Hooves hit the forest path heavily and left prints as he raced to get away. The mare underneath him was lathering, her sides heaving. He urged her on through the thick mud and through the trees.
He had to get away. They were after him.
Hoof beats where heard in the distance and in his extreme panic he kicked the already fading horse frantically.
She was fading and fading fast. She wouldn't make it in time to safety with him and he knew that as the hoof beats got louder.
He cursed himself out for buying a sprinter, he knew he should have gotten that thoroughbred long distance runner at that illegal auction and now he was going to pay his life for his mistake.
The sprinter mare made a good breeding horse, if need be though, he reasoned with himself. She was perfect for quick getaways and a hell of a sweet horse. If the pursuers caught him and his horse, she would be perfectly fine.
Yami cursed himself again, all this over one card game. Stupid arrogance, it had picked the wrong guys to win against this time and they were out for his blood.
He saw a creek and even though he loved his horse dearly, he knew she would be better off with the people behind them than with running in the mud that would sooner or later trip her up and send her to the ground useless. (1)
Yami removed the pack on the back of his English hunter saddle and patted his horse's neck as he slid off.
The horse whinnied, "Shhh, girl. Himmlisch, those people behind us will take good care of you, your master has got to go. I'm sorry." (2)
The horse's ears flicked back and forth and as if understanding what he said she shook out her mane and cocked one leg.
"Good girl, Himmlisch. Maybe I'll see you again," and with that Yami stepped into the cool water, sack thrown on back, and swam across the river and running off into the brush on the other side before the angry people on horseback could come around the bend.
Bakura was out of town in a flash with some whoops and hollering chasing after him. Everyone in town had admired his handy work.
Tanz had slowed to a walk about a mile from the town walking in a slow and relaxed manner having spent all of his energy speeding out of the town and the two, rider and horse, were one in the evening afternoon as silence played like a never ending song.
Three miles from the first walking point, Bakura and Tanz had made it to what looked to be the edge of a river but the dense brush on the side prevented the white haired cowboy and buckskin horse from refreshing themselves.
They continued down the river following the brush and looking for breaks where they could get through when they heard rustling in the bushes.
Tanz jumped about a foot in the air and to the right fives times that.
Bakura who had never come unseated, those more than ten years working with untrained horses not going to waste, he reined the jumpy thing in.
A tri colored head and crimson eyes came out first and was followed by a body that got caught and tripped making the man fall on his face.
Bakura laughed hard out loud almost making his horse jump again but keeping his hold tight and secure.
The man, still on the ground, lifted his head and spit out some dirt, glaring.
Bakura laughed harder.
He managed to choke it though and complete one full sentence before bursting into more laughter at the look of shock he got, "Pharaoh? What the hell are you doing here?"
Yami pulled himself off the ground and stood dusting himself off and managed to compose his face, "I could ask you the same thing Bakura."
This stopped Bakura's laughs altogether as he stared into crimson orbs much like his own and frowned noticing something amiss, "Pharaoh, where are the rest? I thought you never went anywhere without the rest of the outlaws."
Yami's face reddened in embarrassment and it clicked for the one astride.
"Got caught did you?" He burst into a booming laugh again, "Lost your horse to them this time too. What kind was it this time? Long distance or sprinter? How much he cost? Was he even finished yet?"
Yami glared, flush slowly fading, "She," he corrected, "was a sprinter. Got her at that illegal auction back in Harbor Town. Cost me a good lot of money that one did. Yeah she was finished, had a name too, it was Himmlisch."
Bakura took off his hat and smoothed the hair underneath before replacing it, loosening up on the reins of his horse, as Tanz had become comfortable now with the stranger.
"That good huh?" Bakura's mirth was gone and his look sympathized with Yami, "Celestial? Sprinter? Those are good but you gotta learn, man. The long distance always pays off. You can teach them to sprint later." (3)
Yami smirked at humbling the cowboy, "Nah, that's alright. She is in good hands now. I would have accidentally twisted her leg anyways," he grimaced, "I wouldn't have wanted that."
Bakura gave a silent nod.
Silence reigned for a minute and then Yami broke it, "Come with me to the next town?"
Bakura nodded, "Sure thing, I was getting out of my old one for a new outlaw life anyways," here he grinned at Yami's shock and patted his horse, "Got my graduate Tanz here and town life was pretty boring. So if I come with you will you let me join the gang?"
Yami thought about it and looked at the ground for a moment before looking up and shrugging his shoulders, "Sure, why not? I mean we wanted you to join in the first place, so this is just like joining late."
Bakura was grateful, to tell the truth he hadn't known how he was going to start off. This was good. He smiled at his old friend, eyes dancing in mirth once again, "You walk though."
They both enjoyed a laugh on their way to the next town.
Foot Notes:
I mean like when she fell she would have broken her leg and this is a cool fact I learned: horses have such little blood flow in their legs that if they break them then it can't heal quickly and most of the time wont heal completely so you most of the time euthanize or put down a horse that has broken his/her leg.
Himmlisch means Celestial in German. In case you haven't noticed I am making German the main horse naming language cause I like German! Whoooo!
I'm not sure if you can teach a long distance horse to sprint but in here you can. You can build up speed…they jump out of that gate fast enough in horse racing. A mile is a long way to run, so Tanz is a long distance horse.
Author's Note: I am continuing this with what look like short chapters, but this is probably the most I've written consecutively for a story so I hope you enjoy!
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