Stormchaser and the Silver Mist Read Online Free

trace of the hay we left last night,” Charlie pointed out. “They must have been starving.”
    The girls climbed into the field carefully and dropped the hay in three piles. The horses cantered over, their heads and tails held high. They stopped just short of the girls, and stood for a moment. The bigger of the two horses, the bay,snorted, shaking his head. The frosted appaloosa stood slightly behind his companion, looking past him shyly to the tempting hay But neither moved. Instead they just looked over, agitated.
    “I think they’re nervous of us,” Mia said quietly. “We’d better come back out so they can get the hay.”
    The girls retreated through the fence. Instantly, the dark bay approached the furthest of the three piles. The appaloosa followed, not wanting to leave the bigger horse’s side, but wary of the girls. As the horses ate, the girls had their first chance to get a proper look at them. The bay was a rich, dark colour with a white star. He was a similar height to Phantom, but much more solid. His mane was short, and a bit stubby and unkempt. The appaloosa was more finely built, with a big white face speckled with chestnut spots. His mane was just like the bay’s – a bit spiky and upright where it was so short.
    The girls could see each rib on both horses, even through their thick winter coats.
    Charlie tutted. “They need feeding up,” she said crossly.
    “They’re not going to get that staying here,” Rosie said, looking round at the barren, weed-strewn field.
    “They look nicely bred, though,” Alice said, squinting against the bright sun. “Maybe the owners will come back to sort them out today?”
    “Well, most people round here know that this land is empty, and that the gate’s unlocked,” Mia said, leaning against a rickety fence post. “And the horses were unloaded in the middle of the night, without rugs, and left with no feed or water. Whoever left them here can’t really care about them, so I wouldn’t hold your breath for anyone coming back any time soon.”
    “Do you think they’ve been dumped then?” Charlie frowned, shifting her feet as she felt them turning to ice blocks on the frozen grass. She couldn’t imagine anyone being so mean as to abandon horses in the icy depths of winter, leaving them to fend for themselves on such poor grazing.
    Mia nodded. “Looks like it, don’t you think?”
    The others had to agree. Rosie walked slowly towards the gate. It stood back from Duck Lane,with a broad earthy verge separating it from the tarmac. “There’s a wide tyre track here,” she said over her shoulder, “and the earth’s freshly broken – probably where a trailer back ramp has been lowered and it’s sunk into the ground with the weight of the horses walking down it.”
    “And here’s more proof,” Alice said, studying the area nearby, “lots of hoof prints, right where the horses must’ve been backed down the ramp!”
    The rest of the Pony Detectives joined her, being careful not to trample over the area near the gate, in case there were any more clues that could help solve the mystery.
    Charlie stared at the ground. The start of a case was always exciting because there was something new to investigate, but it was frustrating too. There were never many clues to go on, although, Charlie reminded herself, they had solved cases before that started from next to nothing. But right now, standing in the icy lane, she was stumped over how they were going to find out who dumped the horses.
    Then suddenly, something caught her eye and she felt her heart skip a beat. “Look!”
    The appaloosa started and jogged in a circle, away from the dark bay. He stood for a second, then dropped his head again. The girls quietly gathered around Charlie, looking at where she was pointing. “Boot prints,” she added quietly.
    The girls peered closer at the footprints nestled among the many hoof prints.
    “But there’s something odd here,” Alice said, kneeling down to get