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."
"Lovers? I guess that makes sense, but why did they have little of anything there? It didn't seem well planned, your love shack," Saul smiled, tipping his hat. "Thanks again for the provisions, though we needed them more than you would ever know. Maybe one day the cubs would learn to tend to themselves."
Mark and Richard laughed.
"Hopefully one day we all will and we won't have to depend on you, Saul, for hunting for us," Tanner replied.
"Time will tell," Saul said, "young blood."
Tanner continued, "It's not something I do back in West Park City. If anyone would probably be up to mastering that task, it's Karen."
I smiled, turning my head left, and in the distant greenery, the birds flew overhead. The deep forest covered the land, making it almost impossible to see the ground from our height. Further in the distance, the outlines of a cliff and the two clumps of dry land called Montana Hills were present. Once we passed that, we would be back in town.
"Boy, you still eating that chocolate?" Richard asked, "We got a few more up here."
"Why don't you mind your own business, Richard?" I said. "If he wants it, Ames would let me know."
Richard laughed. "I mean no offense, Karen. You got him looking well decked out in those clothes you cut up, but doesn't the boy talk? I ain't hear a word out of him."
"Ames probably doesn't want to talk with you around."
The beginning of the ravine at the bottom showed as the path widened. It gushed and gurgled, pushing the bits of snow out of the way.
The southerner aired the lungs in a language that I couldn't comprehend.
The man shouted at the top of his voice, "Ah will beef ya, ya bunch awf purtey-nd law folk! Thuh day ah git free! Ah will slit yo-wr throats!"
"What the hell is he saying?" I asked.
"Who knows," Saul replied, "those southerners tend not to make much sense."
"Ah shoot ya with yo-wr ole equalizer, ya ole bastard."
"I made that bit out there, though. I wonder how you intend to achieve that in your position?" Richard asked.
The southerner's words lessened until they were nothing but mumbles.
"Why don't you shut up back there," Mark said, his hand connected loudly to the man's face. "You only get to talk if you hand me a bottle."
"So what exactly is his crime?" Tanner asked.
"Selling bottled courage to Indians and horse theft. That's why I said he should be worried about getting hanged," Saul said.
Indians? Did he mean the Mahcota tribe? My eyes met Saul's for a moment, causing a short pause.
"And he's only worth one hundred dollars? Shouldn't that be five hundred, six hundred, maybe even a thousand?"
"I don't make the rules Karen, I just follow them the same as you," Saul replied.
"Selling bottled courage to Indians and ain't keep none for yourself. What a waste," Mark said as he placed some baked beans in his mouth. "Sure you ain't got none on you now, or maybe a stash coming up short? If you talk, maybe I set you free."
"I did what I had to do to survive!" the southerner shouted. "I ain't kill nobody! Can you say the same? You have done theft here."
Saul took a deep breath. "I don't know what things are like for you people in the desert, but here, a man's horse is like a man's wife. Never steal another man's horse. A horse thief pays with his life."
"Where did you put those horses? We didn't see them there, and you weren't on one when you came back. Did you sell them to the Indians too?"
The man was quiet when we approached the ravine and came to a stop. Saul looked at it from left to right. Ames' grip tightened on me with both hands, causing me to look back as the rivers made a loud roaring noise. Ames seemed uncomfortable, but I didn't want to draw any attention to the boy. Was he afraid of the water? Damn, I knew it was going to be cold.
"Tanner, Richard, fill up the canteens," Saul said.
The two men dismounted and got the canteens of water from the saddles. I handed Tanner mine as he passed. Ames watched the men by the water. They bent over to gather what they could and handed the canteens back to their owners.
"Are you afraid of the water?"
Ames looked at me. His eyes were dull from all the tears, and he nodded.
"It's okay, Ames."
The two men returned to their horses when they were done and saddled themselves back on.
"No more talk left?" Richard asked the southerner, turning his horse towards Mark and backing the ravine.
"He's silent, and it doesn't matter Richard, he is probably going to hang, regardless. We will follow the water down and cross when it gets shallow," Saul said, not looking back. "We can't have him drowning now, can we?"
"I only went silent because I don't want you to draw me up in your own non logical conclusions about crimes I didn't commit. Who is that boy, anyway? He doesn't look like any of you. You kidnap him too like you did with me and kill the people close to him?"
"Didn't I tell you to shut up!?" Mark shouted as his hand landed smack on his head.
The southerner's words bit at my heart. I exhaled as Sally turned. My eyes met his body strung up behind Mark's saddle.
We followed on the path, trailing the narrow stream. Eventually, we found a shallow path from the rock formation in the water. It was enough space for the horses to cross unimpeded.
"This is where we cross back over," Saul said. "It looks about close to the same path that we took to get up here."
"Will the cargo be fine?" Tanner asked, "It looks like it might come up pretty high on the horse."
"There's only one way to find out. You afraid of water, friend? I hope not. You might gain a quick experience of drowning before you get into a cell."
The southerner grunted in response.
I placed my hand on Ames, who gripped my waist tightly. Saul took the first step forward with his horse. It was shallow and calm, but the water rose high on the horse, covering half the legs. After Saul, Richard followed then Mark, who didn't take his time when entering. It was to the detriment of the person riding as cargo on the back. The southerner's head ducked up and down a few times as the water splashed on and off his face.
The southerner aired his lungs in his foreign tongue with some sporadic movements.
I entered the water behind Mark, and Tanner followed. The water was chilly. It reached my pants, and, like the southerner, I didn't want to spend too much longer here either.
Would he cause himself to tumble into the water of his own accord? The fool, I would not be the one to get him. Still, I knew more than everyone else that I needed the share of the hundred dollars.
I hadn't left Ron in a bed of actual. The poor man must be starving. The Saloon room we rented was empty when I left. Ron didn't know anyone in Black Water, and it wasn't like he could hunt. I hoped he could hold out for the time I had left, but that was a dream. It would be alright when I got back home. Everything would work out. Ames' grip tightened. The boy was squeezing me for dear life as his feet dipped in the water.
"It's alright, everything is going to be fine."
We all cleared the ravine and were now on the other side.
Saul drew closer to me. "When we get back, your father will want to hear from you directly."
I nodded my head and looked back at Yukrit Mountain. It now dawned on me; I hadn't once thought about what Ron might think about me bringing home this child.