by Joel Baker
An hour later the men rode slowly into camp. Jake had told Matthew the danger had passed, so the men could take their time the rest of the way. James checked on Molly and they decided her jaw was just bruised. They dragged Jonas out of the camp and left it in the deep woods for the predators. They thought it was only fair, since Jonas was a predator himself.
They buried Willie and Luther side by side. The ceremony was short and Dalton did most of the burying. Molly and Shannon were concerned the baby may have been harmed by all the stress and violence, but Jezebel assured them the baby was fine.
Dalton and Matthew returned with Jake to get one of those buffalos. They were back in two days. Matthew was proud that he made the kill shot. Molly’s jaw was still sore, but getting better. The aspen bark tea seemed to help most. Shannon used the time around the camp to sleep, and go for walks with Jezebel. It was something they hadn’t been able to do for quite a while.
“Jezebel,” Shannon said. “How are the pups doing? We know they’re out there, but we never get to see them.”
Some of them have died on this trip, Jezebel said. We are down to twenty three of us. Make that twenty two. I forgot about Luther.
“Why don’t you bring them into camp?” Shannon asked. “We have plenty of food now. We could share it with you.”
There was a long period of silence, as if Jezebel was thinking of how best to answer. The shadows were getting long and it would soon be time for them to return to camp.
We are changing again, Jezebel said. I don’t think we can stop it. We used to control the change, by killing the young ones that were born different. But now there are too few of us. We are not sure what we should do.
“How have you changed?” Shannon asked.
It is hard to explain, Jezebel said. A week ago, I and one of the other dogs were watching a number of pups play. They were rough housing as pups will do, when one of the males suddenly changed.
“Changed?” Shannon asked. “You mean like you did with the wolves by the lake?”
Yes, Jezebel said. I couldn’t help it, and it took days for me to change back to my normal form. You remember how hideous and vicious I was. But I couldn’t stop the change, once it started.
“I remember,” Shannon said. “You saved our lives. Besides, you couldn’t help yourself. It something you couldn’t control.”
That’s my point, Jezebel said. It’s different this time. This pup changed because he wanted too. He did it in a few seconds. When he tired of the game, he changed back just as quickly.
“Did he hurt any of the other pups?” Shannon asked.
No, Jezebel said. But he could have, and that’s what worries us.
***
It was the first of August before they were ready to continue west. There were just the five of them now that Willie lay buried by his pond. Jezebel and Jake decided to bring the young dogs into camp with the Colters. There were six adults, and sixteen adolescent and pups. They were constantly under foot, until Jake was able to instill some discipline in the group.
Once they got the group under control, things went smoothly. Dalton or Matthew would scout ahead of the group, usually accompanied by Jake. Then Jezebel, with Molly and Shannon would come next. James trailed the rest, followed by the sixteen young dogs. Once they were instructed, they followed him everywhere. It made James feel like the pied piper.
Soon after they left, they stopped to rest during the noon day heat. Molly and Shannon found Jezebel over by the James and the string of young dogs.
“Jezebel,” Shannon said. “Which of the pups is the one we talked about?”
The one who can change himself? Jezebel asked.
“Yes,” Shannon said.
It’s the one sitting closest to James, Jezebel said.
“You mean that big one?” Shannon said pointing him out to Molly as well.
That’s him, Jezebel said. We named him Max.
“He’s going to be huge,” Shannon said. “Is he a good dog?”
We think so, Jezebel said. He says he talks with your baby.
“He talks with my baby?” Shannon said, with obvious concern. “Is that possible?”
It is possible now, Jezebel said. But we never could before.
“What does it mean?” Shannon asked.
We don’t know, Jezebel said. We’ll just have to wait and see.
***
They reached Amarillo, Texas in a week and headed north into Colorado, a week later. Dalton, who knew this area well, suggested the best place to head was a little town called Alamosa, Colorado. It was located in the San Luis valley and provided a natural secluded valley with clean rivers and few people.
After the Go Back, the Apache and Kiowa nations had fought fierce battles over this territory. The original landowners fled, or were buried where they died. After several years, both tribes realized that the place wasn’t worth it and withdrew. Large areas of land were left uninhabited. At least it was four years ago, the last time Dalton was through there.
They arrived in Alamosa at midmorning on a Tuesday, the third week of August. The town itself was small and dirty. There seemed to be ten or fifteen people sitting around waiting for something to happen. None of the Colters were impressed. Jezebel led the dogs around the outskirts of town, and found a wooded area along a small river, to bed them down.
James and Dalton dismounted in front of what appeared to be a public building of some kind. Three old men sat on a bench out front. Dalton walked up to the three, and stood looking down at them.
“Hello there,” Dalton said.
All three men looked up at him, and smiled. One of the men stood and walked slowly over to the door.
“Jasper!” the old man yelled. “Get out here! It looks like there are some folks out here that want to be fitted for a coffin!”
Chapter 14
A short, heavyset man came walking across the room, and stuck his head out the front door. He could have been any age, but Dalton guessed forty. He wiped his hands on the apron he wore over a shabby vested suit. The suit was made from some checkered material.
