Birds of a Feather II

Arthur: Part Two

Arthur and the others reached Moonstone with no agents or local law trailing them. It all seemed so easy that Arthur was starting to believe Milton had told the truth about sending a bunch of his men to stake out Blackwater. If so, what was the fate of the folk who had chosen to follow Dutch as blindly as he once had?

He tried not to let it get to him since their group had made it out without casualties. It was the most he'd hoped for when they'd left for Van Horn, and he sure wasn't about to take their luck for granted.

Soon as they started riding up the trail of the camp, Abigail hopped down from the horse and ran to her son. She knelt down and folded Jack into her arms, muffling his exclamation of, "Momma!"

The sight of their reunion made everything worth it. It didn't matter if the gang had split for good or that years-long friendships had splintered in an afternoon. They'd done at least one thing right in getting a mother back to her son.

"Everything went well, I presume?" Charlotte asked him as he brushed down Buck. She looked around the group, checking that they were all accounted for.

"As well as it could, I suppose," he said as if there hadn't been no danger. It weren't the first time he'd been in a fight with a gun aimed at his face, but it was the first time he'd nearly lost. "How'd it go here?"

"Nothing too eventful, much to Karen's disappointment. A few curious coyotes came up close to camp, but we managed to shoo them off before they caused any mischief."

"Good."

Her eyes drifted to his coat and she spotted the blood splattered there. Her mouth dropped open. "Arthur, are you hurt?"

"No. It's Milton's blood."

There was brief shock that took over her expression before it settled into acceptance. "Alright. Do you have a change of clothes?"

"I got another coat in my saddlebag."

She held out her hand. "Let me take this one in the meantime to wash it."

He didn't see the point in arguing so he did as she asked and shrugged it off.

"You should sit down for a bit, Arthur," Charlotte suggested as she took his coat and strode away.

She was right about that too, but before he did anything else, he had to finish what he started when he'd split the gang from Dutch.

He called to the others, "Alright, the lot of you. We ain't got time to linger. Milton's dead, but that doesn't mean he don't got men on the prowl who are just as persistent. Head out while you still got sun to lead your way."

Everyone looked around and he saw the same understanding in their eyes as he felt. It was time for their farewells, maybe the last ones they ever said to each other.

Sadie was the only one who didn't want to make a big fuss. She hadn't dismounted yet, and turned Bob around. She acknowledged all of them with a simple, hearty salute. "I'll see you folks around."

Arthur had a lot to thank her for, but he could only join the others in waving as Sadie's horse kicked up dust. He silently wished her well and hoped they crossed paths in the future.

Karen was the opposite of Sadie. She went to all of them one by one and hugged, squeezing tight. "Y'all don't be strangers. Leave a letter at the post office in a few weeks, won't cha?"

"Sure," Arthur agreed obligingly.

"Of course we will," Abigail said for both her and John.

"Don't find yourself high and mighty neither, Char," Karen said as she leaned back from her hug with Charlotte. "I expect to hear from you too."