‘Come on, you lot,’ cried the Outrider who had chosen the resting place the night before. ‘It’s time to get going again.’
It was midday and the sun was high in the clear blue sky when the deer came over a hill and began to descend steeply through the long, sweet grass. They came to a meadow and the ground was thick with daisies and buttercups that glowed a brilliant yellow around them. Bankfoot was feeling strangely cheerful, for the sun was on his back and his antlers had suddenly stopped itching, when he halted in the grass and looked up the hill in amazement.
There, in the sunlight, a single stag was watching him. Its antlers rose high above its proud head and it had a fine, sleek coat. It was a twelve-pointer but what made Bankfoot start was the colour of the stag’s pelt. Its fur was completely white. The strange hart did nothing for a while as it watched them and then, suddenly, it turned and vanished over the hill. Bankfoot shivered and for some reason he thought of Rannoch.
They travelled on and it was early afternoon when Tain suddenly looked up and frowned. Coming across the ground, moving swiftly towards them, he saw twenty stags. Ahead of them was a stag with no antlers. They had all stopped now and the young friends moved together nervously. The Outriders waited silently around them, watching the Sgorrla suspiciously. When the deer reached them they pulled up and for a while said nothing as they measured the Outriders’ strength.
Then Sgorr spoke. As the young friends looked up into his scarred face with its single eye, the twins and the stags shuddered. This was the first time any of them had come face to face with Sgorr.
‘Good,’ said Sgorr. ’They’re all here.’
The Outriders looked back at him but said nothing. Some of them dropped their heads in shame and Sgorr’s eye twinkled.
‘You’ve done a fine thing,’ he went on, addressing the Outriders in a soft, caressing voice, ‘returning these Herla to their own herd. They are very dear to us.’
‘I told you so,’ muttered Fern among the hinds. ‘He means us no harm.’
‘It is good to meet you at last,’ said Sgorr, walking slowly towards the young deer. ‘You caused us no end of trouble, you know. And all for what? For some silly prophecy. But that’s all done with. Now he’s dead.’
Willow stirred and glared at Sgorr. She suddenly felt a violent hatred burning in the pit of her stomach.
‘Tell me, though,’ said Sgorr. ’Which one of you is the hind that. . . Which one of you is Rannoch’s mother?’
Bracken looked up sadly.
‘I am,’ she said quietly.
‘Bracken.’ Sgorr greeted her smoothly, suddenly looking towards Narl who was standing just behind him. ‘It’s a privilege to meet you. I am just sad that I was not Lord of Herds when you were forced to flee. . . so unnecessarily.’
Bracken blinked back at Sgorr stupidly, hardly understanding what he was saying, but Bankfoot noticed that there was a thin smile flickering across Sgorr’s lips.
‘Very well,’ cried Sgorr suddenly. ‘Outriders, you have done your duty and now you can return to Colquhar. Tell him that I am pleased and that I send him my respects. Now we will take charge of the. . . of our friends and escort them in safety back to the home herd.’
The Outrider who had been leading nodded gravely and flicked his antlers to the others. They turned without another word and ran back up the hill.
As they went, Sgorr glared angrily after them.
‘Outrider scum,’ he whispered. ‘Your day will come.’ Tain, who was standing close to Sgorr, overheard this with horror but he was distracted suddenly by a shadow in the grass. Tain looked up and way, way above him he saw a black shape circling in the sky overhead. From here it looked like a raven but Tain realized that it was very far away and must be much bigger; an osprey perhaps or an eagle. It hovered for a moment and then tilted its great wings and flew north once more.
‘We should be moving,’ cried Sgorr suddenly, and his voice had lost all of its conciliating warmth. ‘You there, get going.’
The young friends and their mothers found themselves surrounded by Sgorrla. But as they began their journey south, Sgorr hung back with Narl.
‘So you’ve got them back at last, Lord,’ said Narl. ’What now?’
‘Nothing for the moment,’ answered Sgorr coldly. ‘We’ll have some fun with them when we get back to the home herd. But not too much. I want Eloin to know what I could do to them, that’s all. Her desire to protect them will put her just where I want her.’
