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#Post#: 400--------------------------------------------------
The Sheriff of Ford's Prairie
By: 22639 Date: October 16, 2012, 5:04 pm
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[center] The Sheriff of Ford's Prairie[/center][center]by Candy
Johnson[/center]
[center] Chapter 1[/center]
She had been riding hard for the past two weeks as she tried to
catch up to Duane Mattox who had viciously raped and beaten one
of the girls from the Lucky Ace Saloon in Ford's Prairie, the
small town in which she was the sheriff. In the last town she
had learned that she was only a few days behind Mattox, so she
had pressed on. Now, 250 miles from that last town she could
tell her horse was getting tired, as was she, so she found a
spot near a stream far enough off the main road to provide a
little privacy and made camp for the night. With her horse fed
and watered and secured for the night she set about making her
dinner after which she settled down by the camp fire. She laid
back against her saddle and looked up at the night sky. It was
a clear night so the stars twinkled like tiny diamonds against
the black night sky. A full moon was just starting to appear
over the mountains. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs
with the fresh air, slightly scented with pine, then closed her
eyes and snuggled under her blanket. She was just about to
drift off to sleep when a sudden clap of thunder brought her to
a sitting position. She looked up at the sky and saw that there
was not a cloud in it. Suddenly the sky lit up with lightening
that seemed to come from nowhere and she looked around. More
lightening flashed as another clap of thunder rumbled across the
clear night sky. She got to her feet and quickly strapped her
holster back on, pulled her sword out of its sheath and followed
the lightening up over a small ridge on the other side of the
stream. A short way down the other side of the ridge was a
small clearing and in the middle of the clearing was a male
Immortal receiving a Quickening. She moved as close as she
dared and watched from behind a boulder. The Immortal dropped
to his knees when the Quickening ended, obviously exhausted.
She was about to leave well enough alone when she felt the
presence of another Immortal. At that instant another male
Immortal came screaming from behind the bushes on the other side
of the little clearing where he had been hiding. He held his
sword high above his head and it was obvious that he intended to
take the head of the other Immortal while he was weakened from
the Quickening...a totally underhanded trick. She jumped to her
feet and ran down to the clearing where she took up a defensive
stance between the charging Immortal and the one struggling to
get to his feet.
The charging Immortal moved his sword from over his head to a
thrusting position and lunged at the woman between him and his
intended target. He would first have to eliminate her before he
could eliminate the other Immortal who had just beheaded his
teacher. But his lunge was blocked by the female Immortal's
blade. The clang of steel against steel echoed through the
small ravine that the clearing was in as the battle ensued He
slashed wildly at the female Immortal, each move being skilfully
blocked. At one point he got too close and his opponent kicked
him square in the diaphragm, knocking the wind out of him and
sending him staggering backward. He was surprised that he
managed to maintain his balance He recovered and swung his
sword wildly as he moved closer to his opponent and yelled, “you
bitch!” Suddenly he felt his sword twist out of his hand as the
female Immortal twirled her blade around his a couple of times
then thrust her blade upward, dislodging his from his grasp and
sending it flying. The move surprised him and he watched his
sword sore into the bushes along the side of the clearing and
fall out of sight. The next thing he was aware of was a searing
pain in his abdomen and he looked down to see the female
Immortal's sword buried almost to the hilt in him. He screamed,
“you fucking bitch!” His opponent pulled her sword out of his
abdomen and it was then that he decided that he wasn't near good
enough to win this battle and avenge his teacher so he staggered
away and managed to make it into the thicket of bushes and
boulders on the far side of the clearing before succumbing to
his injury and dieing behind a boulder as his opponent turned
back to the other Immortal who was now standing and leaning on
his sword for support.
“Come on. Let's get you out of here before he wakes up and
decides he wants to try again,” the female Immortal said and
slipped his arm over her shoulders and hurried him out of the
clearing and up the small ridge she had come from.
“Thank you,” he said, breathlessly as he scrambled up the small
deer path that led to the top of the ridge. “I'm Duncan MacLeod
and I owe you one,” he said as they reached the top of the ridge
and started down the other side.
“Sheriff Robin Scott at your service,” came the answer. “My
camp is down by the stream,” she added, leading the way down the
other side of the ridge.
“Did you say sheriff?” Duncan asked, incredulously. This was
definitely a first for him.
“That's right,” Robin said as she jumped over a log laying
across the narrow deer path. “Sheriff of Ford's Prairie,
Washington.” The first thing she did when they reached her camp
was to check on her horse. “If your hungry there's some left
over rabbit stew in the pot hanging over the fire. Help
yourself. There's a plate drying on the rock over there,” she
said, pointing to the rock where she had laid out her plate and
utensils to dry after washing them in the stream. “And there's
coffee in the pot next to the fire. It should still be warm,”
she added.
“I’m not really very hungry but the coffee sounds good,” Duncan
said and walked over to the fire. He took the cup sitting on a
rock next to the pot of coffee and filled it. Taking a seat on
the ground with his back against a rock, Duncan sipped at his
coffee as he watched the woman who had just saved his life
console her horse. “He's beautiful,” he said, admiringly.
“Thank you,” Robin said. “Sid meet Duncan....Duncan this is
Obsidian’s Fire....Sid for short,” she said, pulling a couple of
sugar cubes out of her shirt pocket and holding them in her open
palm while her horse gobbled them up, greedily. “Spoiled,” she
said softly to the horse and ruffled the part of his mane that
lay over his forehead. The name Obsidian’s Fire fit the
Friesian stallion as he was jet black and his mane, tail and the
feathers around his hooves were flaming red. As red as Robin's
long hair was.
“You don't see many Friesians around these parts,” Duncan said
and took another sip of his coffee...his energy beginning to
return to his body.
“Most people have to ask me what kind of horse he is,” Robin
said as she joined Duncan at the fire. She sat down on her bed
roll and lay against her saddle, propping herself up on one
elbow. “So did your horse take off when the fireworks started?”
She asked, taking a pouch out of the vest pocket of her suede
fringed jacket. She opened the pouch and took out a pack of
rolling papers and then sprinkled tobacco from the pouch onto a
paper. She proceeded to roll a cigarette which she lit using a
twig she stuck in the camp fire until the end began to burn.
She offered the pouch to MacLeod, who refused it, then put it
away...taking a long drag off of the cigarette as she did and
blowing smoke rings into the camp fire's smoke.
“Yeah. But he won't have gone far,” Duncan said and took
another sip of his coffee as he watched the woman sitting across
the camp fire from him, mesmerized.
“So what do you do when you're not pissing off crazy Immortals?”
Robin asked, taking a drag off of her cigarette.
“I used to run a newspaper in a small town south of here,”
Duncan said, tearing his eyes away from Robin's face and looking
up at what was left of the night sky. “Now I'm just traveling
around looking for what ever's next,” he added and took a sip of
his coffee. Caffeine or no...he suddenly felt physically
drained and exhausted and he involuntarily yawned.
Robin tossed him her extra blanket and said, “we've got a few
hours before sun up so why don't you try and get some sleep? I
know I plan on it.” She unbuckled her holster and lay it within
reach and slipped out of her fringed jacket.
That was when Duncan saw the glistening sheriff's star pinned to
shirt. He had a million questions he wanted to ask the first
lady sheriff he had ever encountered but he was much too tired.
Instead he stretched out, using the tattered remnants of his
duster as a pillow.
Robin lay back against her saddle and pulled her blanket up to
her chin. She looked up at the stars then drifted off to sleep.
The warmth of the morning sun on her face woke her up and she
yawned and stretched then sat up and looked around. She was
alone. MacLeod had already packed up and gone. Hanging from a
stub of a broken branch on the makeshift spit over the campfire
was a folded piece of paper with her name on it. She removed it
and unfolded it.
“Robin - Thank you for your hospitality. Sorry to leave so
suddenly but I need to try and find my horse and continue on my
journey. Who knows...maybe I'll pay a visit to Ford's Prairie
someday. Good hunting and stay safe. Your friend, Duncan
MacLeod,” the note read.
“I hope he finds his horse,” Robin said aloud to herself as she
refolded the note and stuffed it in her jeans pocket. She
proceeded to pack up and clear her campsite, making sure that
the campfire held no smoldering embers that could start a wild
fire in the dry summer brush. Soon she and Sid were back on the
road and attempting to make up the time they had lost.
Six and a half hours later, horse and rider turned onto the road
that would take them into Richland, which was the next form of
civilization and Robin suspected that Mattox would have stopped
there and she hoped that it wasn't too long ago.
