Mary-Beth kept me company more than the other. We'd talk for hours by the fire about books we read and how she often write ideas that goes through her head but it mostly just become random words. Karen joined in sometimes, teasing and laughing while drinking. She was tough, but sweet and fun underneath. Jack listened when i shared kids stories from my world he always asked for more, i even managed to have a short conversation with John, who was still recovering. He unfortunately didn't say much.
I was passing by the outdoor kitchen when i heard Arthur and Charles talk with Pearson.
"We have a few cans of food and a rabbit… for what, ten, twelve people? When I was in the Navy…"
Arthur interrupted him "I-I do not wish to hear about… what you got up to in the Navy, Mr. Pearson."
Pearson was persistent "We were stranded at sea… for fifty days."
"And you unfortunately survived…" Arthur muttered back with a sarcastic edge.
Pearson sighed, shaking his head "When we ran away from Blackwater… I wasn't able to get supplies in."
Arthur's tone turned sharper "Well, when government agents are hunting you down… sometimes shopping trips need to be cut short." He looked back at Pearson "We'll survive… we always have… and if needs be, we can eat you… you're the fattest."
Pearson scowled but didn't argue.
"I sent Lenny and Bill hunting and they found nothing." he muttered.
Arthur scoffed, crossing his arms "Well, Lenny's more into book learning than hunting. Bill's a fool. Unless those mountains are full of game that wanna read… ain't no wonder they found..."
Charles walked up "Enough of this. We'll go find something. Come on, Arthur."
Pearson reached behind him and grabbed a wrapped bundle from the table. "Wait a second, hold on. Here… you're gonna need something to eat out there."
Arthur took the bundle, unwrapping it halfway. "Assorted, salted offal." He gave Pearson a look "Starving would be preferable."
Charles started walking off "Come on, let's go."
Arthur hesitated, glancing at Charles's bandaged hand "You can't go hunting. Look at your hand."
Charles turned back "I can't stay here listening to you two. Look, if there's game in those hills I'll find it… and you can kill it."
Arthur walked up beside him, frowning "You need to rest, Charles."
Charles met Arthur's eyes "You think this is rest?"
I stepped forward "Can i come too?"
Arthur looked at me, surprised. I could tell he was weighing it. I wasn't exactly built like a bodybuilder. but still much stronger than the average guy. to be honest i look more like a strongman, just much shorter.
"I can take the horse you bought back from Miss Adler's house." i offered.
Arthur squinted at me "You ever even ridden before?"
"Once or twice." I said quickly, already turning toward the horses.
It took me about five minutes of struggling, slipping, and nearly falling on my ass before I figured out how to mount properly. Arthur kept sighing but said nothing. Charles just waited as i finally got it.
As we rode out of camp Arthur called over his shoulder "You okay back there?"
"I'll manage." I said, not exactly confident.
Arthur glanced over at Charles "How are you holding up, Charles?"
Charles flexed his hand slightly "I'm okay, apart from this hand. Stupid mistake."
"Still bad?" Arthur asked.
Charles gave a slight shrug "It'll be fine in a day or two. I just can't pull a bow right now."
Arthur looked ahead "So… you reckon we're gonna find something to kill that ain't an O'Driscoll?"
Charles grinned "There's meat up here for sure. Pearson doesn't know what he's talking about. Now the weather's eased off a bit, they'll be needing to feed. We'll head up this way. Find some higher ground."
Arthur's expression turned grim "Been a wild few days alright. That ride north from Blackwater, getting stuck in this storm, going out for John, Finding Dylan, that thing with the O'Driscolls…"
Charles kept his eyes forward "You've had a lot put on you. I wish I could've done more."
Arthur shook his head "I didn't mean it like that. Just… a lot to think back on."
Charles nodded "I still don't really know what happened on that boat."
Arthur exhaled through his nose "Me neither… well, Javier told me a bit, but… it sure weren't good."
We moved in the powdery snow, Charles led us higher into the hills, scanning the terrain. After a while, he stopped near a few trees and got off his horse before looking at prints in the snow "Hey, stop here a second. I see something. There's been deer here… recently."
Arthur and i got off our horses "How can you tell?"
Charles crouched "How can you not? Let's walk it from here. You're going to need a bow. A gun will scare everything around. Keep down. Move quietly and slowly."
He pulled a bow from his horse and handed it over "Here, you take this. I can't use it, and you'll have to."