“What are you yelling about?” Jasper asked. “What’s this about some coffin?”
“It was Darby,” one of the men on the bench said. “He was trying to be funny. Jasper, these nice folks just rode up, and appear to be looking for something.”
Good morning,” Jasper said straining his neck to look up at James and Dalton. “What can I do for you people?”
“I’m not sure,” James said. “We’re looking for some property around here to put up a cabin for the winter. We might want to stay longer.”
“You’d need to talk to Mr. Walker about that,” Jasper said. “He owns most of the land around here. Listen, I’ve got some coffee left. Why don’t you and your people come on in, and we can talk.”
All three men on the bench stood up, and headed towards the door. James was amazed that none of the men, including Jasper, were much over five foot. Molly, Shannon, and Matthew joined James and Dalton, on the porch. All five of the Colters towered over the four men.
“You three stay where you are,” Jasper said to the men from the bench. “This is just for the new folks.”
James and his group followed Jasper into the building. It took a while before their eyes adjusted to the darkened room. Once they could see, Molly looked around the room at the furnishing. The room looked as if it was a cross between a church and a bar.
On the right, chairs were set in rows facing a podium, under a large cross hung on the wall. To the left, tables and chairs sat in front of a long wood bar. An incredibly large picture of a reclining nude hung over the bar.
“If you don’t mind me saying so,” Molly said. “This seems like an odd arrangement for a room. What is it used for?”
“I hope you women aren’t offended by the picture over the bar,” Jasper said as he set cups of coffee on the table. “I actually knew the woman, years ago. Her name was Labelle, and as you can see, she was a full figured l
ady. She was a real talker too. She had a nice singing voice and could play the piano. I think she choked to death on a walnut, if I remember right.”
“No, there’s nothing wrong with the picture,” Molly said, looking up at it. “But the other side of the room looks like a place for preaching.”
“So it is,” Jasper said. “This is one of the few buildings big enough to hold large numbers of people for meetings. So, it made sense to use it for both purposes. Of course we have to cover the picture of Labelle on Sunday mornings. We cover it with a large cloth before the preacher gets here.”
“Offends the ladies, does it?” James said.
“No,” Jasper said. “The preacher kept losing his place in his sermons, so we had to cover the picture up.”
“I can see how she might be a distraction,” James said, Molly elbowing him in the ribs.
“So, Jasper,” James said, rubbing his side. “Tell me about this Mr. Walker who owns all the land around here.”
“Okay,” Jasper said. “A few years back, we had two tribes of Indians fighting over this territory. They finally got tired and went home. The problem was they killed most of the settlers in the process. Walker and his sons were some of the few survivors. So, they staked out most of the land around here as theirs, and hung onto it.”
“Must not like neighbors,” Dalton said.
“It’s not so much that, really,” Jasper said. “It’s just that it takes a lot of land to run a decent size herd around here. The grass is sparse, and we don’t get a lot of rain.”
“He still runs beef, with all the buffalo around?” Dalton asked.
“If you’re going to talk with him,” Jasper said. “Don’t mention buffalo. He hates buffalo. His family has been running beef around here for a hundred years. It’s a family tradition.”
“Does this town have a store?” James asked. “And how do we find the Walker place?”
***
The Colters rode out towards Lester Walkers ranch, in the early afternoon. The sun beat down on them, but the possibility they might settle here for the winter, was promising. Molly and Shannon both rode sidesaddle, and wore large hats to protect them from the sun.
Dalton explained the terrain to the north of the town of Alamosa to everyone. A large valley with mountains on both sides ran due north from the town. The valley was called the Southern Rocky Mountain Trench. The west side of the trench was a range of mountains called the Columbia Mountains. The east side of the trench was the southern Rocky Mountains.
They’d found out this Walker owned most of the valley between the two ranges. Those parcels he didn’t own, he was in the process of acquiring. Everyone felt Walker was a tough, but fair man, who would listen to their story. If he felt kindly towards them, he would probably let them stay for the winter.
The Walker ranch had an impressive main entrance and a quarter mile ride up to the main house. They stopped in front of the house and dismounted. Matthew took the reins of the horses and led them over to a water trough by the barns.
The house was gigantic, with a large porch extending around three sides. It looked to be three stories tall, and had large widows with dark curtains that were pulled closed. The area in from of the porch was reddish dirt, but the porch was swept clean. Molly and James went up to the massive front doors, and used the brass door knocker that looked like a lion’s head.
“Looks like everyone was out in the barn,” Dalton said pointing to the four men headed towards the house.
“Hello,” the older man said as he walked up the porch stairs and over to where the Colters stood.
Lester Walker seemed to be in his mid-fifties with a large cowboy hat. He wore leather chaps and a beaded vest that appeared to be Indian beading on doe skin. He took off his hat and shook the hand of each of the Colters as they were introduced.
“That’s my son Matthew,” James said, nodding toward where Matthew stood watering the last of the horses.
