Snowfire (7 page)

D
arby barely believed what she saw through the front windshield.

Black Lava's herd was running across the road!

Aunty Cathy jammed to an abrupt stop. Darby lurched forward. The feed sacks slammed behind her, and for a moment she was afraid she'd be folded in half by the seat back. Her seat belt jerked tight across her shoulder and chest.

The vehicle fishtailed. Brakes squealed. A horn blared from somewhere outside. And then they stopped.

The truck was filled with feed dust. Darby batted at the powder swirling in front of her eyes.

The horses were still right in front of them. A
screech made Darby turn and stare through the back window. A silver car—

“Don't hit us!” Darby shouted. Could a collision push them into the horses?

When the car behind them stopped clear of them, Darby unsnapped her seat belt and leaned forward to get a better look at the horses.

Terrified by the squealing, smoking tires and machines, the small black foal had crashed into the back of the mare in front of him. She wasn't his mother, and she was angry. She turned and clacked her teeth at him so loudly, Darby could hear the sound inside the car.

Seeing her colt in trouble, his bay mother ran between the chestnut mare and the colt. The chestnut bumped the bay, sending her into a panicked slide before she fell to her knees.

“Everybody okay?” Aunty Cathy's question sounded more like a demand. Once Megan and Darby both said yes, Aunty Cathy was out of the vehicle, heading toward the horses.

“Mom! What do you think you're doing!” Megan shouted.

Black Lava snorted. The bay's hooves scrambled on asphalt as she pulled herself upright, then led her foal off the street and into the forest, following the other mares.

For a few crazy heartbeats, Darby watched Black Lava stand guard at the pavement's edge, giving his herd
time to escape. And then he must have stepped backward into the foliage, because suddenly he was gone.

When Darby and Megan joined Aunty Cathy outside the truck, a vehicle two cars back from theirs had begun honking its horn, not realizing what was causing the delay.

Aunty Cathy quickly made sure that the driver who had nearly collided with her—an elderly man in khaki shorts and a colorful Hawaiian shirt—was not injured, and then rushed back to the girls.

Darby and Megan were shaking feed dust out of their hair and rubbing their watery eyes. Aunty Cathy asked again if they were hurt.

“No. We've just got all this dust in our eyes,” Darby said.

“Okay, then let's go. We're blocking traffic.”

“Why was that idiot horse bringing his herd across the road?” Megan yelled.

“Megan—” Aunty Cathy began.

“Every safe path he wants to take is blocked!” Darby snapped.

“Girls—”

“That's the idea!” Megan shouted at Darby. “So he can't go drink poison water!”

“Yeah, look what it's doing! If your mom hadn't stopped in time, they'd be dead anyway!”

Aunty Cathy placed her thumb and a finger in the corners of her mouth, and gave a shrill whistle.

Darby and Megan stared at her.

“That's better,” she said gently. “We're all safe. The horses weren't hurt, and neither was the truck. You're not mad at each other. Not really. You're just a little bit scared.”

“I'm not…” Both girls started to deny the statement, then stopped.

Darby thought of Medusa, covering up fear with fury. Darby met Megan's brown eyes. They both shrugged.

Aunty Cathy hustled them back into the truck, restarted it, and drove straight down the proper lane, even though her hands were shaking on the wheel.

Even though she rode in silence with Megan and Aunty Cathy, Darby's mind was anything but quiet.

Black Lava would not stay on Sky Mountain. She was sure of it now. No wild stallion walked across a busy highway if he had another choice.

Snowfire couldn't be blamed for driving a younger stallion off his territory, but the white stallion was the problem. She'd seen him chasing Black Lava and his herd off the ridge. The chase had lasted for only a moment, but she'd known what it meant.

Back when she'd lived in Pacific Pinnacles Darby hadn't known about listening to what her heart told her. But coming to Hawaii had changed things.

Both Jonah and Tutu had told her to trust her mana—that which she'd learned from books, people, and experience—and her
māna
—the truth she was born knowing.

Both were telling her that Black Lava and his herd should be allowed to go home.

Several times in the past Cricket had asked Darby her opinions about horses.

