Chapter 2: The Raven

He dreamed.

Two men and a teenager wandered from town to town out West. In a blanket of gold, they robbed from rich folks who deserved it, and only kept what was necessary to survive. The curious couple and their unruly son, the older man liked to say! Slowly, their numbers grew. A few women joined, fitting in like they always belonged. Then, a young boy joined. A brother.

The gang grew. More joined, some good and some bad. But all had something in common: they had nowhere else to go. Their faces were a blur, but Arthur felt he could recognize each one. But then, something changed. Less money left the gang. Sure, there were more people to feed and care for, but somewhere along the way, dark greed seemed to enter their hearts. Money stayed in the camp, a small chest hidden away in the dark woods. A black hue fell over the scene.

The dream changed.

A man in red and black crouched behind barrels in an alleyway of shadow. Others were with him, but who they were did not matter. All that mattered was the man. A woman walked down the alley, unaware of the hidden outlaws. She saw him, mouth wide open. He put a finger adorned with golden rings to his lips, but she didn't pay attention to his silent order. She screamed! He put a bullet in her stomach. Then another in her leg. Still, she screamed. Shot after shot, the man stood over the woman until she screamed no more. Then, only then, did he continue to move.

The dream changed.

He stood in a field. On one side, a buck stood proudly in the light of dawn. The trees, the grass, the pond where bathed in the golden light, and he was drawn towards it. But on the other side, darkness. A black coyote stalked through the grass, peering at him with red eyes. It stared deep into his soul, searching for the evil within. Between them, a raven perched on a branch.

"Choose," it said, more like cawed. Both the buck and the coyote locked eyes with Arthur, and he glanced between the two. One was a promise of good, a better life. The buck took a step closer, leaning its nose forward for Arthur to stoke. But the coyote barked, somehow reminding him of his gang. Was this his destiny, his choice? Choose to be loyal, and be worse for it. How could being loyal be bad? The coyote stepped forward. As a coyote, he scavenged for every scrap of money. It didn't matter where from or why, the gang needed it.

Dutch needs a coyote right now, Arthur thought. The gang needed someone who provided, no matter what! But he turned towards the buck. It was the reminder of their original purpose, when Arthur joined Dutch and Hosea all those years ago. They were outlaws because the world was unjust. They were outlaws because society crushed those who needed help the most. And that was why they robbed from those who deserved it the most! They were the Robin Hood of America, and the buck stepped forward.

"Choose!" the raven cawed again, more urgent this time. Two options for Arthur, and he didn't know! Did his life really end with these two phantoms to decide his fate? Figures appeared near the animals, faint at first. By the coyote, he saw the man in black and red. He beckoned urgently. But there were more people next to the buck, their edges blurry and less recognizable.

"CHOOSE!" the raven cawed a third time, the colors of the dream swirling together as Arthur spun down and down. He wanted to block it out, it was almost too much! His body landed horizontal, a blanket covering up to his shoulders and a hand on his forehead.

"You with me, Arthur?" Hosea asked. Arthur groaned and turned his head away from the bright sunlight streaming in through the gap in the canvas. "It's noon, Pearson almost has the stew ready. Think you can eat something?"

"Sure," replied Arthur, slowly extracting himself from the blankets into a sitting position.

"Your fever is gone. Feel better?"

While still a little dizzy, Arthur mostly attributed it to being passed out all night and half a day. He remembered the vivid dreams and figured they didn't mean anything. They were a weird side effect of whatever herbs were mixed into the brew he drank. Still, he didn't want to see another raven for a while. "I think so," he told Hosea.

"Good! But maybe lay off the liquor for a while. You aren't as young as you used to be!"

Arthur chuckled before taking a swig of water. "Think you might be right! But I'm still not as old as you."

"You slept more today than Uncle did! Must be a new record. Had Susan all in a worry, always stopping by to make sure you were still alive." The humor didn't quite hide the worry, however. "Seriously though, son, make sure you rest until you are completely better. I know we need to be making money, but you need to take care of yourself."

Money reminded Arthur of his dream. The money they made used to go to others, and Arthur felt that he had helped people. But even before Blackwater, that wasn't the case.

"Hey, Hosea? When did we stop giving away the money from the jobs we did?"

