CHAPTER X
CUMBERLAND FOREST, NEW HANOVER, JUNE 8TH 1900
Just a couple of hours after the sun rose and finally took away the darkness of the forest, Vic and Sawyer were still sleeping rather easily, exhausted from the ordeals they faced the prior day. Even the young outlaw had managed to drop off eventually, despite the plan Vic mentioned before getting his own head down.
Sawyer had lain awake for awhile afterwards, his mind consumed by the daunting task that lay ahead. If Vic was telling the truth, and they were to visit Strawberry in West Elizabeth for some help, then Sawyer was going to have to form some plan of his own on how to not be seen or caught by the authorities, who were surely still looking for him.
Ellie had been the first to rise at dawn, given she was the first to sleep. Already she had gotten the campfire going again, though not as strong as the night before. Since the men were still sleeping, practically sucking their thumbs, the young hunter took another look around the camp. The morning light revealed a few things that neither she nor the guys had noticed when scavenging the previous evening. Particularly a few small wooden crates next to the camp's now ruined tent.
The youngster opened the crates and saw they had already been thoroughly emptied, save for a couple of very welcomed cans of food. Beans and Corned Beef, to be precise. If Vic had just been a little more thorough, as he was any other time, she thought, they would've had a better supper. That aside, the young hunter decided to use her findings to cook up a much better breakfast.
Once Ellie had the cans boiling next to the fire, and their drool-inducing scents spread around the camp, Sawyer was awoken. Rather than drag the morning out any longer, Ellie decided to get Vic up herself.
"Sleeps the darn sleep of the dead." She muttered to herself before kicking the deputy, "Get up, Vic!"
Feeling the boot to his shoulder, Vic jumped out of his sleep with a confused grunt, almost going or his LeMat's before realizing who it was.
"Breakfast's almost cooked." Glared the girl, "Found some beans, you'll be glad to know."
Vic watched, his eyes still puffy and blurred from the deep sleep, as Ellie walked back over to the camp where Sawyer sat quietly. The deputy figured she'd been the first up and had already foraged around the campsite since she'd managed to find some actual food to cook. He promptly joined them, taking no time to light his morning cigarette.
The three of them spent the next hour enjoying the peace, and enjoying the breakfast even more. The red hot beef and the beans were a big hit, with both Sawyer and Vic praising Ellie for her findings. She decided to leave out the fact that she'd found the cans mere yards from where they'd slept. When the food was cleared away, they all sat letting it rest and took in the now much more soothing feel of the Cumberland Forest. The two New Austin natives found it strange that the simple difference of night and day had such a huge effect on how a place could feel. Back home, everything felt the same no matter the time or the weather.
Ellie had never even seen a forest before, so she became a tad disappointed when it came time to leave. Vic had rested enough and soon he kicked dirt onto the fire, putting out the flame and started to gear himself up. Sawyer saw that it was obviously time to leave and felt a feeling of uneasiness come over him. He didn't want to go back to Strawberry whatsoever, so started coming up with ideas in his head on how to get out of it.
Vic then turned to the outlaw, "Where's my mare?"
It had never even occurred to the deputy in the time since he was knocked out in Valentine that April was nowhere in sight. Last he saw her she was hitched outside the Valentine General store. Unless someone had untied the reins, which he doubted, she'd probably still be there on her own.
"Uh... Still in town, I guess." Sawyer said, "I don't know what the damn thing looked like."
Heading back to Valentine wasn't an option for Vic anymore, so he was going to have to come up with a second plan fast. Ellie must've had her horse, he thought.
"Your's around?" Vic asked his young friend, "One with the funny name?"
"He's tied to a tree not far from here. And his name ain't funny!" Said Ellie, irked by the remark.
"How 'bout yours?" Vic then asked, looking back at Sawyer.
"Wasn't hitched in Valentine, I know that. Follows me like a fly on shit, so I don't imagine he's too far either."
Vic stood quiet for a moment just to think. April was stuck in Valentine, but he had to get to Strawberry as soon as possible if they wanted any chance at catching Roland before he robbed the bank. Neither of them knew exactly when he planned to do it, so Vic thought it was best to act fast.
