So, this one has a few POV's, but most of them are short so… forewarned (tangent: isn't 'forewarning' a pointless word? I mean, how is 'forewarning' different to 'warning'?).

Three Sisters, Grizzlies East, AM

24th September, 1905

Mud, rain, shit and stew. It really wasn't pretty… but, then again, nothing had really been pretty for Rune since Silver Bend. He was forty-five and truly, utterly felt it. Clara and Matilda, Ira, Holt, Ava, Parker, Matty… He'd buried everyone from his former life. Well, save Luca, Aiden and Abuela Paloma.

The old woman served Rune a bowl of stew with a cracked loaf of bread. He smiled his thanks and tore off a part of the bread, dipping it into the liquid and ate. If it wasn't for Abuela, well, life wouldn't be quite as bearable. It was the small things – the food wasn't amazing, but they never went hungry.

"Abuela," Rune asked, swallowing the bread, "do you ever miss New Austin?"

Paloma held her sore hip and lowered herself down onto a seat at the table, deep in thought. "I miss… what I had there," she said finally. "But, longing for it won't help."

Rune rubbed his chin and nodded. "I had a dream that I was back in Ridgewood…" He chuckled, "with Matilda."

Paloma remembered the girl – blue-eyed like Rune, but blonde like Clara. She placed a hand over Rune's. "She's in Heaven, now, Rune."

Rune nodded, watching Young Charlotte amble back into camp on the back of Ryder. "She hadn't even turned three."

"A tragedy," Paloma said quietly. "But… the Lord has a plan."

"Yeah, I reckon so…" Rune nodded. "I was part of a massacre," he told her, his eyes set on the stew in front of him, chunks of game meat bobbing up and down like ships in the ocean. "You gotta wonder if it's his way of punishing me."

Paloma wasn't entirely sure how to respond. "I… don't know…"

Rune scoffed. "Yeah, who does?"


Charlotte looked over to Lana, who was astride Luna, her rose-grey Andalusian. Lana dismounted and hitched her horse to the tree.

"Ryder's taken to you," Lana commented.

"He's a sweetheart," Charlotte said, stroking Ryder's shining gold coat.

"Remember to give him an oatcake," Lana said, "Aiden's spoiled him rotten."

Charlotte smiled and dismounted (helped down by Lana). She delved into the saddle bag and pulled out a paper bag of oatcakes. She walked around to take one out, and Ryder immediately chomped it out of her hand. Lana rubbed Luna's face and glanced over to Charlotte.

"As I said…" Lana squinted at Ryder. "Spoiled rotten."

Charlotte scowled at Ryder and walked back into camp with Lana, in time to see Luca holding baby Enzo. "Everything's okay?" Lana asked Luca.

"Yes- of course- I told you everything would be fine…" Luca handed Enzo to Lana, who bounced him against her chest and kissed his forehead, speaking to him in Italian. "How was Ryder?" Luca asked Charlotte.

"He's big… and likes to run…"

"Yeah, he's a big ol' bastard, ain't he-"

"Luca!" Lana scowled at him, gesturing to Enzo, who cooed.

"He doesn't understand…"

"That's not the point."

Luca rolled his eyes. "Well, it's been said now, so…"

A loud piercing whistle broke through the camp, and they all turned to see Alice and Jay riding their horses back into camp. Alice was leant forwards on Birdie, holding out her arms.

"Ain't no-one going to greet us?"

"We didn't hear ya," Lana said loudly.

"Erm, yeah? That's the problem!" Alice dismounted. "Two riders snuck up on ya no problem. And if we weren't quite so friendly…"

Rune glanced over to Near. "Where's Anna and Night's Hawk?"


"Pinkertons?" Anna asked, an eyebrow cocked.

"That's what they said…" Tahoma Grudge said. "Said they knew about Harper working with you."

Anna ran a hand through her dark blonde hair, scratching her scalp. "We should tell Rune about this…" She muttered.

"Harper told me to tell you that he didn't know you have Pinkertons after you," Tahoma said loudly. He took a step forwards. "He feels as though you may've betrayed his trust."

Night's Hawk took a step forwards, his brow furrowed and face hard as stone as Tahoma examined him.

"Why is it a redskin sides with white men?" Tahoma asked quietly.

