Chapter 5 - The Storm’s Memory
For two days, the canyon swallowed them whole.
The local news was in a frenzy. “Million-Dollar Miracle Girl Kidnapped by Wild Stallion,” the headlines read. Search and rescue helicopters combed the jagged cliffs, but Eclipse knew the hidden caves and deep riverbeds better than any pilot.
Lily and Eclipse rested by a freshwater stream deep in the gorge. She was hungry, her dress was torn, and she was shivering. But every time the cold threatened to overtake her, Eclipse would lie down beside her, wrapping his massive, warm body around her small frame, shielding her from the wind.
As she lay against his steady heartbeat, Lily remembered the night her father died.
She remembered the terrible storm, the roaring water. Her father had kissed her forehead, told her to stay on high ground, and rode into the flood to save his horses. Hours later, Eclipse had returned alone, limping, battered, and dragging her father's lifeless body by the collar of his jacket, refusing to let him be washed away.
Eclipse wasn't a monster. He was a hero who had lost his best friend. And his violent behavior toward everyone else was just grief. Pure, unfiltered heartbreak.
"I miss him too," Lily whispered into the horse’s mane, tears finally falling.
Eclipse turned his head, gently nudging her wet cheek with his nose.
But their peace was shattered by the distinct, terrifying sound of a drone buzzing overhead. A red light blinked in the sky. They had been found.
Less than an hour later, the roar of ATVs echoed through the canyon. Silas Vance hadn't waited for the police. He had hired private trackers. He wanted the horse, and he wanted to ensure the girl couldn't claim the prize.
"There they are!" a voice shouted over a megaphone.
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Four four-wheelers surrounded the watering hole, trapping them against a sheer rock wall. Vance stepped off the lead vehicle, holding a high-powered tranquilizer rifle.
"End of the line, little girl," Vance smiled, his eyes cold. "Step away from the animal, or I put him to sleep permanently."
