Spring of the Poacher's Moon by Angela Dorsey

Author:Angela Dorsey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: wind, spring, moon, twilight, moose, poachers, kestral, calf, rusty, whinnies, winnies, evy, on the, of the
Publisher: Enchanted Pony Books

Chapter 8

I asked Rusty to slow down after half a mile and he was more than happy to do so. He’d been out and about most of the day and was getting tired. Not Twilight. I don’t think she ever runs out of energy. She bounced around us, went on mini explorations, and pretended trees were monsters until we were almost halfway home.

Suddenly, she paused, with her head high. She sniffed the air. A moment later, Rusty and I smelled it too. Smoke. He stopped before I asked him. Fire in the bush was a super dangerous thing. It had been a dry spring and a forest fire wasn’t completely impossible. If we could catch a blaze before it became too big, we might be able to stop a forest fire and save many animals, and possibly even humans, in the process. I knew the moose calf was waiting for us. He needed us desperately. But to ignore the possibility of a forest fire was putting every one of us in danger.

“Let’s check it out, Rusty,” I said, decision made. I laid my hand on the left side of his neck and he turned toward my touch. We trotted about a quarter of a mile with Twilight glued to Rusty’s hindquarters and finally came to a ridge top. Before us, the ground dropped down into a large, forested bowl. A single column of smoke spiralled up from below. I saw a flash of blue through some trunks. A tent? Relief made me exhale and slump on Rusty’s back. It had to be campfire smoke.

Go home? asked Rusty.

Not yet. I’m not sure what made me hesitate. Maybe it was my subconscious mind at work, telling me this was the perfect place for a hidden camp. Maybe something seemed wrong or out of place, or maybe I’m just really smart… ha ha! Okay, honestly? It was my mom who made me hesitate. I heard her voice in my head, droning on and on in one of the millions of campfire safety lectures that she’s given me over the years.

We should make sure the campfire is safe, I answered Rusty. I didn’t see anyone down there. The campers might be hidden by the trees and brush between us, but then again, they might have left the fire unattended, and that was dangerous. If everyone was gone, we should put the fire out. No doubt it would make the campers mad to see a pile of dirt where their fire used to be, but that was better than them starting a forest fire with a stray spark. They’d thank me if they knew what they were risking.

Because I didn’t want to make a preachy entrance in case someone was just lounging out of sight, I left the horses on the ridge top with strict instructions to Twilight to stay put. She looked at me crossly, then turned her head away.

Bossy, she said, and shook her mane.

So much for gratitude after saving her from the scary man.

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