Spirit Horses (38 page)

“My gosh,” Megan exclaimed, “do these guys really
feel they have to eliminate the horses to gain control of the land?”

“Yes, they do. Once you talk to the Shoshone and
realize the
importance of the horses to their heritage, you’ll understand.

“Nethers has been smart; he’s
covered his tracks well. Without any hard evidence against him, there’s no way
we would be able to get outside authorities to help stop him before it’s too
late. Because of the financial pressure he’s putting on the tribe, along with
his aggressive attempts to kill the herd, we’re really working against the cloc
k.”

“I understand you can’t point fingers or name names
in your article, but I do need you to know I have pictures that prove someone
has been actively testing for oil in the valley. We also have pictures of the
horses that were shot down in cold blood.”

Megan sat quietly and thought about what she’d just
heard. “I can’t write about any connection between the illegal oil testing and
the dead horses without some kind of evidence or witness to support the theory.
Our biggest problem now, is that you and I are working against the clock.
You’re trying to ward off any more attempts on the herd, and I have a deadline
to meet. My editor needs this article done by the end of this week. If he
approves it, it will be in our subscribers’ mailboxes in about fifteen days.”

Shane thought for a second.
“If all you can do right now is write about the mustangs, their unique history,
and the fact that someone is killing them off, that should get us the exposure
we need to save them. Maybe you can sell the idea for a possible follow-up
article about the rest of all this to your bosses, once the truth does come
out.”

“
Okay, then
we’ve got our angle for now. But, like I said before, I’ll need to go see the
surviving herd, as well as the carcasses. We’ll need pictures of our own, along
with whatever photos you have.” Megan noticed the grimace on Shane’s face and
asked him what was wrong.

“Well, it’s pretty rough country out there, and the
herd isn’t
always easy to locate.”

“No problem,” she answered. “I anticipated this, and
I’ve already got the okay from my boss to rent a helicopter and pilot for a
couple of days. The people at the airport said they had a five-seater
available. Normally my magazine wouldn’t allow me to be quite so frivolous with
my budget, but after my preliminary research on the story, we realized just how
big the Wind River Reservation is. I convinced my editor a helicopter was the
only way we could put this together in the limited time I have. I was hoping
one of the Shoshone would be available to guide us on Tuesday. Today I hope to
gather as much information as I can from the Indians. Then we can go to the
Fort Washakie museum for some research and fact-finding on the herd’s
background.”

As usual, Megan was well organized and in charge.
Shane reached over from the driver’s seat and patted her on the knee.

“Megan,” he said with a grin, “I’m just damn glad
you’re on our side.”

She laughed and replied, “To tell the truth, I’m
really excited about writing this story.”

Shane planned to take Megan to speak to Tigee as
soon as they arrived at the ranch. He wanted her to learn from the old man
first hand about the spiritual ties the Shoshone shared with these horses. He
also knew Tigee would be concerned that the public might laugh at or mock these
ancient beliefs. He would need to convince him that Megan could depict this in a
way that would gain the respect and admiration from her readers for the
Shoshone and the relationship they had shared for so long with these unique
horses.

Earlier in the morning Shane had asked Tara to come
home from work in time to drive over to Fort Washakie with them. Her knowledge
and connections at the museum would come in handy.

The interview with Tigee went well, and Megan left
the house excited. While they were at Tigee’s, Shane made arrangements for JB
to go with them as a guide tomorrow in the helicopter.

As usual, Tara was on time, and the four of them
spent the rest of the afternoon at the museum. Tara was able to get copies of
some of the old pictures for Megan to take with her, along with copies of the
records showing the herd’s bloodlines.

They stopped for dinner on the way back to the
ranch. “I have a favor to ask of you, Megan,” Shane said.

“What do you need?”

“I need your helicopter pilot to take JB and me into
the valley before the trip out with you. It shouldn’t take more than a half
hour. I can do it first thing in the morning, and I’ll pay for the helicopter’s
time. As soon as we’re back, we’ll take you in and show you everything you need
to see.”

“Can you tell me what you’re doing?”

Shane told her about the two wolves and how Butch
had been injured.

“These dogs have saved my life more than once. While
you and Tara were gathering the materials you needed at the museum, I contacted
a veterinarian and asked him to meet me at the ranch in the morning. I need to
fly him out to check on Butch and, if necessary, transport the wolves back with
us. Tara’s brothers, who are out guarding the horses, checked on him this
morning. They radioed in and said he didn’t look too good. I’m worried if I
don’t get him help soon, he may die. Your helicopter could be his only chance
of surviving.”

“Sure, you go and get him. I’m supposed to call the
pilot at seven a.m. I thought if the people at the ranch didn’t mind, I’d have
him land and pick us up in that big field just west of the compound.”

“Thanks, Megan”

Later that evening, Shane and Megan relaxed on his
porch. Megan’s photographer, Brett, had already crashed in a sleeping bag
inside on the floor.

Megan looked over at Shane with a smile and said, “I
couldn’t help but notice the way you and that Shoshone girl look at each
other.”

This was very awkward for Shane. After all, it was
Megan who had introduced Shane to Jen. Shane sighed, looking out into the dark
night. Megan put her hand on Shane’s shoulder and said, “You know how much I
cared for Jen and the kids, but I’d be happy for you if you found someone. It’s
been two years. You need to go on with your life.”

Shane nodded and sighed again. “I still miss them so
much.” This caused a few quiet tears for Megan as she bit her lip. The two sat
there for a long time, neither one knowing what to say next.

Finally Megan spoke her mind. “I need you to know
that I didn’t find out about the accident until the day of the funeral. You
realize I would have come, if I’d known.”

