Nathan Cade was feeding the hogs when he saw the riders approaching, he stopped and watched them cautiously. They could be friendly but they could also be coming to harrass them for giving a home to One Moon, a young Kiowa woman and her four year-old son, it was the friendship that had developed between her and their daughter Annie that had enabled Annie to find her voice after ten years of silence. One Moon had named the little boy Dillon Waco Two Moons, but they just called him Dillon for short, right now he was playing nearby with some toy wooden horses that Nathan had carved for him. "Hold up there, this is my land. If you've got business, state it quick or leave."
"Boss, sent us to make you a proposition. Boss, wants this land, he'll give you fifteen hundred dollars for it."
"Why, does he want it, this our home all I know is breeding of hogs?"
"He don't cotton to having Indian lovers so close to his land."
"I don't care what he cottons to, we owe One Moon a debt that can't be repaid. Our girl Annie couldn't talk until that girl had her baby here."
"Yeah, he heard about that but he don't care."
"Well, you ride back to your boss and tell him the answer is no and you tell him that I've got five hundred acres and I'm keeping every single one of them."
"That brat the reason behind this stubborn streak of your'n?"
"You harm even one hair on his head and it won't be me coming after you, it'll be his Godfather, Marshal Matt Dillon of Dodge City."
"Why him?"
"It was Marshal Dillon that found her, nigh on to giving birth, brought her here with an outlaw he was taking to Dodge. One Moon named her son Dillon Waco Two Moons. Waco was the outlaw who was being tracked by the other members of his gang, when they attacked us here he helped defend us," a man rode in just then. "Howdy, Scout. This is Scout, he's part Kiowa part white, used to scout for Custer."
"Custer died," Scout glared at them he understood their meaning only too well.
"I was not with Custer's troop, I was with Captain Benteen all we could do was watch the battle," there was something about these men that Scout didn't like at all, he had a feeling like they were a nest of vipers ready to strike, he watched until they were out of sight. "How are things here?"
"Fine, Scout. One Moon will be happy to see you. Come in the house," Scout followed Nathan in the house.
"Well, hello, Scout," Polly Cade said, she smiled and poured some coffee, Dillon followed them in carrying his horses.
"Look! Uncle Scout, horses."
"Pretty horses, Dillon."
"Grandpa Cade made them for me," Scout smiled.
"He's hardly put them down since I gave them to him."
"Dillon, come wash for supper," One Moon called to him, Dillon put his horses carefully on a shelf and ran to his mother. One Moon filled a bowl of water watching as Dillon rinsed his hands and face. He ran to the table climbing up to sit on the chair next to his Grandpa Cade.
"After losing our own two boys the way we did, I didn't think I'd love any boy quite as much as I love Dillon," Polly Cade said, she dished up the food and said grace. They were eating the meal when the screams of frightened horses came to them. Scout and Nathan ran out to see the barn had caught fire, both got buckets of water and went in finding the piled up burning hay, they dowsed the fire.
"I certainly didn't pile that hay there."
"I think they are sending you a message, sell or they will burn you out," both of them soothed the frightened horses.
"How can we stop them, you know our situation?"
"I can go speak to One Moon's father, he never wanted his daughter to leave the way she did. They'll come help, but to have any real chance of stopping them you need the law on your side. I know someone who might be able to help you."
"I think you are talking of Marshal Matt Dillon, Little Dillon is named for him," Scout nodded saying he would let Matt know about the attack.
