Jack following her. Seriously? Did they think they could catch her? She leant down lower, her face getting whipped by Warrior's long mane. 'Let's go boy.'

A barbed wire fence loomed ahead and she felt Warrior slow slightly, sliding to a stop as she looked for another way around. He could jump it, she knew that but she preferred not to take risks if they weren't absolutely vital and the ground on the other side was rather boggy from the rain the previous day. An open gate to the right of her caught her eye and she glanced back at the riders following her. She nudged him forward, bolting to the gate as the riders approached. Warrior zipped through it like lightning, they were off again after their momentary pause.

Her heart pounding in her ears she glanced back. They were through the gate now, closing the distance between them and her because she had been slowed by the fence and had to go through the gate. Caleb was the one closest to her then Ty and Jack brought up the rear with Paint trying desperately to catch up.

Another barbed wire fence loomed ahead and Warrior tried to stop, mud flying off his hooves as he skidded into the fence with a roar. 'Woah, easy.' She calmed him, feeling him tense up as he pressed against the wire. 'Back boy, back.'

She backed him up then turned him, Warrior snorting and pawing the ground. She looked up at the riders coming down the ridge above her to the fence line, they were closing in on her. She looked down over the fence at the drop on the other side then back at the riders. In a split second her mind was made up. She would rather die then go back to foster care.

She spurred Warrior back up the hill towards the riders then spun him around, mud flying from his hooves as he sped down the slight incline to the cliff. She held her breath, holding on with everything she had. The drop on the other side- Warrior leapt and they were airborne for seemingly an hour as he extended his forelegs to land but no ground was underneath. They were falling, falling down to the ground below. With a crash his hooves met earth again, his rider almost thrown from the impact. The stallion tried to slow, tried to stop but his momentum carried him forward, forcing him to gallop down the steep incline like he never galloped before.

Caleb slid his horse to a stop near the fence, leaping off to watch the stallion's mad descent. Ty and Jack pulled up beside him, Paint almost going down in the mud Warrior's hooves had churned up. For once in his life he was speechless.

'God let her make it.' Jack exclaimed, his heart in his throat as the horse crashed his way through bushes and trees making enough noise for an entire mob of horses. The girl somehow was still on the stallions back as he raced down the cliff, almost coming off but somehow still hanging on. 'Please.'

'It's fairly suicide.' Caleb found his voice as he looked further down the incline the horse had to take. There were fallen trees, rabbit warrens, any number of things that could bring the horse down. Any slip was death. They had chased her to her death. 'She'll never make it.'

'She'll make it.' Ty disagreeded, hoping against hope that they both could. If Warrior went down, Jessie would be killed. If she fell off, she would be killed. Please let her make it. He looked at Jack, the old man's face as ashern as the clouds above. 'She can do it.'

Jessie closed her eyes, not daring to look as Warrior leapt a fallen log, her heart fairly beating out of her chest. She clung to his back with everything she had as he landed with another jarring crash, almost launching her into the air. She tried to regain her seat but had no chance for the stallion was leaping again, racing down the mountain side faster and faster as their momentum carried them on down the incline.

Warrior gave a strangled whinney that sounded more like a frightened scream as he jumped another log, smashing through branches that wrapped around his legs as he landed. He lost his footing, almost going down on his chest and struggling to get his hooves under him as the girl screamed in fright. By a miracle he managed to bring his legs back underneath him, preventing them both from hurtling their deaths. He raced on, his lungs almost bursting as the slope started to level out and he started to slow, his legs giving out underneath him as they reached level ground. Jessie was thrown as he went down to his knees, the girl rolling over in the mud and lying still for a moment. She blinked, looking up at the sky above her as she felt solid ground beneath her. She lay there in the mud, catching her breath as she watched the clouds. Her heart pounded in her ears, and she closed her eyes as her adrenaline began to wear off and exhaustion began to set in. You are crazy. Her mind taunted her as she opened her eyes and looked up the incline that she had just ridden Warrior down. You could have killed yourself, and him.

Jack looked down the slope at the two still figures through a break in the trees, almost so far down now that they looked no bigger then a couple of ants. They weren't moving, neither of them were. He couldn't be sure if the horse had gone down or not they were so far away but no movement came from below. 'Get up Jessie, please.' He begged, holding his breath. If she was hurt, by the time he was able to get down there to her she would be dead. It was almost a two mile ride to the trail that lead to the bottom of the cliff. 'Please.'

