Destiny and Stardust (16 page)

They were just a few metres away from the truck now. Surely the rangers wouldn't shoot and risk hitting one of the riders? Cameron had no choice. He had to give them a chance to get the horses on to the truck.

Issie looked up at the uniformed men who had clambered over the tennis net and were arranging themselves with their guns on the fallen tree. She could see two more rangers climbing up the steep banks to the right, hanging on to tree roots to hoist themselves up with their guns strapped to their backs.

Not much longer now, not much further,
Issie thought to herself.

As Issie approached the foot of the ramp she slowed Destiny down to a trot.

“Bring him over here,” Aidan instructed, leaping forward to direct her to the side of the ramp.

The rest of the herd had slowed down too and were boggling nervously at the truck.

“Don't give them time to think!” Aidan yelled back at the riders. “Get in behind them now and herd them forward.”

“Yee-hah!” There was a cowboy whoop as Ben and Dan rode up on Tornado and Scott, driving the herd forward. The buckskin mare snorted in shock and took a wild leap, cantering up the ramp and into the truck. As she did so, the others followed.

“Keep them moving!” Aidan commanded, bolting the ponies one by one into the partitioned booths in the truck as the boys herded more ponies onboard. Occasionally one would escape their clutches, leaping off the side of the ramp and cantering back down the hill to rejoin the others underneath the trees down by the sea. It was Stella and Kate's job to drive the stragglers up the hill once more to join the herd moving on to the horse truck.

“How many have we got in so far?” Issie shouted out to Aidan.

“Thirteen!” Aidan yelled back. “Do you think we should raise the ramp now?”

Issie nodded. “I guess so. At least that's half of them.”

“The rangers are here. We need to move fast,” Aidan said. “If we can round the others up and get them penned maybe we can…”

He was interrupted by the sound of screaming.

“What's going on down there?” Avery shouted.

Stella, who had been trying to herd the stragglers back up the hill, was underneath the trees at the far end of the cove. She was trying desperately to hang on to Blaze, but the chestnut mare was going crazy. Stella screamed as Blaze reared straight up in the air, throwing her backwards on to the ground.

“Stella!” Issie began to ride towards her. But instead of looking pleased to see her friend, Stella's face was white with fear as Issie approached.

“Don't!” Stella squealed. “Issie! Stay back!”

Issie was confused. What was wrong? Why didn't Stella want her help?

“In the trees!” Stella yelled. “It's in the trees!”

Issie looked up into the pohutukawa branches above her head. She saw a dark shadow moving, a black blur silhouetted against the blue sky. And then she heard it. The low rumble of the feline growl. So that was what had made Blaze rear!

Issie peered up nervously into the trees above, trying to see where the Grimalkin had gone. She could still hear its growl. She knew it was close.

“Where is it?” Stella said, her eyes flicking nervously over the trees above them. “I don't see it any more. Where is it?”

A bloodcurdling yowl drew their attention from the trees above, followed by the sickening squeal of a horse.

“Blaze!” Issie screamed. The chestnut mare squealed again and gave an enormous buck as a big, black cat the size of a mountain lion leapt on to her back and sunk its claw into her haunches.

Blaze let out a terrified whinny as she felt the claws sink in. She kicked out desperately, trying to free herself from the predator on her back.

“Blaze!” Issie screamed again. She rode Destiny towards the mare. She didn't know what she was going to do, but she did know that she had to try and save her horse.

She had almost reached Blaze when Aidan overtook her on Diablo. “I'll get her. You stay back!” he shouted at Issie as he rode straight at Blaze.

When he reached her he tried to grab the mare by the reins. But Blaze was terrified and bucking like a bronco to get the cat off her back.

With one huge final buck Blaze managed to throw the big cat loose. The Grimalkin turned immediately to new prey, his eyes on Aidan and Diablo. It drew back its lips in a deep, grumbling snarl, revealing a set of long, white fangs.

“Issie, get Stella and Blaze out of here!” Aidan yelled.

