Snowfire (3 page)

S
nowfire, broad and powerful, looked even more mythical than Darby remembered. He stopped suddenly, as if this were his first sight of the ranch below.

But if the white stallion was puzzled by his surroundings, Black Lava knew exactly where he was. He traversed the hillside on a crooked path and then paused with his head lowered.

Both stallions wore dark patches of sweat, as if this chase had gone on for hours, and Snowfire gave a sharp squeal at his out-of-reach foe.

The wild horses strutted with chins tucked and manes waving.

Black Lava's answering cry, high-pitched and taunting, carried down the slope. Though his mares
were uninterested, just stopping to grab a few mouthfuls of grass as they walked down the hillside away from him, Hoku was fascinated.

When another neigh, deeper and raspier, rang out, Darby knew it was Kanaka Luna. She heard the stallion's hooves thunder up and down the length of his compound fence, warning the others away. But Darby and Hoku didn't look, and neither did the wild stallions. They both tested the steep footing, deciding what to do next.

Black Lava's ears flattened. Snowfire reared, keeping his balance above the black stallion, ignoring his threat.

Something must have told Black Lava that Snowfire wouldn't follow, so the black stallion leaped from the ridge and navigated the rocky trail down to the pasture, where his herd waited.

Whether he was answering the fenced-in Luna or taunting Black Lava, Darby couldn't tell, but Snowfire gave a final scream of defiance.

For an instant the white stallion stood still. Proud and mysterious, he was every bit Moho, the island god of steam. And just as quickly as steam, he vanished.

Hoku didn't move. She stared, unblinking, at the spot where Snowfire had been. Finally she gave a snort and shook her head, as if clearing away his image.

“I know,” Darby agreed. “Wow.”

It took Darby a second to realize why Luna was still neighing and patrolling his fence at a gallop.

Black Lava remained on Luna's land, within sight of Luna's mares. Black Lava had had the audacity to bring his herd here instead of going home to Crimson Vale. But why? And where was the rest of the herd?

While Black Lava picked his way down the trail, Darby counted one sleek bay, a chestnut, a black, and a dun, plus one foal in the herd. She'd noticed this foal, ink black and tiny, before. She'd always thought of him as the youngest of Black Lava's sons, but now he seemed to be the
only
one.

Could Black Lava's herd have dwindled to just four mares and this colt?

She felt sorry for him, though he sure didn't look pitiful. As the trail grew less steep, he descended faster.

And suddenly, Darby knew why Black Lava had come down from Sky Mountain to the ranch instead of returning to Crimson Vale. He needed more mares, and he knew where to find them.

Panic grabbed Darby's chest. She couldn't let this happen. Black Lava could strike and be gone before anyone paid attention to Luna's screams.

Upon reaching the bottom of the trail, Black Lava sprinted into a breakneck gallop and easily cleared the fence of the broodmare pasture.

Darby had been close to the wild stallion before and felt this same sense of awe. Despite the danger he was beautiful, with his black mane swirling around him like a storm cloud. If he just stayed away from Hoku…

For a moment, the broodmares stared in bewilderment at the wild stallion, but then they were all moving together, blocking the dark intruder's view of their foals.

Hoku's ears stood straight up. She stayed beside Darby, not joining the knot of protective mares. Still, there could be no question that the sorrel was on alert.

But Black Lava hadn't noticed Hoku, and the only other mare apart from the others was Tango, Megan's pink roan mare.

The black stallion was after her.

No!
Darby thought as the stallion raced in Tango's direction. The mare burst into a gallop, but Black Lava was right behind her, head lowered. He herded her to the fence, urging her to leap toward freedom. But Tango swerved away and hid herself amid the herd of broodmares and foals.

As if he'd suddenly lost interest in the chase, Black Lava careened off course. In a floating trot that looked almost slow-motion, he came at them, and Darby realized she'd been wrong.

Of course Black Lava had noticed Hoku. He just wasn't up for a fight.

After his dash down the mountain and his pursuit of Tango, the mustang's black coat was banded with lather, and he was breathing hard.

