Jade and the Hunters

by Amy Brown

  ‘When you’ve finished eating, Zoe, I want you to go out and make sure the home paddock is ready to be a parking area. Open the gate, put the sign out. Cosima, you can feed all the horses — enough to keep them going, but not so much that they’ll be sick. Jade, Becca, Laura: you get your horses and yourselves ready to go, and then help Zoe if she needs it. Good, you’re up!’ She turned to greet Mr Death.

  ‘The hunt breakfast won’t make itself,’ he said. ‘Everyone who wants to comes back here to eat and drink after the hunt,’ he explained to the girls. ‘It’s very festive and relaxed — except for the person in charge of the rations.’

  ‘As well as food prep, your job is to keep Bronson out of the way,’ Mrs Death ordered.

  ‘There was a party in town last night,’ Mr Death replied. ‘I doubt Bronson will be so much as stirring by the time the hunt and breakfast have finished.’

  ‘Good,’ Mrs Death said, wiping crumbs off her hands brusquely. ‘Good.’

  Jade’s own hands shook as she groomed Tani. She even dropped the curry comb as she was chipping caked mud off the underside of his belly. Blowing on her fingers and rubbing her palms together, she tried to warm up, but that wasn’t the problem. Trucks had started to pull into the home paddock, full of people who thought nothing of galloping full tilt across slippery farmland. And the hounds had arrived, too — they were the reason Alan was locked inside today. How would Tani cope with the baying and barking?

  One thing was for sure, the hunt would be nothing like yesterday’s leisurely ride. It would be more like the muster at the end of The Man from Snowy River: everyone charging together, not jumping in neat single-file, but pushing for space. Jade’s nerves were getting the better of her. No, she, Laura and this Jacqui Mason would have a gentle canter at the back. They’d be so far from the action that Tani wouldn’t have a chance to get worked up.

  She tried to keep this in mind as she led Tani out to the yard to mount up. Before she was properly in the saddle, he was already wheeling in a circle, back up, nose in the crisp morning air, smelling the new horses and the pack of strange dogs.

  ‘Steady, boy,’ Jade soothed. ‘Steady now.’

  Even Sofia was jogging on the spot once Mrs Death had given Laura a leg-up. Laura sat rather still and pale, holding the pommel grimly, trying to make sympathetic eye contact with Jade and Becca. Jade glanced over and tried to smile, but Becca was too busy laughing with Zoe and two of Zoe’s boarding-school friends, who had driven down especially for the hunt. Although Dusty was looking more volatile than usual — a state that at pony club would have given her palpitations — Becca was ignoring it, showing off in front of the others.

  ‘She’s become really brave,’ Laura said, sadly.

  ‘Laura, Jade: over here,’ Mrs Death was calling from Marlon’s back. ‘This is Jacqui and her daughter, Willa. You’ll be riding with them this morning.’

  Jade felt a pang of embarrassment. Jacqui Mason’s horse, a 15.3-hand piebald, was clearly closer to twenty than ten years old, and little Willa, on a chestnut Shetland pony, looked closer to five than ten.

  ‘Hello, girls!’ Jacqui greeted them, in a tinkly voice. ‘So you must be Laura, riding funny old Sofia,’ Jacqui said, holding out a leather-gloved hand to Laura. Laura took it briefly, before Sofia decided she was too close to the piebald.

  ‘And Jade, is it?’ Jacqui asked, eyeing Tani. ‘With the naughty little Kaimanawa pony? I always thought it’d be dangerous, giving a wild pony to a child.’

  Jade didn’t know where to begin with her disagreement.

  ‘He’s not wild at all,’ she argued, politely. ‘He’s just young, and was badly treated by his last owners.’

  ‘That’s a shame,’ Jacqui said as if she hadn’t quite been listening. ‘He’s the opposite of Willa’s little Porridge, eh, Willa?’

  Willa nodded happily. She patted Porridge as if he were a dog rather than a pony.

  ‘Your horse looks nice,’ Laura said to Jacqui, as always finding little trouble chatting with new adults.

  ‘Thanks. Roger’s an old man now, but he’s perfect for me. It’s been years since I hunted seriously.’

  ‘Why?’ Laura asked, managing to sound inquisitive rather than impudent.

  ‘Oh, you know: babies, work.’

  ‘What do you do?’

  ‘I’m a financial advisor.’

  ‘Oh.’ Neither of the girls knew what to say. This wasn’t a career either of them was dreaming about.