“Yeah. He came in to buy some supplies,” said the General Store
owner when Robin showed him the wanted poster with the picture
of Duane Mattox. “And a map of the area Northwest of Ft.
Simcoe,” he added as an after thought.
“Did he say why that particular area?” Robin asked as she gazed
longingly at a jar of licorice on a shelf where it was
accompanied by several jars filled with other kinds of candy.
The store owner shook his head. :There isn't much between the
fort and Lost Horse Plateau,” he said, following Robin's gaze.
“The only thing I can think of that would be up there is an old
trapper's cabin,” he added as he took the jar off of the shelf
and set it on the counter in front of Robin.
“What's beyond that?” Robin asked as the owner removed the lid
of the jar and the scent of fresh licorice filled her nostrils.
The store owner fumbled around in a drawer behind the counter
and produced a map which he spread out on the remaining portion
of the counter. Using the template arm of his spectacles as a
pointer, he showed Robin the area he was referring to. “Here's
the fort and the cabin would be somewhere around here. I've only
been there once and that was a long time ago so I'm not
completely positive of its exact location,” he said. “Help
yourself, Sheriff. On the house,” he added, referring to the
licorice.
Robin took a stick of the black candy out of the jar and thanked
him as she studied the map. “How far is the next form of
civilization from the cabin if you were to continue in that
direction?” She asked, sucking on the stick of licorice,
thoughtfully.
“Around 450 miles if you go around the plateau,” the owner said.
“About half that if you go over it. But it's pretty rough
terrain,” he added. The door of the store opened and the cow
bell hanging from the top of the door, jangled. “Excuse me,”
the owner said and he went to help the customer who had just
walked in.
Robin took out some money and laid it on the counter. She
folded up the map and put it in the pocket of her jacket and
left the store. She climbed onto her horse and they headed out
of town toward Ft. Simcoe. A little after midnight, she made
camp and slept until the first rays of light reached over the
mountains, then they were on their way again. They made good
time and by nightfall they were over halfway to the fort. They
made camp by a stream and Sid grazed on the wild grass while
Robin ate fish from the stream. By morning both Sid and the
sheriff were well rested and they continued on their journey
Robin reached the fort by nightfall. She spent the night and
bought more supplies when the store opened in the morning.
“I'm looking for this man,” Robin said as she showed the wanted
poster to the manager of the fort's store. “I was told that he
may have stopped here before moving on. Have you seen him?”
The man behind the counter looked closely at the poster then
nodded. “Yes,” he said. “He was in here yesterday afternoon
asking directions.”
“Directions to where?” Robin asked. She was relieved to hear
that she was less than a day behind Mattox.
“He asked about a trapper's cabin a half days ride from here,”
the man replied.
“Thank you,” Robin said with a grateful smile. “I need to
purchase some ammo,” she added and told the man what she needed.
After purchasing extra ammunition for both her revolver and her
Winchester rifle, Robin left the store. As she was climbing
onto her horse the store manager walked out onto the boardwalk
and said, “we have a scout here that knows these mountains
better than the natives and I'm sure that Captain Howell would
loan him to you.”
Robin took the reins in one hand and smiled down at the man.
“Thanks, but that won't be necessary. Just point me in the
direction of that cabin,” she said.
“Head North and you'll come to a dry creek bed. On the other
side the road splits in two and narrows. Take the road to the
right and it'll take you right to it,” the man said.
Robin thanked him, tapped the brim of her hat and rode out of
the fort. Once outside the gate she tapped her heels against
Sid's sides and he broke into a gallop. They reached the dry
creek bed as the sky was turning from blue to shades of purple
and red as the sun began to disappear behind the mountains.
After an hour's ride, Robin reined Sid off of the rarely used
narrow road. The moonlight lit their way as they climbed to a
higher altitude. As soon as they reached a level spot that was
shielded on all sides by large boulders and trees, Robin
dismounted and took a spy glass out of one of her saddlebags.
She found a good spot to view the slope back down to the rode.
She slowly scanned the tree tops with her spy glass until she
saw faint wisps of smoke rising up through the trees. The
forest was too thick to see what was producing the smoke but the
way the plumes of smoke seemed to stay in a concentrated pattern
told Robin that it was coming from a chimney and not an open
fire. She led Sid back down the slope a ways to a vantage point
where she could easily keep an eye on the cabin without being
heard or seen herself.
The cabin was small...probably one room....with only a front
door and a couple of windows which were bathed in the soft
yellow glow of the fireplace and lanterns. As far as she could
tell there was just one person inside the cabin. The cabin was
practically backed up against the slope but there was a small
broken down lean-to and there was one unsaddled horse tied under
the structure. Robin used her spy glass and the almost full
moon to get a look at the horse's left hip and saw it carried
the brand of the Lazy M Ranch where Mattox had been employed.
She grabbed her, stuffed the extra ammo she had purchased at the
fort into the pockets of her fringed jacket and took a set of
iron handcuffs out of her saddlebag and attached them to her
belt then found a comfortable spot to perch and she chewed on a
hunk of venison jerky as she watched the cabin and waited for
the dawn.
It was a couple of hours before sunrise when Robin noticed that
the yellow glow had disappeared from the cabin's windows and
they were dark. There was also no more smoke coming from the
cabin's chimney so she figured that Mattox had finally gone to
bed. When the sky began to turn from the night's blackness to
shades of yellow, purple and blue...but before the sun actually
crested the mountain tops...she cocked her rifle, placing a
shell in the chamber and made her way, silently down the slope
to a clump of boulders about 20 yards from the cabin. She hid
behind the shelter of the boulders until she was positive that
there was no one outside of the cabin or watching her from the
inside then, staying low and in the shadows, she crept to the
side of the cabin and stood with her back against the wall. She
stood there listening for any sound coming from inside the
cabin. The only sound was the chattering of a couple of
squirrels, the warblings of a few morning birds and the soft
whisper of a breeze rustling the leaves and pine needles of the
trees.
The first rays of sunlight were now reaching over the tops of
the eastern mountains. With the skill of stealth she had
learned during the time that she had lived among the local
Lakota Sioux, Robin moved to the nearest window and peeked
through it. The inside of the cabin was dark except for a small
stream of light coming through the curtain-less window at the
back of the cabin The cabin had, in fact, only one large room.
The only furniture was a table and a couple of old wooden
chairs, a cupboard with some dishes and an old military cot in
the corner near the fireplace made out of river rock. A cast
iron kettle hung from a hook in the center of the fireplace...a
ladle sticking out of the kettle indicating that Mattox' dinner
left overs were probably still in the kettle. There were
several empty whiskey bottles strewn around the room and a
couple of blobs of wax...the remnants of melted candles...sat in
the center of the table. After surveying the cabin interior
through the window, Robin looked back at the cot and it was
obvious that someone was sleeping on it.
Robin moved silently to the door of the cabin and slowly turned
the nob. Because it was old and a bit rusty, it took a little
effort to turn it without making any noise, but Robin managed
and she cautiously opened the door and stepped into the cabin.
Without any hesitation she quietly moved over to the cot and put
her boot on the edge of the bed. She gave it a quick shove and
over it went...spilling its inhabitant onto the floor with a
loud thump. She stepped over the cot that was now on its side
and placed the barrel of her rifle against Matt ox’s forehead
just as he was starting to sit up.
“Duane Mattox, you are under arrest for the charge of rape,
assault and battery and assault with intent to kill,” Robin said
in her most authoritative voice.
“What?” Mattox said looking up at Robin with a dazed and
confused look on his face. He moved like he was going to try
and get up again and Robin pressed the barrel of her rifle
harder against his forehead.
“Don't even think about it, Mattox,” Robin said, threateningly.
“You even breathe wrong and I'll pull the trigger and this
rifle will blow your head into next week.”
“Are you talking about that whore?” Mattox asked, incredulously.
“How do you rape a whore?” He asked.
Robin placed her boot squarely in Matt ox’s crotch and he
inhaled quickly and held his breath. “I suggest you mind your
tongue. I'm tired, hungry, in need of a bath and easily pissed
off. So if you want to see your day in court...”
“What happened to innocent until proven guilty?” Mattox asked.
“You ran. Innocent people don't run,” Robin said and removed
the handcuffs from her belt. “Slowly roll over onto your
stomach and place your arms out straight like you're flying,”
she said. As Mattox, reluctantly, complied, Robin set her rifle
down and leaned it against the tipped over cot and took her
revolver out of its holster. She cocked the hammer back so
Mattox would know that she was serious. When he was on his
stomach she placed her knee in the middle of his lower back and
put her weight into it then put one of the cuffs on his right
wrist and locked it. She pulled his arm around behind him and
stuck it under her knee. Then she grabbed his left arm and
yanked it behind him and cuffed it, locking the cuff to the one
on his right wrist. “Now get up. Slowly. Don't try anything
stupid,” she said, moving off of him and pulling him up, using
the handcuffs' chain.
