Chapter 21

During the time when Lewis was asleep in the early morning, Honey had informed a flock of bluebirds about the disappearance of a dairy calf fostered by a deer family. Two search parties were formed and split up in different directions as Honey herself decided to search for Grace in an another area alone.

What she did find was a peculiar cabin hidden out of sight with trees surrounding the area. What would an abandoned cabin be doing with six horses tied to a post? Flying down to investigate, she stopped zooming halfway in midair to find five men in dark clothing mount five of the horses and take off into the distance. Could they be the same men holding Grace hostage once again? With no time to waste, Honey flew down to the cottage to peek through every window.

The last window contained the room with Lewis snoring on the bed. And who should Honey see tied up and gagged? It was Grace! And she was struggling in her bonds to break free. If every entrance in this cabin wasn't closed tight, she could just…no it wouldn't work. Her beak was not strong enough to cut the ropes. Before she could knock on the window, Honey viewed Tuck coming in to pick on the helpless calf. That part made her burn up inside; nobody treats her friends like that. She flew away from the window seconds after Tuck walked out of the cabin. It would have been a foolish choice for her to fly in by herself without a plan. The other search parties would be wondering where she is.

Soaring across the sky searching for the others, her beady eyes set upon a group of other riders moving their horses through a trail that may be leading them in a different direction from the cabin. They certainly weren't the other men she saw earlier; these ones were wearing gold badges on their shirts. Have the lawmen come at last? To see if it was true, she went down to have a look.

Back at the cabin

It had been at least thirty minutes since Lewis placed the iron rod over the fireplace and was sitting impatiently on a chair waiting until it glowed. The bandits had just arrived back with as much food supplies as they could find in a nearby town. They were quite pleased that Lewis did not blow his top when they entered through the door. He looked as if the alcohol effect over him had worn off and he didn't seem as drowsy as he did before.

"What're you up to there Lewis?" Sam asked as he laid his bag on the floor.

"I'm preparin' to mark my calf. All cattle must be branded for a rancher to identify ownership," Lewis said slyly with satisfaction. The tip of the rod was now a bright reddish color.

"Whatever you say partner," said Sam, checking his bags. "Just be careful where ya stick that thing."

With a malicious smile, Lewis pulled the red hot iron out of the fireplace and treaded slowly to the bedroom like a soldier carrying a sword in hand. Now was the perfect time for his cow to be marked as property. The symbol he would give her shall be in the shape of an LW; which stands for Lewis Wesley.

Grace who stood stiff against the bed perked her head up as Lewis entered the room with the hot iron held in his hands. It filled the room with an acrid stench like a campfire burning all night.

Grace mumbled as if she were trying to ask him what he was going to do with that frightening thing he was holding firmly. Fear was building inside of her like an illness with her heart pounding violently. The closer Lewis came, the more Grace began to panic. It was no use trying to break free of the unbreakable ropes; she was trapped.

Standing beside her, Lewis held the burning iron back and pointed it a few inches directly at the right side of her rump. Puffing out her chest, Grace felt beads of sweat soak her face when she had a bad feeling of what Lewis was planning. He couldn't possibly be thinking…

"No need to get all fussy now little miss," Lewis taunted, still holding the sizzling red hot iron. "This is how folks mark their cattle." Then he moved the object closer with a wicked smile across his face.

The fear level in Grace rose higher when she now understood what he was going to do. Once again, she shook with panic. Even if it was no good trying to escape out of the ropes, there was no use calming down at this point. Screaming was inevitable beyond someone's hearing. Beneath the gag she cried, "No, no, please don't!"

"Brace yourself bovine," Lewis warned as he pointed the iron closer to her rump, "Because this is really goin' to burn." Grace shivered as she felt the heat of the iron draw close.

But as it reached an inch from her hide, Lewis stopped short only to be interrupted by the fierce barking of Sam's Doberman as he could be heard coming this way.

"What in the…dang it, what's up with Tuck this time?" Sam threw his items down and went outside to see the problem.

"Maybe cats got his tongue or somethin'," Gene snorted, as he was preparing to light up a cigarette.

Assuming it was nothing important, the gang went back to their daily activities until each one of them jumped at the angry shouts of Lewis from the bedroom.

