The Following Storm

Chapter 4

She was riding one of the pincantos her old friend, Cap, had brought from the hidden cabin. She rode to town, determined to speak to George. She rode behind the buildings on the side George's office was located. As they got closer, she slowed the pincanto down for a walk. Then, when they were alongside it, she stood up on its back and grabbed hold of the roof that was near a window. The pincanto continued walking, leaving town.

She let go, landing next to the window. Mary came to the window, opened it, and looked around. As Mary pulled her head back in, she saw Red.
"Stay," she whispered.
"So what was it?" Al asked. Red smiled.
"Nothing," Mary replied. "Just a pincanto wandering around."
"What did it look like?" George asked.
"It was brown with speckled spikes. It had two red feet."
Red heard a chair scrape back and someone leave. She listened as the person ran to the back; and then watched him look in the direction the pincanto had gone. Red entered the office through the window before Al turned to look in her direction. George and Dave looked at her. Mary walked over to her.
"What are you...?" Red covered Mary's mouth. She put her finger to her lips and then backed up to the wall.
Al walked over to the window. "What direction did that pincanto go?" he asked.
"That way," Mary answered, pointing. He nodded and walked away.

"George Cooper, Mary Blitz, and Dave and Stephen Baker," Red whispered after Al had walked away. Mary looked at her, slightly worried. George smiled and Dave frowned. "Mr. Fire's daughter, Red Arrow, at your service." She continued, bowing.
"Took you long enough," George said. He walked over and shook her hand.
"I was seven," she protested.
"Why are you here?" Mary asked. Red glanced at her.
"Do you still think I killed Stephen?"
"Who else? You are the only one who didn't like him." Mary retorted.
"Do you know why?" Red asked, her voice almost a whisper. George looked at Red and answered, "Mr. Fire told me. I begged him not to tell Mary"
"What are you talking about?" Dave asked, standing up.
"Your brother spied on her when she was taking a bath," George said, indicating Red.
"But she was only seven," Mary protested.
"Exactly," George whispered. Then he looked at Red. "So why are you here?"
"I had an idea I wanted to run by you," Red replied.

Cap rode by Jogh's house and found the tracks of the missing riskeer. He followed them as best he could, since they had used every bit of cover. They kept to the draws and he found some places where the kids got down and walked alongside the riskeer.
"So they are definitely alive," he mumbled to himself.
"Hey, Cap," a voice called out. Cap looked up and saw two Hawk Rangers riding toward him. The older, black haired wolf was waving at him.
"Howdy, Jayson." Then he looked at the other one, who was a young earth Pegasus. "You're new," he commented.
"This is my new partner, Eire. I'm training him. Have you seen Killer?" Jayson asked. Cap smiled.
"She could use your help," Cap replied.
"Is she in trouble?"
"Are you two talking about Killer Barrel?" Eire asked. At Jayson's nod, a big smile spread across his face.
"Where can we find her?"
"Did you guys happen to see a riskeer with a woman and two kids?" Cap asked.
"Yeah," Jayson replied. "They were headed to Mountain Star when we last saw 'em."
"Thanks. Nope, haven't seen her, but Red Arrow is in the town up ahead." Jayson looked at Eire and smiled.
"Well if we happen to see Red, we might lend a hand." Cap nodded, waved, and rode off.

Jayson and Eire watched Cap ride away.
"What was that about?"
"Red's outlaw name is Killer Arrow. Killer Barrel and her are considered close. If you want to find one of them then just ask the other," Jayson explained.
"So where are we off too?" Eire asked.
"I have a feeling we should wait here and then head to the next town in the morning."
"Wait here? But there's no cover." Jayson looked around and nodded. They were in one of the open fields that grew purple grass in abundance with little to no everorange trees. The warm wind blew and the grass waved to them.
"Wonder if she remembers?" Jayson asked himself. Then he and Eire swung down. The next morning as they were heading to Kore, they noticed a rider coming toward them and they pulled up, waiting.

Cap rode to Sheriff Butler's house after leaving the Rangers and knocked on the door. Mrs. Butler answered it.
"Tell your husband to look in Mountain Star Town," he said and rode away.

