___________________________________________________

Chapter 13 Pt. III
"Exit Pursued By A Bruised Ego"

___________________________________________________

"So, what's this lake we're headin' for?"

"It's called O' Creagh's Run, up in the mountains east of Cumberland Falls. I just hope I can remember how to get there, but my bet is that Tulip can probably lend a hand on that."

"Back into the mountains, I sure didn't figure on that."

"But this time, we're doin' the chasin'."

As they rode up into the incline, Hosea questioned. "So, how are things between you and John?"

With no surprise, Arthur gave a quick, stiff answer, "Fine." Tulip didn't care as much as Willow did, but it wasn't much of a difference that either of the girls found it concerning.

Hosea himself wasn't really satisfied with his reply. "Ain't it about time you let it go now?"

"It was a year, Hosea. He ditched us for a goddamn year." A sour recollection reemerged in his mind, leaving an even sourer taste. Tulip had a firm lip suddenly thinking hard about it, whether she wanted to side with Arthur or Hosea. Willow on the other hand, was trying to figure out how to fix their broken relationship on it, trying to find a middle path...in a way that'll have both Arthur look past it and John make amends with his family.

Hosea attempted to have them reconcile, "I have spoken to him many times, he knows he did wrong... He just wants to put it behind him."

"I'm sure he does." Arthur was only focused on the path up ahead. Then he let his tongue runoff, clearly frustrated. "Runnin' off on the kid is one thing, but there's a code, and he knows that. He ain't Trelawny, Dutch and you pretty much raised him."

"I know, but it's done - has been for a while now."

Arthur let out a heavy sigh: "Nobody else would have been welcomed back that easy after that long, and you know it." Under his breath, he added. "...even her."

Tulip, with her alertness and keen hearing, shot a sharp look at his back. A slip of the tongue had just resulted in him receiving a small pang of guilt upon mentioning, he wasn't sure if she had heard it, but a gut feeling said otherwise. Hosea quickly cut in to stop him, but he was certain Hosea didn't catch it. "Maybe, but please, don't you put that to the test." The elderly man himself seemed to have stated it under a different reason towards Arthur.

Arthur was certain of it.

The ride had seemingly grown lengthy, the silence soon embedding itself in their conversation, or perhaps the lack of it. Thoughts and old memories seemed to be flourishing freshly into the realm of their minds, sown from some...feeling of ancient grudge or maybe envy.

The group galloped past a worn sign, vegetation feeding from the very base of the wooden pole. Tulip couldn't help but feel nostalgic. "Yes, I remember this place, Moonstone Pond..." He glanced at Tulip for confirmation, to which she nodded (with a small smile). "We're going the right way."

They passed these great big mountains that they once saw earlier from Valentine, one of which looks like a stony spinal back of a great ancient beast resting on the land, and dividing up the outlooks. The skies were a beautiful blue; cloudless, and bright. Elevation climbs ever higher, the cold breeze becoming ever cooler as the horses bolted through the gravelly pathways.

"That's the lake there, good, we've made it. Let's loop around the other side." With Brass being slightly tired and playing around with Sunny, the pace had slowed. Birds and black feathery avians dotted the now dull and dark azure skies. "Quite the sight."

"I love it." Willow welcomed the breeze.

Following down the path, brown, fuzzy creatures hopped between the bushes and little red flower patches. "Look there, rabbits. Maybe we should catch one to cook."

"Sure, I'll try and shoot one." At that, Tulip tried to keep her snicker in.

Hosea shook his head, "You don't want to use anything too powerful on a small animal like that."

"Yer gon' ruin the meat, dumbass." Willow teased, then added. "At least yer a better shot than at drawin' 'em..." She elbowed Tulip, and both madly gave a muffled laughter, infectious to Hosea, except to Arthur, for a good reason.

"To put it in a nicer way, you'll just ruin the meat, Arthur." Hosea continued to explain before both Willow and Arthur would begin to out best each other in retorts and teases. "Best thing's a bow or a .22 caliber varmint rifle."

He shot a deathly glare to Willow who was smirking, "I have hunted rabbits before, you know."

