"So what's that got to do with today?" Chase asks me. I can see in his eyes that he knows where this is going.
"Kristy won't go after her. She knows it's dangerous, but she's not willing to risk anything to get her beloved horse back. I tried and tried to get her to save Indie, but she says she won't do it. But I will. We will. Right?" My eyes are pleading. Chase looks at me, but I can't find even a hint of doubt in his eyes.
"It's risky," he tells me. "Saving a horse from conditions like she's in. She's practically wild, and she's an off the track thoroughbred. But she's already been saved once; already proven to me that she can become what nobody ever expected. If it was any other horse, I'd say no. But I'll do it. I'll do it for Indie." Tears come to my eyes as Chase tells me he'll do it. I throw myself into his arms in another hug, and whisper, "thank you."
"So what's the play, Becky?" He asks me, his tone now serious. "How are we going to go about saving her?" I smile. I've already thought it through, and I know my plan has loopholes, but it doesn't matter. We're going to try. I grab my backpack with all of my supplies, and head into my garage for the last things we need. A roll of neon orange fencing and my dad's staple gun are in my hands. I bring the items inside and set them on the kitchen table.
"Here's the plan," I begin. "Fairfax is just the town over, it won't be too hard to bike or walk over to the field where Indie was spotted. I looked it up, and the ground was a bit soft on the day she was spotted due to a recent rain. That means hopefully there will be hoof prints in the soil where she was. We can follow those as long as possible, then we'll be on our own to spread out and search for any signs of her. Maybe we'll find her, maybe we won't. If we don't, I'll leave the staple gun and fencing out there until I get another chance to go out and search."
"And if we do find her?" Chase asks. He's watching me intently as I lay out my plan.
"Here's what happens," I tell him, smiling. "If we find her, we have to be extremely cautious and quiet. I'll take the fencing and wrap it quietly around the trees until we have her locked in there like a paddock. The staple gun can hold the fencing in place. With a fence surrounding her, she won't be able to escape, and that'll up our chances of getting near her without her bolting off. If she's tame, and Kristy was just lying to me, then I have her halter and lead rope. We'll call for a trailer once we're out of the woods, and bring her back to Endeavor. But I don't think that'll be the case." I explain every detail of my plan to Chase, who is listening carefully and even asking a few questions from time to time.
"That's really elaborate," Chase states once I'm finished. "And I wouldn't think in a million years that it'll work. But who knows, when we're dealing with you, I have to expect the unexpected." I blush and grin a little bit.
"Alright, let's get going," I say. I'm nervous, but I can't let that show in front of Chase. I have to stay strong and confident in my plan.
Together, the walk to the Green County/Fairfax town line only takes us a half hour. I had started out carrying the heavy roll of orange fencing, but in the end Chase is the one who ends up carrying it since it's too heavy for me.
Once we're in Fairfax, our steps are a little bit faster, and our hopes a little bit higher. The field isn't too far away now, and our conversation has died down to nothing as our minds race and our nerves flare.
"Here we are," I breathe quietly as the field comes into view. A large expanse of long green and yellow grasses rolls ahead before us. Not too far off, I can see the line where the field meets the forest. "Over there." I point in the direction of the trees, and Chase's gaze follows my finger.
"Right then," he says nervously. "You first. You're the leader here, aren't you?" I nod, faking my courage. I don't want to admit how scared I am. In my dream last night, everything had turned out perfect, like a movie. Indie and I had a wonderful reunion and we all lived happily ever after. But here, anything can happen. For all Chase and I know, Indie could be dead by now. Expect the unexpected... isn't that what Chase said to me?
I lead the way over to the woods, and I dare to look inside, within the trees. Nothing is in there. Had I been expecting something to just show up? It's probably just my nerves. Chase and I look around on the ground beneath our feet. Even at ten o'clock in the morning, the sky is dark and the clouds are light gray, and seem to be getting darker. Chase draws a flashlight from his backpack and shines it on the ground, making it easier for both of us to see.
He hands me the flashlight and takes a shining keychain off of his backpack, making it so we can separate and still look.
"Becky," I hear him call after a few minutes. "Becky, come here." I walk over to him, nervous. His flashlight is pointed to one spot in the ground. A hoof print. The shape is undeniable, a perfect hoof print embedded in the ground. More half-prints surround it, leading in a barely visible trail towards the tree line. Indie was here.
Both Chase and I look at each other. We know what we have to do, but neither of us feel ready for the horrors that could possibly be awaiting us in those woods.
"Lead the way," Chase whispers to me, repeating what he had said earlier. "You're the leader here, aren't you?"
I nod. "I know I am. Let me just think for a second." He looks at me and sighs.
"Are you ready to find your mare?" He asks. His voice is quiet and his eyes are soft.
"No. But this is something that needs to be done, whether I'm ready or not."
Chapter 9
Start from the beginning