"You're calling him a redskin?" Anna frowned.

"Everyone calls us redskins, so redskins we are," Tahoma replied sharply before turning back to Night's Hawk. "Here you are, fighting another man's battle… because you lost your own?" He raised an eyebrow. "Or is it because you're just angry? You're angry so you want to fight someone- anyone?"

"Quiet," Night's Hawk hissed.

"You're not Navajo… Natchitoches? Cherokee? Wapiti? Lakot- Wapiti?" Tahoma grinned as Night's Hawk's jaw clenched. "You seen the reservation lately?"

Anna took a step forwards. "You got any other messages to deliver?"

"Harper wants-"

"Harper can shut his goddamn mouth and not ask any more questions!" Anna scowled. "And when he asks why, we'll let you tell him why we left…" Anna grabbed Night's Hawk's arm and pulled him away from Tahoma, who took off his hat and bowed deeply. Night's Hawk glared, but allowed himself to be pulled away by Anna. "Don't listen to him…"

"I wasn't."

"He's a fool."

"He is."

Anna glanced over to Night's Hawk, who was quiet (as per usual), but there was that silent rage to him as well. That fury he had never outgrew – it only seemed to grow with him. Anna grabbed his shoulder and made him face her. "The Wapiti took me in when I had nothing- no-one." She explained. He paused, his deep honey-brown eyes fixed to the ground. "I know what it's like to lose everything…"

Night's Hawk glared at her. "You have no idea what loss is," he hissed, turning away from her and walking away.


A dog barked in the distance. Shepherd's Rise was a small cabin, situated on the fringe of Big Valley, near Wallace Station. Aiden and Jay dismounted their large horses and hitched them to the trees near the brand-new cabin. The wood was yet to be painted or rotten. There was lanternlight inside.

"We're so close…" Aiden groaned as he followed Jay forwards. "Why don't we just keep on- we can be back by sundown-"

"I said I'm tired, sour-face," Jay mimicked Aiden's moaning cadence. "Keep on if you want, but I'm stopping."

"No, no," Aiden shook his head, "I ain't having you running about without your leash."

Jay pushed Aiden. "You're calling me un perro, huh? You wanna see if esta perro muerde?"

"Alright, calm down…"

"One of these days, I'm gonna put you straight-" Jay grumbled, turning away from Aiden, who grabbed his shoulder.

"Yeah, and I'll put you in the ground if you keep on, boy."

A dog barked in the distance. Jay scoffed, slapping Aiden's hands away. "Sure." He turned around and opened the door, waltzing inside and examining the place: It was filled with a couch, a leather armchair draped with knitted blankets, whittled stags and bears… furniture like an end table carved half-way (the rest left as a log).

Stag antlers were fixed to the wall and, in the corner of the room, a woman sat at the table with a man. Both were around Aiden's age (maybe a little younger). Both were blond and fresh-faced – probably bought the antlers in Valentine. Aiden's eyes fell on the woman's swollen belly.

"Evenin'," Jay said, tipping his hat to them as he walked around the room, letting his hand run across the knitted blankets and rough leather chair as he kicked a small tin dogbowl across the floor. "You folks keepin' well?"

"Excuse me, sirs," the man rose to his feet, holding his hands up, "we've not got anything to give you."

"Well, that ain't quite true, is it?" Jay cocked his head to the side.

"Jay…" Aiden hissed.

"I mean, we're both starvin'!" Jay laughed, smelling the pot. "And this- this smells lovely- did you make this, signora?" He asked the woman, who nodded. "McKneil- come try some of this!"

"I'm fine," Aiden replied.

"Suit yourself…" Jay spooned a bowl for himself and began walking around the room, eating with a metal fork. "You got a knife here, or…?" The woman shook her head quickly. "Oh, relax, cariño, I'm not going to kill you…" Jay chuckled. "I don't get no pleasure outta killing women…"

"Jay, shut the hell up…" Aiden said loudly. Pinkertons had already found them – the more time spent with these strangers meant there was more of a trail for the Pinkertons to pick up.

"You two got any money?" Jay asked.

"We ain't robbing these-" Aiden said lowly.

"Who's robbing them? I'm asking."

