One August morning, the Saturday birds were singing louder than before outside of Ellison Hatfields farm.
Chyna stirred in her sleep, sore from head to toe. She groaned and nuzzled her head into her fluffy be it coarse pillow. She needed to get up, she needed to feed the animals, gather the eggs, and set up the stove.
But not wanting to move she groaned again silently and heaved a heavy sigh.
Ellison chuckled deeply and wrapped his arms around Chyna tighter.
Her head snapped up in surprise and she looked down. Her eyes meeting his, Chyna quickly side glanced to hide her embarrasement though her skin which was heating up gradually as it lay bare against Ellisons gave her away.
"Um I should-should go and get drress an-" Chyna stammered trying to remove herself from her human matress. But Ellison chuckled more and held her in place.
"Not yet, rest with me five more minutes" He said his voice still groggy. Chyna looked at his face from the corner of her eye and smiled. His hair was a mess and he didn't look anywhere near awake.
Chyna nodded and through her embarrasement settled back down and rested her head back in the slight cave of his chest. Twirling her finger in his chest hair gently.
Ellison closed his eyes but soon giggled almost like a child "I tol' you that tickles" he murmured. Chyna smiled but didn't stop. Ellison sighed in content and rubbed her back.
They laid there like that until the golden early morning sunlight turn a shinning white through the window.
"Alright, up now I gotta get food on the table for Cot" Chyna said pushing her palms against his chest lightly Ellison groaned and gently rolled her off of him. Chyna pulled the blanket around herself and then glanced back at him. He lay on his side laughing silently, it would seem he had thought the same thing. "You shouldn't hide...I've seen everything on you alrea-"
Chyna started "oh I know, I know" she said quickly. A blushing taking flight across her face.
"....thrice" He called out to her as she slipped into her dress. She froze for a moment before turning to look over her shoulder, glaring at him with false anger and a curved lip hiding a smile.
"Don't go getting a big head about it Ellison....it's only, thrice" Chyna called as she briskly walked out of the room.
Chyna fed the animals and gathered the eggs before going to her shed to retrieve a clean dress. One of three which she owned. She headed back to the main house. Ellison had her sleeping (when she didn't protest), eating, and bathing in there. But she insisted on keeping what she owned in the shed. It looked better that way. No one knew she was being allowed to over step bounderies if they watched from a distance this way.
Chyna washed up changed and got right to breakfast.
Nearly done cooking, she was greeted by a barreling hug that nearly knocked her over. "Morning Chyna!" Cotton called. "Sakes alive!" Chyna gasped as they just barely didn't topple over "hehe sorry!" Cotton said but he looked proud. "Pa says I'm gettin stronger on acount'a I'm working up in the timber" He said full of pride. Chyna smiled and pat her head "He ain't lied neither Cot" she said laughing. Cotton beamed and took the plate of toast to the table. Taking the eggs in one hand and the ham in the other Chyna followed him.
Later in the morning, while Ellison sat on the portch playing chess with Cotton and Chyna sat on the steps sewing up clothes. They spotted Cap coming down the hill. A cloth sack in tow.
"Morning Cap" Ellison called calmly. Cap smiled but barely, Ellison's recent boost of selfasuredness around him gave everything away. It left a bitter taste in Caps mouth.
"Ma wanted to know if you'd be willing to sew up these, Chyna" Cap said he then looked up to Ellison and Cotton "Mornin' Uncle Ellison, Cotton Top" he greeted. The cloth sack wasn't to large and was only half full. "Give 'er here, I'll do it" Chyna said. Cap handed her the bag and took a seat next to her on the stairs. He looked up at Ellison "hey mind if I borrow her latter? My sisters been bugging me to meet her out right, they want her to teach them how to sew...don't know why they don't jus' ask Ma tho" Cap said.
Ellison sighed but nodded.
"Great" Cap said with a chuckle "now I can get some peace" He added. Chyna smiled. She'd never met his sisters before or really of of his siblings besides Johnse.
Time rolled around soon and as Chyna was tending to the vegatible patch, she could hear small light voices heading down the hill. Looking up she spotted two little girls bolting down hill, one about 12 the other around 8 golden hair just like thier brothers but had their mothers eyes.
"Hurry up!" The youngest called back. A few paces behind them as Cap and trailing behind him a boy maybe 10 years old. "Come on Robert E. Don't get so shy now, you're the one wanted to come" Cap laughed. "I know!" Robert called puffing out his cheeks. The truth was.....he was kinda scared of Chyna.
