Nathan's laugh shuts down quickly to a half pained gulp as Pop snakes a pointed elbow into his side. I think Nat dramatises it a bit as I have swung a stirrup at him when I was really mad and he didn't even flinch. Pop should consider putting spurs on his elbows if he ever wants to mean business!
"Well," Pop says with a shrug. "You better choose Sam's death quickly. I tend to lean toward Noah's as Frank's might cause these young ladies to feel faint and ultimately become vegans. A way worse outcome."
"Oh," I blink, swiftly returning to the scene behind me. Frank was closing in, Sam had 100's of metres headstart but... "Aaavvvalllooooonnnn!" he screams again, this time with more urgency than I thought possible from the last time. There's no way I can run that fast. No way I can make it. Frank's pounding hooves might make it difficult to hear me yell.
A soft footfall sounds beside me, and a nuzzle pushes at my side then lips my shirt before fully grabbing at it. Not Amber, I know already. I turn and gape at Flea who looks rather sheepish as he backs out of the gate. "Amber was happy annoying Outlaw, so..." he scratches at his nose with a nervous trill of a laugh tacked on to the end.
"So Cherokee," I breathe out, letting him off the hook. "Looks like both me and Sam will be eating our adrenalin for dessert." Nathan jumps the fence and does this bend over squat thing. I step up his back and he rises slowly allowing me to step my leg easily on to the horse saving my side from any tension bearing movements. I pat Nathan on the head as Cherokee starts to move his feet around.
"Thanks for the neck rope," I huff to Flea indicating the pink bailing twine around Cherokee's neck, he starts to prance in earnest. "You guys are sadists."
D shudders, Nat doesn't miss it. "Man up, kid and live with the call!"
She looks even more stricken, his grin not even softening the scene in the slightest. She moves into Chops and I tilt my head at this development. Chops mumbles something into her ear, I catch my name. She nods, but her lower lip still trembles.
"Ava- f&cking- lon!" Sam screams. "Do somethiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!"
Maybe I've watched Frank too many times chase things down for it to hold my attention. I suddenly feel like my mum would be utterly disturbed by this, the fact that me, a teenage girl, is more into watching remote Voldemorts being hunted down by my killer best friend than naked guys.
"Film this," I throw Nat my phone vowing to talk to D after this, Cherokee whirls on the spot.
"HI HO, SILVER!"I cry suddenly and he rears up, oooh love horses that get into my character scenarios. And then we are off. At breakneck speed.
Although there's a small tad of apprehension about this choice of a horse because he doesn't have brakes that are anything near consistent yet, I love it. The feel os the wind as it whips my hair back behind us. I hope we make it before the fence looms too close because I'll either be catapulted right over it, go through it with Cherokee or find out whether this pony can jump. Boy, can he go, Amber is fast but this horse is built for the short burst and flies over the ground toward the hurtling Frank like a heat-seeking missile.
As we are getting filmed, I figure it should be a close a call as possible for Sam, it will be way more exciting that way. He still goes on about the bull that day when we were tipping, it's the most requested story. We gain on Frank, who, in turn, is gaining on Sam, when I get close I will attempt to get on to Frank. I've done this countless times on Amber and Frank, no matter what he is doing will check himself and slow down so I don't get hurt. Nothing must threaten the health of the reading masseuse, is most likely his creed motto. nat made me test this once when we had a Voldemort on the run. Frank stopped. I trust him.