  ‘Yeah, it’s money in the bank, though. And in my weekends I’m able to do what I really love: go for treks with Willa. That’s why I got Roger. Right-ho, looks like they’re casting the hounds now. Everyone ready?’

  Jade, Laura and Willa nodded. They were a fair distance from the main group, where horses were shying and fidgeting. Jade could see Dusty’s rump: Becca was right in the fray, in between Zoe and the school friends.

  ‘I hope she’ll be OK,’ Laura said, following Jade’s gaze.

  Jade didn’t reply; she was briefly overcome by envy.

  ‘And … they’re off!’ Jacqui said, like a race commentator. ‘That was quick. Sometimes it can take half an hour for the hounds to find a scent. I guess the weather’s perfect this morning. That helps.’

  Jacqui’s chatter calmed Jade and in turn Tani, who had begun straining to follow the cantering stream of horses, including his mate Dusty.

  ‘Turn him in a circle for a moment. We’ll give them time to get a little further away, so our lot don’t feel left behind.’

  Laura nodded at this sage advice.

  With a few calming circles, and now convinced that Roger, Sofia and Porridge weren’t about to leave him, Tani settled somewhat. Jade was able to keep him at a jogging trot as they approached the first gate.

  ‘Thumbs up, Willa.’ Jacqui took the opportunity of the relative quiet to instruct her daughter. ‘You looked like you were playing the piano then. We don’t want that.’

  Willa tried to move her clumsy little fists into the right position.

  ‘Don’t get too close to Porridge,’ Jade warned Laura. ‘See the red ribbon in the tail — that means she kicks.’

  ‘Typical chestnut mare in that respect,’ Jacqui said. ‘Are we ready for a little canter now? Not too fast or we’ll leave poor, fat Porridge behind.’

  Breaking into a canter, Jade began to enjoy the morning. Down in the valley below, the hunters were visible, but seemed to be the size of sheep.

  ‘So the hounds really have found a hare already?’ Laura asked, watching the dogs spreading out in front of the riders, stray hounds occasionally steered into place by Mrs Death.

  ‘Maybe. They’ve certainly found the smell of a hare, which is enough for now.’

  ‘And they will eat it at the end?’

  ‘They’ve been trained to kill it, then leave it for the huntsman. He’ll usually give them most of it after the hunt’s finished.’

  ‘Do you think that’s a bit cruel?’ Laura asked gently.

  Jacqui shrugged. ‘It’s the food chain. You’re not from a farm, are you, Laura?’

  ‘No — my parents own the café in Flaxton.’

  ‘I see. Hey, there’s a nice spar over there. You girls feel free to jump it if you like; we’ll head through the gate.’

  ‘It’s a bit high for me,’ Laura said. ‘I’ve been doing them with Mrs Death, but not really wanting to. You go ahead, though, Jade.’

  ‘OK.’ Tani was feeling good now, full of beans but still listening to Jade’s commands. ‘Let’s go, boy.’ Steering him away from the gate and towards the spar, which must have been about 80 centimetres, Jade grinned as Tani took off exactly where she’d hoped he would. He really was beginning to feel like Pip.

  The landing, steeper than she’d expected, jolted Jade. But, sitting back, holding the pommel and giving Tani plenty of rein, they kept their footing.

  ‘We should wait for the others,’ Jade told Tani, who had seen a horse’s rump in the distance and wanted like
mad to catch up.

  ‘Easy, boy — they’re shutting the gate.’ To Jade’s surprise, the horse in the distance was slowing down to a walk. The rider was turning her horse now and heading back towards Jade.

  ‘Thought I might join the gate crew,’ said a red-faced woman on an enormous bay hunter. ‘Have a little rest, and a wee drink.’

  ‘Hello, Miriam!’ Jacqui called. ‘Fancy seeing you here.’

  ‘Tipple?’ Miriam held out her silver hip flask. ‘Restorative brandy.’

  ‘Well, just a mouthful. Ta.’ Jacqui laughed, taking the flask and drinking carefully so as not to mess up her lipstick. ‘It’s nearly nine after all.’ The two women cackled like hens.

  ‘And how’s Willa enjoying her first hunt?’ Miriam asked. ‘Having fun, dear?’

  ‘Yes, thanks,’ Willa said quietly.

  Jade didn’t think Willa looked like she was having fun. They were now approaching a steep hill, and, from the look on Willa’s face, she didn’t feel ready for it.

