And the nominees are:
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and story |
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Nominator
and motivation |
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Two
hours later Buck was
running, racing the rain to find the quickly disappearing tracks before
the rain washed them completely away. The lightening silhouetted his flying
body as he leapt over fallen logs and ducked branches.
As the water fell faster and harder, the boys on horseback, slower because their mounts were frightened and fighting with the mud, caught up to Buck. He was simply standing there, his eyes on the ground, rain pounding his bent head and back. “Buck?” Sharp thunder cracked the sky as the boys watched Buck sink to his knees and swipe the mud with his strong hand, willing his fingers to feel something his eyes could not see. “She’s gone,” he said, his voice hollow. “Tracks are gone.” They stood there, drenched. Ike slapped his saddle to draw attention, the sound almost drowned out by nature’s fury. *We have to do something,* he signed fiercely, but nobody responded. “There’s nothing to do,” Noah said, finally, his voice hoarse and bleak. Suddenly Jimmy grabbed up the reins of his horse and shouted, “We can try. We have to try.” He began to lead them down the trail they had been following. It was desperation that drove them. Each one of them knew that without tracks the entire world had become a potential hiding place. |
Karen Just read the excerpt and you'll understand. |
| Kid let out a shuddering breath as he felt the cold creeping along through his body. To him the air was no longer humid and thick but full of an icy cold which made him feel like he’d found his way straight back into winter. He knew he was asleep and that he should wake up and try and find his way to the shack, but it seemed like such a tremendous and impossible task that he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Besides anything, his limbs were so cold, he didn’t know if he’d be able to move them even if he wanted to. From the sounds around him, he could tell that it was nearly morning, that the birds and other creatures were beginning to wake up and move around, even if the rain was still pouring down. He’d just wait till morning, then he’d wake up and make his way back. Now he just wanted to sleep. |
*bright For the love of God; my Kid is in mortal danger. He's gonna freeze to death out there - save him!!!! |
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| Once they entered the trees,
Buck quickly pulled up his mount. He dismounted and walked the animal toward
a small opening in the cluster of trees. Inside this cove, Ike and Mrs.
Miller were waiting. Buck helped Emily off of his horse and onto Ike’s.
He watched as the three of them rode off in the direction of Red Bear’s
village. As soon as they were out of sight, he grabbed an old scarecrow
he’d borrowed earlier that day from the Jenkins. He remounted his
horse, made his way to the far edge of the trees where the river began to
drop away from the hillside. When the Miller boys came into view, he burst
out of the trees riding along the cliff edge. Just before they got close
enough to be able to see what he was carrying, he caused his horse to rear.
As the horse’s front legs pawed the air, Buck lost hold of his passenger
dropping her the fifty feet to the river below. Unfortunately, he lost his
balance and tumbled to the ground in the process. The last thing he remembered
was seeing his horse running away. When he came to, he was tied to a tree on the edge of the cliff. His arms were tied to a branch that hung out over the river and his feet were loosely tied to the trunk of the tree barely staying on the ground. Henry Miller was sitting with his back against the tree. “You’d best hope Travis gets back before nightfall with the marshal; cause if he don’t I’m suppose to bring you into town, and I’m not too sure how I’m gonna manage pulling you in all by my lonesome. It was a tricky bit of business for the two of us to get you out there like that.” |
Anon. |
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