Samuel looked up and saw Wayne coming towards
him, his face pinched and pale.
“Wayne !
What’s wrong?” he asked in concern as he put his hand on Wayne’s shoulder.
“S-Samuel, I n-n-need your help!” Wayne
stammered in a high-pitched voice.
“What is it? Calm down!” Samuel put an arm
around the younger man’s shoulders and grimly steered him over to a fallen tree,
pulling him down to sit with him.
Having made up his mind to tell, Wayne quickly
blurted out the whole story to his companion. How he had taken the puppy on
impulse, how he had felt forced into telling Galen in order to get scraps, and
how he had just seen Galen and Thomas returning the puppy to Kelby.
“What do I do now? They’ll be coming to get
me!” The panic was obvious in Wayne’s eyes and speech.
Samuel was stunned. He couldn’t believe his
ears. He was quiet for about two minutes as he thought things over. “Wayne, I
think the best thing would be talk with Thomas and to get everything
straightened out. Okay? I’ll be right with you. Come what may, we’ll face this
together. It’ll be alright. Come along now!”
Wayne nodded his head reluctantly. He knew it
was time to face the inevitable and it terrified him. But with Samuel next to
him and sounding so calm, he felt stronger.
Wes
saw Wayne heading into the woods. ‘This has gone on long enough. I’m gonna find
out once and for all what the hell he’s been up to,’ he thought and took off
after his brother. He watched Wayne run over to Samuel and crept closer to hear
what was being said.
Wes
could not catch the whole conversation, but he made out enough to feel a wave
of anger and protectiveness sweep through him. Wayne’s tale left Wes
infuriated. ‘Don’t worry, Wayne! I will get him for ratting on you,’ he vowed
vehemently to himself before hastening back to camp.
Wes tramped with determined strides towards
Galen, his eyes glinting angrily. ‘How dare that runt tattle on my brother,’ he
fumed to himself. Wes fought often with Wayne and sometimes fiercely too, but
that was different. He would not allow anyone else to hurt his twin in any way.
“Hey you!” Wes called out and as Galen looked
up, swung a left hook that almost brought the smaller man to his knees.
“And that,” Wes said with satisfaction as he
watched the blood seep from Galen’s nose, “is for tattling on Wayne!”
Nathan came out of the storage tent just in
time to see Wes’ attack on Galen. He rushed over, placed a firm hand on Wes’
shoulder, spun him around and demanded, “what the hell do you think you are
doing?”
Wes was breathing hard as he looked into
Nathan’s eyes. Without thinking, he brushed Nathan’s hand away and snapped, “get
off me!”
Nathan griped Wes’ arm and gave him a shake. “I
asked a question and I expect an answer, young man!”
Some of the fury left Wes’ eyes but his voice
was far from apologetic. “Well, I’m not sorry. That little bastard there ...”
Nathan turned Wes slightly and landed a solid
swat on his backside. “There’ll be none of that vulgar name-calling!”
“Ow!” Wes let out a loud yelp. “What was that
for?” he demanded angrily, even as the blush crept up his face when he realised
there were spectators around.
“You are a smart man, so I’ll let you figure it
out for yourself. Now, I am still waiting for an explanation of your actions.”
Wes pointed an accusing finger at Galen and hollered,
“he is nothing but a lousy squealer! And he deserved to get a bloody nose!”
Thomas took gentle hold of the shocked Galen
and put a clean handkerchief under the younger man’s nose to stem the flow of
blood. He turned to look at Wes, his face red with anger over the unprovoked
attack. “If you are accusing Galen of having told on Wayne for taking the puppy, you are sadly
mistaken. Despite being repeatedly asked, he kept Wayne ’s confidence. Up until this moment, I
had no idea it was your brother who stole the dog.”
Wes glared at Thomas for a moment, then turned
disbelieving eyes first to Galen and finally to Nathan. The flush in his cheeks
grew darker. “You mean, Galen didn’t ... um ..”
“No, he didn’t. However, I am calling a council
meeting forthwith to discuss how we will be dealing with your brother’s
thievery and your assault on Galen. Be aware that both are serious charges.”