Mrs. Butler closed the door and walked back to the table. Jim had been spending a lot of time out, trying to find clues that would prove Red's innocence and he was showing up later and later to supper. This time he'd missed it completely.
He finally showed up after she'd gone to bed. She listened to him walking through the house and the creak of the bed as he got in.
"A man stopped by and said you should check Mountain Star Town," she told him. He was silent for a minute.
"I found out something new about Stephen."
"What, Jim?"
"He was threatened by an outlaw who everyone called Fire," Jim answered. "George told me about it today. Apparently Red visited them..."
"Red visited George?!"
"...and Mary and Dave. She told them her plan and George is all for helping her," Jim continued.
"What about Mary and Dave?"
"They are sticking to the story that Red is the only one who would want Stephen dead."
"What new thing did you learn about Stephen?"
"Apparently, he spied on Red when she was seven and taking a bath."
"What?" Mrs. Butler exclaimed. Jim nodded.
"Fire threatened to kill the man if he ever went near Red again." Jim Butler went to sleep; and Mrs. Butler listened to his breathing for a while.
"When will your plan be completed?" she mumbled and then fell asleep.
In the morning, Sheriff Butler followed the lead from last night and met two Hawk Rangers.
"I do not know anybody by the name of Killer Barrel," he told them. They began to ride away, but he called them back. "Do you know anyone by the name of Killer Arrow or Red Arrow?" The Hawk Rangers looked at each other.
"Is she in trouble?" he asked. Sheriff Butler nodded and looked from one to the other.
"She is being accused of killing four adults and two children," he told them.
"Who died?" the other Rangers asked.
"Stephen Baker; Al's brother, Rodro; Jogh's wife and his two children; and a stranger who drew on her," Sheriff Butler answered.
"Al who?" the wolf asked.
"Al Vallerez." The two Hawk Rangers looked at each other.
"Is there a Fred Valero?" the younger one asked.
"Yes, he owns the Double H."
"Where's Red?" Sheriff Butler shrugged in response.
"Should we join her, Jayson?" the Pegasus asked his partner.
"What about your friend, Killer Barrel?" Sheriff Butler asked. Jayson laughed and they started their mounts moving.
"See you around, Sheriff," Jayson said. They waved and rode away.

Cap headed back to his ranch with a satisfied look on his face. He had seen the two Hawk Rangers talking to Sheriff Jim and knew Red's plan was nearing its end.
"Red will be able to handle things on her own from now on," he told his pincanto who nodded his head. He rode to his ranch, closed and locked his door, opened all the holding doors, and left.

Red left George's office, after spending the night, through the same window she had entered. Storm clouds were beginning to gather as she looked both ways to make sure no one was around. She took a step toward the hotel, deciding to get a room and wait out the storm. As she was walking to the hotel, which was on the same street, she heard two konderikes walking down the main street. Hiding between two of the buildings, she watched the two riders. She smiled when she recognized one of them and watched them ride down the street. She ran back down the alley and entered the holding from the back. She watched and waited until they left; then she sneaked in. Having a look at their konderikes, she noticed that both had been ridden over a long distance. She searched each of their bags until she found a message stone.
"Help Killer," it said. She smiled.
"Which one? "
She returned the note and rubbed down their konderikes. She left the holding as the first few drops fell. She looked around and then ran to the hotel. She checked the lobby to make sure no one was around. Then she signed the register and went to the room she assigned to herself.
She passed by the Rangers' room and smiled. She entered her room and locked the door. She lay down on the bed and listened to the sound of the falling rain.

Two hours passed and the rain stopped, waking her up. Someone banged on her door. Red took a look outside and luckily the sun was hidden behind some clouds. She saw the roof of the first floor and an idea formed in her head.
"We know you're in there. Just surrender," the person behind the door yelled. Red smiled and opened the window. She then put her foot slowly and gently down. The roof creaked, sounding loud in her ears, but was quickly silent. She put her other foot down and stood still, waiting. When someone banged on the door again, she took three running steps and then stopped. She repeated the process each time someone banged on her door until she got to the end of the roof. Then she jumped down and rolled. When she was back on her feet, she dusted herself off and walked out of town as if she didn't have a care.
There was a river that ran alongside the town. After reaching it, she looked for and found Casey waiting there for her near one of the natural bridges along the river. She mounted and rode to Cap's cabin. Then she released Casey and sent him to join Apache in rounding up his herd. The final part of her plan involved Apache's herd.
She went to the barn and saw that a pincanto hadn't left. She mounted the female pincanto and rode to a group of trees near a valley that led outside of town. She hid the pincanto and climbed a tree to wait.

