Howdy traveler!

• She/Her • 20+ • Ocs un here! Shad, Chad and C!!

[shad-rp]

========××××ו••×××××=======

Howdy travelers!

I'm Shad! An inexperienced girl, but who enjoys meeting new people and listening to what they have to say.

If you have any questions, please ask, and if you'd like to start a conversation, you're welcome!

All the dividers I use are from: @pixopix

========××××ו••×××××=======

My main profile is @shad-art

Some things about her/me:

•I'm into some fandoms like: CoD, marvel, X-Men (obsession of the last period), Rdr2 (other obsession) and others that I can't even think of. I go through periods a lot.

•I'll be using this OC/self insert (sorta) for several fandoms. It'll be a 20-year-old girl who wanders across universes and has her own story to tell.

•In general, she is a shy girl who doesn't want to bother anyone, much less hurt them. Always try to see the good in people, even if it's difficult sometimes.

=========================

•If you want to understand how she's made, there are some drawings that show her!

All ideas and her appearance are created and belong to me.

•Below is how I represent her. Clothes, hat, etc. In her entire state.

•She always carries a small sketchbook with her, which she uses to draw the people and places she sees. (This applies to any fandom.)

• She'll have different styles, and this is his horse. A stallion named Morgan, (yes, his breed is a Morgan xD)

(the beautiful drawing on the right is also made by @howdycowpokes ) <<3333

•I use the Chibi style for answers during PRs. (But I might also draw her entire form sometimes.)

•She has some friends who are Dylan ( @red-dead-muses ), Doe ( @doethelittlecowpoke ) and Osi ( @osi-inn ), magpie ( @magpie-sherlock ), sunny ( @thesunguide ). She loves them so much.

=========================

Various lore from various fandoms:

° Red Dead Redemption 2

Also open to AU:

° Modern AU

OC in my possession:

° Hornet Bayers (rdr2)

It's not the final one, I'll improve it.

[price-ofthe-job]

Hello captain. (⁠ ⁠´⁠◡⁠‿⁠ゝ⁠◡⁠`⁠)

@shad-rp

Hello soldier.

[shad-rp]

I don't know how great it can be to be a soldier. Call me C by the way.

[price-ofthe-job]

I will probably not remember to call you that.

[shad-rp]

Fine. I understand that a man your age has trouble remembering things, so that's okay.

[price-ofthe-job]

No, I just do not care enough.

[shad-rp]

Sassy captain.

I knew someone like you a while ago, but he was actually a softie deep down.

[price-ofthe-job]

Hello captain. (⁠ ⁠´⁠◡⁠‿⁠ゝ⁠◡⁠`⁠)

@shad-rp

Hello soldier.

[shad-rp]

I don't know how great it can be to be a soldier. Call me C by the way.

[price-ofthe-job]

I will probably not remember to call you that.

[shad-rp]

Fine. I understand that a man your age has trouble remembering things, so that's okay.

[price-ofthe-job]

Hello captain. (⁠ ⁠´⁠◡⁠‿⁠ゝ⁠◡⁠`⁠)

@shad-rp

Hello soldier.

[shad-rp]

I don't know how great it can be to be a soldier. Call me C by the way.

[tsula-on-the-trail]

☆Introduction post☆

❝Now don't hang on, Nothin' lasts forever but the earth and sky, It slips away, And all your money won't another minute buy

Dust in the wind....All we are is dust in the wind...❞

Art inspired by 'Lookouts' on itchio, however the character is of my own, and my own art. Not from lookouts itself, the character.

This is a roleplay blog for my OC Tsula. He is set in a more western era, but crossover RPs from anytime or such are fully welcome and encouraged. His story will be revealed during roleplays and drabbles.

Other western blogs mod runs: @red-dead-muses To see my lists if rules, please go to this linked blog and check my carrd!

About mod:

Hello, my name is Dylan/foxy/whatever, I am 22 years old and work two jobs, plus internship and classes. So I'm pretty busy, but I make time.

My main blog is @kitlox3rfoxer and I often post on @red-dead-muses. I love to write drabbles, roleplay, the likes.

Other blogs to check!:

♤ @arthurmorganrp / @johnmarstonrp @boaz-appreciation @mistermxrgan @shad-art / @shad-rp @howdycowpokes @just-a-lone-soul @cowboy-corvidae @sweettea-osi @samaelmntzrp @petyabeloruski @honeybeamorgan @salfisher-com @potingus573 @blue-policerobot

[shad-rp]

RP start with @henryhussettrp

The image is made by @meatjunior (fantastic as always, of course 🥰)

Dividers credit: @uzmacchiato

"How long until we arrive?" Charlotte's tired voice echoed through the trees of the forest they had been walking through for a few hours now. They had decided to organize a camping day together after Henry had proposed the idea a few weeks earlier.

And just like the visit to the ranch, it had taken them a long time to fit all their commitments in to be there at that moment. But they had succeeded and now they were walking under the sun, covered by a few yellowish leaves that still refused to let go of the branch.

"We're almost there, honey. Daddy Hornet, why don't you pick up your little girl?" Shad's mocking voice reached the man who snorted in response.

"She's big. She doesn't need my help."

Charlotte seemed to recover at those words, quickening her pace, showing everyone that her father was right. The scene was quite funny, and even Jack didn't hesitate to follow her.

The place they were going to wasn't far from the ranch. John had heard about it, and Abigail had made sure they had everything they needed to at least not be isolated from the world. This surprised Shad, who had never heard of it.

A few drops of sweat ran down her forehead, which she promptly wiped away with the sunflower-yellow handkerchief she had never left behind since meeting Henry. Probably her subconscious was telling her that if she had kept it with her, that blond-haired boy who was now talking to his crush, One day he would remember the moment he gave it to her.

A rush of air followed by an object flashed by without warning, and it took her a second to realize what it was.

"Drink. You're sweating more now than when you worked on the ranch." The usual harsh tone of the man who had been accompanying her for seven years now was showing his rare moment of affection towards people who were not his daughter. Shad gave a mocking smile.

"Is the brown bear showing his soft side today?"

"Do you want this bottle or not?" Hornet was now used to the attitude of that girl who drove him crazy every day with the nonsense she said. It didn't continue any further. Shad took the bottle and drank, finding some relief from the scorching sun, and after a few more minutes of walking, they reached their destination.

There were several leaves on the ground, all colorful, which created little mountains, which had already been spotted by the littlest ones in the group. A small clearing, surrounded by some bushes, seemed like a suitable place to pitch their tents and camp, and that's exactly what they did.

They divided the tasks: Abigail, Shad, Henry and the children had gone to collect branches for the fire and logs to sit on, While the men had "offered" to set up the tents.

It would have been something fun and familiar. She missed those moments in front of the fire, telling scary stories, and going to sleep with the sleeping bag wrapped around her head because of the cold and fear. That evening it would go back to being like this, like in the days of the West.

[henryhussettrp]

Henry was having a good dream for once. He usually dreamed of cold water or rundown empty shacks, but not tonight. Right now he was on a beach chair under a large umbrella and someone was feeding him a chocolate strawberry. Someone with big hands who used their rough thumb to wipe the chocolate off Henry's lower lip...

Oh someone else was there. Shad, in a fantastic bikini and... A velvet black cape?

"Is it safe for you to be out on the beach?" Henry asked, "you'll be pinker than a pig's belly if yer not careful. What, with you bein' a vampire and all".

"I wear lots of sunscreen" said dream Shad. "SPF 3,000. But that doesn't matter right now. You should wake up Henry!"

"But I want more strawberries" Henry whined.

Then another figure appeared.

"Listen to your magic friend, Henry. Yer just about as lazy as you ever were! Now get off your ass and pick up a Dodge ball. Yer never gonna make it through life actin' like a princess!"

10th grade gym teacher Mr Marcus?

Henry awoke with a tiny gasp of air. He was sweating a little in his sleeping bag and his hair was tangled in little swirls around his face. Why hadn't he put it in braids last night.

He sat up slowly and took in the dark tent. The kids were still asleep in the middle but Shad was up. Henry could see a sliver of her pale skin lit by the moon as she peaked out of the tent flap.

Careful not to put weight on his ankle Henry crawled toward her. She glanced his way and Henry could tell that something was the matter.

Quietly, Henry brought his face to the small opening of the tent and looked out. It was too dark out. He had no idea what time it was, but the sun was nowhere in sight. It took his eyes a while to adjust, but his ears worked just fine. Somewhere not so far from their tent was the sound of something big. It's footsteps sounded heavy and as it moved it sniffed and huffed out deep rolling noises that made the hair on the back of Henry's neck stand up.

The large and round shadow that was sniffing its way through camp was definitely a bear.

"Holy Moly" Henry said, a week whisper. He grabbed Shad's arm and squeezed. This was serious. All that fear he'd felt in the forest came back full force and quadrupled.

"Shit, shit, shit. What do we do? I- I can't carry one of the kids with my ankle the way it is I'll be too slow. Do we just stay in here and hope it goes away?"

Henry should never have let the kids stay with him. He was useless outdoors. He couldn't protect them. They would be better off with anyone else.

He looked back at Jack and Charlotte sleeping peacefully. Should they wake them so they could be ready to move or would they get scared and attract the bears attention? He didn't know what to do and he felt stupidly like he might cry.

He was shaking in fear, but there was one thing he did have. Slowly, so that he made little noise Henry went into his backpack and wrapped his hand around the aluminum canister.

"Do you know how to use this?" Henry pushed the cab of bear spray into Shad's hands. "I'm really sorry I'm no help Shad. Tell me what to do and I'll do it. Should- should I call someone? Hornet? Oh, but what if the bear hears their phone?"

Henry wiped his hand across his face. He was scared out of his skin. He waited for Shad to speak.

[shad-rp]

Bear spray in her hand seemed like a good idea, but it might only make him angrier. Shad stared at it for a moment, assessing the situation. The bear was outside, and you could hear it moving around in search of food. It was probably not just the two of them who heard it.

The children were still asleep, unaware of what was happening inside and outside the tent. Shad looked at Henry. He was scared, but who wouldn't be at that moment?

She put the spray down for a moment and took Henry's hands in hers, reassuring him and trying not to make him nervous.

"Henry, don't worry. Bears aren't bad unless you provoke them. I don't even think I hear any other footsteps. It's probably alone." A whisper, a grip that tightened a little and a smile that wanted to hide that fear of finding yourself in a mess.

"Let's not send messages; it might make the bear nervous. What we need to do is stay here and wait for them to finish their search for food, okay?"

She had rarely found herself in a situation like this. She remembered once, in 1910, a bear had disturbed her during one of her night hunts. It was big, and Shad didn't feel like tackling it. That evening, she returned home without her catch, but she probably escaped with her life.

Now it was different. She wasn't alone and she was in a closed space. They couldn't leave easily, not everyone. So all that remained was to wait.

So I'll stay silent. The children are still asleep, while Henry and Shad watch the animal's shadow reflected in the tent, still moving and searching for food.

'Un fottuto orso? Davvero?' Shad cursed lightly in her native tongue. She hadn't spoken her native language for years, only rarely with shop assistants or waiters in the city, but she did complain and swear well in her own language.

At that moment she hoped that the bear would do its thing, eat the scraps of meat they had hidden and then leave, without waking anyone. She couldn't bear the thought of seeing her friends attacked by that animal, unable to do anything to protect her secret.

She squeezed Henry's hand, as if to anchor him there, with her, to reassure him that everything would be okay if they were silent and, after all, It was also a reassurance for her. Knowing that her friend was there and wouldn't let anything or anyone take him away again.

[henryhussettrp]

The bear huffed as it searched, its nose to the ground. It hunted around the area that Abigail and the kids had prepared the meat. Maybe there was sauce on the ground or juices left over, but when there was no real food to be found the bear whined and moved on.

Henry continued to squeeze Shad's hand. He could hear his heart beating wildly in his ears. He'd never seen an animal so massive before. Was it a black bear? It was too dark to see the color, but surely a grizzly would be even bigger. Did they even have brown bears in Texas?

The bear moved to search the logs around the fire pit where surely there were pieces of graham cracker and burnt marshmallow dotting the grass. It sniffed and licked and whined some more.

There couldn't be much to find, Henry thought. They'd done a good job cleaning up. All their trash had gone into a big plastic bag and then into a sealed bin.

If Henry wasn't scared out of his mind, he'd be in awe at seeing a bear this close. He might have even considered it cute with its big head, fluffy belly, and round butt. But, he'd heard enough horror stories about people getting up close and personal with wild animals they thought seemed friendly and living to regret it.

The bear moved closer to John and Abigail's tent and Henry held his breath. What if they had food in their tent? John sometimes snacked on jerky. God, if John got attacked by a bear and tragically fell into a coma Henry was going to march into his hospital room and unplug him!

The bear sniffed around the tent and moved again. It walked by Hornet and Arthur's tents seemingly uninterested in their contents. Then suddenly it stood, rising on to its hind legs. The bear stuck its big nose into the air and sniffed. Once, twice, and then landed back on all fours with a heavy thud. It turned its head in a new direction and began walking back towards the trees.

Henry let go of Shad's hand and covered his face with his own. He sucked in a breath of air and bent down over his knees. A second later he folded his hands together in front of his face.

"Thank you, God, for keepin' us all safe. I'm still not sure if you exist or not and I'm not super into most of what you got to say, but I promise I'll think about it a little more. Amen!"

Henry placed his hand over his heart and felt it beating a mile a minute. He peaked outside again to see that bear had disappeared into the trees.

He looked back at the children. Jack was rubbing his eyes.

"Mmh what're you guys doin' up? Is it day time yet?" Jack said, the weight of sleep still hanging over him.

"No, it ain't mornin', Jack. Shad and I were just talkin' about adult stuff is all. Go back to sleep" Henry whispered. He crawled back to his sleeping bag and rubbed Jack's back as he laid back down.

Then from the corner of the tent, Henry's phone lit up and a quiet jingle began to play. Henry picked it up quickly.

"Hey", he answered quietly.

"Jesus fuck, did you see that?"

It was John on the phone.

"If you mean smokey the bear then yeah I saw it", said Henry. He listened to John and nodded his head as if he could see it.

"We're all fine here. Oh hold on I just got a text from your brother- about the bear you idiot".

Henry chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Go back to bed I'll see you in the mornin'".

Henry hung up the call and looked up at Shad. A wide smile spread across his face.

"Tall about wild, right?"

[shad-rp]

The bear's footsteps were getting farther away, and Shad could hear them getting farther away. She sighed with relief, glad the bear hadn't developed a craving for fresh meat.

Seeing Henry scared made her chest tighten more than she wanted to admit, but after Jack went back to sleep and John reassured them that they were okay, Shad smiled at his comment.

"Yes. I wasn't expecting a visit like that." Legs crossed, arranged as if not wanting to take up too much space. "I preferred the raccoon, hehe..."

That brief but intense experience had not erased the half-vampire's worries, which had now returned more impertinently in the silence of the tent. Shad rubbed her hands together, looking away. She wanted to put an end to this story, to reassure Henry, but also to reassure herself.

"Listen, Henry. About what I told you before...I would never do anything to—" "Are you all okay?" Hornet's low voice made them both jump, but luckily, it didn't wake the children.

"Damn, how scary Hornet! Yes, we're fine. The kids slept the whole time." Shad whispered, Jack and Charlotte sleeping soundly. Hornet remained silent, assessing the situation. Then he looked back at them.

"Luckily, you heard the footsteps. Better awake than unaware of all this." There was a general nod, the tension still in the air and seeing Hornet so worried touched Shad, who had rarely seen him like this.

"We're fine, go back to sleep, okay? Henry and I are here to protect the kids." A sincere smile that partially reassured the man, closing the curtain and going back to sleep.

