Glitter Trail
By Solo Rider
Chapter Four
Katiy glared at Jake for a moment, but than she sighed. Socks, upset by Katiy's sudden anger, stamped her foot angrily.
"Fine, you win, we'll go back to your ranch, but we're leaving as soon as we can." She said, still glaring. Jake just nodded, a smug smile on his face. Even though Sam knew Katiy and Alan had to come back to Riverbend, she wanted to slap Jake.
"Where'd your brother go?" Jake asked, looking around. There was no one around them, just white playa as far as the eye could see. There were a few bushes, but no sign of the boy and his painted stallion.
"Probably to get our other horses." Katiy said. Both Jake and Sam were surprised, they had more horses?
"You mean you have more horses?" Sam asked. She knew she sounded a little weird, but Katiy didn't seem to notice.
"Of course, we didn't ride all the way from Alberta just on two horses! We have six others." She said. It made enough sense.
"Where are the other horses?" Jake asked. Katiy was silent for a moment, thinking.
"About five miles back that way, we have a little camp set up." She said. "We should probably go get him before we got to your ranch." They way Katiy said it; it was more like do it or die.
Jake nodded and than looked at Ace and than down at Star. Sam knew what he was thinking, which horse would carry double easier. Sam was surprised by his answer.
"You can ride double with Sam, Ace won't mind." He said. Katiy looked a little confused, than shook her head.
"No thanks, I'll ride Socks." She said. Sam and Jake glanced at each other.
"Without any gear?" Sam asked slowly. Katiy nodded, and than she glared at Sam.
"What, you don't think I can do it?" She asked, insulted. Sam was taken back.
"Oh yeah, I mean no, I mean I think you can." She said slowly. Katiy glared at her, and slowly patted Socks back. Than, in one quick movement, she mounted, and the filly stood statue-still. Katiy smiled and stroked the filly's neck.
"How fast are your horses?" Katiy asked. Sam started to answer, but Jake interrupted her.
"Fast enough, Star's an Indian pony and Ace is a Mustang." He said. Katiy nodded thoughtfully, studying Star and Ace.
"I'll race ya." She said. "It'll be faster."
Sam started to say no, but Jake answered for her.
"Okay, which direction?" He asked. Katiy pointed west.
"That way for five miles." She said. Sam glared at Jake. She wasn't afraid to gallop, but race, that was a different story!
Katiy wrapped her hands in Socks' mane, and waited for Jake to tell them to go. Sam also grabbed Ace's mane. The little gelding, feeling her tension, pranced nervously. So did Socks and Star, Star actually reared.
Once he had Star under control, Jake signaled them to go. Sam kicked Ace lightly, just wanting him to gallop not too fast, but Katiy and Socks took off like a bullet, with Star and Jake right behind them. Ace didn't like being left behind, and raced after them.
The ground was bumpy, and Sam felt herself go off balance. Ace felt her it too, and swerved to the left, the side most of her weight was on. Quickly, Sam centered herself and got the gelding going straight after the two fillies.
After what seemed like forever, Star and Socks slowed down. Ace caught up once the two fillies were trotting. Katiy and Socks looked happy. Sam knew they must've won, Jake and Star looked a little disappointed.
Than, something black in the middle of the trail made Sam cry out.
"Watch out, a wolf!" She cried. Both Ace and Star snorted and reared, freaked out by the wolf, watching them intently with its yellow eyes. Jake and Sam through their weight against their horse's necks, trying to get them to put all four feet on the ground. Finally, the two horses calmed down, eyeing the wolf warily.
"That's not a wolf, that's my dog, Si. She's half Border collie half husky." Katiy said, trying not to laugh. Jake stared at the dog for a moment.
"Sure looks wolf." He said. Katiy nodded.
"Yeah, many people think she is." She said, looking at Sam. Sam felt her cheeks grow hot and knew she was blushing.
"Is your camp around here?" Jake asked. Katiy nodded.
"We're at it, I see Alan already packed everything up." She said, looking around. Than she whistled and listened intently. After a moment, there was a high-pitched whinny, followed by another one. Socks' ears pricked forward and she returned the whinnies with her own, loud, ringing neigh. Soon, two little foals came galloping from behind a big rock. Once foal was a sorrel overo paint, while the other was a little bay filly that looked exactly like Socks.
Katiy smiled and whistled again, this time loud and long. In a few seconds, Sam could hear hoof beats, and a tall black mare and a smaller bay tobiano filly came out from behind a different rock, a big pack on the black mare.
Katiy was silent, thinking, and than she turned to Si, who was still standing in the middle of the trail.
"Si, go get Alan, go get him girl!" She said. With an excited bark, Si took off behind the rock the foals had come from. In a few minutes, Sam heard barking. Soon, Alan rode out from behind the rock, on Target, with a bay gelding and a buckskin mare following him.
"We have to go to their ranch, I need my gear." Katiy said simply. Alan just nodded and clucked to the two horses following him.
"These are our other horses. The bay foal is Pendulum, and her brother is Trigger. My black mare is Raven, and her friend is Compromise. Alex's bay gelding is Pawnee, and his friend is Darklight." Katiy said. Jake nodded, and Sam was busy studying the horses.
Pendulum was a lot smaller than Trigger, but was the spitting image of Socks; her mane even went on both sides of her neck like Socks'. Trigger was sorrel with white zigzags all over his body. With a wide blaze and four stockings, he was beautiful. Raven was tall; she too looked like a thoroughbred. There was no white on her whatsoever. Compromise was smaller, with a blaze and four stockings. Pawnee was small, and was falling asleep. He looked like Socks' brother, with a white strip like a twister going down his face. Darklight reminded Sam of Dark Sunshine, the buckskin mare she had rescued over a year ago. Darklight was small, and looked like a mustang. The only difference between the two mares were that Darklight was a lot lighter, was covered in scars, and had a big brand on her shoulder.
Sam started to say something, but than she heard a motor, from a truck or a car. The sound kept getting closer and closer. Katiy and Alan stared at each other, a look of horror on their faces.
"We have to get out of here. You guys need to run as fast as you can. If they catch you, they'll kill you." Alan said, as a mud-yellow truck came into view.
With a loud whistle and nod at Alan, Katiy clapped her heels to Socks side. The filly reared, and lunged forward. Alan and Jake did the same. Sam didn't have to, Ace knew the truck meant danger, and he galloped after the others, the mud-yellow truck in pursuit.