Chavez's Only Spirit

Chavez has known Catori since she was born he remembers from his childhood, he does everything to protect her but it was always just a brother-sister relationship, however when a new boy comes and the regulators start, something's have to change.

The last memory had of my mother was the morning before her death she was teaching me how to make fry bread, it was my fourteenth birthday, we were laughing and smiling at each other she would tell me stories that would make me laugh, it was the first in a long time that we were happy… Then the men that works for Murphy came and whipped out my family, gunshots going off fire lighting up the sky my father hid me in the tall grass behind our teepee 'Lay here, stay hidden, and be as quiet as possible, when it is over run away to our friends and warn them, I love you my daughter."

"You wanna play games pendejo?" The familiar voice echoed through my head and interrupted my memory, my hands were soaked with soap and water from the morning dishes, I looked up and looked out the window. Rolling my eyes at them 'Of course always fighting, boys are so annoying.' I said in my head

"Man you're a red ass Mexican and you do it with your horse..." A strong sound of someone spitting caused me to cringe "Mexican…Greaser."

"Come here you white chicken shit!"

I dried my hands on my apron and walked out of the kitchen on the front porch, I hated wearing a dress I would rather wear trousers and a shirt but it wasn't a allowed "A lady is meant to dress like one." Of course that never stopped me from carrying a knife and a gun on my legs, I stood out on the front porch and looked at the two of them fighting, they always were; Steve Stevens he was always covered in dirt and chewing tobacco a nasty habit that he has started at a young age, he also had a problem with different breeds I was half Indian and half White. Jose Chavez Y. Chavez was the other part of the fight, half Indian and half Mexican he was my protector, my friend, and my teacher, he had excellence in knives, he knew guns but he was excellent at knives and he taught me how in the end.

Finally when I was starting to wonder if Chavez was going to skin Steve, Richard rode up with the horse "Hey hey, enough, you know better Chavez! Hey!"

I walked over and stood between them causing Richard to draw the horse back and step aside, both Steve and Chavez stepped back away from me "Both of you that is enough, what did I say about being near each other during work and when John is gone, you're acting like children."

All of us stopped at the sound of the carriage coming back to the house "John's back." Richard said.

Doc hopped down from the carriage and walked over to us, Doc was a handsome man with blonde hair and a beard, he was older than I was by quite I bit though, "Hey Doc, who is the new boy?" I asked

Doc turned around and looked at the young boy "His name is William Bonney, he got into a fight and John helped him out I guess." He turned around and looked at me again "Gottcha something while we were out."

"You didn't have to get me anything." I stated

"I found it and I wanted to." He took from his coat a book and handed it to me "Romeo and Juliet " he knew how much I loved to read, I smiled and hugged him "Thank you Doc, I love it."

He hugged me back and said "Your welcome Catori."

"Catori, can you set up a new spot at the table for tonight please, we will have a new guest."

"Of course John, I would be more than happy too."

"As long as it isn't another Mexican." Steve said

Chavez shiot a glare at him "Mexican Indian you son of a bitch."

I had already started with supper and it wasn't a huge deal to double the recipe so that he can eat as well. I walked back into the house and started cooking again adding more to the dish for tonight "Catori?"

"Yes John."

The older Englishman was like a father to me, he took me and Chavez in when we needed it the most, I was the only female that he took in and he didn't seem to mind having one female in the house that didn't mean that he took every female in, I cooked some, I cleaned, some days I even got out and was with the horses, while I was a lady some days I wanted to be free like I was meant to be.

"I hope you don't mind that we bring another young man into the group."

"No mind for me John, this is a simple recipe for me to add to and your doing a fine job with everyone even Steven is getting there."

"Indeed, if only I can clear that tobacco habit."

I laughed at him "I don't see that happening any time soon."

I had set the book that Doc picked up for me and John happened to see it "Doc was quite persistent in getting that book for you."

I turned and looked at it "He knows I love to read, I am glad that he bought it for me I haven't yet read Romeo and Juliet."

"It is a beautiful play I saw it back in England, however it is quite tragic."

"I do know how the book ends; it doesn't have to end tragically if you don't think of it as tragic."

John smiled "Someone who has had tragedy in her life and she still thinks of things in a romantic aspect." He stepped beside me at the stove "Go out for a while get out of the house for a while and get some fresh air."

I looked at him "Really?"

"Yes go…I shall finish here."

I smiled "Thank you."

I dried my hands on a towel and took off my apron and stepped into the sun, It was a beautiful day, I panned around and saw the new boy William at the hog pin with his gun drawn on it, he was a handsome boy with blonde hair and blue eyes he had a tough disposition, he was young eighteen possibly, which made me older than he was. He caught a glimpse of me looking at him and that is when Chavez picked up three of his knife collection and threw them one by one by one, scaring the boy half to death, I leaned against the post and watched, Chavez had his moments, I walked over as Chavez was taking the knives out of the post and held out my hand "Your names William right?" I asked the boy

He nodded "My name is Catori, I am another one of Johns adoptions as it were."

"She is our only female regulator." I turned around and looked at Charlie, a shorter man with brown curly hair and a beard "Hey Charlie I have been looking for you all day." I said

Charlie looked at me "Been with the horses and cattle all day."

"Oh okay."

Chavez looked at me for a moment and I saw it, I stood next to him "Well?"

"Well what?" He said looking down at me

"DO you think…"

"No I don't think so."

He didn't think he could make it, and I could tell that Chavez wasn't quite positive that we could trust him either, I could see it his eyes."

"Of course I am not a knife wielder like Chavez Chavez over there…I'm a pugilist, but I don't expect you to know the meaning of that word…HOG BOY." Charlie made it a point to scare the child half to death and the fact that he knew himself as a pugilist of course I had seen him box a couple of times. "Shit you don't even know why I'm here." William said.

"Sure I do you're a wild and restless vagrant like the rest of us, what did you do? Steal some cattle? Rob a bank? Kill somebody?"

Right as Charlie said "Kill somebody" William turned his head with a smirk on his face and looked at Charlie, Charlie looked at him with some shock "Kill somebody." He said

William looked at him and nodded his head and smiled I looked at Chavez who was surprised as I was. This young boy had killed a man and he wasn't even twenty yet. Chavez stepped in front of me a little for protection. Hs back touched me he was hovering too close "Catora go in the house." He said looking over his shoulder.

"But…"

"No buts, go."

His protective attitude had a tendency to drive me insane but I did what he told me and went inside the house and started to grab plates, glasses and silverware and started to set the table, I had already made a plate for myself in the kitchen, John made the rule that I ate before the men and I watched them while they ate. John let me sit down and eat and that night I watched Doc, Charlie, Steve, Richard Chavez, William and John eat there supper, "Have you eaten?" Richard asked me.

I nodded "Yes I ate before you guys, I am just here to clear the table."

"SO billy ya ever work the Hog before?" Richard asked

"Yeah, worked for Kenny Maxwell."

I heard Charlie murmur something I didn't hear "congratulations Charles you and Steven will be doing the washing alone this evening, take the pressure away from Catori, she works her hardest."

"Sorry John just struck me funny."

"And to William both of you."

Steven and Charlie looked at William Charlie gave a fake "Sorry William we were just hacking on ya that's all."

With a full mouth Steve said "Yeah we were just hacking on ya."

It went quiet for a moment before Richard said "Rumor has it you killed a man Billy. You don't seem like the killing sort."

"Yeah Billy what ya kill him for."

William with the straightest face in the world looked at him and said "He was hacking on me."

I turned around and covered my mouth to keep from laughing