"Maybe we'd better go back to sleep too. Tomorrow we'll wake up early and head home." Shad adjusted her and Henry's pillows, lying down and letting the "vampire" talk resume at a calmer moment.

The next morning, as soon as the light showed outside the tent, Shad went out, tired of staying in her sleeping bag without sleeping. The light hit her like a punch as soon as she stepped outside, It wasn't very strong fortunately, but she got over it and stretched, enjoying the early morning sounds.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" Arthur was preparing the embers to cook breakfast.

"Oh, good morning. I didn't think you were awake." Shad approached, hands on hips. "I...rested. I hope you slept. Did you hear the bear last night?"

"Yes. But the bears around here aren't bad unless you bother them." A small spark, then a flame amidst some flakes of wood. Shad stepped back slightly.

"Glad you didn't panic." An amused smile, then silence. She looked around for a moment. "After breakfast I think it's time to head back to the ranch."

Arthur nodded as he let some meat cook on the fire. Shad wasn't one for savory breakfasts, but she just had to try it that morning. There was a few more moments of silence. She wasn't one for many words, and neither was Arthur, probably. The silence was pleasant, but the gossip was even more so...

"So...how's it going with Henry?" Shad couldn't read minds, but she could understand body signals and hear the subtlest sounds. His heart began to beat faster.

"He's a good person. Friendly and ironic, pleasant to be around." As he spoke, Shad sat on one of the tarot cards, also wanting to see his face as he spoke.

"It's true. He's a good guy, and I'm sure he's also good company without too many people around. He brightens up your day." The light tone, implying that maybe Arthur could ask Henry out just the two of them.

"I think so, yes." And it was the smile on Arthur's face at those words that sent shivers down her spine.

"Good morning..." John arrived, yawning, and sat down on a log. "What's for breakfast?" Soon after, Abigail arrived, sitting next to her husband, and Hornet, who approached Shad.

After a few minutes, breakfast was ready, but Henry and the children were still missing. What more convenient occasion?

"Arthur, can you go get Henry and the kids? I'll take care of it." With that, shad grabbed some bowls and began serving breakfast.

[henryhussettrp]

Modern Henry graduates Highschool!

[theteamaquagrunt]

More Anthro Kyogre

protect your tatsugiris

[henryhussettrp]

Pray I See You Soon

My OC Henry's years at the convent run orphanage.

The orphanage run by The Hand of Mary convent was a simple barn house with two floors. The first floor held only two spaces, a well stocked kitchen and a large hall with two long tables where the girls ate. The second floor was a series of 9 bedrooms all furnished with three to four beds and one desk and chair.

The house was not exactly warm. The cold found ways through the old wooden boards that made up its walls and swirled around the bodies of the young girls as they dressed for morning. Some grumbled, but most shivered in silence. Like Henry, most of the orphans were glad they were not sleeping on the streets.

The girls were under strict routine: Wake up, dress, breakfast, dishes, morning mass, spiritual instruction, lessons, afternoon prayer, chores, evening mass, then bed. Each day was the same with the only differences being what they learned in class and bath days.

Weeks before his mother left, she had started preparing him for her plan. She pressed upon him a list of rules he should follow while he stayed with the nuns and as always her lessons were taught with a strict hand.

"What should you do if you become sick?" she asked while combing his hair with a wooden comb in their makeshift tent.

"Hide it, Mama".

"And if you can't hide it?"

"Refuse a doctor, Mama".

"What happens if they make you see one anyways?"

Henry paused. He hadn't heard this question before and he wasn't sure what the correct answer was.

"I don't-"

Henry felt a sharp pain at his scalp as his mother curled her fingers into his hair and yanked.

"Don't say you don't know! You fight. You kick, you scream, you make sure he does not touch you! What happens if you're found out?"

Henry knew this one well.

"They send me to fight and I die, Mama" he answered and her grip on his hair loosened.

"Good", she said softly. Gently, she soothed his scalp with her hand and pressed a kiss on the crown of his head, "my sweet baby. They won't get you. No one can have you".

"I'll do it perfect, Mama. I promise". Henry spoke softly. More and more he found himself pacifying his mother. She had always been fearful- of his father, of men- and fiercely protective, but now she was suspicious of everyone. For months Henry had lived speaking to no one besides his mother and the world had shrunk down to a small sphere that housed her words and her words alone. If she said he was in danger than Henry believed her. She'd kept them alive so far.

When Euphemia Marie Hussett left Henry at the iron gate that enclosed The Hand of Mary convent grounds Henry believed he would see her again because that was the plan. When it was safe again Mama would come back.

When Henry walked along the dirt path towards the stone church building he told himself he wasn't scared because he knew the plan backwards and forwards. He knew all the 'what ifs' and he knew all their answers. And when a woman in her strange black gown and bat-like headdress took him by the arm and left him before the desk of the Mother Superior, Henry stuttered only a little delivering his practiced line.

"M-my name is He- Henrietta Hussett and my father is dead or missin' and my Mama- my mother and I have been left des-destitute with no food n-nor housin'"

Henry took in the small office room around him. The majority of it was taken up by the Mother Superiors large desk and a small, unlit wood stove. The Mother Superior herself was a pale face in a sea of black and white. Henry marveled at her sagging cheeks and wrinkled skin. He wasn't used to seeing people who got to be so old.

"And your mother? Where is she?" the Mother Superior asked. Despite her soft face, her small and serious eyes gave her the look of a prey animal.

"Gone Ma'am. She left me here. I don't know where she went", said Henry.

He expected the nun to look shocked or at least upset on Henry's behalf. Wasn't it a sad and awful predicament that he had found himself in? But the woman clucked her tongue, pushed her glasses up her nose and pulled a large notepad from a desk drawer without any sign of emotion. In fact, she looked as if she had heard such terrible news over and over again until it no longer surprised her at all.

"How old are you Miss Hussett?" she asked as she dipped a pen nib into a glass container of black ink.

"Twelve Ma'am", Henry answered.

"And your letters, can you read and write?"

"N-no Ma'am".

"No, of course not", the Mother Superior said. She was writing something in her notepad with tight, careful flicks of her pen.

Henry waited. Everything in him wanted to fill the silence with pleasantries, polite questions or thoughtful complements to show the woman that he was a good child, but he heard his mother's voice in his head and her fingers digging into his arm.

Don't speak unless you're spoken to. Only answer questions. Don't say too much.

So instead Henry thought to himself over and over: Talk too much, get found out, die. Talk too much, get found out, die.

"Well, lucky for you a cattle farmer and his wife indentured two of our girls last week, so we have a bed for you", the Mother Superior said. She eyed Henry up and down.

"Come here", she said, turning in her chair so that Henry might stand directly in front of her. Henry hesitated. He thought through his mother's warnings and rules. He had to obey and be respectful so that he didn't get into trouble.

The woman's face was stern and Henry doubted she liked to ask twice, so he made to stand in front of her.

"Hold out your hands", she ordered.

Henry did as he was told. The Mother Superior checked his fingernails, his hair, and made him open his mouth so that she could check his teeth.

"You look healthy, Henrietta, that's good", she said "malnourished and short for your age, but that's mostly to be expected for children like you".

The woman turned back to her desk and her notepad and papers. She waved her hand shewing Henry back towards the office door.

"Go back out and Sister Mary Astrid will get you your thing and show you the home".

Sister Mary Astrid was waiting outside the office. When she tried to grab Henry's hand he pulled away; she had not been gentle when she'd brought him here and he wasn't ready to be yanked again, but upon looking at Sister Mary Astrid's sour face realized he'd made a mistake.

"I can follow you, miss", Henry said looking down at his feet.

"Well, just be sure to keep up with me. I did not plan on having another girl today and the others will not be appreciative if their supper is late. And it is 'Sister' not 'miss'. Come along". the sister said.

She and Henry walked briskly from the stone church building and through the courtyard towards the boarding house. The sister instructed Henry the entire way.

"You will address the Mother Superior as such. She and the Sisters of Charity run the orphanage and the clinic on the grounds. There are Monks, and Priests living here as well, but they are not responsible for you and you should not bother them. You will be living on the grounds but you should not walk around freely at any time. You will stay in groups with the other girls and the Sisters will take you between the house, the church, and the other buildings. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sister", Henry answered quickly. He was listening carefully. On top of his Mother's rules he had to follow these as well. Being perfectly behaved was the answer to most of his mother's possible scenarios and the tug of Sister Mary Astrid's hand on his arm had been not unlike her own.

They entered the large house from the back. There footsteps echoed through the quiet building.

"The girls are in lessons right now. They'll go to prayer afterwards then come back for supper", the Sister said.

She pulled Henry through a large dining area and up creaking steps to a hallway of closed doors. It was only when they reached the other end that Sister Mary Astrid finally let go. There she pulled a ring of keys from somewhere within her clothes.

Henry had seen nuns before but he didn't know a thing about them. Their all black outfits made them look like gliding shadows and hid most of cuts and curves regular dresses accentuated. Henry really hoped he wouldn't have to wear one.

The Sister unlocked the door to reveal a stuffed closet bursting with folded fabric things. She took Henry's bag and looked inside, mentally cataloging his spare pair of underthings, his comb, along with and extra set of stockings and three spare ribbons to tie back his hair. All of which his mother had scrounged and searched for in the weeks leading up to that day. The sister reached inside the bag and pulled out something shiny and round; mama's compact.

It was Henry's only valuable possession given to him by his mother so that if- in the worst case- he was left with no other choice he could sell it. Its silver face hadn't been polished in a long time, but its real beauty came from the opalescent flower inlay cut from abalone shell. Henry fought the urge to snatch it from the Sister's hand.

"This will be gone in a second if you are not careful, mark my words" she said before placing it back inside the bag. Over it she piled more stockings, two more plain dresses that she held up to Henry's shoulders, and a plain cotton chemise. She measured his feet and gave him a plain pair of used boots.

"For outside only", she said.

Henry only nodded as the Sister spoke, adding a 'yes, Sister' when he thought she expected it. With every new bit of information or instruction Henry felt his body tense. His head felt heavy with worry. Every direction was one he had to memorize, behind every door was a person he had to lie to, hide from, deceive. When Sister Mary Astrid finally closed the closet and walked him to a room Henry felt as stiff as a board. She opened the door closest to the stairs and ushered him in.

"Penny and her sister can share a bed. You will sleep in the bed on the left. Put your belongings underneath and get settled. When the girls get back someone will get you for dinner".

Henry nodded his head up and down. Despite the strange look the Sister gave him, he couldn't speak. He knew as that if he opened his mouth only a scream would come out.

After the Sister closed the door, Henry dropped his bag on the floor and let his body sink into the mattress. It was thicker and softer than what he was used to. Carefully, he pressed his face into the pillow- something he'd never had before- and breathed in the worn smell. Drawing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around himself, he pictured squeezing himself so small that he disappeared.

He was finally under a roof with a bed and the promise of two meals a day. He even had the chance to learn to read and write. But all he wanted was his mama...

Henry opened his mouth to gulp in air he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He couldn't stop the wail that followed and once he'd let it out he couldn't stop. His small body shook and he cried.

Henry shared his room with a skinny girl named Penny about his age and her sister, a pudgie 5 year old named Marnette. Henry suspected the nuns had placed him with the sisters so that he might start taking care of Marnette because Penny refused to. Instead, it seemed the little girl simply followed her sister around while Penny ignored her.

Completely deaf and mute, Penny was usually angry- probably, Henry figured- because of the unfair reality of her life doubled with the fact that most people assumed she was daft would drive anyone to frustration.

When the two sisters came back to their room they were disappointed to find Henry sleeping in one of their two beds. Penny stomped about the room and moved her things about loudly until Henry opened his red rimmed eyes and picked his head up from the pillow.

Henry could tell instantly that Penny was upset. She hit Henry's mattress one, two, three times and pointed at her sister. All of this she punctuated with short shouts to represent the words she didn't say. It took Henry only a second to understand.

This. Bed. Is. Not. Yours.

"The Sister said-"

Penny made another noise and shook her head violently, her braids swinging as she did. She pointed at her sister again. Henry raised his voice and tried again. This time he pointed to himself and then to the bed.

"The Sister said this was my bed!" He pointed to the little girl and then to Penny. "You sleep together".

Penny seemed to understand. She stomped her foot again and made a frustrated noise. Then before he could stop her, Penny snatched up Henry's pillow and put it on her own bed. Oh.

Three heads, only two pillows, thought Henry.

When the two girls abruptly marched out of the room Henry remained sat on his bed a dazed look on his face. It wasn't until a new Nun came to his door that Henry remembered he was supposed to go down to supper.

Henry allowed himself to be led down to the large dining room. The long tables were lined with more girls than Henry had ever seen. All of them stared at him and he wanted to run. His heart beat in his ears as the nun pulled him to the front of the room.

"Girls we have someone new joining us from now on" the nun said. She was different from Sister Astrid who was pale and sharp. Her hand on Henry's shoulder was soft and her plump limps were turned up in a small smile.

"Tell everyone you're name, mi niña" Her hand rubbed a calming circle on Henry's back and he tried to take courage from it.

"Henrietta... Hussett..." he said haltingly. It seemed the girls felt no need to greet him and Sister Corina showed him to an empty chair. He felt the stares of the girls on him like curling vines. It felt like judgement. It felt like suspicion.

Sister Corina instructed the girls to bow their heads for prayer. Henry closed his eyes tight and as the Sister's voice began it's practiced prayer Henry's thoughts raced. He no experience with other children. The boys on the streets had only ever mocked him. How could he live among these girls, pretend to be one of them?

He was no girl, not a proper boy, a small and useless, lying, deceiving thing. That's what he was.

Even as the sister finished her prayer and the girls began to eat their meal, Henry kept his eyes shut.

Henry kept his head down. He did what he was told. He might have been favored by the sisters if he wasn't so quiet and morose. He was so unquestionably obedient that the other girls disliked him. If he didn't quietly answer every time he was spoken too they might have thought he was mute like Penny.

Sister Astrid thought Henrietta was an unsettling little girl. The other girls called her strange, spooky, a duckling, a mouse, a lost dog. To them Henrietta was worse off than all of them. None of them had a home, or a family, but Henrietta floated through the orphanage like a ghost. She had no heart.

Penny had the least patience for Henry and she made it known.

Henry saw quickly that Penny could do most of the things the other girls could, especially read and write, which Henry had yet to master. Penny communicated with gestures mostly, but would resort to writing on her chalk tablet if she absolutely needed to get her point across. So when she realized Henry couldn't read Penny threw her hands up in desperation.

Sister Corina taught Henry his letters a long with the younger girls, but when he and Marnette returned from lessons, they entered Penny's boot camp. It wasn't easy taking lessons from someone who couldn't speak, but at the same time, Penny taught without pity and she didn't stop lessons even when Marnette threw herself on the floor and screamed. It didn't bother Penny. Penny couldn't hear it.

"How do you know i got it wrong? You can't even hear me! You don't even know what I'm sayin'!" Henry pushed the tablet away from himself on the floor.

Penny grabbed the tablet and slammed it back into Henry's lap with a clap. The flesh of Henry's thighs smarted but he stayed still as a statue as Penny positioned herself in front of him on her hands and knees. They locked eyes in a sort of silent warfare. Then Penny motioned. She pointed at her eye, then at Henry, then back at her mouth.

"My mouth?"

"Mm" Penny answered in the affirmative.

"You know what I'm sayin' by lookin' at my mouth?"

Penny nodded then tapped the tablet with a quick wrap of her finger. Time to try again. Henry furrowed his brows and looked at the letters she'd written.

"C-at-s ea-t r-at-s" he sounded out.

"Cats eat rats!" Marnette pronounced proudly as if she'd read the words herself.

