DISCLAIMER: The Young Riders is the creation of Ed Spielman, and the property of Ogiens/Kane productions in association with MGM/UA television. This Story is created for entertainment purposes only, no infringement intended. Not to be copied without permission from the author.
Ike rode as quickly as he could back to where he had found the signs of his friends struggle. When he reached the station's buckboard he paused for a few moments overwhelmed by the feelings of hopelessness that assailed him, he knew that his friends had fought hard, but he was sure that they had been captured or worse. He lifted the items he found as he walked slowly around,, absently pushing Buck's hat back into shape, he dusted it off and put Lou's glasses into the pocket of his vest, but what he saw next caused him to fall to his knees in the dirt, sorrow overwhelming him. Tears welled in his eyes as he lifted a strip of Emma's skirt from the ground, now dry but it had obviously been used to stem the flow of blood from someone. Ike didn't know which of his friends was injured, but he knew that if they were captives, this was the worst news he could have uncovered.
Hoping that whoever was hurt wasn't hurt too badly, he tied the blood stained rag to the wagon wheel and began tracking in earnest, now all he could do was hope that he had learned enough tracking from Buck to Save him and their friends.
Buck lifted his head cautiously, even in his groggy semi conscious state he realised that signs of movement could and would be treated harshly by their captors. He had waited until just after sunset to lift his head, the anguish he had felt at hearing his friends moans of pain burning in his mind, but being beaten back into darkness would not help any one of them. Knowing that they would only be guarded by one man after sunset, a man he had already heard leave and go to the campfire for food, now he thought that it may be safe to try and take in as much of their surroundings as he could. Moving his head gingerly, he saw that Kid and Lou were in the same predicament as he was. Suspended by his hands, his feet didn't quite reach the ground, the muscles in his shoulders and arms screaming in agony, but realising that he needed to know as much as he could about their situation he turned slightly to see Lou. Her head hung limply against her chest, her face a myriad of dark bruises, a trickle of dried blood at the corner of her mouth. Her blood soaked shirt, appeared to have dried, but it didn't appear to be fresh blood, so maybe the bulletwound that grazed her ribs when they were captured had stopped bleeding. He hoped that it had, because if she got much weaker, he may not be able to help her out of their current predicament. Turning the other way he saw Kid, bruised and battered, moaning softly as he tried to move and ease the burning pain in his arms. He lifted his head further and saw Emma tied to a tall stake in the centre of the camp. She seemed to be awake and he knew she was terrified of their captors, just by the way she stood so arrow straight and alert. Knowing that he could not communicate with her, he wearily dropped his head back against his chest. Grateful that at least they hadn't discovered Lou's gender yet as he sank back into the blessed pain free unconsciousness.
Emma watched Buck try to find a way out of their current predicament, her heart swelling with pride at the courage of her boys. She watched in horror as they had beaten the boys and Lou with large clubs every time they had shown signs of waking. They had treated her comparatively well, she had been tied to this stake ever since they had brought them into camp, occasionally spat on by the female members of the tribe. The others had not been so lucky, they had been tied to a huge frame, hung off the ground by the hands with their feet not quite touching. She prayed that Sam and Teaspoon would soon realised that they were in trouble and come looking for them, before it was too late for the boys and Lou.
Ike bedded down for the night knowing that it was useless trying to track in the dark, but loathed to waste precious hours when he could be searching for his friends. Unwilling to build a fire and maybe give away his location to any unfriendly guests, he chewed on several strips of jerky and snuggled deeper into his jacket and leaning against his saddle prepared for a long sleepless night. He knew that his friends could not survive as Indian captives for long, especially if one of them was badly hurt, he resolved to find his friends as soon as he possibly could, even if it meant putting himself into greater danger than he had ever been in before.
'We can't be far away Teaspoon?' Jimmy spoke frustrated at their own inability to find any sign of Ike or the others.
”We have to bed down for the night, it’s getting too dark to track and I don’t want to miss anything’ Teaspoon replied as he dismounted, and walked his horse a few steps further.
”Teaspoon, we can’t stop now.’ Cody questioned his boss “What if we could help them?”
”And what if we can’t find them because we missed something’ Teaspoon spoke looking at the face of the town Marshall, seeing his misery at his sweetheart missing, not wanting to upset him any further.
”Boys, don’t you think we are all hurting, we will find them, alive or otherwise, we will bring them home’ he paused looking at the sorrow on all their faces ‘So help me we will, but charging in like a bull at a gate will not help them, please believe me boys’ he finished continuing to unsaddle his horse and bed down for the night in silence.
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