Once again just want to say thanks for all the reviews, updates, etc! You guys rock!
Also, thanks to Nadine (who reviewed anonymously, otherwise I would've totally thanked ya personally) for pointing out that I misspelled "Gandalf". Oops! I have no one to blame but myself for not double-checking that.
On with the story….
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Chapter Six
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Dismounting his own horse, Gibbs smiled to himself.
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One minute the team was riding along, enjoying the afternoon sun and the next…..chaos.
The breeze that had started gently blowing when they'd mounted up; suddenly began gusting with a purpose. A dead branch, ripped from its place on a nearby tree where it had been stuck since the last storm, broke free and landed on the ground practically under their horse's hooves.
The resounding crack sent McGee's horse tearing off while simultaneously sending Ziva's horse into a dangerous rear. The young woman was quick witted enough to lean forward into the motion of the animal, hanging on to its neck like a leech, and saving herself a nasty fall onto the hard ground below.
With one agent on a runaway and another stuck on a rearing animal, Gibbs had to think fast. The chauvinist in him instinctively went for Ziva first, quickly reaching for her horse's reins.
"DiNozzo! Dismount and grab these reins!" Gibbs yelled as he struggled to get the other horse under control, glad that Tony's horse hadn't reacted with the other two. With DiNozzo on the ground and holding Ziva's mount, Gibbs could then chase after McGee.
Gibbs was completely unprepared for what happened next. Looking up in surprise as he heard galloping hooves passing by, he hoped that he didn't have another runaway on his hands. Instead he saw DiNozzo racing off after McGee. The other man appeared to be in complete control of his horse, leaning forward to encourage his mount to catch up to the other frightened animal.
McGee's horse had veered off to the right, avoiding a large bush that had been in its way and somehow miraculously not losing its terrified passenger in the process. Heading straight ahead Tony flew over the bush like it was barely there; not missing a stride and making nice headway into the runaway's trail.
By now Gibbs had gotten control of Ziva's horse and was forced to sit back and watch the action, unwilling to leave her alone with the skittish animal and knowing that there was nothing more he could do anyway.
"Gibbs I am fine. You should help Tony and McGee," Ziva said, concentrating hard on her horse and not yet realizing what had occurred.
Gibbs smiled proudly as he watched his senior agent catching up fast to his junior agent. "Oh I think they're fine, Ziva."
Ziva looked up just in time to see Tony ride up alongside McGee's horse, bringing his own mount so close that the two men felt their legs bump together. The younger man turned his head in surprise to find that it was Tony coming to his rescue and not his boss.
"Hang on Probie, I got ya," Tony called over the pounding hooves. McGee could only nod, holding onto the saddle horn for dear life as the horse raced under him.
Still pushing his horse to keep up with McGee's frantically galloping mount, Tony put his reins in his left hand. Reaching forward with his right, he managed to catch the flapping reins of the other horse. Silently blessing the fact that the wild ride through the brush hadn't broken them, Tony took up the slack, putting pressure on the other horse's mouth slowly. Careful not to slow them down too quickly lest the probie lose his balance, Tony carefully brought the other horse under control.
"Whoa easy......easy now.....," Tony spoke reassuringly to McGee's mount and the animal flicked its ears, listening to the soothing voice.
Tony brought them all down to a much more controllable canter, then a trot and finally to a walk. Flipping the reins of McGee's horse over its head, he led the other man in a wide circle, walking back the way they'd come.
"You okay, Tim?" Tony asked once he had enough control of both horses to concentrate on his partner, making sure the other man hadn't sustained any injuries.
"Um...yeah, I think so," McGee replied, his hands still shaking and extremely grateful to be alive. McGee had never realized just how fast a horse could run. If he'd fallen to the rocks at that pace he had no doubt that he would have been severely injured, if not killed. "Thanks, man."
"No problem, Probie."
Gibbs and Ziva trotted up to the rest of their team, the team leader still holding on to the woman's horse's reins.
"Nice riding, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, somehow relaying both a compliment and a query at the same time. Tony read it loud and clear.
"Uh….riding lessons as a kid, Boss. Never said it before because well, riding lessons aren't exactly macho, you know?" Tony said sheepishly and quickly, before the boss could ask for too many details.
"English?" Gibbs asked, having noticed the differences in the other man's riding style from the way he'd grown up in a saddle.
"Yeah," Tony said with a laugh.
"Well yeah, I could see why you might hide that fact, DiNozzo," Gibbs said with a small chuckle. In his youth, he and his friends had been known to make a few jokes at the expense of the more genteel sport while gallivanting around after livestock on their farms. He knew there was probably more to Tony's story, but they had more pressing business to tend to than discussing riding styles.
Getting back on the trail, Gibbs once again took the lead while Tony took up the rear. Ziva and McGee had been given the reins back on their own mounts, but as the minutes went by it was becoming clear that things were not going smoothly.
The strong winds continued to blow, with no signs of easing up any time soon. In fact, despite the sunny and clear skies, Gibbs was starting to suspect that a storm might be on its way. The gusts were causing more and more debris to come loose from the trees and brush surrounding the trail, falling around them nearly constantly.
Ziva and McGee, both highly trained federal agents and neither being what Gibbs would referred to as necessarily the nervous type, were still (quite understandably) a little edgy after their experiences. As their horses shied and reacted to the wind and noise of falling branches, both riders tensed. The more they tensed the more their horses became fearful. It was a vicious circle without any chance of breaking. No matter how much he encouraged them to relax, Gibbs knew that it wasn't going to help.