Thomas turned to the handsome tailor. “Nathan, I will leave Wesley to you for
the time being as I need to get Galen’s nose looked at. We will hold a council
meeting immediately after supper. Would you please see to it that Wesley is
there and if you can, track down Wayne
as well?”
“Samuel and I will make sure both of them are
in attendance, Thomas,” Nathan assured him.
Thomas wrapped his arm around Galen and led him
towards the infirmary. “Are you in much pain?” he asked as he guided his young
charge across the compound. “We need to get Lakota to look at your nose and make
sure it isn’t broken.”
Not getting a response, Thomas turned Galen’s
face upward to enable the younger man to see his lips. Then he repeated the
question.
“Ah, n-no. It’s kinda n-numb.” Galen answered
as he meekly allowed himself to be led to the medical tent. He was in a bit of
a stupor and not fully mindful of what was going on around him. He clung onto
Thomas when finding his legs shaking and seemingly unwilling to hold him
upright.
Thomas pulled the flap back on the infirmary
tent and called out, “Lakota, we’re in need of your services!”
Becoming aware of where he was, Galen held
back. He had been visiting the doctor regularly since his initial check-up and
felt it was already more than enough.
Lakota looked up from the logbook he’d been
writing in, took in the blood-soaked handkerchief being held against Galen’s
face and went immediately to lead the young man to the examination table.
“Galen, I want you to sit up here so I can have
a closer look at what damage has been done. Thomas, bring me the lamp from my
desk please, as I’ll need the extra light,” Lakota ordered. “You mind telling
me what happened?” he requested, offering the young man a helping hand.
“Someone punched me,” Galen mumbled through the
red-stained cloth in his hand. Still in a daze, he didn’t even notice the burn
returning to his recently spanked bottom.
Lakota threw a questioning look towards Thomas,
but the other man gave a small shake of the head and mouthed ‘later’, so the
doctor returned his attention to his patient. “Let me take the handkerchief and
have a look at what we’ve got here.” He pulled the cloth away and peered at the
bloody, swollen nose. “I’m going to touch it very gently, Galen. I know it’s
sore, but I need to see if it’s broken, okay? I may need your assistance,
Thomas, as Yancey is tending our other patient at the moment.”
Galen started to pull away but knowing how
futile that would be, let the doctor check him out.
Thomas laid a reassuring hand on Galen’s
shoulder. “Easy, honey. I’m here with you.”
Lakota gently felt the nose, noting that the bleeding
was lessening.
“Oww!” Galen cried and tried to push the hand
away.
“Galen, you need to sit still for me. I know it
hurts but I have to examine your nose,” Lakota softly chastised.
Galen responded with a scowl but did as he was
told.
“Thomas, there is a basin of cold water on the
crate in the corner. Please bring it to me along with the stack of small towels
beside it. Galen, I don’t think your nose is broken, so we’re just going to
clean it up and hold some cold compresses on it to make it feel better, okay?”
“Alright,” the young man muttered reluctantly,
suspiciously watching every move the older men made.
Thomas gathered the requested supplies and
brought them to the examining table. He soaked one of the cloths, wrung it out
and handed it to the doctor.
Lakota took it and carefully washed away the
caked-on blood as well as mopping up what was still slowly dripping out. He
tossed the stained cloth aside and took the next one Thomas handed to him. “I
want you to hold this over your nose and as it warms we’ll need to change it
every few minutes until the bleeding has stopped. Okay?”
Thomas took Galen’s free hand in his and rubbed
it reassuringly. “Are you feeling any better now?” he asked worriedly.
“Uh-huh,” Galen nodded and leaned towards the
bigger man, seeking comfort and finding it.
Thomas glanced questioningly at the doctor, who
gave him a smile. “He’ll be fine, Thomas, but I’m afraid his nose will be
swollen and bruised. There is also a good chance that he’ll end up with a black
eye or two as the bruising spreads. But there will be no permanent damage.”
Thomas’ look of relief slowly changed to one of
wrath as he thought of the unprovoked attack to this young man he was so fond
of. He knew he would have to compose himself before dealing with the situation.
He could not be a fair judge of things while he was feeling nothing but anger.