“But, Aidan…”

“Do it!” Aidan commanded.

Issie jumped down off Destiny and rushed forward. She had just enough time to pull Stella to her feet before the Grimalkin leapt to attack again. This time the black cat threw itself through the air at Diablo, its gleaming white teeth were bared as it lunged at the horse's neck.

Diablo went up in a half rear to meet the big cat and just and he did so Issie heard the gun fire. Two shots rang out one after the other, echoing through the cove. Issie turned to see Ranger Cameron perched up on the hill behind them. His face was white with shock. The rifle was raised in his hands.

“Blaze?” Issie yelled, utterly terrified. She ran forward. Where was her horse? In the darkness underneath the trees she could see the body of a horse lying on the ground and as she got closer she felt an icy chill run up her spine.

It was just like her dream. Her heart raced as she reached the point where she saw the horse fall. She was shocked to see not one, but two bodies lying deathly still on the ground.

There was the enormous black shape of the Grimalkin sprawled in front of her, lying there with its deadly jaws spread wide in a rictus smile. Next to the Grimalkin, though, was another body. The body of a horse. It was just like her dream – except she could see now that the horse wasn't Blaze. It was Diablo.

Diablo! Issie ran towards the piebald gelding lying motionless on the ground. She had almost reached the horse's side when she felt strong hands around her shoulders holding her back.

“No, Issie…” Avery said firmly. “It's no use. There's nothing we can do to help him…”

“Tom! Ohmygod! It all happened so fast. I heard the two shots and I thought it was Blaze… and where is Blaze?” Issie was suddenly gripped with panic.

“It's OK. She's here and she's fine. I've got her,” Stella called out. “What happened?”

“Cameron shot the Grimalkin – and he shot Diablo too,” Issie called back to her.

Dan and Ben had heard the gunshots and were already off their horses at Issie's side. They stared at the two dark forms on the ground. Dan nervously prodded the limp body of the black cat. Issie could see a trickle of red blood matted into the black fur on its chest where the bullet had entered. The great cat's eyes were shut but its mouth lolled open, exposing two rows of white razor-sharp teeth.

A few metres away from the Grimalkin was the body of Diablo. The horse wasn't moving. Dan gave Diablo a nudge with his foot, but the horse didn't respond.

“Where's Aidan?” Issie suddenly panicked. “He was riding Diablo when he was shot. Where is he now?”

“I'm over here,” Aidan called back. He was sitting on the ground under the big pohutukawa tree, looking vacant and dazed.

Issie and Stella ran over to him as Aidan tried to stand up. “I must have been knocked out for a moment,” Aidan said, rubbing the back of his head. He still looked wobbly on his feet. “What happened?”

“Diablo's been shot,” Issie told him.

“What? But how…”

“Here's Cameron. He knows what happened,” Issie said.

“Are you all OK?” Cameron gasped for breath. “I was trying to get a clear shot when I fired at the cat, but there were people in the way and…” Cameron stopped in his tracks when he saw Diablo on the ground. “But… I don't see how… I wasn't aiming for the horse. I was aiming for the cat!” he said. There was a look of horror on his face. “I was aiming for the cat…”

Aidan wasn't listening. He left them standing there and ran over to the horse lying on the ground. His face was ashen as he crouched down beside Diablo and slowly put out his hand to stroke the horse's neck.

“Aidan, I'm so sorry—” Issie began.

Suddenly Aidan leapt back from the horse and stood up. When he turned around to look at the others he had a massive grin on his face.

“Aidan? What is it?” Issie asked.

Aidan looked down at Diablo. “Well done, boy,” he said. “Very good!” Then he clapped his hands together twice. “Wake up, Diablo!” he commanded.

On his word, Diablo began to stir, shaking out his mane and snorting as if waking from a nap, pushing himself up on his front legs and then rising on all fours to stand there before them, perfectly and absolutely alive.

“I don't believe it!” Stella was stunned. “You mean he wasn't shot at all?”

