Festus took his time to ride out to the buffalo camp. He thought about how he might convince ol' Argonaut to come back to Dodge in a peaceful manner, but he just couldn't see it happening. His mere presence was liable to set the Modhercan patriarch off - Festus swallowed hard at the thought. The his mind wandered to his boss, Matt Dillon. What was Matt going to say when he did finally bring Argonaut to town? All of a sudden a foreboding feeling flooded the deputy's soul but there wasn't anyway that he could think of getting out of the situation not with Aunt Hootie, Doc and old Harry Strummer back in Dodge.

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Matt stepped out of the jail house and drew a deep breath of fresh air. His blue eyes looked across the street to the livery. He remembered he needed to talk to Festus about some things, and now that Doc was doing better and everything was seemingly right again in Dodge, now might be a good time. Matt stepped down off the wooden boardwalk and slowly made his way across Front Street. The road was a soupy mess for melted snow and mud.

Matt entered the stable and looked around before his eyes caught sight of Hank, "Oh, hiya, Hank."

Hank turned, "Hello Marshal. You look like yer lookin' fer someone."

Matt chuckled, "Ya know Hank, one day I'm going to deputize you. You have the keenest eyes in town."

Hank bashfully smiled, "well I do see a lot of things in this job..."

"I bet you do." Matt smiled, "Speaking of which, is Festus around?"

Hank shook his head no and pointed to the stall where the hill man kept his mule, "Let about an hour ago. Said he had an errand to run fer someone." Hank chewed on a piece of straw.

Matt pursed his lips in slight annoyance, "Did he say where he was going?"

Hank shook his head no again, "He just saddled that old mule of his and rode off."

"He just rode off?" Matt questioned further and didn't like the feeling building within himself. Hank nodded, "Just like that."

Matt grunted then left the stable. He figured someone must have seen Festus leave town. With a heavy sigh, Matt walked up the boardwalk toward the Long Branch Saloon when he spotted Hootie Haggen. His mind flashed back to the statement she made earlier about Argonaut Modhercan being behind all the trouble that seemed to have landed in Dodge. Matt walked with confidence that he would soon find out where Festus had gone, "Hello Aunt Hootie," he tipped his hat with a smile.

"Marshal? You have a face full of questions." Hootie winked.

Matt smiled, "Yeah, so I've been told." Matt looked quickly back to the livery stable and then back to Hootie, "Hootie, have you seen Festus today?" he asked bluntly.

Hootie knew that the marshal was going to ask sooner or later, but she also wasn't going to say. At least not yet, to give Festus a chance to bring Argonaut and his sons into town, "No, I haven't seen nephew Festus since last night. Why? Has he done something wrong?" Hootie sounded sincere which gave Matt no need to asked further.

"Oh, nothing. I'm sure he's just off helping one of his friends as he does often." Matt tipped his hat again and pardoned himself as he continued his way to the saloon.

Hootie sighed in relief.

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Festus took a deep breath before riding Ruth into the buffalo camp. Piney stopped stirring the large pot that hung over the open fire, "Addie?" she called to her adopted sister.

Addie poked her head out of the hut, "What is it Piney?" She hadn't seen Festus yet.

"The town deputy Festus is here..." Piney pointed.

Addie grabbed a shawl and exited the hit starring at Festus with immense distrust, "What are you doin' here?"

Festus remained sitting on his mule, "You sure aren't that hospitable when it comes to kin folk visits, are ya?" His eyes scanned the camp looking for Argonaut, Skeeter and Herk.

"We don't exactly call Haggens kin folk." Addie crossed her arms in a huff, "Now what is it you want?"

Festus slowly stepped down from his saddle, "I want Argonaut and them two mutton-headed sons of his come into Dodge with me. Real peaceful like..."

Addie huffed again, "Why fer? No-one's been hurt."

"Oh?" Festus' eyebrows rose, "You don't call ol' Doc bein' shot hurt do ya?"

Addie felt badly for the doctor but drew a deep breath and quickly hid her feelings for fear that her father and brothers were going to go to jail. "Well, maybe Doc just got in the way of a gun. Why do you need my Pa and brothers for that?" Addie saw Skeeter and Herk coming slowly up behind Festus but played innocent.

"Cause they're the ones that got ol' Doc shot by tryin' to steal that goat of farmer Strummer's place up the road. Addie, would ya jist fer once work with me?" Festus tried to be pleasant.

Addie was about to agree when Skeeter poked Festus with his buffalo gun, "Looky here, Herk. It's the mangy deputy from Dodge..."

Herk snickered, "I can see that..." Herk looked to his older brother, "What do ya what to do?"

Skeeter straightened his back and smiled, "The only thing we can do. Treat him to some Modhercan charm..." each brother smiled and slowly took opposite sides of Festus who was already for a fight, "Is that how you want it boys?" Festus said with his voice filling with anger.

Skeeter slowly set his rifle down and moved a little closer to Festus. Festus slowly removed his gun belt and tossed it aside. He spat on the knuckles of his balled fists and waited to see which Modhercan was the first to move. It was Skeeter. Festus caught him with a hard left cross to the jaw and then Herk piled on with his own brand of kicking and bitting. Festus swung at the younger brother hitting him in the nose causing him to reel backward only opening Festus up for another attack by Skeeter. Both Festus and Skeeter fell hard to the ground where they exchanged a few more punches. Herk held his hands over his broken nose and tried to watch through the tears in his eyes.

Festus struggled to his feet and pulled Skeeter up when Skeeter hit Festus hard in the ribs causing him to double over and as he did Skeeter clenched his fists together and dropped them hard onto Festus' shoulders dropping the deputy to a gasp on the cold ground. Skeeter ran the back of his right hand under his right eye to clear the blood away. As he looked at his hand then to the deputy an instance of rag filled him and he kicked Festus sharply in the ribs. An audible sound of bone breaking could be heard before Festus collapsed to the ground. Skeeter was getting ready to stomp on Festus again when Addie whacked her brother good and hard with a shovel which sent his tumbling head-long into his brother.

Skeeter quickly righted himself and looked at Addie, "Whatcha do that fer?!" he again wiped his cut cheek.

"It won't do no good to no-one if ya kill him!" Addie yelled at her brothers while holding the shovel like a bat ready to be swung. She defied either brother to move.

Piney had called Argonaut from the hut who limped toward the group, "What's this Piney is telling me about?"

Addie looked at her Pa, "Festus came here to take you and them," she glared back at her brothers, "back to Dodge because the Doc got shot..."

Argonaut's shoulders sagged and he looked at his two sons, "I guess we can't keep hiding from this. You two really screwed things up. Now get yer carcasses up and hitch that wagon. We're going to Dodge."

Addie slowly lowered the shovel and smiled at her father, "It's the right thing to do, Pa. And you know it."

Whether it was right or not, Argonaut wasn't going to get out of going with Addie and Piney looking at him the way they were. He grunted and limped back to the hut to gather some things figuring he might be in Dodge for a while.

Festus heard and slowly rolled on to his back. Now he had to figure out how to get up off the ground and over to Ruth. And then there was Matthew and Doc to face. "Ugh..." was all he could muster.