Arthur stared at the bow, brow furrowed "Oh, you're joking…"
Charles tightened the strap on his saddle "Use a gun, and we'll scare off every animal for miles."
Arthur held the bow awkwardly, muttering "Never could get the hang of it…"
"You're never too old to learn." Charles smirked then turned to me "Dylan, can you wait with the horses?"
I sighed "No problem."
As they both followed the track i didn't wait, i took a relatively straight branch from a tree and cut the tip with a stone to make it pointy and as sharp as possible.
I kept an eye on the ground for anything moving or tracks in the snow.
Eventually, i saw tiny paw prints, fresh. I crouched and followed them .Then I saw the rabbit, white like the snow, twitching its nose beside a patch of brush.
I approached slowly and with a swift movement, launched the branch that went right in it's neck. It jerked once, then went still.
My hands were shaking. But it worked.
I lifted the rabbit by the ears and held it up. Its fur was soft and still warm. I turned back toward the direction I came, already seeing Arthur and Charles on their horses, each with a deer tied over the back.
Arthur saw me "Didn't we ask you to watch the horses?"
"i wasn't gonna wait while you have fun, so i decided to at least make myself useful and i got that rabbit i caught by launching a stick in it's neck." i replied as i showed the rabbit with blood dripping from a hole in it's neck.
Charles gave me a nod of approval "Not bad."
We started heading back to camp, Arthur looked up at the grey sky "Considering how things were looking a couple of days back, maybe our luck is finally on the turn."
Charles nodded "Seems to me we should be putting our effort into getting off this mountain now."
Arthur sighed "Soon. People are still weak and you've seen how snowed in those wagons are… they ain't going nowhere until we get some more thaw."
Charles shifted the deer on his shoulder "You're probably right. And, even if we do get off here… what then? We'll still have a big price on our heads."
Arthur shrugged "This is a big country… we'll find somewhere to lie low. Dutch and Hosea will have a plan. You noticed how Pearson's had a bottle in his hand ever since we fled Blackwater? We give the camp cook five minutes to grab the essentials and go, and he doesn't even bring a crumb of food."
Charles smirked "Good that we caught all that. We've only been up here a few days and have already picked up two more mouths to feed. The girl, she has a wild look in her eye."
Arthur Morgan scoffed "Of course. She lost her husband, her home, everything she had."
"So what do we do with her?" Charles asked.
Arthur looked ahead "Once we get out of here, and we're back on our feet, we'll see. She might have family somewhere."
"Who knows, maybe she'll deal with the O'Driscoll for us." Charles joked then he turned to me "And you, what do you plan to do after all this?"
It's true that i didn't really think about it, but i'll prefer sticking with the gang for now, it's where the most fun happens "I don't know, i guess i'll stick with all of you for now, i don't have anyone waiting for me anywhere anyway."
The silence that followed wasn't heavy, but it wasn't comfortable either. Charles let it hang for a few beats before speaking up "You ever hunted before, Dylan?"
I nodded "Yeah, a few times with my dad. Not like this, though. Not in the snow, not with bows. More like… small game. Traps. Improvised stuff."
Charles smirked "Well, you handled yourself alright today. For someone who looked like he'd never been on a horse before."
That got a low grunt of amusement out of Arthur.
"Yeah, yeah." I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck "You try figuring out the reins when the damn saddle's shifting every time you try to move."
Charles looked over at me"You figured it out fast. Most would've landed face-first in the snow before noon."
"Almost did." I muttered "Twice."
They both laughed, not loud, but enough that I didn't feel like a complete outsider. I wasn't sure if it was acceptance, exactly, but it wasn't rejection either. And that? That was enough for now.
After that good laugh, i turned to Arthur "Anyway, who are those O'Driscoll you keep talking about?"
Charles nodded "Yeah, what is the deal with them? I've heard a lot of talk about them…"
"Well… we've been scrapping over scores with them for years. A big gang, nasty sons of bitches. Their leader, Colm, and Dutch go way back, and not in a good way. A proper blood feud." Arthur explained.
Charles stopped and raised a hand "Wait."
A massive shape moved just ahead, brown, heavy, and lumbering, a Grizzly.
Arthur immediately slowed his horse "Shit…"
"Let's go around" Charles said calmly "No need to poke a bear right now. We've got enough meat here, no need to push our luck. He must be real hungry, stay well back. Spring storms like this are the worst for animals that sleep all winter."
'That may be a good thing to hunt later but without guns i won't last long' "Agreed."
We circled wide, staying quiet, eyes glued to the animal until it finally disappeared into the mountain.
