CHAPTER V: Taming A Beast

Arthur stepped outside the cabin to meet Dutch. "We ain't run into Micah or John yet, so they must have gone on down the hill." Dutch shivered as he spoke to Arthur.

"Sure," Arthur said as he looked as far down the path as the snow would allow. "Dutch, I ain't had time to ask. What really went down back there on that boat?" Dutch reached over and put his hand on Arthur's shoulder

"We missed you. That's what happened. Now come on, see if that beast of a horse will let you ride him."

Arthur paled "Are you insane? Even if he would let me, there ain't no saddle or bridle that I could see in there for him!"

Dutch sighed as they both made their way to the barn "You got a lasso on you, don't you?"

Arthur nodded "Well yes of course but-"

"Then use that to tie around his head like a bridle." Dutch's tone left no room for argument as they entered the barn.

"I'm tellin' ya Dutch, I don't like this." Arthur tried again to argue since his last two encounters with Reaver didn't go so well.

"Yeah well I ain't askin' you, son, I'm tellin'."

Arthur groaned and removed his lasso from his satchel and slowly made his way toward Reaver. "Hey there feller…" Reaver turned his head toward Arthur curiously. "I need you to do me a favor...a favor you probably ain't gonna like." Reaver's ears twitched and rotated back and forth. "Here...a peace offerin'." Arthur reached into his satchel and pulled out an apple. "You like apples, right?" Reaver gently took the apple out of Arthur's hand and gave a gentle huff. "Okay, here goes nothin' I guess…" Arthur tied the lasso and slowly slipped it over Reaver's head. "There you go...that's it...good boy." Reaver held somewhat still, besides pawing his right hoof against the frozen floor of the barn. "I know, listen if it means anythin' to ya, this weren't my idea."

"That beast calm enough to ride?" Dutch spoke up, holding The Count's reins by the open barn door. Arthur gently tugged on the makeshift bridle, leading Reaver to the door as well.

"We'll soon find out I guess. Say, why don't you try ridin' him Dutch?"

Dutch rolled his eyes "'Cause that horse don't like me."

Arthur scoffed "So you're assumin' he likes me? He kicked me, remember?" Dutch shook his head and led The Count outside before mounting the saddle

"It ain't up for discussion Arthur, now hurry up. The sooner we get this done the better."

Arthur gently stroked Reaver's neck and along his back "Dutch I really don't think-"

"Do you not trust me, son?"

Arthur shook his head "It ain't that I jus'...I don't trust this horse is all. Whatever he did to you in that barn earlier shook you up pretty good." Dutch looked away and acted like he was adjusting the reins. "What did he do, Dutch?" Dutch didn't answer "Dutch what did he d-"

"I don't wanna talk about it, Arthur!" Dutch snapped making Arthur hold his hands up in surrender and back up some. "I'm sorry son, I didn't mean…"

"Ah it's alright, I pushed you too far, I get it." Dutch sighed and glanced over his shoulder at Arthur impatiently "I know, I know, I'm workin' on it." Arthur said as he caught Dutch's eye.

"I could always get that girl out here to-"

"No I got it, don't need to drag her out here in this goddamned weather." Dutch chuckled lightly "What you laughin' at, Dutch?"

The older man shook his head "Oh nothing, son. Nothing at all."

Arthur took a deep breath to steel his nerves before clumsily clambering onto Reaver's back. The beast huffed and snorted in annoyance and pawed at the ground in agitation. "Easy boy...easy…" Reaver settled finally and Arthur stroked his neck "There good boy. Here…" Arthur reached into his satchel and produced another apple, feeding it to the beast.

"I thought you said he didn't like you, Arthur?" Dutch teased him lightly

"He don't like me."

Dutch hummed in response "Whatever you say, son. Now, see if you can control him. Follow me."

Dutch spurred his Arabian into a slight trot through the snow in front of Arthur and his new steed. Arthur lightly spurred Reaver in the sides...the brute immediately reared. "Hey, hey, Woah!" Arthur gripped onto the makeshift reins, praying they would hold, as he tried not to fall off. "Easy! Easy boy! It's okay!" Reaver settled back on his front hooves and snorted loudly before setting off in a trot to follow alongside Dutch. The older man was trying to hold in his laughter

"See, I told you he liked you better."

Arthur glared at him "Shut up Dutch."

Dutch cleared his throat and nodded his head "Alright then, let's head out there and see if we can find our boys."

Reaver followed the leader without a struggle "I ain't sure what we're gonna find out here, Dutch." Arthur called out over the wind "I can barely see anything as it is." Arthur noticed that the black stallion wasn't struggling in the deep snow as much as the other horses were. He leaned down and patted his neck gently as Dutch spoke up

"We have to try, just stay close and we will see if we can't stick to this trail!"

Arthur shivered "You think this storm will last much longer?"

Dutch hunkered down over his saddle "It's been two days or more, it'll have to blow over soon!"

"I just....what happened to Davey...I can't believe it." The air grew thick with sorrow

"He's the last one Arthur, no more."

The pair had been riding for a while when Dutch stopped "Hang on, someone's coming down the trail." Dutch held up his lantern, trying to see through the blinding storm "You up ahead! Who's there?" A man with long blonde hair and handlebar mustache came into view. "Micah." Dutch greeted

"Gentlemen," Micah responded

"Have you found anything?" Dutch inquired as Micah spurred his horse closer.

"I think so. A little homestead down thataway." Micah motioned his head back from the direction he came.

"Anyone home?"

Micah glanced a look over at Arthur and laughed "Didn't know you could ride bareback, Morgan. Where'd you find that thing?" Reaver snorted and Arthur scratched his neck

"None of your damn business, now was there anyone home?" Micah shrugged "Sure. The place is blazing with light and noise. Sounded like a party."

"Let's go see, now you two quit arguing. Lead the way, Micah."

Micah turned his horse around "Follow me. How's Davey doin'?"

Dutch just shook his head "Ah, he didn't make it. Nor did little Jenny." There was a pause.

"That's too bad, Davey was a real fighter. Both of them Callander boys is or...was. What about Mac and Sean?"

Arthur fell to the back of the group, allowing Dutch and Micah to talk

"We don't know, we got separated on the ride out of there."

Micah grunted "Quite a business…"

The group rode on ahead for a while before Arthur finally spoke up "Ask him if he's seen, John!"

Dutch, being directly behind Micah relayed Arthur's question "Have you seen John, Micah?"

Micah called back over his shoulder "Didn't see much of anything once this storm blew in!"

"Micah says he hasn't seen him, Arthur!"

"I'm sure he'll be fine, things always turn out right for that boy!" Arthur's response was more, it seemed, for himself than the other two. He had his issues with John, sure. But at the end of it all, they were brothers.

"I hope...Mac and Sean, they're still out there somewhere too!" Dutch voiced his concern for the other two missing members, to lose Davey and Jenny was bad enough, but to lose two more members? Dutch didn't want to think about it. "Arthur, you move on up, I'll take up the rear...I need to think a minute."

As Arthur lightly spurred Reaver forward he pulled back on the reins to keep pace beside the leader. "You okay, Dutch?" The younger man was concerned, it wasn't like Dutch to be this quiet

"I'll be fine, son, I'm just worried is all."

Arthur reached over and placed a hand on Dutch's shoulder "It'll be okay Dutch like you said...Davey is gonna be the last one."

Dutch looked the other in the eyes "I hope you're right, son. I hope you're right."