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By the time Ja
"Hello, Zebra," Ja
Zebra nudged her muzzle against Ja
This particular route was one of the most difficult ways to ascend or descend the plateau. That was why Ja
Twenty minutes after Zebra attacked the precipitous trail down into Mustang Canyon, she slid to the canyon's floor and stretched out for a good run. Ja
"That's it girl. Whoa, Zebra. This is where I get off."
Reluctantly Zebra slowed. Ja
The mare didn't budge.
"Go on," Ja
Abruptly the mare's head went up and her nostrils flared. She stood motionless, drinking the wind and staring off down the canyon. Ja
Moving quickly, silently, camouflaged by her own dusty clothes and earth-colored hat, Ja
The stranger was gone.
Ja
She bit her lip against unaccustomed tears, feeling as she had once when she had found a cougar with its paw wedged into a crack in the rocks. She hadn't been able to approach the cat until it was nearly dead with thirst. Only then had she been able to free it-but she would never forget the agony of waiting for the magnificent cat to weaken enough to allow her close.
"Pobrecito," Ja
The swell of firm muscle beneath her fingers reminded Ja
Was this man also cruel? Had it been savage cu
Shouts floated up from the canyon bottom as renegades called to one another, searching for the man who had run their gauntlet and then disappeared like a shaman into the air itself. Ja
Slowly, silently, Ja
Gradually Ja
More voices floated up from the canyon, freezing Ja
The man's eyes opened. They were a deep, crystalline green, and they burned with the savage light of his determination to live. Instantly Ja
Frozen, barely breathing, they waited and listened to the sounds of Cascabel's renegades searching the rugged land for their prey.
Gradually the sounds withdrew. Apparently the Indians hadn't believed that their wounded prey could climb the steep side of the canyon. When the voices failed to come back again, the man let out a long, broken breath and fell unconscious again.
Ja