Darby really hoped Cricket would trust her this time.

 

When they arrived back at Sun House, Darby immediately phoned the rescue barn and asked for Cricket.

While she waited, Darby realized that dinner was being prepared around her.

“I'll take my turn,” she promised quietly. “And oh! We're going to be practicing making malasadas, so we'll need some volunteer tasters.”

Aunty Cathy and Megan laughed way too much at her offer, and Darby was wondering if it was some kind of reaction to the near accident when she thought of Ann.

Oh, my gosh!
Ann was supposed to have come over after she'd gotten Sugarfoot back in his pen. Had Ann and her mother driven all the way over to ‘Iolani Ranch, only to find it deserted?

But then Cricket was on the phone, and Darby told her, carefully and calmly and in front of two witnesses—neither of whom contradicted her—what had happened.

Over the phone, Darby heard the clash of metal buckets and a door closing at the rescue barn.

“That's why I hesitated when you asked me to join
the volunteers on the paths,” Darby admitted when Cricket said nothing. “If he's, uh, crossing streets and, well, trying to go between cars to get home…I don't know. Do you…” Darby swallowed hard. She wasn't a know-it-all, and she didn't want to sound like one, but she had to ask. “Do you really think we'll keep those horses out of Crimson Vale?”

Cricket released a long sigh. There was a rustling sound against the telephone receiver, and Darby pictured Cricket rewinding her bun and stabbing it through with something to hold it in place.

“Some riders are already pushing the herd back toward Sky Mountain.”

“Oh, no,” Darby said.

“I'll call the conservancy and see if I can get in touch with the wildlife biologist,” she said at last. “I'll tell him what happened and ask if he can do an emergency water test.”

“Thank you,” Darby said.

“Don't expect an overnight miracle,” Cricket cautioned. “Between the earthquakes and the tsunami, this guy is busy. He doesn't always return my calls right away.”

What if it's too late?
Darby thought.

Black Lava had only a few mares and one foal left. Snowfire wasn't the only danger to them. Wasting time could mean wasting the wild horses' lives.

But none of this was Cricket's fault, so Darby stayed quiet.

“I'll do my best, Darby,” Cricket promised. “And just to prepare you—if they test the water and it's still bad…”

“I know.”

“I'm glad no one—two-or four-footed—was hurt. I'll call the conservancy as soon as I hang up, and get back to you the minute I hear anything. I have the phone numbers for two landlines and three cell phones on that ranch,” Cricket joked.

“Thank you,” Darby replied. “Bye.”

She sat like a zombie through dinner. Why wouldn't her brain give her a solution?

She needed evidence to sway the conservancy's biologist.

The best way to get that would be to observe the stallion and his herd in the new home that they were so stubbornly refusing to settle into.

Dessert was almost on the table when Jonah waved a hand in front of Darby's face.

“Cathy told me what happened. You're okay, yeah?”

She nodded. “I'm fine.”

“Good.”

“Could I go camping on Sky Mountain?” she blurted, surprising herself as well as Jonah. “That way I could see what the problem is, figure out why Black Lava doesn't want to keep his herd up there.”

“No—”

“I wouldn't go alone. I'd get…Ann. Yes, Ann
would go with me, I bet.”

“Darby Leilani, think. If you got into trouble, what would Ann do? You've got two warring stallions up there, and even if you resisted trying to help them—which you would not!—” He broke off, shaking his head, and added, “Wasn't seeing Medusa enough to show you the wild horses you love can be dangerous?”

“I know!” Darby yelped. “You could go with us! You could take us camping up there and show us all the cool stuff! I bet you haven't been up there in years; am I right? It would be fun!”

Jonah scowled. He was on the verge of refusing, she was sure of it, but then his face softened. “It
might
be fun,” he conceded. “I haven't been camping in a while.”

“You'll really do it?” Darby jumped out of her chair so quickly it fell over backward, and both Aunty Cathy and Megan looked in from the kitchen to see what was happening. “Jonah's going to take me camping on Sky Mountain!”

She hugged Megan around the neck.

