The Magnificent Seven

Rose Creek

I woke up first the next morning to find me still tucked snuggly into his side and his right hand slung across my waist in front of me, holding my left gun. I smiled softly and gently woke Vasquez up, he smiled and moved to take care of the horses while i started on some breakfast for everyone. By the time he had got done watering the horses and had sat behind me so i could use him as a back rest. 
"Habría pensado de que los demás sería hasta ahora, buen amor de olores".
"Faraday despierta por unos instantes y hacer suficiente ruido para despertar a los demás." I said gently with a small smile.
"Ah, él es un poco fuerte ¿no?" Vasquez teased softly letting his head rest on my shoulder ad watch me cook the deer meat that was preserved and wrapped in my saddle bags, along with some beans and a loaf of bread next to me. I hummed my agreement to his question and set to finishing up breakfast as Faraday woke and woke the others with his grumbling and stumbling around. I smiled a little and made Vasquez a plate, handing it to him before making Faraday's and Sam's, handing them theirs. I also made Phoebe's, Goody's and Billy's, handing them over carefully, and finally making Teddy's, Emma's and mine, handing the two theirs before pouring the men coffee and us girls the tea. We ate in silence the others all making varied noises of thanks and compliments on my cooking, i smiled and finished up my breakfast. Once everyone was done, Phoebe and Emma and I took the dirty dishes to wash them leaving the boys to saddle our horses for us. We talked quietly as we washed, them asking about my indian dress that i prefer to theirs.
"Ah, i like the indian dresses better, made for the women to ride horses better in." I explained calmly while we walked back up to the others to see some supporting a few bumps and cuts. "What happen here?!" I asked shocked as they all spun to face us with sheepish smiles and Faraday busted out laughing loudly.
"Ah, trataron de frenar su caballo." Vasquez said taking the reins from Billy and walked up calmly to Paint and easily put them on for me making the others bulk and Faraday to stop laughing. I started laughing with the girls however as we put the things back in my saddle bags and walked over to our horses. "Gracias Vasquez." I said to him as he took my bags and set them on his horse before giving my a leg up. "Thanks boys for trying." I added to the others with a smile as they all mounted up, Billy helping Phoebe.
"I believe we'll leave getting your horse to you and Vasquez." Sam said with a chuckle, i smiled a bit and nodded and we took off for Jack Horne's place. We got there a few hours before noon and talked to the boys that said they killed Jack, when they weren't paying attention i quietly took back Jack's things minus his rifle. I carefully moved his horse over to mine and swung up onto Paint and calmly waited with Jack's horse standing lazily by me where Jack could see him. The others gave me discrete confused looks until Jack showed up and killed the brothers and came over to me. I smiled sweetly and handed him his money and ammo pouch and then the two axes i stole back. Once those were situated on his body again he walked around my horse and took his reins from me.
"Thank you miss, much obliged but i must be going now." He said in his soft voice.
"You're welcome Jack." I smiled sweetly before lowering my voice and leaning forward so the others couldn't hear. "We'll be in Indian territory, about 5 miles in, in that alcove when you change your mind."
"Thanks again." He nodded his understanding and turned to the others while Sam started talking about him joining us, without another look to them he lead his horse off and up the hill he came down.
"I believe that bear was wearing people's clothes." Faraday said to the others and we all smiled and mounted back up. Sam lead the way and up into Indian territory, like i told Jack, we made it about 5 miles in and stopped for the night. I slipped off Paint and took my saddle bags off Vasquez's horse, handing him the reins while i started the fire and supper and coffee and tea.
"I'll have to go hunting in the morning before we leave this is the last of the deer meat i have." I spoke to Faraday mainly but to the others to.
"Wait, you do the hunting?" Goody asked shocked.
"I do the hunting and taking care of horses, he does the hustling and shooting." I said with a smile as Faraday nodded saying it was the truth.
"That's shocking." Goody said as they all sat down around the fire I started.
"It will be for a while, you get used to it though after a while." Faraday said calmly while i finished up the deer and carrots and green beans and bread. "Especially since she never has fixed the same thing twice."
"How is that possible to fix deer meat that many ways?" Sam asked curiously, i gave a smile before standing and walking over to a sage plant not too far off and took a few leaves and walked back as i tore them up and spread them out over the deer and added a touch of water to the pan and let it all cook together for a while before i served everyone their supper and drinks and sat back and laughed as they all groaned over the food while they ate. Vasquez sat shoulder to shoulder with me as we ate and sent his thanks and gratitude through our link. I smiled happily as we finished up eating and i took the plates and other dishes and skipped off to wash up at the stream a ways a head being sure none of the others noticed that i had a plate full for Red Harvest who was at the stream washing up.
"Hello, I'm piper, would you mind if i washed my dishes here?" I asked politely in his native tongue, he looked at me almost guardedly but nodded anyway. "Here, a peace offering. It's deer with carrots, green beans and a bit of sage with some homemade bread." I said offering him my plate, he looked at the plate then me shocked, i smiled softly and carefully set the dirty dishes down before taking a small step towards him. "Smell." I said softly stepping a bit closer, he leaned forward a bit and took a big whiff and looked at me before taking in my clothes and sat a bit stiffer. "I'm not in a tribe, the dresses just allows me more freedom to ride and hunt." I explained and he relaxed again and gently took my plate. I smiled sweetly and started doing my dishes as he stayed squatted and ate, slowly creeping closer to me until he was by me. I didn't move other than to do dishes and push my hair out of my face. He handed me the plate once he was done with it and i smiled again taking it and started washing it as well. He watched me closely before standing and carefully taking my hair in his hands and started braiding it the way his peoples women would, tying it at the end in a careful knot that i could remove at any time. I simply finished my dishes and waited patiently for him to finish, i stood with the dishes when he stepped back. "Thank you, i'll see you tomorrow, probably during my hunt, oh here, give this to your horse, it'll help him stay strong and healthy." I said pulling some lavender out of my pocket and holding it out for him, he nodded and gently took it, backing away slowly. I stood still and waited as he backed away and nodded at me, i walked back to the others then and put away my things before sitting by Vasquez as Sam studied my hair and outfit.
