Telaisen rode into town about mid-afternoon of another dry and dusty day. Surveying the street as she went she rode with the confidence of someone who’d spent a lifetime on horseback. With barely a nudge the horse idled over towards the saloon picking its way around the sweltering townsfolk in the street.
A short whistle, barely audible, brought two dogs that had been lagging behind to heel as Tel tied her horse up to the rail. She hitched one leg over the saddle pommel while she removed her well-worn gloves then slid effortlessly to the ground in one quick fluid movement. A small cloud of dust billowing around her feet was the only indication that she’d landed so quiet was her descent.
With a brief glance along the saloon porch, which was at that moment adorned with a number of tough-looking men in various positions of leaning, she turned to her saddlebags. The two dogs sat quietly at her feet, watching her every move and, as the buckle of the saddlebag clicked bag into place, they licked their jowls in anticipation. The woman bent down to pat each dog and give them the jerky snack they’d been waiting for.
"Not much longer", she whispered to them their snacks already gulped down. The dogs sniffed around at her feet, just in case she dropped some food, Tel stood and started towards the saloon. One of the dogs was about to follow but a barely perceptible twitch of the hand sent it back to its mate already laying in the shade beneath the porch.
As she walked, Tel used her gloves to slap some of the trail dust off her clothes but gave up when it started to get up her nose. That did a lot of good she thought. She stepped onto the porch and looked up – into the amused eyes of one of the men, still leaning, a slight smirk appeared and then a quiet laugh as he watched her vain attempt to dust off. She looked right back at him, admitting to herself that she probably did look a little ridiculous right then, and shrugged. But she wasn’t going to let him get away with it. Placing one hand on her hip she slowly looked him up and down. When her eyes were once again level with his she commented, in a low voice,
"Nice coat. Very … red!" She dropped her voice another octave or two on the last word and waited for his reaction.
For just a second confusion came into the mans green eyes, but only for a second.
"Does the colour of my attire in some way offend you … madam?" he returned in like tones his eyebrows raised in question.
Tel gave a low chuckle but instead of answering turned away to enter the saloon. It was darker inside but only slightly cooler. She paused to allow her eyes to adjust to the dimness then headed straight to the bar, glancing around the room as she walked.
The woman behind the bar gave her a quick look up and down – Tel was used to that – before asking, "Can I help you?"
"Do you know when the next stagecoach is due?" Tel asked
"Not for another two days" was the answer.
"Well then, I’d better have a beer while I wait" said Tel, smiling.
* * * * * * *
J.D., Buck, Ezra, Chris and Vin were lazily discussing possible weather changes, or rather J.D., Buck and Ezra were discussing, Vin and Chris sat listening and watching the street. Josiah and Nathan had headed up to the reservation that morning to see how things were going and wouldn’t be back for a day or so.
Both Chris and Vin noticed the stranger riding warily into town. The rider’s hat was pulled low making the face barely discernible in its shadow. A plain cotton scarf protected the rider’s neck and lower face from the sun and sand. The heavy coat was encrusted with the dust and grime of a long ride. Conversation came to a stop as the other men also noticed the rider and then the antics of the two black and white dogs that had followed the newcomer in.
Buck let out a short laugh when one of the dogs started sniffing around the skirts of one of the townswomen just exiting the store opposite. He’d tried to impress that particular lady himself recently without much luck – yet. He didn’t hear the whistle that called the dogs to the rider’s side as his mind wandered onto the possibilities of romantic encounters to come.
Vin and Chris heard the low noise even though it was barely above a whisper and their eyes immediately returned to the rider who was now headed their way. As the rider reached the hitching rail and cocked one leg over the saddle, the heavy duster fell open revealing a woman’s body inside. Tanner noticed her glance towards them and he knew that with that one quick look she had sized them all up. Without a sound she slide to the ground. No spurs the tracker noted.
J.D. was more interested in watching the dogs than the rider. They reminded him of the dog that he’d once owned. It had been a stray he’d fed kitchen scraps too occasionally and who had then decided to adopt him. It would wait for him every afternoon for a play and some more food. These dogs were too covered in trail dust to be able to tell their breed – not that he knew that much about dogs anyway.