"A'ight, lead the way." Vic finally told the girl.
Ellie soon led Vic and Sawyer through the shrubs and trees, stepping across the damp mud. Everything smelt fresh in the forest, from the sap all the way to just the air. Sawyer felt nothing for it but appreciated how it must've looked to both his acquaintances. Vic couldn't stop staring at everything and Ellie's jaw was practically agape through the whole walk. Sawyer thought for a minute that she might've never seen a tree before in her life. Then he soon realized that would be ridiculous.
At last they came upon her horse, Friday. His reins were still hitched around one of the many tall oak trees. The stallion was a dark horse, almost black. Equipped with a saddle given to Ellie by her mother a few years before.
She ran straight over and petted the horses snout, "You're still here! Good boy!"
Ellie soon checked the saddle's own satchel-bag to make sure everything was still there that she'd left. The young hunter had made sure to leave her treasure maps with the horse in case there'd been more trouble at the camp. The last thing Ellie had wanted was those ugly cretins getting their hands on what was hers.
Vic grinned at Sawyer, "Friday... What kinda name is that?"
"Well what kinda name is April?!" Ellie yelled back, "You ask me they're pretty fuckin' similar!"
Vic just chuckled at her. She always had something to say back, and sometimes he liked it. Ellie had better responses sometimes than half the cocksuckers he'd hogtied over the years. The girl was smart, and he'd enjoyed watching that grow.
Sawyer still didn't really say anything. His mind still all over the idea of being hung in Strawberry. Vic had noticed his outlaw companion had been acting agitated long before they'd even left camp, but assumed he'd have gotten over it by now. Clearly apparent, that was not to be. Now the deputy was starting to feel a little guilty about purposefully trying to unnerve Sawyer. They did have to go to Strawberry, but with Vic being clearly a man of the law, he'd pictured it would be an easy trip even if people recognised the outlaw. If he was with the Tumbleweed lawman, people would assume he was already in custody.
"Don't worry about it, kid." Vic said outer nowhere, "You look different now anyway, right?"
Sawyer felt his clean shaven face, "Guess so. As different as can be without a beard. Don't mean there won't be some cocksucker with a keen eye."
"Well with me there you'll already look like you've been caught."
"And if the people there wanna watch me swing?"
"We cross that bridge when we come to it. If we even do." Vic assured him.
Ellie, who had unhooked Friday's reins and lead him over, suddenly spoke up after eavesdropping on the conversation.
"What if he strolled into that place after dark?" Ellie suggested, "Then nobody'd see him."
"I get what you mean, Ellie, but we gotta do this quick." Vic said, "Ain't got time to be waiting around for dark again."
"Well, why don't you go first?" Sawyer then thought.
Vic listened and watched as Ellie led Friday over and stood next to the outlaw. Both looked at the deputy with thoughtful eyes. Vic didn't know what to do or say, feeling like he was being ganged up on.
"Yeah, you go first." Ellie agreed, "Those English weirdo's are your buddies after all. You can talk to 'em about what's been happenin' and what you're doin' there. And once they understand all that, then Sawyer and me can make our way in."
Vic's face and mouth twisted with wonder, "Then what the hell would you two do in the meantime? Go treasure hunting?"
Ellie's face lit up, "Yeah, that was my idea!"
Sawyer even glanced at her, "Hunting?... For treasure?"
"Yup, I got the maps in Friday's bag there." Ellie replied, pointing, "There's one not far from here, I think! Some river called 'Dakota'?"
The Dakota River was just a ways north, Sawyer knew. The girl wanted him to help her find some stupid trinket she'd read about on a map. Probably passed to her by some drunk about to collapse into Valentine's river of horseshit. But if it meant slipping into Strawberry and then back out again without being seen by the masses, then he had to play along.
"A'ight, well let's go do that then." Sawyer finally agreed.
"Where's that river?" Vic asked.
"Just a few miles north of here."
While Vic pondered the situation, Ellie was practically skipping with excitement. She patted Friday on the neck and then went to step into the stirrup but Vic stopped her and gently pulled her aside.
"What gives?" She asked, puzzled.
"I'll take Friday with me." Vic said calmly, "I'm gonna need him, Ellie."