“I know you would have. I’m sorry I didn’t return
any of your calls. The whole thing was such a nightmare. Shortly after, I
jumped head first into a bottle of whiskey and stayed there for about a year.
If I hadn’t found the school paper Jacob had written about Sloppy, I’d still be
back at the farm, struggling to find a reason to get up every morning.”

Megan interrupted, “There’s no need for you to
apologize. I knew eventually we’d get a chance to talk, and now we have.” It
felt good for both of them to clear the air.

The next morning JB was nervously waiting at Tigee’s when Shane
arrived. “I want you to know I’m not happy about this.”

“About what?”

“Helicopters. I hated flying in those freakin’
things when I was in Desert Storm, and I’m going to hate it today. If I get
sick, I’m going to do it on you, damn it!”

Shane laughed and said, “Sorry man, if I had known I
would have asked someone else.”

“Yeah, yeah,” JB answered. “Let’s just get it over
with. Tara told me we were going out to get the dog first. I’m glad about that,
anyway. We need to either help him, or put him out of his misery. He’s a good
dog.”

The veterinarian’s name was Dr. Burrows. He owned a
mobile vet service in the area. Shane had called several small-animal hospitals
in town, and they all recommended Dr. Burrows for the job. He arrived at the
ranch at eight, and after Shane described the dog’s injury, he quickly grabbed
some meds and equipment from his truck. Shane asked him to bring two crates,
figuring if Butch did need to be transported, they would also bring Jessie
back. He knew Jessie could survive on his own, but he’d feel better if the wolf
was at home.

JB directed the pilot to an open area about a
hundred yards from the creek where Butch was. They were afraid if they landed
the chopper too close, they might spook the dogs. If the two slipped off into
the woods, they may never find them. The pilot stayed with the helicopter,
while his three passengers carried the crates and equipment to the creek. As
they approached, Butch appeared to lay motionless, Jessie sitting at his side.

“Hey, buddy, we’re going to get you some help now,”
he told the wolf as he slipped a muzzle on him, then motioned for Dr. Burrows
to come over. Butch yelped in pain at the vet’s slightest touch. “What do you
think, Doc?”

“I suspect he has multiple broken ribs, but my main
concern is a possible diaphragmatic hernia.”

“What’s that?” Shane asked.

“Basically, it’s when there is a tear in the lining
of the chest cavity, allowing the intestines to push through. Hopefully, if the
hernia is small enough we can repair it, but I’ll be honest, I think his
chances are slim. I won’t know for sure till I get him to the hospital for some
X-rays. Hold his head while I sedate him. Let’s get him in the crate and start
running some fluids during the return flight.” Shane looked over in time to see
JB coaxing Jessie into the other crate with some raw meat. Soon they were all
back at the ranch.

Chapter 24

The flight shook up Jessie, but Butch was heavily sedated and too badly
hurt to care. They unloaded the crates and the vet’s equipment into Shane’s
truck and drove the dogs across the field to the compound. As soon as Jessie
was let out of his crate, he hightailed it straight to Shane’s porch. The dog
nervously watched as the vet loaded the crate, with Butch still inside, and
drove off to the animal hospital. As he watched the truck leave the ranch,
Shane stood there with a helpless feeling, hoping his friend would make it. He
turned to check on Jessie and smiled as he noticed JB on the porch, petting him
and calming him down.

Megan, Brett, Tara, and Tigee, came walking out of
the house and asked, “How is he?”

“I don’t know. At least he has a chance now. The vet
has your phone number and is supposed to call when he knows more. I’ve told him
I’ll pay for whatever they need to do to try to save him.” Tigee nodded, gave
him a pat on his back, then went into his house.

Tara walked over to Shane and put her hand on his
shoulder. “You’ve done all you can. I have to go to work now. I’ll call Dr.
Burrows later and see how Butch is doing.” She kissed him on the cheek and
left.

“All right, let’s load up and go,” Shane spoke. “We’ve
got a lot to do today.” Tigee had given Shane a radio so the chopper could stay
in touch with Tara’s brothers in the valley.

“This valley is breathtaking,” Megan remarked as
they flew above the Big Wind River.

Tara’s brothers had found the herd just a couple
miles south of where the chopper was, and soon the pilot spotted them. The
helicopter noise put Naatea and the herd into a wild run, which gave Brett some
great action photos of the horses in their element. After that, JB guided the
pilot to Jasper Canyon so Megan could see firsthand the carcasses of the slain
horses.

Next, they flew out to where the thumper trucks had
scarred the ground while searching for oil. Tigee had finally told JB and Hawk
about the illegal testing after they returned from their last trip to the
valley, and Tashawa let JB know where to find the testing spots. Once Megan had
taken all the pictures she needed, Shane asked JB to direct the pilot to a
place with a view that would blow these
people away. “You choose the spot, JB. I just want Megan to get a real grasp of
how special this valley really is.”

JB smiled, nodded, and then directed the pilot to
the edge of the mountains on the northwest side of the valley. Shane had never
been here, either.

“Oh, my gosh!” Megan exclaimed, as she stepped out
of the helicopter. The pilot turned off the engine to join them. Brett went
crazy taking pictures as the five of them stood there in awe. “This area is
called South Fork,” JB informed them. “It’s the only place around here where
two mountain ranges join together. If you look up and behind us to the north
you’ll see the Carter Mountains. To the east are the Owl Creek Mountains.” JB
pointed down as everyone looked. “That’s Muddy Creek over six thousand feet
below us. The creek runs into the Wind River a few miles south of here.”