They all smiled when the woman tried to dust off – except Chris who appeared to be dozing in his chair perched against the wall, legs outstretched in front of him. Appeared to be dozing but actually just as alert as ever and trying to decide if this latest arrival presented any possible threat to the town. You can never be sure with women he thought. He’d seen enough of the independent type recently not to discount the ability of any woman to cause trouble. This one appeared to be not only of that type but extremely confident as well, not in any sort of cocky devil-may-care way though. She just … was. Chris felt that if he were to ask her who she was she’d probably say something like ‘I am who I am’. There was just that sort of air about her, and possibly something else but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
Ezra hadn’t actually meant to laugh out loud at the woman but she did look amusing standing in a billowing cloud of dust, so he did. He felt nailed to the spot when she looked hard into his eyes. Her own eyes were like pieces of black flint and Ezra was just starting to feel a little uncomfortable when they suddenly softened and took on an amused tint of their own. Amazing eyes the gambler thought as he continued to stare into their depths. When she made a comment about his coat, he wasn’t quite sure how to take it – and he definitely was not used to being unsure of himself. Her black eyes grew more amused – at his expense and he realised that she was teasing him. He mumbled something back trying to get back his usual sense of the moment but felt disconcerted when she just laughed and walked away. He turned to find his friends staring at him. They hadn’t heard the brief conversation only the laughter.
Ezra raised his hands, "What can I say? She has good taste in clothing." Then he straightened his cuffs and flicked at some dust that had settled on his sleeve.
All four men watched again, a short time later, when the woman departed the saloon. She looked at Ezra again, raised one finger to her hat in a mock salute and smiled then, collecting her horse, went off in the direction of the stables her dogs following at her heels.
* * * * * * *
That evening was relatively quiet in Four Corners, even in the saloon. Four of the men sat at their usual table playing cards and carrying on a disjointed conversation that covered everything from the day’s events (which were very few), news about a new outlaw gang in the general vicinity (that were still too far away to be overly concerned with just yet) to the weather (again) and Josiah and Nathan’s trip. Strangely enough, no one thought to mention the woman who had arrived in the afternoon. Though her presence was there in the back of their minds, everything else was talked about except her.
The few other patrons of the saloon were quietly sitting around, some eating, more drinking and some half-heartedly playing cards. It was definitely a slow night in Four Corners.
Up in the hills behind the quiet town Vin Tanner was sitting cross-legged on a rocky outcrop gazing at the stars and the moonlight on the rocks and trees around him. He liked to be up high above the usual noise of the town and enjoyed the stillness that nights like this brought.
He had been going to spend the night with his friends at the saloon as usual but had been lured up sometime after sunset by a strange sound echoing through the hills. It sounded like music but unlike any he’d heard before. He’d looked around for the musician but the echoes had effectively hidden the source of the music so he’d decided to just stop and listen. The music had faded away now though and the silence was palpable.
As the tracker waited, hoping it would start again, the full moon above him seemed to glow brighter until it pulsed with a life of its own. At the same time the music resumed with a different tune that seemed to be responding to the glow and pulse of the moon. The notes were slow and deep, and reverberated through his still body. He could feel himself responding to the music too as his body started to softly sway.
The music came faster wrapping itself around him, enticing him to dance and he felt himself lifting up and up until he opened his eyes and found himself floating high above the now small hills. He looked down at the fading lights of the town twinkling far below and then at the spot where he’d been sitting and was surprised to see that someone was sitting in the same spot. The music and the moonlight held him, carrying him higher still and the only thing he felt was pure joy and exhilaration at the total freedom he was experiencing.
The music came harder and faster and Vin could feel himself twirling and dancing to its irresistible beat unable and unwilling to stop. He flew around the stars and the moon and felt their warmth as they passed.
The ebb and flow of the music finally lessened and began its retreat at the same time gently easing him away from the moon returning him to the earth where he belonged. He didn’t want to go back but the music controlled him still so he relaxed and enjoyed the strange sensation of floating through the skies. He looked towards the outcrop at the man sitting there as still as if he’d become part of the cold rock itself and, as he began his final spiral downwards, he realised with shock that the man sitting so still was himself.
With an overwhelming sense of loss and regret Vin Tanner returned to his body sitting silently waiting. He squeezed his eyes tightly closed in a last ditch effort to prevent the inevitable but as the music faded away once again he opened his eyes and a single tear escaped to roll silently down his face.
He didn’t move and didn’t notice the passage of time as he continued to sit, caught in the grip of what had just happened to him, the memory of the extraordinary experience remained fresh and alive in the very core of his soul.
It was almost dawn when he at last unfolded his stiff legs wincing at the pain of moving muscles that had been so long still and cold. He stood unsteadily, waited for the cramps to release their hold on his legs then stretched his whole body as hard as he could. Eventually he clambered down the rocks to the place he’d left his horse and returned to the town, the soft music still playing in his head.
II. The Right Choice [Next]
