Destiny and Stardust. Stacy Gregg
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came closer she realised that it was Meadow. The chestnut and white calf was lying very still as Aidan bent down to examine her.
“Aidan! Ohmygod! I’ll get the first-aid kit out of the tack room and…”
Aidan looked up at Issie. There were tears in his eyes. “It’s no use,” he said softly. “Issie, she’s dead.”
Issie looked down at Meadow. The little calf’s rust and white fur was smeared with blood and there were two deep gashes that looked like claw marks at her shoulder and throat. Aidan was right. There was no doubt that she was dead.
Aidan looked up at Issie. There were tears streaming down her face. “Honestly, Issie, I think she must have died instantly. Whatever did this was quick and deadly; she didn’t suffer.” He stood up and put his arm around Issie as she wiped the tears off her cheek with the sleeve of her pyjamas.
Aidan picked Meadow up and carried her inside the stables into one of the empty horse stalls, bolting the doors shut. Then he walked Issie back up the driveway to the manor, with the three dogs following noiselessly at their heels.
“What do you think it was, Aidan?” Issie asked.
“I don’t know.” Aidan shook his head. “Could have been the same thing that stalked you and Blaze.”
“Poor Meadow,” Issie said. “Can we give her a proper burial tomorrow under the magnolia trees?”
Aidan nodded. “Cameron will want to see her first. He’ll need to figure out what it was that killed her. But yeah, of course we can.”
As they reached the veranda, the lights came on inside the manor. “Aidan! Isadora! What’s happening out here?” Aunt Hester emerged, wrapping her dressing gown around her.
“It’s Meadow. She’s been attacked,” Aidan said. Hester turned quite pale.
“Is she all right?”
“She’s dead,” Aidan confirmed. “I’ve moved her into one of the stalls in the stables. I figured Cameron could check her over in the morning.”
“Poor little Meadow!” Hester shook her head.
“I saw it, Aunty Hess!” Issie said. “The Grimalkin. At least I think I did. It was on top of the cattle pens and then it was gone… If we’d only got there sooner…”
Hester put her arm around Issie. “Isadora, thank heavens you didn’t get attacked by that thing. If you two and the dogs hadn’t turned up and scared the Grimalkin off when you did, it may have hurt even more of the animals. Aidan, are all the animals safe for the night?”
“I’ve checked all the horses,” Aidan told her. “They’re all OK. I’m going to take one last check around the farm now and make sure everything is secure before I go back to bed. You two go inside and I’ll see you both in the morning.”
Hester nodded. “I’ll report this to Cameron first thing. Come on, sweetie, it’s two o’clock. Let’s get you inside and back into bed. I’ll make you a hot milk to help you sleep.”
The hot milk did help. Issie didn’t wake up again until nine a.m. When she finally came downstairs to breakfast Aidan was waiting for her at the kitchen table.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Ummm, OK, I guess,” Issie replied.
“I checked all the animals again this morning,” Aidan said. “They’re all fine. Whatever it was that killed Meadow is hopefully long gone…”
“If we’d only got there in time to save her…” Issie’s voice was wobbly. She felt like she might cry and fought hard to hold back the tears.
“I still can’t imagine what kind of animal would make those wounds.” Aidan shook his head. “When Cameron arrives you can tell him what you saw and he can take a look at Meadow – maybe he’ll have some ideas.” Aidan picked up his riding gloves from the kitchen table and stood up.
“Meanwhile, we’ve got training to do.” He smiled at her.
“We? You mean you and me?” Issie squeaked.
“Sure,” Aidan said. “Didn’t Hester tell you?” He looked at Issie’s shocked face. “I guess she didn’t. OK. Well, I’ll head down to the stables and get the horses ready. You have some breakfast and then meet me at the round pen. We’re doing some trick training.”
“Really?” Issie felt a shiver of excitement run up her spine.
“See you there in fifteen!” Aidan said, already disappearing out the door, heading for the stables.
Issie felt almost too nervous to eat. Trick riding! It was just like in the movies. She managed to calm her butterflies enough to cram down a piece of toast and jam and then ran all the way down the driveway to the stable block where Aidan already had Diablo, Blaze and Paris saddled up and waiting at the side of the round pen.
“This is where we do most of the stunt training,” Aidan explained. “I’ve been working on this stunt lately, I call it a ‘Flying Angel’. I’ve been training Paris to do it with Diablo, and she’s pretty good, but it’s important that she can do the same trick with other horses and riders too. So I thought maybe today you could try it with her and Blaze?”
Issie nodded. “Umm, Aidan?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“What exactly is a ‘Flying Angel’?”
Aidan grinned. “It’s hard to explain. It’s probably easier if you let me show you.”
Aidan tied Blaze up outside the round pen and then he rode Diablo into the arena, leading Paris beside him. The wood-lined walls of the round pen were about two metres high and above them, circling the arena, were two rows of wooden bench seats. Issie climbed the stairs and sat down in a front row seat, watching silently as Aidan worked the horses in. He trotted back and forth in the middle of the arena on Diablo, keeping an eye on Paris, who was also wearing a saddle and bridle as she cantered riderless around the arena.
“Do you see how she’s cantering in a circle like that?” Aidan called out to Issie. “She’s been trained to do that. It makes it easier to do the trick if she’s got a steady stride.” As he said this he clucked Diablo forward and the black and white Quarter Horse began to canter behind the palomino.
Issie watched as Aidan cantered Diablo right up next to Paris so that he was riding neck and neck with the palomino mare. The two horses fell into step together, matching each other stride for stride.
Aidan smiled up at her. “Here we go!” he called out. And with that, he let go of Diablo’s reins and sat bolt upright in the saddle with his arms spread out to either side for balance. Aidan rode one more lap around the round pen with his arms out. Issie could see him counting the beat in his head, figuring out his moment. Issie noticed that he was edging Diablo closer to Paris now, so that the piebald gelding was almost touching the palomino. Suddenly Aidan slipped his feet out of the stirrups and pivoted in the saddle, turning his body to face the wall. He cast one last look up at Issie, gave her a wave and then leapt.
Issie couldn’t believe it! There was a split-second when Aidan was in midair that she imagined the worst. He was going to fall and get trampled beneath Paris and Diablo’s hooves. Then she saw Aidan grasp Paris’ saddle with both hands and deftly swing his leg over the mare’s back. Before she knew it, Aidan was in the saddle on Paris with the reins, which had been knotted around the palomino’s neck, in his hands. By the time he rode around the arena to where Issie was seated he had a grin on his face and was waving to her as he went by.
Issie stood up, clapping wildly. “That was amazing!”