Walk A Different Path 🤍 Jaa/First

Chapter 16 ~ on a mission ~

"I'm sorry ... it's just" Sam began,

"it's ok, I understand" Kiri replied.

He knew that they wouldn't be able to charter a helicopter so Kiri had hired an off road vehicle complete with snow chains to transport them to the Halfway Farm, at least they would be a little bit closer.

It was a tough journey but Chit was used to driving in all kinds of terrain and with a lot of cursing and jostling his passengers about he finally got them to the farm where there were people stood around wondering what to do and there was even a news van with a reporter.

"well fuck me!" Kan said.

"baby, must you use that kind of language" Kiri said.

"sorry babe but look over there" Kan nodded across to another vehicle similar to their own and who should be climbing out of it but Raz Pasanarit and his companion.

Meanwhile Sam climbed out of the car and walked towards the house just as the guide's wife came out,

"Sam, you came back, are you ok?" she asked him.

"I will be when I know everyone is alright" he replied.

"we had one message after the avalanche but we haven't heard from anyone up the mountain since then, my husband tried to lead a team of aid workers up there with medical supplies, food and water but his horse slipped and he broke his arm, there's no one else who can get up there" she said.

"I can do it" Sam said.

"now Sam ..." Chit began.

"I can do it Chit" Sam assured him.

"I appreciate you offering dear but there's a dangerous stretch on the route and even I don't know where it is ..." the guides wife said

"are you talking about eagle point?" Sam asked making everyone turn their heads and look at him and the woman looked shocked.

"yes, eagle point"

"I know where it is, Maskwa showed me, I know how to get by it" Sam said"

Kiri had been listening to the conversation and decided to step in,

"are you sure Sam, this is important, people could get injured" Kiri said

"I'm very sure" Sam replied.

He couldn't help but be slightly pissed off that no one was taking him seriously but then why should they? he himself had created his own image of a flamboyant brainless himbo.

Kiri looked at Sam's face, he had always been a good judge of character and he could tell that what Sam was saying was the truth.

"ok, ma'am how many horses do you have?" Kiri asked the guides wife.

"we have as many as you need, folks have been loaning us their horses for the rescue mission"

"great we're going to need ... 5 including the horses for the aid workers and supplies ..." Kiri began

"make that seven" a voice called out from behind him"

"Mr Junphanatat, I've read a lot about you" Raz spoke to Kiri holding his hand out in greeting.

"Mr Pasanarit, likewise" Kiri replied taking his hand to shake.

"ma'am, we need to get up there as well so if you wouldn't mind accommodating us also" Raz said to the lady.

"sure, weren't you boys up here a few months ago?" she asked.

"yes, we have loved ones up there" Raz replied as Pon kept rubbing his temples, Timi was going crazy scratching the inside of his skull

"shiyaa! how much longer" he cursed impatiently.

"I'm sorry guys, my partner is anxious to get to the village" Raz explained while drawing Pon away from the group

"calm down Pon, if you keep acting erratically they might not take us with them" Raz said.

"so what, we could get up there faster than them anyway" Pon said.

"I know baby but we have to play things their way, you know that" Raz said trying to calm his mate.

"I know it's just ..."

" I know baby, just be patient"

After finishing their hot drinks and using the bathroom the rescue team bundled up with scarves and gloves and went outside and were provided with snow goggles then they went to mount their horses.

As soon as Raz and Pon went up to their horses they began to act skittish but Raz gave a low growl and they quieted down which Kiri thought was odd but then he looked over at his husband Kan and noticed him struggling.

"are you sure you're going to be ok baby?" Kiri asked as Kan climbed up onto the horse.

Kan had never ridden before, the closest he'd been to a horse was watching spaghetti westerns with Champ and the gang on a beer and movie night and laughing at the bad dubbing.

"course I'm going to be ok, I'm a Yorkshire man, we adapt to any given situation with ease, well, as long as we have a good supply of tea" Kan laughed trying to lighten the sombre mood.

There were fourteen people in total and six pack horses carrying medical supplies, water and food. 

Two were doctors, two were paramedics, there were two volunteers and one guy from the RCMP who wasn't at all happy about having his authority challenged by some Thai' supermodel.

The news reporter was live on air and speaking into a camera explaining that they couldn't get any helicopters up there because of the snow and how the only guide who knew the area had been in an accident and was unable to take them up the mountain.

Then she talked about a Thai supermodel called Sam Chalarmsong who apparently knew the way and was leading the rescue team then she went on to name everyone else who was going up.

Sam felt so anxious but he knew in his bones that he could do this, over the past few weeks while he had been riding every afternoon with Maskwa his skills had improved greatly. The reporter came over to him and asked him for a few words but he told her that he didn't have time.

He wasn't doing this for the glory, he just wanted to get up there and make sure that Maskwa was ok? 

"do we have tendon socks for the horses, just in case" Sam asked the guide's wife.

"yes, there are several pairs in one of the bags" she replied.

"great, well I guess we should be making tracks" Sam said.

"wait ... take this two way radio so you can keep in touch" she said handing him a HT (handheld transceiver)

"come on, let's get this show on the road then" Sam said and slowly guided his horse to the front of the group before patting her neck and encouraging her to walk on.

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