TITLE: Mystery in the Snow
CHALLENGE: April 2005
UNIVERSE: OW
MAJOR CHARACTERS: Josiah Nathan
RATING: Gen
ARCHIVE: yes please
SPOILERS: None
NOTES: A little fun and my first story in ages! Not Betaed.
AUTHOR: Wildcard
EMAIL: wildcard@midgee1.fsnet.co.uk
Disclaimer: They sadly are not mine, I don’t have any rights to them or hope ever to have.  The characters used are the property of MGM and Trilogy and probably some more that I don’t know about.  No financial or creative rights are claimed to the characters from the Magnificent Seven Television series. Just borrowing them for a little fun!

Response to the  April Challenge issued by --Jesfrealo

The April 2005 Challenge:
Write a story where a mystery plays a key role in the story.  Have one or any combination of the guys be the detective(s).  It can be funny or serious and in any open universe.  Extra points if you make an unusual pair of the guys work together to figure out the mystery (so not Chris and Vin or Buck and JD...).  Have fun!!

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Mystery in the Snow
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Josiah watched from the church roof  as he spotted Nathan bent double in the street.  Curious to find out why his friend was acting strange he craned his neck to obtain a better view.  His foot slipped on some ice and henearly toppled but he managed to cling onto the bell tower and  regain his balance at the last moment. He rolled his eyes heaven word and gave a silent prayer for his safety and headed down.

Once safely down onto the ground Josiah placed his toolbox into the Church vestibule  and headed into the snow covered street and headed for the last place he had seen Nathan.

Nathan took a few steps in the snow and squatted bending to scan the ground for the unusual prints he had discovered shortly after leaving his clinic that morning.  The town was quiet as a sudden wintry chill had set in as yet another  snow fall had covered the last lot making movements  in and out of town difficult.

Peering hard at the strange markings in the snow Nathan didn't hear Josiah walk up behind him and he jumped reacting in fright jolting  upright  and in the process knocked Josiah to the ground.   Then Nathan's feet skidded from under him and he fell but he got a soft landing as he landed on Josiah.

After assisting each other to an upright position Nathan  apologized and explained to Josiah why he was peering at the snow.

"so, what do you think it is Josiah?" asked Nathan as they both bent over to look at the  prints.

"Not sure," replied Josiah scratching his head and looking again to try to think what the marks could be.

The duo walked down the street bending down to look at the snow periodically and searched for more signs of this strange phenomenon "Do you think a man could have made them?" Suggested Nathan tracing the strange marks.

"Not sure, they don't look like ordinary boot prints  and I think if it is a man he has only one leg!"

?"Don't remember seeing no one legged man in town," commented Nathan wondering if they would ever discover the markings on their own or would they have to resort to fetch Vin.  Nathan suggested this and Josiah glared in silence as his only comment and Nathan shrugged and followed Josiah looking for more clues to the identity of the owner of the prints in the snow.

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JD had  just returned from his patrol and yawned as he was tired after keeping the last watch and was ready for his bed. He winced  as he climbed the stairs to his room  in the boarding house and sat down  hard onto his bed as his feet were throbbing fit to burst.  He wasn't sure which one hurt the most    but he had hobbled as he had walked  in his old winter boots before  even starting his patrol of the town. On completing his stint he could barely walk from the pain.

He  hurriedly removed his boots and gasped at the blood stained socks.  He thought he should remove them but winced as he tried so gave up undressed and left his socks on as he slipped into bed.

He  silently reprimanded himself as he really should have bought a new pair of winter boots weeks ago and his sore feet were of his own making.  He'd have to seek out Nathan but that would have to wait as sleep claimed him.

End.