"Get, beat it ya bunch o' buzzards!" he hollered as if he was trying to chase away something. To them it seemed unlikely for someone to do that to a captive who was already tied down.

"I said get outta here!" To their surprise, Lewis dashed out of the room covering his face as a flock of different colored birds flew at him wildly pecking and pulling his clothes. "Beat it or I'll stick this iron at ya!" he was now waving the red iron as his only weapon in hand. The birds managed to dodge the attack and kept poking him. "What are all these blasted birds tryin' to do?" He aimed the iron at another bird but missed. The bandits were now jumping back to avoid being burnt and attacked. Soon the birds were repeating the same attack as they did with Lewis. With the birds distracting the bad men, this had given a bloodhound with a mouse on top of his head the chance to go in the cabin unnoticed.

Inside

"Grace, is that you?" a familiar voice of a mousy critter caused a grief-stricken Grace to snap back to reality. Could it possibly be the voice of an old friend she thought that she would never see again? Blinking her teary eyes to wash the blurriness away, her heart began to lift at the sight of Dan with Sampson riding on him.

"Sampson?" she mumbled through her gag.

"Grace, what did those no good boozehounds do this time?" Shocked by her dismal appearance, Sampson sprinted over behind Grace's head and removed the gag.

"Lewis was going to…to…" For a moment, her joy was switched to sorrow. Grace was having difficulty trying to explain what Lewis had been trying to do. She stiffened her lip as if she was about to cry. The event was frightening.

"No time to ask questions now," Dan said hesitantly as he came by and bit at the ropes binding her front legs. "We've got to get your friend outta these blasted ropes."

"Don't you worry Grace," Sampson said bravely with his teeth gnawing at the ropes around her neck. "Believe it or not, this time he'll pay." He was feeling angrier with seeing her tied up and bruised all over her back than he was about her abduction. His worst fears had been realized, yet he was already wise enough to know that he had nothing to do with what just happened to her. After this was over, Grace would finally be free of Lewis's wrath and would never have to live with being beaten in his household again. The rope around her neck broke off with a snap which allowed Sampson to brush it aside and move on to the ropes that prevented her front legs from moving. "Hold still, I almost have it."

Having no knife to cut her free, the two had to rely on their own animal instincts with their teeth for the ropes to loosen up. Finally Grace was no longer tied and was relieved to be moving about again where she could stretch out her aching body. With what Dan said earlier, now was still not the time to celebrate.

"Come on this way," Dan pointed his head to the hallway as Sampson and Grace followed him all the way to the fireplace area. The only way in and out of this house was through the front door. Before they could make their way, Lewis stood there blocking the path with a few bird feathers scattered on his clothes. In his right hand, the iron bar was still burning red and sizzling. Somehow he had managed to pry all those birds away from him.

"Just where'd you think you're goin' with my cow?" He gazed down at the animals with a crazed look in his eyes. "SHE'S MINE, I OWN HER!!" he aimed the hot iron at them, "…Now get outta the way or I'll roast all o' ya. Now as for you!" He finished as he was now moving forward holding the iron like a skewer with Grace backing away in fear until she was backed up against the wall. She shut her eyes tight fearing for the worst. "AAAAAAAWWWW!!!"

Grace opened one eye to see that Dan had taken a bite out of Lewis from behind before the brand reached an inch of her body. In his mind, he had been waiting for the right moment to lunge out at him when Lewis had least expected it.

"Come on Grace!" Sampson called from the front doorway signaling for her. "Don't worry about Dan, he can handle himself."

Taking one last look at Dan keeping Lewis busy with his biting, Grace went over to Sampson and allowed him to hop aboard her head.

Outside

Outside, Grace stared in bewilderment at the sight of the bandits being attacked by other forest critters other than the bluebirds. Raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks, and rabbits started clawing and biting as if they were defending their territory from a vicious predator.

"Come on Grace, go around the back of the cabin," Sampson whispered in her ear. "We'll hide out in the forest."

Grace obeyed without questioning his command. It would do no good for her to be in the way when something else were to come riding this way to take care of the bandits, in case one of them opened fire from their revolvers. And what sort of friend would Sampson be if he were to put her in that dangerous situation? This time, he would not let her down so easily.