Hoku flattened her ears and faced him, and in that instant Darby saw she needn't have worried about
Hoku's wild instincts deserting her. The filly bumped Darby out of the way, just as a mother would her foal.

Tufts of earth and grass flew up from Hoku's hooves as the filly charged Black Lava.

She's protecting me,
Darby thought in amazement. She pressed both hands over her mouth, afraid she might shout a warning. Distracting Hoku now could be fatal.

The black stallion and golden filly came together like horses in a jousting match. Their shoulders brushed as they rushed past each other, then wheeled for a second encounter.

Darby's heart pounded. She didn't want to look, but she couldn't turn away, because this time Hoku's slashing teeth and striking hooves missed the stallion by only inches.

Black Lava had no intention of fighting a slender female half his size. He backed up a few steps, then reared, flashing a feathered foreleg out at an awkward angle.

Cuts marked his legs and haunches. Red rips ran across his ebony neck.

From Snowfire?
Darby hoped Black Lava was weary from that clash.

Arms wrapped around herself, Darby rocked forward and back. The stallion clearly didn't want this battle. Why didn't he simply go away?

Black Lava turned abruptly. With a backward glance at the group of broodmares he hadn't stolen,
the stallion broke into a run, aimed for the white fence, and sailed over it.

His herd reassembled behind him and ran west, away from ‘Iolani Ranch, toward the rain forest.

Hot and wet, her sorrel body steaming from nerves and exertion, Hoku returned to Darby.

“You're okay,” she croaked to her horse.

They stood together, unified by relief, love, and the adrenaline surging through their veins.

As Hoku's breathing slowed, so did Darby's, and she began to wonder about Black Lava. He and his herd had been driven up the mountain by the Wildlife Conservancy so they wouldn't drink the contaminated water of Crimson Vale.

What if Black Lava had decided he knew best, and he'd followed the scents of sea spray and red lehua flowers, so abundant in Crimson Vale, toward home?

When he was rested, would Black Lava return for ‘Iolani mares to replenish his herd?

The ranch came first, Cade had reminded her today. And whether that meant not harassing cows with her inexperience, not regretting the sale of beloved horses, or not protecting a wild stallion who'd had his “last chance” several times over, Darby knew she had to tell Jonah what had happened.

“Gotta go, girl,” Darby told Hoku.

She gave the filly's shoulder a loud pat and took off. She ran across the pasture, climbed over the fence instead of taking extra time to open and close the gate,
and then raced for the trail up to Sun House.

Darby had almost reached the top of the path when a
pueo
swooped out of the sky, dropping so low she heard feathers rustle. She'd seen Hawaiian owls during daylight plenty of times, but never like this.

Light reflected off the inside of pale, fanning wings as the owl looked down at her. It hovered so close she saw the widow's peak of feathers above lemon-drop eyes in a round face. And then it was dropping, talons extended.

Darby ducked and crossed her arms over her head.

What had gotten into him? Owls were supposed to be her family's
‘aumakua
, but this was no shielding ancestor. This was one insane bird.

Finally the tumult of wings stopped, and when Darby opened her eyes just a crack to look around, the owl was gone.

She resumed her run.

Almost there,
she thought, placing her boots as carefully and quickly as she could.
Almost home
.

All the while, Hoku's whinny echoed behind her, but there'd be time to make it up to her filly later.

 

Panting and breathless, Darby didn't see anyone around when she reached the level ground of the ranch yard. She turned toward Sun House, hurried inside, and plopped down on the bench by the front door to yank off her riding boots.

She smelled curry simmering in the kitchen, but heard none of the cooking sounds she expected this close to dinnertime.

Lining her own scuffed boots up with the others gave Darby a few seconds to think, but her mind was spinning. As she crossed the dim living room and headed for the lanai, she still wasn't sure what she should say.

Two men and one woman stood talking out there.

Her grandfather, Jonah Kealoha, with his thick black mustache and pressed blue shirt tucked into khaki pants, paced beside the table on the lanai. He stayed silent, but something about the contained energy of his steps made Darby sure he was full of opinions. As she watched, Jonah stopped and crossed his arms, listening to Kit and Aunty Cathy, who were both seated at the table.

