Don't shoot the messenger (open)

[Bog]

Detached duties were nothing new. There were troops of the regiment scattered all around the Main Army, supporting the infantry wherever it was most needed. His own troop was currently attached to a Massachusetts regiment doing duty in New York. He, however, was not with them.

Instead, Sergeant Flowers was on his own sort of detached duty, serving as a despatch rider between regiments. It was as much a testament to his reliability as his knack for making journeys swiftly and usually without incident. Riding up and down the country wasn't necessarily his idea of a glorious duty, perhaps, but there could be getting near anything like glory if the various outflung regiments didn't know what was expected of them.

He was on his way south this time, bound ultimately for New Jersey, the leather satchel slung across his body carrying letters and papers relating to the army's business. It was expected that he reach the Main Army's headquarters within four days, which was a challenge he relished. If he could avoid British or Loyalist patrols, he should be able to make it.

One never knew what would happen on the road, however. Circumstances could change very quickly. It was important to avoid the roads in places the Loyalists were known to be in strength, but sometimes it was impossible to keep away from trouble all the time. He'd had to ride hard to elude a British scouting party on his last journey.

This part of Connecticut seemed quiet enough, fortunately, and Flowers decided to take advantage of a nearby stream to water his horse. Delaying too long was unwise, but there was little harm in sparing a few minutes so Danbury could slake his thirst. He didn't dismount, of course, should a hasty escape be necessary, but his horse hardly cared. The gelding lowered his head to the stream and lapped happily away, glad for the respite.

[faithfulguardian]

Danny could hear nothing but the bubbling of the stream beside her and feel nothing but the warm sun on her face and the pebbles of the stream-bank beneath her. It was beautiful here and she would give anything to stay forever and sleep in the warm spring days. a bird twittered on a branch in a nearby sapling, Danny didn't know what kind, and she didn't care. just the song itself was enough for her. she wished this moment would last forever. But it couldn't.
two days earlier she had been given dispatches to ride to New Jersey to find the Loyalist regiment known as the New Jersey Volunteers. but yesterday had pushed herself too hard and twisted an ankle. she had rested on this bank since then, letting the bare foot soak up the cold water from the stream. she knew as soon as she could put pressure on it she would have to continue on her journey. 'but its so beautiful here' thought her inner feminine self. and her hand reached out absentmindedly and picked a wild flower and brought it to her nose.

It was then that the bubbling of the stream was joined by a second sound. the sound of a horse.
Danny's eyes flew open and she looked around, still lying on her back in half grass, half river stones, one foot bare and hanging in the water, the other booted. her redcoat underneath her head for a pillow and her sword and pistol just out of reach. Curses but what a situation this was!
she caught sight of the horse and his rider a mere twenty feet downstream, she lay quite out in the open and could only hope the man, a continental, did not see her. for if she moved, he surely would.

[Bog]

If he rode through to nightfall, Flowers reckoned he could make it to New York before halting. A few hours' rest ought to be enough to see him crossing into New Jersey by next morning. All else going well, he'd reach Morristown by tomorrow evening. If not, there was no telling.

His horse lifted his head, ears pricked. Water dripped from the gelding's mouth and spattered in glittering drops when Danbury turned his head to the left, intent on something that Flowers himself could not yet see. The sergeant moved a gloved hand slowly toward the hilt of his sheathed sword and glanced casually around.

At first, he did not see anything but this was not enough for him to relax his guard. Being alone and caught nearly unawares could be a sure death sentence for him. He looked more closely at his surroundings, his gaze jerking sharply to the left when the bushes across the stream suddenly shivered, but all that emerged was a plump squirrel.

Shaking his head, Flowers relaxed the grip on his sword hilt. A bold little squirrel. It was time he was gone from here, he thought. He nudged Danbury with his knee, turning the horse away from the stream. That was when he caught sight of something he'd somehow overlooked before. A young lad lying sprawled, carelessly, it seemed, on the stream bank not far away. How had he missed spotting the boy less than a minute before?