"This will come out wrong but why do you look like a Comanche woman?" Sam finally asked making everyone but Vasquez and Faraday tense up and look around.
"Gotta keep my hair out of my face when i do certain things, it's easier to do when wet and it's easier to hunt with hair up. As for my dress well it's more comfortable to ride bareback in indian dresses than it is in their dresses." I explained and at the end pointed to Phoebe and Emma, he nodded and everyone untensed and went back to joking and talking. I passed Faraday a new bottle and he smiled gratefully and took a drink, i smiled and shook my head but settled back by Vasquez again. Once again, we were the last to fall asleep and the first to wake. We curled up like the previous night and dozed off into a light sleep, we both heard Red Harvest whistle softly, it being my cue to start a fire. We sat up and started on the fire and getting things ready, me adding some eggs and sage and some basil to the skillet just as Jack showed up and woke the others, everyone but Vasquez and I tensed up and got our guns ready. I seen Red Harvest come out with a deer on his horse and happily skipped over and loved on his horse for a minute. "Will you let me skin him and fix you and us breakfast?" I asked smiling up at him, he nodded and slipped off his horse taking the deer off as well and set it down. "You'll want the liver, Sam wants you to join us." I added and he nodded cutting out the liver before allowing me to skin and get what i needed with his knife as Sam walked closer and started talking to Red Harvest. I hummed a Comanche song softly as i set about to cooking breakfast and fixing coffee and tea. Red Harvest joined me shortly after and offered me the liver where he bit off at, i shrugged and took a bite, chewing while i finished up cooking. I passed out plates and everyone looked a little green but happily ate anyway, i let Red Harvest use my plate while i went and skinned the rest of the deer, leaving the bones and other things i didn't need for the wolves and coyotes before moving back and setting about to preserve some and make the rest into deer jerky, humming the Comanche song the whole time. Red Harvest took the dishes once i was done with them and went to wash them while i set about wrapping up the preserved deer for later and the jerky in two different wraps, the others saddling up their horses and Vasquez bridling mine. Jack smiled at me as i handed him a piece before wrapping them all up. I finished just as Red Harvest came back and carefully put them in my saddle bags. "Thanks Red." I smiled happily as we all swung onto our horses, my saddle bags behind Vasquez again.
"You're welcome." He said back, moving to be on my left and Vasquez moved to be on my right. We nodded to Sam and he lead us to Rose Creek, stopping us on a ridge just out of sight of everyone in Rose Creek.
"So here's the plan. Red you'll go high and get the guard on top but don't let the others know he's dead until i say, Billy you'll follow me in, man servant of sorts, while the rest of you move around and cage them in, Goody you'll be our sharp shooter in case anyone gets away. Emma, Teddy you two stay here until you see Red Harvest jump down from the building, wait a minute before coming in." Sam explained everyone nodded their agreements and Red and i slipped off our horses. Him tying one of his reins to mine and me tying one of Vasquez with my other one. We tied Billy's to Red's other rein, and just had the others minus Sam tie a rein to their saddle and attach it to Vasquez's saddle as we all walked to town with the promise that Paint would bring their horses when i called.  We all crept to where we were supposed to be at, waiting for the signal that Sam would give. I could see Faraday and Vasquez right across from me, i knew Jack was one building away from me and Goody was at the end of the street ready to block it off if needed. We waited for our que before stepping out of our hiding spots. I quietly jumped up onto a hitching post that was empty and sat sideways yet still facing them with an arrow trained on one of the guys. I could see Faraday and Vasquez tensing up when they seen me but didn't bother to tell me to move, knowing I wouldn't listen. I smiled softly at Sam who smiled a bit making the one he was talking to turn around and freeze in shock. And just like that all hell broke lose with arrows flying alongside bullets when I ran out of arrows I switched to just freezing people. Being sure to keep an eye on Goody so I knew when to freeze him, I covered Vasquez and Faraday as well. I seen one get away and the second Goody had his rifle up I froze him discreetly and nodded to Billy as Faraday walked over to Goody. Billy walked up when he realized Faraday was there and waved in Goody's face before they both looked at me and me looking around looking for more Black Stone people.
"Hey sis, you uh froze the wrong man." Faraday called making me whirl around and look panicked.
"Oh god! I'm so sorry!" I said running over and unfreezing Goody. "I'm sorry Goody, I hadn't meant to freeze you!" I exclaimed putting a hand on his arm.
"It's alright Piper, no real harm done." He said gently patting my hand with a smile before he joined Faraday walking to the others.
"Thanks for that." Billy whispered as we followed.
"You're welcome, it just wasn't his time yet." I reassured gently moving to stand by Vasquez. He gave me a worried look but didn't say anything as Sam called out to the sheriff who was hiding under one of the porches.