“Don't practice your bulldogging on me,” Megan protested, but she was smiling as she pushed Darby away.

“I can't guarantee you we'll see any horses,” Jonah cautioned. “And I'm not going on a wild-goose chase searching for them, either.”

“No goose chases—or even wild-horse chases.
Promise.” Darby had never made such a devout cross over her heart.

“We can only go for one night,” he added. “I can't abandon this place, yeah?”

“One night would be awesome,” she assured him, not wanting anything to make him change his mind.

“So, you're clear. We might not even see wild horses?”

“Completely clear. Crystal clear!” Darby barely kept herself from dancing.

“And that's okay?”

“If we don't see horses, we don't see them. At least we'll have tried, and we'll have some fun, anyway. I've never been camping with my grandpa.”

He pointed his index finger at her in a way that seemed to say,
Don't start
, so Darby put both hands over her mouth.

“Okay then,” he agreed. “You can look at the trip as a little end-of-the-school-year reward, a break before those tourists descend on us to ride all Babe's pretty horses.”

“I know we'll have a wonderful time,” Darby said, wrapping her grandfather in a quick hug. Despite all his warnings and disclaimers, she had confidence in Jonah's skills in tracking wild horses. She knew they'd discover why Black Lava was so set on returning to Crimson Vale. “Can I call Ann and tell her? And Mom, too?”

 

Thursday was another shortened school day because of finals, and, despite the two-hour tests—Creative Writing and Algebra—Darby felt great.

She was determined to spend part of her day with Hoku. Kit had carved some time out of his schedule to help her before Ann—who hadn't made it over to ‘Iolani Ranch yesterday because they hadn't trapped Sugarfoot until after dark—came over to practice tomorrow's presentation.

Never before had Darby thrown off her school outfit and jumped into riding clothes so fast. She swept her hair up into a fresh ponytail, ready to signal Hoku that they were partners again.

She located Kit in the tack room, putting the lid on an unlabeled jar.

“Tutu's favorite herb poultice goo,” he said, holding it up. “I rode over to talk to her, and she mixed it up for Medusa's cuts.”

“How's she doing?” Darby asked.

Kit shook his head. “Still loco to get outta here.”

“Do you want to release her?” Darby asked.

“Do I
want
to, or am I
gonna
?” he asked her back. “Right now she wouldn't make it. She'd die trying.” Kit cleared his throat. “Just have to wait 'n' see.”

He pulled Hoku's halter and orange-striped lead rope down from a hook and handed them to her. “You go catch your horse. I'll be down after my own private
rodeo.”

Darby didn't stay to watch him doctor Medusa. She hurried down the dirt road to the pasture. Her left shoulder hurt from the quick grab of the seat belt yesterday, but the pain was nothing compared to the way her heart sang at the sight of her sorrel mustang grazing out in the field, not far from Pastel and Judge.

The afternoon sun shone on Hoku's glistening, golden coat. Darby had never seen anything more beautiful than her horse.

She climbed over the fence, leaving the halter and lead rope draped over it.

“Hoku!” she called.

The mustang filly lifted her head. Her ears pricked forward with interest.

Then, she deliberately turned in a half circle so that her hindquarters faced Darby, and went back to eating grass.

Wha…?
Darby wondered.

Her horse had seen her and recognized her. So, what had
that
been about?

“Hoku,” she called again.

This time the filly gave no sign she'd even heard Darby, but she must have.

“Come on, pretty girl,” Darby coaxed, and Hoku walked several steps farther away.

All right. Not a problem,
Darby thought.

Sometimes Hoku liked to tease, but there was one method that always worked when Darby needed to
summon her. Darby had stumbled upon it completely by accident one day when she was tightening her ponytail. As soon as she'd lifted her arms and tightened the elastic, Hoku—who had been playing hard to get—came straight over.

Darby had been so amazed that she had tested it several times, and each time she tightened the ponytail, Hoku came to her.

The signal had never failed.

Darby clucked her tongue to get Hoku's attention. As the filly glanced back over her shoulder, Darby reached up and pretended to fuss with the elastic holding her ponytail.