“Do you really believe that you are going to take me back to
Ford's Prairie all by yourself?” Mattox asked, slyly, as his
mind raced with plans of escape.
Robin holstered her revolver and picked up her rifle. With the
muzzle against Matt ox’s back she shoved him forward and out of
the cabin. “You, obviously have your doubts,” she said with a
little chuckle. “Care to make a bet on it?” She said,
tauntingly, then she let out a shrill whistle and a few seconds
later Sid trotted into view and over to Robin. She patted the
horse's neck and took the rope that was coiled and laced to her
saddle and tied one end, securely, to the chain between the
handcuffs. Then she wrapped it around Matt ox’s waist and tied
another knot in front of him. The other end of the rope she
tied to her saddle horn.
“My horse is around back,” Mattox said.
“It's actually the Lazy M's horse. If they want it they can come
and get it,” Robin said as she climbed into Sid's saddle.
“Are we both going to ride your horse all the way back to Ford's
Prairie?” Mattox asked. “He might not make it with the extra
weight,” he added.
“Who said anything about you riding?” Robin said as she let out
enough length of rope so that Mattox could trail behind Sid
without getting kicked.
“You're going to make me walk all that way?” Mattox asked,
incredulously. “That's inhumane,” he protested.
“What you did to Janice was inhumane, so I won't be losing any
sleep about making you hoof it all the way back home,” Robin
sneered, angrily. She nudged Sid with her heels and they were
on their way back to Ford's Prairie.
[center]To be continued[/center]
#Post#: 401--------------------------------------------------
Chapter 2
By: 22639 Date: October 16, 2012, 5:30 pm
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[center] Chapter 2[/center]
“I'll see you and raise you $10,” Robin said as she tossed
another $10 on the pile in the center of the table and she
smiled confidently at the man sitting across from her. He
studied his hand for a few minutes then moved the cigar from one
side of his mouth to the other and looked directly into Robin's
eyes as he tried to determine if she were bluffing or not.
It had been six months of peace and quiet since Robin brought
Duane Mattox back to town and five months since he had been
found guilty by a jury of his peers and sent to the state
penitentiary Robin's days had been spent making the occasional
rounds of the town and playing chess out in front of her office
with Roger Wells, the owner of the General Store. In the
evenings, when she was in town, she could be found either
playing poker in the Lucky Ace with Wells, Curtis Hudson, Ford's
Prairie's only doctor and Daniel Evans, the town's mayor and
owner of the Evans' Hotel and the Evans' Livery or in the lobby
of the hotel playing backgammon with Fred, the night desk clerk.
When she wasn't in town she was at home, a cabin in a mountain
meadow about 8 miles out of town, either working on the upkeep
of her spacious three room cabin and small barn, tending her
small garden of vegetables and herbs, fishing at her favorite
pond about a mile from the meadow, working out, meditating by a
waterfall in the forest not too far up the stream that cut the
meadow in half or...on nice days and evenings...reading while
lounging in her hammock out in front of the cabin...or on not so
nice days and evenings...reading whiled curled up in front of a
fire in the huge river rock fireplace that separated two of the
cabin's rooms.
“I think you're bluffing,” Dr. Hudson said and tossed $10 into
the pile. “I see your ten and....because I'm sure that I'm
right...,” he tossed $15 onto the pile and said, “I'll raise you
fifteen more.” Wells whistled and leaned forward with interest
and the Mayor tossed his hand onto the table, folding.
Robin looked at her hand, then over at the doctor and back down
at the cards she was holding in her hand. Her luck had been
fluctuating all night. She would win a couple of hands...lose
one...win one...lose three and so one. The doctor had started
out looking as though it would be an early night for him but his
luck had turned around and he had won the last three hands with
two powerful hands and a convincing bluff so Robin thought
carefully about what she should do. Should she take his
confident bet as him holding some powerful cards or as another
attempt to bluff? All she had was $15 so if she wanted to see
him and he did win the hand it would mean she was done for the
night. If she simply folded and gave him the pot she could play
a few more hands before having to call it a night and maybe even
come away from the table not completely broke. She looked into
Hudson's eyes one more time.
The doctor moved his cigar from one side of his mouth to the
other and asked, meeting Robin's gaze, “So, Sheriff? What's it
going to be?”
Robin quickly reviewed the last few hands and she remembered
seeing the good doctor move his cigar from one side of his
mouth, coincidentally, whenever he was unsure how strong his
hand was. With a perfectly expressionless face, she slid her
$15 into the pile in the center of the table and said, evenly,
“call. Let's see 'em, Doc.”
Dr. Hudson took his cigar out of his mouth and set it in the
nearby ashtray then laid his cards on the table, face up,
showing a full house of kings and jacks then he looked over at
Robin as Evans gave the doctor a congratulatory pat on the back
and Wells whistled and downed the shot of whiskey he had just
poured.
Still expressionless, Robin slowly laid her cards, face up in a
stack, on the table, then, with one hand, slowly spread them out
showing first a ten of spades then a queen of hearts then a
queen of diamonds then a queen of clubs and finally the queen of
spades.
“Four queens!” announced the Mayor.
“Nicely played, Sheriff,” Wells said, slapping Robin on the back
with one hand and filling her shot glass with whiskey with the
other.
“Damn!” Hudson exclaimed and slouched back in his chair,
dejectedly. “I thought for sure you were bluffing,” he added.
“You ought to know by now, Doc,” Robin said as she raked in her
winnings, “that I'm no good at bluffing so I very rarely...if
ever...do it.” She began to organize the different
denominations of bills and coins that were now in front of her.
Evans leaned forward and scooped up the cards on the table into
the pile he was holding and began to shuffle them. “Anyone want
to play another hand?” He asked as he tossed a 50₵ piece
into the center of the table.
“That's it for me,” the doctor said and picked up what little
money he had left and stuffed into his pocket. He downed his
drink and got to his feet. “As always,” he said with a slight
bow as he took his hat off of the post on the back of his chair
and put it on, “it's been a pleasure.”
Wells tossed a 50₵ piece into the center of the table and
said, “see you next week, Curtis.” He filled his glass and
downed it.
“I'll see you at 11:00 tomorrow, Doc,” Robin said as she tossed
her ante into the pile...referring to the doctor's and her
monthly trek to a small village of Lakota Indians that was about
fifteen miles in the mountains south of town to provide
vaccinations for the children and to render whatever medical aid
that might be needed (and accepted).
“Right,” Hudson waved without looking back as he made his way
through the saloon to the doors and Evans began to deal out the
cards.
Later that night as Robin walked from the saloon, which was on
one end of town, to Mrs. Porter's Boarding House where she
stayed when she stayed in town, which was on the other end of
town, she began to get the nagging suspicion that the peace and
quiet she had been enjoying for the past six months was about to
come to an end. That suspicion became fact a few nights later
when Robin walked to the Lucky Ace, as she or her deputy did
every night when the Lucky Ace closed it doors for the night to
make sure Victor Jacobs, the Lucky Ace's owner, closed up
without incident As usual, she leaned against a hitching rail
across the street from the saloon and waited until all of the
lights were extinguished, indicating that all of Victor's
patrons had left the saloon and he had gone upstairs to his
apartment above the saloon to retire for the night. As she
walked back to the Sheriff's Office and passed the alley between
the General Store and the Barber's Shop she felt the presence of
another Immortal. She stopped and looked around. There was no
one to be seen on the main street so she, cautiously, ventured
into the small alley. A few yards into the alley she stopped
and listened but heard nothing out of the ordinary. A few
seconds later the feeling disappeared and, since she didn't have
her sword with her, Robin didn't pursue the issue and returned
to the main street and continued on her way to her office where
she locked the door and slept in one of the two empty jail
cells...her Goddess of the Sun Katana under the mattress...until
Deputy Lewis relieved her in the morning. Robin spent the rest
of the day working out in her meadow.
When she relieved her deputy the following morning, Robin
checked with Mr. Wells, Mayor Evans, Mrs. Porter and Paul Payne,
the owner of the Ford's Prairie Bank and Trust to see if they
had seen anyone new in town. They hadn't but promised to let
her know if they did. A week later, upon returning from her and
the doctor's monthly visit to the Lakota village, Harry
Franklin, the town's blacksmith, informed Robin that a stranger
had stopped in because his horse had thrown a shoe.
