A Man Called Hawkes

Disclaimer: I don't own High Mountain Rangers, not making any money, just cheap thrills.

Warnings: AU; Angst; Violence, Disturbing imagery

Italics: the characters are speaking Shoshone. I won't attempt to mangle the Shoshone language in attempting to depict an entire conversation, hence the use of italics to symbolize the speaking of Shoshone.

Rating: FRT

A Man Called Hawkes
Chapter 6


"Please Pa, can't I come too?" Cody asked, looking up at his father with pleading blue eyes. "I'll be good, I promise."

Jesse smiled softly. "I know you would son, but you're not old enough yet. Maybe next year."

"It's not fair," Cody complained. "I'm never old enough."

Jesse choked back a laugh. "That's what your brother used to think. Your day will come too son, but for now I need you to stay home and take care of your mother."

"How come I'm old enough to take care of Ma but not to go to town?"

Jacklyn bit her lip, her shoulders shaking as she worked to contain her laughter. Her youngest was so logical, easily picking out the holes in their explanations. It was as exasperating as it was amusing.

"Well son, that's a good question but I don't have time to explain it right now." Jesse ruffled his son's hair, kissed his wife and shouldered his pack. "Why don't you ask your mother," he suggested as he slipped out the door where his oldest waited for him.

"Jesse Hawkes you...oh that man!" Jacklyn mumbled. Her children weren't the only ones who could be aggravating.

"Ma?"

"Yes Cody?" She was going to murder her husband when he came home.

"How come I'm old enough to take care of you but not go to town?"

Jacklyn sighed. Jesse was a dead man. "Your father didn't mean take care of me exactly. He meant you should keep me company and help me with chores. You're old enough to do that, aren't you?"

"But I'm old enough to ride to town too," he nearly whined.

"Cody Hawkes what is this? A big boy of seven whining like a baby," she tsked at him.

"I'm not whining, not exactly."

"Of course not," she smiled. "Why don't you go draw me a bucket of water and then you can go play for a while."

"Yes ma'am." Cody ran outside eager to prove he was a big boy. His mother's call to slow down went unheeded.


White Eagle left the others near the lake, gathering plants and fishing. He was heading up to the Hawkes cabin today, but not alone this time. His own father and uncle wished to meet the young white child he had taken to his heart. His dawi was growing into a fine young warrior. He spoke the Shoshone lanugage as well as one born to the tribe and had taught White Eagle to speak English as well as any white man. The boy instinctively understood the idea of a fair trade. Aside from language, White Eagle had taught the boy the ways of Mother Earth. As with language, his dawi quickly learned how to live with the land and how to find his way in the mountains of his home. He hoped to teach him the use of the bow this summer. They would begin with the making of the bow and the arrows. If Cody took to this as quickly as he had the other things he'd been taught, White Eagle was sure he would be hunting rabbits with his dawi by the end of the summer.

An eagle called overhead, drawing his attention to the sky. The sight of the majestic bird sent a chill down his back. "Father, did you feel it?"

"Yes my son, a spirit will soon flee Mother Earth."

"Dawi," the word escaped on a whispered breath. There was nothing to tell him the eagle was connected to his dawi, but somehow he knew that it was. A sense of urgency gripped him, moving him to pick up his pace. They would not be able to reach the cabin until evening, even at the increased speed. He feared that whatever was to happen would come to pass before they could arrive.

"We will arrive in the time we are meant to my son."

White Eagle nodded. He appreciated the comfort his father offered, though it did little to ease the sudden pain in his heart.


The morning had passed peacefully. After bringing in the water, Cody had ran off to play, leaving Jacklyn to her chores. Though she hadn't seen her son until lunch time, she hadn't worried overly much. It was something she still struggled with, but she was glad to say she was getting better. By lunch time Cody's mood had been greatly improved as he chattered away, telling her of all he had seen that morning. As soon as the dishes from lunch were cleaned, Cody had been off again. That had been nearly three hours ago. The pony White Eagle had given Cody whinnied, drawing her attention to the window. Was that a shadow? Uncertainly she opened the door, her hand already drawing out the small pistol she kept in her pocket.

"Hello darlin."

Jacklyn jerked away, bringing her gun up in a fluid motion. She barely hid a shudder as she took in the man before her. He was a rough looking character, wild beard and hair matched the crazed look in his dark eyes. "What do you want?" she firmly demanded. She was surprised and proud to find that her voice didn't shake.

"Now that ain't hardly polite. Polite folks introduce themselves, leastways that's what Ma always blathered on about until Pa shut her up." He spit a stream of tobacco juice into the dirt. "My name's Tom Cousins, what's your's?"

She couldn't repress the shiver. She had a feeling his father had done more than simply telling his mother to be quiet. "Mrs. Hawkes," she replied, emphasizing her title. "I'll ask again Mr. Cousins, what do you want?" She pulled the hammer back, her finger resting on the trigger.

"Put the gun down lady, less'n you want to see your son's brains on the ground."

Jacklyn jerked, turning her head to the side. Another man, as rough looking as the first, held her youngest in his arms, a gun pressed against his head. "Cody!" The gun jerked from her hands and strong arms wrapped around her.

"She's a feisty one Bern," Tom chortled as he dragged the woman into the cabin.

"I like 'em feisty," Bernie grinned. Following his brother into the cabin, he tossed the boy to the side as he advanced on the woman.