“Nope.” Aidan couldn't wipe the grin off his face. “He was just performing his favourite trick. He's been trained to pretend that he's dead whenever he hears a gun fire. When Cameron's rifle went off and he fell to the ground you thought he'd been shot, right? But he was just foxing. Weren't you, Diablo?”

“Ohmygod, Diablo!” Issie laughed. “You crazy horse! You scared us all half to death!”

Issie, Stella and Kate all took turns to hug the big piebald while Aidan stood by, stroking Diablo's nose and telling him how clever he was for playing dead.

“I know it gave us all the fright of our lives, but it's exactly what he was trained to do, so I can't tell him off, can I?” Aidan said, grinning. “I'd better go back to the truck and get him a carrot; he deserves a reward for being such a good, dead horse!”

While Aidan raced back to the truck to get Diablo his treat, Avery went to check Blaze's wounds and the riders gathered around the body of the Grimalkin.

“Is
he
really dead?” Stella asked nervously.

Cameron bent down to examine the black cat. He looked back up at Stella and nodded. “I'm afraid so. It looks like one of the bullets went straight through his heart. It would have killed him instantly.” Cameron sighed. “It's a terrible shame. I wish I'd had a choice, but when he began to attack Diablo and Aidan I knew I had to shoot…”

Issie looked at the Grimalkin. “He's even bigger than I remember him, that night on the fence behind the stables…”

“He's huge!” Stella agreed. “What sort of animal do you think he is?”

“He looks a bit like a black panther,” Ben said, leaning closer and giving the cat a nervous stroke to feel his soft black fur.

“Yes, I think that's exactly right,” Cameron said. “Panthera Niger – that's the Latin name for them. They're a type of leopard really – see, underneath the black pigment if you look closely you can make out the spots or rosettes in the fur.” Cameron shook his head. “Remarkable! I'd always heard that rumour about one escaping into the hills from that wildlife park a few years back, but I never thought it was true – until now.”

“Why did he attack now? Stella asked.

Cameron looked over their heads at the pohutukawa trees.

“Panthers sleep in the trees during the day. He was probably taking a nap and we disturbed him.”

“Blaze was so brave fighting him off like that,” Stella said.

“Ohmygod, Blaze!” Issie looked over to where Avery was checking the mare's wounds. “I'd better go and see if she's OK.”

Avery gave Issie the thumbs up as she headed towards him. “It looks like really good news, Issie,” he called out. “A few superficial claw marks and puncture wounds where the cat clung on to her back, but not too bad considering.”

Issie gave her pony a hug, wincing a bit as the pain in her arm reminded her of her injured wrist. “Good girl, Blaze! That cat should have known not to mess with you!”

“You see, here,” Avery continued, “on her rump… there are a couple of deeper cuts that will need a few stitches. We'll get a vet to come and check on her, but it's nothing to worry about. Blaze is a fighter – she's proven that many times now and she showed it again today. She'll be fine.”

“Hey!” Aidan called out to them, “there's still one space in the horse truck, Issie. Blaze is probably a bit too sore to walk all the way back to the manor. She can ride home with the Blackthorn Ponies.”

“What about the rest of the ponies?” Kate asked. “We still have ten wild horses trapped in here with us. What are we going to do with them?”

“I think we can help you with that,” Cameron said, looking grave as he unslung the gun that was strapped to his back.

“Cameron, please…” Issie began.

The ranger smiled at her. “Don't worry. I don't mean like that, Issie. The cull is cancelled. We have no plans to shoot any more animals today.” He turned to his men. “But since we're all here now, I'm sure my rangers would be happy to give you a hand. Do you have a few spare halters in that truck of yours?”

Issie nodded.

“Tell Aidan to keep the truck parked there a little longer and we'll help you to corral the rest of the horses and get halters on them. It'll be easier to get them back to the manor if they're all on lead reins.”

“Oh, Cameron, that would be amazing. Thank you!” Issie said.

“Let's get a move on then,” Cameron said, “before those ponies in the truck get too restless.”

