A Twist in the Tale: Ark Of Hoof Prints

For Uwe

With love.

A Twist in the tale.

Book four in

The ark Of Hoof print

Hoof Prints- A Twist in the Tail.

What the program is planned to do is clear. It must be stopped from causing damage to the folk in the dunes.

A new Oilfield would explain the plan to increase the War Zone. Who is behind such a program, a program that can control the weather in each zone?

There is another reason the team have been chased over the Blue Mountains and across nations.

A reason that know no one could have ever guessed hidden behind the cover ‘Moor’ used to hamper their chances of preventing the program from continuing the war!

Tale of a Tail

ISBN: 978-3-7347-5898-0

Ark Of Hoof Print

A Twist in the Tale.

The coded alarm had come as coded alarms normally they came. It was a call out to block CC, rise 5. To apprehend a suspect for a theft, the short report did not say for what the suspect was accused of stealing, but as it was a code red!

All Tamara could do was saddle Rabb and join the others in the police forecourt.

Rabb was happy to see Saydi standing in front of the waiting officer and horses.

We are being sent to apprehend a suspect in block CC, on the fifth rise. The information I have is we are looking for a young male medium height light haired, blue eyes, with the name of Ralf Muther. This disruption could describe most young men! We have been asked to go in and apprehend the fore described and then seal the accommodation for farther internal search by criminal investigations. Announced the sergeant astride Saydi’s back. Rabb had a soft stop for her, Saydi was an attractive flee bitten grey, she was know to be sensible and sturdy companion, in the police station stables and on duty.

Corn was the youngest horse in Rabb’s trope; he had a bright chestnut coat and contrasting white face. Corn was telling a silly joke to Moberry. She was ingnoring him as they rode out into the street and stared up at block CC and it ramps winding up the high rise building. Cone was ok, only inexpreanced but his enthusiasm for his job made up for it, but he could exasperate every one with his chatter! And from the look on Moberry’s face he was chatting now!

Moberry on the other hoof was a beauty, her black coat and long mane and full tail caught everyone’s eye. But you never knew what she was thinking as you could get lost in her deep dreamy look. The look did not stop her from being a reliable police horse.

Quad was a fine dark bay stallion with long white stockings on his hind legs he was liked by all that knew him you could rely on him if things got tricky.

Rabb himself was a stocky horse with a comfortable reliable smile and his coat was an old fashioned dun colour that and his conservative sense of humour made what he said some times all the more humour full!

Today’s operation was a normal type of duty they had to carryout, more often than not it was settling family disrupts or a party that had got out of hand!

The cleaned air of the city Ingostadt was cool and the winds were playing with the banners hanging from the many balconies from the city’s buildings surrounding block CC. rise five was only one above the police troupe.

Solar buggies were not aloud to rise above the second rise and the central stair well had been sealed on all levels form ground to the eleventh rise.

The gallery at the fifth level was quite, the living accommodation doors closed against the sharp wind, the perpex walls that let in day light and programmed fresh air and saw the perpex windows showed the district around block CC, to its best.

There wasn’t’ any movement behind the decorated windows facing into the gallery, till an explosion rocked the peace of the gallery’ terrace. A thick fog like cloud hissed around the legs of the horses before it rose till Police Officer Tamara could no longer see.

Rabb was reliably steady under her, till a second explosion throw then against the outer wall, Rabb managed to drop Tamara against the wall she slid inside the safety parapet. That was all she could remember.

There had been humans shouting, voices had screamed and horses tried to standstill with their panic as the ground of the gallery shook! Strange hands grabbed at their rains and blinding hoods were pulled over their heads.

Saydi’s sergeant lay at her hooves. She could feel his lifeless body, and she still shook from the blow that had sent them to the ground. Saydi had heard the scream Rabb had made as he had fallen through the perplex windowing and been lost to them over the parapet! Saydi knew he had dropped his rider, but in the writhing covering fogs and now the hood that had been put over her head she could not be sure of what was going on.

There was the sound of other horses’ hooves that could be heard on the surface of the descending ramp.

Tamara had been in the academies medical wing for a long time. They had not liked to bring her out of the healing coma sooner even though her body had been repaired, repaired to the utter satisfaction of the medical team in charge of her. But they had lingered to bring her back as they did not know how she would react to the loss of her partner and friend police horse Rabb.

He had not been the only loss that day. Their respected sergeant had been murdered by a strong blow to the head and the other police officers on duty had not been left with a chance to get away alive.

