Hawke.
Member
Salt Lake City, July 1875"
The streets just outside of the city were filled with wagons, tired families and overburdened livestock all milled around their little camp. Reid Atwater had been with the wagon train since they left the rocky mountains, they were in poor shape then but they certainly weren't doing any better. Only two days ago they'd run out of food and had been forced to leave behind a large chunk of their personal belongings. The herd of cattle they had been keeping had been stolen, even as hard as they had fought to keep them, most of these people weren't exactly gunman.
Reid had heard from some of the travelers that they'd started out with over a hundred wagons, now whittled down to a meager twelve, along the way people left or stopped, some families had suffered such great misfortune that they had no choice but to end their journey west.
Their leader was a young, ambitious man from New York who went by Samuel Harding. He seemed to mean well from what Reid had seen, but he wasn't prepared to handle the trials that the wilderness would put him through. He came from money, he was honest about that much, and he hadn't expected it to be this difficult, or for this many people to have such an interest in going west with him. He'd hired guns and cattleman, who eventually parted once things started to go awry or the money ran out.
The people were unhappy, sick and tired and beaten down. Some of them wondered what the hell they'd gotten themselves into, they'd seen nothing but prairie and desert for weeks after leaving the mountains behind. Not exactly the promised land they had heard stories of. And now they'd been thrown off course.
Reid had ridden into town earlier that day, picking up bacon, potatoes, eggs, flour, sugar, milk and honey, and oats for the remaining animals. Borrowing some cookware from one of the families to put together the first halfway decent meal that the group had had in a while.
Sam was sitting nearby, brow furrowed as he looked over a map.
"Why don't you come sit down? fix a plate and have a decent meal, Sam." Reid called over to him, he looked up.
He was weary, dark circles under his eyes betrayed his exhaustion. "Yeah- yeah, sounds like a good idea."
"Seem like you're pretty lost in thought over there."
He seemed a bit dejected as he settled heavily on the dusty ground near Reid, "Yeah, just... hasn't gone to plan, y'know?"
Reid was quiet a moment. "Well, th-that's the nature of it, isn't it? didn't think it was gonna be easy did you?"
"...I figured it would be a little easier than this." Sam admitted quietly, eyes downcast. "Now I don't know what we're gonna do."
"...Well, si-since we're here... could start by tryin' to find some he- some hired guns, cowhands. S-supplies."
"The only problem with that is I don't have any money to offer."
"Well... Best find somethin' else."
They both stopped as movement caught their eye, headed towards the stockyard with a herd of cattle were a band of cowboys. They both stared as the cowboys shouted and pushed the cattle further into the city.
"....Are those-" Sam started, but didn't have to finish.
"They are. Same guys. Same cows."
The streets just outside of the city were filled with wagons, tired families and overburdened livestock all milled around their little camp. Reid Atwater had been with the wagon train since they left the rocky mountains, they were in poor shape then but they certainly weren't doing any better. Only two days ago they'd run out of food and had been forced to leave behind a large chunk of their personal belongings. The herd of cattle they had been keeping had been stolen, even as hard as they had fought to keep them, most of these people weren't exactly gunman.
Reid had heard from some of the travelers that they'd started out with over a hundred wagons, now whittled down to a meager twelve, along the way people left or stopped, some families had suffered such great misfortune that they had no choice but to end their journey west.
Their leader was a young, ambitious man from New York who went by Samuel Harding. He seemed to mean well from what Reid had seen, but he wasn't prepared to handle the trials that the wilderness would put him through. He came from money, he was honest about that much, and he hadn't expected it to be this difficult, or for this many people to have such an interest in going west with him. He'd hired guns and cattleman, who eventually parted once things started to go awry or the money ran out.
The people were unhappy, sick and tired and beaten down. Some of them wondered what the hell they'd gotten themselves into, they'd seen nothing but prairie and desert for weeks after leaving the mountains behind. Not exactly the promised land they had heard stories of. And now they'd been thrown off course.
Reid had ridden into town earlier that day, picking up bacon, potatoes, eggs, flour, sugar, milk and honey, and oats for the remaining animals. Borrowing some cookware from one of the families to put together the first halfway decent meal that the group had had in a while.
Sam was sitting nearby, brow furrowed as he looked over a map.
"Why don't you come sit down? fix a plate and have a decent meal, Sam." Reid called over to him, he looked up.
He was weary, dark circles under his eyes betrayed his exhaustion. "Yeah- yeah, sounds like a good idea."
"Seem like you're pretty lost in thought over there."
He seemed a bit dejected as he settled heavily on the dusty ground near Reid, "Yeah, just... hasn't gone to plan, y'know?"
Reid was quiet a moment. "Well, th-that's the nature of it, isn't it? didn't think it was gonna be easy did you?"
"...I figured it would be a little easier than this." Sam admitted quietly, eyes downcast. "Now I don't know what we're gonna do."
"...Well, si-since we're here... could start by tryin' to find some he- some hired guns, cowhands. S-supplies."
"The only problem with that is I don't have any money to offer."
"Well... Best find somethin' else."
They both stopped as movement caught their eye, headed towards the stockyard with a herd of cattle were a band of cowboys. They both stared as the cowboys shouted and pushed the cattle further into the city.
"....Are those-" Sam started, but didn't have to finish.
"They are. Same guys. Same cows."