“He asked if this was the town with the lady sheriff,” Harry
said. “He didn't stay, though. I fixed his horse's shoe and he
left and rode right on out of town.”
“What did he look like?” Robin asked Harry.
“He was tall....taller than me,” Harry said, holding his hand up
to show the stranger's height. “Large build....around 40...45
with short blond hair.”
Robin didn't recognize the description. She thanked Harry for
letting her know and for the next couple of days she wore her
duster with a sheath for her sword sewn into the lining instead
of her fringed jacket...just in case.
A week later Robin was dozing along side her favorite fishing
pond, her line in the water awaiting a fish to grab the bait
when she was jarred awake by an Immortal buzz. She sat up and
opened her eyes as her hand went for her sword that lay next to
her in the sand and she looked around to see a man, who fit
Harry's description, walking toward her, his sword cradled in
his arms as if it were a child. Robin jumped to her feet,
dropping her fishing pole on the ground.
“Sheriff Robin Scott, I presume,” the Immortal said as he slowly
approached Robin.
“I am,” Robin said with a nod. “And you are?”
“Brice Harris, at your service,” the Immortal said and bowed,
gallantly. “I heard about you all the way down in Fresno,
California and I had to see for myself. It's not everyday one
gets to meet a legend.”
“I'd hardly say I'm a legend,” Robin said as she positioned her
feet so that her weight was evenly distributed and her feet had
solid footing.
“The West's only lady sheriff who rode with the Earps when they
were after the Thompson Gang and partnered with Marshall Maco in
capturing William Tate puts you up there in the company of
Calamity Jane and her crew,” Harris said.
“One time. I rode with the Earps one time and there were 115 in
that posse so I doubt they even knew I was there,” Robin said,
shaking her head.
“Then I find out that you are an Immortal. Well.....I just had
to meet you,” Harris said, smugly. “And now that I have....I
just have to have...,” Harris suddenly swung his sword over his
head as he quickly advanced towards Robin then lunged at her,
slashing his sword downward towards her head, declaring, “...to
have your Quickening.”
Robin caught Harris' blade with the side of her own forcing
Harris to change his blade's position to the side and Robin used
the opening to drop kick Harris in the chest which disarmed him.
Harris reached out and quickly grabbed Robin's shoulders and
pulled Robin to him. He smashed his forehead into
Robin's...letting Robin stagger backward a couple of steps then
did a roundhouse kick...putting his weight behind the force of
it...and connected with Robin's sword hand.
At the same instant Robin heard the bones of her fingers
snap...a searing pain shot up Robin's wrist to her arm and to
her elbow and she cried out as she lost her grip on the hilt of
her sword and it clattered to the ground.
Harris rammed his knee into Robin 's gut numerous times.
Robin fell to the ground, then leaped up and tackled Harris.
They rolled across the dirt.
Harris was the first up and kicked Robin in the face.
Robin reared up and hurled dirt in Harris' face.
Harris stumbled back, clutching at his eyes.
Robin slammed her foot into Harris' chest, knocking him down.
As Harris lay there, Robin ran at him.
Harris lifted his legs up and monkey-flipped Robin over. They
jumped to their feet at the same time. Harris blocked a punch
and slammed his fist into Robin 's jaw.
Robin punched Harris back, driving him into the wall.
Harris roundhouse kicked Robin to the ground. Harris had Robin
on her back and was crouching over her as he punched her
repeatedly in the face.
Robin reached up with her left arm and grasped Harris' right
forearm. At the same time she rolled back and swung her left
leg up and over Harris' right arm (and her left) and hooked her
knee around the left side of Harris' head. She pushed her left
leg down toward the floor and brought herself almost to a
sitting position, using the momentum of her upper body to add
strength to her left leg. When she had forced Harris almost to
the floor she released her hold on Harris and scooted herself
back a bit then struggled to her feet.
Harris reached up and grabbed Robin's hand and pulled her toward
him as he turned on his right side so that when he pulled Robin
all the way to the floor he wouldn't be underneath her.
As Robin got closer to the floor she tucked her chin into her
chest and bent her back so when she got to the floor she would
be able to do a forward somersault..which she did...the force of
which wrenched her hands out of Harris', freeing her.
Harris got up and crawled over to Robin and grabbed her right
shoulder with his left hand and used his weight to pin Robin to
the floor while he pummeled Robin's face with his right fist.
Robin threw her legs upward and used their momentum to do a
backward somersault (simply reversing her previous move). When
she was able to put her feet on the floor she jumped into a
modified crouch, grabbed Harris' right upper arm with her right
hand and pulled toward herself. At the same time she pivoted on
the ball of her right foot and reached around the back of
Harris' neck with her left arm, crooking her elbow so that her
left arm wrapped around Harris' throat.
Harris spun out of Robin's grasp and kicked Robin in the face,
sending her sprawling backward and her sword flying. Robin
caught her balance just before stumbling to the ground and
jump-kicked Harris to send him backward. Harris grabbed
Robin's foot and pushed Robin back.
Robin punched Harris in the side of his head which caused Harris
to drop Robin's foot.
Harris retaliated while Robin was trying to regain her balance
with several quick punches to her face.
Robin blocked a punch, kneed Harris in the gut, and slammed her
elbow into Harris' face.
Harris rammed his shoulder into Robin then curled his leg
around behind Robin's legs and simultaneously shoved with his
shoulder and pulled his leg in tight against the back of Robin's
causing Robin to tumble backwards and fall to the ground.
As Robin rolled on the ground and attempted to stand back up she
saw her sword.
Harris positioned himself over Robin and lifted his foot in
preparation of driving it into Robin.
As Harris brought his foot down, Robin rolled and grabbed her
sword. She rose from the ground, spun her sword so she could
plunge it into Harris.
Harris blocked Robin's attack and the air was filled with the
song of blade against blade. The battle reached more rocky
ground and Harris...being unfamiliar with the terrain..stepped
against the side of a rock half buried in the ground. It threw
him off balance for only a couple of seconds.
Robin seized the opportunity and spun her blade around in
several directions so swiftly that it appeared to be whirling
like an out of control fan blade.
The whirling blade forced the off balance Harris backward,
unrelentingly, until Harris could no longer maintain his footing
and he stumbled to one knee....doing his best to block Robin's
blade with his own.
Robin saw that Harris' concentration was divided between trying
to stay upright while blocking Robin's slashes, slices, thrusts
and parries so, when she was close enough, Robin did a modified
roundhouse kick and connected squarely with the side of Harris'
head.
Harris was completely caught off guard by the sudden kick and,
as bells rang in his head and he began to see stars, Harris
dropped his sword and fell backward.
Robin raised her sword up and sliced downward, cutting Harris'
head off. It rolled to a stop a few feet away and it's eyes
stared blankly up at the sky. Suddenly, a swarm of blue and red
lights emerged from the headless neck and began to swirl around
Robin's feet. Slowly they swirled from her feet to her head
then exploded into bright bolts of lightening. Robin threw her
head back and let out a howl of both severe pain and intense
pleasure as she was overcome by Harris' Quickening. When it was
over she dropped to her hands and knees, exhausted.
Once the strength returned to her limbs, Robin struggled to her
feet and walked back to the pond where she had been fishing.
She went over and knelt down at the water's edge. Leaning over,
she cupped her hands together and scooped up some of the cold
water and splashed it over her face. She got up and went over
to where she had been dozing earlier and picked up her canteen
and drank its contents of cold spring water, thirstily. When
the canteen was empty Robin set about burying Harris'
dismembered body and head...making sure to camouflage the newly
dug grave. She gathered her fishing gear and headed back to her
cabin.
“So much for the peace and quiet,” Robin grumbled as she put her
fishing gear away and changed out of her tattered clothes.
[center]To be continued[/center]
#Post#: 402--------------------------------------------------
Chapter 3
By: 22639 Date: October 18, 2012, 11:05 pm
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[center][font=segoe ui]Chapter 3
[/font][/center] It was a gorgeous day. The sky was a pristine
blue, Robin's meadow was carpeted in the bright colors of
wildflowers, the wild grass was a Kelly green, the surrounding
mountains looked like they were covered in dark green velvet and
only a few peaks were still tipped with snow. The air was
comfortably warm and a cool breeze would rustle through the tall
pines of the surrounding forest. The only sounds were the
babbling stream that ran through the middle of the meadow, the
occasional cry of a Bald Eagle soaring in the sly overhead and
the thump of Robin's saw as she trimmed some logs to repair the
fence that surrounded the small grazing paddock that was shared
by Robin's only milk cow and Obsidian's Fire.