The rider of Quad had gone down with a shot from a stunner as had Moberry’s. Corn’s officer had been thrown to the ground in the second explosion and then crushed by a section of an accommodation wall collapsing on top of him.

That Tamara had survived was a miracle! And now she was sitting in Commanders Duff’s office, needing an explanation as to why all this had happened!

Police Commander Duff was at loss as to how he was going to tell this woman her horse and colleagues were dead. He could not explain why the other four police horses were not only missing but untraceable!

Tamara was not so tall, her skin had a warm olive tone, not a trace of scarring could be seen and life flickered in her attractive intelligent brown eyes.

Police Commander Duff liked this woman; he watched Tamara ran her hands through her velvet dark hair with the paler bagger strips that made her distinctive.

I have decided to send you on a credited leave for your recuperation and to give you time to find a new partner you are too a valued officer to lose and I want you to move to murder investigations on your return. Police Commander Duff could see there were questions he was going to have to answer behind Tamara’s compelling eyes.

The young man, you had been sent to apprehend was not among the dead. It is thought he had in his possession a program. A program he is thought to have removed from the offices of the Intentional Programming Corporation.

Most people had heard of company I.P.C. They were responsible for most of the major programming needed in every day life.

This program cannot just be rewritten as the base codes have been destroyed. Duffy answered the unspoken question Tamara was thinking.

Every one called the commander ‘Duffy’ she smiled as he continued to try to inform her of what happened and why.

As for the police horses Quad, Saydi nor Moberry and the youngster Corn, their codes have not been traced by our satellite systems; there was not trace that their bodies had been injured at the incident sight.

That Rabb’s body had landed on a street vender. The street vender had been selling illegal copies of a theatrical production about their world ending. That! He did not want to have to tell Tamara.

Do we know what the program is for? Tamara asked.

We have not been informed as to what it is for. Though there are rumours, we have not been told. Duffy was thankful Tamara was not asking question about Rabb’s death, he did not like to tell anyone that had lost a partner such details, if he was asked he was obliged to give any details that were known.

I was thinking you could make the most of you leave for rest and reoccupation, you also have as the partner pairing allowance to add to your leave.

I had thought to enjoy the races; it has been along time since I have been out of the city. I had thought to go to a sale station that held racing and I have heard they are offering horses of special natural quality and as I have a young cousin out of parental control enjoying disturbing the daily running of things, from what I have heard! I could use the time to sort out all matters.

Teenagers never seem to change, always giving course for concern! The police commander also had teenagers in his family.

My wife and I are tearing our hair out with worry over our son; it was bad enough when he says, he doesn’t want to follow his father into the police force. He wants to sell space on a solar antigravity station to old people!’ And you should hear his who he describes old!

Tamara had laughed as Duffy told her about what was happening in his family:

Show me a family that does not have such troubles. At least he wants to do something the youngsters that I work with don’t, and they think the world owes them and not they owe the world.

Tamara you are so right, but I did not ask you here to discuss my family’s problems. Duffy was also laughing. They would miss her while she was on leave; somehow she had a way of reaching people, getting them to chatter to her no mater where she was. Really she was wasted on the streets. Yes at was a good idea to move her to a position were her qualities would be of benefit to the force.

They would have chatted on all afternoon, if it had not been the police commander's wife appearing on the satellite console reminding him that his presence as a family father was required. He was required to pick their youngest up from the learning centre.

The formal handshake was over and the codes for Tamara leave and travel exchanged. Her commander turned to ask her one more question:

Do you all call my Duffy behind my back?

Do you really want to know what your nickname is? The police commander pulled himself to his fullest height and squealed his manly shoulders. He did not expect Tamara to say from behind a smile and twinkling eyes:

You are affectionately known… Tamara was moving towards the door of the office so she could slip out and avoided any disapproval her commander could show her for telling him his nickname.

It’s… Daddy Duffy.

Tamara’s release date did not match up with the sales at the sale stallion where Mara was living and Tamara had heard her young cousin had been running wild in. But the race meeting was planed to start the next day. So Tamara decided to spend her first evening enjoying the other races goers’ mood.

The talk was not all about the coming races, but about the unwelcome news that the War Zone was to be enlarged. Some were pleased to hear they were to be well compensated, were as others could only grumble; they were to lose homes and traditions! Tamara let it all flow over her, instead she enjoyed the smells of festival foods and the noise of glasses clinking and she sampled a little of the wine.

The first day of racing had brought her a handsome rise in credit. The man that had accepted her bets was not as happy as she was, he could only grumble at what she was doing to his business! From the look of his bright tent and the rather to bright suet he was wearing, Tamara did not stop to worry about him.