Lessons went on like this until Henry was sufficient enough to read what Penny wanted to say. At the same time, Penny taught him motions with his hands that stood for certain words. She told Henry with the tablet that her father had taught her these signs before he'd died. That the women up north had wanted to send Penny to a school for the deaf, but that would have meant sending her sister out west on her own. Penny was insistent that she would learn the same way as everyone else if it meant she and Marnette could stay together.

Penny said they road a train all the way from the orphanage on the east coast. She showed Henry the sign for train by running two fingers back and forth the same two fingers on her other hand.

The sisters and the other girls began to expect Penny and Henrietta together and Henrietta almost never interacted with anyone else unless they interacted with Penny first.

Through Henry's four years at the orphanage he only made two other friends; Charlotte, a girl who drew a troubling amount of attention by cutting off her own plait with fabric sheers; and an older girl who the sisters called Ruth but whose real name was Lina. She was quiet but fierce. Her name meant life.

Most of the girls in the orphanage came and went. Many girls were indentured as maids or farm hands. Sometimes the babies and toddlers were actually taken home by couples who wanted to be parents. When Penny was old enough she took Marnette back north to find work as a nanny for other deaf children. Charlotte left to work on a ranch as soon as she could. She'd even confessed to Henry that she planned to live the rest of her life as a man. Lina was only at the orphanage for a half a year before she left by herself in the middle of the night.

Not once did Henry tell a single soul his secret. His true name was never called or uttered or even whispered and as the girls came and went Henry stayed. He perfected his stitching, memorized his mathematics, read as much as he could. He waited for his mother to come back.

After a year he had memorized all his psalms and his prayers. After two years he still prayed that his mother would return. As the war between states raged on, Henry spent his time cleaning and closing wounds and changing dressings. Large parts of the convent were set up to house wounded soldiers and the Mother Superior saw in Henrietta a young woman with a steady hand and willing disposition to serve God. Henry wasn't ever sure if he believed in God, but it gave him a reason to stay while everybody else left.

But he couldn't stay forever. After four years the war had ended and he was too old to be an orphan. He was a woman or at least that's how it seamed to everyone around him.

It was his own stupid heart that gave him the final push out into the dry and dirty streets. Big eyes and dark curls laced with the sound of sweet compliments swept Henry up in a whirlwind that brought him twirling up against a saloon wall, the soldier he'd unwittingly and uncontrollably fallen in love with pressing closer into him with whiskey on his breath.

Henry's heart raced. His fingers dug into that worn uniform. He knew this closeness was spurred on by a lie. When young and confident David had called him beautiful he had meant Henrietta, not Henry. But Henrietta's face was his after all, along with her voice, her heart. Was it so wrong for Henry to want to be kissed? Didn't everyone want that?

Was he stupid for believing all these years that his mother would come back for him? Was he stupid for believing he could one day live a normal life? Was he really, truly stupid for believing this boy might love him regardless?

David's face was tucked against Henry's slender neck as he pushed them both against the wall. He breathed in deep.

"You're so sweet..." David whispered, "So soft and small... Henrietta..." He ran his hands down Henry's arms and Henry felt himself shiver. David's voice was full of want and every cell of Henry's body reacted to it. He buzzed with it. When was the last time someone had been this close to him? Four years spent keeping people at a distance and now they were so close Henry could hardly fit a bible between their chests.

"You-" David's voice wobbled, "you took care 'o me when I was all... and now i'm..."

David had been all but wrapped up like mummy when Henry had tended to him. He was up and walking now with red welted scars all over and a patch that covered the hole where his left eye should be. To Henry he was no less handsome for it.

"I need you. Wont you take care 'o me again?" The gap between their bodies closed and a shock like lighting shot through Henry. David pressed their hips together, pushed his thigh up and between Henry's legs and for all that bottled up boyhood, nothing could contain that rushing heat from coming loose. Henry closed his eyes tight and felt a brush of the pleasure he'd always forbidden himself. It took his breath away.

But it was gone as soon as it came and when he opened his eyes he saw the face of his love curdle in confusion because David had felt what Henry could not hold back. It was an unmistakable hardness between his legs that shouldn't have been there.

"What are you- what is that?" David shuddered. He backed away from Henry like he'd been burnt and Henry did not even think before he ran. The disgusted look on David's face flashed in his mind like the blinding eye of a lighthouse. How could he have been so stupid? Henry wished he could blame it on drink, but he hadn't had a drop. Four years of being someone else and he'd made the most obvious of mistakes. If he'd been a real girl maybe he'd be making a different mistake tonight.

Instead, Henry wiped tears from his cheeks as he quietly snuck back into the boarding house and up to his room. In the bed next to his now slept a different little girl with dark round cheeks and thick plaited hair. Her name was Blessing and she was only seven. Henry felt a pang of sorrow leaving without saying goodbye. Still he wordlessly collected his things and carefully closed the bedroom door behind him.

"Leaving us, Miss Hussett?"

Henry spun around to face the hallway where Sister Astrid stood. Now four years older, Henry knew the woman hid strands of gray hair beneath her black veil.

"And here I thought you might decide to become a Postulant" the Sister said, her voice quiet but just a stern as the first day Henry came to the convent. Despite Henry's feigned aspirations to take up the Habit, he was surprised to hear that Sister Astrid believed him capable.

"I don't belong here, Sister" Henry said casting his eyes to the floor.

"No? There isn't a single soul that does not belong to The Father. You've lived comfortably in his benevolence but now you don't belong with him?"

It ripped at Henry to see resigned disappointment in the Sister's sharp eyes. He had always felt driven to gain her approval, perhaps in place of his mother's. He tried to speak, but couldn't. He tried to move past her, but she took hold of his arm and held fast.

"Miss Hussett! Do you really think you have any chance outside these walls?" said Sister Astrid desperately. She knew what his mother had known: that he was week.

"I don't belong here" Henry repeated and pulled himself free from the Sister's grasp.

As he fled, Henry felt a cold darkness lap at his ankles. He wasn't sure if he would ever prove them wrong and a seed of doubt began to take root somewhere in his mind: that perhaps there was no point in trying.

[shad-rp]

RP start with @henryhussettrp

The image is made by @meatjunior (fantastic as always, of course 🥰)

Dividers credit: @uzmacchiato

"How long until we arrive?" Charlotte's tired voice echoed through the trees of the forest they had been walking through for a few hours now. They had decided to organize a camping day together after Henry had proposed the idea a few weeks earlier.

And just like the visit to the ranch, it had taken them a long time to fit all their commitments in to be there at that moment. But they had succeeded and now they were walking under the sun, covered by a few yellowish leaves that still refused to let go of the branch.

"We're almost there, honey. Daddy Hornet, why don't you pick up your little girl?" Shad's mocking voice reached the man who snorted in response.

"She's big. She doesn't need my help."

Charlotte seemed to recover at those words, quickening her pace, showing everyone that her father was right. The scene was quite funny, and even Jack didn't hesitate to follow her.

The place they were going to wasn't far from the ranch. John had heard about it, and Abigail had made sure they had everything they needed to at least not be isolated from the world. This surprised Shad, who had never heard of it.

A few drops of sweat ran down her forehead, which she promptly wiped away with the sunflower-yellow handkerchief she had never left behind since meeting Henry. Probably her subconscious was telling her that if she had kept it with her, that blond-haired boy who was now talking to his crush, One day he would remember the moment he gave it to her.

A rush of air followed by an object flashed by without warning, and it took her a second to realize what it was.

"Drink. You're sweating more now than when you worked on the ranch." The usual harsh tone of the man who had been accompanying her for seven years now was showing his rare moment of affection towards people who were not his daughter. Shad gave a mocking smile.

"Is the brown bear showing his soft side today?"

"Do you want this bottle or not?" Hornet was now used to the attitude of that girl who drove him crazy every day with the nonsense she said. It didn't continue any further. Shad took the bottle and drank, finding some relief from the scorching sun, and after a few more minutes of walking, they reached their destination.

There were several leaves on the ground, all colorful, which created little mountains, which had already been spotted by the littlest ones in the group. A small clearing, surrounded by some bushes, seemed like a suitable place to pitch their tents and camp, and that's exactly what they did.

They divided the tasks: Abigail, Shad, Henry and the children had gone to collect branches for the fire and logs to sit on, While the men had "offered" to set up the tents.

It would have been something fun and familiar. She missed those moments in front of the fire, telling scary stories, and going to sleep with the sleeping bag wrapped around her head because of the cold and fear. That evening it would go back to being like this, like in the days of the West.

[henryhussettrp]

Henry was having a good dream for once. He usually dreamed of cold water or rundown empty shacks, but not tonight. Right now he was on a beach chair under a large umbrella and someone was feeding him a chocolate strawberry. Someone with big hands who used their rough thumb to wipe the chocolate off Henry's lower lip...

Oh someone else was there. Shad, in a fantastic bikini and... A velvet black cape?

"Is it safe for you to be out on the beach?" Henry asked, "you'll be pinker than a pig's belly if yer not careful. What, with you bein' a vampire and all".

"I wear lots of sunscreen" said dream Shad. "SPF 3,000. But that doesn't matter right now. You should wake up Henry!"

"But I want more strawberries" Henry whined.

Then another figure appeared.

"Listen to your magic friend, Henry. Yer just about as lazy as you ever were! Now get off your ass and pick up a Dodge ball. Yer never gonna make it through life actin' like a princess!"

10th grade gym teacher Mr Marcus?

Henry awoke with a tiny gasp of air. He was sweating a little in his sleeping bag and his hair was tangled in little swirls around his face. Why hadn't he put it in braids last night.

He sat up slowly and took in the dark tent. The kids were still asleep in the middle but Shad was up. Henry could see a sliver of her pale skin lit by the moon as she peaked out of the tent flap.

Careful not to put weight on his ankle Henry crawled toward her. She glanced his way and Henry could tell that something was the matter.

Quietly, Henry brought his face to the small opening of the tent and looked out. It was too dark out. He had no idea what time it was, but the sun was nowhere in sight. It took his eyes a while to adjust, but his ears worked just fine. Somewhere not so far from their tent was the sound of something big. It's footsteps sounded heavy and as it moved it sniffed and huffed out deep rolling noises that made the hair on the back of Henry's neck stand up.

The large and round shadow that was sniffing its way through camp was definitely a bear.

"Holy Moly" Henry said, a week whisper. He grabbed Shad's arm and squeezed. This was serious. All that fear he'd felt in the forest came back full force and quadrupled.

"Shit, shit, shit. What do we do? I- I can't carry one of the kids with my ankle the way it is I'll be too slow. Do we just stay in here and hope it goes away?"

Henry should never have let the kids stay with him. He was useless outdoors. He couldn't protect them. They would be better off with anyone else.

He looked back at Jack and Charlotte sleeping peacefully. Should they wake them so they could be ready to move or would they get scared and attract the bears attention? He didn't know what to do and he felt stupidly like he might cry.

He was shaking in fear, but there was one thing he did have. Slowly, so that he made little noise Henry went into his backpack and wrapped his hand around the aluminum canister.

"Do you know how to use this?" Henry pushed the cab of bear spray into Shad's hands. "I'm really sorry I'm no help Shad. Tell me what to do and I'll do it. Should- should I call someone? Hornet? Oh, but what if the bear hears their phone?"

Henry wiped his hand across his face. He was scared out of his skin. He waited for Shad to speak.

[shad-rp]

Bear spray in her hand seemed like a good idea, but it might only make him angrier. Shad stared at it for a moment, assessing the situation. The bear was outside, and you could hear it moving around in search of food. It was probably not just the two of them who heard it.

The children were still asleep, unaware of what was happening inside and outside the tent. Shad looked at Henry. He was scared, but who wouldn't be at that moment?

She put the spray down for a moment and took Henry's hands in hers, reassuring him and trying not to make him nervous.

"Henry, don't worry. Bears aren't bad unless you provoke them. I don't even think I hear any other footsteps. It's probably alone." A whisper, a grip that tightened a little and a smile that wanted to hide that fear of finding yourself in a mess.

"Let's not send messages; it might make the bear nervous. What we need to do is stay here and wait for them to finish their search for food, okay?"

She had rarely found herself in a situation like this. She remembered once, in 1910, a bear had disturbed her during one of her night hunts. It was big, and Shad didn't feel like tackling it. That evening, she returned home without her catch, but she probably escaped with her life.

Now it was different. She wasn't alone and she was in a closed space. They couldn't leave easily, not everyone. So all that remained was to wait.

So I'll stay silent. The children are still asleep, while Henry and Shad watch the animal's shadow reflected in the tent, still moving and searching for food.

'Un fottuto orso? Davvero?' Shad cursed lightly in her native tongue. She hadn't spoken her native language for years, only rarely with shop assistants or waiters in the city, but she did complain and swear well in her own language.

At that moment she hoped that the bear would do its thing, eat the scraps of meat they had hidden and then leave, without waking anyone. She couldn't bear the thought of seeing her friends attacked by that animal, unable to do anything to protect her secret.

She squeezed Henry's hand, as if to anchor him there, with her, to reassure him that everything would be okay if they were silent and, after all, It was also a reassurance for her. Knowing that her friend was there and wouldn't let anything or anyone take him away again.

[glittergelpensherlock]

taaaag game :3 [[tysmmm @starfleetcowboy ]]

Origin of username:

when i got tumblr i was in my bbc sherlock phase and i was also obsessed with girlblogging, i thought about changing it when my obsessions abruptly turned to cowboys, but i like it :3

I will always order this food:

i actually love ordering new foods so this one is hard loll, but i will never say no to fried chicken

Current over-used emojis:

😭🙏 or 💀, how else am i supposed to convey something is funny?

Current favorite show/book/movie/game:

so yall know its red dead redemption loll. im rewatching supernatural right now and i just looove it. i just watched the shadow riders and that i was so good, but ive also been so obsessed with the quick and the dead (sam elliot shameless plug). i havent had much time for reading for fun, but i started Brothers of the Gun by mark lee gardner and its so good - if anyone likes westerns and history this one is a must read

Song on repeat:

been so much country as of late [[this is my top one bc it remdins me of westlottie]]

Last thing you fixated on:

if i was a good and responsible person, i would say my thesis, but that would be a lie its red dead redemption and there is no end in sight

Oddly specifc thing that brings you joy:

having a reallllllly good coffee. ive been so stressed with school and sipping on coffee has been a life saver [[that or getting tumblr notifications from my moots, im giggling and kicking my feet]]

Phone wallpaper:

MY ARFUR!!!!!!

What smells make you happy:

coffeee, snow, anything musky fr, the woooods, grass (ik thats weird), my boyfriend's hoodie :3

Morning, night, or other?:

i can never get up, but high key the morning. its so quiet and peaceful. i want to be a morning person so baaaaaaaad

tagging if you wantt :3 - @shad-art @johnmarstonrp @lottielovelaced @stupidgaynerd 💖

[shad-rp]

Awwww thanky for the taggg🥹🥹

• Origin of username

The name comes from my first Instagram profile of drawings. A little shadow who wanted to share her art online. In fact, the original name was "Shadow", then I changed it because everyone abbreviated it that way and I found it much more particular 😂

• I will always order this food

Probably pizza. There are long periods when I don't eat it at all, but when I have the opportunity, I'm very happy to have it.

• Current over-used emojis

🥹😂💅🏻🫰🏻 My quartet.

• Current favorite show/book/movie/game

I'll start with the game because it's the most obvious and simple: Red Dead Redemption 2. Obvious, right? As for the others mmm...I read a very interesting book that talks about the concept of beauty changing throughout history. It's called: "The Forms of Beauty" by Bodei. Very nice. For the series I'll say "defense lawyer", I started it yesterday but I'm already particularly intrigued. I don't know about the film, there are so many great ones, but maybe Django. One of the last ones I saw.

