#37- The Horse-killers – THE LEGEND OF THE GREAT HORSE trilogy

20,000 years ago today…

A shape caught her attention: a person was squatting in the grass. One of the horse-killers. Meagan tensed and instantly every horse’s head was up. The lead mare froze and looked past the squatting figure as she tried to get a scent in the calm air. A horse’s eyes are made to detect motion, and if the man made the slightest tremor the mare would recognize the danger. But she required that tremor.

Another man lay behind the mare, prostrate a hundred feet away. He crept so slowly Meagan could track his movement only by marking the grass’s separation. Another man was beside the others—and another. The horse-killers surrounded them.

Looking again at the canyon walls covered with paintings, Meagan realized why it looked familiar. She had seen these canyon walls—from the other side of the cliff.

“Run!” she shouted. The horses could escape if they would only gallop away. “Go on!” She urged her mount forward but the untaught gray mare only balked. Then the stallion nipped the furthest horses to herd them closer and caught the scent of the hunters. His shrill trumpet cut the air and the electrified band swerved to take flight—but the men stood all at once and the startled horses wheeled to the center.

The tribe advanced, slowly tightening their circle as the herd milled in confusion. The only apparent escape was the deadly corridor between the rocks…