"Hold fast, there!" The sergeant snapped, realising the lad had a red coat stuffed under his head. Wasn't this just perfect?

[faithfulguardian]

Danny's heart had nearly stopped when the horse across the bank had heard her tiny movements and caught her scent from downwind, but then the twittering squirrel had leapt out of the bushes and the rider had been distracted. she breathed a quiet sigh of relief and turned her head to look straight up, then, closing her eyes, she feigned sleep as a defense in case the man still looked this way. it wasn't much, but at least he wouldn't be on guard right away if it seemed she was out of it.

"Hold fast, there!" came the sudden cry and Danny's eyes flew open again. he had seen her. she rolled up the bank to a crouching position, she was leaning on her twisted ankle, but the river cold had numbed it some. looking to the mounted man, she reached for her weapons, one hand landed on her sword, the other of the satchel containing all the messages she was to deliver. that one she shoved further into the bushes in hopes of hiding it. the sword came out of it's sheath and she stood in a defensive stance.

"Dinnae come any closer, sir, let us only keep tae oor own sides of this stream!" she called to the stranger.

[Bog]

Saucy bold sort, this one. A sword - an infantry hanger, to be precise - as a defence against any attack Flowers might make. He had a sabre himself, as well as a pistol, but for the moment kept his hands away from both.

"Both sides of the war as well," he replied flatly, taking note of the fact the boy was wearing only one shoe. Odd, that. The lad was also trying to shove something out of sight into the underbrush. This was definitely odd.

Flowers paused, listening carefully for any sound that might indicate the lad had friends nearby. He could hear nothing out of the ordinary. Just the light twitter of birdsong, which meant no one else was around. "Put that down," the sergeant ordered and let his hand come to rest on the butt of his pistol. The heavy pistol rested within a bucket holster on his saddle, and drawing it would cost him a second, if this lad decided to charge him.

[faithfulguardian]

Danny watched as the man eyed her up and down, she watched as he inched his hand closer to the pistol at his side. she did not budge from her guarded stance, somewhat out of practice, but mostly out of fear that if she moved, his hand would be on the weapon in an instant and she would have to bolt to avoid the bullet.

"I'll put it down when I see yae and yer horse's rumps going away frae this place. I have nae desire tae kill anyone today, and yae seem a smart fellow. yae can see I am armed and trained and ready, so the choice is yours, sir." Danny said with as much courage as she could muster. "Ah've nae quarrel with yae or any-other American, I only wish tae dae my job and return hame. isn't that what we all want?" she added.

[Bog]

This scamp was a bold one and no mistake. A trifle more reasonable in his arguments than Flowers might have expected from one in his position as well. It was obvious the lad was an infantryman, the way he stood his ground despite the threat of a cavalry horse. Then again, the British were renowned for their steadiness on the field, no matter what the threat.

"Spying, I imagine?" Flowers asked, glancing pointedly toward the bush the lad had been fiddling about with. He wasn't of a mind to charge or even fire at this lad, but his suspicions were sufficiently aroused for him to ask more questions. There was now a chance he'd reach Morristown with a prisoner in tow, after all.

[faithfulguardian]

Despite her position, Danny allowed a scoff to escape her lips at the man's guess. "Spying is for foxes and snakes. cowardly men most of all." she caught his glance at the bushes where her satchel was not-so-hidden anymore. He clearly knew there was something there. She decided to try a more relaxed tactic.
"Although, if your a spy, then aye, spying is the greatest profession a man or woman can choose in this war! yae can avoid all those horrible battles that the rest of us see and all the nastiness of killing en-mass." Danny dropped her guarded stance and stuck her sword into the ground, she hoped he did not catch the quivering of her hand as it almost matched the shaking of the handle after she let it go.
"I was on official business for my commander, if yae must ken." she reached for her missing boot and stocking and pulled them both on as if nothing was wrong. "I was detained here after spraining my ankle." taking a few over exaggerated limps down the bank, she picked up her red coat and backed up again to stand beside her sword. without pulling it out of the ground, she leaned on it for false support. If she needed to run, she could...hopefully.

