The horse continues walking, ignoring her grumble of pain and leads her straight to a wall of rock. Kimani glances up in surprise and sees a natural rock-shelter formed by the overhanging boulders. “This will have to do.” It’s big enough for the horse to fit inside with her and she could start a small fire.
“Well done,” she whispers and pats the horse, leading him under the ledge. It is larger than she first thought. It’s over fifteen feet deep with about ten feet worth of shelf jutting out over them. Not a cave by any sense but enough that she could wait out the storm.
She takes the hat from her head and shakes it off, dropping the snow from it, and puts it back on her head, pulling it low to cut the wind. Trembling with adrenaline and exertion, she stares around her. The horse pushes deeper inside the out cropping.
“Good boy,” she pats him and lays her head on the saddle, closing her eyes. A minute or more passes and he neighs, waking her.
“Right… shelter, fire, get dry and bandage your wound, Kimani,” she snarls at herself. The sound of her name is like a knife through her heart.
“Oh, God,” she falls to the ground as the screams of the dead batter her soul. “Ahbe!” Sobbing she crawls away from the horse to the wall and curls into a fetal position. “They’re all dead!” Kimani can’t push it away any longer. “Ahote?” She weeps, and her eyes close in exhaustion.
The sound of a wolf howling pierces through her dream. Kimani startles awake and stares around in confusion with a heavy weight pressing down on her. Her horse is standing at the entrance to the overhang. She can’t tell how long she had slept because of the low hanging clouds. It’s hard to hear over the pounding of her heart as adrenalin courses through her body. Her eyes fly open wide when she feels the brush of a wet, rough, tongue and fur.
Closing her eyes, she feels the weight move and the cold return. Daring to open her eyes, she watches a flash of black fur leap from her cave, past the horse and out into the snow. “Am I losing my mind?”
Pushing to her feet, her body rebels at the movement. Terrified and bleeding she stumbles to her horse and draws the pistol, expecting the wolf to attack at any moment. Wolves don’t trust humans!
The soldier had tracked her easily down the river. He followed her footprints through the falling snow to the shallow part of the river. Advancing on the out cropping he sees no movement, and the horse is just standing inside. A grin splits his face when he sees her appear and dig in the saddlebags. He cocks his rifle and takes aim. This should be easy, she’s alone. His heart pounds at the thought of how much fun they can have together. He doesn’t mind a little blood and tears.
“Come on out, girlie and I won’t kill you,” he yells. “We can share a campfire and dinner,” he teases.
Kimani’s heart sinks. The wolf was the least of her problems now. “Leave now, and I won’t kill you!” She shouts back, using the horse as her shield.
Taking sight, he aims for her leg. Stupid woman didn’t realize she was an easy target. A low, vicious growl behind him has him jumping and turning in terror.
“What the hell!” he shouts.
Kimani is waiting for the shots to come when she hears his terrified scream. Taking aim, she watches in stunned silence when the soldier leaps up, turning away from her. She doesn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. The bullet strikes him in between the shoulders, sending him falling to the ground.
He falls with his blood spilling around him, and she runs forward, keeping her gun aimed on him. Coughing up blood, he mutters, “Wolf,” and rolls over to look up at her.
Kimani keeps out of reach and watches him in disgust. Dressed in a soldier uniform, he’s everything she has come to hate. “What?”
“Wolf!” he coughs, spitting blood. Kimani turns away searching for the beast as he moans, and his breathing grows labored.
“Are there more of you,” she glances worriedly into the woods.
“Just us, girlie,” he tries to lift his hand and finds he can’t move.
“Why did you attack our village?” she demands.
“Stole our weapons…” he gasps and stares up at her. White lacey flakes land on the red stains around his face and melt instantly.
“No, we are a peaceful people!”
“You kill’t me good, girl. No need… lie.” He strains trying to sit up but still can’t move. “Can’t feel my body,” his eyes glaze over, and his breathing grows slower. Unable to bear it another minute, she strides away.
“Trackers’ll come for ya girl.”
Kimani covers her ears and leans against the rock wall.
Chapter 5
Newton Brothers, Trackers
General Barclay watches two soldiers take aim at a three-year-old boy who runs screaming through the field. He’s sobbing and looking for his mother, one of the soldiers takes aim and fires, missing. His brother shoves him, laughing.
“You can’t hit nothing, Bobby. I’ll show you how to do it.” He takes aim and misses.
General Barclay, smirks and holds his hand out, waiting for his Sharps carbine rifle to be handed to him. His shot is true. “Scalp him and get back to work,” he barks at
