The Scout

Chapter - 44

The Scout
Chap 44
'Square Root of 1 Million'
By: Mike Hurley

Amy watched Liberty casually step into the monster river like it was a swimming pool.  Riley automatically followed without Amy giving a command.  They were War Horses & very intelligent.
Amy never liked crossing rivers. They can be dangerous & often hide secret killers like undertows & tree branches on the bottom that ensnarl feet.
Whirlpools can suck a person to the bottom & pin him there for days......

Robin, you ok??

Yeah we're good; but this river scares me.

Amy thought about their last crossing, at this very point, when Billy got swept downstream & Shawn swam after him. Amy got goosebumps just thinking about Billy & Shawn almost drowning.

Amy was scared, the roar of the river, fast currents rocketing past her legs & ice cold water........

Ty!!!!   Amy said aloud; Hearing his name calmed her. She clung tightly to Riley & shoved her feet deep into the stirrups.  She set an arrow into her bow & looked all around. The moon had disappeared & they were engulfed in total darkness, except for the distant glow of stars.

Oh God!!  Amy murmured as she felt Riley begin to swim, they were in deep water already & Amy had no idea how the horses knew where they were going. Amy felt the currents try to rip her tennis shoes off. She held her bow & arrow in her left hand & clung to Riley's mane with her right. Amy was a tough & seasoned warrior but mountain rivers freaked her out. She leaned forward and laid her head on Riley's powerful neck & yearned to be inside Ty's arms.
He was her man, strong & fearless.

Riley, please be careful; Amy whispered to the horse. She couldn't see Robin & Liberty or the far shore. She wondered how Riley knew where he was going.

Horses had stood on hillsides for millennia, drenched in total darkness for hours, every night. Their eyes saw things Amy couldn't.
Seeing wolves & packs of coyotes meant survival for a herd. They survived an attack by fleeing; .......at great speed. Keeping their young, and their pregnant mares in the center.

An ordinary horse lacked the stamina, endurance & intelligence needed to cross this fast flowing monster of a river at night.

Robin, turn on your sword!!  We need light!!
Amy hollered out.
There was no reply.  She yelled two more times & only heard the roar of the river.
Her feet & calves were submerged, and cold.
Her toes were numb. She felt the Power of Riley's legs swimming.  He was such a strong horse, fearless & cunning too.
She leaned down & kissed him.
I love you Riley!!  Amy whispered into his ear.

Amy pulled her back pack around & unzipped a side pocket. She pulled out a US Army hand held flashlight & turned it on. She pointed it in front of her & saw Liberty, and the far shore, 200 meters ahead.
Somehow the two War Horses were right on course.

But Amy was scared; Robin was slumped over Riley's neck like she was dead.

Amy instantly knew Robin had traveled in her spirit to fight a battle. Her sword was gone too.
What a crazy time to fly off to a battle.
Amy loved Robin as a friend, but found her hard to fathom most days.
And the way she had ripped up Shawn's heart for dead .......was tragic. Amy didn't believe in tearing into men.

Suddenly Amy sat up & put her hand on her tummy.
She had no idea why but she sensed something had just changed inside her.
She was pretty sure it was inside her, but not positive.

She looked all around and saw nothing. Everything seemed calm. As calm as a monster river could be......

But Amy was certain something was different. 
It was a very different sensation from indigestion. But she seemed almost certain deep inside her being......something had happened just a moment ago.