Chyna giggled softly as she watched the group of Hatfield children draw closer. Robert E. Walked a lot like Jonhse but looked more like Cap and had Ellison's hair. In short he was an odd mixture of his family.
"Hey Chyna" Cap said stopping before her. She rose to her feet and cleaned her hands on a cloth. "Well, hello. I see you brought some friends with you" Chyna said offering up a gently smile. "We ain't his friends! He's our brother!" The older girl called out with a smile. "Oh! How could you guys be related to this! You're so cute" Chyna said causing the girls to giggle "I know, Caps such a bonehead....and he never listens to me, but I'm always right" said the younger girl. "Hey! I'm still here Arvella!" Cap called playfully.
Arvella turned and stuck her tongue out at him. "I know it" she said. Cap shook his head and rolled his eyes around. "Arvella's a real pretty name Miss" Chyna said. The girl beamed at her " its Nancy Arvella! But they calls me Arvella" she said the elder girl stepping closer to her sister as if trying to draw some attention herself. "My names Sarah!" She said. Chyna chuckled "I've always loved that name too Miss, its lovely and it suits you. Ya'll are about as pretty as your mother, I'm sure she's very proud" Chyna said.
The girls beamed.
Chyna looked up to see Robert E. Slightly hidding behind Cap. "And who's that over there?" Chyna asked putting on a careful smile. "Robert E.!" Sarah called slightly annoyed "stop hiddin!" She added. It took everything Chyna had not to laugh.
"I-I wasn't hiddin! I jus...I jus didn't wanna scare her or nothin!" He called. Cap snorted in amusement and Arvella giggled.
"Hey now wait a minute, that makes sense, the Hatfield men are all pretty scary in their own right" Chyna said. She nodded up to Cap "one your older brother here wipes a smile off his face, he looks like its tellin ya to start runnin for the hills" She added.
"Thats true Cap can look pretty mean sometimes, and Daddy looks mean all the time." Arvella said. Cap smirked a bit "but ain't none of them mean...well-" Chyna almost took back her statement as a sour face and cold eyes came to mind. She could see Jim Vance chomping down on his chewing tobacco with an attitude.
"Uncle Jim ain't nice" Sarah said as if reading Chyna's mind. She looked up to Cap who smiled uncomfortably. He and his Uncle Jim were very close, He knew he could a cruel man, but he didn't think of him as mean. "Nothin you think makes sense" he thought bitterly at himself.
Chyna saw the wry smile on his face and cleared her throat. "Well little sir and misses. Cap tells me you are a fix'n to learn to sew" She said. "Yeah! Well....not Robert E." Sara said looking back at her brother. "He heard Cap boasting 'bout how strong your hands were-"
"Sarah!" Cap snapped, cheeks tinted pink. Chyna looked up at him a smiled playfully. Cap pulled down his hat and looked to the side praying the shadow his his now fully red cheeks and ears.
Chyna titled her head, she was sure he was gonna toss a joke her way. "Whats wrong with him?" She wondered.
"- so he wanted to see if you could teach him to get strong hands, because the Buckly boys keep a beatin him as arm wrestlin " said Sarah. Chyna's eyes floated away from Cap to Robert E. she smiled a bit.
"Well, I don't know if I got arm wrassling power..." Chyna said looking at her hands "but I can pull a stuborn weed, and pluck out half froze potatoes from the ground jus fine...an' rip rags. Over time doing these things will make hands stronger" she said.
"Oh those things aint hard to do!" Robert E. called.
Cap looked down at him witha raised brow, he looked slightly offended as he looked Robert E. from toe to head as if scrutenizing him.
"Oh they aint are they?" Cap asked. Robert E. shook his head. When he did, Cap pulled a cloth out of his back pocket. Probably a sweat rag that he used while at work.
"Well give it go then" Cap said, tossing to to Robert E. who scrunched up his face "fine I will! Whats gotten into you anyway!" He grumbled. Cap just folded his arms and nodded towards the rag which Robert E. gazed at almost doubtfully.
"Um Cap...mister Rober-"
"No let him, I wanna see this" Cap cut in sharply.
Chyna smiled nervously "he's just a boy....this is to harsh" Chyna thought but quietly watched with the others.
Robert E. tried to tear at the cloth, it made a dull poping sound, but didn't have the smallest of rips in it. He tried again, same thing, and again. Over and over, until his skinny arms shook and his hands were red.