[Bog]

A load of hot air, perhaps, but Flowers could not discount the lad's willingly disarming himself. This was an odd situation, certainly. He did not reply as the redcoat recovered his footwear and moved with a pronounced limp back to his sword. 'Official business'. That was not so very different from Flowers' own purpose. If it was true, this was possibly even greater a catch than a mere spy.

"Fetch out that bag," the sergeant directed, nodding toward the now less than concealed leather satchel.

[faithfulguardian]

Danny sighed and looked at the satchel he pointed at. there was nothing to do but obey for the moment. as much as she hated to admit, he had the upper hand. slowly she leaned down and grabbed the handle of the bag, then an idea came to her, she looked at the stream at her feet and took instead the bottom of the bag and let the messages rolled up inside fall out into the water below.

Sae sorry, looks like yae'll not be getting those messages. Yae'll only have me. and Ah'm not really much for hanging about." and with that she dropped the bag and her coat and ran back into the trees to find a thicker bit of forest.

[Bog]

If that was how it was to be, Flowers found he could not be overly concerned. He was down from the saddle in an instant, splashing straight into the stream to retrieve the scattered papers. Whether or not anything in it could be saved was as yet unknown, but he would not be thanked if he did not make an effort. He stuffed the lot into the bag, then slung the bag's strap over his head. Later, he could attempt to salvage the soaked papers.

Then, returning to his horse, he hauled himself back up and put his spurs back. Danbury all but leapt forward, straight into a canter. Luck was apparently against him, though. The bold little scamp was making for a thick stand of trees deeper in the woodline. Well. Flowers would simply have to catch the lad before he got there, wouldn't he?

[faithfulguardian]

The cold water of the stream had done its job well enough, but the numb sensation in Danny's ankle would not last long. she had no idea how strong it was yet, but she would be putting it through its paces no doubt today. the trees were a distance away still, but upon glancing back she saw the American in the stream picking up the papers she had dropped. the ink was easily stained and ran with water, that's why her satchel had been protected with oilskin lining, but there was no telling how much had been destroyed.
the man had remounted his horse and was now in hot pursuit of her. it seemed, however, that he wanted her alive, for no pistol or sword was drawn against her. not yet anyways. If she could only make it to the trees, she would have a better chance of escaping. but the horse was gaining awfully fast, and the ankle was already loosing strength. she was beginning to limp again.

[Bog]

Just let the lad stumble, Flowers thought. Let him stumble and fall. He had no wish to ride a mere boy down, whatever his transgression.

"Stop!" The sergeant called, hoping the lad might see sense and give up. There was a waver in the lad's stride now, which might be a good thing. He would catch the redcoat up regardless, barring some miracle on the boy's behalf.

[faithfulguardian]

Danny ran doggedly on, the man on horseback was gaining, but there was no sign that he had drawn sword or pistol against her. off to the side she caught sight of a thick tree that had fallen and now posed a daunting hurdle, maybe even for a horse. Danny swerved and made straight for it. the roots of the tree were off to the side about ten feet and had pulled a large amount of dirt up, it now left a crater in the earth, if she could distract the man on horseback at all, it might make for a prime hiding place.
coming up to the log, Danny leapt over it in a diving roll, landing on her shoulder mostly and rolling onto her back. she looked behind her and realized she had startled a pair of squirrels foraging at the base of the tree, both of which now chittered angrily and scampered up and over to the other side. the side on which the horse was fast approaching.

[Bog]

The lad's move was one Flowers had not expected, but he thought he could react to it easily enough. His horse was a jumper after all. But he hadn't reckoned on the pair of squirrels. Danbury checked abruptly, tossing his head with a whinny of alarm. The chattering squirrels had startled him and Flowers' attempts to get the gelding calmed down and back on the chase met with no result.