Robin stood with one foot on the ground and the other braced
against the long log she was sawing and held the end of her saw
in both hands. She was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and an
underwear shirt that the sleeves had been cut off of and the
neckline cut down so that it had narrow straps at the shoulders
instead of sleeves and her tanned skin glistened with
perspiration as she worked the saw back and forth through the
log. Her long red hair was tied back in a pony tail and a
bandana was rolled up and tied around her head to keep sweat
from dripping into her eyes as she worked. When the saw's blade
cleared the log, she straightened up...stretching the muscles in
her back and picked up her canteen and, greedily, drank almost
all of its contents of cool spring water then she poured the
rest of the water in the canteen over her head to cool herself
off. She bent over to tie two ends of a rope around the end of
the log she had just shortened so she could use the rope to pull
the log over to the place in the paddock fence that needed to be
repaired. As she stepped into the “loop” of the rope,
positioned it around the front of her waist and took a couple of
steps forward the sound of an approaching horse echoed into the
meadow. Robin turned to see who was coming and saw a single
rider come galloping into the meadow.
“Sheriff!” the rider called as he jumped his horse over the
stream instead of using the bridge that was just wide enough
that a buckboard wagon could make it across the bridge with a
few inches on each side to spare. “They need you in town,” he
called as he reined his horse to a stop so sudden that the
horse's front hooves actually slid a few inches in the loose
dirt.
As soon as the rider had cleared the stream, he was close enough
for Robin to recognize him as Deputy Lewis's teenaged brother.
“What's wrong, Tommy?” she asked as she dropped the rope and
stepped out of it, looking up at the boy.
“Someone tried to rob the bank and they have him pinned down in
it,” Tommy said, his horse picking up on his anxiety and
prancing around in a circle as its young rider tried to keep it
under control. “My brother told me to come get you.”
“Who's “they?” Robin asked as she grabbed the deerskin shirt
that was hanging over the hitching post in front of her cabin
and slipped it on. Then she grabbed her holster that was also
hanging over the railing and strapped it around her waist.
“My brother, Mr. Wells, Mr. Evans, Mr. Franklin and some
stranger that just happened to come into town when all hell
broke loose and he offered to help,” Tommy answered.
Robin quickly removed her headband and grabbed her hat, putting
it on and untying Sid from the hitching post. “Is anyone hurt?”
she asked as she climbed into the saddle and reined Sid in the
direction that Tommy had come.
“There were shots fired inside the bank but the robber hasn't
let anyone come out so I don't know if Mr. Payne is hurt or
not,” Tommy answered.
Robin nudged her horse with the heels of her boots and Sid took
off at a full gallop with Tommy close behind.
The sound of the gun battle could be heard even before Robin
entered the city limits. The bank was on the West side of the
street directly across from the General Store so Robin rode down
the narrow roadway that ran behind the buildings on the East
side of the town's main street (used for store deliveries, etc.)
and tied Sid behind the General Store. She grabbed her rifle
and ran down the alley between the General Store and the Barber
Shop. As she approached the end of the alley she felt the buzz
of another Immortal and frowned but a bullet zipping by her and
embedding itself in the wood siding of the building to her
right, sending splinters of wood flying made wondering about who
the Immortal was unimportant at the moment. She dove for cover
behind one of the watering troughs in front of the store. She
turned over so that the back of her shoulders were against the
trough and looked around her.
Wells and Evans were kneeling behind one of the other troughs in
front of the store, taking turns raising up long enough to fire
a couple of shots from their rifles in the direction of the
bank. Harry stood behind the wooden Indian statue in front of
the Barber Shop, trying to make himself smaller so that he could
actually hide there but Robin couldn't see her deputy anywhere.
She looked over at back of the man next to her behind the trough
just as he turned over and looked at her. A bullet hit the
water in the trough, splashing both Robin and....
“MacLeod?” Robin said, looking at the Immortal who she had
helped out eight months ago while hunting Duane Mattox.
MacLeod flashed one of his award winning smiles and tapped the
brim of his hat in a mock salute. “Madam Sheriff,” he said,
ducking as another bullet dug into the Porch post next to him,
causing splinters of wood to shower down on him.
Robin quickly turned over and raised up, leveling off her rifle
over the top of the trough and firing two shots at the front
window of the bank. Then she ducked back down behind the trough
and cocked her rifle so that it would be ready for the next
volley.
“Did you bring all of this with you?” Robin asked, looking at
MacLeod and quirking an eyebrow, questioningly.
“No. I sort of happened along just as it was starting,” MacLeod
answered and reached around the end of the trough and fired at
the front of the bank. “They looked like they could use the
help,” he added as he turned back around and reloaded his rifle.
“Have you seen my deputy?” Robin asked, ducking as a bullet
shattered the glass of the General Store's front window
showering the boardwalk and them with glass.
MacLeod pointed to the body Robin now saw lying on the ground on
the other side of a buckboard wagon that setting in front of the
Barber Shop. “Right after he sent for you, he tried to talk who
ever's inside the bank into coming out peacefully and ended up
taking one in the throat,” he explained.
“Damn!” Robin exclaimed and winced as she thought of poor
Tommy. His brother was the only family he had, as their father,
a US Calvary officer, was killed at Wounded Knee and their
mother had died four of years ago from Diphtheria Robert Lewis
had taken on the responsibility of raising Tommy who was just
barely fourteen years old. A bullet zipped into the dirt next
to her and brought her back to the present situation. “How many
are there in the bank?” She asked, taking off her hat and
trying to peak over the top of the trough.
“As far as I can tell...just one,” MacLeod said. “But he must
have an arsenal in there with him because he has been able to
keep us at bay with very few and short reload breaks.”
“Has he said anything?” Robin asked as another bullet splashed
trough water in her face and she ducked back down.
“He said he was coming out once and we thought he was going to
step out with a hostage but he must have changed his mind
because he just started shooting at us again,” MacLeod
explained.
“Do we know what the status of the bank owner is?” Robin said
looking down the street at the clock tower that would, someday,
sit in front of a city hall/courthouse. It was mid morning so
Mr. Payne would have been in the bank alone. His
assistant/clerk didn't come in until just before lunch time.
“Haven't heard one way or the other,” MacLeod answered.
Robin rolled onto her side so she could peer around the end of
the trough. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath.
“You in the bank!” She called out. “This is Sheriff Scott.”
She looked over at Harry and, in a loud whisper, said, “cover
the back side of the bank.” She knew that there wasn't an actual
back door to the bank but Payne's office was at the back of the
building and it had a window that, although small, could be used
as an escape route...unless the man that was going to climb
through it was a big man. As Harry ducked into the alley
between the store and the Barber Shop and headed for the
backside of the buildings on the West side of the street, Robin
called out, “you might as well face the fact that you're not
going to leave this town. Even if you walk out of there empty
handed....you killed my deputy and I will see that you hang for
that. So you can either give yourself up or make a break for it
and give me the opportunity to shoot you down. Either
way....you are no longer a free man.”
The man in the bank fired two shots in Robin's direction,
forcing her to duck further behind the watering trough as his
response.
“I want to talk to the bank owner, Mr. Payne,” Robin called out.
“I'm sorry. Mr. Payne is incommunicado at the moment,” came the
answer from inside the bank.
“If he's injured, let him come out so our doctor can tend to
him,” Robin called out.
“He's not exactly injured,” the man in the bank called back.
“Is he alive?” Robin called out.
“I don't know. I ain't no doctor,” the man in the bank
responded. “But I didn't do nothin' to him. He just keeled
over when I told him to open the safe and fill my bag.”
“Shit!” Robin swore. “Payne has a bad ticker. He probably had
a heart attack,” she said, more to herself than to MacLeod.
Roger raised up and fired two shots at the bank. Robin didn't
know if the store owner was actually trying to hit the robber or
if he was just firing for effect because after he fired the
first shot the robber retaliated in kind and Roger was ducking
as he fired the second shot which went God knows where.
“What's it going to be?” Robin called out. She expected a
round of bullets to answer her question but she was met with
silence. “Hello in the bank. What's your answer?” Then she
heard breaking glass in the distance and a round of rifle fire
coming from behind the bank and she knew that the robber had
attempted to escape through Payne's office window and had met
with Harry. She hoped that Harry had not only foiled the
robber's escape attempt but that he had, at least, wounded the
guy. Her answer came when several bullets hit the hitching
post, water trough and the ground nearby. She leaned over
MacLeod and in a loud whisper, said, “Roger....do you still have
that bow and quiver for sale in your store?”