The two Hawk Rangers saw Red jump off the roof. They looked at each other and Jayson smiled. Then they headed to the general store for some more supplies they would need. The man inside took their order.
"Who is this town after?"
The store clerk looked up and replied," Red Arrow, a notorious outlaw and a murderer."
"She's not wanted anywhere," Jayson said.
"Jayson, we don't even know if she's the same person," Eire cautioned.
"You saw her jumping off the roof. It's the same person," Jayson persisted. The store clerk looked from one to the other and then finished their order.
Eight hours later, Jayson and Eire mounted their konderikes and rode out of town. Jayson took the lead and began heading to the valley Jayson remembered from a map he had seen."
"Where are we going?" Eire asked looking around.
"We're heading to a valley to see Killer," Jayson replied.
"Would she even be out here?"
"Of course," Jayson answered.
They rode the rest of the way in silence. Killer watched them from her position by a hanging tree.
"You boys are far from home." she said, stepping from behind the tree. Jayson swung down with a big smile on his face.
"You in trouble, Killer?" he asked. She smiled.
"When am I not in trouble?" she joked then she became serious. "I know someone who could use your help."
"How?"
"What do you remember about Fred and Al from the wanted stones?" Killer asked. The Rangers looked at each other.
"Fred is Al's uncle," Jayson answered.
"I knew it. If Al and Fred weren't related then there would be no way all this could happen without one or the other having a conflict with the plan."
"So you know who needs to be arrested. Do you have evidence?" Jayson asked. Killer shook her head, and looked at Eire. "He's alright and I'll explain to him later." Killer nodded and a smile spread across her face.
"What?" Eire asked.
"I have a plan. It has been set into motion already but you two can help." Killer explained her plan to them and told them what to do. They rode away and Killer disappeared back into the forest to do some more planning.

Sheriff Butler arrived at Mountain Star Town in time for lunch. He ate a few pieces of dried cale meat, deciding to wait until lunch was over before seeing the town's sheriff. He walked over to the sheriff's office, where he found out where Jogh's wife and children were staying. Then he headed over the cabin. They let him in when he knocked.
"Ma'am, why are you and the children here? Jogh has been telling everybody that Red killed you."
"What? How could he?" Jogh's mother exclaimed. "As you can see, they are here and are doing fine." Sheriff Butler nodded.
"Ma'am, why did you leave town?"Sheriff asked Mrs. Jogh.
"I couldn't stay anymore. Jogh wanted me to tell everyone that Red had killed our dog," Mrs. Jogh replied.
"Your dog?" he asked, surprised.
"Shep, he died three days before Red rode to town. He was found with a rock pellet in his head."
"Where was he found?"
"Near the entrance to the confusing valleys at the base of the dead mountain," she replied.
"What are you planning on doing now?" he asked.
"They are going to stay here for a few more days; and then we're all gonna move back east. I have family up there," Jogh's mother replied. Sheriff Butler tipped his hat to them and left.
He returned home in time for supper and told his wife what he had discovered.
"Jim, I'm worried about Red," Mrs. Butler said.
"No need to worry, so far everything has pretty much gone as she'd planned it would," Sheriff Butler explained. "By the way, who was that man who gave you the information?"
"I don't know," she answered.

The next day, Red caught a glimpse of Jayson and Eire leaving town. She smiled and dropped from a tree, scaring two little girls.
"Howdy," Red said. The older one had long, light green hair with light brown fur covering her body. Her face had a scattering of silver freckles speckled over a pointy nose. Her eyes were red, the color similar to the wreeks' eyes. Her mouth, when opened, showed two rows of very sharp yellowish teeth. Red guessed she was about ten to eleven years old. The other little girl had shoulder length, black hair with two green streaks on the left side. She was short with green eyes. Her face was kissed by the sun and she was wearing a sleeveless dress which revealed patches of black scales on both her arms.
"Howdy," replied the older of the two. "My name is Demon and this is my friend. Who are you?"
"My name is Red Arrow."
"What were you doing in the tree?" Before Red could answer, the other girl pulled on Demon's sleeve. "What?" Demon asked.
The little girl whispered something in her ear and then turned around and left. Demon watched her go and then turned back to Red.
"That's my friend. She doesn't talk to strangers or to people she doesn't trust. However, she wanted me to inform you to watch out for Fred, Al, Jogh, and Shawn. She said that Fred is the mastermind, Jogh is the liar, and Al is the front. Also, Shawn's memory is gradually coming back." Demon then turned around and walked away.
Red watched them go; then walked away in the opposite direction, deep in thought.

