8 Out of the Wind

Chapter 8 OUT OF THE WIND A howl came again from the hillside. Then another howl and another and another, until there was a chorus of howls. "Oh, no! The wolves are after the horses!" cried Annie. Before Jack could think, everything happened at once. The three Takhi started galloping away from the wolves. They were heading toward Jack and Annie. Their hooves pounded against the ground. The howling noises grew louder. More wolves moved down the slope of the hill. The wolves scrambled onto the plain. They started chasing after the horses. The Takhi kept running toward Jack and Annie.

"Now's the time!" shouted Annie. "We have to sing!" "Sing what? How?" called Jack. "Just sing!" cried Annie. "That's what Morgan told us to do! Sing of wild things. Let the wind do the rest! Spin air into song!" She stood up on her bike pedals and held her head high. Annie sang to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus." She sang as loud as she could. "The horses on the plain are running and running. The horses on the plain are running back home!" It wasn't a good song. But Annie kept singing. Jack stood on his pedals. He made up words to the same tune. "The wind on the plain is blowing and blowing! The wind on the plain is blowing them home!" Together Jack and Annie sang as loud as they could. They bellowed the words of their song over and over. Suddenly the wind seemed to capture their voices and fill the night with their song. Strange whistling and low rumblings began to shake the earth. All the sounds blended together perfectly.

And then the wind spun the song into a swirling column of air. The whirlwind swirled over the grass, growing bigger and bigger—until out of its swirl, a beautiful white stallion leapt forward. "WOW!" shouted Annie. "See that?" "YES!" Jack yelled, though he could hardly believe his eyes. The magnificent horse had a long neck and a flowing mane. The horse raced toward the Takhi. The wind shifted direction, and the mountain bikes swerved to the left. With the rushing wind pushing them across the plain, Jack and Annie raced after the white horse. The huge stallion halted before the oncoming Takhi. He reared up on his hind legs. He neighed loudly, as if commanding the smaller horses to follow.

Then the stallion started back toward the entrance of the nature reserve. The three Takhi galloped after him. Jack's and Annie's bikes swerved again and sped after the horses. Jack could hear the wolves howling behind them. The beautiful white horse galloped over the silver sea of moonlit grass. The Takhi galloped behind him. The mountain bikes zoomed faster.

The wolves couldn't keep up. The sounds of their howls grew fainter as they fell farther behind. Finally they faded away completely. Soon only the wind and the thumping of horse hooves could be heard. Nearing the fenced area, the white stallion and the Takhi slowed to a trot. The wind fell to a whisper. Jack's and Annie's bikes coasted to a stop. From inside the corral came the sound of neighing. "Jack, let them in!" Annie shouted. Jack jumped off his bike and hurried to the gate. The gate was tied shut with a thin rope. Jack untied the knot. He threw open the gate. The three Takhi trotted into the corral. They galloped off to join their herd. Jack closed the gate firmly. He tied the knot tightly.

"Done!" he shouted. He nearly collapsed with relief. "Whew! Good work!" said Annie. Jack looked around for the mysterious white stallion. "Where is he?" he asked. "I don't know," said Annie. "He was here. Then he wasn't." "Where did he come from?" asked Jack. "The wind… maybe?" said Annie. "But how did he just disappear?" said Jack. "Maybe—I don't know—the wind made him," said Annie. "And now the wind's