The store owner looked around the Mayor at Robin and nodded.
“You want me to get it for you?” He asked.
Robin shook her head. “I'll get it. Cover me,” she said to
Wells, Evans and MacLeod and as they fired a round of bullets at
the bank, she dove across the boardwalk into the General Store
and low crawled out of the doorway where she wouldn't be
visible.
“Is there anything I can do, Sheriff?” Mrs. Wells asked from
behind the counter where she was crouching.
“Yeah,” Robin said as she moved more towards the back of the
store where she was sure she would be out of the robber's view
and surveyed the walls where she had seen the bow and quiver of
arrows a few days before when she was in the store. “I need a
rag soaked in kerosene and some flexible wire,” she said,
locating what she was looking for and rushing over to grab it
off of the wall.
The store owner's wife got what Robin had requested and held the
kerosene soaked rag out to her from the safety provided by a 5'
high stack of large bags of seed grain.
“Thanks, Mirna,” Robin said as she held out the tip of one of
the arrows from the quiver she had removed from its display spot
on the back wall and said, “hold this, please.” When the arrow
was in Mirna's hand, Robin wrapped the rag around the end of the
arrow and used the flexible wire, Mirna had found to tightly
secure the rag. “Thanks,” Robin said with a small smile of
gratitude. “Now get into the back room and stay there....no
matter what you hear or think you hear,” she instructed. She
crouched down and carried the bow and the arrow back out to her
spot behind the water trough. “Something tells me that you are
probably a better shot with one of these than I am,” Robin said
to MacLeod who looked at her and lifted an eyebrow, curiously.
Duncan took the bow and arrow from Robin and tested the spring
of the bow. “It's been a while,” he said, skeptically. “But
I'll give it a try. What's the target?”
“See the gabled window at the peak of the roof?” Robin said and
when MacLeod nodded she continued. “It looks like an upstairs
window but the bank is only one story. It's more just for
decoration than anything. If you can put the arrow through that
window it should travel far enough toward the back of the bank
and....with any luck....land somewhere behind the counter where
there is more paper to catch fire.” Then she added, “or at the
very least it will get caught in the rafters and catch them on
fire.” She was thankful that Payne had recently upgraded the
large safe where everyone's money was kept to one that was
fireproof. She leaned over MacLeod and said to Wells and Evans,
“give us some cover fire.” Then she lay back with the back of
her shoulders against the trough. “Give me your pistol,
MacLeod,” she said, laying her rifle down on the ground between
her and MacLeod. When Duncan handed his Colt revolver to her,
Robin checked the cylinder, which was full. She unholstered her
own pistol and spun the full cylinder for luck. She took off
her hat and laid it on the ground...took a deep breath and let
it out slowly as she turned over and rolled over to a three
large barrels that had been stacked at the bottom of the
boardwalk steps and squatted behind them. Shots rang out from
the bank....a few bullets digging into the ground nearby.
“I'm going to give you one more chance,” Robin called out to the
robber in the bank. “Toss your weapons out the door and come
out with your hands up and let's end this peacefully.”
“Go fuck yourself!” the man in the bank yelled back and fired a
couple of rounds of his shotgun for effect.
“Now that was just plain rude,” Robin said, more to herself than
anyone else. She looked over at the store owner and the town
Mayor. “Now!” Robin said to Wells and Evans and both men
raised up and began firing, rapidly, at the bank. She looked at
Duncan and mouthed, “ready?”
MacLeod nodded as he struck a match on the trough and touched it
to the rag at the end of the arrow. He positioned the arrow in
the bow and raised up to his knees...taking aim at the gabled
window Robin had indicated.
Robin didn't wait to see if the rag caught fire. She leaped to
her feet, holding both pistols out in front of her and she ran a
few steps toward the center of the street, firing one shot after
another from both guns. When she was halfway across the
street.....and completely exposed...she made a diving leap
towards a buggy someone had abandoned in the street when the
ruckus started...twisting sideways so that her body was facing
the front of the bank while she continued to fire both
revolvers. She landed on the ground behind the buggy just as
she fired the last bullet in each of the revolvers and she did a
modified tuck and roll which put her at the back wheel of the
buggy just as the flaming arrow broke through the gabled window
of the bank.
The robber was firing blindly in the direction of Wells and
Evans and then in Robin's direction but it was more than one man
could handle and his accuracy suffered drastically. A stray
bullet shattered the Barber Shop window. Another one ricocheted
off the chimney of the Store's fireplace and actually rang the
bell that hung outside of the town's small Firehouse. Another
one made a hole in the front side of the watering trough she and
MacLeod had hid behind and its contents began to pour through
the hole, creating a mud puddle in front of it. Then the robber
could be heard yelling as the curtains over the gabled window
began to burn and smoke began to pour out of the attic vents,
the gabled window and the large window at the front of the bank.
“You fucking bitch!” the robber yelled from somewhere inside
the bank.
“Yep. That would be me,” Robin declared, proudly and grinned
victoriously back at the men who had helped her as she quickly
reloaded her revolver.
The loud report of the robber's large gauge shotgun echoed down
the street and a bullet caught the top of Wells' Bowlerhat,
sending it flying off of his head and it landed on the boardwalk
behind him. As he ducked down behind the trough, again, the
Mayor could be heard asking him if he was alright. The robber
could be heard coughing from inside the bank and a few minutes
later the door of the bank opened and he came stumbling out onto
the boardwalk in front of the bank.
“Throw your weapon off to the side and put your hands over your
head,” Robin demanded as she cautiously moved from behind the
buggy.
Wells, Evans and MacLeod, got to their feet...aiming their
rifles at the bank robber.
The man was practically doubled over in the throws of a violent
coughing spell but he tossed his shotgun to the side and raised
his hands in the air as he was told.
Robin came out from behind the buggy and moved towards the
robber...holding her gun out in front of her and aimed at the
man's chest. “Now lay down on your stomach and stretch your
arms out to your sides as if you're flying,” Robin said in a
most commanding voice. When the man didn't respond right away,
she pulled the hammer back of her revolver and yelled, more
forcefully, “Do it now!”
The robber, reluctantly, did as he was told...mumbling
obscenities directed at Robin.
Harry came out of the door of the bank, carrying Mr. Payne over
his shoulder just as the four on duty firemen began dragging the
fire wagon over to the bank now that it was safe. One by one
the towns people began to emerge from the buildings that they
had taken cover in and the men began to gather at the fire wagon
to help put the blaze out before the bank was totally
demolished.
Robin walked over to the robber and looked back at MacLeod,
Wells and Evans and asked, “anyone got any rope?”
Mirna appeared at the door of the store and called out to
MacLeod, who was already on his way to join Robin, “Here!” and
she tossed a small coil of rope.
MacLeod caught the rope and took a few long strides over to
where Robin stood over the robber...one foot firmly planted at
the back of the man's neck...forcing his face into the dirt. He
straddled the robber and tied his hands behind his back and
checked to make sure the binding was secure, then he grabbed the
section of rope between the man's hands and lifted the man to
his feet.
“You keep this up, and I may have to put you on the payroll,
MacLeod,” Robin said, jokingly while she watched MacLeod secure
the robber's hands. “A position seems to have just opened up,”
she added with a smirk.
“Depends on the pay and what the benefits are,” MacLeod joked
back.
Robin grabbed the man's upper arm with one hand while keeping
her revolver trained on her prisoner. “Let's go, loser,” she
ordered, simply, and pulled him toward the Sheriff's
Office/Jail. The she said over her shoulder, “Oh...by the way,
MacLeod.....welcome to the peaceful town of Ford's Prairie,” and
she chuckled, sarcastically.
[center]To be continued[/center]
#Post#: 407--------------------------------------------------
Chapter 4
By: 22639 Date: October 31, 2012, 8:52 am
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[center] Chapter 4
[/center]
The usually peaceful mountain forest echoed with the sound of
horses' hooves. Robin and Sid galloped into the forest and up
the path that led to, what Robin referred to as “her special
place”...a waterfall fed by both a natural spring somewhere in
the mountains above the meadow and run off from the melting snow
on the mountains' peaks. It cascaded over granite boulders,
smoothed and polished from decades of water. The top of the
waterfall was approximately three stories above a small pool of
water, deep enough to swim in.
Robin reined Sid to a stop, jumped off of the large Friesian
stallion and let the reins drop to the ground. “You're tied,”
she said as she ran over to a huge boulder with a flat surface
that hung slightly over the pool of water and began removing her
clothes while Sid grazed on the ferns and moss that carpeted the
forest floor. Just as MacLeod and his Palomino galloped into
view, Robin finished disrobing and dove off of the flat boulder
into the pool of cool water.