Alfalfa was just finishing up what Red had assigned him to do. She'd told him to find out who was losing money on these runner rides. He had just finished talking to the last family. They had lost over a million dollars. The other two companies had lost half-a-million. He rode out to Sheriff' Butler's to see how far he'd gotten.
Sheriff Butler was pleased to see Alfalfa and confirmed that he'd finished his part of the plan. Red had asked him to investigate any murders she was charged with besides the runner one. How she knew she was going to be charged with other murders, he didn't know.
What Sheriff Butler didn't realize was that Killer had been faced with something similar in the past and had stored it away for the future.
"What've you found out?" he asked Alfalfa.
"Three families have lost over two million all together." Sheriff whistled. "That's not all. Fred, Al, and Jogh haven't lost anything."
"Really?"
"Really," Alfalfa replied.
"Wait. You said they lost over two million. How much specifically did they lose?"
"$2.5 million. Why?"
Sheriff Butler lunged out of his chair, walked quickly to a cabinet full of filed message sheets, and started searching. Alfalfa watched, wanting to help but not knowing what Sheriff Jim was searching for.
"Here it is," the Sheriff shouted, pulling out a sheet. He then walked back to where Alfalfa was sitting and slammed it on his desk. Alfalfa picked it up.
"Killer Barrel?" he read the first words that appeared, surprised. "What does she..?"
"Just read it."
"What am I looking for?"
"A runner robbery foiled about two years ago," the Sheriff replied.
Alfalfa began scanning through the many message files until he found one about a runner robbery foiled. He began to read, "Runner robbers captured and money returned. Killer Barrel, a Hawk Ranger, foils their plans. The runner robbers had stolen $2.5 million before finally being captured. When asked what the robbers had done wrong, Killer replied, 'They took it from one person and they took it all at once.'" Alfalfa put the sheet down and looked up at the Sheriff. "You think..?" he began.
"Those men found out about it and decided to use it for themselves. The amount fits and everything," Sheriff interrupted.
"But that doesn't explain why Stephen and Rodro were killed. If they were done..."
"That's just it. Maybe the hold-up wasn't the focal point."
"Maybe it was the killings and the hold-up was to distract us," Alfalfa agreed, sliding the message sheet back to Sheriff Jim.
"But could that really be used as evidence?" Sheriff Jim said, catching it and putting it away. Alfalfa shook his head.
"I don't think she would even use any of this as evidence in the first place," he replied.
"What do you mean?" Sheriff asked.
"Remember that story I told you about how Fire was able to out talk and outsmart that band of outlaws who were stealing from him since he couldn't go to the sheriff?" At the Sheriff's nod, Alfalfa continued, "Red encountered a similar situation six months before she broke up the gang. She found all the evidence; confronted them about it; got their written confessions; and then turned them over to a sheriff who had a wanted poster of each of them."
Sheriff Butler smiled and said, "She is one smart lady." Alfalfa smiled.
"Yeah, but I wish she relied on others a bit more," Alfalfa whispered. Lightning flashed and the thunder rumbled along with it.
Sheriff Butler walked to the window and then looked at Alfalfa. Storm clouds had begun encircling the town. Both had worried looks on their faces, especially since this kind of storm was out of season.
"We need to get everyone inside," they both said at the same time. They began by going from house to house and telling everyone to get below ground.
The electricity in the air began to thicken and Alfalfa and Jim started moving faster.
Jim looked at the holding and saw someone chasing out the creatures. He watched as the creatures joined another herd who took off toward the shelter of the caves in the valley where the Incains lived.
"That's one of Red's herds," Alfalfa shouted above the growing wind.
After confirming everyone was safely underground, they both headed under the jailhouse and waited til the storm ended.