  Miriam had replaced the flask in her jacket pocket. ‘Why don’t we have another canter? It’s easier for the horses to stretch out going uphill.’

  ‘Sounds good to me,’ Jacqui said, briefly seeming to overlook her small daughter.

  ‘Mum!’ Willa howled, feeling forgotten.

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘The hill’s too big for Porridge.’

  ‘Nonsense.’

  ‘She won’t get up there.’

  ‘Not while you’re pulling on her mouth like that and whingeing.’

  Willa’s bottom lip started to tremble.

  ‘Hold on, Miriam: we have a problem.’

  ‘Don’t be a baby, Willa. Just follow us.’

  ‘I can’t!’ she cried.

  ‘Yes, you can,’ Laura tried to encourage her. ‘Hold some mane and she’ll follow the other horses. You’ll be fine.’

  ‘You don’t know Porridge!’ Willa screamed at a taken-aback Laura. ‘Stop telling me what to do when you don’t know!’

  ‘Willa, this rudeness and cowardice has to stop — understand?’ Jacqui was angry now, and Jade couldn’t really blame her.

  Stony-faced, Willa kicked her feet out of the little clogs her saddle had instead of stirrup irons, and clumsily slid off Porridge’s wide back.

  ‘I’m walking,’ she announced stubbornly.

  ‘Oh, jeepers,’ Jacqui sighed. ‘I’m so sorry, everyone.’ Sliding off Roger’s back so she could hoist her daughter back into the saddle, Jacqui muttered something about needing another drink.

  ‘Wilhelmina, we will leave you behind if you don’t come back here and remount.’

  ‘No!’

  ‘Look at the sky, Willa — it’s clouding over. You don’t want to be all alone in the middle of the Deaths’ farm caught in a shower of rain, do you?’

  ‘I said I’d walk up the hill.’

  ‘And if you walk while we canter, you’ll be left behind.’

  ‘You can walk with me.’

  ‘I am doing no such thing. Get back on your pony right now.’

  Willa stopped dragging Porridge by the reins.

  ‘If you’re not back here by the time I’ve counted to three, I won’t give you a leg-up. I’ll get back on Roger and we’ll all canter away and leave you.’

  Willa sulkily walked back to her mother and allowed herself to be hoisted back into the saddle.

  ‘Like Laura said: get a handful of mane and follow us,’ Jacqui said, remounting now too. ‘And Willa?’ she added.

  ‘What?’

  ‘You know, it’s not hunting unless you’re doing something that scares you every five minutes.’

  Jade hadn’t heard this definition of hunting before. She thought about it as they finally got their uphill canter. Leaning well forward and giving Tani his head, Jade was the happiest she had been in weeks.

  Once they reached the summit of the hill, Jade saw from everyone else’s expression that they felt the same. Even little Willa was grinning from ear to ear.

  ‘We did it!’ she shouted. ‘We got up the hill.’

  ‘Good girl,’ Jacqui cooed, her recent frustration forgotten.

  ‘And there are the mad hunters,’ Miriam pointed. ‘Galloping right under that rain cloud.’

  ‘It’ll be here soon enough: we should push on,’ Jacqui said. ‘How about another big canter, kiddo?’

  ‘Yeah!’ Willa said, ready for another kick of adrenaline.

  ‘OK — tally-ho!’

  Miriam, who was having another swig, nearly dropped her hip flask as they took off.

  ‘This is so much fun!’ Laura shouted to Jade, as Sofia cantered up alongside Tani. Jade grinned at her. It really was perfect, thundering along a high fence line, with the angry purple sky on one side and the view of the hunt on the other. They were catching up now, and Jade thought she could make out distinctive dun-coloured Dusty.

  ‘There’s Becca!’ Jade pointed her out to Laura.

  ‘Is it? She seems to be going really fast.’

  ‘They all are. Even we’re going quite fast — that’s hunting,’ Jade laughed.

  ‘No, but look: she’s following those other girls. See, Zoe’s in front, then Becca, then that girl with the pretty grey. They’re all racing at that fence.’

  Laura was right: her sharp eyes had spotted the fence before Jade.

  ‘Is that really Becca?’

  ‘I think so,’ Jade called back, worried now. ‘You’re right, she’s going far too fast. Oh!’