Narl looked hard at his master and nodded.
‘But Narl,’ said Sgorr suddenly. ‘Bracken. I’ll make an exception for her. Spare me the details, Narl, just make sure that Bracken never makes it back to the herd alive.’
They had been travelling for two suns and everything the young friends had seen of Sgorr and the Sgorrla had made them more and more nervous. But their mothers would not be convinced there was anything really to fear, except perhaps Alyth, for hinds can have a habit of hiding from the truth and they were desperate to convince themselves they were in no danger. Besides, on the first evening with the Sgorrla, something strange had happened. The hinds had been feeding together when one of the Sgorrla guards had drifted up and, looking about nervously at the other Sgorrla, he had flicked his head to Fern.
‘Listen,’ he whispered, ‘I can’t talk but I’ve got a message for you from Eloin. She says that you’re not to worry. That you’ll have her protection.’
Before Fern could say anything the stag drifted away again.
Alyth’s continuing fears might have had more effect on the others if it hadn’t been for Thistle, for the young stag had already made up his mind that the best thing they could do was to return without protest and make a life in the herd. He made no secret of it when they stopped to graze or ruminate. He had been sad about Rannoch too but that fawn mark had always made him uncomfortable and he hoped that now they would have a chance to return to a normal life.
But on that second sun something happened that swiftly changed Thistle’s mind. He was trailing behind the others and he kept trying to talk to the two Sgorrla next to him about the herd and Sgorr. At first they had ignored him but Thistle seemed so genuinely enthusiastic that at last they relented.
‘You’ve fine antlers,’ Thistle was saying now to the stag to his right. ‘I want antlers like that one day.’
The Sgorrla snorted but he was obviously pleased.
‘What’s it like to be in the Sgorrla?’ asked Thistle cheerfully. ‘Do you have captains?’
‘Commanders,’ said the deer to his left.
‘Commanders,’ mused Thistle dreamily. ‘That’s fine. I’d like to be a commander. To protect the herd.’
The Sgorrla on his right looked at him oddly.
‘To keep them in their place, you mean.’ Thistle raised his eyes.
‘Yes, yes of course,’ he said with embarrassment, keen not to appear ridiculous in front of the two stags, ‘and to fight off predators. Wolves and things.’
‘You can’t fight wolves,’ snorted the Sgorrla. ’That’s why Sgorr’s bait is so effective.’
‘Sgorr’s bait?’
‘Quiet,’ interrupted the stag on their left suddenly. ‘If the inner Sgorrla heard you talking like that you’d get a gouging.’
‘The inner Sgorrla?’ said Thistle. ‘Who are they?’
‘The inner Sgorrla report directly to Lord Sgorr,’ said the Stag, ‘and keep an eye on us all to make sure we don’t stray, that we uphold Sgorr’s laws. We’ve much to thank them for.’
‘I don’t see why he shouldn’t know about Sgorr’s bait,’ said the other stag. ’After all, it’s what makes us so strong.’
‘Tell me,’ said Thistle.
‘It’s simple. When a deer is wounded, or old and sick, we take them into the hills and leave them out for the wolves. Sometimes we have to break their legs to stop them running away.’
Thistle was horrified.
‘You give them to the wolves?’ he whispered.
r /> ‘That’s right,’ said the Sgorrla cheerfully. ‘It weeds out the weaklings and keeps the herd strong. It also keeps the wolves satisfied and stops them attacking, so we don’t have to worry about protecting the herd. Beautifully simple. But that’s what Lord Sgorr’s teaching us. To use reason and to think clearly. To stop acting out of mere instinct.’
Thistle was appalled and he suddenly felt frightened. Rather than showing it though he tried to change the subject.
‘These commanders,’ he said, ‘I suppose they’re the same as Outrider captains.’
To Thistle’s amazement the two stags suddenly pulled up and the one on his right glared at Thistle.
‘How dare you talk about them in front of us?’ he spat.
‘Mention them again and I’ll give you a gouging.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Thistle with surprise. ‘I’ve always thought that Outriders. . .’