"Well, we can't exactly give anything away now, can we? We are barely on our feet as it is!" Hosea began, but a darker cloud passed over his face. "No, I won't pretend this is new. I know the gang has gotten bigger over the years, and it takes a lot of money to feed all these people. And Dutch and I, we've always kept a fund for emergencies, but you are right. We don't give money away like we used to. In fact, it seems we are just greedy and want more for ourselves. Why? What brings this up?"

Arthur watched Hosea with sad eyes, certain the their current feelings matched on the matter. "Eh, no reason. Just wondering, I guess." He wanted to give some form of comfort, say that things would get better and they could get back to their old ways, but he didn't believe it. Then, Pearson announced that the stew was ready, and the conversation was over.

Pushing himself up from the cot, Arthur staggered slightly before getting his feet under him. Hosea turned to him and, with a slight bow and exaggerated formality, said, "Shall I bring you a bowl, your majesty?"

"Very funny, Hosea," Arthur replied, sarcasm dripping off his words. "I think I need some fresh air. I can get it myself."

Arthur blinked against the harsh noon sun. Mary-Beth and Tilly walked by and waved. "Feeling better? I heard you were sick," Mary-Beth said.

"Right as rain," Arthur replied. He ladled some stew into a bowl, disappointed by the smell. Next hunting trip, he wouldn't waste his time with witch's cauldrons and bears. He would just track a few deer and improve the food for everyone's sake. He joined Sean, Javier, Bill, and Charles at the fire, listening to Sean's increasingly ridiculous tale while Javier debunked it immediately.

"Still trying to make yourself the hero of your own rescue, Sean?" Arthur said, butting in. "I seem to recall you hanging upside down from a tree for most of it!"

"You think yourself a funny man, Arthur Morgan," Sean replied, laughing. "No, we ran into a couple O'Driscoll boys in just outside town yesterday. There were ten of 'em-"

"Five," said Javier.

"I took out half of them before they could blink!"

"You shot one and got knocked to the ground by another."

"I saved good ol' Mr. Escuella here!" Sean wrapped an arm around Javier's shoulders, only to be immediately pushed off.

"You left me to take care of the rest of them, and the one on top of you!"

Everyone got a good laugh at Sean's expense, but the Irishman took it in stride. "Well, those bastards will fear the name Sean MacGuire, let me tell you!"

But soon enough, Arthur's good time was interrupted by Dutch calling out, "Mr. Morgan! I think Herr Strauss has some work for you to do."

Begrudgingly, Arthur stood and walked towards Strauss at the medicine wagon. He loathed working for Leopold Strauss. While lending money to folks was legal, beating the debt out of them later wasn't Arthur's favorite task. Especially when the types of people taking Strauss' loans were the desperate, down on their luck folks Dutch once preached helping.

"Herr Morgan! I heard you were sick," Strauss said.

"He's all better now," Dutch said, clapping Arthur on the shoulder.

"I have some loans coming due."

"Already?"

"Well, of course! And I know how enthusiastic people are to pay back to someone like you."

"Maybe have someone else collect those loans, Mr. Strauss," Hosea said, appearing suddenly at Arthur's side. "We should probably let Mr. Morgan rest for a day before sending him back out."

Dutch said, "Oh, I'm sure Arthur is just fine, Hosea!" He stared pointedly at Arthur. It was odd, thought Arthur. Almost as if Dutch were waiting for him to agree and go back to work. The few tense seconds ended quickly, leaving Arthur wondering if he had imagined it.

"Oh, he doesn't have to go today. I just wanted to pass on the information. There's a Chick Matthews, works at Guthrie Farm. A hand, I believe. Mr. Wrobel, the small holder at Painted Sky, runs the operations there… badly. Miss Lilly Millet is a ranch maid up at Emerald Ranch."

Three desperate people who probably barely made a living and now Arthur was to go beat a debt out of them. If anything, they should rob the owner of Emerald Ranch and give the money to the employees instead! "And here I thought we were supposed to be helping folk, Dutch," he said.

"It's legal work, Mr. Morgan," said Strauss.

"We all have to do our part, Arthur. Besides, its good to have other sources of money," Dutch said in his usual, preaching tone.

