“What type of rock is this?” She turned to Gieaun and Scede, still squatting as she held the stone out to them. “I’ve never seen it before, have you?”
“No, but I like it,” Gieaun commented.
“It doesn’t look like turquoise,” Scede added as he dismounted Bhun. “Maybe you should bring some back. The stone masons or jewelers back home in Aldehren ought to know what it is.”
“Do you think there is anywhere to camp in this place?” Scede continued, now looking around with his hands pressed to the small of his back. “It’s only three hours before sunset, I don’t want to get stuck wandering around in this canyon after dark.”
Gieaun eyed her brother nervously then glanced over at Jahrra.
“We’ll travel a little bit further, perhaps there is a dry sand bar where we can make camp,” Jahrra offered, standing up and pocketing the large blue-green stone she’d been turning over in her hands. “It would be more comfortable than sleeping on these rocks. And according to the map, I would say the end of the canyon can’t be more than an hour’s ride east.”
“You want to go all the way to the end and back again before sunset?” A note of anger peppered Scede’s response.
“No, what I’m saying is that, according to the map, there’s a spot marked out that is relatively flat and comfortable looking. Now the map may not have been right about distance, but it wasn’t wrong about landmarks. We can camp out there for the night.”
“Alright, one more hour, and that’s it,” Scede said, sounding more annoyed than before. “It’s bad enough you’re insisting we stay in this canyon over night!”
As the three friends led their horses deeper into the ravine, bypassing boulders and scraping past shrubs, Jahrra silently ticked away the minutes in her head. After half an hour they came around a bend in the gorge and noticed that the stream bed began to curve northward.
“Is it supposed to curve like this?” Scede asked with an agitated tone. “Did we miss a fork somewhere?”
“Calm down, Scede, I’m sure it’s normal for canyons to curve from time to time.” Gieaun was becoming bothered by Scede’s constant paranoid questions, but she shot Jahrra a nervous glance nonetheless.
“Let me look at the map again,” Jahrra breathed irritably.
Scede’s constant accusing questions kept forcing them to stop and look at the map, further holding them back from making good use of her hour. Luckily, she had resorted to keeping the map close at hand. Jahrra unfolded the parchment and quickly darted her eyes to the now familiar gash representing the gully.
“It looks like it’s supposed to curve to the northeast. In fact, according to this map it–”
But Jahrra never had a chance to finish what she was about to say. Phrym bolted forward under her, not enough to knock her off, but enough to jerk her backwards, forcing her to grab for the saddle horn and the reins. Jahrra, clutching the reins with one hand and pressing the map against the saddle with another, looked up to see what the commotion was about. Aimhe had darted about ten feet, carrying a whimpering Gieaun while Bhun was nervously back-stepping, tossing his head and baring his teeth.
“What just happened?” Jahrra gasped, pushing a loose strand of her hair out of her eyes while reining Phrym back around to face her friends.
“Oh, nothing,” Scede said with fresh ire. “Only my sister just almost got bitten by a snake! Luckily it struck that stupid pillow she had to bring with her!”
Scede was furious. Gieaun was white. Jahrra looked over at the sunny patch of rock just behind them and noticed that a very large rattlesnake was now slowly sliding off into the brush.
Jahrra glanced at Gieaun and with a shaky voice asked, “Are you alright? Did it get Aimhe?”
“No, I-I think it just got the pillow. Good thing I went back for it, huh?” Gieaun smiled nervously, trying to cover up the fear in her voice.
“Scede,” Jahrra began carefully, afraid to look her friend in the eye.
But Scede cut in before she could continue. “That’s it, we’re turning back. I’m not risking mine or my sister’s life on some aimless hike! We have come this far, we have come into the canyon. And look, you even have that blue rock to show for it. I’ve never seen it anywhere else. That’ll be enough evidence to prove to Denaeh that you tried. I doubt that she’d want any of us to die over this. Now come on Jahrra, think sensibly, we don’t know what else is in here besides that snake!”
Scede had a genuine look of desperation in his eyes. Jahrra knew he didn’t want to stay, but she also knew that he would never leave her here alone, even if she had deceived him. Sighing, Jahrra realized it was time to give up. She had let Denaeh down, but she couldn’t let her two best friends down a second time. She had lied to them and they still followed her into this canyon. She owed them. Jahrra shut her eyes and tried not to think about what was best for her, but what was best for all of them.
She was just about to tell them both that they were right when all of a sudden, without warning, something very large sprung from the side of the ravine wall. The beast attached itself to Aimhe, and as the mare did her best to kick it off in a panic, Gieaun went flying forward onto one of the large boulders resting on the canyon floor. At the same time, Bhun reared and kicked, but Scede was able to keep his grasp and his balance. Phrym also started, but Jahrra pulled his head around and got him under control, only they were now twenty yards further down the canyon.
Jahrra frantically grabbed for her bow and arrows, trying hard to focus on what she had learned from Yaraa and Viornen. Breathe, relax! she thought furiously. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, blocking out the sounds of the screaming horses, the scraping of hooves against the loose stones, and the terrified shouts of her friends. She turned to face where Aimhe had been attacked and saw the great creature clawing at the ground. It was some sort of large cat, and it was now shredding the pillow that had been tied to the back of Aimhe’s saddle.
Jahrra nocked an arrow and took aim at the cat, focusing on her target despite the sweat that stung her eyes. But instead of seeing the ruthless predator that had almost killed Gieaun, she saw a strange and beautiful animal. The cat was a golden yellow color all over, except for its belly, which was a pale cream. It was tall with long legs and a small head topped with large, tufted ears. Two saber-like teeth protruded from its lower jaw, and a short, thick mane ran down the length of its back. Longer hair grew on the backs of all four of its legs and its tail was short and almost as bushy as a squirrel’s. Dark spots ran down its sides, following the line where the golden yellow fur turned to cream. The final thing Jahrra noticed as the great cat finished off with the pillow and turned its attention elsewhere, was that it had a brush of fine hair on its chin.
Suddenly, the strange, muffled silence that had engulfed Jahrra finally faded away. She heard Scede yelling, as loudly as he could, in a panicky voice, “Hey! Over here! Hey! Hey!”
He was trying to distract the large cat and was failing miserably. It appeared Gieaun had gotten the wind knocked out of her and she was writhing on the ground, unaware of the hungry gaze of her attacker. Jahrra quickly re-aligned the arrow and took aim once more. She shot and just barely missed the flank of the cat, but the arrow had been close enough to grab its attention.
The great beast darted its head in her direction and glared at her with wild, green eyes, yowling its irritation. It slowly hunkered down, like a housecat getting ready to pounce. Jahrra quickly strung another arrow and shakily took aim. Alright Jahrra, don’t panic. Calm your nerves or you might end up dead. She looked the strange cat in the eye, imagining she saw a hint of fear residing there, and faltered. She could see the ridge of its spine and she could count every one of its ribs. A pang of pity struck her as she realized she didn’t want to shoot it. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for it; the great cat was only trying to survive. Who could blame it for wanting to eat? She closed her eyes as the cat settled its hind legs. She tried to imagine the beast tearing her to shreds, tearing Gieaun and Scede and Phrym to shreds, but, not knowing fully why, she withheld her deadly shot a moment longer.