End of chapter 5:

"You don't mind a little company, do you?" Harry asked.

"Do I have a choice?"

"My dear, you always do."

"I disagree. I didn't have a choice when my mother left me in a basket in a public laundry room. I didn't have a choice when I was shifted from foster home to foster home as a child, and I didn't have a choice when my boyfriend traded me for my best friend."

Nara's hands flew to her mouth as her face blanched.

"I am so sorry," she said. "I don't know where that came from."

Hank, still close enough to touch her, rested a hand on her arm.

"I think your soul is peeking out from behind your frozen heart, my Dear."

Nara's eyes shifted to the unfortunately charismatic Hank, and caught a quick, sympathetic wink.

"I think it's time to go riding before I die of embarrassment," she said, the wink causing her heart to race in spite of her personal reservations.

"I'll take over from here," Harry said. He smiled as he took Nara by the hand and led her to the dingy horse that would serve as her mount for the trail ride.

Chapter 6 Begins:

Nara's heart raced as she rode with her new companions down a marked trail in the pasture. In spite of the encroaching heat, she looked forward to a relaxing ride. Making adjustments was never easy for her, and this ride promised to be the emotional therapy she so desperately needed.

Leading the company was Harry on the perky paint Nara had seen earlier, and Riley on a pleasant looking brown mare.  Next in line was Nara on the bland black gelding and Henry on a splendid chestnut stallion.

Grouped behind them were the five art students, moving in and out of the pack like a ball of snakes.

Hank took up the rear, mounted on the emaculate black stallion that seemed as aware of his net value and esteemed good looks as did his owner.

Two of a kind, Nara thought, starting to turn away. Hank, however, noticed her glance, grinned and tipped his cowboy hat. Nara smiled back and gave a little wave. She wasn't going to give Hank the advantage of thinking he had caught her watching him. She turned pointedly to the triplet closest to her.

"Where are we going?" Nara asked Henry. "I mean besides on a trail ride."

"To a very special part of the ranch," he replied. Henry was riding the serious brown mare who looked from right to left in constant vigilance. "We're heading to an area in the Northwest corner we call the Oasis."

"Oh, I love the name. I'm guessing there's water surrounded by brilliantly colored flowers and magnificent towering trees."

"Yeah, that sounds like a pretty good description," Henry said. He turned his head and looked at Nara with the same blue eyes his brothers sported, but with a depth that took her off-guard.

While Hank's eyes teased and thrilled, and Harry's were serious and comforting, Henry's took her into a realm she'd never visited. They were as stirring as an ocean wave.

"Your name must be Poseidon," she said, more a statement than question.

"Just one of many nicknames," Henry explained, "but you're right on which one is mine."

"Who gave it to you?"

"Not sure, but they've been with us a while. You know how you mentioned having a rough childhood?"

"I really didn't mean to."

"I know, but it's okay. My brothers and I had a pretty tough upbringing ourselves. Our parents were so busy in their careers, they didn't have time for us, and when they were around, they fought like two cocks in a barnyard. We ended up taking care of ourselves most of the time."

"We insulated ourselves in a world of our own creation," Harry said, dropping back and adding to the conversation.

"And in it, you were Zeus, Hank was Hades, and Henry, here, was Poseidon," Nara said. She was beginning to understand her enigmatic friends.

"In some scenarios," Harry agreed. He flashed a quick smile and urged his horse onward.

"And we're excited to introduce you to one of those worlds," Henry said. "To describe it as beautiful, would be to do it a terrible disservice."

"It's that amazing?" Nara asked.

"Yes, and quite dangerous," one of the art students said.

"How so?" Nara asked.

"I have it on good report," Riley said, joining the conversation, "there's a real Wampus Cat in the wooded area around the lake."

Nara opened her mouth to ask what a Wampus Cat was, then closed it quickly. She felt it irresponsible to encourage the old man in his fantasies.

One of the caretakers she had as a child had been in early stages of dementia, and often hallucinated. Her foster father told her not to disagree with the old woman, but not to feed her delusions either.

And so, Nara just smiled and nodded like everyone knew that a Wampus cat, whatever that was, existed. She hoped he would drop the subject... He did not.

Old Riley settled back into his saddle and adopted his usual air of seasoned storyteller about to launch into a well-worn tale. The students fell quiet as the singsong voice of their mentor rose above the clip-clop of the horse's hooves.

"There are many legends about the Wampus cat," he began, "and all most intriguing. This one creature probably fascinated my brother, Conner, the most. It was on his prompting we decided to search out the truth about her early in our career."

"The Wampus cat was a female?" a girl asked.

"In most legends, yes," Riley replied. "The Cherokee believed her to be a woman who protected her people from evil. She had started out a bereaved wife, whose husband had been the victim of a demon. She dressed as a cougar to scare the demon away. It worked, and she was granted immortality. She became a protective beast with the body of a cougar and the face of a woman. She could stand upright, or walk on all fours, depending on her needs."

"But the Wampus cat wasn't a protector in the stories you've told us," Hank said.

"No," Riley said, "she was not. In fact she wasn't just one single beast, but a species of creatures so evil and predatory they could wipe out a wolf pack, or bring down a great buffalo bull in minutes. They're terrible monsters, I assure you."

"If what you say is true," Nara said, trying to keep sarcasm out of her voice, "do you think we should be taking children out to a site where there might be dangerous animals?"

"I don't know for certain they're Wampus cats there," Riley said. "I mean, I saw large cat tracks close to the lake shore, but it could be from say, a big bobcat, or a cougar."

"Again, we are bringing kids into an unsafe area."

"You can't coddle kids, Sweetheart," Riley said. "The world is way too dangerous a place. To ignore evil doesn't make it go away, and to not prepare children for it is irresponsible."

"Maybe, but we don't have to lead them directly into it, either."

Nara shook her head and stared at the trail ahead.

For a moment, the only sounds Nara heard was the footfalls of the horses and the excited chatter of students.

After a bit, Henry spoke. "Try not to worry about things you can't control."

Nara was surprised at his perception.

"Why not?" she asked. "Like Riley said, it's best to be prepared."

"It's best to know your enemy, but worry gets in the way of sound judgement and quick action."

"Sort of a fine balance, huh?"

"Yeah."

"I'll yield the discussion, even if I don't agree with most if it."

"I'll let you, but there's something else bothering you. I can see it in your face. What is it?"

Again, Nara was taken aback by her companion's uncanny perceptiveness. She wasn't going to explain what was really on her mind. To do so would leave her vulnerable. It was enough she had blabbed about her childhood, but to let on that she felt insecure in a world where people loved and trusted each other, simply wouldn't do. She went for a subject change.

"You know, Henry, I don't like to complain, but why did I get this old beat-up horse to ride? If danger does arise on our outing, I'll be the first one eaten."

Henry let out a deep resounding laugh that seemed to come from within his very soul. His eyes sparkled with merriment.

"Don't let old Buck fool you. He may not be much to look at, but he's the most dependable mount out here."

"Shouldn't one of the kids be riding him, then? I've ridden before. One of the foster homes I lived at had a riding school."

"Good, then you can handle him when he gets fired up."

Nara looked at the old horse, her eyebrow raised in doubt. Seeming to sense her thoughts, in the manner most horses do, Buck shook his head and gave a half-hearted snort.

"Fired up?" she said. "I'll be lucky if he makes it back to the barn without having a heart attack."