Deep in the forest there was a gentle river that cut through the earth and bubbled with life. The reeds surrounding it were lush with growth. Bugs buzzed across the surface with glittering wings. All manner of riverfolk moved about along the banks. The cowboy watched for a short time from a distance.
A mother otter and her young were basking on the surface of the water. She carried a stone in her paws as her figure floated. Reno was drawn to the image of her and her offspring. They appeared to flow on top of the river current without any effort. The dusty wolf wondered if he could learn something from the otter family, or if it was only his hunger that held his attention to her and her young ones.
today he'd been scoping out miz amalia's pack. her track was clear enough around for colt to make the assumption this was her place. pretty enough, he decided. though the gang wasn't in enough members to take it just yet. still, could be a place to rob.
knowing the other woman, the quiet one, was in the vicinity, satisfied colt. he was free to travel around as he pleased.
by sheer blind luck he found the immediately-familiar bastard sunning himself and staring off into the distance. colt was so fixed he completely overlooked the otters.
"where yew kept yer ugly ass mug tucked, huh?" the rogue shouted good-naturedly, cantering closer.
Of all the nasty sons of bitches Reno could have met since the gang disbanded…
The gold of his gaze shifted toward Colt with a guarded expression. He was the same as he had always been, the cowboy found. This was of little comfort, though. While Colt had never caused too much of a hassle for Reno, he had the potential bubbling underneath every act that he made. If it weren’t for the man’s loyalties, he might have found a way to kick Colt into a free-flowing river and pray that he washed up somewhere far away.
Colt,
Reno greeted with a small nod of his snout. Ah see the rattlesnakes ain’t got’chu yet.
A real shame, that was. The dusty figure straightened himself up and offered a small wag of his tail. Didn’t reckon you’d have followed me out here.
If Reno had to have guessed, he might have thought that Colt would have found himself a new gang or a nice girl to swindle out of her home.
colt was stung at once by reno's greeting. he covered it with a lecherous snicker and a spitting of brown birch juice into the grass. "well, yew know. rattlesnakes ain't take lightly to eatin' baked leather." he faced into the water. pretty place. fine woodland.
"i found jaime, sadey — she found augustin — an' a cute lil runner name o' miz may 'round these parts. knew it was only a matter o'time afore yew an' i crossed ways."
colt's eyes hardened. he sidled closer. "word is someone is followin' you, reno. might be more'n one." he stared across the classic planes of the other's face and was dismayed to find reno still commanded the same sort of reaction.
not a snowball's chance in hell.
"what did yew do?"
It was more likely that the rattlesnakes wouldn’t attach one of their own, but Reno kept that comment to himself.
Reno’s stiff countenance gave way to one of surprise. He hadn’t expected that Colt would have run into so many of their crew out there. They were from the western deserts and the cowboy had journeyed east when things had gone sour. He’d thought the others would go further west until they found new tumbleweeds to chase and new folk to rob.
Where they at? Y’all stickin together?
Colt seemed to have an idea of what had happened. He made a cryptic comment that rubbed Reno the wrong way. The cowboy snorted softly, searching the red eyes of the other man from the corners of his gaze.
Ah shit. We got in it bad with the Tristan gang. There was a big fight. Lost a few. The rest of us scattered, including Lloyd. Figured that was the end of it, the gang. Ain’t seen no Tristans round these parts, though. Where ya been to get yer ear so close to the ground?
A scrutinizing stare narrowed Reno’s eyes.
reno turned that high-powered lens right back on colt. the raider didn't much care for that, especially right after he'd seen fit to warn the wretch.
"well now." colt slang his hindquarters to the bank and scratched idly behind a ragged ear. "as yew know, i weren't around for all that."
colt's penchant for plausible deniability had paid off this time, in fuckin spades it seemed.
"an' yew know i'll take most any job, 'slong as it pays well." he spat again and grinned, showing off the yellowed, lethal daggers set in hard gums. "i was up doin' a job near hearthstone ferry, real nasty work that time." but he'd enjoyed it. "met one o'tristan's wolves that way, kept talking' 'bout how they was done wrong by some bastard."
colt stared at reno. "wasn't halfway into millicentville when i heard yer specific name come up. watched two tristans rip the throat out charley, by the way. 'round then was when i cut out before anyone connected me to y'all."
he'd spent a rough set of months making sure no one had followed him. "i aint runnin' with no one. not formally. why don't you call me all together though, reno? sadey says she don't even know where you are. reckon we all came here lookin' fer one man, an' i'm lookin' at 'im now."
