‘Which carving was shortlisted?’ Lara asked Mr Talbot, thinking of the two very different carvings of the white stallion.
‘Te Wairua Whakariuka—The Restless Spirit,’ he told her. ‘The one of the horse rearing and pawing the air. The judges thought Kahu captured the horse’s spirit superbly.’
All the kids in the class congratulated Kahu, speculating on how much money he’d score if he won the competition. Lara noticed Kahu wasn’t saying much. She was used to his moods now and knew that when he fell silent he was usually brooding about something.
‘Aren’t you pleased your carving’s shortlisted?’ she asked Kahu as they walked home.
‘It’s not that. It’s just something Mr Talbot said about me capturing the horse’s spirit in the carving.’
‘You did; he looks so wild and free.’
‘And that’s the way he should be, can’t you see?’
Lara didn’t answer. They walked on in silence. It was a warm spring afternoon and newborn lambs frolicked in the emerald-green paddocks. Kahu reached out and took her hand and they ambled along together. When they arrived at his place, he led her around the house to the paddock instead of going inside. The white stallion was galloping wildly up and down the fence line on the far side of the paddock. Occasionally he stopped and sniffed the breeze fretfully, tossing his head and flicking his long tail impatiently. She thought of her mother’s words about the wild bear going mad behind bars.
‘He could easily jump the fence if he wanted to,’ she said to Kahu.
‘Koura, Hiriwa and I hold him back,’ Kahu said sadly. ‘He’s not sure where he belongs now, but he’s definitely not happy here.’
They watched the white stallion for a while longer. Several times he reared and pawed the air. ‘Te Wairua Whakariuka,’ Lara tried to pronounce the unfamiliar words, ‘Restless Spirit.’ She sighed and said to Kahu, ‘I know you’re right. He should be freed. Only I’m scared he won’t stay at Barry’s and he’ll get caught up in the musters.’
‘I’ve been worried about that too.’ Kahu confessed. ‘But do you remember how he stood over Koura and me that time Koura tripped and fell? And again, when the helicopter hovered over us. He was going to take it on before Tusker shot him.’
‘Yeah, he tries to protect his band no matter what,’ Lara recalled.
‘And defend his place. It’s given me an idea of how we can make sure he stays at Barry’s.’
‘What are you up to now?’ Lara asked him warily.
‘Just trust me and come with me. We’re going to free the stallion.’
24
Running free
Kahu planned to release the white stallion on Barry’s station the following weekend. The stallion’s own band had roamed free there since the day Tusker shot him. They had settled in well, enjoying the lush grass after the dry tussock of the desert. Kahu hoped this would encourage the stallion to stay in the area too. It was much better land for horses, its sheltered valleys and low-lying ranges less exposed to the harsh winters and searing summers that blasted across the desert.
Barry backed the horse truck into Kahu’s paddock on Saturday morning. The white stallion and Hiriwa snorted skittishly. Koura and Robbie were unconcerned. The other two realised there was nothing to fear and strolled over to check out the truck. The stallion remembered his last trip in it and it held no particular fear for him. When Koura and Robbie walked calmly on board, the stallion and his son wandered on as well.
‘We can’t take Hiriwa,’ Lara objected. ‘He’s still not tame enough. He might take off after his father.’
‘If Koura and Hiriwa want to go with the white stallion, then they’re free to go,’ Kahu said flatly.
Lara was devastated. ‘Not all of them! That can’t be what you want. You’ve spent hours working with Hiriwa, he’s your mate.’ Lara was also thinking of the hours she’d spent with Koura while the mare taught her how to ride. She couldn’t handle giving them all up at once.
Kahu shrugged. ‘Koura, Hiriwa and the white stallion were a family before they were separated by Tusker,’ he said.
Lara wanted to slap him. ‘I can understand you wanting to free the stallion, but Koura and Hiriwa belong with you!’ she insisted. Kahu hauled himself up into the cab of the horse truck and held out his hand to pull Lara up alongside. She accepted reluctantly.
‘Young love burns fiercely,’ Barry joked good-naturedly, trying to ease the tension. Lara glared at him and proceeded to ignore Kahu and Barry for the rest of the trip.
When they arrived at Barry’s station, there was an entourage waiting for them. Lara’s mother, Tane, Joe and Aroha had all come to see the white stallion freed. He had touched all their lives in different ways and they wanted to say farewell. They drove out together to the backblocks of the station near the Kaimanawa Ranges where the old grey mare and the rest of the stallion’s band roamed. There were thousands of hectares of unfenced, scrubby land interspersed with lush green valleys and blue-green tarns. It looked like a wild-horse paradise to Lara and she began to relax. If she had to say goodbye to the horses, at least she couldn’t have asked for a better home.
Barry parked the truck in the shade of some kanuka trees overlooking the valley and they unloaded the horses. The white stallion was unsettled, sensing his band was near. He charged out of the truck and tossed his head against his rope halter. Kahu quietened him, patting his neck and speaking to him gently. He laid his head against the stallion’s neck one last time, then slipped off the halter. ‘Go free, te wairua whakariuka,’ he whispered to the horse. Lara blinked back tears. The white stallion nudged Kahu once and then cantered down into the valley, his tail held high and proud.
Kahu took off Koura’s halter next, stroking her long slender neck. He drew Lara to him, and they said their goodbyes to the golden mare. ‘Go with your mate and help him settle here,’ Kahu told the mare.
Lara kissed Koura’s warm, damp neck, ‘Thank you for being kind and patient and teaching me how to ride.’ Tears rolled down her cheeks now and she didn’t bother brushing them away. She released the mare. Her mother gave her a hug and together they watched the golden mare canter into the valley to be with her mate.