Hosea silently wanted to roll his eyes, the gang was childish at times and a little annoying, but he smiled at a distant memory nonetheless. "Yes, and obliterated them with a shotgun, if I remember right."

"Poor bunny." The blonde said, looking and acting solemnly to the skies as if there was heaven up there. "Anyway, since you don't got a Varmint - here's a bow."

"Why am I huntin' with the damn bow?"

"Yer gon' let a woman like Tulip do the work?"

"Well, no."

Hosea stepped in, "Tulip and I are starving, just so you're aware of it."

Tulip grabbed the bow from her horse, giving the trusty golden Foxtrotter an apple. "Together." She waved her hands and fingers naturally to spell out. Willow whispered, "I could show that this man here can't best a gal like me." The native woman smiled, "I'll do it myself."

"If you say so, c'mon Hosea! Let's watch 'em."

Both Tulip and Arthur nodded, and she handed him arrows with small tips and were almost fork-like. "Small game." Then, she pointed down the dirt trail where almost invisible rabbit prints lead to. There were three small Black-tailed Jackrabbits, each picking at the ground and grass blades upon the earth.

They crouched low, like a prowling predator. "There little hard to see." Even Tulip had to admit and agree with him, so they agreed to approach even closer.

The mute woman turned abruptly to Willow, "Mess us up, regret it." She gave a stern look and the teen gave a thumbs up, Hosea was enjoying it.

Only just a few meters away, their giant ears twitched upwards, then suddenly stopped. With a nod, both nocked the small game arrows, their arm as straight as a sword.

*phwish!* Went the arrow, slicing through the air.

"Got it." He said with a satisfied tone.

Tulip grinned, "Good."

With that out of the way and a fleeing single bunny, they cut the skin and peeled it right off, finishing up. "Alright, it's gettin' late, we should camp here. You and Willow, you both get set up while Tulip and I start the fire."

After a few hours...

When they were done (Willow somehow struggling to have the tent stay in the right shape), the skies were as black as obsidian. The only form of illumination other than the campfire was the silvery coin of the moon, the trees giving an inky, looming silhouette over them. A few stars were blinking upon the dim canvas of the sky, the smell and warmth of the big fire drifted around the gang like a soothing ghost of embers and ashes.

"I'm famished." Arthur was stretching after a long day, Tulip was yawning and watched as her piece of meat was sizzling over the orange glow. She had already handed Willow one, who had wished they didn't lose their ingredients for seasoning the food back at Blackwater.

"What are you waitin' for? Cook that rabbit then, they're delicious over an openfire like this." Hosea sat on a folding chair.

Tulip was almost finished on heating up the rabbit, feeding little bits of wood to the hungry flames. "Mm?" She offered.

"I'm fine, Tulip. I don't like eating this late."

Arthur chuckled, "After all that."

"Really though, Arthur..."

"You gonna start, Willow? This late at night?"

"No, no, I'm serious!" She waved her hands furiously in surrender. "Ya did good, Arthur. Really." She chewed on the plain meat. "Yer gettin' lil' better compared to last time."

"Oh alright, thank you. We have a truce on this teasin'?"

"No."

"What - really??"

"Yep."

He sighed, Tulip and Hosea laughed.

The mute was smiling and enjoying the moment. Until rummaging around her own satchel, did she noticed that the bloodied piece of a map was still there, like a sick reminder. Her lips faltered for a moment. As Arthur and Willow was having their own conversation and Hosea was preparing for rest saying about preferring to be "up at first light", no one seemed to have noticed it. Thankfully.

They all went into their sleeping bags, Tulip slipping into her own, but was wide awake, Upon thinking about it, she had quite a lot to write on her own journal: Uncle's strange little grocery shopping, a bar fight that could've been easily avoided, hunting a huge monster Hosea supposedly saw, and the most obvious one clawing at her mind.

The bloody map from a severed head.

___________________________________________________

A/N: Everything's always happy until something or someone gives a terrible, ill-omen hush of a reminder. It happens.

Published:
Sat. Nov 30th, 2019
WAIT! HAPPY THANKSGIVIN' !