Duncan jumped off of his horse and tied its reins to a tree
then dashed over to the flat boulder and looked down at the pool
of water as he began to undress. When Robin surfaced in the
pool below the boulder he called down to her, saying, “you
cheated. I demand a rematch,” and he laughed as he removed his
boots.
“I never cheat,” Robin called up from the pool. “I can't help
it if you are easily distracted,” she said with a mischievous
grin. When they had decided to race to the waterfall, Robin had
said, “on your mark...get set...,” then she had pointed to a
buck deer and his mate that had appeared at Mahpiya aka Mokoce's
Southern edge and she called out, “tonight's dinner.” When
MacLeod turned his attention to where she was pointing, Robin
shouted, “GO!” and Sid burst into a full gallop...giving Robin a
sizable head start over the distracted MacLeod.
“You know what they say about paybacks,” MacLeod called down to
Robin who was treading water in the center of the pool. He
removed his socks, tossed them onto the pile of his discarded
clothes and dove into the pool....surfacing only inches behind
Robin. He reached up, placed his hand on the top of her head
and, playfully dunked her below the surface of the water.
Robin surfaced, giggling happily, and splashed water into
Duncan's face....which he returned in kind. She ducked under
the surface of the water and swam across the pool and under the
waterfall. Behind the cascading water was a ledge created by
years of water cascading over the granite surface. It was about
6 ½ feet long and four feet wide and covered in soft moss. She
hoisted herself up onto the ledge and looked back out at the
pool through the waterfall curtain.
Duncan tried to anticipate where Robin would surface because he
knew she would retaliate but, even though the water was crystal
clear, the pool had enough depth and being partially shaded by
the canopy of tall pine, oak and elm trees, the pool was dark.
Treading water, he turned around in a complete circle, looking
and waiting for the mischievous red head to appear. As he
turned to face the waterfall, he caught a flash of color behind
the cascading curtain of water out of the corner of his eye and
he turned back to take another look. The flash of color he had
seen was the refracted sunlight reaching through the water and
catching the flaming red hair of Ford's Prairie's sheriff. He
dove below the surface of the water and swam under the
waterfall. He surfaced on the other side and looked up into the
twinkling emerald green eyes looking down on him from the ledge.
His own eyes, slowly, traveled down from those green eyes,
taking in every inch of Robin's glistening tanned body and he
became overcome with a desire he hadn't felt in a long time.
Without a word, Duncan hoisted himself up onto the ledge and
knelt in front of Robin, whose gaze was locked with his. He
reached out and gently moved a strand of her red hair from her
face, then he slowly traced the lines of her jaw with his finger
tips. His gaze still locked with hers, his fingers moved from
her face, down her neck and across her shoulder, then, slowly,
traveled down her arm until they reached the back of her hand.
His touch was so tender and, as his fingers moved, slowly, down
her arm, Robin felt a yearning that she had never felt before.
Hypnotized by the way he was looking into her eyes, Robin,
slowly, leaned towards him...her eyes, slowly, closing part way
and her lips parting, slightly.
Duncan slowly leaned forward, placing his other hand on the
back of Robin's head and gently pulled her closer. As their
lips met, he moved his fingers from the back of her hand around
to her palm and gently lifted her hand, intertwining his fingers
with hers. The passion of the kiss intensified and he gently
lay her on her back...without breaking off the kiss....and they
made love behind the curtain of the waterfall.
[center]****************************
[/center]
The night was clear and the stars twinkled like diamonds
against the black night sky. A full moon was rising over the
mountains and it looked close enough to reach out and touch it.
The only sounds in the meadow was the soft babbling of the
stream and an occasional croak of a frog or the hoot of an owl.
Robin stood on the small deck she had constructed on the front
of the cabin and leaned against the railing as she watched the
moon crest the peaks of the mountains. A soft breeze carried
the scent of the pine trees throughout the meadow and she
inhaled slowly, enjoying the fragrance.
Duncan stood in the doorway of the cabin and watched Robin in
silence for several minutes...not wanting to disturb her
obviously peaceful moment, then he moved up behind her and
wrapped his arms around her.
Robin leaned her head back so that it rested on Duncan's chest
and sighed, contentedly. The day had been magical...with their
love making behind the waterfall, performing a relaxing Kata
together before dinner and then feasting on fresh venison steaks
and vegetables from her garden. Their conversations had
included such subjects as sharing memories from their past,
sharing their personal interests and waxing philosophical. It
had been 110 years since she left home and stepped into life as
an adult and in that time...and all of the people, both Mortal
and Immortal...she had only known one person that she trusted
enough to feel completely comfortable with and that was Amanda
Darieux...the Immortal who took her under her wing and taught
her how to, not only survive, but to get the most out of life as
an Immortal and who became her best friend....that was until
now. She had known Duncan MacLeod, now, for only a month but it
felt like they had known each other for centuries when they were
together and she was glad that he had decided to stick
around...giving them a chance to get to know each other.
Robin's hair smelled like lavender and vanilla and Duncan
closed his eyes as the fragrance filled his nostrils She felt
good in his arms...fitting perfectly against his body. Ten
months ago he didn't even know she existed. Now he couldn't
imagine his life without her in it. He wasn't much on believing
in fate and destinies...but he had to admit that it was possibly
fate that she turned up that night and saved him from an
unscrupulous rookie Immortal who would have taken advantage of
MacLeod's weakened state after receiving the Quickening of the
rookie's teacher. He looked around at the meadow in the
moonlight and asked, in a soft voice that was almost a whisper,
“how did you find this place?”
“When I realized that Ford's Prairie was going to be my
permanent home I started looking for someplace to homestead,”
Robin said. “I had been accompanying Doc Hudson on his visits
to the local Lakota village for three months and had established
a report with their Shaman.” Her eyes got a far-a-way look in
them.
***Lakota Village south of Ford's Prairie......1878***
At the edge of the Lakota village, Robin sat on a tree stump and
Yahto Dyami[sup]1[/sup]
HTML http://hlrpg.createaforum.com/#sdfootnote1sym
sat on a rock
across from her. This was not one of her and Dr. Hudson's
regular visits to the village and she had come alone to seek
counsel with the Holy Man.
“You have question,” Blue Eagle said once they were seated.
Even though Blue Eagle had a fairly good grasp of the English
language, Robin decided that it would be easier to communicate
in his language so speaking Lakota she said, “I do. It appears
that Ford's Prairie is to be my permanent home and I can't
continue to live in a room in a boarding house so I am looking
for a place to build a cabin.” One of the village's dogs ran up
to her and dropped a stick at her feet so she reached down,
picked up the stick and threw it. The dog ran after it.
“Why come to me?” Blue Eagle asked.
“Because I respect your people and their land and I do not want
to infringe upon it,” Robin answered.
“You are more Lakota than you think, Hi On Peta[sup]1[/sup]
HTML http://hlrpg.createaforum.com/#sdfootnote1sym,”
Blue Eagle said,
using Robin's Lakota name, and he smiled warmly. He thought for
a few minutes then said, “There is a trail that leaves from the
southern end of the village which will take you to a place I
think you would find to be perfect to build your home. We call
it Mahpiya aka Makoce[sup]2[/sup]
HTML http://hlrpg.createaforum.com/#sdfootnote2sym
It is not far from
your town. There is plenty of forest to hunt in and room to
grow what you need.” The dog returned with its stick and
dropped it at Blue Eagle's feet. He picked it up, stood and
threw it and the dog ran off to retrieve it. “As time passes
more and more wasicu[sup]3[/sup]
HTML http://hlrpg.createaforum.com/#sdfootnote3sym
lay claim to our
lands,” he said, sadly. “And I know that they will continue to
come until there is no land left for them to take. If you make
your home on Mahpiya aka Makoce I would know that it is still
Lakota,” he said, turning and smiling down at Robin.
“Niye yuonika miye[sup]1[/sup]
HTML http://hlrpg.createaforum.com/#sdfootnote1sym
Yahto,” Robin said
as she got to her feet. “Pilamayaye[sup]2[/sup]
HTML http://hlrpg.createaforum.com/#sdfootnote2sym”
Blue Eagle walked with Robin to her horse and when she had
climbed into the saddle he held up his hand and said, “Iyaya
kici Ina Maka's yuwaka, Hi On Peta[sup]1[/sup]
HTML http://hlrpg.createaforum.com/#sdfootnote1sym”
Robin rode out of the village and followed the trail through the
forest, past the waterfall and pool that would become her
special place, and into the most beautiful mountain meadow she
had ever seen. She bent down and hugged Sid's neck and said,
“Sid? I think we have found our new home.”
