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late into the second day, colt's fever began to subside. the pain did not. he grunted himself away and found he could roll his head to the other side, pulling his eyelid from the sucking muck. he blinked and winced. "fuck."
he wanted to sit up. it felt hugely monumental. he was swathed in wet things and herbs; he smelled sadey close. and daisy dove. so he relaxed and opted not to screw his ribs up more, or rip his scabs open.
colt briggs lay still and awake, staring up at the overcast autumn sky. he heard nothing save for the roar of blood in his ears. he pulled the faces of the bastards into his mind and recounted every detail he recalled.
and now they'd taken red.
"it ain't over," he growled in a raspy whisper to no one.
if they'd killed her, he'd end them. and if they hadn't, he'd still go back. honor was at stake. the honor colt had risked and lost. he knew he'd fucked up. but he wouldn't be the one paying a second time over.
Sadey heard Colt moving and a gentle breathed explicative. She felt that quite readily herself lately. She leaned her head up, a wince coloring her face. The chunk of flesh and fur that had been ripped from behind her ear, hurt like a mother, but it was nothing for the fire that licked from her chest to her back. The exposed rib smarting like crazy.
She struggled to her feet, labored breathing, tears springing readily to her eyes as she tried to make a step and another. She neared Ole Colt and grumbling.
Let's move you, eh? Out of shit. It's gonna hurt like a bitch though. You want to risk it or stay in the mire?
She nosed along him, trying not to jar him. Not sure of all his wounds. He hadn't been able to speak for 2 days, so neither she nor Lonesome Dove knew what his extent was. So with gentle touches that she was certain he never felt from her, she felt around for anything they missed.
And you're right it ain't over. As much as the girl annoys me, she's yours.
Which by extent made her Sadey's but sadey knew ole colt enough to know he'd balk and get real shitty she were to say that.
Lonesome had gone off to hunt.
With three mouths to feed here, two who couldn’t catch a frog if it walked into their mouth and sat there, she’d taken it upon herself to keep them all fed.
She wasn’t too far, so when she heard Sadey start talking, she lifted her head a bit, thought about it, and went back to what she was doing. The woman wasn’t dumb, she wouldn’t try and drag him off.
Lonesome went back to the hunt.
Fully skippable, just a cameo at this point
sadey was there, looking just as banged up as him. "thought you was a goner," he said in that same weakened voice. the way she touched him instead of slapping him silly amused colt. "yew come along t'be my nursemaid then?" but he groaned in pain as he finally, finally sat up.
"think i'll stay. no point in movin' now." he hardly knew where he was. colt looked sidelong at sadey. "what happened? last thing i remember is — sayin' bye t'red."
Sadey snorted. Almost was, still might. If infection settles into my torn skin. I won't be able to fight it. Not as laid open as I am.
Sadey chuckled and then swore through gritted teeth. cause it hurt like a mother. Fuck.You. Colt. Briggs. Only in your fantasies, bastard.
Sadey settled near him, and then went the rest of the way down, her torn up side skyward. She closed her pretty eyes for a moment and then spoke as she opened them.
Not much to tell. I tried to get Red moving after you started fighting the both, but the big bastard set upon me and shoved me out of the way. I was too hurt to fight back, and they didn't seem to want to hurt ole red, just keep her from us. So I left to find you. Figured, i'd hunt you down. Clean you up. I saw the sights of you as they shoved your sorry ass in the river. Figured, they fought for that land, they ain't gonna leave it. So we can get her back, and she may get away her self. She proved she not as dumb as she seems. Too dependent on you, but not everyone can be independent like ole sadey.
so that was how he had gotten here, carried downstream. colt snorted and then grunted in anguish. "ain't we a pair, sadey walker." but now his voice was hard. the slight to his honor was not ignorable. and the plight of red remained to be seen.
"'course they aint gonna hurt her." he ran his tongue over his teeth. "what yew think they want with her?" it was rhetorical. "yew seen the way he held her throat. i aint never done anything like that to her." earlier indignation at sadey's earlier suggestion around his bond with red was flaring for a moment, then went away.
he snorted and felt the way his face had knit together into healing scars still tender to movement. "'member what i said?" his red gaze met the loveliness of her compelling face. "redbird's a killer, i told yew. she'll make her way. either way," and he opened his jaw, stretching it with the intention of working those slackened muscles, "i'll be goin' back, soon as i can."
Sadey gave a soft snort of derision. Oh they were a pair alright. Still fooling around like idiots. Still theiving, and lying and dying.
Well Colt it's the way of this choice and life we made. We all knew we'd die before we were old. You live fast and loose with your morals, well then you live fast and loose with your life. But that's the choice we made. No use belly aching over it.
Sadey sighed. honestly if I got a read on the smaller bastard. He seems the type to think he's a better father than he is. So I think his intent is just to get her away from the likes of us. Could be wrong though. I'm not as good at reading others as I was once upon a time. Too mistrustful. Think everyone's out to get me.
Sadey met his gaze and nodded. Well then i guess i'm going to if i live.
No use beating around the bush. They were both in pretty sorry states, ole colts insides all busted up. her own ribs playing peeping tom with the world. Yea they were a great pair to be fighting.
