This is a story that follows a few years after "A Father Alone." I might turn the stories into a series written in no specific order.
Disclaimer: I don not own Bonanza.
"Get the brats." A man told the other man sitting on the horse next to him who nodded and pulled his horse out of the thickets up behind the three children going up the road. The first man who had spoken did the same but pulled his own horse out in front of the group. "Stop right there Cartwright's." The man spoke pulling out a pistol and pointing it at the kids. The oldest one, a boy who looked about eleven narrowed his eyes.
"What do you want?" He snapped in a childish voice, but a voice that still held a protective threat, as he pulled the reigns of his own horse to move in front of his siblings. The other man shook his head at the boy a wicked smile on his face. Before he nodded now not looking at the children, the oldest noticed and frowned confused turning around. When he did he noticed another man coming up behind his siblings and his eyes widened before he could say anything though he felt a rope go around his body and was pulled from the horse, hitting the ground rather hard getting the wind knocked out of him.
His horse wined and stomped his feet, and the oldest Cartwright boy coughed struggling onto his knees. "Daniel!" the voices of his siblings Grayson and Felicity both cried he heard one of them jump from their pony and guessed it to be Grayson. Looking up he heard a scream and both he and Grayson looked to see Felicity being jerked from her pony by the other man who set her own the ground before tying her hands up while she tried to pull away. Grayson changed course and took off at the man holding his sister, only to find him being tackled to the ground by the one who had roped Daniel.
"Not so fast boy." The man breathed into his ear before forcing his hands behind his back and straddling the boy to keep from being kicked. He managed to tie the boy's hands before also tying his feet. Standing up the man picked the seconded oldest child up and throw him toward the man holding Felicity. "Take them and wait for me at the camp." He snapped getting a nod from the other.
The other man went to pick the youngest to up but ended up being kicked in the gut by the girl and the boy spit in his face. It didn't take him long to recover before he took out his pistol and cracked boy on the back of the head.
"Let them go!" A voice called and both adults looked to the still roped Daniel who was kneeling where he had fallen. Giving a chuckle the man who roped him, the one who appeared to be the ring leader nodded to the other man before walking over to Daniel.
"Now why would we do that Cartwright?" He asked kneeling reaching his hand down to tilt the boys head up. Daniel glared at him, his head was bleeding slightly from the fall and he looked ready to pass out, yet there was a determination in his eyes that seemed to keep him from doing so. "You're pathetic." The man said when the boy gave no answer. "Just like your father." The man smirked before his eyes widen a small scream escaped his mouth as Daniel's teeth latched onto his hand.
Jerking his hand out of the boy's mouth, he back handed him sending him flying into the ground. "Get the two brats out of here. I'll catch up." He growled at his partner who nodded and left with the youngest of the three children, both knocked out cold and thrown over his saddle in front of him.
When he was gone the leader of the two turned back to Daniel who was trying to get back up, the man reached forward jerking the boy up to face him. "You're lucky I don't kill you. But I need you to deliver a message to your father and family." He smirked while Daniel glared before like his younger brother he spit in the man's face.
"Forget it." Daniel growled glaring at the man holding him up. The man in response reached up whipping the spit from his face before hitting the boy in the gut dropping him to the ground.
"Then I guess you'll die, along with the other two brats." The man answered calmly kicking the fallen boy in the gut, before following it with a punch to his head. The young boy giving a yelp with each one, "Is that what you want?' He asks pulling the boy up once more he was gasping a bit and blood was trickling from his nose. "Well?" The man asked pulling out a knife and pressing it to the boys throat, a small bit of blood trickling down across the metal. The boy swallowed slightly breathing heavily and shook his head. "Aloud if you don't mind," The man growled, pressing the knife a bit harder against his neck before lowering it slightly.
Daniel glared at him though his face was a mix of pain and anger. "No." He managed, swallowing his pride as he felt rather humiliated, even if it was suspected for the boy to lose to an adult. The man smirked as he watched the young Cartwright fight to give the answer, and figured his pride was wounded, it reminded him of any Cartwright he seen, and he had a feeling the boy was a lot like his father.
"No what boy?", surely your pa taught you manners boy." He smirked aiming to knock his pride down further.
Daniel averted his eyes looking at the ground. "No sir." He said after moments, he then heard a chuckle and was thrown to the ground. "Good, then listen up, I'll only say this once." The man stood up and stared down at the boy twirling the knife in his hand. "Tell you father I want $5000 dollars apiece for one of his children, he decides which one goes free." The man chuckled at the boy's horrified expression. "He has to send you with the money alone at the end of the week on Friday at noon. At the south end of Lake Tahoe It'll take about a day's ride so I suggest you leave by Thursday." He smirked kneeling in front of the boy. "Then I'll tell you how your father can get the other one back. If he doesn't follow the planes though I will know, and so will my partner, one mistake and he may just lose a kid.
Daniel nodded and the man swooped the knife down cutting the rope along with a rather deep cut into the boys arm as he didn't care to pay attention, he earned a wince from the boy as he stood up. "And Cartwright, don't forget." He said before sending his pistol down on the boys head knocking him out.
Let me know if I should continue.