After scribbling down his thoughts for the day, Elijah closed his small leather journal slowly then set it to the side, lifting his tired, bloodshot eyes to gaze out over the sheen crystal surface of the Tallahatchie Lake and the morning sun reflecting off the still waters. He was sitting on a hollowed out log near the water's edge, just a stone's throw from the camp, doing his usual morning routine of contemplating the rest of the day in silence. A lit, slightly crumpled cigarette dangled precariously from his dry lips, which he soon took between his fingers, giving a slow drag of it and exhaling a thin wisp of smoke into the damp morning air.
Despite the peacefulness of the early morning, the distant sound of birds chirping and fish splashing in the nearby lake, his mind was troubled Eli's. All the man could think about was that last job in Dodge City, how it had gone so horribly wrong and led to the death of two of his best men. Indeed his heart grieved for Mack and Roy, for they were like his brothers, as were they to the rest of the gang. Alas, Elijah didn't dare to show any remorse upon his grizzled face. To do so in his mind was to show weakness, and right now...of all times...he needed to be a strong leader.
So entranced in thought was Elijah that he did not notice the old codger toddling up beside him, until he heard the sound of Gus's spurs jingling with each heavy, lumbering footfall. The old man hacked a rather nasty cough before speaking in his accustomed jovial and upbeat manner, "Well shit the bed, boy! What you doin' down here by your lonesome? Mopin'?"
Elijah muttered, turning to the old bastard with a grim expression on his face, "I ain't mopin', you old drunk. I'm just thinkin' is all." He turned around then, facing the waters once more with a sigh as Gus plopped down beside him and fished from his leather satchel a flask of Tennessee Whiskey. The old man unscrewed the cap, taking a big gulp, then he offered it to Elijah, the younger man respectfully declining. Elijah resumed, "We've been chased all over for weeks, Gus. I ain't had much time to sleep or do anything else." And it showed. Elijah's pale blue eyes were flecked with jagged veins of crimson, and his eyelids were dark and droopy with heavy bags under both.
"Hell, when do we ever Eli?" Said Gus taking another swig of his flask. "The law's been mighty tough on us ever since we left Dodge City. I can't believe them damn Pinkertons were there just waitin' on us."
"It's strange, I know." Elijah nodded in agreement. "It was like they knew, Gus. They knew damn good and well we were gonna be there. I'm beginning to think..." His eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"About what?" Gus's bushy brow furrowed, his dry lips curling into a frown beneath his peppery beard. "That one of us told them government boys?" He was silent for a moment. Suddenly, he laughed out, slapping Elijah hard enough on the back that he nearly fell out of his seat on the log, "Shit, Eli! You're gettin' paranoid! Not a goddamn one of us would sell this gang out to them damn Pinkertons, even if they offered us money and whatnot! We're family through and through! We'll stick together no matter what! Besides, only a fool would betray you son."
Elijah gave him a wry smile, replying, "It's nice to hear you say that, old man. I'm glad you and the others are loyal, despite what we've been through these past few months." Then, with a lengthy stretch and a yawn, he stood up, throwing his cigarette down into the wet sand and crushing it under his boot. "Well," Said Elijah as he looked towards the camp. "Let's get to it then, old man. We got a big day ahead of us, I reckon." By then, everyone else was stirring from their tents. It amused him honestly. Half the time, he was the one getting out of bed late, but surprisingly this morning, he beat everyone else.
Walking back to the camp, Gus followed behind Elijah returning as he took one more swig of whiskey before screwing the cap back on his flask and stuffing it in his dingy overalls, "That we do, son. That we do. By the way..." He noticed of the gang, Claudia wasn't among them. "Where's your woman, Miss McCullen?"
"Oh, her." Said Elijah bluntly. "Ah, she's over on the other side of the lake takin' a bath. Kept complainin' all night about not bein' able to bathe. She'll be here soon." And with that, both Elijah and Gus continued on to the camp.
Meanwhile on the other side, Claudia ambled down the path through the forest that led to what she considered the perfect place to bathe.
The lake emptied into an open glade of the secluded forest far from the campsite, at a pond of crystal waters sparkling amidst the first golden rays of dawn casting ethereal light through the thick veil of pines and cedars. Frail, dappled shadows danced across the smooth, polished rocks, and the flowers, so many lovely shades and wondrous hues of color, were brimming to life at the first warm kiss of morning upon their petals. Twas nature's beauty, innocent yet untamed, just as the songbirds chirping and singing their morning praises that culminated with the gentle pitter-patter of the waterfall snaking through the sheer rock-face and diluting so tranquil into the shimmering pool of crisp, clear water.
Claudia relished the sight for a moment or so, taking it all in with equally dazzling eyes so warm and pleasant. After all, it was in nature she found her peace, her solace. She then removed her garments and her weapons, leaving them to rest beside the bank as she tiptoed in a tad skittish. Twas the midst of summer yet the water was cold, a chill creeping through the woman's toes and all throughout her body. Even so, Claudia took a deep breath and dove in, swimming deeper into the mysterious fathoms of the forest spring, a new world seeming to await under the glassy surface as she opened her eyes.
She rose to the surface once more to catch her breath and rest her back against the rocks, staring into the sky and sighing to herself blissfully.
After her bath, she dried off quickly and got dressed, slipping her gun belt back over her dress, a leather holster dangling off the side that held her LeMat revolver and plenty of bullets. Claudia wasn't much of a sharp shooter like the rest of the gang, but she was learning enough thanks to Elijah. Once she was dressed and her hair was fixed, she returned to the camp well rested and well pampered with a pleasant expression crossing her lips. Twas a beautiful morning, yet she could feel the sun wouldn't stay for long. Clouds, gray and billowing loomed in the distance, and she was sure she felt a tiny drop kiss her cheek softly.
Nevertheless, she wasn't one to let a little rain spoil her day. Walking up to the camp, she greeted her fellow gang members with a smile, chirping pleasantly to them, "Morning, everyone. How'd you sleep?"
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