Galen’s eyes moved from one man to the other as
he slowly relaxed and gave himself up to their care. He was unaware of Thomas’
mounting fury or of the man’s inward battle to control it.
Lakota could see the lines of tension around
Thomas’ eyes and decided the man needed something to do to get his mind off the
situation for a few minutes. “Thomas, I’d like to get Galen to drink something
warm, but I’ve let the fire go out in our pot-bellied stove. Would you mind
going to the mess hall and bringing me back a small pot of boiled water? I have
some herbs here for tea.”
Thomas looked up, startled from his reverie by
the doctor’s request. “Oh... sure, Doctor, that would be fine. I’ll be right
back.”
“I don’t even like tea,” Galen whispered
bewilderingly as he watched Thomas leave the tent.
The doctor smiled. “I wanted Thomas to take a
break and calm down. He’s pretty upset about you being hurt,” he explained. “And
I’ll have you know, this is my own blend of herbal tea and it is delicious,” he
added.
“Do you p-put sugar in it?”
“I have some honey if you would like.”
“Okay, I’ll try it even though I really
p-prefer m-milk.”
Lakota laughed. He liked this young man, so
honest and spunky. “Drink your tea and you can have some milk with your
supper,” he promised.
“I think, Wesley, it is time you and I had a
little talk,” Nathan sternly suggested and began to gently but firmly lead Wes around
the back of the mess hall and into the woods.
Wes tried to pull away. “Nathan, no! I’m sorry.
I didn’t know.”
“Do you remember what we talked about earlier
this morning?”
“A-about what?” Wes cocked his head to one
side, looking deceptively perplexed.
“I seem to recall explaining to you what my
response would be to fighting, especially publicly.”
“But, Nathan, I wasn’t fighting!” He rushed on
as Nathan raised his eyebrows. “It wasn’t a fight! It was, er ..just a little
misunderstanding because I thought ...” he trailed off as he felt the stern
eyes on him. “I was mistaken, okay? Honest!”
Nathan looked into dark brown eyes and softy
inquired, “young man, are you seriously telling me you think punching someone
in the face, someone I might add who is much smaller than you are and making
his nose bleed because you think he did something against your brother, is
acceptable behaviour?”
Somehow that soft voice made Wes’ knees tremble
more than if he had been shouted at. He stared back at Nathan, for once at a
loss for words.
“It
isn’t, Wesley!” Nathan’s sharp tone made Wes flinch. “The council will not put
up with it. I certainly will not put up with it!” Nathan could see the wheels
turning in Wes’ head. The young man before him suddenly transformed into a
picture of contrition and when he spoke, he sounded deeply remorseful. Nathan secretly
found Wes’ attempt to manipulate him amusing but he wasn’t deceived for a
moment, nor was he going to let the incident pass unaccounted for.
“Nathan, I’m very sorry. It was an honest
mistake!” Wes mumbled to the ground, looking the picture of dejection. He
chanced a peek up, saw Nathan’s eyes still on him and quickly ducked his head
once again.
“I am sorry too, Minx, but there are
consequences to be faced.” Nathan took Wes’ hand and led him further along the
path. Once they were out of hearing distance from the campsite, he sat down on
a log with Wes standing in front of him.
Wes’ eyes were wide. “You aren’t really doing
this, are you Nathan? It was just one punch and not a very hard one at that.
Nathaaaaan, you can’t be serious.”
Nathan shook his head to let Wes know his
pleading was accomplishing nothing. He reached out for the obviously
unrepentant young man standing before him, steadily pulling on his arm until he
was face down across his well-muscled thighs.
With the dread mixing with anticipation in the
pit of his stomach, Wes yielded to Nathan’s strength. As he felt himself tipped
over and Nathan’s arm holding him down, he suddenly gave a gurgle of amusement,
which he did nothing to hide. It was more from nervousness than anything else.
Nathan gritted his teeth in tender
exasperation; fully aware Wes could not see him doing so. ‘This cheeky lad
still thinks this is a game,’ he thought. Aloud he said, “I am afraid you are
in for a bit of an unpleasant surprise, young man,” he announced. “Do you think
this is a game?” he snapped as he smacked the seat of Wes’ pants.