• Song on repeat

For a few months now, country music has been part of my daily life, but I swear I listen to other things too 😂

• Last thing you fixated on

I've been busy preparing for some exams (still am), but some obsessions have remained, like rdr2, and others have arrived. Don't you think pole dancing is amazing? 💅🏻

• Oddly specific thing that brings you joy

Having breakfast in the morning and being productive during the day to get to the evening and relax and of course knowing that my moots are doing well. Besides that, I also think that one day I can try to make my dream come true. Little by little xD

• Phone wallpaper

🦌

• What smell makes you happy

Sweet smells, like vanilla and even leather.

• Morning, night or other

I prefer evenings and nights. I can rest and listen to some jazz to sleep. ✨

Tags!: @red-dead-muses @howdycowpokes @meatjunior @magpies-and-mysteries @osi-inn @samaelmntzrp @mavollo + please enjoy everyone!

[dawnbuck]

Around lower half of Kamassa River, the clandestine doctor travelled in a Grulla Mustang, bringing with him first aid medical equipment, some clothes and leftover food on a saddlebag, his cane attached to it. He kept his eyes low, dark and hollow as they stared into the map on his slim, frail hands, unaware of surroundings.

“ If we keep heading south, we might make it to Rhodes before dawn. ” Lewis said to himself, unnoticed his mare's strange behaviour. Penny was agitated, those grey ears flicker, switching from rustling short grass, distant trees to flowing water. It all hissed and moved, her peripheral eyes wandering nervously to see what was hidden, only percieving sounds.

Braking from gallops, she bolted. The quick motion launched Lewis into the ground, not swift enough to grab by reigns as he hit the ground with a grunt. “ Ow! Penny! ” he shouted for the uncalled reaction and hurt by sheer shock. The Mustang ran not to far from there, kicking and bucking, taking Lewis' wooden cane with her.

He brushed back the curls drapping in front of his face with a hand, clenching his teeth. There was no way he could stand without aid with that crooked left leg. “ Penny, come back here! ” his calls were left unanswered by the frightened animal, spooked and kicking.

Hi guys :3 I decided to try something different today!!!!!! I hope y'all like Lewis because I do and if you guys encourage me I'll never shut up about him so pls be nice to him!!!!!

[shad-rp]

The sheet of paper with the face of the next bounty moved in the wind, in the hands of the hunter on his horse. He had been traveling for a few days to reach the supposed city where he would find the man sketched in a small yellowed poster. It wasn't a big bounty, but money almost didn't matter to him anymore. It had all become a "fun" thing, and he had no intention of stopping.

It had rained that morning, and the air was cold and damp. It entered his lungs and was almost suffocating. He had been riding his light-coated Shire horse for hours, An animal that did not seem to belong to the gloomy figure of that cowboy with the pitch-black hat.

The sound of fast hooves caught his attention, and when he saw a mustang galloping toward them, he thought it best to take out his lasso and catch it. Who knows, maybe he could sell it. It was when he realized that the saddle and the objects were on its back that he understood that someone had made that beast escape.

"And you? where are you from?" A caress on the muzzle of the newly caught Mustang, who clearly didn't want to be held down. The voice a whisper. But a distant scream made him realize what had happened. Calmly and on his horse, the cowboy rode toward the source of the noise, Finding a man on the ground.

"I guess this horse is yours."

[dawnbuck]

Penny flinched at first, struggling with rope. She, however, was domesticated and used to such treatment, collecting herself quite easily. The saddle to her back, as well as the things attached to it didn't lie. Her rider was nearby.

Lewis, still at the ground, watched a stranger with his familiar companion. Squinting his eyes, he couldn't quite see the figure above the shire. Penny's dark, guilty eyes and flickering ears were unmistakable for the man who had always been on her back.

“ ...Yes, precisely. That is my horse. ” sarcastic, he struggled while using a rock for standing up. “ I don't know what happened, she never pulled a stunt like this before. ”

Managing to balance himself, Lewis stood up, holding a crumpled mapping of the region. It felt unnatural to him, painful even, but those dead, hollow eyes of his signalled indifference. Getting a better view of that figure on the stallion, he kept a monotone mumble of a response.

“ Thank you, mister...? ”

[shad-rp]

"Grey. Tucker Grey." The man introduced himself by dismounting from his horse and waving his hat. As the two animals seemed to have a moment to get to know each other, Tucker watched as the man tried to stand alone. There was probably something wrong with him at that moment.

"I imagine falling off a horse isn't an everyday thing for you." A hint of a wry smile, his clear, gray-tinged eyes watching him. Everyone in his family had them like that, hence the surname. "What is a man like you, who can't stand alone, doing in the middle of the forest?" He might have seemed rude, but he didn't care.

The smile faded, his hands on his belt resting alertly. He always assessed the person in front of him, and even if the man seemed harmless, he couldn't let his guard down.

[dawnbuck]

Turning to Penny's side, Lewis reached for his cane, unattached it from the saddlebag so he could stand properly. He let out a sigh, relieved as the weight lift off his crooked leg. Turning to the other, he studied that confident posture closely, but figured he wasn't looking for trouble, caring enough to bring back a disabled man's horse.

Tucker's comment made Lewis scoff. “ No, I usually avoid being thrown in general. ” he wasn't butthurt but wouldn't miss an opportunity to throw shade. “ You should too, it's not just dangerous for brittle boned bastards like me. I know that, I'm a doctor. ”

“ The name's Lewis Steele. I was headed south to Rhodes where I'll be looking for work. I'm not licensed and tuition is expensive, so travelling around the country is much cheaper. ”

Darkness and depth in Lewis' droopy eyes weren't the most noticeable thing about him. As he looked up at Tucker's face, the man could see a strange violet hue in the so-called doctor's eyes, unlike anything he'd seen before.

“ Are you headed there too? Settling around these parts sounds like a hell of an idea, it's full of... Raiders. ” furrowing eyebrows, his expressive side shone through. He'd be lying if he claimed he wasn't tired of seeing armed men playing soldiers.

[shad-rp]

"A doctor out there alone? Don't they pay you enough to heal people, doc?" He patted his Shire on the neck, who nodded his head up and down, appreciating the gesture. "No. I'm not going to Rhodes. I left there a few hours ago." Little information and nothing more. He was looking for his size, but the doctor didn't need to know.

A smile hinted at his words. "Yes, There are quite a few of them around here, and I don't know how long a sick man like you can last here." Tucker wasn't used to helping people. He was a loner, preferring to travel alone, but he also understood that a doctor was an important person.

"I can drive you to Rhodes. It's still a few miles away, but I'll be on my way as soon as we get there." He didn't wait for an answer, he approached the man and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He was thin, well-dressed, and his long, curly hair, tied in a ponytail, was unruly. Although it was the eyes that struck him most. He had seen many men with that look, and some he had never seen again.

"Can you get on the horse or do I need to help you, doc?”

[dawnbuck]

Fairly short and scrawny, Lewis looked harmless if it wasn't for the sheathed firearm to his hip, not a threat but a shield for trouble. Noticing how brief the man's words were he figured Tucker had a delicate business going on. “ I see... ” he nodded, used to the ways of dangerous men.

He pondered for a moment. The openness surrounding them was both alluring as it hid real dangers, and with Penny's sudden outburst Lewis wasn't too keen on relying on the mare for the time being.

“ Drive me? You got a wagon somewhere? ” turning to face Tucker, Lewis' expression didn't change. “ And yes, I can mount myself. Thought I'm not sure if I should trust Penny right now. It's strange... She never did anything like this before. ”

Running a hand through the mare's neck, he could feel the quickening pulse through thick skin, faster than normal. Penny's ears were moving around, but Lewis couldn't hear anything nearby, even as he searched, glancing around.

“ If you don't mind, I'll take it. But you really dont have to. ”

[shad-rp]

"Yes, I know." Returning to accompany someone. He had done it a few times in his life and they had all been young women lost in the dangerous lands of that country. But he would have made an exception for that fragile man with a look that seemed more lost than his body.

"I don't want to risk wasting time if your mare throws you off again. You'll ride with me." It wasn't a proposal, and after tying the lasso tighter around Penny's neck, Tucker climbed onto Vanill, his Shire, and helped the man up, making him sit in front of him.

"It will be a short journey if we hurry." He warned his horse to move and they soon resumed the road towards Rhodes. In that town he had had a little trouble in a saloon with some men, but he wasn't the type to be turned away from a nice place just because some asshole didn't know his place.

"It seems strange to me that a doctor isn't paid enough to pay someone to take him to a city."

[dawnbuck]

“ Lead the way. ” Lewis put shortly, settled on the Shire.

The stallion towered over his Mustang, much higher than the self-proclaimed doctor was used to. Getting to Rhodes wouldn't take long, the abscent need for a map allowed Lewis to admire the view for a moment, looking through the thick overlay of trees and tall mossy stones in a relaxed manner.

“ You'd be surprised with how many of us do this sort of thing. ” he continued, as somber as ever. “ I don't get paid most of the time, that's the price for not having a tuition. Having to learn from experience. ”

“ And if you're worried, I don't mind paying, sir. ” it wasn't said in a negative tone, but a neutral one. For Lewis, giving someone a ride was still a form of labour. Having seen first hand the need of others, he wouldn't mind sparing Tucker a couple bucks.

Galloping next to Vanil, Penny was moving much slower. It was unclear if she was bothered by the presence of another horse or by something in their surroundings. Those high grey ears kept flickering back to the woods, sensing things that only selective hearing would be aware of, too far for humans to relise.

[shad-rp]

"I'll evaluate it upon arrival." Charging for a ride wasn't something he'd counted on. If the doctor had asked for it, he might have charged for it, but since he'd suggested it...

"I advise you to be stricter with your clients. Demand respect. Money is everything in this world." The realization in his voice was bitter. When he was young, he couldn't afford a good meal or nice clothes every day. Money was scarce and life was hard.

Vanil walked at a leisurely pace, twitching his ears and shaking his head every now and then at the restlessness of the doctor's horse. Tucker looked at her with puzzlement and annoyance.

"What's wrong with your horse? She's restless and upsetting mine. It won't be long until Rhodes, can she keep up?" He tried to keep his tone calm. Horses were complex and fascinating beings, but sometimes their temperaments put him to the test.

[girllock-writes]

Red Dead Redemption II OC:

Francis West Stanton

I'm after much more than a pound of flesh. I'll send you to hell. And when I get there, I'll get to kill you again and again for the rest of eternity.

31 | 6' 2 | April 19, 1867 (Aries) | ESTP

He was born Francis West Stanton Jr., namesake of his father, Frank Stanton - or Fast Frank to those who died at the end of his gun. Only his mother calls him Francis. And only his father calls him "Junior". To everyone else, his only name is West. The middle child of Frank Stanton and his wife Virginia, West has an older brother, Donovan George, and a younger brother, Alexander Seth. While Don was serious and Alex was bright-eyed, West was naturally head-strong and ambitious. A doer if there ever was one. Determined to rise above the name of his father, West had started out with the intention to make a name for himself as a lawman and politician. Frank Stanton was regionally known around parts of the North-West Coast of America for his fall from grace as a sheriff when he went on a rampage across a few counties, committing a sting of successful robberies. He managed to out-draw some of the most well-known marshals in the area and earned the name "Fast Frank". With his new wealth he would establish himself as Francis Stanton in the South-East and marry Virginia George. There, Virginia would attempt to raise her sons as gentlemen - her attempts would ultimately fail.

West was never one for books. He suffered through his tutoring well, determined to succeed despite resenting every second. At the age of eighteen detectives came in search of Frank. His father fled, leaving his wife and sons never to be heard of again. West had always had a complicated relationship with his father, and this would only grow that resentment. Deciding to take vengeance another way, West traveled to Lemoyne where his older brother had moved and started working as a local deputy. He had hoped to join his brother as a lawman, but quickly befriended a man named Dante Beauregard. Beauregard became like a father figure who taught West the art of gun fighting. Beauregard had been running a small gang for some time and would eventually rope West in with promises of revenge against his father. While living this difficult double life as deputy by day and outlaw by night, West met a working girl named Evangeline (though everyone called her Daisy). He quickly fell in love with her and though she found him rather annoying at first, she eventually fell in love with him too.

When Beauregard told West he had found Stanton Sr., West decided that he was going to leave for a while to chase revenge. Leaving his brother and Evangeline, West sought out his father—only to find Frank Stanton was already dead and Beauregard had betrayed him. He left his father figure to return to his brother, only to find that Evangeline had died of yellow fever. Don refused to let West return to law enforcement, now that there was a bounty on his head. A few years would pass; on the run, West would eventually reunite with Don, and Alex, to hunt down Beauregard. This would end in the near destruction of the outlaw leader's gang, but also the death of Alexander Stanton. Having failed their mission and lost their brother, West parted ways with Don to continue his drifting lifestyle. He stays clear of his brother and any other relatives. He travels alone. He is a family man with no family left to have him.

Smart, strong, and always smiling, West is often described as "an arrogant son of a bitch" with "an ego that will get him killed." He's more than a decent shot, but his specialty is fistfighting. He likes to drink, flirt, and raise hell. He's been known for his womanizer tendencies, though he does hold women he finds competent in high regard. With his thick mustache, muddy green eyes, and overly large stetson, West is never without a scheme. Some people think he's a little dumb, but he knows how to play a room. He becomes whatever people believe he is, and before they know it, their life savings are lost in a game of poker.

×××

[[okay freaking finally. idk why this took me so long, hes literally my most developed oc. this prolly sucks ass im sorey. anyway, hes my favorite douche and i love him to death.]]

[shad-rp]

RP start with @henryhussettrp

The image is made by @meatjunior (fantastic as always, of course 🥰)

Dividers credit: @uzmacchiato

"How long until we arrive?" Charlotte's tired voice echoed through the trees of the forest they had been walking through for a few hours now. They had decided to organize a camping day together after Henry had proposed the idea a few weeks earlier.

And just like the visit to the ranch, it had taken them a long time to fit all their commitments in to be there at that moment. But they had succeeded and now they were walking under the sun, covered by a few yellowish leaves that still refused to let go of the branch.

"We're almost there, honey. Daddy Hornet, why don't you pick up your little girl?" Shad's mocking voice reached the man who snorted in response.

"She's big. She doesn't need my help."

Charlotte seemed to recover at those words, quickening her pace, showing everyone that her father was right. The scene was quite funny, and even Jack didn't hesitate to follow her.

The place they were going to wasn't far from the ranch. John had heard about it, and Abigail had made sure they had everything they needed to at least not be isolated from the world. This surprised Shad, who had never heard of it.

A few drops of sweat ran down her forehead, which she promptly wiped away with the sunflower-yellow handkerchief she had never left behind since meeting Henry. Probably her subconscious was telling her that if she had kept it with her, that blond-haired boy who was now talking to his crush, One day he would remember the moment he gave it to her.

A rush of air followed by an object flashed by without warning, and it took her a second to realize what it was.

"Drink. You're sweating more now than when you worked on the ranch." The usual harsh tone of the man who had been accompanying her for seven years now was showing his rare moment of affection towards people who were not his daughter. Shad gave a mocking smile.

"Is the brown bear showing his soft side today?"

"Do you want this bottle or not?" Hornet was now used to the attitude of that girl who drove him crazy every day with the nonsense she said. It didn't continue any further. Shad took the bottle and drank, finding some relief from the scorching sun, and after a few more minutes of walking, they reached their destination.

There were several leaves on the ground, all colorful, which created little mountains, which had already been spotted by the littlest ones in the group. A small clearing, surrounded by some bushes, seemed like a suitable place to pitch their tents and camp, and that's exactly what they did.

They divided the tasks: Abigail, Shad, Henry and the children had gone to collect branches for the fire and logs to sit on, While the men had "offered" to set up the tents.

It would have been something fun and familiar. She missed those moments in front of the fire, telling scary stories, and going to sleep with the sleeping bag wrapped around her head because of the cold and fear. That evening it would go back to being like this, like in the days of the West.

