Chapter 18

It had now been two weeks since Dr. Smith arrived on the farm to check up on Grace and see what the problem was. So far, he found that she was in perfectly good health, except for the slightly odd scars that were hidden beneath her hide. There had not been that many doctors in town and he was the only one available for both people and animals. He had told Pearl that it might have been a possibility that Grace was somehow mistreated at a very young age and her sudden outburst had been from a traumatic experience. The news of that shocked Pearl like a bolt of lightening; something that she might have never wanted to hear about any of the animals on her farm. Losing your home to bankruptcy and having nowhere else to go was bad enough. But to see an important member of your family be overcome by trauma of some sort seemed much worse. And following the doctor's instructions, Pearl had given Grace spoonfuls of sulfur and molasses to bring down the redness in her eyes; so far it had worked. But would Grace ever be rid of her troubled past and go back to being the sweet, happy off-key heifer she always was?

That night, Pearl was now inside the den sitting beside a calm saddened Grace. There she lay with her head pressed firmly on the warm hay. From the first time she saw Grace, she had been an adorable, yet shy little calf that didn't seem that used to human contact. Most cows are like that when they are young and Pearl had her own way of getting through to them with her motherly charm. She hadn't forgotten about the man who brought a young Grace here and never mentioned about her being mistreated or anything. All he had said was that she could be extremely shy around strangers and sometimes be alerted by loud noises such as hooves thundering on the ground, gunshots, lightening, etc. The only other information he gave about Grace was that she had been found abandoned on the trail with no one else to take care of her.

To see for herself, Pearl brushed back a few hairs between the shoulders and found three long cuts and a few minor ones. Most were bright red like burn marks from a brand iron; not too serious, but still quite visible. These cuts were no accident, but sadly there was nothing, not even Pearl could do to make them go away. Perhaps it was no good trying to do so.

"Oh Grace," Pearl muttered pitifully. "Did some no-good ruffian do somethin' like this to you?"

Grace turned her head to the other side not wanting Pearl to see the sadness in her eyes. She would have wanted to tell her the same story she told Maggie and Mrs. Calloway, only that everyone knew that animals were never supposed to talk to people. A painful lump had been growing in her throat as she tried to fight back the tears forming in her eyes.

With that kind of movement, Pearl understood how Grace was feeling deep inside and lifted the heifer's chin to meet her gaze. "Look at me for a moment…" she said with a grim-faced expression, "…I don't know what might've happened, but I swear if some dirty dog ever steps foot on this farm and tries to lay a finger on ya, I'll be sure to give him a good lesson; cause' no one ever messes with my family in front o' me."

She curled her left fist tightly thinking about that. Grace stared blankly at Pearl as if she never heard her say anything like this before. She had always spoken in the words of a kindly protective mother who looks out for her siblings. And her real anger would be directed at those who try to hurt them. And in those words, Pearl meant business. Grace listened as she continued in a high tone.

"Listen closely now, whatever else happened, don't let it bring ya down. It don't matter to me where ya'll from, what matters now is that you're here safe and sound with me and the rest o' the family. Besides what good is it to dwell on the past if all it does is keep yah from bein' happy?" Grace could feel a hand rub softly on her back. "Remember when I saw ya three girls take on that cattle rustler? Well if ya could take him on; why not try standin' up to whoever did this for once? You're a big girl now, right?" When she had lifted the hairs on her hide, Grace already knew that she was mentioning the scars. Something about what she said made her perk up and smile a bit. Maybe she could try doing that if she ever saw Lewis again someday. "Sleep well now…" she said as she patted Grace reassuringly on the head, "…and remember, you're safe here." After that, Pearl closed the doors and left. It was now safe for Maggie and Mrs. Calloway to come out from the heavy pile of straw they had been hiding under the whole time.

"So what happened next afterward?" Maggie asked as she shook bits of straw off the top of her head. "Did you stay with the deer family until you were found and rescued?"

"I don't remember how long I've stayed with them. But during that time, I had forgotten all about the bad men and Lewis."

Grace had never felt so welcomed before. During the days, Orchid had taught her and Juniper how to swim in the creek. Juniper had been getting the hang of it, but somehow Grace had already learned to dive all the way to the bottom and swim back up to the surface. It took some more practice to learn about holding your breath underneath for a few minutes and then coming up for air, but Grace had become a fast learner. She even helped Juniper along whenever she was having trouble with one technique. Sometimes she and the little fawn would have a race out in the green field of wildflowers. Grace had been in the lead with Juniper bolting after her. Because she was a little older, she had won most of the races, but Juniper seldom ever complained or pouted and admitted to Grace that she really was a fast runner. But for some reason, Grace felt a little guilty for always winning when she would sometimes notice a look of disappointment on Juniper's face. Deep inside, she was proud of being a fast runner and swimmer but never intended to boast about her skills. So during one race, Grace had pretended to lose her balance and fall in the middle of the trail so that it would give Juniper enough time to make it all the way to the finish line. The smaller forest critters gathered around the prancing fawn to congratulate her for winning her first race. Grace congratulated her as well and admitted that she did a great job. She vowed secretly that she would let Juniper win once in a while during the next few games to play.