"make sure yew tell red whatcha think of her now." his eyes were appraising. sadey's approval was important to the structure of the gang. he looked over at her ripped ribs and gave a low whistle. but then his gaze hardened.
redbird was alone with two violent men and all sadey talked about was fathers. colt had learned not to trust men for any reason. he was depleted, and so lay back upon the wet bank, shifting his stare toward the woman. "yew sure? i'm goin' fer blood." honor was important and that pair had violated it.
Sadey knew it looked terrible. Granted she couldn't see if as well as he could, but she could feel it, and lord have mercy. She wanted to scream every second of every minute at the pain. Her poppy seeds all used up, and she wouldn't go hunt no more, there was a fine line to skirt with poppy seeds and she wasn't about to give into that violent sickening beast.
Why? She don't seem to care to much what i think of 'er.
Sadey smacked her tail against the ground. And then snarled at the wince. You forget Colt they took a piece of me too, a pretty large piece. I'm not one to take such a licking and not fuck em up when i see em again. Yew know that.
colt grunted. he ran his tongue across cracked lips. "fine," he rumbled. sadey's mind was made and there was no trying to dissuade her, he knew from experience.
he wanted to ask next for advice, for the woman to tell him he had definitely fucked up. but briggs knew it would only irritate them both. no sense doing that when he could just think hard on it while he was healing up.
"red knows we got loyalty between us, ye an' me an' reno. i want us all to share in that one day."
Sadey closed her eyes, breathing agony. Briggs had messed up, but so had she. She should have retreated with the girl sooner. Or told ole briggs no fighting. Shew as itching for af ight too. But that was how it was, when you were born mean and angry, you grew up mean and angry.
So the fault in a sense lied with both of them. And they were both to blame for letting the girl get took.
Sadey opened an eye. The girls already got loyalty too. That's for certain. Most her age, would turned tail and run. She fought back and she fought hard. Though Briggs, it's a shame to make her into us, cause we gonna die young. And we signed that girl up for it too.
Lonesome had caught not one, not two, but three frogs. They hung from her jawls in a slimy line, spread eagle as she hopped and skipped her way across the wetlands back to the two wolves she’d been treating.
Well, if treating could be described as “giving them enough shit to not die”. Then she was quite good at that.
She tuned out their words as she came from the bushes, letting the frogs hit the ground with wet thunks, one after the other, their glassy dead eyes turned in every direction. She grinned, mouth smeared with frog blood.
I hope you’re hungry!
She chirped, before her eyes found Colt, awake and seemingly lucid. She offered him a beam, pleased to see he’d actually somehow lived. Cool, she was good at something after all.
I got you two the big ones, and I’ll take the small one.
She’d been supplementing her diet with what she could find anyway. She slid the two largest frogs towards the two, before settling with her own.
a muscle jumped in colt's jaw. he hated to admit it. "well, sadey. better us'n anyone else, hm? she can leave anytime, join a pack. but we'll teach her how to survive without. don't ferget, we're improvin' her chances."
he was about to change the subject when their jolly caretaker reappeared. she tossed a frog his way and he bent to pick it up with effort. "say now, that's real kind'o yew, lonesome," the man said, chewing off a leg. "as yew can see, we're on the mend. once i can be up'n at em, we'll do a good hunt for yew, repay it all nice like." he grinned but his eyes searched for her response.
Sadey eyed him and snorted. You wouldn't let that girl leave without a fight. But I s'pose yir right in that aspect better us than deadth.
Sadey eyed her with distaste, though a small glitter of appreciation and mirth peppered out of her pretty eyes.
You're too happy I hate it. But thank yew kindly.
Slimy meat was better than no meat honestly. She'd take it. Beggars couldn't be choosers. She sat up and groaned at the pain that radiated up her side. Almost making her black out, but she kept her balance and bit into the leg.
Her tail gave a single, solid thump and Lonesome gave a soft chuff.
No need for all of that fuss for me, just catch me a duck or something and we’ll call it even.
Cornflower eyes never wavered from the two of them, even as she tore into her own frog like a macabre science experiment, or a fourth grader with a mission to dissect.
Then, Sadey spoke and the girl blinked.
…I mean I can be meaner if you want? I just didn’t think you’d appreciate me being a rude healer person.
She said after she had finished choking a bit on her bite of frog.
colt laughed a rough bark. "lookit us, girl! we don't care how yew act. yew been patchin' us up, call me an ugly bastard if'n yew want." his eyes shone with amusement, but it turned to muted worry when he looked over at sadey.
his voice was still a rasp as his throat healed. "she needs somethin' fer pain, lonesome, no matter what she says. if yew can find somethin', i'll throw the duck in too."
Sadey glared at him. Then looked to the girl. you giv eme something that addles meh brains. I'll rip your face off, but you can find something not so bad. Then i'll take it.
She groused at the frog. And i'll teach ya some healing tricks when i'm feeling up to it, too.
Sadey bit into the frog further. Ears twitching up and down as she pillowed herself through the pain. She sniffed along the wound.
I'm need something more for infection too.