“These are my three boys,” Lester said, pointing at the three men standing off to one side in front of the porch.
Shannon looked at Lester Walker and noted that he was a tall, thin man, who hadn’t aged gracefully. There seemed to have been some sort of shift in his features, so that nothing seemed to match. His eyes were slightly off center and his nose kind of slanted to one side. His mouth was also slightly misaligned, and the overall impact on his physical appearance was not good.
When she glanced at the three sons standing just off to the side of the porch, Shannon blanched, momentarily, at the collective appearance of the three sons. They too were more misshaped, than hideous. Shannon hid her initial shock at their appearance, as she smiled and curtsied as each was introduced.
“What can I do for you folks?” Lester asked.
“We’re look for some property to put up a cabin,” James said. “If it works out, we wouldn’t mind staying in this area permanently.”
“Aw, hell,” Lester said. “That’s probably not going to work out at all.”
Lester started pacing back and forth, muttering under his breath. He waved his hands in the air, apparently having a huge argument with himself. Then he stopped, took his hat off, and threw it on the floor. The sons, who still hadn’t said a word, just stood there with a smile on their faces.
“Listen, Mr. Walker,” James said. “We know you got your heart set on the valley here. We wouldn’t want any of the land in the southern trench. There’s got to be some space available for us, where we won’t run into each other.”
“What did you have in mind?” Lester said, as he stopped his pacing, picked up his hat, and turned toward James and Molly.
“You take everything in the valley,” James said. “We heard there’s a little canyon just over the East Ridge that would suit us fine.”
“I know the place,” Lester said. “It used to belong to a couple by the name of Winchester. Ironically, he was gunned down by a guy carrying a Winchester. It had something to do with the man’s wife, as I recall. Anyway, there’s good flowing water and some pasture, although a bit on the small side. Were you planning on running beef or what?”
“We raise dogs, mostly,” James said smiling. “We’re just looking for a place to stay for the winter. If it works out, we’ll run a few head of beef. Molly’s looking forward to putting in a garden.”
“Dogs you say?” Lester said. “I’d be careful if I were you. We got wolves around here thick as thieves. They’re smart too. We hunt them when we can, but they stay one step ahead of us.”
We’ve got good news for you, Lester,” Molly said with a smile. “Our dogs are special. They kill wolves, on sight. They’ll leave your cattle alone, but they may take down the occasional buffalo.”
“Your dogs kill wolves?” Lester asked.
“Yes,” Molly said. “These dogs are large, black, and part of our family. If anything were to happen to one of our dogs, well, we would be very, very upset.”
“Do you have any dogs?” Dalton asked, speaking for the first time.
“No,” Lester said. “The wolves killed them.”
“I wouldn’t plan on getting another dog any time soon,” Dalton said. “Our dogs don’t like other dogs, either.”
“If they’ll take care of the wolves,” Lester said. “You and your dogs are welcomed. In fact, you people go scope out where you want to put up your cabin, and I’ll send my boys over with a wagon load of tools. They can stay and help put up the cabin for you. My wife and daughter should be back from visiting relatives by then. Maybe they’ll want to come over too.”
“Lester, you didn’t mention you had a wife and daughter,” Molly said.
“Yep,” Lester said. “The daughter is almost of marrying age too. Maybe your boy Matthew, is looking for a wife?”
“Not today,” Molly said. “But we’ll be sure to keep that in mind, won’t we James?”
“Absolutely,” James said. “We appreciate your help, Lester. We look forward to returning the favor.”
*
**
The Colters rode slowly back towards town. It was getting too late in the day to visit the place they decided to call Colter Canyon. They would stay in town for the night.
After a dinner consisting of steamed vegetables and a mystery meat, the Colters sat discussing the day, before they turned in.
“I wondered what relatives Lester’s wife and daughter are visiting,” Molly said.
“Well, if they look like the father and brothers,” Matthew said. “My guess is some troll living under a bridge.”
“Be careful, Matthew,” Shannon said. “That may be your future bride, you’re talking about.”
“It is kind of an odd looking bunch living around here,” James said. “Did anyone else notice how short those men were sitting out in front of the bar-church?”
“Do you think it might be water around here?” Shannon asked.
“That’s enough of that,” Molly said. “These may be our future neighbors. Let’s try to be positive.”
“Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to bed I go,” Matthew said, as he stood to leave the room.
“No more short jokes, Matthew Colter,” Molly said, putting a hand over her mouth to hide her smile.
Chapter 15
The five Colters sat in the late August sun, at the entrance to the canyon. The beauty of the place was stunning. Colter Canyon seemed to be two or three times the size of Haven.
It was hard to be sure. It had been years, since either James or Molly had been to Haven. The steep ridges on either side were a reddish color, and much higher than any of the ridges in Tennessee. The high ridges made the canyon seem narrower than it really was.
The shallow river running the length of the canyon was the result of snow melting in the surrounding mountains. The bottom of the river was lined with small boulders, carried there by the spring thaw. The four foot banks of the river were cut deep by raging water.
