第18节

l rudimentary, but he knew about herd animals. He

reckoned the third, wounded horse had fled at the first fusillade,

following its more-fortunate companions. They had moved on when he

finally succumbed, but given the point where his body lay they had not

travelled very far in that seven-day period. This seemed to indicate

they had resumed their normal grazing pattern once the initial panic

had died down.

Cadillac surmised that horses, in their natural state, behaved like

buffalo, who only ran when alerted to danger by the scout bulls on the

fringes of the herd. If the horses had enjoyed a relatively peaceful

life sinceand with bears, jackals and mountain lions in abundance that

was certainly not guaranteed - they might still be within reach.

There was only one way to find out, and that fitted in with another

requirement; the need for Roz to learn how to run. If she was a

full-blooded Mute, the ability to lope effortlessly mile after mile for

hours on end would be lying dormant within her, but it could not be

awakened at the snap of a finger. After his broken leg had mended,

Brickman had trained himself back to peak fitness, but it had taken him

time to reach the combination of speed and endurance required to keep

up with a M'Call hunting posse.

Roz, like most Trackers, had followed a daily exercise regime since

early childhood, but swimming came higher on the list than running.

During her first five-mile jog with Cadillac along mountain trails she

thought she would die, but at the end of three weeks she was still on

her feet after ten, but distinctly wobbly when Cadillac stretched it to

fifteen. Five weeks into her overground existence she was able to

overcome that pain-barrier and start pushing herself towards the target

distance of twenty-five miles.

It took a lot of perseverance on both their parts, and the fact they

were still speaking at the end of it testified to the closeness of

their relationship. That perseverance finally paid off: the daily runs

took them further and further afield, and finally, as they crested a

rise, they saw below them a loose cluster of larches grouped around a

stream sparkling with sunlight as it rippled over a pebble bed.

Drinking from the stream were two horses, one a dappled grey, the other

a golden brown with a flowing oatmeal-coloured mane and tail - one of

several mounts Cadillac had ridden during the long journey from Lake

Michigan to Wyoming.

Cadillac led the way down the slope towards the stream, moving with the

same stealth the Mutes employed when hunting game. As they entered the

stand of trees, the two horses turned their heads towards them several

times to assess the danger then continued to eat their way across the

carpet of sweet fat grass, flicking their tails to express their

annoyance at being interrupted.

Squatting down by the edge of the stream, Cadillac fished out the two

bridles he'd been carrying around in a sling pouch for the last few

days. 'Let's have a couple of those yellow-fists."

Roz produced two yellow-skinned apples from her bag.

Cadillac sliced them in half, releasing a sharp tangy smell from the

firm white flesh inside that made Roz's jaws tingle.

The dappled grey mare pricked up her ears.

Cadillac laid two pieces into the palm of Roz's hand.

'I'm hoping the roan will recognise my voice, but if he doesn't, you

know what to do."

'Wait a minute. I know what you told me, but -' Roz looked down at the

apple halves. 'You don't seriously expect me to put these in their

mouths, do you? With teeth like they've got?!" 'Relax! It's not

dangerous. Look- keep your palm flat, with your fingers turned down,

and offer it up at an angle - like that." Cadillac arranged her left

hand in the correct position. 'The flesh on the mouth is quite loose,

and the front lips are soft and sort of leathery."

'Err-ugghhh!" The thought made Roz shiver.

'Don't be stupid. They can't eat you, they're not carnivores. And

they're not going to slobber all over you. Their mouths should be

quite dry. Just keep your thumb tucked well in."

'Why?"

'So as not to get it bitten off."

'That's it. That does it. You do it, I'll watch."

Cadillac rose and stepped back out of reach as she tried to give back

the sliced apple. 'I was only joking, Roz.