kate Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 Fall, 1883. A murder makes the papers for miles around; a cattle baron killed on the range out by the Montana River. His name was Clyde MacFarlane, and he'd been in charge of the family seat on Hennigan's Stead for three years. A charismatic leader, Clyde acted trail boss when a drought crippled the ranch over the summer months. The land was sunscorched and the cows suffered for it; in the end, only thing to do was to lead them to water. Were it not for a pair of survivors, José and Bartosz, the papers might've chosen to use the word 'killed' and not 'murdered.' See, the drive was ambushed on its way to Stillwater Creek by Indian cattle rustlers; it's said they incited a stampede with an echo of gunfire and a chorus of thundering horses, whose riders' fearful cries fanned the flames of the cowherd's panic. One by one, by the survivors' accounts, even the ablest of swing riders were thrown from their saddles and tramped underfoot by their animals. The herd was lost, save for a scant few found by the creek once the dust had settled, because all but two of the men who rode out to water lived to tell the tale. So in one fell swoop, the MacFarlanes' beloved patriarch, their ranch manager and the bulk of their best cowboys were now dead. With a great deal of the hands and herd waylaid by the local Indians, this shall prove to be the greatest trial of the MacFarlanes in America. Present Day Like a prize bull, Clyde was raised to inherit the ranch. He lived and breathed his legacy unlike his brothers, Barney and Roy. Barney was born second and in many ways it was as if the Lord had marked him from that day to come second in all things. They say the child not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth, but Barney's never had those kind of guts. Hell, he couldn't even find the courage to go searching for those Indians when his brother died. A bonafide coward; that's what they say. Roy on the other hand has bluster enough to go around. He's the youngest and most rebellious of the MacFarlane offspring by far, which has landed him in all manner of unruly situations over the years, often leaving the ranch to pursue (largely unsuccessful) hunts for wealth and glory. It comes then as a surprise that the ungovernable son returned to the fold at his mother's behest when Clyde was murdered. On that fateful day the widowed old Myrtle MacFarlane took one look at Barney and made the executive decision to supplant his inheritance for her own. With such dire circumstances upon them, he was certain to run the family ranch to the ground and, regarded as something of a battleaxe, no one tried to stop her—least of all her yellow-bellied son. Clyde was survived by his children, Nellie and Avery, now orphaned. With the ranch on the cusp of ruin, they must find the means to earn their keep and, if their uncles fail to impress, perhaps stake their own claim. Five months have passed and a tense chill quivers across the dusty earth of Hennigan's Stead in equal measures vengeance and fear. Conventions are broken in the name of survival; people of all colors are welcomed to the fold, for many hands make light work; a Pole is ranch manager, and a Mexican the wrangler of the MacFarlane remuda; a woman dictates the path of the biggest ranching operation in the territory and in their darkest hour, one would do well to remember that in their blood is tyranny. 28 1 2 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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