Liars And Thieves

Chapter 3

"They got Micah! Dutch! Arthur!" Lenny's voice rang out throughout the camp the following morning. Grace sat up in her cot, yawning with a slight headache from the booze. Grace watched as young Lenny ran towards Dutch and Arthur who were having a conversation. Molly O'Shea followed, hearing the situation. 

"What's going on?" Dutch asked, the young boy looking scared.

"They got Micah! He's been arrested for murder. He was in Strawberry and..."

"It's okay, son. Breathe..." Dutch comforted the scared Lenny. Grace clambered out of her cot, hurrying over to see if there was anything she could do to help. Lenny placed his hands on his knees, bending over as he gasped for air.

"They nearly lynched me... they got Micah in the sheriff's in Strawberry... and there's talk of hanging him," Lenny continued, sounding more calm now. The adrenaline that raced through that boy was clear as day. 

"Here's hoping," Arthur sighed. Grace chuckled to herself as Dutch frowned at his friend.

"Arthur!" Dutch argued. Arthur raised his eyebrows at Dutch.

"What? The fool brought this on himself. You know my feelings about him, Dutch."

"You think I can't see past his bluster to the heart inside? He is a fine man," Dutch argued. Molly gave Lenny a comforting tap on the arm, giving him a soft smile before retreating back to the tent her and Dutch shared. Lenny also left Arthur and Dutch to finish their heated discussion, taking a seat at the table.

"No! I ain't saving that fool," Arthur argued, walking away slightly out of annoyance. Dutch grew annoyed with Arthur's stubborn attitude and raised his voice slightly.

"I can't go, my face will be all over West Elizabeth," Dutch insured. Arthur finally looked at Dutch again, both men ignoring the fact that Grace was still there.

"Arthur, you and I both know Dutch is right," Grace spoke out. Dutch nodded, looking at the woman before pointing at me and looking back at Arthur.

"Of course I am. He would do it for you," Dutch insisted. Arthur looked at me, his lips sealing shut before he looked away, avoiding eye contact with Dutch.

"I don't think he would, but... fine alright." Arthur gave in. Dutch looked relieved hearing that his best man would go get Micah.

"Arthur..." Dutch praised. Arthur shook his head before turning towards Lenny, going to speak to the poor boy who was still shaken up. Dutch turned to Grace.

"Thank you, Miss Peters. For helping him see through his stubbornness," Dutch thanked. Grace gave Dutch a small nod, watching Arthur try and attempt to comfort Lenny.

"I don't like Micah that much either but, I guess he is family like the rest of us," Grace spoke out honestly. Dutch nodded, Grace could be stubborn at times but nowhere near as stubborn as Arthur. 

"You take that kid into town. Valentine, not Strawberry... get him drunk," Dutch ordered as he began to walk back to his tent. Lenny and Arthur both watched there leader before Dutch stopped, turning back to look at them. "And Arthur... no crazy business," Dutch warned. Arthur always lost his head quiet a bit when he gets drunk, getting himself into situations that should be avoided. 

"I've given that up!" Arthur argued, throwing his hands. 

"And you get Micah out of that jail," Dutch ordered before turning into his tent. Arthur sighed, wishing he could just leave Micah there to rot. Arthur gave Grace one look before turning back to Lenny. Grace watched as Arthur led Lenny towards the horses, ready to leave for Valentine. 

"Good morning, Grace," Charles chirped out as he approached. Grace grinned at the man.

"Morning," Grace politely spoke out. Charles stopped in front of her, a spare bow in his hands. 

"Want to come hunting? I saw some Pronghorn in The Heartlands, just behind the Oil Derrick," Charles offered, holding out the bow. Grace took it proudly, accepting his offer.

"Sure, I got nothing better to do," Grace added. Charles waved her to follow him and she did.

"Good. You know how to use one of those?" He asked, stopping by his bedroll and picking up some arrows from off of a barrel. He handed them to her, Grace taking them as she answered.

"Not very well, but I'll learn," Grace insisted. Charles nodded before he led her over to the horses. 

"Okay well, hopefully this helps you to be a better shot," Charles grinned. Grace chuckled as she heaved the saddle from the hitching post and back onto her mare. Once the saddle was on, Grace shoved the arrows into the saddle bag, leaving the flap open as it wouldn't close with the arrows. Grace mounted, following Charles out of camp. "What happened with Lenny? He looked terrified," Charles asked. He must have heard and saw Lenny come in. 

"He almost go lynched the poor kid. Micah is locked up in Strawberry so Arthur has to be the big brave hero and go rescue him," Grace chuckled. Charles scoffed.

"I'm sure Micah will be happy to see him," Charles added sarcastically. The two emerged from the trees, leaving Horseshoe Overlook. Charles led them off of the road and into the plains of The Heartlands. "We'll get one each since that'll be all we can carry," Charles stated. 

"You seem to know your way around here," Grace added, sounding surprised. Charles nodded, looking beside him at the woman. 

"Yeah, I had a little wander around the other day. This country is quite something," Charles answered. Grace nodded as she took in the scenery, agreeing with him.

"That it is."

"Look! Up ahead. Let's leave the horses here and sneak up on them," Charles pointed to the pronghorns in the distance. Grace hadn't even seen them, Charles had really good eyesight. The two dismounted, leaving their horses behind as the crouched, taking soft steps towards the grazing pronghorns. Charles held a hand out once he believed they had gotten close enough, stopping Grace from going any closer. Grace counted there to be at least five pronghorns.

"Try and aim for the neck or the head for a cleaner kill. Steady your breathing, like when firing a gun," Charles instructed, keeping his voice low to not startle the prey. Grace grabbed an arrow before drawing it back and aiming on a nearby buck. Charles noted which prey Grace aimed at and aimed at a different one, not wanting to go for the same kill. "When you're ready," Charles added. Grace did exactly as Charles instructed and aimed for the head while steadying her breathing. She held her breath and let the arrow go, the arrow whizzing through the air and striking the unaware pronghorn in the neck. The pronghorn fell to the ground, startling the other pronghorns. Charles managed to take out his prey quickly and cleanly, getting a good shot in the head. The startled pronghorns fled, leaving their two dead friends. 

"Good shot," Grace complimented as they both stood up, revealing themselves. Charles nodded before praising the woman by patting her on the shoulder.

"You too, not bad," he complimented as they approached their kills. They both let out low whistles, the horses came trotting as the two hunters picked up their kills off of the ground. Grace pulled out her arrows out of the buck's neck and whipping it on her pants to get some of the blood off. She threw her pronghorn over her horse's rump, securing it steady with rope.

"Pearson will be happy," Grace assumed as she mounted, watching as Charles secured his doe. Charles nodded.

"These are some fine pronghorns. Got a fair bit of meat on them too," Charles pointed out as he petted his horse on the neck before swinging up into the saddle. 

"We should do this again soon," Grace suggested. Grace had fun, hunting with Charles was always exciting because he always knew of good spots. Charles nodded, turning his horse back towards camp.

"Of course. I'll let you know when I find another good hunting spot," Charles agreed. The two began to trot back to camp, eager to hand in their kills to Pearson for tonight's dinner.  

(Image of Charles is mine.)