Silver and Red

"Tonto, where's Red?"

The Ranger had bolted upright in a cold sweat, woken by a nightmare of black jaws. The cold night poured into the old hunter's shack. The fire had gone out.

His Indian friend stood in the doorway, normally stoic eyes wide with alarm.

"Taken, Kemosabe. She went out into the night. I followed but the monster found the girl first."

The Ranger was on his feet in a flash, buckling on his gun belt.

"No time to waste, Tonto," he said. The brave stood aside to follow as he made for the horses. Silver's eyes were wide; she always knew when there was danger, but stood bravely until it was time to run.

The Ranger and his friend mounted up and bolted off into the forest.

"This way, Kemosabe!" Tonto shouted, leading the way into the trees.

The full moon is a double-edged blade, the Ranger mused. The forest is clear before us, but...

"Here, Kemosabe!"

They stopped in a clearing, clover glistening in the moonlight and lavender bell flowers with their heads down to sleep. Lying in the middle of the glade was a familiar red cloak. The Ranger bent to pick it up. Grasping it firmly in his gloved hand, for a moment he couldn't take his eyes off it.

"It does have her," he whispered. He tucked the hood into his side belt. "Are there tracks?" he said urgently.

Tonto was already leading his horse along the edge of the glade. "Here, Kemosabe. It ran north."

The moment he spoke, a howl echoed through the night, low and distant. The Ranger didn't waste another moment, shouting his horse into a run.

"Hyah!"

The forest blurred by as Silver ran more swift than the wind. In his mind the Ranger saw shadows of red and black, images of fates that he would not let happen. The trees seemed to constrict as he rode deeper, the shadows growing darker.

Suddenly, the forest stopped at a rock pass. The Ranger reined Silver in. Here the trees seemed to claw up the cliff, roots grasping at the mouth of the pass.

He heeled Silver on, riding only as carefully as need be over the roots and into the dark. Tonto appeared from the trees after only a moment, and they went on together, the pass just wide enough for both riders.

After a short stretch, Tonto called quietly. "Wait, Kemosabe."

The Ranger reined in, turning to his friend. "There's no time, Tonto."

"Listen," Tonto said, his eyes upon the air.

The Ranger felt a chill when he realized what his companion meant. It was too quiet... yet from the howl they had to be close.

They continued on, painfully slowly, but every sense told them they too had to keep quiet.

When they rounded a bend, the Ranger pointed. "There," he whispered.

Ahead was another glade in what looked like a circular canyon, moonlight falling on a figure lying in the grass. Red looked unharmed, her white blouse and red skirts untattered, dark brown hair a mess around her. The Ranger felt a spark of hope when he saw she was breathing.

"No, Kemosabe. There." Tanto's voice was grave.

The Ranger followed his raised finger up to a sharp cropping of rock that jutted out from the cliff. There the full moon hovered above a dark figure, the crouched and menacing silhouette of the beast.

The Ranger's brow hardened as, slowly and smoothly, he drew a silver bullet from his belt and loaded it into his revolver. As he did, a low growl came from the shadow, a warning to go no further. The Ranger felt the corner of his mouth raise just slightly.

With a flash of steel and pull of a hammer, the Lone Ranger fired, a deadly shot for the beast above.

Yet as surely as the birds fled the trees, he saw the shadow dash aside, as if black smoke in a sudden breeze. They heard a growling, an awful snarling, descending somewhere out of sight.

"It comes, Kemosabe."

When the dark shape fell into the pass and began bounding toward the riders, the Ranger tried to load another silver bullet, but was too late. He dove off the horse as the creature lept, a giant mass of black fur and gleaming fangs. As he flew aside, a claw slashed and tore away his gun belt, and it fell back into the shadows of the pass. Scrambling on the ground, he looked to where the belt had been. The beast snarled as it turned back in rage, glowering at the Ranger. The pistol had only one silver bullet.