With the help of the rangers it didn't take long at all to catch the stragglers. While the others put halters on the Blackthorn Ponies, Issie was busy loading Blaze into the horse truck.

“Don't worry. She'll be fine. I'll take care of her, I promise,” Aidan said. Then he gave the riders a wave and revved the truck into gear, driving off up the Coast Road with the thirteen Blackthorn Ponies and Blaze onboard.

“Are you going to be OK to take it from here?” Cameron asked Issie as the riders prepared to head home.

“Uh-huh, I think so,” Issie said. “We've only got nine Blackthorn ponies left. And six of us. Which would be fine except I can't lead a pony with my wrist in a sling like this. I guess the others are going to have to lead two ponies each.”

“I can manage two at once on Diablo,” said Avery.

“I think I can take two as well,” Kate said.

“So can we,” Dan and Ben offered.

“Then I bagsy leading that pretty strawberry roan one if I'm only leading one!” Stella said.

“Ohhh. I was going to choose her,” Kate sighed. “All right. I'm having that lovely dapple-grey and the silver roan.”

“I'm taking the chestnut with the white star and the buckskin,” Ben joined in.

“I'll take the two bays,” Dan added.

Avery cocked an eyebrow at them. “I didn't realise we were all picking our favourites. I thought we were herding ponies – not choosing chocolates from a box!”

The riders all laughed. Then they laughed even harder when Avery picked the last two skewbalds in the herd to lead home. “Their patches kind of match yours, don't they, my lad?” he said to Diablo, giving him a slappy pat on his black and white neck.

As the riders tied the ponies' lead ropes to their saddles and prepared to ride out, Cameron strode back over to them. “We're all packed up ready to leave too,” he said, gesturing over his shoulder towards his men who were waiting in the jeeps. “I'll call ahead to Hester on the car phone and let her know you're on your way home.”

“Thanks, Cameron… for everything.” Issie smiled at him.

Cameron smiled back. “You've got some beautiful ponies here, Issie. You did a good job here today.”

He turned to Avery. “I hope you'll find good homes for them.”

Avery nodded. “The ILPH are already talking to potential owners. We'll get the ponies broken in and schooled up. They're very clever and bold jumpers. The way those ponies jumped that tree the last time we were here, well, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them become eventing superstars one day.”

With nine wild horses to manage, the journey home to Blackthorn Manor was a slow ride. By the time the riders came down the long, leafy driveway they were all exhausted. Still, their spirits lifted when they saw the huge banner Hester had painted and strung over the balcony. It read: W
ELCOME HOME
B
LACKTHORN
P
ONIES
–
SAFE AT LAST
!

Hester was there waiting for them of course. She was joined on the lawn by a welcoming committee that included Aidan, Nanook, Taxi and Strudel, several of Hester's neighbours and members of the Save the Blackthorn Ponies group, a reporter from the local Gisborne Gazette and a pretty blonde in jodhpurs with a photographer in tow.

The sight of the riders leading the wild ponies down the driveway caused an outbreak of spontaneous clapping from the crowd, and the photographer began to snap furiously like a red-carpet paparazzi trying to get the perfect shot.

“Isadora! Isadora!” the pretty blonde woman with the jodhpurs raced forward. “I'm Cinnamon Lane from
PONY Magazine
. Can I get an exclusive with you about the Blackthorn Ponies? How did you catch them? What will happen now?”

“Cinnamon, dear!” Hester beamed. “I'm sure my niece will be more than happy to give
PONY Magazine
the exclusive story. You're welcome to stay and interview her over dinner. Right now let's get these ponies into the field with the others, get these riders unsaddled and get the kettle on for a nice cup of hot tea. You must all be exhausted!”

It was the best homecoming the riders could have imagined. Down at the stables the riders went out to the paddock to let the new ponies loose and watched as they all happily greeted one another.

“A real family reunion at last!” Hester grinned.

“I can't believe we really saved all of them,” Stella said as she leant over the rails to watch the ponies. “They're all together again!”