[henryhussettrp]

Between going with the women or the men, Henry was glad he had chosen picking up sticks. He just knew trying to put up a tent meant making a fool of himself and he had done that well enough during their last excursion.

So, without complaint, Henry followed Shad, Abby, and the kids through the trees.

The ground was littered with dry, fallen twigs and sticks which would burn easy. The sticks in Henry's arms brushed against his black windbreaker and the swish of the material mixed with the crunch of leaves beneath their feet. In front of him, Shad had an armful of what looked like pretty heavy branches.

Stronger than she looks, Henry thought to himself. Abigail, on the other hand, was busy corralling Jack and Charlotte who were busy picking up the smallest twigs they could find and asking 'is this big enough?'

"Very funny you two", Abigail said, bending down to pull a branch out from the brush.

"You know what's good for throwin' in fires?" Henry said. This quickly caught the children's attention. "Pine cones. They're covered in sap which is flammable- that means it catches fire easy- and when you throw 'em in the fire they pop and hiss like a fire cracker. Why don't you two find some".

Once the kids were on their mission Henry moved alongside the two women and stood to catch his breath.

"I never made a campfire before. Just read that in a book once", Henry confessed.

"What book?" Said Abigail, "how to be a pyromaniac?"

Henry chuckled. "That's yer husband not me. I'm a good boy".

"Shad, did you know the two of them once got caught tryin' to make grilled cheese behind the school by lightin' a cardboard box on fire and puttin' sheet metal on top of it", Abigail said with a roll of her eyes.

Henry nudged a rotten looking log with the toe of his sneaker.

"That would have worked if you hadn't freaked out about settin' the school ablaze" said Henry. Abigail only sighed in reply.

When the five of them had gathered all they could carry they made their way back to the campsite. It was a medium sized field with forest lining its jagged border. The path to get to this spot had been a bit of a trek, but it was secluded and the ground was grassy, not rocky, which was better if you planned on sleeping on it.

The men had finished setting up one single person tent and Arthur and Hornet were working on a second tent meant for two. John was working on taking a third tent out of its bag. The metal poles clanged loudly as they fell to the ground and John complained even louder.

"When's the last time you used this tent, Arthur? 1984? It smells like wet dog", he said as he worked.

"You smell like wet dog, Marston. And no, I was in elementary school in 1984 and I did not own my own tent".

Whatever John gave, Arthur gave back just as easy. Henry was glad there was someone else around to give John a hard time. Making sure the man didn't get too full of himself was no easy task. Henry and Abigail could use all the help they could get.

"This is where we'll build the fire I think", said Abigail motioning to a place on the ground where the grass refused to grow. By the looks of the ashy dirt and the few stones thrown about, this had been the spot had been previously used.

Shad, Henry, and Abigail started to set up the iron fire pit they'd brought with them. The men started on the third tent.

All in all there would be four tents. Abigail, John, and Jack would take the largest one, both Hornet and Charlotte, and Shad and Henry would sleep two to a tent, and Arthur would have his tent to himself.

At least that was the arrangement. Jack and Charlotte were already conspiring to see if they could convince their parents to let them sleep next to each other though Henry wasn't quite sure how that would work out.

He curled his arms around himself and sat down on one of the logs they dragged to their site. He watched the men work. Particularly, he watched Arthur. He seemed to work slowly and methodically like he didn't want to make a mistake, but he had a confident look in his eyes. He was strong, manly, outdoorsy. Not at all like Henry who was feeling a little out of place.

I probably look ridiculous, Henry thought to himself. He didn't really know the first thing about camping. What did people do to pass the time? Would they see any wild animals? What if it rained?

Worst of all, Henry had had to bring only the most sensible of clothing to wear. Right now he was wearing black skinny jeans- all of his jeans were skinny - a grey long sleeved shirt, high-top sneakers, his windbreaker, and a black beanie over his long straight hair.

He was practically devoid of color and felt a bit like he was back in school, wearing second hand clothes that he hoped helped him blend into the background.

As he sat he spotted a single back pole lying in the grass. He walked to pick up turning it this way and that in his hand.

"Um, guys?" Henry said. The three men stopped their work on the now standing tent to look at him. Henry held the shiny pole out in front of him.

"Ain't this supposed to be somewhere inside the tent?"

[shad-rp]

The three men looked at Henry like deer looking at car headlights. You could hear their thoughts racing through their heads.

"I knew you'd forgotten a piece of your tent, Arthur."

"My tent is still standing perfectly, Marston. Look at yours instead."

Shad shook her head as she watched the two brothers argue. If anyone had any doubts about their Being brothers, this was clear confirmation.

"That pole is from my tent." Hornet intervened, calmly approaching Henry and taking the metal pole from his hands. "When I bought it, I found an extra one. I usually carry it as a precaution. But if you want to continue arguing, go ahead."

The two brothers fell silent, watching the scene and trying to figure out what had happened. Jack and Charlotte giggled, agreeing that John and Arthur were funny.

"You two always have to find something to argue about, huh?" A light blow on both shoulders of the two men, who moaned like punished children.

"Too bad, I thought it was a pole for pole dancing." Hornet glared at Shad, who returned his reaction with a victorious smile. Arthur glanced quickly at Henry with curiosity after those words.

I wonder if Henry knows how to pole dance? The man thought, before going back to listening to his nephew's mother. It would have been nice to see him move on- what's happening to you, Arthur? Damn.

"What is pole dancing?" Charlotte tugged gently at Shad's plaid jacket, curious to know, along with her new friend, what that strange word was. Shad stifled a laugh, looking at Hornet who gave her a look that said 'now you take care of this.'

"It's a very elegant dance that is performed while attached to a metal pole."

"And did you do it?" Those small green eyes were too bright and curious not to answer those questions. The half-vampire smiled awkwardly and nodded slowly.

"There was a time, yes...but rather, did you get the twigs Uncle Henry said? Bring them to Mom, come on." That change of subject seemed to be enough for the two children, who grabbed all the twigs they could and brought them to Abigail, who had begun setting up the fire pit.

Now the spirits had calmed down and everyone was putting their things away inside the tents. As Shad and Henry took the bags out of their backpacks, they could hear Jack and Charlotte trying to convince their parents to let them sleep together.

"Do you think they'll be able to convince them? If Charlotte commits, maybe Hornet might give in." Finally some time alone, like old times. She wondered if Henry would remember...

[henryhussettrp]

"I think they have good chances", Henry said "John might appreciate some alone time with Abby. Hopefully some quiet alone time" Henry laughed. "These tent walls are real thin".

Henry laid out his brand new sleeping bag and fluffed his pillow. He'd had to go to the sporting goods store to buy one and then to Walmart when he realized how expensive the fancy ones were. The one he'd finally bought was fleece lined and allegedly waterproof.

He'd also bought bug spray, a tiny first aid kit, bear spray, a portable battery charger, a small emergency radio, and a compass. In the post shopping spree clarity Henry was willing to admit that he might have gone a little overboard, but better safe than sorry, right?

He zipped up his bag leaving the most questionable purchases hidden away inside.

"Do we have to hide the food we bought or put it up a tree or somethin'? I brought stuff for smores and everythin' we'd need for breakfast. I think John n' Arthur have dinner covered".

Henry scooted to the entrance of their tent and peeked outside. The afternoon sun warmed his face. It was a perfect day and the children running wild through the lush, green grass painted an idyllic picture. The sound of their easy laughter reached Henry's ears and not for the first time he wondered what his childhood would have been like if he had been afforded such a carefree existence.

Stop bein' mopey, Henry thought. Neither he nor John- or Abigail for that matter- had had an easy childhood, but it was because of their struggles that they all worked so hard to make sure Jack was happy. It was why Henry appreciated his job at the school so much despite the pay being lack-luster. Kids deserved to be carefree. He wanted to make that a reality in any way he could.

"Hornet seems like a great dad", Henry said, "And Charlotte seems real attached to you too. If you don't mind me askin'..."

Henry turned back into the tent and let the flap close behind him. "I know you and Hornet ain't together together, but is there somethin' between you?"

[shad-rp]

"uhm?" The question was unexpected, but obvious. Shad placed the pillow on the brown sleeping bag. "Oh no no. There's nothing between us. He's been living under my roof for seven years, but he's a completely free man. Or almost." She wouldn't tell him about the divorce he was trying to get, perhaps not yet. If he'd wanted to, he'd have told himself.

The question had been asked by several people over the years, especially with the arrival of Charlotte. They had been working together for seven years, but only when the little girl was two did they start that sort of family on the ranch.

"I'm happy to take care of Charlotte. I've never dreamed of having a family of my own, so I find this solution perfect." Liar. She had thought about it. Many years ago, but who would be stay once the truth about who she was was discovered?

The silence in the tent grew a little more intense. Shad felt a sort of disappointment deep down, but she continued unpacking things from her backpack. A flashlight, placed under the foam cushion and almost the same things that Henry had also placed on the floor of the tent.

"I think we're Jack and Charlotte's victims. Get your weapons ready, because those two won't let us sleep tonight." The weapons were their soft pillows. Obviously. However things went, the idea of having the two children there with them thrilled her and made her smile. That took her back to the West, to the gang camps where she was staying, and it wasn't uncommon for children to sleep with each other and with an older person. Usually a woman.

Outside the sounds of others chattering joined those of the cicadas singing. Arthur joined the symphony with a crack of his back and a grunt.

"already tired, old man?"

"I'm not that old, John. And don't tease me so much, you'll get here too."

Shad listened to them talk while she put the food in a container. Henry wasn't wrong; the food had to be covered to prevent wild animals from reaching it. I wonder why they treat each other this way? The question came almost spontaneously. She didn't know much about those two, and had never asked so as not to pry.

"What do you think about an exploration in the woods?" Hornet's resigned face suggested that someone with brown and green eyes had forced him to propose the thing.

"Yes of course, why not." Arthur welcomed the news and looked at the others for approval. Perhaps he would take the opportunity to show off his navigation skills among the trees. Maybe to someone in particular.

"You go, I'll stay and arrange the wood for the fire." Abigail straightened her jacket and John stated that he would stay with her so as not to leave her "alone". Jack complained a little, but Charlotte quickly made him want to go and play among the fallen leaves again.

"Sounds like a good idea. You, Henry? Are you coming with us?"

[henryhussettrp]

Henry adjusted his small backpack where he'd put the compass, first aid kit, and sprays. He pulled his hat over his ears like someone might put on a helmet and gave a determined nod.

"I'm ready to finally explore nature", he said.

With one hand he reached out and ruffled Jack's hair.

"You won't let me get into any danger will you, Jack? I'm not very out-doorsy".

Jack nodded seriously, "I know lots about reptiles, Uncle Henry".

Arthur snorted a laugh, "Then we're as safe as it gets I think!"

The adults went over safety rules with the two children making sure they understood how important it was that they always stayed with the group.

"So, I'm thinking we'll just walk straight for 15 to twenty minutes and when we're ready to come back we can just turn around", Arthur said as they walked into the trees. Hornet hummed his agreement.

The sun came through treetops and the scattered shadows of leaves danced over them. Henry's gaze swept over the foliage. He admired how nature held so much color. A single leaf could create swirls of yellow and green and orange like how watercolor paints spreads through water. There were mushrooms that grew from the ground like cute brown and white buttons and others that spread across tree trunks and looked like ruffled, white fabric yellowed with time.

"How do you know where we're going?" Charlotte asked, looking up up up at Arthur.

"Well, like I said before, all we gotta do is walk straight-"

"How do you know we're walking straight? What if we all spin around a million times and get really dizzy?"

Arthur scratched his head and a wide smiled spread across his face.

"And why would we do that?" he asked. Henry couldn't help but grin. It was obvious Arthur wasn't exactly versed in the infallible logic that children operated under.

"Maybe a wind comes and picks us up, spins us around, then plops us back down again. What do we do then, Mr Mountain-Man", Henry said twirling a lock of his hair around his finger. He raised his eyebrows as if to say obviously!

"Yeah what do we do then, Mr Mountain!" Charlotte parroted.

"That's a likely situation", Hornet huffed good-naturedly. Shad nodded her head next to him. Jack looked up his eyes big with concern and said, "It is?"

Arthur placed a hand on his head. "No Jack, It's not really. But I guess if we did get turned around I'd use a compass or the sun to figure out which way was west and we'd walk that way", he said. He squinted up at the sun as if cataloging it's current location in the sky.

"You can use the sun?" Jack asked excitedly.

"Yes, Uncle Arthur has a special connection with the sun and it talks to him" Henry said.

"No-" Arthur laughed, "The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so as long as I know where the sun is I can tell which direction is which".

The children oo'ed and ah'ed at Arthur's explanations. It was clear their admiration for him was growing. Henry knew the feeling.

"Is it your mission in life to confuse children?" Arthur asked Henry quietly. Henry grinned wider.

"I call it 'keepin' the world magical'! Besides, I don't know much about nature. They never did let me join Girl Scouts".

"I wonder why", Arthur joked.

Ahead of them the children searched for bugs. Shad and Hornet spoke easily to one another and Henry thought back to the way Shad had denied their relationship back in the tent. So, they weren't together, but is that how they wanted it? Shad was so pretty, she must have plenty of people interested in her and yet she was single. Henry wasn't sure, but it felt like she had an invisible wall around her. Something that stopped people from getting too close. Maybe it was presumptuous of him, but Henry thought some day Shad might tell him.

Suddenly something shifted under Henry as he stepped. He hadn't been looking where he was going and he'd drifted slightly to the left where the forest floor sloped down into a small hill. His left foot slid in the loose leaves and he felt his stomach lurch.

He let out a gasp as the world tilted. Instead of watching the scenery fly bye Henry decided to close his eyes, but he didn't fall far. As his body tipped backwards his back collided with something sturdy but soft. Big arms wound their way around Henry and pulled him in.

Henry looked down and saw the arms were wearing Arthur's green flannel. He was holding Henry close against his chest not unlike how he'd done in the Shad's stable.

We have got to stop meetin' like this, Henry thought. Above his head came Arthur's calming voice.

"That was close"

God, Henry wanted to burrow into the ground and never be seen again. At the same time he wanted to take Arthur away and show him how thankful he was.

The two of them stepped back to safety and Henry turned to face Arthur. He looked up at him through his eyelashes.

"You've come to my rescue once again, it seems", Henry said.

He meant for it to sound sweet, maybe a little sultry, but Arthur quickly stepped away from him. He let out a week laugh and turned to the rest of the group.

"Well, as long as everyone's alright, then I think we better keep goin'", Arthur said and moved to take the lead.

Henry felt a little dizzy with Arthur's quick change in demeanor. He walked to fall in line with Shad and tried to keep the pout off his face.

What the heck was that about?

[shad-rp]

The slight commotion behind them made Shad turn and see the scene. She was about to go after Henry, but when she noticed Arthur holding him so he wouldn't fall, she grinned. A hand patted Hornet's arm, who also looked at them with feigned indifference.

"They'll get together. Don't you see how cute they are?" Shad's dreamy, hopeful tone led the man to look for signs that she believed that.

"What makes you think that? 'Cause Arthur saw what was happening and caught him?"

"Not only that! The way they look at each other, talk to each other, touch each other. There are many signs." That entire list was whispered emphatically. "But I guess you can't understand. You are too much a man to do so." And she continued walking, approaching the children and looking at what they had found.

While Hornet was still trying to figure out what Shad meant, they calmly resumed their exploration of the woods. It was hot, the leaves were dancing and playing as they fell from the branches, and some of them landed on their heads, bringing a world of laughter from the little ones.

"Look, Charlotte!" Jack bent over a pile of colorful leaves and picked up two branches that had hidden."Now we can be the kings of the forest!"

"I'm a Queen!" The little orange head corrected him, taking the half-broken branch and raising it towards the sky. They began to destroy all the piles of leaves, without stopping moving. The only good thing was that they would sleep that night.

