by Mavisdavis (aka Lyn)
This
is a Fanfiction story based on the TV series The Big Valley, produced by Four
Star Margate. No infringement of
copyright or right of ownership to the main characters and BV concept is
intended. The author asserts right of
ownership of this story plotline, and new original characters.
Nick and Heath had been
finishing-up flushing out the dregs left behind from the autumn round-up in the
elevated summer mountain grazing. After
days chasing wayward cattle, unweaned calves still on the hoof, using dogs to
flush them out of the rougher country, they had brought down a group and made
camp at Lyell Creek, a small clearing amidst steep sided rocky timber country.
Camped high above the floodable creek bed, they had pitched their tent on a
broad ridge with a view of the gully and livestock below them. The late autumn
rains hadn't yet arrived and the evening had been unusually warm, bringing
mosquitoes up from the creek in irritating swarms. It had been a relief for
once to crawl inside the tent.
Plop!
Nick raised his head semi-awake,
eyes wide open. It was pitch
black. He closed his eyes. Everything looked them same with his eyes
closed. Beside him he could hear the
soft breathing of his brother.
Plop!
There it was again. Though curious as to the sound, Nick was
rung out with exhaustion. He rapidly
fell back into a deep sleep.
A while later ... he awoke to a cry…
"Nick, get off, you're
heavy!" called Heath giving a grunt and a shove.
"Wuh … uh ...
?" Called Nick. "Shhurrrrup ... sleepin'," he grumbled
whacking a hand out towards his brother. It came in contact with a lean furry
body.
"Huh?" thought
Nick.
He sat up.
Heath sat up.
Bonk.
"Ow!"
"Hey there's only so much room
in here Heath, stop lying on me and move over!"
"I'm not lying on ya!"
cried Heath.
"You move over, you're over
here… "he shoved the heavy weight of a stuperous dog away.
There was a whimper.
"Star, get off, gorn
outside!"
Splosh
"Huh?"
Nick and Heath put their hands
out to feel the ground beneath them.
The tent floor on which they were lying was swimming in water.
"Coverin' my hand Nick,”
said Heath's groggy voice." Tex, get outta here! Gorn ya mongrel, get
outside." He shoved.
"Mine too"
"ah …" sighed Heath,
"that's better, can breathe now."
Nick heard him turn over and
doze again. He knew he should do
something, get up maybe, but he was so tired.
"I'll just lie here for a bit," he thought as he pulled his
blanket higher up around his chin and tiredness enveloped him once more.
The dogs crawled back into the
dry warmth and stretched out upon the conveniently warm man-mattresses.
The night wore on. Rain shushed down in driving torrents. The sound so persistently hummed the exhausted
men slept right through it.
Plop!
Splosh!
The tent continued to leak and
fill. The dogs left the wet mattresses and huddled together in the lee of a
large tree trunk.
In the early morning a gusty
wind blew up, wailing down the valley. It whirled around the cattle, driving them into a corner of the
makeshift corral. It sucked and tweaked
at leaves twirling on the surrounding trees, spinning them through the falling
drops to pile in sodden mounds. It
sucked and blew at the tent entrance.
Nick awoke to a thundering train
hurtling through the tent, the eddying aftermath flapped the tent sides in and
out and he held onto one of the tent poles as it wavered in the onslaught.
The tent opening flapped. "Whassup? Called Heath groggily, "go
back ta sleep Nick…"
"I thought you closed the
tent flap?"
"I did!"
Nick pulled back and his head
hit wet soggy canvas.
"Listen," Heath called
sleepily over the roaring clamour. Nick listened.
"What?" he shouted
back. The sound of rain was so loud and
persistent that he completely missed it.
"Nick! S'raining,"
mumbled Heath.
Nick blinked drowsily, barely
registering it beyond exhaustion and slid back to sleep.
He awoke some time later. The wind train was still hurling its wet delivery
over them.
"Nick." Heath was
tapping his chest accompanied by a sloshing noise. "Wake up!"
Nick spluttered and blew the
sodden cloth away from his mouth as he struggled to speak. He swept an arm up
and met the resistance of heavy canvas flattened on top of him. So the pole had given way.
"Hey!"
From next to him came a chuckle.
"Tents down."
"Just listen to that!"
"Yeah, and we slept right
through it," Heath chuckled again.
"Yep," sighed Nick,
"Well, we're wet now…"
"Yep, reckon so…"
"Night then ..."
"Night"
THE END