"William!" Chyna barked in dissaproval. Cap nearly flinched at the sound of her voice calling him by his birth name. "Alright, alright" Cap said reaching down to Robert E. " thats 'nough" he said plucking the cloth away from his brother he looked at it a moment and then tosses it towards Chyna.
"Tear it" Cap said while she scrambled to catch the fluttering fabric. "Cap...I don't-" She looked at Robert E. who was leering at Cap "I almost had it! Why'd you take it!" He shouted up at Cap.
"I said tear it, its alright." Cap said ignorning his brother. "You gon' see why" Cap quickly muttered.
Chyna sighed heavily and took the cloth with one quick heavy movement, the deep splitting hiss of the fabric spitting apart echoed.
Robert E. gasped. "W-well I, I made it weaker!" He called. Cap smirked down at his brother. "Hey Chyna, why don't you press those two pieces together an' tear 'em both" Cap said brushing the tip of his nose coyly with the side of his finger.
"But- oh" Chyna sighed in defeat and did as told, with the same result. Arvella clapped her hands excitedly "yay! Yay, chyna!" She cheered. Sarah looked back at Robert E. and smiled a half smirk.
"You don't know nothin until you've experienced it yourself." Cap said sternly " nothin' , you understand me? Boastin loud, making staments, assumin an' not being able to back it up is dangerous" Cap said. Robert E. nodded his head and looked down at his feet. Cap crouched down to be eye level with his brother.
"An'.....jus because someones different...doesn't make 'em scary" Cap whispered with a wink. Robert E. gasped but nodded. Cap stile the boy's hat into the air and ruffled his rusty color hair before ploping the hat back on and standing up. "Go on now" Cap said.
Robert E. Nodded and ran over to Chyna. "I'z sorry Chyna....I'd be happy if you'd show me how to do that" he said with lots of zeal as he got down on one knee, clasped his hand togther and bowed his head. Chyna chuckled. "Oh come on up, up, before you dirty up your weekend cloths, all thas not nessasary" she said. Robert E. nodded and smiled. "Well...come on I got all my things in the shed. I can teach you all at once." Chyna called before leading them off.
Sarah ran to walk at Chyna's side. "So why ain't you ask your mom to teach ya....I'm sure Miss Levicy would have been very happy" said Chyna. Sarah looked around "well...you can keep a secret can't you? You ain't no doodlecrow right?" Sarah asked in a hushed voice. "I don't know nothing that wasn't spoke to me" Chyna said with a cat like grin and a wink.
Sarah beamed and nodded. "Well...you see t-theres this boy. An' all the other girls make him something because they like him. Mostly bread, or jam or cake or something..." Sarah said her little whispers sounded very irratated by these things. "But I don't like Baley Smith I love him, and I gotta show him that. So I'm gon' make him something harder than food and that won't be gone because he ate it" she said. Chyna giggled at her determination but nodded. "I won't tell...and I am proud to help you Miss" Chyna said "but why is your sister wantin to learn?" She added.
Sarah smiled and it held a bit of pride "because Arvella always wants to do what I do" she said causing Chyna to giggle more.
"Alright Robert E. you head on and take the girls home" Cap instructed as they exited Chyna's shed. "I'm right behind you" Cap called. "Bye Chyna!" The girls called running past her waving with small sewing projects in their hands. "Careful with them needles!" Chyna called after them. Chyna looked down at Robert E. "Remember, helpin your ma pull weeds and practicing will help you faster" she told him. Rober E. nodded and tipped his hat before running off after his sisters.
Chyna sighed. But held a smile on her face, she liked working with kids. It was hard to feel down around them. "Well thanks for brining by your siblings Cap. It was fun" Chyna said turning to him with a smile. "Yeah, well...Cottons not around as much. And you don't spend as much time in the hills with us so. I figured you might be feeling a bit lonesome down here" Cap said.
He looked up the hill to his siblings as they scuttled up it. "They'll be by ev'ry day now I'm sure" he said with a smile. Chya's eyes softened on him "you're a very kind person Cap" she said. Cap side glanced at her and with a grin gave a nodd. "Yep, tho...you just now noticin that?" He said faking offense. Chyna chuckled and shook her head swatting at him lightly with one of the practic cloths. "Go on and get back to your siblings!" She called.
Cap chuckled and turned "right, see you 'round Chyna!" He called before jogging after them. Chyna sighed and rested her knuckles on her hips, shaking her head as she watched them go over the hill.