Then one of the squirrels darted close to Danbury and the gelding backed sharply away, showing all the signs of being ready to buck. Flowers hauled hard on the left rein, trying to get the horse's head around so he could no longer see the offending small animals, but in his frightened prancing, Danbury had inadvertently put a hoof into the hole left by the uprooted tree.

Flowers said something extremely unpleasant as both horse and rider went down, rolling over once as a pair.

[faithfulguardian]

Danny was already halfway up when the horse began to spook, and by the time he had reared back, she was picking a direction to follow that led to the thickest bit of forest.
but then horse and rider fell and she heard both an unholy scream echo in her ears from the horse and an unholy curse from the man as they tumbled into the hole.
"Guid, gives me time to get away." Danny thought to herself as she jogged a few steps away. but the horse continued to cry out and she thought of the man trapped underneath the large body. her feet stopped and would not work either forwards or backwards. it was her fight or flight instincts deciding and until they chose, she could not move.
it was the third whinny that did it. her head turned to the tree roots and with it so did her heart, and her stomach, and her feet.
"Ah shite." she said as she ran back to the roots to see if the American was in need of help.

[Bog]

Horses were solid, heavy beasts. As a cavalryman, Flowers knew that. But it wasn't until Danbury rolled over atop him that he discovered just how heavy they were. Fortunately, the gelding had rolled completely over, sparing Flowers the sorry fate of being crushed, but he still felt as though a laden wagon had just landed on him. He could only flail halfheartedly at the stirred-up earth in a futile attempt to find something to grab hold of so he could drag himself free. All the wind had been knocked from his lungs and it seemed like his strength had momentarily abandoned him.

It didn't help that Danbury, now lying on his side, could find no purchase in the ground either. Instead, the gelding was thrashing his hooves and whinnying panic at his inability to get upright. All of the horse's weight was pressing down on Flowers' right leg, and his right foot was still caught in the stirrup. He had managed to kick his left foot free of its stirrup, at least. Not that this did him any real good. Setting his jaw, Flowers scrabbled for the slight curve of an exposed tree root, hoping to get a grip on it and thereby drag himself free.

[faithfulguardian]

It was around the back of the hole that Danny came, and thus behind the American who lay with his leg beneath the horse. she had time to decide whether to help the horse up and thus free the soldier, or help the soldier out and let the man help his own horse up. She had never been good with horses, and had disliked them for as long as she could remember seeing them. so she slid down into the hole and grabbed the man beneath his arms, she then began pulling with all her might.

[Bog]

Of all things to occur while he was so helpless, Flowers would not have expected the young redcoat to return and try to help. But here the lad was, attempting to haul Flowers backward and out from under his horse.

"My leg's caught!" The sergeant cried, feeling the limb twist uncomfortably at the pressure being applied to it. He feared it would snap if pressed too far. "Help me get him back up!"

Getting Danbury upright again was the vital thing. Once the horse's weight was off Flowers' leg, he could hopefully stand. Equally hopefully, no lasting damage had been done to either of them.

[faithfulguardian]

Shite. So Danny would have to deal with the horse after all. she grunted in response to the American and let go of him to scramble back up the edge of the hole. she ran around the edge and over the tree trunk to where the horse's head lay. slowly, she stepped into the hole again, her hands outstretched towards the beast, focusing on the reins around his neck rather than the flailing hooves further down.

What am I doing? she though to herself as she crept closer, knowing time was very valuable for both horse and rider. I could be half a mile away by now... No. She pushed that thought from her mind and slid the last few feet downwards. she was not ready to have more blood on her hands.

the reins were in her grasp and her other hand began to stroke the horse's cheek to calm him down as much as she could. "Is your foot oot of the stirrup?" She asked the man. "'Cause he'll probably bolt oot the moment he's standing, an Ah'm nae horse master tae stop him."