As much as he wished to turn away from the yellow-toothed devil, Reno stayed and listened to what Colt had to say.
The mangy cur hadn’t been around for their run in with the Tristans, but that was for the best. The dusty cowboy couldn’t have pictured Colt in that fray. They’d have been torn to ribbons and left to waste away in the desert. Even then, Reno couldn’t imagine that Colt would lay down his life for the other members of their group. He didn’t seem to think of them as family, not in the same way.
When the red gaze of the other man found him, Reno frowned.
They were all looking for him and yet the only one he’d found was… Colt. Life was cruel in the strangest ways.
Ain’t you just a lucky son of a gun…
Reno passed a sigh and shook his head. He was bothered deeply about the news on Charley. It didn’t settle well in the pit of his stomach. They’d already lost too many of their crew.
Well… I s’pose it’d be best to find miss Sadey. Find Jaime, too. Where’d ya run into em?
More importantly, you stickin around, or are ya off to chase other… ventures?
colt shrugged. "found 'em all over. there's about five, six places to set up camp in the surrounding territories alone." he scratched behind his other ear, lapped his jaws. "an' the answer to that depends on how organized yew wanna be here, reno. gimme a reason to stick around."
reno wasn't the fondest of him, nor was sadey. but colt knew he was a cold trapper, hunter, stalker, fighter, and killer. he had things to contribute to their gang that was undeniable, and his ability to come and go as he pleased was a major selling point if the others got tired of him.
his red eyes watched the other cowboy.
Reno already regretted asking if Colt would be staying in the area. The slippery bastard seemed to think that he needed good reason to hang around. Worded it in a way that suggested that joining their old band of rogues together wasn’t enough. The dusty figure maintained a strong frown, watching the scraggly man spin his words without a care in the world.
Hadn’t thought much of it, Colt. No word from Lloyd. This is the first I’m hearin’ of the gang bein’ in the same parts.
One thing was for sure, if the Blackwatch gang was nearby and forming again, the Tristans would not be far behind them. Reno wasn’t sure if he was interested in digging up their old rivalry. They’d seen a lot of wolves die between the two parties.
What do ya want? What are ya lookin’ for to compel ya?
yew, big dumb bastard! colt wanted to say, but he let the words twitch unsaid into his languid jawline. "i want t'settle down for a bit. not forever. i know we gotta roam. but winter's comin', reno. an' unless yew wanna brave them mountains again, i suggest we figure out where we are gonna hunker down."
there. it was out. colt briggs had never wanted such a thing before. he felt the weakness of it break over him. "i been gettin' in good with the locals. i reckon we can do some jobs, some huntin', in exchange fer whatever else we need."
Suspicion hung on the edge of the cowboy’s gaze. Since when had Colt ever wanted to settle down, even for a short time? Since he’d met the scoundrel, Reno had been certain that holding still and staying out of trouble was not in the other man’s capabilities. If it weren’t for his talent in killing, he might have been left behind to rot long ago. There was no way around it… Colt Briggs had a way with his fangs and Reno pitied any fool who got in the way of them.
A heavy sigh fell from his mouth.
Alright. I’ll start lookin fer Sadey and the others nearby. We’ll see what we can do. Met a young girl who’s got herself a gang she runs with. Might be worth lookin’ into.
Reno dreaded sending Colt to Amalia, but if the other man could make it worth their while, they would probably think he was a blessing sent on dusted winds.
"hoo, hoo, well now. lookit yew. gettin' round to the ladies already." colt had a third of a mind to tell reno about miz amalia and kentucky and the voiceless woman who had been gracious enough to entertain a pleasant trade.
"i'll be in the area. followin' herds. foun' a bear track. might follow it, see where it goes." he chuckled; that was a foolish idea but he wanted to see reno's reaction all the same.
the red eyes danced.
Reno deadpanned in expression, unhappy with the insinuation on Colt’s tongue. That was his way, Reno knew well enough. It didn’t make it any easier to deal with the man. If he weren’t so damn good at what he did-
Yeah, yeah, I’ll find ya.
The cowboy heaved a sigh and turned from Colt. He’d hunt the grounds in the area and then set himself on a course. He knew that winter was months away, but that it would take time and effort before the gang was back together. As he trotted away from the meeting grounds, Reno wondered how many of the others had made it out alive of their last scrape.