Ch 9 Relief

Jose Began to lead with a grace and stealthiness like Deron had never seen, and frankly could not match. He had insisted that they waited until night fall to move, which suited Deron just fine. He was thankful to be relieved of the merciless sun as they moved. Jose always managed to keep the three amongst cover, cover that Deron might not have known existed. Jose seemed to know where every patchwork of bushes or rock pile laid and could move from one to the next while exposing himself very little. He moved quietly and intently but the pace never slowed to a crawl. They covered great distances in an undetectable manner.



Ed’s antics slowed to a halt and for the first time his grin had diminished. He followed Jose, doing his best to imitate his movements. It became apparent to Deron that Ed did not see well in the dark. He obviously used his eyesight and speed to stay safe. Jose relied on stealth, Deron had always had brute strength to fall back on.



As the three moved through the night Deron could feel a change. Every night he’d spent here so far surprised him, it became quite cold after the sun set. It could nearly burn you to death during the day but by night there was a distinct crispness. But tonight the contrast was even more. As they moved along Deron could feel the air cool and grow thinner. It was apparent they were going up.

It was also apparent that the coyotes that had been following him and Ed earlier were still tracking them. Deron could hear yips and howls behind them as they moved along through the night. But where there once was two Deron was quite certain he could now hear four. They never came too close, but they were diligent all night.



By sometime around midnight Deron began to notice larger bushes, and occasionally a tree. The grass began to be as high as his ankle, and he’d stop to steal a few mouthfuls from time to time. It was as sweet and delicious as the grass back home. Just before dawn Jose began to lead them down into a very steep very rocky canyon. As they approached the bottom Deron could hear it. He could hear running water. He again broke into an excited sprint. He arrived to the water’s edge before Jose.



It still wasn’t quite the roaring river that Deron had envisioned. He could have easily stepped across it without getting a hoof wet. But he didn’t care. It was beautiful rushing down through the jagged rocks, occasionally diving off miniature water falls into clear pools. It was a great cry better than what he’d seen over the last few days. He promptly stepped in and laid down letting the icy water rush over him gulping in mouthfuls as it rushed in. Between gulps he yelled.



“Thank you Jose! Thank you! You saved my life!”



“You are welcome Deron. Now get your fill, quiet down and follow me to the thicket. We need to hide. Hunters come here frequently and daylight is nearly here.”



A stream and a thicket. Deron began to feel like he might make it after all.