Wes jerked, the amusement dying abruptly. ‘Man,
but that swat stung!’
Nathan tightened his left arm around Wes’
waist, his right arm rising and falling as he applied a dozen very hard swats
to the upturned bottom. He paused. “Do you know why you are being spanked,
Wesley?”
Wes lay still for the duration of about four
spanks, probably in shock, and then struggled with all his might. He could not
believe this was happening. The spanks hurt, but his dignity hurt more. “Let me
up! Let me up!” he protested, his eyes stinging with angry tears.
Nathan ignored him and landed another dozen
smacks, stopping to rest his hand on the seat of Wes’ pants. He could feel the
heat beginning to radiate from them. “That is not the answer I am looking for,
Wesley.”
“Ow!” Wes groaned as the warmth continued to
build in his nether region. “Please! Don’t spank me anymore, Nathan! Stop!”
Nathan gently rubbed his hand across the
backside he had been spanking. “Then tell me why you are being punished,
please.”
“I don’t know! Wait!” Wes cried when he felt
the hand lift off his butt. “Okay, it’s for punching that squealer.” Another
spank landed, harder than the others. “NO!” Wes wailed.
Nathan waited. Both knew what was expected.
Wes swallowed his tears. Then in a shaking
voice, he whimpered, “it’s for punching Galen.”
“That’s right!” Nathan quietly confirmed. “I
said no public brawling. No means no! I do not want to see it happening again,
Wesley. Do you hear me?”
“Yessssssss!” Wes hissed.
“Good! Then let’s finish up here.” Nathan
mercilessly landed additional hard swats on Wes’ sit-spot to end the
spanking.
Wes was wearing thin cotton pants which did
nothing to dull the pain. He jerked and yelled and continued crying even when
it finally stopped. The last round of smacks stung on his already sore bottom even more.
Nathan let Wes slide to the ground. He gently
caressed the soft black hair falling against his leg. He wanted to comfort the
young man but was unsure of what Wes’ reaction would be to being soothed by his
chastiser.
Wes sobbed as if his heart was breaking. “You
hit me!” he whispered accusingly.
“No, Minx. I didn’t hit you. I spanked your
pant-clad bottom. And I am giving you fair-warning, should this ever need to be
repeated, rest assured it will not be over clothing. Do you understand me,
Wesley?”
Wes
cried out at the harshness, but Nathan made him look up, brushing his tears
away with a touch that was both gentle and loving.
Wes began to look at Nathan with new eyes. The
older man was both castigator and comforter, and he had enough resolve to
ensure Wes did not wallow in self-pity. Instead, he had issued a stern warning
of what would happen were Wes caught fighting again. Wes trembled. He allowed
Nathan to tug him onto his lap. He leaned into him, nestling into the broad
shoulder and secretly admitted to himself that he could definitely live with
this man.
Nathan was relieved when the young man cuddled
against him, not minding in the least when a wet, snotty face rubbed across his
shirt.
The mess hall slowly cleared out as the
well-fed men went in search of some badly needed leisure time. The last two men
to eat were late for the evening meal, so they quietly entered, collected their
laden plates and left just as inconspicuously. The council prepared for an
upcoming meeting for the second time in a little over a week as Walker lowered
the canvas walls, lit a couple of oil lamps and ushered his young assistants
out of the tent.
At exactly seven o’clock, Thomas called the
meeting to order. He’d had time to cool down and felt confident of his ability
to act objectively. He looked towards the young twins sitting beside the older
men who had befriended them. Wesley and Wayne looked grim-faced while Samuel
and Nathan tried to present a calm image. To Thomas’ right were Lakota and
Larry; to his left sat Aiden and Troy.
Although the other members of the council had
been informed of the charges, they were still finding it difficult to assimilate
the sordid details and all were saddened by the implications.
“Gentlemen, we have some serious business to
discuss here this evening. Wayne Bentley, it has come to the attention of this
council that you have taken a puppy which was not yours and secreted that puppy
from its rightful owner for a somewhat lengthy period of time. Do you admit to
this?”