"Don't go too far you two." Shad chuckled as she saw Hornet and Arthur following them as if they were chasing lost dogs, but when she noticed Henry's face she became worried.

"Hey. What's that face? You wanted a branch too? I can always get one for you." A light-hearted joke, the backpack pulled up in a friendly gesture. Maybe he was scared from almost falling or maybe he felt bad about it, but it was supposed to be a pleasant day, she hoped Henry would want to talk about it.

[henryhussettrp]

Henry chewed his lip.

"I guess I'm just a little embarrassed. I was tryin' to be cute, but I think maybe I just made him uncomfortable. People tell me I'm too much".

He shrugged his shoulders. He used to hide himself away; he'd dress plainly, talk quietly, and hope people didn't notice him. He'd learned first hand the trouble being seen could cause him and when he had the chance to change schools Henry had decided to go unnoticed.

He'd been lucky to find friends who had encouraged him to be himself, but even with John and Abigail by his side, highschool had been tough. After he graduated Henry decided he wanted to live and love freely. Without fear of what anybody else thought.

And most of the time Henry didn't care. If someone couldn't accept who he was then he didn't need them around, but even Henry had to admit that he had a strong personality. He spoke a lot and sometimes without thinking. He flirted often and obviously. It hadn't seemed like a problem. But then again he'd never wanted someone to like him the way he did now.

"ugh, ignore me", said Henry hoping to seem unaffected, "this isn't the 'fix Henry's love life trip'. This is camping!"

The two followed behind the group for a while before ending up at the base of an outcropping of steep rocky cliffs.

"Well I guess this is where we turn around", Arthur said.

"I want to explore!" Whined Charlotte. She whacked her stick against some nearby bushes and started flipping over rocks to look for bugs.

"Uncle Henry", called Jack. Henry looked up and recognized the wiggle the boy was doing right away.

"Alright, I think we need to make a pit stop" Henry said, "Everyone can just take a rest and Jack and I will be back in a jiffy".

Henry took Jack's hand and guided him towards bushes large enough for privacy.

"C'mon now, you can go right behind these bushes just your Pa taught you, you wild animal", Henry said.

He stood guard as Jack took care of business. From where they were Henry couldn't see the rest of the group but he could hear them talking and laughing lightly.

Henry was glad they'd be turning around now. He was getting tired And though he didn't want to admit it, his ankle was starting to hurt. Maybe if he walked carefully on the way back and took it easy for the rest of the trip the little zaps of pain would go away like they never existed in the first place. That was Henry's plan anyways.

"Someone bad left their trash out here, Uncle Henry" Jack said. Henry turned to look and saw the white and red jumble of a plastic bag poking out from under the bush. Scattered around it were sauce packets and fry cups.

Its a little far from the camp grounds for lunch, Henry thought to himself

"Maybe an animal dragged that out here" he said. He put his hand on Jack's shoulder. Just then a low sound came from farther in the bushes and Henry saw the leaves begin to shake.

"Go back the way we came, Jack. I think whoever was enjoyin' that trash is still here. I'll be right behind you".

With a light shove in the right direction, Jack went back through the bushes behind them. Henry wanted to turn and follow but he wasn't sure it was safe to turn his back on whatever was in those bushes.

He took a step back and the animal let another growl. Whatever it was was making its way back to its treasure.

"I think there's an animal-" Henry heard Jack's little voice say as he reached the others.

Henry took another step back and finally decided to turn and make his way after Jack. It would be quicker that way. But as he turned a stabbing pain shot through his ankle and Henry stumbled to the dirt.

He hissed in pain. He heard the huffing of the animal and turned on his hands and knees to face whatever was coming.

[shad-rp]

The silence that had fallen between the three adults was filled with the sounds of the forest. Ever since Henry had accompanied Jack to do his business, It was as if that piece that united the group was missing.

Shad remembered it happening a lot when she was younger. Her older brother was always the one who started arguments, especially between them and their father. She remembered the disappointment she felt every time he ignored her. Fortunately, she'd moved on, but it had taken her years, perhaps half a century, to let go of that feeling.

Now she was an adult and could start a conversation without fear of being ignored.

"So are you staying for a few more days?" She hadn't asked Henry or John how long Arthur would be staying. As much as they talked about it, she still hadn't quite figured out what he was doing.

"I guess until my brother kicks me out of here." A low laugh, a friendly way of saying he didn't know either.

"Oh well, if he sends you away, you can always come to my ranch. I'm sure Hornet would appreciate a man's hand there." Shad kept her tone light, causing Hornet to look at her sideways. He would never admit that he needed a hand, especially when she was busy with school.

"Eww...what is this?" Charlotte looked with disgust at a piece of dirty plastic, probably containing old food, as she moved it around with her stick, as if it were radioactive.

"I don't understand people who throw things on the ground. Keep it in your pocket and throw it away when you see a trash can." The disapproval in Shad's tone was approved by Arthur, who nodded, while silently watching Hornet take the plastic, ready to throw it in the right place.

"I think they threw it away, but it ended up here because of something. Or someone..." Shad wasn't sure why Hornet thought that, but she imagined he'd seen plenty of them on his hikes in the woods. She was about to say something when a familiar, frightened sound reached her ears, alarming her.

Jack ran frightened towards his uncle, his little hands clutching his jacket, while he hid his face, as if nothing could hurt him now.

"There's a very ugly animal! And Uncle Henry is in danger!" At that moment everyone present froze and looked in the direction where Jack had arrived. Then it was all quick.

"Shad, stay with the kids." Hornet's resolute voice ordered her to stay away from the perceived danger, while Arthur waved Jack over to the half-vampire and went to find Henry.

Now. In the forest there were supposed to be no animals larger than foxes or wolves, but both were dangerous, and they didn't eliminate the possibility of bears.

At that moment Shad began to think of the worst and above all of what he could have done. As strong as Arthur and Hornet were, What could they have done against such animals? Shad felt compelled to do something. She was half vampire, she could hold off the most hostile of animals. It was true that she no longer had the strength she once had, But at least she could have given her friends one more chance to leave.

"I'm scared, Shad." A little sob came from Charlotte, Who was squeezing Jack's hand with all her strength. That little girl wouldn't have spent a life without a father just because she hadn't intervened.

"I know, honey, but everything's going to be okay, you'll see. Dad and Uncle Arthur will come back with Uncle Henry and we'll go back to camp." A caress on the faces of both children and a hug to seal that promise.

Shad concentrated. She closed her eyes and could hear all the noises around them. It had been a long time since she'd concentrated like that. Modernity had dulled her senses, but at that moment she tried to understand if the animal they were about to face was dangerous or just-

"Ah. Ah ah... AHHA" A laugh came out of her spontaneously and almost scared the children, who immediately asked what had happened. Shad smiled at them, a quiet smile, and with a gentle movement took their hands, walking in the direction of the two heroes.

"Do you want to see an animal that looks like a little thief?" Although confused, the children nodded curiously and the three of them went to see this animal together.

She was really curious to see their faces when they realized they were in front of a terrifying snack-eater...the forest raccoon!

[henryhussettrp]

Henry used his good foot to push himself backwards in the dirt. After Jack had run off Henry'd pulled his backpack from his back and tried to unzip the pouch. He didn't know what kind of creature was making its way towards him. It couldn't possibly be a bear could it?

He stuck his hand inside the pocket and felt around for the metal canister. He'd kept the bear spray in his backpack hadn't he? From behind him he heard someone call his name. Hornet burst through the brush followed quickly by Arthur.

"Henry, what happened? You hurt?"

Henry didn't take his eyes off the bushes but he thought the rush of questions came from Hornet.

"I'm okay!" Henry said. His voice came out high pitched like he'd pushed it through straw. "Jack and I heard somethin' russlin' in the bushes and I was about to follow him back to y'all but my stupid ankle-"

"Hornet, help Henry up", Arthur came to stand in front of them. He scanned the bushes looking for whatever was moving within. "Both of you get back to the rest and I'll make sure nothin' follows-"

As Arthur spoke and Hornet started to pull Henry from the forest floor the creature showed itself. Starting with a round black nose a small furry face pushed its way through the leaves. Light brown fur covered its round head and black fur made circles around its marbley black eyes. It's little hands darted out to snatch a piece of trash off the ground.

It was a raccoon, plump and clueless about the trouble it had caused. Henry hung his head and groaned in embarrassment. Hornet let out a sigh of relief and Arthur put his hands on his hips as he looked down at the masked animal. Arthur turned to face the two other men.

"Well, I think the danger is passed", he said. Henry could tell the man was struggling to keep a smile off his face. The danger in question chittered quietly behind him.

"Ugh, I swear, the noises I heard before were louder", Henry huffed.

"It's safe to say you're not earning your animal identification badge today, Henry", Hornet said, a note of a smile in his voice.

Henry sighed. He tested his left ankle and felt a zap of pain shoot up his leg. Great, just great.

"Did you fight the raccoon?" A small voice asked.

Guided by Shad, Charlotte and Jack made their way to the scene of he commotion. All three of them had wide, silly grins on their faces.

"Hey," Henry said pointing at Jack, "Tell them the noises we heard didn't sound like a raccoon!"

Jack shrugged. "I dunno what a raccoon sounds like. Are you okay, Uncle Henry?"

"I'm fine now, Jack. No need to worry I guess".

"What about your ankle?" asked Hornet who still looked ready to help Henry if he decided to fall over.

"It's not so bad" Henry lied, "I hurt it a little when I slipped on the hill".

Shad made a noise that caught Hornet's attention and the two shared a look. Whatever the look communicated made Hornet sigh before he spoke.

"You better not make it worse by walking on it. Maybe Arthur can give you a ride back on his... back" Hornet seemed to cringe a little as he got the sentence out. Arthur looked at Henry then at the ground. He rubbed a hand over his mouth to cover what Henry thought must be a frown.

He doesn't want to, Henry thought sadly. But Arthur walked towards Henry and crouched down in front of him.

"Alright, climb aboard" Arthur said. He held his arms behind him and Henry stepped into them. He rested his hands on Arthur's broad shoulders, took a deep breath, and Arthur stood, lifting Henry up with him. It was a quick and almost effortless motion.

"Comfortable?"

"Y-yes..." Henry stammered, and then to lighten the mood, "I can see my house from up here" he joked. He felt hot all over from embarrassment. When the group began walking back Henry wanted nothing more than to close his eyes pretend he wasn't there. Maybe he'd act like he'd fallen asleep like when he was a kid in the car, so that his mother would carry him into the house.

But Mama didn't raise me to be a coward.

"Arthur, um... I wanted to apologize..."

"It ain't no trouble carryin' you, Henry. You can't weigh more than what? 120 lbs?", Arthur said.

"115, but, no- uh, I meant for earlier. When you stopped me from fallin' over. I think I made you uncomfortable and-"

Arthur might have tried to butt in, but when Henry had something to get out he couldn't be stopped.

"-sometimes I say things without thinkin'. I can be forward- flirtin' even when I don't mean it- and back at the ranch I thought maybe you were flirtin' back at me, but today you keep lookin' away from me and I'm startin' to think I got it wrong and that you maybe don't appreciate my advances, so I'm sorry!" Henry finally finished and took a gulp of air, winded.

He couldn't see Arthur's face, just the swirl of his golden brown head at the top of his head, so he could only wait for Arthur's response. It was silent for a moment.

"Henry," Arthur said nice and slow, "are you sayin' you were only actin' all sweet on me and that you didn't mean it?" Henry heard disappointment in Arthur's voice and he wanted to leap over his shoulders and off his back to fix it.

"No!" Henry said. His voiced echoed through the trees so much that their group looked back at them in surprise. Henry waved for them to keep going a sheepish look on his face.

"No, I meant it" he said quieter, "I just mean that, well, I don't usually flirt with people and end up... likin' them... um, as much as I like you and I ain't always as confident as I seem, so now I'm afraid I'm makin' a mess of everything and I'm makin' a fool of myself every time you're around and you haven't even seen me dance yet..."

Arthur lowered his head as if to hide his face, but Henry leaned forward to peak and saw that he was smiling. Why would he want to hide that?

"You wanna go dancin'?" Arthur asked.

"I always want to go dancin'"

"With me?"

"Especially with you" Henry replied.

Henry looked ahead and saw the trees begin to open up to the field were they'd made camp. Arthur slowed his pace.

"I didn't mean to make you think... that I didn't... uh that I wasn't interested" Arthur said and it was hard to tell under the shade of the trees but it looked like the tips of Arthur's ears might have turned pink. "It's just... when I caught you from fallin' I might'a gotten... too interested" Arthur huffed and cleared his throat.

Henry felt a blush of his own rush over him.

"Oh. well, that don't bother me none" Henry said and Arthur laughed.

"I think our fellow campers might appreciate it if I kept myself under control" Arthur said.

They reached the camp with the rest of the group and gently placed Henry down on on a log and asked Shad if she knew how to wrap an ankle. As Arthur started to help John prep for dinner he couldn't help the goofy grin that shown on his face.

[shad-rp]

Remembering the surprised faces at the presence of that furry raccoon who was just looking for something to eat for dinner made her laugh.

But what made her laugh the most were Hornet's words and his face after asking Arthur to carry Henry on his shoulders. 'Don't ever ask me again. I don't want to play Cupid.' Those were the words he had said to her as they were all walking back to camp together. How could she not love that man?

But Shad was sure that something had happened between them, both from the high-pitched shot Henry had thrown and which had scared half the forest, And it is from the vibrations of two hearts that increased their beats and that reached Shad's pointed ears with delicacy.

The thought that something could happen between Arthur and Henry made her happy. That blond boy had been through a lot in the old west and now, In this modern age, he deserved to spend his life with a man she was sure would treat him like a king.

Shad's amber eyes unconsciously rested on Hornet after that thought. He was looking straight ahead, one eye on the children, alert, attentive. He always had been. It was nice to be his friend. They had been for a long time. From the day he introduced himself to the announcement on Instagram: "Looking for an employee for the Horsey Art Ranch with a minimum of experience."

Many had arrived that day, but only he had managed to meet every requirement the half-vampire required. And he had stayed. For seven years...A child and a divorce, he had had the courage to ask her for a hand, a roof over his head and by now they had become a family. A family...

"Shad?" Arthur snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Uh? Yes?"

"Do you know how to wrap an ankle?"

"Y-Yes, I sure did!"

Shad took what she needed. Elastic bands, ice, and splints, which she began using to ease Henry's pain. They talked for a while. Shad mainly asked him how he'd gotten so hurt and what he'd talked about with Arthur. This was only because she still had a pleasant ringing in her ears.

"So, what cool things did you see? Any weird turtles? Or a huge frog?" John asked the children in a voice only a father could use. They shook their heads with a hint of emotion.

"No, Dad! We saw a food thief!" Jack said it like it was something absurd and Charlotte, of course, nodded for emphasis. "He had a strange face and seemed very hungry!"

"A food thief? I didn't think we were in the Wild West."

"Jack and Henry heard a noise and thought it was some dangerous animal. It was a raccoon." Hornet explained as he cleaned his hands of the dirt from some logs he had brought for the fire.

"So you met a raccoon and you thought, what? Was it a wolf? Was it a bear?" The questions were rhetorical and John was having fun teasing Henry, but Arthur slapped him on the shoulder, telling him to stop. Which made the little one roll his eyes.

"Guys, come here. How about we prepare the meat to cook together?" Abigail had already taken some pieces of beef out of the cooler and placed them on baking sheets. The children immediately went to her, almost forgetting what they were talking about. Oh, to be a child. It's nice to think about something and then immediately forget about it.

Which Shad wasn't doing at the time. Henry's ankle had been secured, and now, as they waited to eat, she looked at Hornet a little more often than usual.