"The fuck? Why can't you go get yours?"
"I need to get to Strawberry fast, a'ight? I ain't got time to trek back to that shithole." The deputy told her, "Sawyer here's got his own horse. Not far, he says."
Ellie looked at Vic and then back to Sawyer, something she did a few times, with what looked lip another pet lip, "But... It's... I don't."
"Go find your... Treasure, or whatever." Vic started, trying to ease her up, "Then go get April for me, huh? You remember what she looks like, don't ya?"
The youthful huntress listened closely to him and nodded. April couldn't be missed by many, she was so beautiful. Even Ellie knew that if the mare was left in town much longer she'd be taken into the stable and put up for sale, at best. At the same time, she'd seen Vic ride Friday a few times before and the stallion seemed to get on well with the lawman. Plus, when Ellie was younger, Vic had let her ride April around after he'd first broke her. She was just as stunning a mare back then as she was now. So at least Vic wasn't just being stupid. Ellie's plan was a good one, and so was Vic's.
Ellie then smiled, "So... This mean you ain't sending me home?"
"If I did, would you actually go?" Vic asked, grinning right back at her.
Ellie kept grinning and shook her head, full of herself. Vic pulled her hat down across her eyes before climbing up onto Friday's saddle. Sawyer had watched again and found himself feeling more and more appreciative of the Deputy and girl's relationship. The outlaw couldn't remember ever being as close to a friend as his two companions were to each other. It made him envious, but in the good way. Though Sawyer had still never intruded, he was surprised that Vic was allowing him to be alone with Ellie out in the plains. It made him feel as though even after such little time, Vic must've trusted him in some way. Or it could've been because Vic knew that Ellie could kill anyone if she needed to.
At that point, Sawyer stopped letting his mind wonder, "Guess we'll meet you in Strawberry then, deputy."
Vic looked downwards at the outlaw, "Just don't be late, kid. We ain't got a big window to get that motherfucker. So we gotta do this as fast as we can."
Sawyer just nodded in agreement and held out his hand, "You got it."
Vic and Sawyer shook hands for once, something that surprised even Ellie. She knew they were working together, but didn't think for a second that Vic really liked Sawyer.
Vic pointed at Ellie and glared, "Strawberry, right after dark. You got me?"
"Yes, sir." She said, smiling before giving him a sarcastic salute.
After halfheartedly saluting her back, Vic whipped the reins and gripped the stirrups, sending Friday right into a gallop. Sawyer and Ellie stood back and watched Vic ride the horse like it was his right on through the trees and bushes until the hoof's couldn't be heard and neither could be seen anymore.
The outlaw found himself a loss for words in a way. Ellie had helped him get out of a trip to Strawberry which could've got him killed, but she was still a stranger to him. And certainly a strange gal at that. While she took her little knife out to test its sharpness, Sawyer felt he should have thanked her, but felt that anything he said would come under fiery scrutiny.
Ellie then turned to him, "You gonna get your horse then?"
Sawyer almost took it as an order, before remembering that they were now hunting some treasure and needed a horse to get to it. He shrugged and then let out a strong and loud whistle which sounded as though it echoed off of every tree in the area. It was a very specific and practised whistle which always tended to let Neigan know exactly where his owner was and sharply get there. Knowing it would probably take a few minutes, Sawyer leaned against a tree.
"What'cha doing?" The girl asked, losing patience already.
"Waitin' for my horse. What else d'ya wanna do? Walk to the river?" Sawyer asked.
Ellie frowned, "So you just let your horse wander around?"
"He's well trained." Sawyer said confidently, "Follows my whistle as soon as it sounds, and stays away from trouble when I ain't around."
"Huh." She replied, surprised and impressed.
"So what's with Friday?" Sawyer then asked suddenly.
"What about him?"
The outlaw clarified, "I mean what's with the name 'Friday'? Don't bite my head off, but that is a funny name."
Ellie gave him an angry stare. Sawyer found her face a little funny when she did, but he made sure not to express that. Instead he just forced a blank expression and stared right back until she decided to answer his question.
"You ever heard that riddle?" The huntress asked.
Sawyer squinted, "Riddle?"