That evening as she sat in a dine and entertainment tent letting the bubble of noise the race goers were making lift her mood as she looked at the amount of credit she had made.

‘Luck, that’s what she had.’ That’s what Rabb would say, ‘Luck’. All those flash horses had in their heads, was wind! And a tail wind at that! That’s what Rabb would have said.

Tamara had not aloud herself to miss him but his remarks were always interrupting her thoughts even this far away from her city.

An alarm sounded! Jump Guards were to be seen in the sand dunes, their solar buggies bobbing in and out of the sand rising in the air. Tamara was not sure but they looked as if they were carrying stunners! She was in a stand looking over the race course the view from there was not the best but she could see the War Zone’s fog and the Jump Guards patrols moving in and out of the flying sands.

With the help from the viewing enhancer in her wrist console Tamara could make out a team and wagon heading for the Zone. No that was not the only team heading for the Zone a man behind her pointed over to her right to where other teams was also making for the War Zone!

Voices were razed as bets were being made by the excited race goers. The third team was walking they did not appear to be rushing! Tamara was to far away to see the drivers face or the co-driver’s even with the help of her viewer.

The currant race was forgotten as those it the stand were held in anticipation! A grown went up as a team apprehended by a group of Jump Guards, had to turn back.

The people in the stand held their breath as the Jump Guards were ducking in and out of the dunes and a team was trying to out run them! They looked as if they were going to get ahead of them, were they going to make it?

The grown of disappointment was deafening. The Jump Guards had surrounded the team and turned them away from the Zone.

Another shout went up the smaller team had disappeared into the fog face of the Zone!

No one seemed to have improved their credit with their betting but the race goers had something to talk about! The atmosphere in the dine and entertainment tents were buzzing that evening with talk that a team had crossed over! The team crossing over had broken the undertone of grumbling about so many people having to move home and their business for a war no one wanted or understood. But a team had crossed in keeping with tradition.

Windheim Sale Station was all a horse lover could want, with the sale station and the races. Tamara could understand why her young cousin was drawn to this place. Every comfort was available for the race goers and there was always something going on.

At the line station there were solar trains waiting to take the race goers to their homes and there were deliveries of feed and other supplies to make life comfortable waiting to be delivered around the sale station, stacked along the lines the next morning as Tamara walked in the first rays of warm sun light. she wandered into a canteen offering tea. It was for drivers and wagon hands, but it did offer her a breakfast her stomach was demanding.

There was an elderly couple discussing the building of modern wagons with a small red headed man they called Ted. Was the strong smell of garlicky coming him?

We have received many orders from customers that have seen the wagon in action. That Ground Worm made a good driver of that dear girl. A woman’s voice was saying as Tamara took a mug of steaming hot tea from the owner serving in the canteen.

I have to say I to have my books full with orders for the collar harness I designed for them! I never thought we would do so will. Mind you we would not have been so successful if they had been turned back. said the small man they called Ted. His face was getting redder with every sip of tea he took and as did the other gentleman.

Tamara asked the man serving behind the bar for some of whatever they were drinking and when she smelt the stew they had ordered, she ordered some of it too.

Not made the way Her makes it, but just as welcome just the same especially after the exciting day we have had! the other man grunted.

It’s not everyday a team goes over, is it? And not as often we can say we help to build the team! said the small man Ted. It was not until the woman asked:

Are they the first woman driven team to cross over? Did Tamara really start to lessen to what they were saying.

It is a woman’s right to make a crossing, though I was sceptical when Ground Worm told me what he had in mind. Though he was right, we have done well and increased our customers!

Even if we have to move our work shops. grumbled the partner of the woman, from behind his mug.

I wish them luck. said the homely woman as they razed their mugs.

Mara and Ground Worm. Driver and Co-Driver may luck stay with you! the three said together.

Just how many girls called Mara were there in this sale station, horse mad and stubbornly determined to be with horses? Tamara had always thought it was to do with being found in the Closed Lands, months after she and her parents had been lost on a touring holiday. Not that she had had the chance to ask Mara how she had managed to survive for so long among a heard of horses. And if it was her cousin Mara that had crossed over, what was to happen to her was a question that had to be left to whatever happened in the future.

Tamara could not but help feel the warmth of pried, flush in her face. If it was her cousin, she was the first woman to have made the crossing! Woman she was not old enough to be a woman more a child, no, the very teenager Tamara and her commander had been talking about not so long ago!

