Day 3

Tẽra Trazzie got up for the fifth time to take little Otchulissa out to do her business. She had been careful not to wake the Nikki. Tẽra knew she wouldn’t be ok without her. Nikki had probably saved her life.

Tẽra loved animals and she was good with them.

When first light appeared Tẽra put on Nikki’s takkies and went into the river trying to fish.

When Nikki woke up Tẽra was already in the water trying to catch fish.

“Yes! I did it I did it”, Tẽra yelled in excitement.

She had finally caught a fish. Her yelling woke Otchulissa up, who was very hungry.

“Congratulations!” Nikki said

“Now be careful not to lose it”,

Tẽra was determined. She grabbed its slippery tail but that wasn’t working. So, she leaned in and grabbed the other side of the spear. And brought the fish up.

“Well done.” Nikki applauded

Nikki started the fire and Tẽra fetched wood.

These women were quickly becoming good friends. Each tried and none had an attitude. With the exception of Otchulissa they agreed on things.

Nikki felt it was dangerous to keep the cub as its parents might come looking for it. Even though its mom was dead. That doesn’t mean the father won’t be searching for it. But Tẽra was convinced that the cub was alone and she was taking responsibility for it.

After eating they packed up and followed the river. They came to a split; the river became two. One path leading one way and the other another way.

While they were deciding, a man on horseback on the other side of the river came to let his horse drink. Four horses were following the one he was riding.

“Hi” Tẽra said

Looking at the horses.

She ran up river a little too where it could be crossed and ran over. Sherralee followed. Otchulissa followed whining about the water.

“What beautiful horses” Tẽra admired,

“Thanks, I’m Chris” he said looking at the ladies.

“I am Tẽra, this is Nikki. What are their names?” Tẽra asked before anyone else could say anything.

“Well, this is Daisy,” he thumb-sucked “And this is flower, and this is Dane” he paused and then said pointing “Lighting and that’s Thunder.”

“Are they yours?” Tẽra asked rubbing them down.

“Yes” he said smiling.

When he saw Otchulissa. He drew his gun.

“No” Tẽra cried grabbing the cub,

“This is Otchulissa my pet!”

“Did you shoot a big one further up the river?” Nikki asked flatly.

“Yes” he replied.

“It attacked me, I had to defend myself.”

He changed the subject

“Do you know where we are?” he asked.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“I saw some people heading in that direction” he pointed towards the town Point.

“I am headed there myself if you ladies would like to travel with me. It’s not safe to be alone in these parts” he added.

“Are you traveling alone?” Nikki asked,

“Yes, I am” he said “I am going into town to sell these horses but you may ride them on our way there.” He said kindly.

“How do you know it’s not safe out there for us?” Nikki asked.

“Well, I saw women in a cage being pulled by horses. From what I understood they were going into town.”

The ladies mounted the horses. Sherralee followed with all their things. Tẽra held Otchulissa. She was itching to ask about the horses. But she waited her turn letting Nikki ask questions. Asking things like

“Where are you from?”

He replied “Columbia,”

“Where are we?” Nikki asked.

He had no idea.

Tẽra asked how old the horses were and what their pedigree was. She was disappointed at his answers. He said he didn’t want to talk about horses when he had such pretty company.

Tẽra began to get a feeling about him. She wasn’t sure why or what the felling trying to come to the surface was, but it wasn’t warm and fuzzy.

They stopped to rest and let the animals graze.

“How far is town?” Tẽra asked

Feeling very thirsty but since they left the river there was nothing to drink.

“Just over the next hill” he said hoping it was true.

“Maybe we should cut through the forest to the river” Nikki said.

“Ladies” he protested,

“We will have water soon,” he promised.

“Thanks for the ride but we are going to make our own way from here” Tẽra said

“How much are you selling the horses for” Tẽra asked.

“Market value” he replied,

“Which is based on their ages, so about three hundred thousand” Tẽra said.

“You know your horses” he said smiling as if nothing was amiss.

Once the ladies were in the forest, they whispered to themselves

“I saw a Chris and Rachael on that tree house we found” Nikki said

“And two horses are wearing saddles but he said he is traveling alone.”

“He doesn’t know his horses” Tẽra said,

“I think he stole the horses. That’s why he didn’t want to talk about them.”

They drank and thought about it. Then they heard horses. Chris was behind them,

“Say Rachael” Nikki said.

“That love, Rachael” Tẽra said like they had been talking about a friend.

Nikki watched, Chris’s face. It didn’t move as if Rachael wasn’t someone he knew.

“My bum is too sore” Nikki said loudly so Chris could hear it.

“Let’s make camp here” she added

Looking at Tẽra with a desperate, ‘play along look.’

