Coll hurried round until the wagon was between him and the mounts.
'So you'd rather a bite than a kick,' Murillio commented, watching his friend come up to the wagon, climb its side, then cross the bed — stepping over the Mhybe's unconscious form — and halt within an arm's reach of the horses.
They had pulled their tethers taut, backing as far as they could, tugging on the tent peg. A Rhivi wedge, the peg's design was intended to hold against even the fiercest prairie wind. Driven deep in the hard-packed earth, it did not budge.
Coll's leather-gauntleted hand snapped out, closed on one of the tethers. He tugged sharply down as he dropped from the wagon.
The animal stumbled towards him, snorting. Its comrade skittered back in alarm.
The Daru collected the reins from the saddle-horn, still gripping the tether in his other hand and holding the horse's head down, and edged to its shoulder. He planted a boot in the stirrup and swung himself into the saddle in a single motion.
The horse tried to duck out from under his weight, a sideways slew that thudded against its comrade — with Coll's leg trapped in between.
He grunted but held the reins firm.
'That'll be a nice bruise,' Murillio commented.
'Keep saying pleasant things why don't you?' Coll said through gritted teeth. 'Now come over and slip the tether. Carefully, mind. There's a lone vulture above our heads, looking hopeful.'
His companion glanced skyward, scanned for a moment, then hissed. 'All right, so I was momentarily gullible — stop gloating.' He clambered over the seat-back.
Coll watched him drop lightly to the ground and warily approach the tent peg.
'On second thoughts, maybe you should have found me that mallet.'
'Too late now, friend,' Murillio said, pulling the knot free.
The horse plunged back a half-dozen steps, then planted its hind legs and reared.
To Murillio's eyes, Coll's backward somersault displayed almost poetic grace, artfully concluded by the big Daru's landing squarely on his feet, only to lunge straight back to avoid a vicious two-hoofed kick that, had it connected, would have shattered his chest. He landed four paces away with a thud.
The horse ran off, bucking with glee.
Coll lay unmoving for a moment, blinking at the sky.
'You all right?' Murillio asked.