"A cowboy... Rode into town on Friday?" She said, trying to help, "Stayed for three days... And then left on Friday?"
The outlaw was still squinting for a long minute and, whilst he gazed into the expanse of trees, started to laugh to himself when he finally understood what it meant. Ellie didn't know whether it was laugh at the riddle or if he was laughing at her. When Sawyer could see she was about to pop off again, he gestured his hand.
"Easy." He said, still chuckling, "I get it... It's a good name."
Her frown finally turned into a relaxed smile, "Thanks, what's yours named?"
As Ellie asked her question, the majestic brown horse of Sawyer's trotted onto the scene and let out an excited neigh. The young fugitive had seen him coming long before he actually arrived, but took pleasure just watching him make his way again. He was such a well trained horse and still proved to be Sawyer's most loyal companion.
Ellie was surprised, "Whoa... He's a nice horse!"
"Aw, I'm sure he appreciates the sentiment." Sawyer replied, patting the horse's neck and scratching his mane, "To answer your question, his name's Neigan."
The New Austin girl scoffed almost uncontrollably, "Neigan?... What kinda weird name's that?"
Sawyer looked at her and shrugged casually, "Don't rightly know. Just a name I kinda liked."
"And you and Vic said mine had a funny fucking name!" Ellie laughed.
Sawyer reached into the satchel on Neigan and fed him an Oatcake. Once that was done, the outlaw climbed up and into the saddle and then offered his hand to Ellie. Once she took it he pulled her up and into the saddle behind him.
Neigan didn't even flinch at being mounted by two people, which had never happened to him before. Sawyer assumed it was because Ellie had such a small build and therefore didn't cause any extra strain. Either that or even the horse dared not cross her.
"Come on, boy!" Sawyer shouted, turning Neigan north and getting him right into a gallop on the spot.
As Sawyer and Ellie rode through the forest, snapping twigs and branches, crushing insects and rocks of mud underneath, the huntress tried her best to consult the map she'd taken from Friday's satchel to make sure they were going to the right part of the river. Soon she found it a futile effort as Neigan moved so quick, and had to avoid so many obstacles, that her view of the scribbles and drawings was just a blur.
"Goddamn! Can't you slow the fucker down!" She asked, yelling in Sawyer's ear.
"You wanna get there fast, don't ya?" The outlaw replied.
"I gotta check the map!" She yelled, "What if we get to the wrong place on the Dakota?!"
"I'm just getting us to the fuckin' Dakota!" Sawyer told her, "Once we do that, then you can consult your damn map!"
Ellie groaned like a kid again and decided to watch the trees get shorter and less in abundance until she got a little bored. She could say one thing for sure, Neigan was a fast horse. They hadn't seemed to have been riding for a half hour yet and as far as she could see, they'd gone quite a distance. They were still in the forest but even that was starting to look different. After another few yards of galloping, Neigan seemed to slow down to a power-trot.
In her boredom, Ellie started chatting, "So, what's your deal?"
"I don't really have a deal." Sawyer replied after a short pause.
"I mean what're you doing here? With Vic?" She asked, "I know you're both after this Roland guy but... I get why Vic's doing it... But why're you?"
Sawyer could understand the girl's curiosity, since he had been a bit of a mystery to her. And unlike Vic, the outlaw did feel he owed her for saving them both the night before.
"I used to ride with him. Me and him was outlaws." Sawyer began, "For awhile there I thought me and him was friends too. He's older than I am so I kinda looked up to him at first."
"What... What happened?" Ellie asked with a stutter, thanks to Neigan jumping a larger than normal bush.
"He just started killin' people... Every single time we came across any. At first we just robbed 'em. We both needed the cash to head further West, but the more we robbed, the more he killed." Sawyer said, "Before I knew it, Roland had left such a long damn trail of bodies behind us that it was gonna get impossible to explain that it was all him and not me."
"So you're sayin' you never killed anyone?" Ellie asked, "In all that robbing and thieving, you never shot a soul?"
"Sure I did. But only in self defence." He replied solemnly, "Roland just butchered people. Didn't need provoking whatsoever."
"Why didn't you do anything?"