"Leave my Ma alone!" Cody launched himself at the man's back, wrapping his small arms around the thick neck.

"You little brat! Think you're tough do ya? Let's see how tough ya are," he grinned.

"No! Leave him alone!" Jacklyn cried out, struggling against her captor.

"You got him under control little brother?" Tom asked.

"I got him, you just keep that woman under control while I teach this boy a lesson."

Cody felt himself flying through the air again. Before he could recover from the rough landing, the man jerked him to his feet. The first punch caught him by surprise. Crying out in pain, he instinctively brought his hands up in an effort to protect himself. He quickly realized it was useless. The man was too big and he was too small to put up a good fight. He was helpless to defend himself as the large fist meted out punishment. Dropping to the floor, he thought it was over.

Bernie Cousins was angrier than he'd ever been. He couldn't abide anything around his neck. It reminded him too much of the hangman's noose. A fate he knew awaited him if he and his brother were ever caught. With each strike of his fist against flesh, his anger grew. Dropping the boy to the floor, he uncoiled the whip hanging from his belt.

The first strike of the whip stole his breath. As the whipping continued, he had no breath for tears or screams. He could only lay on the floor, gasping for air while his back burned with fire.

"Cody! Stop! Please, stop," Jacklyn begged. It hurt to see her baby beaten while she was helpless to stop it. Silently she prayed for help, not for herself but for her son. Help didn't come and the beating continued. She wasn't aware of the hands on her body, touching her in places that only Jesse had ever seen.

"Leave him be Bern," Tom called. "Come on over here and join the fun, he ain't gonna bother us again."

Bernie looked down at the boy, his back ripped open from the whip, face covered in bruises. "Guess you're right Tom." Dropping the whip, he moved to the woman, an evil grin on his face. "Let's see what you're hiding under here darlin." Grabbing a fistful of cloth, he jerked hard. A satisfying ripping sound told him he had been successful and in the next moment the dress front was gone, exposing the woman to the lustful view of the brothers.

He heard his mother screaming, but he couldn't help her. "'m sorry Ma, sorry," he sobbed. Pa shouldn't have left him to take care of his mother. He wasn't big enough and now she was being hurt. He should have grabbed a knife or a gun. He could have stopped the men with a weapon, so he told himself. He wished he could close his ears as easily as his eyes. Cody heard Ma crying now as the men grunted. He didn't understand the words they were saying to his mother, but he was sure they weren't nice words. They shouldn't say those things about his Ma. Why were they hurting his Ma? Why had they hurt him? He didn't understand what was happening. He'd never experienced such violence in his young life, nor had he known anybody who had. Had he been bad? Was that why these men were hurting him and his mother? He knew his mother hadn't been bad. She was a good Ma. She loved him and his brother. She took good care of them and their father. It must have been cause he hadn't wanted to stay home. He had been bad and now God was punishing his Ma.

"The feisty one's are always fun, ain't they Tom?" Bernie grinned as he pulled his clothes back into place.

"Sure are little brother, they surely are," Tom agreed. Grabbing the woman by the hair, he dragged her over to the boy. "Open your eyes boy," he growled. Jerking the woman to her knees, he waited for the brat to open his eyes.

Hesitantly Cody did as he was told. He was afraid to obey but more afraid not to. "Ma," he whispered. She looked at him with cold eyes. He shivered, he knew she blamed him for what had happened to her. He bit back a whimper.

"Say good-bye to your Ma," Tom grinned. Drawing his hunting knife across her throat, he laughed as her blood sprayed the boy, bringing a horrified cry from his throat. Dropping the body, he reached down for the boy, bringing him to his feet. Swiping a finger through the blood, he forced it into the boy's mouth. "That's your Ma's blood, taste good don't she?" He laughed again as the boy brought up everything in his stomach. Letting him go, he coldly watched as the boy dropped to the floor.

Cody shook, whether from fear or grief he couldn't say. Lying on the floor in a puddle of blood and vomit, he couldn't bring himself to care. He was barely aware of the man standing over him, talking. His eyes were drawn to his mother's body and all he could hear were her cries as those men hurt her.

"Your turn boy," Tom said. Shifting his hold on the knife, he prepared to plunge it into the boy's back. A sharp pain blossomed in his chest. Looking down, he was surprised to see an arrow protruding from his body. "Wha..." He would never know the answer to his question. His knees buckled, dropping him to the floor to stare with lifeless eyes at the body of his younger brother, a matching arrow protruding from his neck.

"Dawi!" White Eagle called out. Rushing to the boy's side, he dropped to his knees and laid his hand on the boy's back. He was relieved to find that there was still breath in his dawi. Glancing to the side, he saw the body of Jacklyn Hawkes. It was clear there was no hope for her.

"Care for your dawi my son, we will take care of the woman and these soulless ones."

"Thank you father," White Eagle spoke quietly to not disturb the living or the dead. Scooping Cody into his arms, he carried him outside to tend to his wounds. His dawi didn't need to stay inside with the dead. If he remained within, he might become confused, believing himself to be dead as well. White Eagle couldn't take the thought of losing his dawi. The eagle could carry the mother's spirit to the other side, but his dawi would remain on Mother Earth for many years. It was not his time, this White Eagle was sure of. As he looked into the dead eyes of the boy in his arms, he steeled himself for the task ahead. If he must remain with Cody's family through the winter, through many winters, he would. He would do whatever it took to help his dawi to recover from the hurt inflicted on him by the soulless ones.

TBC

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