It had to be Mara, who else could it be? I know every girl is horse crazy at sometime of their lives, thought Tamara, but not every girl could say they ode their life to them.

It was Tamara’s cousin Mara. Of that Tamara was sure.

Well, there was nothing she could do for her now!

Tamara did wonder which Dome Mara would be heading for?

Tamara’s brother had been a Dome Driver! Which Dome had he been a driver for? It was not information she had stored on her wrist consol, she would have to ask for that information to be sent to her.

The group at the next table were ordering more drinks; Tamara took her mug and slipped into a seat unused by those at the table.

I have to ask. Tamara said as the eyes of the group looked at her as she sat there uninvited at their table: I have to ask. Are you the master suppliers to the team that managed to cross over to day?

The grunt was the only answer she got from the now strangely quite group.

I only want to know if it was my cousin Mara you were talking about earlier. Tamara watched their faces from behind her mug of tea. She did not wait for an answer but instead turned to the man waiting behind the bar and ordered another round of whatever everyone was drinking.

So it was Mara that had driven the team that had crossed the War Zone! It was to the Temple Dome they must be heading as that was at the Dome Mara’s father had served. That information Tamara had received on her wrist console.

It was quite something for a young woman to have crossed over. There was nothing Tamara could do to help Mara now.

It was up to the skill of the team and luck if they were to make it to their chosen dome.

Tamara decided to wait till news was available. In the meantime she could consecrate on finding a partner, though she did not know how she was to replace a friend like Rabb.

The sale pens were starting to fill with interesting horses from all over the country. Tamara’s wrist console informed her it was worth taking a look for herself. But she was happy to spend a few days riding out onto the dunes with an old horse lent to her by the Tea shop owner, for a small fee!

As a companion Innger was no the chatty type, and that suited Tamara, Innger preferred to walk along with her head down as if she was trying to keep out of trouble, she could not be drawn to say much as they stood on top of a dune giving a wide view of the sale station and the race course with the War Zone fog as a back drop. Impressive as it all was Tamara could not understand what had drawn cousin Mara to such a place. There were other sale stations not so far away from her remaining family but Mara had chosen to come here, why?

Can tell you are a police woman, once a police woman always a police woman. said Innger.

After the motto once a horse always a horse, you mean? it was the first time Innger had said more than two words since they had met.

You could put it like that, but I can smell authority, funny place to spend you leave here at a working station. Their must be more exciting places than here?

I have come for two reasons, one was it see my cousin but I seem to have missed her.

Not a member of the team that went over? Innger was for the first time interested in Tamara.

From the information I have managed to gather it is possible!

Tamara was saying, somehow her last statement did not stop her from sounding like a police woman, anyway not to Innger. Innger thought it was funny and laughed! Before Tamara asked her what Innger had done in her life Tamara found herself laughing too!

I started my courier in the mounted Jump Guard in a time before they were assigned solar buggies. Was Innger going to say anymore? Her head had sunk to the ground again.

So you know what it is like to work for a ground force?

You could say so. Innger could be suffering from depression. Did she fell her present job was below her? Tamara dared to ask.

Well taking you on tours around the station is not so bad. But having to do daily duties is a bit demeaning, when a solar buggy could do the same.

But a solar buggy is not something you can have a friendly chat with! announced Tamara as she gave Innger an affectionate pat.

Why don’t you teach nervous kids to ride in your spear time, I feel really safe on your back. You could take one with you when you do the tea man’s deliveries. Tamara had seen a small boy watching them saddle up that very morning and he had been there the past mornings she and Innger had been exploring the locality. Innger had seen him too.

To be able to teach someone something they could use for the rest of their life could never be described as demeaning! Tamara pointed that out to Innger and as a Jump Guard she would know how important it was to have riders that had had a good basic training.

Who better that a horse like, Innger! Innger did say, if the kid was still about that she had seen hanging around as they prepared to go out. Well, they could see if he would like to sit on her back.

The subject changed, Innger was turning into a little chatter box Tamara had to smile as they were exchanging live stories!

And I found the couple that had built the wagon! Tamara was saying as they were riding round the dunes near to where there were sale pens being razed for the coming sales.

Yes, they had to commission the harness and wagon as the ponies are not so tall, they had to import everything even the harness furniture had to be specially ordered! I know as I often had to trot up to their tents to deliver a package. Innger said.

Why did they chose, such small animals? Tamara was interested to know.

You would have liked the ponies; they were full of fun and were often to see playing foot ball or sliding down a sand dune! You know all the horses I have met that come from the Closed Lands have a special quality and a good sense of hummer

Tamara stopped Innger form continuing by asking:

Did the team of ponies come from the Closed Lands?