  Zoe had cleared the wire and was racing ahead, but the dun-coloured pony, which must have been Dusty, had jumped too flatly. Catching his forelegs on the wire, he’d tripped and gone down.

  ‘Oh, no!’ Laura was watching, too. ‘Jacqui, our friend’s fallen!’

  ‘Is that your friend?’ Jacqui asked, slowing down now. ‘It doesn’t look good.’

  Dusty had scrambled to his feet in time to get out of the way before the grey pony jumped, but his rider — presumably Becca — was lying still.

  ‘Why didn’t she stop?’ Jade yelled, watching the girl on the pretty grey clear the wire and gallop straight past Becca, who was lying, unmoving, in the mud. ‘She just kept going.’

  ‘She’s still down,’ Jacqui said passively.

  ‘We have to see if she’s OK!’

  ‘Someone else will get there before us, Jade. Don’t worry.’

  ‘I’m going down there.’

  ‘Don’t be stupid, Jade. We’re further away than it looks, and this hill is far too steep.’

  ‘I don’t care — I’m going.’ Without any more argument, Jade simply steered Tani off the narrow sheep track they’d been cantering along, straight down the hill, making a beeline for Becca.

  ‘Jade, come back!’ Laura screamed. ‘You’ll fall off, too.’

  Ignoring the calls, Jade leaned right back, like the man from Snowy River, held the rein at the buckle and hoped Tani’s natural sure-footedness would take over.

  The earth crumbled beneath the pony’s hind hooves. Instinctively, he shifted his weight, crouching back on his haunches. Jade’s own legs were pushed much further forward than pony club would ever have deemed proper, but it helped her stay in the saddle, and it helped Tani stay balanced — that was the point.

  As the ground started to even out again, the rain began. A few large, soft drops were followed by what seemed like a wall of water. The view in front of Jade became hazy and grey. But, through the gloom, she could make out the fence and the shape of a body on the ground.

  The fence. Jade was on the wrong side of the full-wire fence that had brought down Dusty. Through the heavy rain, Jade couldn’t see far enough down the fence line to make out whether there was a gate or not.

  ‘Becca!’ she called, near enough now to be heard. ‘Becca, are you OK?’

  There was no reply.

  And it was definitely Becca — the bright red ponytail could belong to no one else on the hunt. Nor could the bedraggled dun pony, grazing without remors
e near his rider, be any other than Dusty.

  In hindsight, she could have dismounted, tied Tani to a fence post and climbed through the wire, but at the time this didn’t occur to Jade.

  ‘“It’s not hunting unless it scares you”,’ she told herself, breaking into a trot, then a canter, steering Tani in a circle for a good run-up.

  It was certainly a bad decision. The slick of rain on the ground and the way the fence blurred into the paddock behind it through the still-heavy shower made the conditions perfect for a fall, as poor Becca had found out the hard way.

  ‘Becca, we have to get to Becca,’ Jade told Tani, aiming him at the fence, willing him to use all his pluck and agility.

  Putting in an extra stride where Jade wasn’t expecting it, Tani got right in underneath the fence before taking off. Jade was off-balance, and the jump itself was jerky and cat-like, but no one was judging them on style. They landed together on the other side, unscathed.

  ‘Good boy; you good, good boy!’ Jade pelted Tani’s dripping neck with pats. ‘We made it.’

  But there wasn’t time to celebrate their first attempt at jumping a full-wire. Jade jumped off Tani the moment he came to a halt, and rushed to her friend, who was lying so still on the ground.

  Becca’s neck was warm under Jade’s clammy fingers. Was that her pulse or Jade’s own? Jade, remembering the perfunctory first aid they had been taught at school and not wanting to move her friend, reached gently around to Becca’s nose, feeling for breath.

  ‘Oh!’ Becca’s eyes flicked open and she cried out again: ‘Oh!’

  ‘Becca! Are you OK?’

  ‘Jade? I’m cold.’

  Quickly pulling off her old black jacket, which was now quite wet but still better than nothing, Jade draped it over her friend.

  ‘No, this is even better. Hold on.’ Unthreading the girth from the straps on the saddle blanket, Jade apologized to Tani for stealing his warmth for Becca’s benefit.

  ‘Right now, she needs it more than you, boy.’ The blanket was moist with rain and horse sweat, but as warm as an electric blanket from Tani’s exertion. Jade considered taking Dusty’s saddle blanket, too, but with his clipped coat he seemed to need his blanket more than hardy Tani did his.