Two Rivers Isle careful, i might shoot you by mistake

watching iseul's powerful limbs relax as she came to soothe their interlude untensed colt as well; had he hands or guns, he would have spun his revolvers on hard fingers and shoved them both back into worn holsters.
he exhaled a long, slow breath, jerking his head in a nod. "th'gang ain't pack wolves," briggs began to explain. "we always lived an' died by our wits. i got red an' sadey hurt real bad," colt admitted, crooking a fore-ankle over his mouth. "but i'm their head honcho, fer better or worse."
she got it, right. colt watched her face for any shifting expression as he spoke. "we don't stay in place fer very long anymore. but fer while we is here, on the isle, i suppose they need me to beat the fear o'god into em."
the scarlet eyes were no less hard but not for iseul, for the running, the chafing. "told gun if she got knocked up i was kickin' her out." it was a gambit, colt showing the leader what sort of work he'd done that had benefited both her and the gang, negotiations. more pups meant less resources for matteo and ines. more pups compromised colt's ability to uproot and get the hell out of dodge if necessary.
gun heard colt's voice. he doubted she would heed iseul when it came to her single minded twitterpatin' fuckery. at least that too was temporary, just like his stint in leadership. "i know yew want peace. reckon i feel th'same. t'keep it, i need to be up with yew. formal like."