"Hurry, into the bushes!" Sampson pointed out to a thicket of berry bushes in which this case Grace pushed aside the small branches to hide deeper until she was certain that they were out of sight. There they stayed securely listening to the flapping of birds' wings and the chirping squeals from possibly the chipmunks and raccoons. The cabin was now fifteen feet away from where the two were hidden. What came next was the fierce howl of dogs barking. Somehow Dan and Tuck must be fighting amongst themselves in a duel. Grace hoped for Dan to win over that good for nothing Doberman in the end.

"Bovine, where are you?" Grace watched Lewis step out from behind the cabin pushing his way through the flock of birds while waving the hot iron around. It didn't seem as red as it used to be, but it was still mighty hot, even for human hands to resist. "Come on out wherever yah are!" he was stepping forward to their area eyeing every corner for suspicious movement or echo. Lewis prowled about like a predator hunting its prey. Grace stood there petrified as sweat formed on her face. She dared not move an inch or utter a cry unless she wanted to get caught. "I know you're out here, I can hear ya breathin'!" he scowled.

"Grace whatever you do, don't move," Sampson warned. "Don't move or he'll surely hear us. Wait until he's gone, then we can come out."

Grace nodded her head at him nervously panting. Lewis peered over more bushes to the left side. He scowled and threw his arms in irritation to have found nothing behind there. She watched him move over to another bush to peek through. Then with a heavy sigh, he looked as if he was ready to give up and walk away. And of course, Lewis had disappeared behind the trees to the right side. For a long while, he did not bother to come bursting out.

"Where did he go?" Grace whispered curiously, still eyeing the trees in case he did come out again. Nothing had happened over there, not even a rustle.

"I don't know. But I wouldn't dare make a move outta here in case he might be waitin' for you. That's what it is alright. He's just pretendin' to give up easily so we'd be fooled into believin' that it's safe to come outta hidin'. Well that ain't gonna work this time, let's move out back."

Lowering herself, Grace crawled underneath the bushes and turned backwards to inch forward. She did not want to risk making noise from touching the branches. Tiny leaves fell across her hide and brushed her face as she kept a sharp lookout for any large shadow above or underneath. Then that would mean for her to stay put and wait for it to clear. So far, the two of them heard nothing. No footsteps or yelling threats. Where could that old rascal have gone off to? Whatever happened to him was not important. Grace paused the moment she heard footsteps approach. Please don't let him find me, she thought to herself worriedly. She waited until the footsteps passed behind her growing softer by the minute. Inching forward again, Grace listened carefully to every direction Sampson told her where to turn and urged her to not look back for a moment. If she did, she might have panicked enough to turn out of control for Sampson to handle.

"Do you think he's gone?" Grace asked softly while still crawling.

"I don't know," Sampson replied feeling unsure if her question was true. "But whatever you do, don't scream, move, or talk so loud. Only whisper, the woods are filled with unknown dangers even I don't know about."

Grace asked no more questions and allowed her tiny friend to help her move about steadily and stop at the sound of footsteps approaching. Since she had known him for quite a long while, she believed that orders given from a friend like him were for protection and safety. They were also similar to the orders of her foster mother in which there was no need or reason to disobey. Unlike the rules that came from Lewis; it was mainly his rules that she could not stand to listen to. During the times he had abused her, her pride suffered more deeply than the wounds spread across her hide. Every time she heard them, she wanted to run further away and hide where Lewis could never catch her. She and Sampson tried once and failed, only leading her to face the crack of the whip. It couldn't fail this time.

"Don't hear nothin' right now," Sampson whispered as he stuck his left ear out in the air. "Not even a footstep." A small smile formed victoriously. "Seems we've finally outsmarted him for good. I doubt he'd want to come burstin' in here. But keep still."

Sampson was right, they may not be out of danger yet. All they heard were birds chattering miles away, and no footsteps. But that didn't mean Lewis wasn't out there. Better to be safe than sorry.

"Come on out yah little brat wherever you are!" the angry voice of Lewis snarled from somewhere on the outside. "When I find out where yah are, I'm gonna pommel yah so hard, you'll be limpin' till the end o' your days." From outside the bush, Lewis's teeth were pulled up in a snarl as he glared suspiciously around the area. Sooner or later, he was going to give that disobedient calf the most painful whipping of her life when he got his hands on her.

