After several weeks of Diamond learning how to pull a plastic toboggan, I asked my mum if I could borrow an old sledge. Roxy and I pushed it out to the clearing and taught Diamond how to pull it. She learnt the commands quickly and could pull the sled evenly. She was young so she was strong and fast.
"Ready for our first real sled trail!" Roxy smiled.
"Of course!" I kneeled down to check Diamond's harness and the tug-lines. The safety line and bridle were fine.
"Okay, everything's ready!" I stood up on the sled's runners.
"Alright..." Roxy stood back. "1... 2... 3... Go!" She swished an old cloth about like a flag.
"Hike hike!" I shouted, as I grabbed the handle bar. Diamond jolted forward at the command, pulling the sled with her. She bounded through the forest, muscles surging, paws pounding. I breath in and pushed forwards, against the harsh wind. It seemed that Diamond was pretty good at this.
"Haw!" I yelled and, sure enough, Diamond turned to the left. "Easy!" I called as I spotted the low branches. Diamond slowed and I ducked down as we passed them.
"Hike hike!" I shouted, making Diamond sprint on. She was running very fast as if she wasn't pulling anything. Suddenly, everything around me became a blur. We were going too fast. It would be fine if we weren't in such a confined space but I was contently having to dodge branches and Diamond was barely able to swerve around the trees. We were now off the path and in the thick woodland.
"Whoa! Diamond, Easy!" I clung onto the handle bar and leaned forward. "Whoa!" Diamond's red fur was a blur in front of the sled. I looked up. A large tree stood in our path. "Haw!" Thankfully, Diamond listened for once, and turned left. The sled missed the tree by centimetres.
Roxy run after us. "Adam!" She yelled. She could sprint quite quickly but not a fast as Diamond could run.
I looked over to my left. The there was a drop, a steep hill leading down to the frozen lake. The sled was inching closer to the edge.
"Whoa!" I yelled, again. Diamond kept running. Everything happened too fast to recall. The right-side of the sled's front hit a tree and the whole thing tipped onto it's left side. Diamond was pulled back by her harness when the sled thudded against the ground. I fell down the hill as sled landed on it's side. I rolled down the steep slope and off the bank, sliding across the ice. I went to stand but slipped over. The ice was thin and I did want to make it break. I had slid quite far away from the bank.
"Wait there! I'll get something to help you!" Roxy shouted down over the hill.
"Okay, hurry!" I yelled. Roxy went over to Diamond and unclipped the two tug-lines from her harness. She tied a spare rope onto the back of Diamond's harness.
"Uh... Roxy..." I watched the ice as it began to shake. "Rox-" As I went to stand, the thin sheet of ice shattered and I plummeted into the icy cold water. "Roxy! He...help!" I gasped, splashing around. I reached up and held onto the ice around me.
"It's okay!" Roxy leaned over the hill. "Diamond's coming!"
YOU ARE READING
Hearts and Diamonds
Teen Fiction{The third and final book in the Ace of Hearts series}~ Set nearly fifteen years from Two Hearts, Lani and Ryder are married and now have a son of their own. His name is Adam Eldon, and just like his mother he has a love of all things wolf and dog...