"We…" The man began, "we ain't got much. Just a bit for food and further purchases like h-horses and bull…"

"Bull as in bullets?" Jay raised an eyebrow. He lowered a hand to his revolver. "You ain't got a gun on you now, have ya?"

"N-no sir!"

"You sure?" Jay grinned, taking a big step forwards and jerking his hand towards his gun. The man flinched, covering his face and Jay chuckled. "I'm only joking…"

Aiden grabbed Jay's shoulder and turned him around. "These fools ain't no problem," he said quietly, "let's just get out and get back to the others. If the Pinkertons-"

"Here I thought you had a lil' spine, hermano…" Jay scoffed. "You gone all yellow?"

"Don't you start boy…"

"You think you can growl and scare me into line?" Jay shook his head. "The fact is that whenever-"

A chair tumbled over as the man dashed across the room, pulling on the butt of a rifle. Aiden leapt out of the way, behind a couch. As the man turned around, rifle at the ready, Jay drew and fired two shots into the man's head. He fell backwards, slumping against the window.

"Billy!" The woman howled in anguish. Aiden looked up to see her sprinting towards him, a short, sharp knife in hand as she closed in on him. Two more gunshots were heard as she fell down beside him, her knife slashing across Aiden's cheek. He reeled away from her, panting frantically as he watched the woman touch her swollen belly, her face crumpling as she began to moan. Finally, her green eyes grew still, fixed on Aiden.

He remained there, propped up on his arms, watching the corpse stay still. "Jesus…" Jay muttered, kicking a chair. "Pair of fools…" he picked up a blanket and tossed it away, sifting through the possessions.

Aiden pushed himself up to his feet and walked over to Jay, shoving him back. "The hell was that?"

"Oh, you're damn well welcome…"

"You killed them!"

"He had a gun."

"And her?"

"I need to say it?" He prodded Aiden's fresh scar.

"You're a goddamn sickness…" Aiden growled at him, turning around to look at the women. "She had a goddamn child!"

"It was you or her, hermano!" Jay replied. "I did what I had to- I'll even let ya hate me for it. But if you were a little less soft, maybe you coulda dealt with her better."

"Shut the hell up…" Aiden hoisted the woman over his shoulder. "I'm done listenin' to ya… you don't give a shit 'bout nobody else!"

"Oh, where are you goin' off to now?"

"Burying the damn fools…"

"Jesus Christ, really?"

"I don't wanna talk to you right now, Jay…" Aiden said, walking out of the door.


Aiden finished throwing the last shovelful of dirt on the grave before sinking the shovel into the ground. He examined the two shoddily-made crucifixes. He'd had to make do with sticks and twine from inside the house.

They didn't seem like bad people. The man was a fool, but he just wanted to protect his family. And the woman, well, she did what Lana or Alice or Abuela would've done. That baby yet to be born? Aiden didn't even know how to understand that.

Had he always been like that? Like Jay was? Had he always used saving other people as an excuse? Because… standing there, looking at the two graves with three people – he was starting to wonder if he'd been such a fool over all those years.

The gang, the people in it, their way, the life – it all meant more to him than anything else. He looked down at the graves and realized something: he'd do the same for the gang – in a heartbeat. If it was for Rune, Luca, Young Charlie – even Jay goddamn Gonzalez, he knew that there was nothing he wouldn't do for them all.

"I'm sorry…" Aiden removed his hat, picking at the frayed rim and licking his lips. "I ain't sure y'all deserved that…" He murmured. He took a deep breath and fitted the hat back onto his head.

He hoped he'd buried the bodies deep enough; he didn't like the idea of wolves digging them up.

A dog barked. Aiden turned to the side to see a tri-coloured American Foxhound there, playfully bowed forwards with its tail wagging fervently. Aiden glanced to the grave and nodded. Of course.

"Sorry, boy…" Aiden walked past the dog, scratching its neck. "Wish it were otherwise…"

So, that's it! I've noticed a dip in reviews which is understandable – I took a while to update, so some of y'all might be slow to pick up on this again. But there's only a handful of chapters left. And by that, I mean 2, so get them reviews in before I move on.

Let me know your thoughts on this chapter, and I'll see you guys for the penultimate one which will be up (hopefully) tomorrow (Tuesday).

Review and the like.

R.