Wild West

The Journey Back To The Town - Karen

The sun barely shone on our backs when we made our way down the snowy mountain path. It was steep, and a lapse in judgment would cost a man his life. It didn't make it any easier that, for the most part, we could barely see much ahead with the snow lightly falling. A few deer passed, taunting me about my inability to hunt. The sight made me chuckle. Our eyes met briefly while the horses waded through the thick snow.

Ames was riding on my saddle. I had given the boy some of the southerners' prog supply; half a chocolate, which he held in one hand and slowly ate. If only I could have done that with mine.

The boy seemed like he had never ridden on a horse before. He held on to my waist tightly with his free hand. Sally took us forward one step at a time. She followed Saul's and lickfinger Richard's horses that were right in front of me. Mark was riding with the southerner bound. He was rested at the back and hog-tied on Mark's horse. Tanner trailed behind him. The snow was lessening the further we got down. The makeshift path became harder with the shrubbery rearing itself. I ducked my head often not to get it swiped by some branch on a low tree. Some would be enough to knock a man off his horse if he didn't pay attention. Based on this pace, it would be two days, maybe three, to get back to Black Water.

Mark's horse neighed as he fidgeted in his saddle. "I am all out of bug juice. Blame it!"

"It's only a few days, Mark," Tanner said. "You can wait. We can all bend an elbow then."

There were a few chuckles in front of me.

"Tanner, you're going to bend an elbow when we get back?" I asked as my gaze fell back upon him, "Sure you ain't just going to read another one of those books?"

"Why not? A lot has happened. One can't hurt," Tanner replied.

"Well, I suppose it's better than Richard. He's probably going to be eating for five people when we get back. The southerner better be worried he doesn't eat him in his sleep," I said.

"I can't wait that long. If Winston was here, he would have another bottled courage on him. Curse those Bull Prosecutors." Mark pulled on the reign, causing the horse to neigh. "I wish I could kill them all again!"

"Its al —" Tanner was interrupted.

"Like how you plan to kill me?" the southerner asked.

"Shut up! If you're tied up at the back of my horse, you had to do something wrong," Mark replied.

"Wrong? Is this how an innocent man is treated now by the law? I thought you were supposed to protect the people, not kill them and arrest an innocent man." The southerner's voice was shaky as his body jerked on the horse.

"The man was already buzzard food," Mark said. "We found him there when the storm was down and we used the hut to shelter in."

"Then why do you have his hat?" the southerner hissed.

"Am I supposed to leave a good hat there? A dead man no longer needed it, and mine is getting old," Mark said.

"That isn't the point. It wasn't yours to take!"

"You should be more worried about yourself seeing you're on the wanted poster. They probably will hang you once we turn you in," Saul said. "What exactly were you two doing up here, anyway?"

"That's none of your business."

"You think the two were a part of the Bull Prosecutors or helping them?" Richard asked.

"I didn't find a book on the two of them or in the house," Saul replied.

"No, the two of them were lovers!" I squinted my eyes and shouted, "That's why he doesn't want to talk about it, I suppose. It's unfortunate the way the man died, but there was nothing that could have been done."