"Just 'cause it's legal don't mean it's right. Isn't that what you always said, Dutch?" Arthur replied.

Dutch opened his mouth to say more, but Strauss beat him to it. "One more, a Mr. Thomas Downes. Has a small ranch just outside Valentine."

Arthur took the offered list and shoved it in his satchel. "I'll start on this tomorrow. Give the poor bastards an extra day to get their debts settled."

Hosea walked off with Arthur, staring at him. "What?" Arthur asked.

"Just can't remember the last time you stood up to Dutch about something."

"I barely stood up to him. Still seemed to annoy him, though."

"I think it's good for his ego!" Hosea said.

Arthur spent the rest of the day relaxing. He played a few rounds of poker with Bill and Charles, winning a few hands before Charles unexpectedly took the whole pot in the end. Later, Jack wandered over, eager to share the pretty rock he found in the woods with anyone who would listen. Arthur indulged the young boy, since he knew John was unlikely to spend any time with his son.

The next morning, he felt back to his normal self. He rolled out of bed early and prepped Dakota for a long ride. "Sorry about the other day, girl," he said as he fed her peppermints. The horse didn't seem to mind, and she bumped her nose into his satchel for more treats.

He decided to see Lily Millet first, since Emerald Ranch was the furthest from camp. Dakota swiftly moved across the Heartlands, and Arthur took a moment to admire their temporary home. It really was pretty country. Emerald Ranch was one of the larger establishments, complete with its own train station. But an old, shot up saloon caught his eye as he continued down the road, leaving him wondering about what went wrong in the otherwise successful business.

"Do you have any idea of the hole I'm in?" a woman said, voice turning shrill as she spoke to the man next to her.

"Oh come on, why's it always gotta be a goddamn performance with you?" the man replied. "Now I told you I'd get you the money next week, and I'll get it." Arthur figured the woman must by Miss Millet.

"If you didn't make it this week, who's to say you'll make it next?" Lilly said.

Arthur chose that moment to interrupt. "Miss Lilly Millet? You owe us money." He tried to put on a mean, gruff performance, but his heart wasn't quite into it.

"What?"

"That loan you took. It's payday."

"I'm sorry. I don't have it right now…" she said.

"Well, looks like we got a big problem!" Not that Arthur really meant it. He wasn't going to beat the money out of a lady.

The intimidation worked, however. "Cooper, give him what you got!" Lilly said, but the husband or boyfriend or whoever he was shook his head.

"I ain't giving him nothing, except a lesson in damn manners!" Cooper came up swinging, throwing a handful of dirt into Arthur's face.

"Son of a bitch," Arthur muttered as he pulled his arms up in a defensive stance. But Cooper's initial advantage quickly went away. Arthur was the more skilled fighter, and it wasn't long before he was pushing the other man back into the dirt, even as Lilly begged them not to fight.

"Alright, alright!" Lilly said as Cooper sprawled backwards, unconscious. "He has all my money. I gave it all to him. Just take whatever you find on him and let's be done with this. Please!"

Sighing, Arthur bent over the man who was clearly the cause of most of Lilly's problems and retrieved the money from his pocket. He wanted to say something to her, but then a man in a yellow shirt by the busted up saloon yelled out, "Hey! You know what I do to thieves? The law'll hear about this!"

"I didn't steal that, it's a debt!" Arthur tried, walking towards the man, only to have him turn and run. "Oh, dammit!"

Arthur chased the man around the back of the building, yelling, "Stop!"

"Okay, I'm gonna beat the darn tar outta you!" the man said before throwing a punch. Arthur ducked under it, and brought his fist straight into the other man's nose.

Great, now he had knocked out two people. What a wonderful start to the morning!

Fortunately, the second assault went unwitnessed, and Arthur was able to make his way to Guthrie Farm in peace. He approached the first man he saw, rather young, who was brushing down a horse, asking, "You Chick? I was told I could find a Chick Matthews up here."

"Chick Matthews? Might wanna talk to that feller over there. I'm just here to work the season." He gestured to a man sitting on a log a little ways from the house, so Arthur headed that way.

"You Chick Matthews?" he tried again.