But as the late after noon rolled around. Ellison entered the house with a depressed long sigh. "Ellison?" Chyna called drying off her hands from preparing bath water for Cotton.
Ellison smiled half-heartedly at her as she went to him. He hugged her sofly. "Ellison?" She wasked gently patting the back of his head. He heaved a sigh again. "I don't think I'm cut out of this family" he muttered into her neck.
"Wh-what do you mean?" She stammered.
Ellison pulled away and smiled sheepishly. "I can't cold enough I think...my heart's just not hard. I mean, I ran back home during the war...not very long after being sent out. I can't- can't even kill a trapped fox an-"
"Trapped fox?" Chyna asked, not sure what that had to do with anything.
Ellison rested his head atop hers and held her close to him.
"When I was a boy, a fox kept robbing our hen house, or rather was trying to. Pa wanted Anse and I to trap it. We did to." Ellison said he then gave a bitter chuckle.
"But, you see, when I looked at it. I didn't wanna kill it. It was only a little fox an' I was sure it was just really hungry. So I talked Anse into helping me take it across the river to let it go." Ellison said nuzzling his face into Chyna's fluffy hair. "He never came back" he sighed.
Chyna sat in silence for a while "but...what does that have to do with you being-"
"Some Pinkton man in Pikeville, shot two of our kin today... Bob Levingers and his brother...I don't know all the details but...Anse wants some blood, I think. I tried to tell him about the fox, that theres gotta be another way as smart as Anse is..." Ellison voice trailed off.
"And...what did he say?" Chyna asked anxiety growing. They didn't need anymore hatfield deaths from Kentucky citizen hands.
"Thats fox...the reason why he ain't never come back" Ellison muttered into Chyna's hair.
"Anse killed it" he said softly, giving Chyna a light squeeze.
He rose his head and smiled at her weakly "I don't have the hate that comes with being a Hatfield" he said.
Chyna shook her head and gingerly fixed his bangs before cupping his jawline rubbing his beareded cheek gently with her thumb. Looking him in his eyes she sighed and smiled faintly. "No you aint, you ain't got one mean or grumpy bone in your body." She said her smile growing "but Hatfields...they aren't just hate, I don't think thats even what it is" she muttered.
Ellison rested his hand over hers and nuzzled his cheek into her hands.
"Its a strong, powerful, blinding loyalty...a Love for family. Anything mean a Hatfields ever done was to protect the things that mattered the most to 'em. Bad things are bound to happen when you love or trust to much, so you do what you need to to survive those things...some build walls around thier heart, others seek a reward for their suffering. And that can look an awful lot like being hateful sometimes but...it's not the same." Chyna said.
Ellison leaned down and kissed her airily. "So, you're very much cut out to be in this family. You got all the traits" she said.
Ellison nodded and she lead him to the kitchen. "Help me with this chicken I need to chop her for the soup" Chyna said.
The three of them laughed over dinner as Chyna told them about her day with Caps siblings. As she watched Ellison and Cotton laugh, eat and talk happily. A wam smile lighted her face.
Cotton helped Chyna clean up while Ellison took a bath and after the two saw Cotton off to bed. The cuddle close in Ellison's room.
Under the blanket in the light of the moon, Chyna's eyes snapped open and a gasp escaped her lips. Her finger tips felt cold as ice and her body trembled ever so slightly. Some slow prickly frost bitten feeling slipped slowly down her spine.
She looked around. Had she been dreaming?
She could have swore she could hear faint cracks of gunfire. As if far far in the distance.
"Chyna?" Ellison said groggily. He wraped his arms around her bare back and pressed her body down on his. Craned his neck up to look at her as he lay on his back. "Jesus your hands are frozen" he breathed feeling the shocking clod sensation on his chest. Chyna turned her head away from the window and looked down at Ellison. A strong unsettling feeling washing over her. So strong hot liquid spread behind her eyelids welling slowly.
"Hey whats wrong?" Ellison called softly. He held her close and rolled her off of him to get a better look at her face. "Are you cryin?" He asked cupping her head in his hands as they lay on their sides.
"Chyna? What is it, what happened?" He asked there was a urgent underlining to his soft soothing tone.
"I don't know....I don't like it" Chyna said her voice small and almost cracking as she quickly shuffled her body down and burried her head in his chest. Ellison could feel the droplets of water the dewed her eyelashes on his skin and held her as if to stop in faint trembling. She rested her cheek against his chest and listened to the dull beating of his heart. Somehow it only made the growing feeling worse.
So she shut her eyes and clung to him.