Darby's steps slowed when she saw Kit. The ranch foreman usually kept to himself.

“What's wrong?” Jonah saw her before the others, but they turned at her grandfather's tone of voice.

“We got the cattle to Upper Sugar Mills,” Darby started.

“Yeah. Cade reported in. What else?” Jonah asked.

“Snowfire and Black Lava were both—”

“—here?” Jonah finished.

Darby nodded as her grandfather smacked one fist into the cup of his other hand.

“Snowfire was just chasing Black Lava, though,” Darby said. “Like, getting him off his territory, I think.”

Aunty Cathy leaned her elbow on the table, then her cheek against her hand. From beneath her bangs her eyes narrowed, as they did when she was making calculations.

“We're a long way from Sky Mountain,” Aunty Cathy observed.

“I know, but I don't know why else…” Darby shook her head, then interrupted herself. “There
are
mares missing from Black Lava's herd, but he's probably just headed for home. I thought I should tell you he was here, though…” Darby's words trailed off as she struggled for breath.

“Did he go for the mares?” Jonah asked.

Darby hesitated. She placed a hand on her chest, but Jonah wasn't fooled. He didn't believe she was trying to catch her breath. He knew she was stalling, trying to decide how much she should say about the stallion's actions.

“Speak up,” Jonah snapped.

The next time, Black Lava might be fresh and finished with battling Snowfire. The next time, Hoku might not scare him off. The next time, he might goad the broodmares into a stampede through the wooden fence and drive them to his hidden realm in Crimson Vale.

“He came over the fence and chased Tango,” Darby admitted.

“The broodmares faced him down?” Kit asked.

Darby nodded.

“And Hoku?” Aunty Cathy asked.

All over again, Darby saw her filly's flashing teeth and sorrel satin ears flattened into her mane.

“She stood up to him,” Darby said.

“But you're all right?” Aunty Cathy bolted to her feet and reached out to touch Darby's disheveled ponytail.

“I'm fine,” Darby said. “And Hoku is, too.”

“Tomboy mare, that one.” Jonah winked, then reconsidered. “Someday a stallion's not gonna back down. Then she'll get herself hurt.”

Darby swallowed hard and nodded. It was one of the thoughts that had driven her away from Hoku and up to the house. Still, she hated having Jonah, an expert, confirm her fear.

She pretended to fuss with her ponytail, smoothing the strands Hoku had nuzzled loose. But Darby didn't care about her hair. She felt sick as she thought of a powerful stallion turning his fury on Hoku.

Aunty Cathy noticed Darby's fidgeting.

“Mares don't always get the worst of it,” she said. “Most lead range stallions have scars from where they've been kicked by mares.”

“Black Lava had a lot of injuries,” Darby recalled,
picturing the stallion. “He had some bleeding cuts and a gash on his neck, plus the old scars on his chest.”

“Been fightin' Snowfire,” Kit said.

When Aunty Cathy and Jonah nodded, Darby made the suggestion that had been brewing in her mind.

“That's why—besides the fact that we don't want him around here—I was thinking we should help Black Lava and his herd get back to Crimson Vale.”

“Wild stallion like him should be able to find his way home, even if”—Jonah held his hand up when Darby began to interrupt—“the tsunami and earthquake have changed things. And I'll tell you, Darby Leilani, the black horse is better off steering clear of me. If I go looking for him again, it's the last time.”

Darby was scared for Black Lava until Jonah rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. That took the venom out of his threat.

“So, how did Baxter do with the cattle?” Aunty Cathy asked. “We were talking about the rodeo when you came in.”

“Really well,” Darby said. “He's got the instincts to go after cows, but both of us need some work.”

“We just got the list of events,” Kit said, tapping a piece of paper. “And Kimo thinks Baxter'll do best in the ranch ones.”

“Like sorting and doctoring cattle, and the trailer-loading race,” Aunty Cathy said. “And since Kimo's
ridden him the most and says those events are the most like what Baxter's already been doing—”

“I wish Kimo wasn't too old to ride him,” Darby said. Kimo was only in his twenties, but the
keiki
rodeo allowed no contestants over eighteen.