The Roar of the Falls: My Journey with Kaya

With a sigh, I tell Kaya to do it. We’ll need to take the risk. Kaya whistles, a short, sharp note, and Little Girl hears it! She pauses and turns toward our hiding place. Suddenly, a reddish horse crashes into her and she stumbles, nearly going down. The filly limps as she tries to trot away, favoring her front leg. But nobody else notices her in the chaos. The raiders ride away with the last of the herd, and Toe-ta and the others thunder after them.

Silence falls over the clearing, the dust from the raiders’ horses still hanging thick in the air. The herd site is deserted, except for Little Girl, her chest heaving. Blood trickles from a gash on her leg, dark red against her reddish coat.

Kaya bends over Little Girl, murmuring softly the whole time. Gently, she runs her hands down the filly’s leg, checking each joint. The horse jerks and trembles, but doesn’t back away. Kaya looks up at me and says nothing is broken, but she can’t walk back to camp without help. I look around at the deepening shadows, the clearing suddenly feeling much larger and lonelier than before. Are there any dangerous animals out here? With a nod, Kaya replies that there are cougars, and if we leave Little Girl, one may find her. Maybe we should stay with her until morning.

Should we stay here until morning? Couldn’t one of the cougars find us?