Cain was an observer; thoughtful and calculating as he stood in the shadows, watching the locals passing by. He was waiting for someone, a friend he hadn’t seen in a long while. He rarely allowed anyone to call upon him but this one was special, they had made an offer he couldn’t exactly refuse and he accepted it. Patiently he waited with his trusted horse, Black Jack. The massive black horse snorted, pawing the earth with his hoof restlessly.
Off in the distance, a figure appeared. A woman of intimidation dressed in all black, graciously galloping upon her beautiful Buckskin horse. The stallion’s loud snorts alerted those around, moving out of the way while she rode past. Her eyes shot ahead, noting the figure she was searching for. Growing closer and closer, she signaled a whoa and Guillermo skidded to a halt, kicking up a cloud of dust around them. As it settled, she smiled at Cain. “Hello.” she greeted with a smile and a tip of her hat.
A small smile seemed to flicker across Cain’s lips at the one he was waiting for approached. Riding in her stallion as if she was born to do so and dressed in black. A color that they shared in favor.
Michelle De La Cruz, a formidable yet graceful woman. She was unlike anyone he had ever met in his long life, with his gift of memory he could never forget her face.
Beautiful would be an understatement to describe her, but she would never know that.
He approached from the shadows, with his height he almost reached as tall as her own horse. He inclined his head in response to her greeting.
“Madam.” He deep and rough voice greeted her, his good silver colored eye met her own.
“Been a long time.”
“Indeed it has.” she agreed, dismounting her horse. Despite her short stature compared to him, his size wasn’t intimidating in the slightest. Not to someone so intimately familiar to her.
Her eyes traveled up and down his figure slowly. Hadn’t changed a bit. A small smirk tugged at her lips. “Tell me, how has the world treated you?” she said softly, stepping closer to him.
“The world has been treatin’ me just fine.” Cain chuckled, his good eye making contact with her bright ones. Time had been kind to her, she had not changed since he last saw her.
He felt the familiar ache, the ghost of her touch on his skin and he almost found himself sighing in response. He couldn’t give into his desires, not when she wanted his help.
“So tell me what this job is.” He cut right to chase, crossing his arms across his broad chest. “Didn’t give much detail besides that I would get paid.”
“Got details of a large bounty heading north, towards Ambarino,” Michelle reported. “Word is there’s a heavy guard too. Could definitely use your help.”
She had a small smirk on her face. Bounties of any number were no issue for her, although knowing very well how formidable Cain is, it was a perfect opportunity to ask for his aid. Together they worked quite seamlessly.
Cain nods his head, methodically scratching his silvery beard. He then turns to grab the reins of his trusted steed, Black Jack follows obediently.
“Ain’t gonna waste much time then.” He lines up his horse with hers, the massive black steed suddenly extends his neck and his nose began to sniff Michelle gently, a small knicker followed as Black Jack began to search her pockets.
Cain sighed, he recalled that Michelle was very kind to his horse gave him treats. Black Jack was not a very friendly horse, much like himself, but with Michelle the stallion was calm yet eager for her attention.
Again, much like himself.
“Damn horse.” He muttered. He began to adjust the saddle Nd make sure he was ready for this bounty.
Michelle smiled and scratched the stallion’s nose. He seemed to know she had a soft spot for him. Stallions were her favorite, yet Black Jack seemed to stick out more than any other except her own. She pulled a peppermint from her pocket and fed it to him.
“Good to know we’re still friends.” she said softly before turning to mount Guillermo, who danced in his spot, eager to go off for their next adventure. Michelle looked at Cain. “Shall we?”
She waited for him to mount before taking off into a gallop along the dusty path.
Cain mounted his own horse and followed Michelle along the duty road, keep pace with her gait. He felt that old tingle in his bones, the thrill of the hunt.
Usually bounties were more of a chore than anything to him, but with Michelle at his side, he knew things were about to get interesting.
“Last time I saw ya, you were runnin’ with that gang.” He called out to her, striking up some small talk to pass the time. “You still with them?”
