Feather

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I need a plan she thought to herself. Everything needs a plan in order to make this work. To save her, to save Feather. She need water, lots of water she realized. And food, and a knife, probably a hatchet or machete, warm clothes, a blanket, and rope... Aw, the list goes on and on, she thought. Wait! If I would stay close to the stream that runs through the bush, I could just take a steel cup or something to drink out of or to boil over the fire. A fire! So she also needed matches. Maybe a compose too. She would need a first aid kit with disinfectant so if she would get injured. she should also bring a mending kit with needles. Oh, there were so many things she needed to bring. She would see how much she could fit in her back-pack and the rest she would put in a cloth bag and put over her shoulder. Then there were the things she needed for Feather. Feather was a sure footed horse and never wore shoes because she didn't need them.

Shraya was thinking about these things laying in her bed in the morning. Then she heard an alarm-clock go off. that meant her mom was getting up now to go to work. Her dad already left at 5:00. Her mom's alarm went off at 6:30. Good. With both her parents gone, that meant she could get ready without them knowing.

Half an hour later she heard her mom open, then close the door, her car start and then all the noise just drained away. OK, time to get to work.

Shraya knew just because she was leaving didn't mean the rest of the animals didn't need food and water. She gave them plenty enough that they would last for 2 days. Her parents may not feed them right away, because of searching. She let Feather eat as much as she wanted because she needed her energy up to the max. Shraya didn't even take her out far because she knew she needed all the strength she could get for later on. Shraya had decided she would leave at night, after her mom and dad were both home and both asleep. She would probably be gone for at least 5 days. Shraya lived about 4 miles from the nearest store. But, she didn't have a license or a car at home. She would have to by her own food to take along because her mom would notice if certain items were gone. "Well"... she thought out loud, "I could take Buck to the store. That way I don't waste Feather's energy." So she went and saddled up Buck, a Kentucky Warm blood, mixed with Saddle bred. He was fast, though not as fast as Feather, but he would do the trick for now.

When she got to the store, she realized how much food she would need to last for 5 days, possibly a week. So she picked lots of the dried fruit items like raisins, crasins (dried cranberries), 3 big bags of jerky, dried apples and so on. She also bought a thermos to put hot water into. When her basket was almost full, she went to the counter to pay for it. The total amount was $64.53. Good thing she brought her wallet. She always had around $100 in it but today she had only about $70. Just enough!

At home she could fit all the food and her big woolly sweater in to her back-pack. She put the rope, knife, steel cup, the Thermos, matches (which she first put in a plastic bag), small water proof flash light, extra batteries, and a small blanket into the cloth bag. To put on her belt she took a machete in a sheath and a Zippo (a type of lighter). She took all these things to the barn and buried them in the hay just in case her dad would come. As she was digging, she felt something hard in the far left corner. She felt some more and started digging around it. When she tried pulling it out, it wouldn't budge.

"Well," she thought out loud, "I'll just have to dig all the way." So she started digging some more and soon she saw a handle. She dug a little bit more then she yanked as hard as she could and it came out. It was a wooden box. She opened the lid and inside were some bridles. Old fancy bridles. Some had jewels on them and some had gold on them. Shraya had dug many times into this hay, and never had she found this. Cole Brown! This must be some way he was going to pay for Feather. Well, the box wasn't very heavy, so she would take along with her. She reburied the box and went to fetch Feather. When she trotted over, Shraya noticed the eagle feather was gone. The braid was undone to. She had tied it off with a piece of string she had found in her pocket. Oh well, it probably just fell out. Right now she didn't have time to think about that. She had to think, how on earth was she and Feather going to stay up all night to get the distance they needed from home? When she was done all the work she needed to do she could lie down. But what about Feather? If Shraya didn't run her and Feather wouldn't race around all day, she might have enough energy to go for quite a while. "Besides, Feather is a strong horse," Shraya said to nobody but herself. "She's got lots of energy. Don't ya girl?" Shraya rubbed Feather under the chin, were she liked it best.

Shraya started to walk out of the barn when she heard the clopping of cow boy boots on the dry ground outside. Shraya ran to the back of the barn were the tack room was. Feather started to follow, but Shraya pointed her nose through the big doors outside into the pasture and tapped her rump lightly. Feather clip-clopped outside. Shraya closed the tack room door quickly and quietly. She opened the window and crawled out since it was only 4 feet off the ground. She didn't want whoever was in there to know she was home so she ran to the nearest clump of bushes and swatted down. She saw the door open and close. She couldn't quite make out how it was. Then he lifted his head. Cole Brown! What on earth was he doing here? And why was he looking like that? Then he saw Feather. He started to walk towards her, then whistled and called her name.

"Come here Feather! Come here!" he called in the same stupid baby voice. Oh that Cole guy can get someone angry! She was thinking how much she would like to go there and kick him in the shin. Just kick him in the shin! Cole also had a switch in his hand. It's a short stick with a loop of rope on it. People slide it over a horse's muzzle and twist. It hurts them so much that they do whatever you tell them to do.

"Feather, come here. I won't hurt you. I'm bringing you to a better place." That's what got Shraya the angriest. A better place? Feather loved it here. She loved it a lot more than she would running on a track, getting whipped, jumping over bars, and getting all those needles and stuff. So, Shraya got up and just before Cole Brown grabbed her halter, Shraya clapped her hand and Feather reared, pivoted, and ran to the far corner of the fence. Shraya walked up to Cole, gabbed the switch and through it into the bush as far as she could.

"What were you planning on doing to my horse. If you would of switched her she would of reared and kicked your head into the ground. Then I would of came and kicked your head into the ground. I am telling you now. Don't ever, ever come near my horse again."