A figure in tanned leathers suddenly appeared between him and the monster; Tanto had flown from his saddle, holding a wicked tomahawk to face down the thing.

In a moment of reprieve, the Ranger turned his eyes back to the clearing. Red had stirred awake, her head rising to look their way. The horses, he saw, had circled around to the far side of the canyon. He turned back to see Tonto circling and dancing around the creature, making war sounds as he kept its attention.

Lying at his feet, the Ranger saw the red hood. He swept it up, getting to his feet as he raised the pistol again.

"Tonto!" he shouted.

The brave came up from a roll and darted toward the Ranger, leaving the monster seething as it prowled, watching them from the edge of the shadows.

"Stay on Red," he said as he began to circle to the left, his pistol trained on the mouth of the pass. He waved the red hood out in front of him, but the creature's growling only faded, it's eyes sinking back into the dark.

"Is there any other way into the canyon?" he said, not taking his eyes away.

"Monster could come down from any side of canyon," Tonto said.

"I'm sorry, John," Red said. "This is my fault."

"Take it easy, Red," the Ranger said. "We're not going to let it hurt you. Tonto, get the horses. Don't go until I say, it could still be in the pass."

Just as he said it, Red let out a scream, trembling hands covering her mouth, and pointed up to the far side of the cliff. There again it crouched beneath the full moon, jaws open in what could have been a wicked smile. They stood for a moment frozen, as it raised up on its hind legs and let out a howl to the sky.

"Go," the Ranger said. "Go now!"

In the corner of his eye he saw Tonto lift Red up onto Silver. As they rode for the pass, he heard Red's voice.

"No... no!"

The creature's eyes followed the escaping riders, but the Ranger waved the red hood high above his head, shouting, and they returned.

"Just you and me now, friend."

The creature growled and lunged down the side of the cliff. The Ranger fired at the black shadow, but the bullet missed and struck the stone behind it with a shower of dust and rock. He dodged away as the thing tore past, barely avoiding its claws. It turned on him far too quickly and he could only raise his arms as the hand swiped at him, cutting into his sleeves and skin and knocking him across the ground. Tumbling, his head hit something hard and everything went black.

*****

He stirred, hoping it had only been a few moments. There was a pain in his head, but his senses were oddly clear despite it, as if on the edge of a dream. The dirt and deteriorating twigs beneath his face were a rich and welcome smell. Yet he knew there was still a shadow nearby.

He pushed himself up, his hand finding the rock that had struck his head, and looked around the glade. The creature was contentedly stalking the edge, watching him. He stood up, his arms feeling limp.

"You want a fight?" he said. "Alright then." He stooped to pick up his empty revolver. Aiming it at the creature, he pulled the trigger and made a firing sound with his mouth. The thing seemed to be smiling again. It knew he was dead.

"Kemosabe!"

A jolt appeared in the Ranger's chest and he whirled around. Tonto stood at the mouth of the pass, holding the gun belt. The brave tossed something up and a small gleaming shape sailed through the night, reflecting the moonlight.

The Ranger caught the silver bullet in his free hand and loaded it as the beast charged. The muzzle flashed as the shot rang out... and the creature fell.

It collapsed and tumbled over the ground, stopping still a few feet away. The Ranger raised the pistol back and let out his breath.

Both he and Tonto came to stand over it. Its wolfen features were clearer now that it was still.

"Third time's charm, Kemosabe," Tonto said.

The Ranger let out a laugh toward the sky, a hearty hand on his friend's shoulder. "Well done, Tonto. Well done."

A light gasp came from the pass and they turned to see Red leading the horses. She dropped the reins and joined them, hands covering her mouth.

"Well... there it is," she said.

"Oh," the Ranger said, picking something up from the grass. He handed Red her hood. "You dropped this."

She smiled as she took it and put it on, shivering lightly.

"We better get back," the Lone Ranger said. "The old hunter will be awake soon."

"I guess we'll have quite a story for him," said Red.

The sky was beginning to brighten when they saw the old hunter's shack.