As Ziva's horse ran up his mount's tail for the countless time, the team leader looked over his shoulder to take stock of their situation. It looked like Tony was having just as much trouble keeping McGee's horse moving in a straight line. Gibbs studied Tony for a few moments, noting the other man's lack of tension, despite his own mount bouncing around in response to the two nervous animals in the middle of the group. It bespoke of many hours in the saddle, but Gibbs once again knew that now was not the time or the place to ask about it.
Catching his boss' eyes on him, Tony spoke up. "You know that this isn't going to work Boss, right?"
Gibbs knew. How could he not? They had been out less than two hours and already nearly lost both Ziva and McGee. Two experienced riders (as he now must admit to himself that DiNozzo was no doubt experienced) could not make up for two non-experienced ones with the wind blowing the way it was and spooking the horses.
He couldn't risk their lives. There was no other choice, they were going to have to turn back and leave Ziva and McGee behind.
"DiNozzo, lead McGee's horse. I'm taking Ziva's. We're heading back at a trot!" Gibbs called out, putting his decision into action. If he kept them at a fairly brisk (but not overly exhausting) pace they could make it back to the stable in an hour. Ziva and McGee would be sore as all hell, but at least they'd be safe. Then he and DiNozzo could head out again, making better time without them.
"Got it, Boss," Tony replied, already trotting forward and grabbing McGee's reins before the other man could say a word. "Hang on Probie and try to relax your butt," he instructed with a wide grin to his partner.
"Yeah, right," McGee grumbled through gritted teeth. "That's easy for you to say, you've obviously done this before."
"As a matter of fact I have but if you think I'm not gonna be walking funny tonight, you're sorely…..forgive the pun…mistaken. Just because my mind remembers how to do this, doesn't mean my muscles do." Tony said with a laugh as Gibbs and Ziva caught up with them.
Tony led the way back and much as Gibbs predicted, they made it back to the stable in about an hour. When they arrived, Gibbs let Tony talk to Jake while he helped Ziva and McGee settle their horses back in their stalls.
"Take the back-up sat phone," Gibbs ordered as he removed McGee's saddle. "See what you can find out here in town. Talk to Dina's friends, Sherrif Boyd, anyone who can tell you who might be new in town or who's been seen around Dina recently that looks suspicious."
"Got it, Boss," McGee replied.
Gibbs finished with the horses and walked to the car with McGee, where Ziva was already tossing in their gear. As they passed by Tony, they could hear him spinning a tale to the old stable manager.
"Yeah, it's a real shame. We were only out there an hour and those two get a call from the babysitter….which I think is Ziva's aunt? Anyway, the poor woman's fallen down and sprained her ankle. Not a big deal but would you believe those two have got three kids? One set of twin girls, they showed me pictures and they look just like their mom, and a little boy who's apparently as much of a trouble maker as his dad."
Gibbs shot Tony a sideways glance, hiding a grin and catching the barest of winks from his Senior Field Agent. Tony always did love telling a good story and Gibbs was happy to let him do it at a time like this, when he needed Jake distracted.
"You two call me as soon as you get anything. DiNozzo and I should make it to Dina's place sometime mid-morning tomorrow. We're gonna ride until the sun goes down and make camp, I expect to get a sit-rep from you no later than that."
"Got it."
Gibbs slapped the roof of the car as McGee drove off, then turned and walked quickly back to the barn. He and DiNozzo had to get as many miles in before sundown as they could.
"Are they all good, Jethro?" Tony asked with a wicked grin at the rare chance to call his boss by his first name without risking a head-slap.
"Yeah, the aunt is fine. The kids are making the hospital staff crazy but they're fine too. We should get going if we want to make it to that first campsite I told you about, Tony." Gibbs replied, stepping into his role as the seasoned trail guide.
"Well, it was nice talking to you Jake," Tony said, heading over to get his horse.
"You too, Tony. See y'all when you get back." Jake gave a wave as the two men walked towards their mounts.
Gibbs and Tony mounted up, feeling the energy in their freshly rested, fed and watered horses. After a drink and a small feed, the animals had dozed happily in the shade while Gibbs got McGee and Ziva squared away. Used to many long rides, the animals were happy to get back on the trail again, evidenced by their many snorts, shaking of heads and flicking of tails.
"C'mon DiNozzo, we don't have to worry about keeping the pace slow for any newbies. Let's get some miles under our saddles."
Tony didn't need to be told twice. Flashing a big grin at his boss, he shortened his reins expertly and sent his horse into a trot, sitting easily as the animal sped up its pace.
The two men rode the rest of the afternoon, trotting and walking intermittently to keep from tiring their mounts. They made great time and only when the sun had nearly set, did Gibbs decide that it was time to call it a day.
Despite the continuous strong winds, the rest of the ride had been uneventful. Thanks to their experience dealing with nervous horses and knowing how to keep the animals calm, both men had actually enjoyed the ride immensely. Once again, both were grateful for the relatively quiet time before they would be back on the case.
Tony had even managed to ignore the aches and pains that still plagued him here and there. As he jumped off his horse, the senior field agent gave the animal a scratch on the neck.
"Thanks for a great ride, Brittles," he said.
Dismounting his own horse, Gibbs smiled to himself.