It was Larn when the deer stopped once more, the hinds and their calves still in two separate groups and the Sgorrla around them. Narl and Sgorr were set apart when Thistle came up to re-join the young friends who were talking together. They noticed in the twilight that his face was bruised and there was blood on his lips.
‘What happened, Thistle?’ said Willow.
‘Nothing,’ snorted Thistle. ‘Those filthy Sgorrla.’
‘The Sgorrla did that to you?’ gasped Tain.
‘Yes, for talking about the Outriders.’
‘That does it,’ said Tain. ’We should make a break for it. All of us.’
This time Thistle was silent.
‘But how?’ said Peppa. ’They’re constantly on the watch.’
‘We’ll wait till dark,’ said Thistle suddenly and resolutely, ‘then try and slip away.’
‘And Mother?’ said Peppa.
‘One of us should go and talk to them – see what Alyth has to say.’
‘And go where?’ said Peppa.
‘North into the High Land, like Bankfoot suggested.’
‘I’m with you,’ said Willow. ‘Did you hear how that. . . that thing talked about Rannoch?’
‘M-m-me too,’ said Bankfoot. ’How could I live in a herd with no Outriders?’
‘Then we’re all agreed,’ whispered Tain. ’Once we’ve spoken to the hinds we’ll keep a lookout for the best spot. We’ll need a signal. That the Sgorrla can’t understand.’
‘What shall it be?’ said Thistle.
‘How about Starbuck?’ said Tain.
‘I know,’ said Willow. ’Herne watches over you.’
The friends agreed that when the signal came they should prepare themselves for their immediate escape. It was a pretty thin plan but a plan nonetheless and they were soon desperately nervous, looking all the time for some convenient place to make their getaway.
The only thing that worried them was that among the hinds only Alyth wanted to come with them, though she chose to stay with her friends. The others had all decided to stay with the Sgorrla and risk their luck in the herd. None of them could imagine another journey like the flight that had taken them to the loch. So now, as they travelled, the youngsters began to say a secret farewell, in their thoughts, to their own mothers. Though they would never admit it, even the young stags’ hearts were heavy.
It was hardest for Peppa for she was deeply attached to Fern, but Willow consoled her and soon all of them had convinced themselves that it was for the best. They knew that if they all tried to escape and were caught it would probably be the hinds that would suffer the most for it. Besides, the hinds agreed to help their young ones by creating a diversion when the signal came.
It came the very next night. There was no moon in the sky and the cloudy evening was unusually dark. It must have been close to midnight but the deer were still travelling, for Sgorr was growing impatient to be back at the herd. Since Larn, they had been making their way along a ridge that banked very steeply below them towards a large forest. The trees offered lots of cover and all the friends had the same thought. But the drop below them was so steep that there seemed no way down, short of breaking their necks.
They were coming towards the end of the ridge when Willow suddenly cried out. Bankfoot swung round and was horrified to see her lying in the grass. The Sgorrla closed in immediately and Sgorr came running up.
‘What’s this? What’s going on?’ he cried angrily.
‘I’m sorry,’ said Willow.’I tripped and I think I’ve sprained my foreleg.’
‘We can’t let that slow us,’ said Sgorr. ’Get up. Immediately.’
‘Yes, yes,’ muttered Willow, struggling in the grass, but as she did so she cried out again.’I’m sorry,’ she said, sinking back.’It’s very bad. I won’t be able to move for a while.’
‘Nonsense,’ said Sgorr furiously.’You’ll get up now. Or the Sgorrla will show you the true meaning of pain.’
‘All right,’ said Willow. ‘Just a few moments. I’ll be better in a while. You can’t come to any real harm if Herne watches over you.’
Willow had raised her voice loudly and though Sgorr ignored the remark suddenly all the friends’ senses were quivering, their eyes flicking back and forth in the darkness.
‘Are you all right?’ said Tain, coming up to Willow. ‘Let me see.’
Tain waited till Sgorr had drifted slightly away, cursing to himself, then whispered frantically, ‘What is it, Willow? We’ll never get away with your leg injured.’
‘My leg’s fine,’ said Willow, smiling, ‘but just back there I noticed a path and there were sheep slots. There must be a way down to the forest.’
