53 Harvest, 385 - Reishada, Ograkill, Charan

Breakfast had passed, the cleanup had been done and they lingered by the fire still. There wasn’t much to be done other than wait. Much of the group had their own gathering places further from the central fire where they diced and gambled. Taleka, Amien and the Franklin brothers still sat around the cook fire. Clark was leaned back against one of the benches with his eyes partially closed.

“Tell simple story then, simple man.” Amien said.

Howard cleared his throat and looked from one woman to the other. “Reckin neither of us ever tolt ya how to tell us apart, did we?”

A mostly unreadable expression crossed Taleka’s face as her eyes darted to Clark and back to Howard. “No.” The word was drawn out.

He coughed again. “Well, the two of us were just boys, ya know. It musta been a hundrit degrees, hot enough ta boil mud. Pa, he’d had us workin’ like dogs all the morning through. I coulda wrung my skin ‘n filled a pitcher.” One corner of his mustached lips lifted in a smirk. “It was Clark ‘at suggested we head for the fishin’ hole.”

Clark scoffed as his name was mentioned and opened one eye to glare at Howard. “It wasn’ me. It was Ambrose Hershford.”

“Good Lord Above. I an’ thought of Ambrose Hershford in a cow’s age. He was something else wasn’ he, Clark?”

“He was somethin’ alright.”

“It was him that led all us other fools on that hunt for the cougar.” Howard shook his head. “Ambrose was sure he saw tha’ darn cougar hasslin’ his herd. We weren’t much more than knee high to a pack of grasshoppers back then. Musta been ten, maybe twelve. A whole mess of us gathered up our pa’s guns an took off like a posse huntin’ bandits.” He took a moment to smooth down his mustache. Smiling a bit, he continued. “We musta looked right fools racing along the prairie half of us riding ponies bareback. The other half missin’ chores we were bound to catch a hidin’ for. But Ambrose? Ambrose is kitted out. He’s got his dad’s longarm rifle, riding his dad’s horse.”

“To be truthful, none of us were expectin’ to find a cougar. Ambrose was a liar. Ya see ever since we were real young, Ambrose’d done more lyin ‘n most the rest of us put together. Causing trouble too, I ‘spect. There was one time Clark ‘n me both got in trouble over Ambrose lifting some pure rotgut from his pa’s saloon. He gathered us all up ‘n we went out to the century oak just North of the churchyard.”

Howard scratched his head and readjusted his hat. “Spose we all did more ‘en a little drinkin’ that night, but Ambrose was the one ‘at got caught sneakin’ in near dawn. He spilled more beans than he’d a right to. Got e’ery last one of us in trouble. Worse’en that he told his Pa we were the ones that lifted the rotgut. His Pa told our Pa and we got our hides good and tanned for it. Ambrose was always like that. Lettin’ other folk take the tannings for him.”

“I reckon it was Patrick Finnegan who caught the hidin’ for the cougar hunt. Patrick was a real stand up sort. He went with Clark and me to the war. We were pinned down in some mud and blood soaked field down south. He gave us covering fire so we could rejoin our troop.” He swallowed, his brown eyes distant as he stared into the fire. “Clark and me we tried to give him cover in return. It was the cannon what got him.”

Howard swallowed sharply and was silent for a moment. He cleared his throat before he continued. “Patrick caught heck from his pa over the cougar hunt. See we weren’t expecting ta actually find the cougar ‘cos it was Ambrose. Mostly I reckon we were all just excited to be riding over the prairie on an afternoon. Some days it felt like it was all work, you know? Reckon all younguns feel like that now ‘n again. Leastwise we all did.”

“Reckon we rode ‘round for hours afore anything happened. Half the boys were gettin’ bored as could be, weren’t nobody payin’ attention anymore by the time it happened. Coming up over a rise, near a little stand of trees, Ambrose leading the pack with his longarm. It came out of nowhere. Down from one of the trees. You ever hear a cougar scream?”

Taleka smiled, but shook her head. “I don’t believe I ever have. There are no cougars here, I believe.”

“Strange, ain’ it? Y’all don’ have cougars, but ya have horses. They seem the same as mine. Wonder what else y’all have that we have? Or how we have the same things. Wonder what’s different too.” He trailed off and went silent.

Amien frowned and looked at Taleka, raising one brow. The silence drug out for a long moment. It was quiet enough that Clark’s soft snort of laughter was loud by contrast. Both women looked toward Clark, leaned against a bench, his hat low over his mostly closed eyes. With two fingers, he lifted his hat. He gave a sly wink before closing his eyes again.

“That cougar screamed like some demon straight from Hades. Landed right on Ambrose’s pa’s horse. Knocked him right out the saddle. He broke his arm, screamed louder than the cougar. Clark scooped ‘im up and we took off. Reckon it was bad enough the cougar ate the horse, but then while we were running another horse fell. We lost three of ‘em before we got home. Ambrose lost his Pa’s gun. Course Ambrose blamed the whole thing on Patrick. His Pa tanned his hide right good for it.”

“Our Pa, he always says “If’n you spare the rod, you spoil the child.” Don’ reckon he did much sparin of nothin’ with the raising of us. He was a great man. Loved all of us. I reckon it hurt him much as it hurt us. We have sisters too, mom and pa raised us up right. Bea, she’s got the homestead with her husband and her younguns.”

“We were heading west when we stumbled on this place.” Howard fell silent again and this time the silence stretched even longer.

They waited, shifting, until he finally continued. “It was Ambrose that suggested we go down to the swimmin’ hole. Hottest day we’d ever had so ‘course everyone was down to the swimmin’ hole. We were havin’ a good old fashioned chicken fight when it happened. Jeremiah Clayton took his turn on the rope swing and didn’t let go fast enough. He knocked Clark right off my shoulders. The both of ‘em dang near drowned.”

“The rest of us had to fish them out of the hole. That was the last time we swum that summer.” This time there was a finality to his words.

Clark was chuckling again as the women exchanged glances.

Finally Taleka spoke up. “What does any of that have to do with how to tell the two of you apart?”

Howard frowned. “That was later. I broke my nose in a bar fight.” He shook his head.