Not
knowing what was expected of him, the young man merely nodded.
“Stand
up and address the council out loud, Wayne ,”
Samuel firmly admonished.
Five
pairs of eyes seemed to bore into him.
“Can
you please explain to the council why you did it?” The tone was unexpectedly
gentle, much kinder than he would have expected.
“I
.. ah …” Suddenly his mind went blanked. He had no idea what to say.
Samuel
whispered behind him. “Go on, Wayne ;
say what’s in your heart.”
Swallowing
the lump in his throat, he slowly looked at each of the council members sitting
at the table in front of him. There was a mixture of expressions in their
faces: curiosity, sternness, anticipation. Wayne’s stomach fluttered and he let
out a little sigh of relief. He had so feared he would find condemnation and
disgust.
“It
was a mistake. I didn’t mean to. I acted without thinking. Everyone was so
excited about having their own pets and I felt left out because there was none
for me. Not just the puppy, but everything that had been taken away. I was
angry and miserable. I am sorry.” It was not the most eloquent of speeches, but
it came from his heart and it struck a chord in the hearts of each member of
the council.
There
was a moment of silence as the council studied the dejected figure before them.
Wayne fidgeted and dropped his eyes to the ground.
Thomas
turned to the other twin.
“Wesley Bentley, you committed an unprovoked
assault on another member of this community. Do you admit to this?” Thomas
asked.
Without
prompting, Wes got up and stood next to his brother. “Well, I guess you could
say that. But it’s a matter of opinion whether there was any provocation,
y’know?”
A
strangled sound came from behind him and Nathan hissed, “drop the cockiness,
young man. You don’t need any more trouble.”
Wes
glanced back, ducked his head and then muttered, “yes, I admit I punched Galen
in the face.”
A
few heads shook solemnly while one pair of eyes shone with secret amusement at
the irrepressible young man. As unacceptable as Wes’ actions had been, Aiden
still appreciated the lad’s provocative nature.
“Your
brother has explained why he stole the puppy. Do you have anything to offer in
the way of explanation or excuse for your behaviour? Remember please, that what
you say can be used to sway the decision regarding your punishment either for
the positive or the negative,” Thomas instructed seriously.
Wes
looked up and his voice shook despite his efforts to mask it. “I knew Wayne was
in trouble. I thought Galen ratted on him. That’s why I went after the kid. I
was mistaken but I honestly thought … oh well, my mistake. I know my brother
and I fight all the time, but it’s different when someone else hurts him. I
won’t stand by and just let it happen, and I know Wayne wouldn’t stand for it
either if someone was trying to hurt me. For whatever reasons Wayne took the
puppy, I know he didn’t mean to hurt anyone. Everyone makes mistakes and it’s
been hard enough being thrown together here like this, so we don’t need more …”
Wes’ voice broke.
Wayne
reached out and touched his arm. Looking up at the voiceless faces regarding
the two of them, he pleaded, “it’s my
fault Wes is in trouble. He was only trying to protect me, not start a fight.
What I did was wrong, and I admit that, so take it out on me. He was just being
a good brother by looking out for me. Please leave him out of this! I acted on
impulse. I am the one who is in the wrong; not Wes!”
“Thank you, gentlemen, for your responses. They
will definitely be taken under consideration.” Thomas kindly presented this
assurance before requesting that the twins and their mentors wait outside while
the council discuss the necessary consequences.
The four men complied and adjourned to a small
secluded grove not far from the mess hall. The twins nervously paced while
Nathan and Samuel sat calmly thinking over what had already transpired.
Inside the large tent, the meeting was
progressing smoothly as members of the council voiced their opinions.
Shifting
in his seat, Larry quietly spoke on Wes and Wayne’s behalf. “I do believe their
overall attitudes and their defence for one another says a lot for their
understanding of the errors in judgement they are guilty of.”
“Aye!
They do seem remorseful. Ach, the follies of youth! They all too easily reacted
to their emotions and soon found themselves in o’er their wee heads.”
“They
both deserve to be commended for admitting up front that their actions were
improper.” Lakota softly expressed his thoughts.