Why had Tamara not thought about that before? Of cores Mara had wanted to come here, she had been there in the Closed Lands and as a foundling managed to survive till she was been rescued by her uncles.

Naturally Mara would be drawn towards animals from there!

Tamara did no longer need Innger to tell her from where the ponies came from!

Was that was meant by a special natural quality? Horses from the Closed Lands were not legal till they were sold and could take on their buyer’s codes; it was a loophole in the regulations.

Sometimes the law was an ass. Innger laughed when Tamara told her that:

That is the best thing I have heard a police woman tell me! The law is related to a donkey!

There was one advantage about being a police woman in the mounted force, you could request axes to potential force horses at any sale! And the regulations did not exclude horses from any closed zones.

As to why the Closed Lands had been closed there was not a lot of information available but nowadays it was popular to make a tour over its unspoilt land, virtually untouched by human hands for hundreds of years.

Innger and Tamara could not help but enjoy the fresh warm winds that were blowing over the dunes.

It could be a good day to wander round the sale pens! Innger had noticed they had been everywhere but, there. Innger had to add:

If you have come to find a working partner you had more chance of finding a partner if you started to look there, over at the sales pens.

Tamara had to admit she had been putting off going down to the sale pens, Innger did not ask why, to lose a partner was something you had to work out for yourself, but a little support from a friend can be of help.

Driftwood had seen that Timmy had fallen, he had managed to get to him as a human tried to punch him with something he had in his hand, what was razed over his fallen friend?

Driftwood stamped the ground of the pen they were in; this man was not going to harm his friend!

The pen hand backed away, why was this horse aloud to be a live! The bay stallion was always standing over other animals, stopping him doing his job. But no! Every horse in this consignment was to arrive at the sale station unharmed, or there would be trouble!

The last thing the pen handler wish was to have to explain why his credit had been caped as had happened the last time, it had not been his fault but his wife had not been so under standing.

Driftwood did not want to hurt this man, he did seem to understand his warning and had backed away, that was enough! From what he had understood they would be moving on tomorrow and at the moment there was nothing to get upset about, so why Timmy had raced round the small holding pen trying to get away from the man Driftwood was not sure.

It was not such a drama the human only wanted to give Timmy a shot of some human medical stuff as had the dark skinned medic at the last stop over. But Timmy had taken one look at the man and decided to keep as far away as possible from this pen handler.

They had been loaded onto flat bottom floats and from there lifted into the air and lowered into a something so large that in the dark Driftwood could not say what it was. The ground they were standing on did not feel stable it felt as if it swung over something unknown.

The light had hurt their eyes and then they had been swung into holding pen’s that smelt strongly of frightened animals.

What must have been humans with long arms had directed them into other pens.

It was there Timmy had learnt that a long arm could sting and had decided to keep will out of their way. He was even critical of the small nut brown man that had such a nice way with the upset horses. The little man knew where to touch and run his fingers to ease stress. Timmy would not let him touch him even with Driftwood standing by him.

Driftwood shivered as he thought how long the ride in the closed wagon had been, it had narrow slits allowing only glimpses of the landscape that past by them in the darkness.

Darkness that prevented the solar batteries from charging, so the paten of their daily lives was to be held in the moving containers, daylight and fresh air was not kept away from them and there was dried grasses available.

As to how long they had been on this horrible trip, Driftwood could not say, and Timmy was not making it any easer by upsetting the pen hand and falling over his own hooves trying to get away from the man!

They had spent a week in this stop over station, not to have to stand in a crapped wagon was small mercy, and from what they had over heard they would be moved on tomorrow!

Driftwood and Timmy were not the only horses standing with heads hanging, there had not been any signs that they could expect anything better than being kept hemmed in tight places.

What Driftwood had not expected was to find a woman watching him from out side the pen he had been confined in along with Timmy. Timmy was refusing to talk to any human, though he had noticed the woman and the old mare had been wandering around and looking into the pens for the past few days.

Timmy had asked other horses that did not seem to come from his part of the world, what was happing. The answer he got only puzzled him more. What did they mean by ‘To change our ownership’ He owned himself only answering to his herd leader.

Driftwood wondered if this world had the same rules as the one they had been forced to leave.

The woman left the older mare to feed on some dried grass and was now sitting on the railing; she had not taken her eyes of him. Driftwood was curious what did she want? He would have liked to take a steep closer had Timmy not had such a dislike for humans.

Timmy was standing ready to do whatever was