When dusk had approached, Orchid had called for them to come in and get ready to go to sleep. As soon as the sun slipped beyond the trees of the forest, the air felt chilled, a full moon appeared and stars twinkled in the bright midnight sky. During those nights, Grace would often stare up in wonder at the starlit stars above while snuggling beside Orchid warmly. Then after a while, she fell fast asleep. To stay with a mother deer in a cave was a safe place for Grace to be. So far, Orchid was proud of the little baby cow not only for learning so well, but for her friendliness with the forest critters and getting along fine with Juniper. She had fully understood why Grace would sometimes lose a race on purpose. As long as they were not shouting too much about victory, it was alright. The two were taught never to boast about being better than someone or another, because sometimes it would lead to trouble or drive friends away. Someday when Juniper was older, she would turn out to be as good an athlete as Grace was. Orchid believed her milk had helped Grace to become strong and healthy every minute. Maybe if it was still milk from a cow, she might not have grown up to be different from other cows as she was now. She even told Grace that someday her athletic skills would come in handy for helping those in need.

But as much as Orchid loved Grace dearly, she knew that the time to let her go would soon be near. A domesticated animal such as a dairy cow couldn't possibly survive out in the wilderness on her own even if she wanted to. There were many unknown dangers out here and she felt that it would be too much for Grace to handle. With still no news of any other riders passing through, Orchid stayed true to her word that Grace could stay until she was found. Like all kind mothers, she only wanted what was best for her.

"Don't swim too far off the creek now!" Orchid called out to Grace and Juniper who were having another fun time swimming in the creek where Honey was keeping a close eye on the two. The fawn swam in circles around the calf like a dragonfly hovering in the air. This had made Grace dizzy enough to not even notice her sneak up from behind and lunge at her playfully. Today had been another beautiful day with the sun shining and the birds singing far in the distance.

"Got you didn't I," Juniper said teasingly after the two surfaced up.

"You sure got me this time," Grace admitted, "Now catch me if you can." She swam past Juniper like a speeding bullet.

"Hey wait for me!" Juniper bolted after her as fast as she could.

This time Grace had remembered to slow down a bit so that Juniper wouldn't struggle to keep up with her. It just wouldn't be fair for her to win in every single game. It didn't take too long for Grace to be stopped by Juniper who had seized her by the tail with her teeth. For the rest of the afternoon, the two younglings continued to laugh and splash water at each other until they were tired out from all that deep diving.

"Alright you two, I think all that swimmin' has left you breathless," said Honey as she fluttered above. "What do ya'll say we take a short rest out on the field?"

"Ok," Grace agreed.

"Whatever you say Honey," added Juniper.

The two swam behind Honey as she was leading them back to the bank where Orchid grazed on fresh green grass. But before they were halfway there, Honey stopped to notice a flock of birds flying by whistling an urgent message that only she could understand. In the sky, dark grey clouds were heading this way which could only mean one thing.

"Honey, what's going on?" Grace asked puzzled.

"Hurry, come on; a storm is coming!"

"A storm, what is that?" Juniper spoke curiously.

"There ain't no time to explain, come on!" The bluebird darted over to the bank and signaled for Grace and Juniper to come over.

Then suddenly, thunder rumbled in the dark clouds that were now hovering above them. The scent of rain could be smelled in the gusty wind already picking up speed. The more the black clouds gathered, the stronger the wind became. Even the sun disappeared with its shine. Honey was having a tough time fighting against it while Grace and Juniper were growing frightened and struggling to make it to shore. Juniper still held on to Grace by her tail.

"Hang on!" Grace cried out as she fought against the rushing currents of the river. The wind whipped across her face as raindrops were now sprinkling down in the midst of the forest. Orchid came rushing over to come in and pull them out.

CRACK! A bright flash of lightening streaked across the heavens which had scared little Juniper enough to accidentally let go of Grace's tail. Now she was being swept downstream by the strong currents pressured by the windstorm.