We rode in silence for a moment before Charles broke it again "How's that new horse?"
"It seems good, second time i rode a horse so i don't really know but seems fine to me." I replied.
Arthur looked down at the animal beneath me then turned to Charles "Appreciate you lettin' me take Taima the other night."
"She's a strong one." Charles replied, voice soft "It's been as hard on the horses as on the rest of us. I don't know what Dutch would do if something happened to the Count."
"Same with Bill and Brown Jack." Arthur muttered "He's a drunk, miserable bastard, but… he loves that horse. I tried to ride the Count once… bucked me faster than a bull. Won't take nobody but him."
Camp came into view again, Arthur straightened up in the saddle and called out "Brought some food back, boys!"
Charles dismounted, tying Taima's reins to the hitching post "I'll stable her here."
I hopped off my horse with a grunt—my legs aching from the awkward posture I'd kept all ride.
Arthur turned to me and gestured toward the outdoor kitchen "Follow me." before him and Charles took the deers off their horses, and i took my bloody rabbit.
Pearson turned as we entered "Well, well, well... Just drop it down in here." he gestured to Arthur.
Arthur didn't miss a beat "What a surprise… to find the camp rat loitering around in the kitchen."
Uncle, lounging by the fire with a tin cup in hand, raised his brows "Is that any way to greet an old friend? I feel like we haven't spoken for days."
"I do my utmost to avoid you." Arthur replied dryly.
"He loves me really… it's his sad way of showin' affection."
"No, it isn't. Now shoot, get lost."
"See you gents later." Uncle said, lifting himself with a groan and wandered off.
Pearson chuckled, then eyed the deer "See you got on just fine."
"Charles is a wonder." Arthur said as he set the deer down with a heavy thud.
"Have a drink, boys… you earned it." Pearson reached under the table and pulled out a bottle.
Arthur took a sip, then recoiled "Jesus, what is that?"
Pearson laughed "Navy rum, sir... it's the only thing... the only thing. Keeps you sane, it does."
I wrinkled my nose as i tasted the rum "Uh… you got any beer?" I asked "Or tequila, maybe?"
Pearson laughed, then patted my shoulder "Maybe next time, kid. For now, you get rum or nothin'."
I took a small sip, forcing it down with a grimace "Yeah… definitely not my thing."
Arthur turned to Charles "You go rest that hand Charles."
"I'll be fine in a few days." Charles replied.
Pearson clapped his hands together and turned toward me and Arthur "You mind helping me with the skinning, Mr. Morgan? It's easier if we do it together."
Arthur rolled his eyes "Do I get to skin you?"
"You're always one with the jokes, aren't you?" Pearson replied, shaking his head.
Charles lifted a hand as he walked off "This really isn't a job for a man with a burnt hand. I'll see you three later."
Pearson turned to me next "You too, Dylan. That rabbit's gotta be cleaned up."
I looked down at the bloody animal in my hand "Never done that before."
"Well." Pearson said with a smirk "Good time to learn. Come on."
Arthur dropped the second deer onto the floor with a heavy thump, kneeling down and pulling out his knife. I knelt beside Pearson as he handed me a knife.
"Start from the back legs." he said "Careful not to cut into the meat too deep."
I tried to mimic his motions, frowning in concentration. My hands were clumsy, and the smell was… a lot. Still, I focused, not wanting to mess it up.
Pearson watched for a moment, nodding "Not bad. Bit rough, but not bad."
Beside us, Arthur pulled the hide clean off his deer.
"Yeah, they always said you were a butcher." Pearson said approvingly "You know, you could trade these or sell these in pretty much any town… if you're lookin' to make a legitimate bit of money, of course."
Arthur wiped his hands "Right now I'm just lookin' to get off this mountain alive."
Pearson chuckled. "Yeah, well if you catch anything else… you bring it to me. Thank you, Mr. Morgan."
He turned to me again "And you too, kid. Not bad for a first go. Got the look of a survivor in you."
I gave him a tired smile, wiping sweat from my brow with my sleeve. "Thanks. Just trying to earn my keep."
Arthur slung the skinned deer aside and straightened up "He did good today. Might be time to get him a proper coat, though. or even boots."
"Agreed." Pearson said with a grin "Don't want him freezin' his bits off out there."
I laughed softly, but my hands were cold, my back ached from the awkward ride, and the blood under my nails made my stomach turn. But I wasn't about to complain. I was alive, i had a new life that was all i needed now.