Red, having sensed the storm coming, had already sent one of her herds to gather the creatures from the holding. Then she had gone back to the place she had seen the two girls but could not find them. However, she caught sight of their trail and began to follow.
She heard a creature snort and looked up, coming to a stop. Demon's friend was sitting on a beautiful black Arabian, a horse from Earth. At least, she'd been informed by Harvey and Harper that was where this type of horse came from. His long main and tail were blowing beautifully in the wind. Although Red had never been to earth, she doubted the Arabians on earth blew smoke from their nostrils and had gold threads mingled with their mane and tails. She looked up at the girl who turned her horse around and began walking away.
"Wait," Red called after her. The storm began to grow worse, but the girl didn't seem to notice. Red continued to follow her and soon they came to a cave. The girl stopped and dismounted.
The girl led her horse into the cave and Red followed. A fire was already blazing and a message stone was left nearby a rock. The girl walked over and picked up the stone. She then handed it to Red and pointed at the words which appeared instead of the image of a being.
Red understood and began reading,
"Dear Kid,
I went to town to release the creatures in the holding. Am certain that lady we saw by the trees will send a herd to come and take them to shelter. Sorry, but I will not be back to the cave. Meet me at the usual spot once the storm ends. Have fun.
Signed,
Demon"
Red looked over at Kid who was now leaning over the fire. Kid nodded, smiled, and then pointed to the meat that was on the sticks.
Red walked over and grabbed one. Kid grabbed another and began blowing on it. Red bowed her head and prayed for her and Kid's meal. She looked up to find Kid staring at her. Red smiled and Kid looked away, blushing slightly.
"My name is Red. I was raised by an outlaw gang. Growing up, I did things that were wrong, even though at the time I did not know it," Red said, looking down.
"Why are you sad?" Red looked up, she was slightly surprised at how mature Kid's voice sounded. Kid had moved closer. "Why are you sad?" she repeated. "Jesus is in your heart. He will never leave you nor forsake you. You're not alone. No need to feel abandoned. God is always with you." Kid leaned on Red's shoulder causing Red to smile.
"You're right. Thanks." Red looked back at Kid and saw that she was asleep. Red leaned back and thanked the Lord for being there and then went to sleep as the storm continued.
In the morning, Red woke up to find Kid and her Arabian gone. However, breakfast was ready and there as a message stone next to a rock. She smiled, picked it up, and began reading:
"Dear Red,
Thank you for keeping Kid company. She cannot read very well, so thank you for reading to her. She told me to write to you, 'God is good.' Thank you again. We may or may not see each other again. Keep strong and stick with it. God will handle the rest.
Signed,
Demon and Kid"
Red smiled and placed it into her pocket. She picked up breakfast, prayed, and ate. At the entrance, she saw three sets of hoof prints after the storm, all were from the same creature, the black Arabian.
"That explains how the letter got here after Demon had written she would not be coming back."
She stretched; and feeling refreshed, stood up to go, when something caught her eye. Looking at the area that the Arabian had been held during the night, she saw a light coming from the back of the cave and began following it. She stepped into the light; and when her eyes had adjusted, she gasped at what she saw. It was a breathtakingly beautiful location with a blanket of red grass and blue grass that covered the whole yard and a gentle flowing brook. It reminded her of one of those magazines someone from earth had shown her which had described what a perfect picture place to live would look like. The only problem was the run-down cabin in the center. She walked over to the cabin and gently opened the door. It creaked but opened. She looked around. Someone had lived here for a very long time, but whoever it was didn't know how to take care of it.
"Or was too young," she mumbled to herself, having opened a closet that had obviously been used and found a child's clothing.
She searched the rest of the main floor but didn't find any other closets or rooms that had been used. This also puzzled her for she had met two children. Soon she realized that only Kid could have been the one who had stayed here. There was only the one room occupied and no signs of anyone else having lived here. A tear slid down her cheek as she thought of how lonely Kid must have been. She searched the room Kid had stayed in and found a place for a book under the pillow.
"Maybe, not being able to read well allowed her to study the phrases better."
Red walked outside, all the more determined to get the evidence and have those responsible stand trial. She exited the area and walked back to town. She saw a large group gathered in the center of town. As she got closer, she recognized the Incain tribe; the Sheriff and Alfalfa; George, Mary, and Dave; Doug; and the rest of the townspeople.
"What is going on?" she asked when she had entered town. They parted and she saw a little girl and two little boys and a woman who was probably the children's mother. They looked at Red as she came through the crowd.
"We are so sorry," the mother cried. "Jogh lied. We are alive and have been hiding out at Jogh's mother's house. Please forgive us."
Sheriff Jim walked over to Red and told her everything he and Alfalfa had discovered. He also mentioned the message sheet of Killer Barrel.
"Where is Jogh?" Red asked him when he was done.
"In jail," he replied. "We arrested him after the storm broke." She nodded.
"Fred and Al are involved too," she said.
"The two Rangers, Jayson and AJ, arrested them and took Fred and Al with them. They said something about them being wanted in Hawklier," Alfalfa told her.
"But they said something about wishing they could thank Red Arrow for helping them," Mrs. Butler added.
"See," she said. "All went according to plan."
"Who's?" one of the townspeople asked.
"God's," Red replied with a smile on her face.