Suddenly the friends heard a shout. It was Alyth.
‘Herne be with you always, my little ones,’ she cried, and the friends realized that the hinds were running away from them, along the ridge.
‘What’s going on?’ shouted Sgorr furiously.
‘The hinds,’ cried Narl. ’They’re trying to escape.’
In the darkness the Sgorrla were suddenly thrown into confusion.
‘After them, fools,’ cried Sgorr. ’All of you.’
Sgorr began to run too, for Willow’s trickery had dulled his suspicions and he did not realize that it was not the hinds but their calves who were trying to escape.
‘Now or never,’ cried Willow, suddenly springing to her feet as the Sgorrla raced away. ‘Follow me.’
The friends leapt after her in the darkness as she ran back along the ridge and, pausing only for a moment, suddenly plunged down the slope. Peppa came next, followed by Bankfoot, Thistle and then Tain. It was a desperate move, for the path was very steep and in the pitch-blackness they could not see where they were going at all.
They found themselves hurtling down the slope, dislodging stones and clumps of grass, terrified they would crash into each other but unable to control their descent, thrust downwards by their own momentum. Several times, Bankfoot thought he would fall and his own weight carried him faster and faster. But deer are sure-footed creatures and, springing and jumping, swerving left and right to avoid trees and boulders that suddenly loomed in front of them in the darkness, they managed somehow to survive the terrible incline.
At last the path began to ease up and Willow, who was still ahead, was able to slow her descent and gain control once again. Panting and terrified, she came to a halt as the ground flattened out at last and ahead she saw that she was right at the edge of the forest.
‘Look out,’ cried a voice behind her and Thistle, who had overtaken Peppa, suddenly came running up beside her. He was followed by Peppa and Tain.
‘I can’t st-st-stop,’ shouted Bankfoot from behind, but the young stag, wheezing desperately, did manage to stop just behind them.
‘We made it!’ cried Peppa.
‘Not yet,’ said Willow, ‘not for a good while yet. Come on, the trees are our best hope now.’
As she said it, Peppa gasped. The friends all heard the noise above them now and they realized that a deer was coming down the slope towards them. Thistle dr
opped his young antlers, determined that he should not suffer another beating. But as the friends peered helplessly into the night, all their eyes opened in amazement when an exhausted hind suddenly emerged from the blackness.
‘Bracken!’ cried Willow.’What are you doing here?’ Bracken didn’t answer. Her frightened eyes were just dazed. The poor hind had understood nothing of their plan and when the others had begun their diversion, she had been left standing behind the stags. Instinct and confusion had carried her after them.
‘We can’t leave her here now,’ said Thistle.
‘No,’ agreed Willow, ‘there’s nothing for it. She’ll have to come with us.’
Bracken still didn’t understand, but as the friends turned and vanished into the trees, the hind followed dutifully after them.
On the ridge above them the Sgorrla had caught up with the other hinds. They were surrounded and now they no longer made any attempt to run.
‘What do you think you were doing?’ cried Sgorr furiously when he reached them.
‘Nothing,’ answered Alyth coldly.’Just enjoying the evening.’
There was something in her tone that made Sgorr start.
‘Quick!’ he shouted to some of the Sgorrla.’Go back and check on the others.’
When the stags returned just a short while later with the news that the youngsters had vanished, Sgorr nodded his head and almost smiled.
‘So,’ he said.’Still playing games. Very well then.’ He rounded on the Sgorrla.
‘Follow them,’ he cried furiously. ‘Hunt them down. Don’t rest until you’ve found them.’
The stags nodded gravely.
‘But first,’ he said, turning back to Alyth, ‘we will deal with you.’
Sgorr smiled coldly at Narl.
‘Kill them,’ he whispered. ‘Kill them all.’
Fern blinked in terror as Narl stepped forward.
‘But Lord Sgorr,’ he said quietly, ‘what about Eloin?’ Sgorr was silent for a while.
‘Very well,’ he said finally. ‘But they must be punished. I tell you what, Narl, we’ll keep two of them alive, just for Eloin’s benefit. And Narl, I’ll give you the choice of which.’