Grace shivered from hearing his threat outside. It was still not safe to come out of the bushes with him around. She placed her hooves over her mouth to prevent her teeth from chattering. The sound of footsteps passed her and grew distant. Sampson urged her to tread forward softly and not look back. Grace panted nervously but did as she was told.

Suddenly, the bushes on her left rustled when Grace was about to make her getaway toward a new path. A hand poked through and seized her by the tail to drag her backwards, hard. Grace yelped in pain and fright before being seized by the scruff of her neck. This had caused Sampson to roll off unexpectedly. He whirled around and watched in terror as his friend was being pulled out from the bushes. How could that drunkard have known she was in here?

"GRACE!" Pushing aside the leaves from the branches, he saw that Lewis was holding her three feet off the ground at arms length.

"Well, well, well, it seems the tables have finally turned on you eh?" he snarled pleasantly at his victim who was kicking wildly at him to escape. "You can kick and scream all yah want bovine, but it won't do you no good…" with the iron bar in his other hand, he pointed the hot sharp end close to her throat, "…you're mine till your dead!"

Grace gulped from feeling the blazing temperature an inch from touching her skin. Her heart skipped a beat just having to glare down at the pointed end. She moved her head back as far as she could to avoid being burnt. But Lewis only moved it closer than ever. Grace finally stopped kicking when she was trying very hard to hold back the tears already forming in her frightened eyes. Then with his right hand still holding her, Lewis moved her closer to him violently so that his dark, deep-set eyes gleaming with madness were glaring down on her.

"If you don't wish to be marked on your hide…," then he pointed the hot iron to her chest, "…then maybe you'd rather have it close to your heart!" he gave her a quick, minor tap with the iron which caused Grace to shudder and cringe from having to know what it felt like. Beads of sweat appeared as her face turned pale. The moment it made contact, it made an ugly sound. Any longer and it would have made a life-long burn through her skin, or worse. Breathing heavily, Grace feared that her "owner" may be planning on wanting to use that iron for other matters other than marking her as property. Perhaps that small poke was given to her as a reminder to who was boss. "Yeah that's what I thought." His voice was menacing. Grace felt her pulse quicken. "You have disobeyed me for the last time. Now it's time to finish what I started."

Knowing what he was planning, Grace watched helplessly as he was once again preparing to brand her mercilessly. Her throat felt both tight and dry as her heart beat like a drum. She shut her eyes unable to watch. But all she felt was the same minor poke from when Lewis had threatened to pierce her heart. Grace flinched but opened her eyes to see that her "owner" had a look of fear in his eyes as the click of a revolver was now aiming directly toward him by none other than Sheriff Ned Jones!

"Alright you drop that iron!" he demanded, still pointing at the fugitive.

Quickly, Lewis wrapped his arm tightly around Grace and forced her head backwards. "Back off, or I'll stick this thing in her heart!" he replied unsteadily, pretending not to be afraid. He was now pointing the iron to her throat tightly. This couldn't be happening to him. He would not allow himself to be convicted of past crimes he had committed with the Yeller Gang and for doing their work in secret. He just simply refused to let that happen.

In the berry bushes, Sampson watched what Lewis was threatening to do to his friend and quivered with fury. Thinking quickly, he eyed Lewis's pants and knew exactly what to do. He scampered over without anyone noticing and crept up from the bottom opening. Whatever he was doing, it had caused Lewis to drop the bar, release Grace, and start tapping his pants repeatedly.

"AHHH, SOMETHIN's CRAWLIN' UP MY PANTS!!" he hollered as he started running around like crazy in different directions. "GET IT OUT!!" This went on for several minutes until Lewis suddenly lost his balance enough to trip over a rock. Sampson popped out just in time before he fell down flat and made his way to Grace.

"Give it up partner, you're under arrest!" Ned held the revolver to his forehead signaling for him to get up and march back to the cabin where the other lawmen waited with the gang under control. Grace followed behind Ned without fear.

Author's note: Last chapter is one the way. Although I might think about splitting it into two or three different parts; depending on how I long I want it to be with the characters saying goodbye to each other. I plan to make it a real tear-jerker as best as I can.