“Yes,
but we cannot give any thought to Wayne’s plea not to punish Wesley. The young
man punched Galen and he too deserves to be punished.” Troy ’s comments met with agreeing nods from
the other men seated at the table.
“Of course, it goes without saying that both of
them will have to render apologies to the young men who have been wronged.”
Larry sadly shook his head.
“Aye, and I dinna think extra chores would be
amiss,” Aiden offered.
“They’ve done some field work to date have they
not?” Troy
asked.
“Yes, they have also helped with the laundry in
the past,” Larry confirmed.
“Given that, I would suggest they be made to do
all the laundry for the next two weeks,” Troy
stated.
“I personally consider one week of laundry duty
sufficient,” Larry counter-proposed.
The doctor nodded. “Yes, it is a very heavy job
and I think one week is enough.”
“I also feel ’twould be appropriate as an
example setter for them to be denied social contact for a short period of time,
such as the lost privilege of attending the evening firesides,” Aiden
resignedly suggested.
“Have we reached a consensus, gentlemen?” the head of the council inquired.
“Aye, ye have my vote to the apologies,
three nights of no firesides and one week of laundry duty,” Aiden replied.
“Sounds reasonable to me,” Lakota agreed.
“I also concur,” Larry responded.
“And you, Troy ?”
Thomas questioned.
“Alright, let’s bring them back in. Larry,
would you do the honours, please?”
“Of course, Thomas.” Larry got to his feet,
walked over to open the flap of the tent and summoned the four men who were
anxiously waiting outside.
The
twins trudged in and stood in front of the council with heads humbly bowed this
time. Their confessions followed by the few minutes of quiet time with Samuel
and Nathan along with the tension of waiting for the council decision had
completely drained them and they were too exhausted to display any other
emotions except contrition and remorse.
Thomas
regarded the two young men in front of him with genuine concern for how they
would accept the council’s ruling. “Wesley and Wayne, the council has reached a
decision, but first I would like you both to know that we all have only your
best interests at heart; yours and the rest of our little community. You fully
understand that your actions have gone against the rules which this council
brought forth not so long ago. What you both did was wrong, but under the
circumstances, not irreparable. Although we understand your reasons, you have
still left us little choice in how this has to be handled. We cannot stand back
and allow such behaviour to go without censure, no matter what the promptings
or provocations.” He paused to let his words sink in before indicating that Troy was to say a few
words.
“As
Thomas said, we do understand how hard it’s been on you; indeed, on all of us.
However, having said that, your actions were clearly unacceptable. They were
conscious decisions which brought about pain to others. This could have been
avoided if more rational thought had been put to it.” Troy’s voice was firm but
lacked any sign of insensitivity.
“We
also took into consideration your willingness to admit fault, how you stood up
for one another and your pleas for the other, which we frankly found very
praiseworthy. It has been a positive factor in our discussion.” Lakota softly
added his comments while Aiden and Larry nodded their agreement.
“It
is the judgement of this council that you be deprived of the evening fireside
gatherings for the next three days, that you will be responsible for all the
community laundry for the next week and finally, but perhaps most importantly,
that you offer public apologies immediately after breakfast tomorrow morning to
those whom you have wronged. Do you have anything to say regarding these
censures?” Thomas asked after pronouncing sentence.
As
the head of the council finished speaking, Wayne and Wes let out their breaths
slowly. The punishment sounded harsh yet was not as severe as they had feared.
Wayne once again touched Wes’ arm and a silent message passed between them.
“We
understand and we accept your decision and will abide by it.” Wayne said,
nodding at his twin. “Once again, I want to say how sorry I am for creating
this whole mess and for getting Wes into trouble.”
“Nathan, Samuel, the council would appreciate
your assistance in overseeing the carrying out of these sanctions. Would either
of you feel uncomfortable doing this?” Thomas politely requested.
“I think I can speak for both of us when I say
we’ll do whatever is required to put this situation to rest,” Nathan responded.
“I think the council has shown understanding and fairness in the way they have
conducted this entire procedure.”
“Yes, they most certainly have. I agree and I
also have no problem with the council’s decision,” Samuel quietly stated.
TBC….
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