Spring Days 'til Winter
Summary: The weather causes problems for Chris and the others and Ezra pays the price.
Spoilers: No, not really.
Notes: This was inspired after watching a wonderfully sweet movie called Ladies in Lavender which is based on a short story…if you haven't seen it, I strongly suggest it. This one is Ezra based because most of my stories are. This was written a hundred years ago and published under a different pen-name... artwriter - I think. I've been slowly going through all my old stories and reposting to ... just cleaning out my files.
Special thanks to my awesome betas (Vira & Anna) who just work their asses off to make my stories come together and who don't push me in the wrong directions, but give me the strength to allow the characters to grow on their own terms!
Chapter 1
For five days it had done nothing but rain and the four men riding through it had cursed it, and the land they crossed. Mudslides, uncrossable roads, downed trees, and unfortunate spills had not only caused a few verbal fights, but fisted ones as well. Tempers had flared after Buck's womanizing, Ezra's gambling, Vin's bounty, and Chris' history had surfaced during their stay in Harvest. Ezra had a black eye and sore ribs. Buck was sure his nose was broken and his right hand was wrapped, hiding scrapped and bloodied knuckles. Vin's bottom lip was split and his nose swollen. Chris looked well, except for the gash hidden beneath his hat.
The horses walked in a narrow path, head to tail, their hooves slopping through the mud. On occasion one would stumble as the earth gave way beneath their weight. Their bellies and chests were covered with heavy brown sludge. Their riders didn't look much different. Splotches of mud covered pant legs, and jacket sleeves, but their faces clear to the rain.
"We can't cross this river with it runnin' like it is," Vin said, and pulled his horse to a stop. He stood in his stirrups and looked up and down the waterway as the whitecaps appeared and disappeared with the current.
The normally soothing water had turned murky brown due to the mountain and field runoff. Chunks of earth continuously crumbled at the water's edge. Tree roots poked upward and snaked precariously through the surface. Cottonwoods, firs, and junipers swayed and danced as the rain continued its downpour and winds gusted.
A loud crash caused all four horses to spook. Peso jumped right, leaving Vin to struggle for the reins and the horn. Hindered by the slickness of rawhide and leather, he fell to his left, and tumbled toward the river's edge. Buck's big gray reared and then stumbled, landing harshly on his right shoulder. The animal fought for his footing as mud worked like quicksand. Buck tried to dismount, but he fell over his steed's neck and tangled with the reins.
Chris, in the lead, managed to stay seated, but his horse fought and struggled to keep atop the soil. The big black arched his neck and chomped the bit, and fought the control. Chris dismounted and struggled with the confines of the soft ground, and he moved sluggishly as mud crept and sucked at his boots. Ezra's big chestnut stood frozen, ears swiveled forward and back as sounds echoed north and south. Ezra quickly dismounted when he saw Vin tumble. Ezra managed to grab Vin's hand just as his legs reached the water.
"Buck!" Chris yelled, and grabbed at dead plants and branches to pull himself from his muddy encasement. He could see his friend struggle as he tangled with reins while the big gray continued to thrash, frantically move his head side to side as he fought for his footing.
Another clash of thunder caused the horses to fight their restraints. Trouble bolted, slammed into Peso, and pushed him left. Peso stumbled and lost his footing as the ground crumbled beneath him. He twisted right but fell left, and tumbled over the top of Ezra and Vin. Peso hit the water with a splash, kicked his legs in all directions and was quickly pulled downstream.
Ezra felt the impact, but the earth molded around him as the horse rolled from his legs, over his back, his head, and then over the top of Vin. Ezra felt a sharp pain in his back, but ignored it as his grasp on Vin failed. Vin lifted his head from the mud, took a deep breath, and used one hand to claw at the earth. He pulled himself up with Ezra's help. A long cut ran from the corner of Vin's mouth to his ear, sliced by a rock from the sudden impact. They could hear Chris' yells as the horses continued to panic.
Vin gasped as he felt Ezra grab the back of his shirt and haul him upright, and he lay exhausted in the mud, the toes of his boots touching the water's surface. Ezra flexed his fingers after releasing his hold and slowly turned to maneuver his way up the short incline. Buck's big gray stood with his right leg raised, too painful to step down. He stood in mud, knee-deep, and he heaved while Buck unsaddled him. Chris slipped on the edge of the incline, grabbed Vin's jacket as leverage to pull him up.
A series of five lightening flashes fishtailed through the sky, and were quickly followed by a deep roar of thunder. The wind increased and the snapping of wood motivated Chris to shove Vin and grab for Ezra as a tree behind them broke. Like dried twigs the branches snapped and bounced as the top half of the Cottonwood fell. Buck lunged forward, and failed to reach the reins of Chris and Ezra's horses. The two jumped and bolted south. The big gray fought feverishly to release himself from the mud. Vin dove, avoiding the branches of the tree as it landed. Water splashed and the trunk bounced, sending splinters and twigs in every direction, it lay half submerged and the other half precariously maintained its position on the bank. He could hear Chris' yells and Vin was pushed forward as Buck struggled by, hindered by broken limbs, rain, wind, and the muddied ground.
"HANG ON!" Chris yelled, tangled within tree branches. His duster was torn, ripped at the shoulder, and blood seeped from cuts on his hands and his face. He had avoided contact with the trunk, but had been slapped by the green whiplike branches. He held Ezra's hand as Ezra fought the force of the raging river.
Ezra had fallen backward, tumbled down the incline, avoided the tree, but he had hit the river with a splash and got caught in the current.
"DAMN IT, EZRA! HANG ON!" He could feel Ezra's grip slipping.
Blinded by muddied water, Ezra felt his boots fill with water and broken limbs slapped against his chest and legs as the current pulled him and the tree under. His hands were numb, the cold stole what little strength he had left. He felt Chris grab the sleeve of his jacket as the speed of the current increased.
The tree rolled forward as the river water continued its race downward.
"CHRIS!" Buck yelled, and watched branches leave the water's surface only to spring upward as the tree rotated due to the river's force. "CHRIS! GET OUT OF THERE!"
The tree was pulled forward and the broken end snapped upward. Buck and Vin grabbed at branches and felt themselves move ahead as forces stronger than they took control.
A branch snapped downward, struck Ezra across the face, sending him beneath the water's surface.
"Damn it!" Chris felt the trunk of the tree hit his back and he fell forward, bracing his left hand on the muddied ground he felt his grip on Ezra's jacket slip.
Vin turned and grabbed the lariat from Buck's saddle and tossed it around the trunk of a nearby fir near the water's edge. "Damn it, Chris, grab that — we'll lose you both if you don't hang onto somethin'!" He crawled up the incline and then motioned for Buck to help him push the tree upward, hoping the force of the water would pull the monster around Chris and Ezra.
Ezra felt his foot slip, he fell forward and disappeared beneath the water's surface.
"EZRA!" Chris tightened his grip. "DON'T LET GO!" He felt branches poke and slap against his back. "HANG ON!"
The swift current grabbed the branches of the cottonwood and started to pull it downstream. The branches worked like webbing, holding back the tide while building up the water's force. Chris felt the pressure on his back decrease and he watched the tree slowly succumbed to the pressure. Branches slapped and broke beneath the force and Chris watched in horror as a branch caught Ezra beneath his neck, pulled him further out into the raging water.
"EZRA!" Chris' grasp failed.