64The horse bolted after the man made the loud noise. He'd heard these sounds before, but this time, the crack was so close he'd been startled. He'd galloped along the riverbank, dodging water-tossed logs and boulders, and sprinted up over a rise and into copse of mesquite, where he'd remained, since rich grasses grew in the shade of the trees. After eating, he'd slept. When he awoke, the sun was setting, casting a pink and orange glow over the desert.
The horse stood. He looked one way then the other. The little sheep was gone.
He sniffed the air. And there it was. The mares. He detected a slight aroma alerting him that they had been nearby. The smell took him back to the river and along the same path that would cross the loud men again, but he couldn't stop himself. The pull was too st