"Well that's the thing... I tried, a few days back." Sawyer said, painfully recalling that night, "I'd just finally had enough, and tried to stop him killin' a woman and her little boy. But I wasn't fast or strong enough. I'm lucky he didn't kill me too."
Ellie's jaw dropped, "Fuck... So he killed a Ma and her kid?"
Sawyer's following silence was her answer. Even Ellie didn't wanna pry much more, but her younger nature couldn't be controlled.
"So I guess you want some kind of payback?"
Sawyer turned back a little, "You could say that. But really I just wanna live in a world where people like him ain't out there."
"I get the idea there's lots of fucking people like him out there, though." Ellie replied with some truth.
"Trust me, Ellie... There's nobody out there like Roland Payne." Sawyer finally replied sombrely.
Soon the outlaw and the huntress traced a path far through the trees, seeing no people and no animals, strangely. After a few more minutes, Ellie could hear the river. It was strong and clearly just a few meters ahead. Sawyer pulled the reins and stopped Neigan just as they exited the trees and came to the top of the rocky shoreline.
"Wow!" Ellie yelled out in awe.
Just up the ridge to their right, the Dakota River had it's own mini waterfall, and all the way down the hills as far as they could see, the river flowed on. The tall oak trees of the forest were now replaced by a swarm of pine trees, much smaller but even prettier. The river was crystal clear. So clear that Ellie and Sawyer could see the fish within. The youthful huntress thought about jumping in for a minute to catch some, it looked so amazing. Having grew up in New Austin, such a hot and dry state, Ellie had never before seen such a sight. The water seemed to be alive, splashing and crashing against the enormous rocks on both the edge of the shore and right in the centre.
Ellie was so entranced by the river and the water's current that she didn't even notice Sawyer climb down from Neigan and feed him another Oatcake.
The outlaw smiled, squinting because of the sun, "Ellie, now's the time to check that map."
After snapping out of it, the girl climbed down off of the horse and did just that. Sawyer just let her do her thing while he squatted close to the water and washed down his face, hands and neck.
Looking into his reflection at the edge of the river, Sawyer could've sworn his face's bruise was easing up. And then he realised his rib's hadn't even been bothering him that much either. Only when he remembered did they actually seem to pain him again. Maybe they weren't shattered after all, he thought.
Ellie studied the map and was pleasantly surprised to see that the treasure was apparently up on the ridge next to the waterfall. Sawyer, in his careless gallop, had brought her right to the spot she needed to be at.
"Hey, apparently it's right up there!" She told Sawyer, pointing with excitement and eagerness.
Sawyer looked up while filling his flask, "You don't say, huh?"
"Wanna come help me get it?"
"Nah, you go on up. I'll wait here." The outlaw replied, laughing to himself.
Ellie shrugged, "Suit yourself, not like I need the help anyway."
Sawyer found her pretty astonishing. He'd never really been around people younger than him since his early days in Saint Denis. For someone who'd grown up in a place apparently so hot and miserable, the girl seemed so full of life. Compared to himself, having grown up in a rich city, already wondering when life would improve.
Soon he watched her practically skip up the hill with joy, leaving him to his own devices. Everything seemed calm and easy for once. Nobody was around other than him and Ellie, who he kept an eye on easily thanks to the ridiculous hat. The Dakota River was loud, but in it's loudness was a semblance of peace. It helped take Sawyer's mind away from Roland and the possibility of having his neck snapped in Strawberry later that evening.
To stay relaxed and at ease, Sawyer walked a little further from the shore and sat down, his back against a rock. The outlaw shut his eyes and took swigs of the river's icy cold water. Since they'd trekked further north, the weather had gotten even colder, even to him.
Sure you don't wanna come help?! He heard Ellie shout down from the ridge.
"Nah!" Sawyer yelled out, "You just get to looking!"
Sawyer laughed again and spoke gently to himself, "You're probably in for a long hunt anyhow."
Okay, I got it! She then suddenly shouted.
She'd found it, just like that. Sawyer had thought the girl couldn't possibly be full of anymore surprises, but yet he sat against the rock, suddenly feeling pretty inadequate in comparison.
"Nice." The outlaw whispered to himself, before getting up to go see what she'd found.