She didn't have a fester yet, but she didn't want to risk it. Not that close to her innards.
Lonesome nodded, slow at first, then a little bit faster.
Im gonna be honest with you two, I grew up in a desert. A lot of the plants here are kinda similar to the ones I know, but I might accidentally grab something wrong. Call me on it if I do.
She said after a while, ripping through another pass of the frog at her feet.
…what are you guys doing out here anyway? You both mentioned two guys and someone named Red and it’s not everyday I find someone bleeding out in a bog. You were almost food for the critters. Or people who like the soft bits.
People like Lonesome, desperate to survive, desperate for control, desperate for something, anything.
You don’t gotta tell me if it’s not something you wanna talk about, but I kinda maybe want to know if helping you is gonna get me used like a chew toy. I didn’t like it the first time and I won’t like it a second.
There had been wolves far bigger than these two who looked at a scrawny little coyote girl and decided that her existence was solely to become their next meal or plaything. Needless to say, she wasn’t interested in going through that again.
lonesome made good points. colt finished his frog before he answered, and smacked his lips with gusto.
"all right, all right. we was in the taiga, see," briggs began, eyes moving toward the healer's face. "the whole gang. had a place fer ourselves, was gonna set the winter out."
he lay back down with a grunt, pain sizzling all of his nerves. "wouldn't yew know it, two wretches come along, all sick wid hydrophobia. rabies. so we hightail it outta there and regroup at a creek."
"turns out, place is being claimed. that's all right, we jest wanted t'stay long enough t"make certain we wasn't followed." colt spread his forepaws in an of course gesture. "now, admittedly, sadey'n i were ready t'scrap. always are, aint we?" he did not jostle his gangmate with a nudge, not yet. "coupla men came down t'greet us. i weren't the kindest but i asked them if this was their turf. was willin' t'strike a compromise for a couple days. but then one of em got real rude, so i went t'handle it, an' here we are. now i don't know that they'll come after us. but they got one of ours. an' what's more, they disrespected the gang. aint gotta choice but t'go back."
Sadey eyed him as he made to jostle, but he didn't. She didn't say much else content to let him speak on it.
Though she did add. Always willing to tan a hide.
Then she went back to nibbling at the frog. Not realizing how hungry she was until now. And the story was mostly right. Granted Ole Colt had gone after the guy, even if it was rude. He could have ignored it, and they wouldn't be in this mess. But blood runs hot in fools and the young.
So let me get this straight
Lonesome raised one paw and put it across her muzzle, in a motion similar to someone stroking their chin.
You outran the foaming sickness, got into a fight with a couple guys, got beat up, they stole someone after you jumped them for being rude, you both almost died, and you want to go back.
She could fathom the idea, doing it for her family, but well.
In this gang, do you have any other healers? So on the off chance you pull through successful this time and those two haven’t found other allies willing to put you down or haven’t killed this person or left the area entirely, you don’t keel over right then and there? Be embarrassing if you mounted an entire operation and died at the very end of it.
"naw, we aint got one, lonesome. we was lucky enough to find yew." he cocked his head at her. "yer right. but that fucker threw me into the creek, which brung me here. throat ripped up, half-drowned like a prairie rat." he chuckled, then flicked his tongue across the ridges of his teeth.
"there's five of us: me, sadey, red, gun, an' reno, tho i think he went back west for a little." he sniffed. "yer welcome among us. if yew don't wanna fight, not an issue. the gang repays its debts. just think about it, lonesome." he winked and looked toward sadey. surely she agreed that the little spitfire should be one of them.
Sadey eyed them both and shook her head. You know i can heal a bit numb nuts.
She shook her head. She was the one that fixed up her side wasn't she. The one that fixed up herself that day at the pack lands when they entered Natigvik.
I have no objections if you want to join us and not all gangs have fighters. Reno doesn't fight all that often 'imself neither.
They offered for her to join their Gang. Lonesome took a moment just to think. These people were rough and rowdy, fairly obvious to her sight, and they held a grudge that could get them and her killed.
But, well. Lonesome Dove wasn’t exactly a pushover. She quirked a faint grin.
Its not that I’m not a fighter. I’m one of seven, fighting was something I did often.
She shrugged, looking back to her frog.
If it comes to it, I’ll fight. But I rather would not.
She ripped off the frog’s head with a sick twisting pop of a noise.
Ill come. If only to make sure my best handiwork doesn’t fall over stiff legged when I look away for a second.
"i aint ferget, sadey, but yer a scrapper too." the gang needed a dedicated healer, someone who traded skill for protection.
he didn't need to say anything; dr dove offered her voice with an agreement and a jest. colt's face split into a wide and hideous grin. "well. that's real fine, ain't it. the gang don't need yew to fight, so long as yew keep close'n patch us up." the pain was no less, but he focused his attention on the coygirl.
briggs fell into a pensive quiet. he looked at sadey. "we need t'find gun." but he was loathe to ask dove off, as much for his sake as anything. he wouldn't send her near that fuckin' creek. "but first, maybe we should relocate to more shelter. course, not sure i'll be able to walk fer a couple days more yet."