The Devils Backbone

A Snake in the Roses

With a smile she looked up into his eyes, "we'd best get on with the day - I got somethin to tell ya and somethin I need help with." said Chyna. "What is it? I can have it done now." He offered. Chyna shook her head, it might ruin the day and she did not want that. "It can wait, dont wanna ruin all the work you put in for today. " she said.

"So what next?" She asked.

"Sarah and Arvella helped with all them flowers and Robert E. helped me with other things" Cap confessed as the two of them road through the woods on Pardon's back. In Cap's arms rested a small basket and Chyna held tight to a blanket.

"Where we goin?" Chyna asked looking about, she was unfamiliar with this section of the woods. It made her a bit nervous. "Not sure myself, Clint says these parts are usually clear of both folk and critters." Cap said. "Well - most critters." He corrected.

Chyna eyed the basket curiously, it was too small to fit a meal in for the both of them and the blanket wasnt big enough to sit on unless you happened to be a small child. "Let'im go on with these plans of his" Chyna thought to herself very amused.

After a while the two came to a halt in a small clearing. Grass tried to peak through the leaffy covering of the ground. The woods around them still except for the occasional skittering sound. Chyna rubbed her arms, the woods were dense here and sunlight wasn't coming through the clearing well enough to warm her.

"I know its cold, we wont be long with any luck." Cap said, he took the small basket and pulled out a few vegetables, carrots and cabbage mainly and rested them on the ground.

Logan stood in the middle of a clearning in the Kentucky woods. With his vivid inagination he tried to play out the scene that various people he had spoke to claim caused the fued that was quickly turning into a war.

Lost in thought, each day in slow dangerous trickles, more and more folk picked a side. Hatfield or McCoy, most who joined either side were those whom were loyal too or had some connection to one of the families. Cousins, illegitimates, people with personal vendettas and bones to pick. But then, then there were those who were lured by the slow rise to fame, or infamy.

Men who wanted a piece of the action, juat to say they were there or maybe to have a chance at taking down a more famous member of one of the families. These men were like trophy hunters and they were dangerous, fickle, and a bad thorn in the side when it came to the proper justice Logan aimed to bring.

"Was it not blind haste that caused all this mess?" Logan muttered, kneeling to touch the cold soil.

Twigs and dirt snapped and crunched behind him with soft footsteps. Calvin rubbed his arm nervously "um...I'm sorry I-I never expected anyone to be here...." Calvin stammered quietly "of all places" he sighed.

"Why not? You're here." Logan asked rising to his feet. "Yeah but, folk say this place is cursed now for what was done here and for what that caused. I come here to think sometimes." Calvin said.

"Does think mean pour you regrets into the ground? Seems all of you got a place you linger. Your brother Jim goes to the whore house, says thats the last place he spent time with Tolbert. He keeps a young woman there Company - Katherine, she was sweet on Tolbert, Jim feels her pain." Logan said his eyes fixed on Calvin who fidgeted about.

"And your father, I caught him near the trees, were your brothers died just watching, nothing in his eyes but raw anger, it creates a sort of void in them. Nancy - she's all over the place, she goes to visit the McCoy cemetary, no flowers or anything just stands there and seethes. Each of you pouring regret into places that already hold to much darkness." Calvin shook at Logan's words.