***Present day***
“You didn't build this yourself, did you?” Duncan asked,
glancing back at the cabin behind him.
“Of course not,” Robin laughed. “Even I have my limitations.
I had plenty of help. Between the town's people and Yahto's
people, the cabin was up and livable in a month. The barn a
month later.”
“Well it's a beautiful cabin in a beautiful spot for a
beautiful lady,” Duncan said and kissed the top of Robin's head.
A star shot across the night sky, leaving a sparkling trail
behind it.
“Oh look!” Robin said and pointed to the shooting star. She
closed her eyes and made a wish.
Duncan felt her hold her breath and he smiled. “What did you
wish for?” he whispered.
Robin felt her cheeks get warm and was glad, not only that it
was dark out but that Duncan was standing behind her and
couldn't see that she was blushing.
“If I told you it wouldn't come true,” she said, softly.
Duncan gently turned her to face him and lifted her chin with
the tips of his fingers. “You can make my wish come true right
now,” he whispered and slowly moved his face closer to hers.
“Yeah?” Robin whispered, closing her eyes and tilting her head
back more and, slightly, to the side.
Duncan was close enough now to feel her warm breath on his
lips. “Oh yeah,” he whispered just before their lips met.
Robin succumbed to the tenderness of his kiss and responded
with growing passion.
Duncan scooped her into his arms, carried her into the cabin
and lay her down on the bear skin rug in front of the fireplace
where he made love to her, then fell asleep with Robin in his
arms.
[center]To be continued
[/center]
1
HTML http://hlrpg.createaforum.com/#sdfootnote1ancLakota
for “Go with
Mother Earth's blessing, Hair of Fire.”
1
HTML http://hlrpg.createaforum.com/#sdfootnote1ancLakota
for “you
honor me”
2
HTML http://hlrpg.createaforum.com/#sdfootnote2ancLakota
for thank
you
1
HTML http://hlrpg.createaforum.com/#sdfootnote1ancLakota
for Hair of
Fire
2
HTML http://hlrpg.createaforum.com/#sdfootnote2ancLakota
for Heaven
on Earth
3
HTML http://hlrpg.createaforum.com/#sdfootnote3ancLakota
for whiteman
1
HTML http://hlrpg.createaforum.com/#sdfootnote1ancLakota
for Blue
Eagle
#Post#: 412--------------------------------------------------
Chapter 5
By: 22639 Date: November 28, 2012, 3:04 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center]Chapter 5[/center]
Robin wasn't the only friend Duncan had made in the short time
he had been in Fords Prairie. On the nights that Robin was on
duty...and there wasn't a good poker game going on at the Lucky
Ace...Duncan could be found playing chess with Roger Wells and
they became fast friends.
One afternoon while Robin and Doc Hudson were visiting the
Lakota village, a group of young cowboys rode into town. Robin's
new deputy, Robert Dixon, was able to disarm them (or so he
thought) and they went inside the Lucky Ace. A couple of hours
later one of the cowboys left the saloon, walked across the
street to the General Store and went inside.
Roger was stocking the shelves behind the counter when the young
man entered his store and walked up to the counter. “May I help
you, young man?” Roger asked.
The young man pulled a piece of paper out of his vest pocket and
handed it to Roger. “I need the things on that list,” he said
simply.
Roger looked at the list of the usual supplies for several weeks
on the road. “It'll take me a while to fill this,” he said as he
headed to the flour bin to fill the first item on the list.
“You're welcome to look around or you can come back in an hour,”
Roger added as he scooped flour into a sack.
“Thanks,” the young man said as he wandered over to a stack of
folded men's shirts. He took one from the middle of the
pile...the only dark blue one in the stack...and unfolded it. He
held it up to himself and checked the sleeve length. “How much
for this shirt?” he asked.
Roger stopped what he was doing to look over at the young man.
“That one's $2,” he answered and moved over to the scale to
weigh the sack of flour.
The young man draped the shirt over his shoulder and moved to a
stack of men's pants. He picked a pair from the pile and checked
the tag for the size.
Roger saw the pair of pants that the young man was examining out
of the corner of his eye. As he adjusted the scale he said,
“those are $3.50. But the ones in the stack next to that one are
on sale for $1.75.”
The young man moved to the sale pile and chose another pair of
pants from that stack. Slinging both pairs of pants over his
shoulder, he noticed a pair of chaps hanging on a hook on the
wall and he walked up to them. “These look like they're
handmade,” he said as he looked closer at the stitching.
Roger looked up to see what his customer was referring to. “They
are,” he confirmed.
“How much?” the young man asked.
“$15,” Roger answered and moved on to the next item on the
cowboy's list.
The young man worked his fingers as though adding in his head
then he moved away from the chaps and began, slowly, wandering
around the store.
When Roger finished filling all of the items on the list and had
everything either in sacks or wooden boxes, he went back behind
the counter and added up the purchases. “That'll be $50,” he
announced.
“Add these,” the young man said, laying the two pairs of pants
and the shirt on the counter.
Roger added the items to his previous total and said, “$57.25.”
He held out the tally sheet for his customer to see.
The young man looked at the tally sheet, then took some coins
out of his pants pocket, one of which slipped out of his hand
and fell to the floor. He bent down, but instead of retrieving
the coin from the floor, he produced a snubbed nose revolver
from under the bottom of his pant leg and straightened up. He
pointed the gun at Roger. “Put it on my tab,” he said,
sarcastically, and grinned.
Roger had built his store from the ground up ten years ago and
the closest he had ever come to being robbed was when the
Woodrow twins, each, tried to steal some candy. He wasn't about
to let a single cowboy take him for $57 worth of inventory.
“And while you're at it,” the young man said, “fill a bag with
what ever's in the cash register.” To put emphasis on his
demand, he waggled the gun at Roger. “And make it quick,” he
added.
Roger got a bag and opened the cash register. He slowly began to
take money out of the register and stuff it into the bag. He was
halfway done when Mirna, his wife, came downstairs and called
out to him.
The unexpected voice from the stairway startled the young cowboy
and he whirled around, pointing his revolver in the direction of
the voice.
“No!” Roger yelled. “Mirna get back upstairs.” He reached under
the counter and took out the shotgun he kept under there and
leveled it off at the cowboy.
“Roger?” Mirna said from the bottom of the stairs...still trying
to figure out what was going on.
As the cowboy whirled back around, Roger pulled the trigger of
his shotgun. The young cowboy was hit square in the chest and
was lifted off of his feet and sent flying backward and up
against a display table. As his body slumped to the floor, Mirna
ran from the stairway to her husband who wrapped his arms around
her, protectively. Over his wife's shoulder he looked at the
surprised look on the now dead cowboy's face. It was then that
he decided it was time to retire and find a safer way of living.
That night...over a game of chess...Roger told Duncan about his
decision.
“Duncan.....I don't have a son to leave the store to and I hate
the idea of selling it to just anyone,” Roger said as he chewed
on the stem of his pipe. “I would, however, consider selling it
to you....if you'd be interested.”
Duncan was surprised and looked up at his friend. “Me?” he
asked, incredulously.
Roger nodded. “You have the respect of the other businessmen in
town and have become a familiar fixture around here,” he said.
“It wouldn't be like opening a store in a town full of strangers
and whom you are a stranger to. Business would simply continue
as it always has.”
“I don't know,” Duncan said as he stared at the chess board
without really seeing it. His mind raced...listing the pros and
cons of such a venture.
“Look.....it might take months to find a suitable buyer and
Mirna is desperate for us to get out from under it as soon as
possible,” Roger said. “The robbery really scared her. And me,
for that matter. And I would hate to simply close it up. It's
the only store in town. It would really put a hardship on the
people I have been providing for for so many years....all of
whom are friends.”
Duncan had to agree with what Roger had said. He continued to
stare at the chess board in silence for several seconds then he
moved one of his rooks and captured one of Roger's bishops. He
sat back and looked at his friend and asked, “what kind of price
tag are we talking about, Roger?”
Roger picked up the paper they had been keeping score on and
tore off the bottom half of it. He wrote down a figure and slid
the paper over to Duncan.
Duncan picked up the piece of paper and looked at it. He made
some mental calculations then made his decision. He extended his
hand across the chess board and said, “alright, Roger. You've
got a deal.”
Roger smiled and shook Duncan's hand. “Thank you, Duncan,” he
said. “Thank you.”
[center]To be continued[/center]
*****************************************************