Okay, here we are with the next chapter! Enjoy! There is an interesting twist in this one :) oh and I don't own Spirit or any of the characters!
Breeze nickered in delight. All of the other herd members were happy at the space spread before them as well, for several picked up their heads and gave small nickers themselves. The wide open field before them was quite the refreshing sight, and Breeze, born for the plains, could not resist bursting out ahead from the rest of the herd to be the first that should gallop onto the hills, kicking and bucking with glee. Red, watching Breeze in amusement remained standing still, not wanting to throw his rider, nor cause chaos down the chain of mules he was leading. Swish on the other hand, with little responsibility other than Jim sitting aboard him, decided it was fair to break into a quick canter himself, giving a small crow-hop. Jim cried out in some surprise, but managed to stay aboard and instead laughed at the joy his steed displayed.
"Jim, yeh alright?" the tall human sitting on Red called out.
"I'm o-right!" Jim called back assuredly, reining Swish in before he got too rowdy. Breeze however continued her show and continued cantering over the fields rearing and kicking in a frenzy of happiness. How wonderful it was to see the beautiful wide open space once more! After a good ten minutes, finally the wave of energy in her veins died down and she realized she better rejoin the herd which was now moving across the plains themselves in a steady line, led by Red, with Swish following alongside. Snorting and kicking up her heels, Breeze galloped their direction and slowed once she was just a little behind Red herself. For some reason she felt they were more of a herd out here in the wild then she did inside those canyons. Maybe it was because they were no longer so confined.
The sun seemed warmer out in the range, even though the wind was still cold, and the ground lightly dusted with frost. The skies were blanketed with thick gray clouds, threatening rain. Breeze lifted her nose, smelling the air. Yes, it would rain, and rain soon. The pack of mules and Red and Swish were settled down though, moving steadily across the range. Apparently, Red knew exactly where he was going, which was odd to Breeze who was still used to the lead mare being the one to decide where the herd was going. But she supposed this wasn't like any ordinary herd, with half horse-half donkey members along with two-leggeds and a stud who was actually submissive to the humans and their needs, she was certain Esperanza, or any other wild horse would turn their nose up and high tail it far far away. In fact, what would Esperanza think if she saw Breeze right now? Breeze didn't even want to think about it.
It was after a long while of walking that the smell of smoke began to permeate the air. Breeze's nose went up into the air to sniff with fright. Fire? Out here? Red looked over at Breeze, regarding the smoke with no special interest. They continued on. It was a good while longer before the humans caught on. The smoke was in the sky now, a fair distance off, but clearly evident. It was when the humans caught sight of it that they slowed their herd down to investigate. More humans on this side of the valley? The tall two-legged riding Red glanced over at his companion.
"Jim, do ya thank-?"
And before he could continue, sound of hoofbeats, like thunder rumbling over the hills, broke the still silence. Breeze jerked her head up into the air, eyes wide, nostrils flared. Who was coming? It sounded like quite a few horses. Red was just as alert, if not more so, while Swish snorted through his nose and danced to the side nervously, causing his rider Jim to rein him in tighter and issue out a series of: "easy..."s "whoa"s and "Hey! Cut that out!"s.
"Someone or somethin's comin," Red's human said quickly, looking around over to the hill where the sound of the hoof beats echoed. Trying to quiet the mules down, at the same time, Jim finally got Swish to stand still and they all stood in silence, looking up at the hills expectantly. Breeze was nervous, and she shuffled her feet to stand beside Red, who nickered gently in response as if to reassure her. Then, there they were, directly atop the nearest slope, came the heads of even more two-leggeds, followed by the bodies of the horses which they sat atop. They were trailing the side of the hill casually, and had not yet seen them. These two-leggeds were different though.. with one sniff Breeze could tell. They had darker skin, and wore less on their bodies. Their horses had no saddles, just blankets and bridles and there were at least eight of them. Jim and his taller companion both gasped upon seeing the Indians.
"Quick, inta the brush!" Red's human ordered, turning Red about and leading the pack of mules hastily to the nearest set of thick valley brush. Jim followed on Swish, helping aid the mules in the right direction until they were all hastily hidden behind the shrubbery, hoping not to have been seen. However, Breeze remained completely unaware of the need to hide and continued to stand out in the open, watching curiously while her herd hid.
"The mare!" whispered Red's human over to Jim in worry. Jim was completely frozen in anxiety. Fear was thick in the air. Red, thinking Breeze half crazy to stand out in the open the way she was, nickered as quietly as he could over to her, but Breeze payed him no mind. In fact, she was rather distracted because she had suddenly recognized one of the indian horses. Why, it was Wander! What was he doing way out here? Without thinking, Breeze neighed a greeting his direction. Red, Swish and their riders all cringed. What had she done!? The indians instantly turned, hearing the whinny, and spotted the mare.
Oh great! What has Breeze gotten herself into now?! XD Come back soon and find out! Reviews are welcome! Thanks for taking the time to reading!