“I really am sore” Tẽra said “Riding bareback is not for me.”

“I will try to find sticks for a fire.” Chris smiled,

“No worries ladies. I will help. I couldn’t leave you alone is such unsafe parts. I will make us a fire and build us a shelter. If you ladies would be so kind as to collect wood for me.” he said.

“Thank you!” Tẽra said sincerely.

Hiding her worry that Chris was not a good man. Tẽra tried to make small talk.

Now Chris was a very handsome man with an alluring smile, perfect teeth and stunning blue eyes that completed the look. He didn’t look like a bad guy.

“What are their names again” she asked referring to his five horses,

“That’s thunder and that’s daisy and that’s flower,”

“Wait” Tẽra interrupted,

“Isn’t that lightning?”

“Oh, you are right” he said,

“That is lighting” he said smoothly.

Chris had fooled Rachael, why not these two?

His arrogance blinded him to their caution as he saw opportunity. They were cute in a way, and he knew he was handsome.

‘You don’t mix up your horses not when they are right next to you.’ Tẽra thought.

He built them a shelter a tree house just like the one that said Rachael and Chris. But this one was bigger,

“I am so hungry” Nikki said,

“I am going to look for berries.”

“I will try catch us some fish,” Tẽra said

As she wanted to keep an eye on him. She wasn’t sure why Nikki was playing helpless female but she wasn’t going to expose her.

Tẽra tried and tried catching nothing. Nikki was busy making herself a quick make shift bow. One that could shoot arrows and be lethal if need be. She made arrows as quickly as she could. She didn’t want to be gone for too long.

Chris was the only one catching fish. This made him feel needed and why wouldn’t the ladies follow him when they need him so much?

He cooked the fish only one each, and half a one for Otchulissa.

Nikki told them she didn’t find any berries.

So, Chris’s fish was all there was. Tẽra carved her name into the cabin.

‘Tẽra Trazzie & Nicolette where here’

Then she added

‘Chris’

Next to her name, just encase. While Chris slept Nikki removed all the bullets from both his guns. She saw five bullets were missing if both guns, had a full clip. However, she left one in the chamber by accident as she was in a hurry.

Nikki took forever to fall asleep. She lay awake worried about this Chris that followed them.

Tẽra woke her up at about midnight,

“Pack your things quickly, let’s go please” Tẽra said to Nikki

Nikki liked the idea of leaving. So, they packed what they could and stole one of his horses with a saddle and headed down river with one of his guns with a full clip of bullets. Both girls where on horses quietly moving through the forest away from Chris.

They bumped into a half scared to death girl who was crying by the water. Her top was mostly torn off, the rags were not covering much but her bra was undamaged.

“What happened?” Tẽra asked getting off her horse.

She stopped crying,

“I thought I was going to die out here alone.”

“Hey you speak English!” she said excitedly hugging Tẽra.

“Ummm, Yes I do.” Tẽra replied confused.

“My name is Rachael and I was sold as a slave girl by the guy I came here with.”

Rachael told them the whole story. Well, most of it, how Chris tricked her and sold her. She showed them her branding. It looked almost like the letter ‘S’ but with swirls attached.

Nikki and Tẽra had noticed her lashes from the whip. They looked very sore.

Tẽra and Nicolette were glad they had run away from Chris.

“Show us where this town is, maybe we can get help?”

Rachael explained that no one spoke English, and the men that bought her were looking for her. But Tẽra and Nikki insisted they wanted to go to town.

“That’s my horse” Rachael said,

“Oh really” Tẽra said not convinced.

“Yes, his name is Frosting, and he’s a beautiful twelve-year-old Arabian. He jumps nicely too.” she added.

“Does Chris still have my horses?” she asked.

“Well, he had five horses. But we needed one to run away with, so he now has four.” Nikki said shrugging.

Rachael finally agreed, she would take them to where the town was in the morning. She didn’t want to spend the night in town.

Rachael explained how she had been hiding in the woods since her escape. She had been trying to clean her wounds when they found her.

Nikki examined the burn and the whips cuts.

“You need a strong antibiotic”

“Do you know where a drug store is?” Rachael asked sarcastically.

Nikki offered Rachael her shirt which Tẽra wore to fish in. As Rachael’s shirt was damaged and revealed a lot.

“Thanks.”

Rachael was grateful and tried to put it on.

“Ouch!” she winced as she pulled the top over her burn and cut open flesh.

Nikki and Tẽra set up for the night. They made a small fire to keep warm and took turns keeping watch.

Rachael loved horses and having one of hers back gave her comfort.

Otchulissa was also quite cute and her soft fur was therapeutic.