"Juniper!" Orchid cried in a panic. Before she knew it, Grace had dove back into the creek in an attempt to try and save the little fawn. "Grace!" The mother deer pranced along the bank near the creek followed by Honey. The two couldn't possibly swim through these massive currents. She watched in horror as Juniper struggled to keep her head above the surface while her long legs thrashed the water. This time, the current dragged her under. Orchid thought she might have drowned along with Grace.

Just when all seemed lost, another figure had risen up to the surface carrying Juniper over her back. Grace swam through the currents and grabbed hold of a branch that stuck out over the raging river. With amazement, Orchid pranced over and pulled Juniper out who was now coughing up water and shaking bits from her coat. Now all she had left to do was help Grace out so that she and the two would be safe inside their cozy cave.

CCRRAACCKK!! Too late; the branch broke off with a sharp snap and in an instant, Grace was racing toward even deadlier currents downstream. Hard as she tried to swim against it, the water proved to be stronger than she was. Grace cried out for her foster mother as she was pushed farther from the bank.

Leaving Honey to help guide her fawn back to the safety of the cave, Orchid raced along the riverbank fearfully. Somehow, she had to jump in and save Grace or else she would surely drown.

"Grace hang on!" Orchid yelled as loud as she dared. "I'm coming in!"

Grace wanted to scream for her again, but a rush of water swelled, pulling her underneath. The mule deer made a dive into the rushing currents since most adults were known to be stronger at swimming than their younglings. So far, she couldn't see where Grace had disappeared to in the dark water. She kept on swimming around but found nothing. With her lungs burning inside, Orchid popped up to the surface and looked around frantically for Grace. She dove under again, yet still no sign of the calf. Grace had disappeared in the raging river.

"Grace, where are you?" Orchid cried a moment after rising above. No answer had come. Only the sounds of the currents were present. And with the rain coming down, it might be impossible to call out or search for her during the storm. "Grace!" With still no answer; Orchid feared that she might not have made it to shore. Once this storm clears up, maybe she could ask Honey to go out and search for the calf to make sure if she was still alive or not. She still had Juniper to watch over and keep safe. It was the only option for her to think about. Swimming toward the bank, she hoped that Grace was not seriously injured or killed. If only she could have been fast enough to save her from being carried away.

Somewhere along a different riverbank

When night had fallen, the rain and wind decreased. Grace had somehow miraculously swept up to the edge of the sandy shore. For a while, she laid there motionless like a wet leaf. Even if she was athletic, could all those strong currents been too much for her to handle at such a young age? Although jumping back in the river to save Juniper seemed foolish, it was also a brave deed she had ever committed; her first heroic effort nonetheless.

Several minutes later, Grace began to stir slightly coughing up water on the ground. Catching her breath, she opened her eyes and realized that she might not have been in the area of Silent Creek any longer. The storm may have cleared but the calf hardly felt relieved to be swept on another unknown area. What if she might have drifted to the lower part of the plateau where predators roamed?

"No, I can't be that far from Silent Creek," Grace said anxiously. "I have to get back up there." Shaking the water off of her coat, Grace wondered if she should try finding a path back up herself or stay where she is until someone finds her as Orchid once taught her. These woods were new to her and she felt uncertain of which place to take cover in case the rain started again. Perhaps journeying through these woods wasn't such a bright idea; not as long as it was shrouded in darkness.

"What if I'm in a predator's territory?" she whispered to herself. However, she heard no growl or hiss nearby. Only the breeze of the rushing river remained present here. No wind blew and no fireflies buzzed about. "If only Momma were here with me." She was almost on the verge of tears until her eyes spotted low thick branches hovering over some sort of trampled grass. "Maybe I could rest there."

Having no other choice to make, Grace crawled underneath the branches to take shelter on the soft bedded grass untouched by the rain. It wasn't quite perfect, but it was dry enough. She laid her head down to keep calm and put her mind off what happened recently. The last of the storm clouds cleared away and a full moon peeked over the horizon.

During the rest of the night while Grace succumbed to sleep, she was completely unaware of footsteps approaching from somewhere in the woods. Was she dreaming or was she only half asleep to be hearing something from afar? Nothing seemed simpler as it might have been before; especially being lost in ones dreams.

Then a twig had snapped not too far. It might have awakened Grace, but she had only stirred, believing she was still hearing things in her dream. Besides the sounds of footsteps, there came the clanking of heavy metal spurs and the snorting of horses. The clanking seemed to be growing closer and closer every second which grew rather frightening.

"So there ya are," a voice had spoken in an unfriendly tone. "Thought ya could get away eh; ya little troublemaker."

Grace did not awaken until a strong lasso was thrown around her neck.