Next came Hiriwa. He was excited at being out and pranced merrily on the end of his halter rope. ‘Kick up your heels,’ Kahu laughed, though Lara saw the sadness in his eyes. ‘Be brave like your father!’ he told him as he removed the halter. The young stallion whinnied excitedly and dashed off to join his parents.
‘We can come up here to visit them any time we want,’ Kahu tried to reassure Lara, and himself, she realised, as they watched the three horses join up in the valley. ‘You can ride out on Robbie.’
‘And who will you ride?’
Kahu shrugged, ‘Some nice, quiet plodder I guess.’
‘Somehow I can’t imagine you on anything but a Kaimanawa,’ she said, as the white stallion whinnied out loudly.
‘Here comes the rest of his band.’ Barry pointed to the other side of the valley. The old grey mare led the group as they careered across the swaying grass to meet the stallion. The two groups of horses merged happily, frolicking like old friends. Even as they played, the white stallion began to herd them into a cohesive band. He snaked in and out of the group, scolding a nippy foal and rubbing noses with the mares. Slowly the band settled and turned to graze contentedly on the sweet spring grass. The white stallion stood on his own to the side, watching protectively over his band as they ate.
‘It must be time, then,’ Barry said to Kahu.
‘Dad’s in position; all it takes is a phone call,’ Kahu told him, reaching for his cellphone.
‘Do you think it will work?’ Barry asked Kahu doubtfully as he put through the call.
‘Do you think what will work?’ Lara questioned them suspiciously.
‘This!’ Kahu replied, as a deep roar thundered through the valley. The noise swelled and the ground began to tremble and shake. At first, Lara thought it was another earthquake. T
he band of horses whinnied nervously and tried to scatter. Only the white stallion kept his nerve. He rounded them up and paced around the band, challenging any horse that tried to run.
‘What is it?’ Lara yelled, and the others cried out, ‘What’s that noise?’
It continued to grow, like a pulsating rumble. There was a shrieking, squeaking, squealing sound too and the earth vibrated beneath their feet. Then they saw it. It came crawling along the valley from out of the copse of trees, its great tracks lumbering over the shuddering ground and its massive turret gun revolving ominously.
‘It’s a bloody army tank!’ Tane called out in disbelief.
‘What are you doing?’ Lara yelled at Kahu. ‘What are you up to?’
‘Remember what we talked about? About the stallion taking on the helicopter?’ Kahu said excitedly. ‘If he took on that tank, and won, I reckon he’d feel as if he’d defended his patch. He’d finally feel safe enough to stay in one place and make it his home.’
‘What if he’s frightened off? What if he doesn’t take the tank on?’ Lara screamed.
‘He will! And as soon as he does, Dad will back off and the stallion will have finally won.’
‘How did your dad get hold of a tank?’ Tane asked, gobsmacked.
‘His brigade was on field exercises in the desert. I guess you could say he took a small diversion,’ Kahu said, grinning.
25
The stallions’ stand
When the white stallion heard the rumbling sound, he thought that finally he would have to confront the terrible creature which lived beneath the ground. He was no longer frightened. He knew now that he could call upon the combined strength of his ancestors, from his spirited Arab great-grandfather to the brave war horse and plucky Welsh pony of his dreams. His Kaimanawa blood was strong and boiled in his veins.
He watched the lumbering giant approach and rounded up his terrified band. He herded them into a circle with the youngsters on the inside and the older, more experienced mares facing outward. He commanded them to stay and galloped out to meet his challenger. The noise of the tank echoed in his ears and the earth throbbed beneath his hooves. He had a flashing image of exploding shells digging up the ground and massive guns firing into fields of mud and knew his ancestors had met a similar foe. He was not afraid.
The white stallion stood in the path of the oncoming tank, his neck arched and nostrils flared. As it rolled on towards him, rumbling and squealing like a huge iron pig, he stomped the ground sharply with his foreleg. When it was only a few metres away he reared up to meet it, whinnying shrilly above the roar of its engine. Suddenly, he caught a flash of silver-grey as his son dashed up beside him. Hiriwa reared up alongside his father, and together the two stallions pawed the air in a united challenge. Just as it seemed the monster would crush them both, it veered sharply to the right and retreated, its huge body screeching and groaning away.
The two stallions, father and son, turned triumphantly to the band. The white stallion galloped back to his mares and offspring. He felt strong and invincible. He’d faced his worst fears and won. He rounded up his band and they cantered along the valley together, his favourite mare, Koura, running at the front alongside him. Finally, the white stallion was at peace. He was where he belonged, running free with his family, his enemies vanquished.
Lara, Kahu and the others watched awestruck as the battle unfolded before them in the valley below. As Kahu had predicted, the white stallion was brave enough to take on the tank. They were all stunned when his son challenged the tank too. The two stallions looked proud and defiant rearing up side by side against the great, lumbering tank. Lara thought of Kahu’s carving as she watched the white stallion pawing the air. Kahu had made the right choice to free the white stallion, she realised with a certainty. He belonged here in the wild.
When Kahu’s father swung the tank away in retreat, they all cheered. The white stallion galloped back to be with his band, his tail flying high in victorious salute. Koura ran up to join him and nuzzled his neck. The golden mare and white stallion spun around in unison and galloped off together along the valley, the rest of the band following. Only Hiriwa remained. He looked uncertainly after his parents and the band. Slowly, he turned his back on them and cantered up the hill towards the group of people. He trotted up to Kahu and nudged him as if to say, ‘Come on, let’s go home.’
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