He cooked in silence, drank a beer, and now that the sun was setting and the stars were beginning to appear, he seemed even more at peace with the world. He looked even more handsome.

Shad had never ignored the fact that Hornet was a handsome man; she'd told himself so many times. She'd often observed him with his sleeves rolled up and sometimes even without his shirt.

But they were friends and worked together. They were nothing more. They weren't together, they didn't have feelings for each other, and they weren't a...family.

Shad sighed, sitting on one of the logs far from the fire, her head on her knees and her arms holding her legs in a comforting embrace at the thought that maybe it wasn't just friendship anymore for her...

[henryhussettrp]

After applying some ice to calm any swelling, Shad had wrapped Henry's ankle so it wouldn't move. He'd probably have to see a doctor after they finished camping, but at least it wasn't broken.

Everyone agreed it was no surprise Henry managed to hurt himself his first time out. He was a magnet for drama.

Sweet smells filled the air as the group grilled marinated steaks, chopped red and yellow peppers, and buttered garlic and red onion. Henry may not have any experience camping, but barbequing he was very familiar with. From his seated position on the log he helped shuck corn and wrap it in foil with water to steam it. All the while he sipped on a coke splashed with a bit of rum.

"95 bottles of pop on the wall! 95 bottles of pop!" Jack and Charlotte sang while skipping around the fire.

Henry watched them sing and dance as the flames cast orange light all around them. He felt an ache in his heart. It felt like he'd remembered something he should never have forgotten but he wasn't sure what it was.

He looked at John and Abigail and watched them lean into each other. He saw Shad looking up at the stars with her yellow bandana that matched her eyes just right. He heard Arthur sing out of tune. If he closed his eyes Henry could almost hear more voices join the song.

It must have been his drink that suddenly had him feeling emotional. He opened his eyes again and quickly wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

Now the kids were singing something else.

"we're goin' on a bear hunt! We're gonna catch a big one!" And Henry sang along.

Once the food was eaten and everyone was settled down around the fire, Henry passed out supplies for s'mores.

"So what do people usually do around the fire?" Henry asked. He pushed a marshmallow onto a long stick and then added a second.

"We can tell stories!" Jack yelled. In excitement, he swung his marshmallow stick to the side almost taking Arthur out in the process.

"Watch your stick, Jack" Abigail laughed.

John took Jack's hands in his and guided his marshmallow down to where the logs had turned to glowing embers.

"This is the hottest part of the fire", John said, "If you turn your marshmallow down here it'll toast fast!"

"Fast ain't always better", Arthur said. His face was serious with concentration as he slowly rotated his marshmallow over the lightest part of the flickering flame. "You hold it down there a second too long and-"

"Dad!" Jack yelled as his marshmallow burst into flames. John cursed and lifted it from the fire blowing on it till it was out.

"Told you" Arthur smirked.

"I like it burnt" said John. He inspected the marshmallow's cracked black surface.

"Uh- I don't! That was supposed to be mine. I thought you said you knew how to do it, Pa" Jack said his voice dripping with the same sass his parents had.

"You can have mine, Jack" Charlotte said sweetly "My daddy did mine perfect!" She held her golden brown marshmallow proudly aloft for everyone to see.

"You make that into a s'more for yourself, sweetheart. Jack and his Pa will make another" said Abigail.

Henry lowered his marshmallows into them flames and wait for them to catch on fire. He actually did like them burnt.

"I have a good story" Henry said. "Once upon a time there were two boys who were best friends named... Benny and Ron. Benny lived with his mama in a tiny little metal rectangle in a field with a bunch of other little rectangles. He never told anyone about his rectangle home because everyone else lived in bigger square homes made of stone and wood and they made fun of people who live in little rectangles. Even Ron didn't know where Benny lived".

John snorted, "Ron and Benny?"

"Don't interrupt" said Henry. "Anyways, one day Ron wanted to go see where Benny and his mama lived. The two did everythin' together and Ron had shared his music and games with Benny. Benny wanted to share his things too, especially his brand new Metallica record that he'd saved up for for months. But he was ashamed of his rectangle home so he lied to Ron. He told Ron he lived in a regular home.

Benny knew the was an empty square house just down the street from his home. So, at the end of the school day Ron didn't get off the bus at his usual stop. He waited and Ron and Benny got off together. Benny led Ron to a empty house. The house was big and old with strange triangle windows that showed that is was completely dark inside.

The front door was locked so Benny said he had forgot his key at home. The two boys went to the side of the house and climbed inside a bedroom window. The whole house and the furniture inside was dusty and when they tried the switch the lights wouldn't turn on. Ron was confused, it smelled in there, there's no way anyone lived there. He knew Benny was lyin' to him!

Ron reached for the bedroom door and swung it open to reveal an dark and empty family room. There were no pictures on the walls, no things on the shelves, and in the center of the room was a mattress on the floor with a large lump on top covered in blankets."

"A lump?" Charlotte asked.

"A smelly lump that was moving up and down and moaning oooooh" Henry said, making his voice low.

"Was it a monster?" Jack asked.

"You'll see~" said Henry. "Ron and Henry moved closer to the lump-"

"Why?"

Henry looked up surprised that the interruption had come from Hornet this time.

"Why would y- I mean Ron and Benny move closer to the lump on the mattress?"

"Because Ron and Benny were in high school and their brains were very tiny. Anyhoo, they moved closer to the lump one careful step at a time and the lump kept groanin' ooooooh! Finally when Benny and Ron were right in front of the mattress the lump moved! it rolled off the mattress and onto the floor. It started to slowly rise from the ground yellin' OOOOOOH! When it was standin' all the way up the blanket fell off and revealed... A giant zombie! It had green and yellow skin, red eyes, and a mouth full of gaps where it's teeth had rotten and fallen out! The zombie yelled Get away from meeeeee! and Benny and Ron turned and ran. They ran for the front door, but before they could reach it a zombie dog blocked their path! It snarled and barked at the boys and jumped up knockin' Ron to the ground. It used its big paws and clawed Ron across his face. He yelled out in pain! Benny did the only thing he could and tackled the dog off of Ron!

They rolled across the floor and the dog hit the wall! Quickly Benny got up and helped Ron to his feet. He had big cuts on his face and he was bleedin' on his shirt. The two boys rushed out the front door and Benny had to help Ron stumble all the way to Benny's real house. Lucky for them Benny's mama was home and she drove them to the hospital where Ron got 17 stitches. Benny got in big trouble for lyin' and he was real sorry because it was his fault that Ron was permanently ugly"

Henry shook his head sadly. "They both got in trouble for trespassin' and Benny thought Ron would never want to see him again, but as soon as his face was healed he asked to come over and finally listen to that Metallica record. So he came to Benny's small, metal, rectangle house where it was clean and warm and had electricity and Ron didn't even care that it was different from other homes. The End!"

Charlotte clapped and John said "permanently ugly, huh?". Arthur leaned over to Henry and whispered in his ear, "I bet you were real cute in high school".

Henry turned his head and their faces were so close their noses almost touched. "I looked like I just hatched myself out'a an egg" Henry said.

"Like I said- cute".

Henry thought about kissing him right here in front of everyone. But he wouldn't. They hadn't even gone on a first date-

"what happened to the zombie man and his dog?" Jack asked, snapping Henry out of his daydream. The little boy had chocolate smeared across his face and fire in his attentive eyes.

"When the police went to look at the house there was nobody there. The zombie man and his zombie dog must have wandered off into the wilderness" Henry said with a wicked smile. Jack shivered and Charlotte's mouth dropped open.

"I thiiiiiiiink I'm ready for a different story" Charlotte said with a nervous chuckle.

[shad-rp]

Henry's story was terrifying. A biography transformed into a science fiction motif, a fantasy book with a frightening plot that unsettles you as soon as you read the author's note: "based on a true story." This made the people who listened realize how strong the bond between him and John was.

Shad had remained silent throughout the story. She was trying to understand and imagine what those two young boys had gone through in the past and almost smiled at the thought of their pranks and Adventures they shared together.

'Who knows what they would have done in 1890.' The smile she had almost created moments before crossed her lips at the thought of those two wandering around the desolate lands of the Wild West. Memories of the past came rushing back to her like a speeding train. Too many times in those weeks, she had promised herself not to think about it anymore, but those memories returned punctually and while some were sweet, others remained bitter, difficult to shake.

"Hey. You're ok?" A hand pulled her from those thoughts and Hornet's familiar voice anchored her back to reality.

"I'm fine. I was thinking of a story to tell."

Jack and Charlotte turned to her at those words. The burnt marshmallows in their hands and the twigs that had seen better days.

"What's the story? Are there zombies in the middle...?" Charlotte wanted to act the brave little girl, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her body.

"Don't you think it's better to stop if you're afraid?" Abigail was already imagining a sleepless night spent comforting Jack, sure he would be afraid of being eaten by a zombie.

"Uncle Henry's story wasn't scary!" Jack replied promptly, raising the twig high, brave and ready for a new story. "Zombies don't exist!"

Shad smiled, shaking her head. It wasn't common to find a child his age so confidently asserting that such monsters didn't exist. Imagination didn't work well with him, it seemed, but perhaps Jack was older than he looked. She wouldn't tell him that there had actually been a time when the undead had populated those lands.

"Then I'll tell you a story about another mythical being, but one who actually existed." She nodded, standing tall on the tree trunk and assuming a mysterious tone. Her face illuminated by the firelight on that starry night. "A long time ago, there was a young woman who decided to explore the world." began. "She had almost nothing with her. A few clothes, a horse, and a little money were all she needed to fulfill her dream: Live a life without limits."

"She'd found work, a house, and a few friends. She was satisfied, it wasn't much, but in her day, a woman who lived that way, alone, wasn't well-liked, and it was very complicated."

"What times?" Charlotte asked curiously, letting the marshmallow slowly melt on the flames of the fire, promptly saved by Arthur, who slowly moved it away.

"1800, more or less. America." She explained, then continued immediately afterward. "But she was happy. She thought she had found what she was looking for, but one day everything changed." The tone was lower and Shad felt the air heavy. "The young woman went to a town near her property. Some errands had brought her on horseback with a bag on her shoulder in the dead of night through the desolate streets of that evening."

"Arriving at the house's wooden door, she knocked, but received no answer. She tried again and again, but when she realized no one would open it, she decided to return the next day. But before she could mount her horse, a dark figure, illuminated by the faint moonlight, began to approach her."

Everyone was listening, trying to follow the story. Jack and Charlotte approached their parents, eager to learn more.

"As soon as the girl realized that something was wrong, she didn't have time to run away before the man jumped on her!" Shad lunged forward and the children gathered around John and Hornet's arms. "When the girl woke up, she noticed that the man was missing, but she began to feel something different. That night, the young woman realized she had a great desire for human blood. The man had transformed her into a vampire, tested her with his blood, and condemned her to eternal life." A short pause and a half sigh.

"It is said that to this day this woman is still searching for the monster who did all this to her and that she stops at nothing, killing to survive." Shad finished his story. There was a brief silence broken only by the crackling of the fire, and then John spoke.

"You two have a knack for telling stories, huh? I admit, Henry's struck me more, though." The amused look turned to the blond boy.

""Even vampires don't exist!" Jack complained, recovering from his initial fright. "But what if they did exist?" Charlotte's small, frightened voice shocked Shad more than she could admit. She had made herself hated even before she declared herself as a vampire.

"Vampires don't exist, little one. Don't worry, they can't hurt you." Hornet reassured his with a caress that didn't suit his size.

"And even if they did exist, they would never hurt you. I swear." Those were the only words Shad said with a sweet smile and Charlotte seemed to calm down. She had gotten herself into an unpleasant situation, but she would do anything to protect the little family that had created.

"The only monsters that exist in this world are humans, but we know how to defend ourselves from them." Arthur spoke like a man of experience, Almost tired from the day and the memories passed. But he wasn't wrong.

That evening they talked, told stories, and joked under the moon and stars. And who knows, maybe one day they wouldn't be afraid of these monstrous myths.

[henryhussettrp]

A sadness settled in Henry as listened to Shad's story. He could just imagine being alone and defenseless in the dark, how terrifying it would be to be preyed upon, how awful it would be to wake up and know you had been forever changed.

Shad told a story about a girl becoming a vampire, but Henry figured many people could relate to having a dangerous encounter with a stranger and the drive to punish those who hurt them.

More than anything, Henry had the unshakable feeling that this story was true and that it had happened to Shad. Maybe not all of it. Henry couldn't believe vampires were real just because a story made him feel like they were, but he could believe that Shad had gone through something terrible.

He was certain her story was based on truth, just they way his had been. And if that was the case then pain and loneliness in Shad's story were real.

Henry tried to put those feelings to the side as the rest of the group moved on to other things, but every now and then he found his mind drifting back.

"Does it ever amaze you that the stars we see in the sky are the same stars people saw hundreds of years ago? I mean, give or take a few", Henry blurted out.

John groaned, "Don't say existential shit like that. Makes me want a cigarette"

"John's quittin' though!" Abigail said with a proud smile.

"Right now or- uh, I mean- " Arthur said and then quickly corrected himself at John's glare. "Uh, yes. John told me 'bout that... made him real pissy on the job".

"You should quit too, Arthur. It's no good for you and you're still young!" Abigail scolded. "Henry quit long ago. Said it was easy".

"Which it was", said Henry. He flipped his treasured hair over his shoulder with a flick of his hand. "When I wanted a smoke I just imagined my future self all wrinkled up like a leftover grape and that did the trick".

"Yeah right! That first week off you ate three jumbo bags of Hersey Kisses, called your boss a dirty beach tampon, and got fired." John said.

"Smoking is bad, kids! Don't ever do it!" Henry laughed.

The group chatted for a bit more before the kids started to sway under their sleepiness. Their parents helped them get ready for bed and Arthur started to properly put out their fire.

When Shad and Henry were alone in their tent Henry spoke up.

"Shad, that story you told us- well you didn't say it was about you and obviously you added some stuff, but I just wanted you to know that you can talk to me if you ever need to. But no pressure or nothin'... you don't have to tell me anythin'. Just, I want to say that we're friends, right? So yeah"

He chuckled lightly and finished with his PJs.

"You wanna see if the kids are ready? You can send 'em my way if you're not ready for bed just yet".

[shad-rp]

Shad remained still for a few moments after Henry's words. Had he understood it? Why had she told it? Why had she used her story as a horror tale? Shad didn't have the courage to look at him. How would he look at her now that he knew—no.

'you've added some stuff." he said. A faint sigh escaped her lips, returning to fold the day's clothes.

She had done like Henry, a story similar to his life, told and changed with imaginary monstrous characters. She'd thought it was a good idea to share something personal about herself. But at that moment, she'd begun to feel vulnerable. Not just for Henry, but for everyone else. She didn't want to convey that it was a personal experience, But if the boy with the long blond hair who was arranging the pillow on the sleeping bag had noticed, How could others not have done the same? How could Hornet not have done the same? Hornet...how would he have looked at her if he had known she was a blood-sucking monster, a century old, wandering the world with no future destination...

"Yes... I mean, I'm not tired yet. We can play with the kids." The uncertain tone, surrounded by a laugh that hid the need and fear of wanting to tell the truth. But why would she do it there, with him, at that moment? Maybe because Henry had reassured her that she could talk to him, maybe because they had been friends in the last century, and maybe because she valued his judgment.

"Listen, Henry, I have to tell you something..." Shad sat there, legs crossed, back hunched as if there was a huge weight on her back. "It's something I've been carrying around for too long, but please...you don't have to be scared."

The premise was pointless. Like telling a parent not to get angry before breaking the news that they've ruined their car after a night out at the disco. She was sure Henry would be scared, but deep down, she wanted to believe that a little bit of the Henry she knew, If only he had remained in that new body, so different yet similar, that she had known and that had accepted her for who she was.

