Unshaken

New Beginnings: Horseshoe Overlook

Liam awoke the next morning to his foot being shaken. He freaked out for a split second until he remembered who was doing it. "Rise and shine, boy. You gotta big day ahead of you." Arthur told him in a soft voice. He climbed out of his tent. The sun started to rise, the morning dew glistening in the light. Arthur handed him a cup of coffee and sat across from him. "Morning, kid." Arthur greeted him. "Morning." Liam said. He sipped the hot coffee. It was like heaven. He hadn't had coffee in a long time. Arthur could see the pleasure in the kid's face and smiled with a small laugh. "Been a while?" Arthur asked. "Like you wouldn't know. Thanks." Liam told him.

Arthur threw him a chunk of bread and canned apricots. "You should eat. Get your strength up for today." Liam caught the items and did as Arthur said. As he finished eating, Arthur started to take down the camp. Liam stood up and assisted Arthur and proceeded to take down his own tent. "Alright, well, we should be off then." Arthur said as he and Liam climbed onto their horses. Liam admired Arthur's horse as they started down the path. It was a brute that was gray with a black mane, tail, and fur covering the bottom of his legs. "Beautiful horse you got there." Liam said, striking up conversation. "Yep. He's an Ardennes. People call his breed a "War Horse". And let me tell you, he lives up to the name." Arthur replied, patting his horse on the nape.

They rode on for about twenty minutes until they were in Valentine. "I'm gonna head into the gunsmith. You can either come in or wait outside." Arthur told Liam. "I'll join you." Liam said as they climbed off their horses and walked into the building. Arthur purchased a new gun belt for himself, which Liam thought Arthur needed. He then followed Arthur down to the general store. Arthur walked up the the desk and looked through the catalog. "What's your boot size, kid?" Liam looked up at him in confusion. "For what?" He asked. "To get you some boots. Those look worn. And it was just your damn birthday." Arthur said. Liam smiled and picked out a nice pair of boots costing about fifteen dollars. They felt amazing on his feet. "Thank you, Mr. Morgan. This is very kind of you. I promise I'll pay you back." Arthur smiled at him as the approached their horses. "Nope. Don't fret about it. Hope you like them." He said.

Arthur led the way to Horseshoe Overlook, the camp they had been hiding out at. Liam didn't admit it, but he was pretty nervous. His stomach turned. He was about to meet an infamous gang. Riding up into a gang's camp wasn't something many people had done before. "Is there anything I should know about before, uh... getting there?" Liam asked. "Well, I guess just listen to Dutch and an older lady Miss Grimshaw, and you'll be alright." Arthur said with a small laugh. Liam sighed a nervous, but excited sigh as they rode up to the entrance. "Who is it!" A bald and big man yelled. "It's Arthur! You dumbass." He yelled as they rode in. Liam's heart raced.

The camp was nothing like he expected. He thought there'd be a few tents littered with a bunch of angry men and an old woman but to his surprise, it was not like that at all. "Dutch!" Arthur yelled as the got off their horses. The infamous man walked out of the center tent and raised his eyebrows in interest seeing an unfamiliar face in his camp. Dutch walked with a purpose. He had a poise like no other. He was dressed nicely. Liam watched as the entire population of the camp started to crowd around the two. His heart raced even faster. "Well who is this young fellow?" Van Der Linde asked the both of them. Liam had recognized his face from the newspapers. "His name is Liam Parker. The boy saved me from some nasty O'Driscolls last night. Figured he'd make a good hand with stuff." Dutch had a smile on his face and placed his hand on the kid's shoulder. "Well aren't you the savior Mr. Morgan never knew he would need?" Dutch laughed and looked at Arthur who playfully rolled his eyes. "It is nice to meet you Mr. Parker." Dutch greeted him. "Likewise, Mr. Van Der Linde." Liam smiled and shook his hand. "Well, what are we waiting for? Make yourself at home!" Dutch yelled and smiled.

"If anybody tries anything with you, you let me know." Arthur told Liam. He, Arthur, and the girls helped set up his tent. "Alright, well I should be headed out for a bit, why don't you go ahead and get acquainted with everyone in camp? Good luck buddy, I'll be around if you need me." Arthur said patting him on the shoulder. He was a little apprehensive until the three girls from Valentine came up to him and told Arthur, "Don't worry, Arthur, we'll show him around camp." The African American girl told him. "Okay, I'll catch you later then." He said to the group as he rode off.

"I'm Tilly and this is Mary-Beth and Karen. We'll tell you all there is to know around here." Tilly told Liam. "Well it's nice to meet you ladies." Liam said respectfully. Karen smiled and said, "Well ain't you just a stud!" admiring his wavy sandy blonde hair and lean muscular build making him blush. "He does resemble Arthur, doesn't he?" Mary-Beth said as the three girls agreed in unison. They brought him around to everyone in camp at that moment. He generally liked everyone there, except Bill seemed kind of rude, Molly seemed distant, and a woman who went by Mrs. Adler seemed miserable, but everyone else was friendly.

They brought him to a man named Hosea. He was a bright older gentleman who seemed genuine. "Why hello, dear boy." Hosea said to him. "Hello Mister." Liam said as they shook hands and sat at a camp table. "So tell me about yourself. You seem like you have a story to tell." Hosea said.