"No, no, not me, sir. That's the greenhorn over there," the ranch hand pointed, and Arthur whipped around. "Oh, and there he goes!"

The real Chick Matthews mounted the horse he had been brushing and took off in a fast gallop off the farm. "So long, loanshark!" he laughed.

"Dammit!" Arthur said, running to Dakota and mounting up. "Hey, get back here! You owe us money!" He pushed Dakota up to a gallop, the young mare quickly lengthening her stride. Warhorses weren't naturally fast, but Dakota's long legs ate up the dirt as they followed in Chick's wake. Chick led them on a chase around Heartland Overflow and under a small bridge for the train tracks. "The more I chase, the more you owe!" Arthur called out.

"The money's mine, I'm keeping it!"

Unfortunately for Chick Matthews, Arthur was quite adept at throwing a lasso. The rope landed accurately around his torso, and with a swift yank, Arthur pulled him off his horse. He hogtied the boy.

"Okay, Okay! I have the money, it's hidden. There's a map to it in my pocket," Chick said.

"A map? Really?" Arthur sighed. "Why can't you fools just pay?"

With that, he let Chick Matthews go, hating how the day was turning out even more. Why did nothing ever seem to go right on a job anymore? He followed the poorly drawn map to the correct tree, took a second to check for snakes in the hollow, and retrieved the money.

Two down, two to go.

Arthur decided against stopping in the Valentine saloon for some decent lunch, considering the fight he had been in a with Javier, Charles, and Bill followed by his drunken behavior with Lenny. He ended up downing a can of beans and a few crackers to keep himself going.

The Downes Ranch could barely be called that. It was just a small house and a patch of vegetables. A frail man raked the soil weakly, not hearing Arthur's approach.

"Mr. Thomas Downes."

"Yep, That's me." Arthur recognized the voice. It was the man who was always raising money for charity. That put a pause on Arthur's intimidation tactics. Here was a man who was poor himself, but still helped others. A man who also put himself between Arthur and Tommy, the latter who was being beaten to death by Arthur.

Arthur's tone softened as he said, "You owe me money."

"Oh. Oh, no. Please, I have a family, sir," Thomas Downes whispered, cowering away. Arthur felt resigned, knowing he would likely have to beat the money out of this man, too. A shame, really, but it was his job. It wasn't his fault that Mr. Downes chose to help others when he should have been helping himself. Arthur stepped to the gate to corner the man by the fence, when a large, black bird landed in his path.

Arthur stumbled a step backwards. It was a damn raven! It stared up at Arthur with cold, dark eyes, and Arthur stared right back.

"Sir, Mr. Strauss seemed so understanding," Downes continued, not seeing that Arthur was frozen in place. "I don't have the money yet, but we are working, I swear." He let out a few coughs into his fist. The raven cawed lightly and then flew away, clearing the path to Mr. Downes.

Choose.

From the house, a woman and a boy appeared. "Sir, my husband isn't well! If we could have more time, we can get you your money. Please!" Please don't hurt my husband were her unspoken words.

Arthur looked at the poor, struggling family, at the boy who eyes Arthur with hatred and disdain, at the woman moving slowly towards her husband as if she could keep Arthur away, at Thomas Downes, who was doubled over and coughing again. Downes wasn't an angry boyfriend unwilling to help his lady, or a young idiot trying to cheat his contract. He was just a husband and father, out of luck and out of options.

"Forget the debt," Arthur said, reaching into his satchel. Downes didn't owe much, and Arthur could see they needed every penny.

"What?" Downes said.

"I'll cover you with Strauss. Just avoid loansharks like him in the future."

Mr. and Mrs. Downes exchanged a disbelieving glance, and Arthur dug out twenty dollars and tossed it Thomas' way. "Here. You seem like you need it right about now."

"Thank you, sir. Thank you so much!" Mr. Downes stammered, but Arthur turned quickly and mounted Dakota, spurring her away from the ranch. He didn't pay attention to where he was going, soon finding himself near Cumberland falls, and sat for a while, listening to the water.

When he went back to camp, he slipped the money the Downes owed in the box with the other debts, then the amount Mr. Wrobel owed as well. He didn't quite feel like collecting that last debt.

He dreamed of a buck only that night.