Warrior grunted as he breathed heavily, his body covered in a sheen of sweat. Jessie heard his breathing, stirring her out of the dazed stober she was in. She got to her feet, gasping as she doubled over, her ribs throbbing terribly from the tumble she had taken. Gathering her composure she stumbled to her horse. She fell to her knees by the stallion, patting his neck. 'It's okay boy, we made it.' She sobbed, full realization of what she had just done setting in. They could have died. It shook her to her core. At the top of the cliff she hadn't cared if they made it but on the way down every fiber of her wanted to make it to the bottom alive. 'You have to get up now boy. Come on.'

Warrior groaned upon hearing her plea and rolled over, gathering his legs under him. He surged forward, slipping in the mud as he got to his feet but he was up. He stood shaking as the girl patted him, nuzzling her gently. 'It's okay, you're okay.' She soothed gently. 'Your okay.'

'They're okay?' Caleb broke the silence in stunned surprise. 'They're okay!'

Jack finally caught his breath unaware he'd been holding it the whole time. 'Thank God.' He didn't know what to feel. Angry, relieved, annoyed? Jessie looked to be okay, that was the main thing. 'We almost killed her. She would never have made the jump if we didn't chase her.'

'She chose to do this rather than go to the foster home, I really have to give it to her.' Ty added, watching as the girl and the horse recovered from their wild ride. 'She's got guts.'

'And little brains. Can't say that I blame her though for running away.' Caleb replied again. 'With what happened in that whole scandal with the Anderson's it's no wonder that she doesn't want to go to the foster home.'

'I think she's earnt us to give up the chase.' Ty turned back to his bay. 'Clint will just have to go without her.' Actually, he was glad that she had outridden them. What the girl had just done showed just how much she didn't want to go to the foster home. If she was willing to ride her horse down a nearly sheer cliff then she definitely had earned them giving up the chase. 'There's no way we can catch her and the horses are spent.'

'She's still going to have to leave regardless, she's just prolonging the inevitable by running.' Jack grabbed Paints reins as they prepared to leave. 'They still will stick to their ridiculous decision regardless.'

Slowly Jessie and Warrior recovered from their perilous descent and she looked up to the top of the cliff. There was no one there, she was alone. She leaned against the stallion, her arms around his neck as she held onto him tight. They'd given up.

Warrior nudged her as he caught his breath, pawing the ground as a slight breeze began to pick up. 'I know mate, we have to keep moving just in case.' She patted his neck, pulling herself back up onto his back. She winched as her ribs throbbed for a moment, cursing them. They'd almost finished healing up, they normally didn't hurt anymore but her pulling herself onto the stallion was just a little too much for them yet. She frowned as Warrior moved forward into a walk. It had been just over six weeks since they'd been cracked, they should have stopped hurting by now shouldn't they? 'If Lisa finds out about this she's going to march me right back to the doc for sure.' She muttered under her breath as Warrior weaved in and out of underbrush and headed for the clear paddock on the way to the forest. 'As long as I don't have to go to this foster home, I don't think I'd care about having to go to the doctor.'

The stallion picked up the pace after they had left the thick shrubbery behind, traveling through an empty field. Jessie looked up at the sky as she shivered in the coat she was wearing. It was a good coat, one of Amy's she had given her but the breeze seemed to blow straight through it. She crouched down over the horses neck, trying to get warm and keep as low as possible so she was out of the wind.

Warrior slowed again as they headed into the forest, the leaves rustling on the trees as they walked past. She looked around, finding a nice thicket of pines and guided him over to them. They would be safe here, for the moment. No one would find them unless she wanted them too.

Carefully she slid off the stallions back and gave him a pat. 'Thanks boy. You've brought me a little more time at best.' He nudged her, his breath misting in the cold. She shivered again, looking up at the sky. The entire sky was covered in thick grey clouds now, the sun hidden behind the ghastly veil. She could feel the temperature dropping as she sank to the ground, the stallion lying down beside her. She cuddled up next to him, the horse curling his neck around her to help her stay warm. 'We'll just stay here till Clint leaves then we'll go back boy.' She assured him, and herself. It was getting colder by the minute. Her eyelids began to droop, her body surcumbering to the need to sleep. 'I'll just have a quick nap Warri-' She hugged her knees close against her body, wrapping her arms around them so she could conserve heat as she started to drift off to sleep….

There were a lot of good guesses but only one of you guessed correctly! Gwen, you picked it!

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