"The story I told before...yes, it's true. There's something of me in that tale." Eyes downcast, hands beginning to twist together. "I tried to do as you do. A personal story transformed into a scary and monstrous adventure." A smile and eyes that still didn't want to look at his interlocutor.

"But mine wasn't a story turned into fantasy..." Shad bit her lip, her sharp canine tearing the flesh under the pressure. "What I'm trying to say is that..." A moment of silence in which the half-vampire's amber eyes rose towards the blonde. The guilt was visible in them. "I'm a vampire."

In the silence of that tent, shad became smaller and the weight she carried on her shoulders had now shifted and was tightening around her throat. Her heartbeat had never been so fast and even though she hated being in this situation, she was relieved to have given voice to something she had kept to herself for years.

[henryhussettrp]

Henry's mind went blank. His body froze. It felt like someone had unplugged him. What had Shad just said?

It sounded like she'd said she was a vampire, but that couldn't be right. Henry searched for some other word that could fit in that spot... umpire? No, Shad didn't play baseball.

Henry felt the muscles in his face tense. He frowned, then smiled, then frowned again, confusion making it hard for him to settle on one emotion. Maybe Shad was making a joke, or being metaphorical, or having some sort of delusion. She didn't look delusional. She looked calm if not a bit nervous.

The features of her pale face seemed vulnerable and tentative.

Vampires were allergic to the sun weren't they? Shad was pale, sure, but she spent hours in the sun every day. Was she the sparkly kind of vampire? Henry would have definitely noticed if Shad sparkled.

Was she allergic to garlic? Could she turn into a bat? Her face, her hands, all of her seemed normal...

Did she drink blood?

"I don't... I don't understand what you're sayin'" Henry said slowly.

He looked into Shad's golden eyes and tried to uncover the truth there. Nervousness filled him and he let out a breathy laugh.

"I mean, Vampires aren't real... right? Are ya tellin' a joke?"

But her face was serious, even a little scared. Not joking.

Henry slowly reached out to wrap his hand around Shad's wrist. Her skin was cold...ish? Henry's mother had always had cold hands. And there was a pulse there.

Nothing Henry knew about vampires was adding up, but Shad was being earnest.

"Can you tell me more? I don't think I understand yet, but you can tell me. Whatever it is, I'm listenin'". Henry slid his hand down to hold his friend's hand.

It didn't make sense but somewhere in his heart things started to click together. Shad and Henry and their quick friendship, his instant recognition and care for her, the flashes of false memories,

vampire...

Hadn't Henry just been thinking there was something- a secret- holding Shad back? He felt blindsided, but whatever was going on he wanted to know.

[shad-rp]

At the touch of Henry's warm hand, Shad stiffened. She could see how confusing her confession had been for him and how she could blame him?

"Unfortunately, I'm not joking.." Shad looked down, feeling guilty for who she was. A feeling she had managed to share, but now it weighed on her like a rock. "I wish I was joking, I swear. I've been keeping this secret for years, unable to tell anyone, but..."

Shad's Cold Hand had nothing to do with Henry's and she tried to distance herself from the boy she had known and continued to listen to her despite everything.

"I know it's hard to believe, but yes. I am a vampire. Or half, at least." Her gaze lifted to reassure Henry, making him understand that despite everything, she was not a monster. A monster...How many times had she thought it.

"I don't kill people to drink their blood, I'm not a murderer. My skin is pale, my blood is viscous, and my heartbeat is slow, but I don't kill to survive. Not human." Animal blood. It was what she drank once a day from a vial, just a little to quench her thirst. She lived like a human, but she didn't necessarily need all the normal daily actions of a normal person to feel good.

The tent had become suffocating, and she remembered the first time she became a vampire. She felt alone, isolated. She was afraid of hurting anyone. But somehow she had learned to accept herself for who she was, even if each period was more difficult.

Living a life where you see all the people you love pass you by, disappearing before your eyes without you being able to do anything. And Henry was one of those people.

"I'm sorry I told you that... I'm sorry I put you in an uncomfortable position, but..." The lip that Shad had tortured until then had not stopped being left alone. "You're the first person I've told this to in a long time, and I trust you." Of course she trusted him. How could she not? Even though a century had passed, he was the same Henry he had been, right?

"Any questions, please don't hesitate to ask." A faint smile, trying to sort out the mental mess she herself had caused. Meanwhile, outside, the children's voices could be heard chatting and laughing at the silliest things John and Abigail were telling them.

No one knew about her situation. John and his family, Hornet and Charlotte. They weren't supposed to know. They would never see her for who she was. They would leave, and she would ruin everything that had been created. Everything she had created. Shad couldn't allow that.

"But I have to ask you a favor, Henry. You mustn't tell anyone about this. They probably wouldn't believe you, but if only they started to think it and doubt it..." A pained sigh at the thought. "I don't want to lose them and I don't want to lose you, Henry." The lower voice, a sort of beg towards that boy who she felt would not abandon her. Or maybe it was just a hope.

[henryhussettrp]

Henry's heart was racing. He still couldn't believe it. How could he? But Shad was serious, so whatever she said had to be real to her. It must be so hard for Shad to live with such a weight on her shoulders.

Shad tried to move away from Henry shifting uncomfortably in the tent, but Henry held on to her hand. He gave it what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze. Then quick as a flash he lurched forward and pulled Shad into a tight hug.

"I don't think I fully understand... " he'd never heard of someone being a half vampire. Did she mean like... on her mother's side?

"But I don't need to understand- at least not right now. Maybe some day you can show me... somethin' to help me get it all straight in my head."

He pulled back and made sure Shad was looking at him.

"You can trust me, Shad. I'm your friend, so I wont tell a single slippery soul" He mimed zipping his lips, turning a key, and throwing it over his shoulder. But just as soon as he'd finished the motion he exploded with whispered words.

"Honestly, I'm real interested. I guess I could believe in vampires and all sorts of things, you know? Like i'm pretty sure aliens are real- they just live reeeeal far away and probably never even been to earth. And I guess ghosts could be real, like, even if they're just energy left over from people's lives or maybe an overlap from an alt-er-nate universe!"

He drew out the word alternate and put his hands out in front of him to form parallel lines as an example.

"You know John is convinced he saw Bigfoot once, but I think it was just a man in a ghillie suit. People 'round here love a good ghillie suit. Though if i saw someone in a ghillie suit I would hightail it outa there because what on god's green earth are they doin' that they don't want nobody seein' them?"

A wide smile spread across Henry's face and he breathed in a lungful of air. He sat back on his bottom and his smile shrank to something more bittersweet.

"My ma' believed in all sorts of things- angels and devils, witchcraft and curses. Mostly she believed in evil scary things, but I reckon there's good and bad people of all different types and I know you're a good person. That's what matters to me I guess."

There was a loud thumping of excited feet outside their tent and Jack's small voice called out.

"Knock, knock! Hello is everybody recent?"

"decent, Jack" came Abigail's mirthful voice.

"Are you decent? or is yall's booties out?" Jack said. Charlotte's laughter followed.

"Yeah! I don't want to see anyone's booty!"

Henry unzipped the tent flaps to reveal the kids in their jammies.

"No booties out here!" Henry said, "Our booties are IN"

Jack flopped into the tent and stuck his butt up in the air. It had dinosaurs on it.

"My booty is IN!" he yelled with a peal of laughter.

Charlotte squealed and hopped in after Jack.

"My booty is in too!" she crowed.

Their joyful laughter mingled together as they crawled around the small tent barking and pretending to be zombie dogs. Abigail handed Henry and Shad the children's sleeping bags and pillows plus whatever snuggle animals they'd need to make it through the night.

Henry arranged Jack's bright green sleeping bag next to his own and fluffed his cars themed pillow.

"Mines has sharks on it!" Charlotte said as she flattened the wrinkles out of her blankets.

"Jack you behave, okay?" Abigail said, "You too, Charlotte, your daddy was sayin' how good a sleeper you are".

The kids nodded and crawled into their bags. Jack wanted to be zipped in and laughed when Henry announced that he was "closing the burrito" while he pulled the zipper up around him.

"Okay, Uncle Henry is tired so, we are gonna do maybe five minutes of chatting and then it's sleep time. Remember, if you have to go potty in the middle of the night just wake Shad or me up and one of us will take you"

He closed the tent back up and crawled into his own bed. it was warm and soft inside though sleeping on the ground felt a little rough. He tried to get comfortable, closing his eyes and listening to the kids chattering away, but he couldn't stop thinking of what Shad had told him. He figured the best thing would be to put it out of his mind. That was easier said than done, of course. He wasn't sure if really could believe it.

Either way, Shad was a good friend. So what if she thought she was a vampire? So what if she was a vampire...

Henry wasn't really sure. Maybe he could think of Arthur instead... of them back at the bar... they could do-si-do... west-coast swing...

Henry hummed contentedly. A slow dance would be nice too. Then he drifted off.

[shad-rp]

Shad wanted to talk about it. She wanted to show Henry that she wasn't joking, that it was all real. That she really was a vampire, But when the two children burst into the tent with their sleeping bags and colorful pillows, they had closed the conversation.

By now night had already fallen for a few hours, the stars in the sky illuminated that small patch of woods where everyone was sleeping in their tents. Jack and Charlotte had also finally found peace and closed their eyes, but not before organizing the fantastic adventure they would have the next day, Exploring and picking berries in the bushes to feed the local deer.

Everyone was asleep, except Shad. Her sleeping bag was too tight for her, and she couldn't find a comfortable sleeping position. Thoughts swirled around in her head, and even though she had lifted a weight off her shoulders, she felt like she was still carrying the load on her shoulders.

A sigh left her lips as she rested her head on the firm pillow she had brought from home and looked at the faces of the children sleeping peacefully. A sweet smile formed in her as she noticed how close Jack and Charlotte were even in that situation. The sleeping bags were touching, as if trying to protect each other.

They probably were scared because of that raccoon, but now they had nothing to fear, because Shad and Henry were there with them. The blond hair of the boy who occupied the vampire's thoughts was sticking out from the fabric, disheveled.

How would he look at her now? It wasn't every day that you heard about something like this, especially when it was said by someone you thought you could trust.

Her eyes fell on Charlotte, and her mind never stopped wandering. She had often thought about telling them, but she had always avoided it. Why would they have believed her? And if so, why would they have stayed?

Head abandoned on the pillow, eyes fixed on the highest point of the tent. That had been one of the best times of her life, but she couldn't say anything, she couldn't truly be herself and risk losing everyone's love.

A small tear rolled down her face onto the pillow, a silent, deep sigh, and her eyes closed, forcing themselves to sleep. Outside, insects lived, making pleasant noises and lulling the night away, but a noise caught her attention.

A broken branch, a crushed leaf, the classic sounds of wild animals passing through the woods at night. A fox hunting, a fawn returning to its den, But when she heard another one, closer and heavier, she realized that perhaps they were not simple animals.

Shad moved slowly, reaching the tent's zipper and opening it slightly to see what animal was approaching there. She probably shouldn't have, But if it hadn't been an animal, then maybe it would have been easier to send it away.

The noise was persistent and the sounds that came from it now were things they had left outside, around the ashes of the fire. When Shad opened it, he jumped as he noticed brown fur moving in the shadows.

"A bear.."

[dawnbuck]

Around lower half of Kamassa River, the clandestine doctor travelled in a Grulla Mustang, bringing with him first aid medical equipment, some clothes and leftover food on a saddlebag, his cane attached to it. He kept his eyes low, dark and hollow as they stared into the map on his slim, frail hands, unaware of surroundings.

“ If we keep heading south, we might make it to Rhodes before dawn. ” Lewis said to himself, unnoticed his mare's strange behaviour. Penny was agitated, those grey ears flicker, switching from rustling short grass, distant trees to flowing water. It all hissed and moved, her peripheral eyes wandering nervously to see what was hidden, only percieving sounds.

Braking from gallops, she bolted. The quick motion launched Lewis into the ground, not swift enough to grab by reigns as he hit the ground with a grunt. “ Ow! Penny! ” he shouted for the uncalled reaction and hurt by sheer shock. The Mustang ran not to far from there, kicking and bucking, taking Lewis' wooden cane with her.

He brushed back the curls drapping in front of his face with a hand, clenching his teeth. There was no way he could stand without aid with that crooked left leg. “ Penny, come back here! ” his calls were left unanswered by the frightened animal, spooked and kicking.

Hi guys :3 I decided to try something different today!!!!!! I hope y'all like Lewis because I do and if you guys encourage me I'll never shut up about him so pls be nice to him!!!!!

[shad-rp]

The sheet of paper with the face of the next bounty moved in the wind, in the hands of the hunter on his horse. He had been traveling for a few days to reach the supposed city where he would find the man sketched in a small yellowed poster. It wasn't a big bounty, but money almost didn't matter to him anymore. It had all become a "fun" thing, and he had no intention of stopping.

It had rained that morning, and the air was cold and damp. It entered his lungs and was almost suffocating. He had been riding his light-coated Shire horse for hours, An animal that did not seem to belong to the gloomy figure of that cowboy with the pitch-black hat.

The sound of fast hooves caught his attention, and when he saw a mustang galloping toward them, he thought it best to take out his lasso and catch it. Who knows, maybe he could sell it. It was when he realized that the saddle and the objects were on its back that he understood that someone had made that beast escape.

"And you? where are you from?" A caress on the muzzle of the newly caught Mustang, who clearly didn't want to be held down. The voice a whisper. But a distant scream made him realize what had happened. Calmly and on his horse, the cowboy rode toward the source of the noise, Finding a man on the ground.

"I guess this horse is yours."

[dawnbuck]

Penny flinched at first, struggling with rope. She, however, was domesticated and used to such treatment, collecting herself quite easily. The saddle to her back, as well as the things attached to it didn't lie. Her rider was nearby.

Lewis, still at the ground, watched a stranger with his familiar companion. Squinting his eyes, he couldn't quite see the figure above the shire. Penny's dark, guilty eyes and flickering ears were unmistakable for the man who had always been on her back.

“ ...Yes, precisely. That is my horse. ” sarcastic, he struggled while using a rock for standing up. “ I don't know what happened, she never pulled a stunt like this before. ”

Managing to balance himself, Lewis stood up, holding a crumpled mapping of the region. It felt unnatural to him, painful even, but those dead, hollow eyes of his signalled indifference. Getting a better view of that figure on the stallion, he kept a monotone mumble of a response.

“ Thank you, mister...? ”

[shad-rp]

"Grey. Tucker Grey." The man introduced himself by dismounting from his horse and waving his hat. As the two animals seemed to have a moment to get to know each other, Tucker watched as the man tried to stand alone. There was probably something wrong with him at that moment.

"I imagine falling off a horse isn't an everyday thing for you." A hint of a wry smile, his clear, gray-tinged eyes watching him. Everyone in his family had them like that, hence the surname. "What is a man like you, who can't stand alone, doing in the middle of the forest?" He might have seemed rude, but he didn't care.

The smile faded, his hands on his belt resting alertly. He always assessed the person in front of him, and even if the man seemed harmless, he couldn't let his guard down.

[dawnbuck]

Turning to Penny's side, Lewis reached for his cane, unattached it from the saddlebag so he could stand properly. He let out a sigh, relieved as the weight lift off his crooked leg. Turning to the other, he studied that confident posture closely, but figured he wasn't looking for trouble, caring enough to bring back a disabled man's horse.

Tucker's comment made Lewis scoff. “ No, I usually avoid being thrown in general. ” he wasn't butthurt but wouldn't miss an opportunity to throw shade. “ You should too, it's not just dangerous for brittle boned bastards like me. I know that, I'm a doctor. ”

“ The name's Lewis Steele. I was headed south to Rhodes where I'll be looking for work. I'm not licensed and tuition is expensive, so travelling around the country is much cheaper. ”

Darkness and depth in Lewis' droopy eyes weren't the most noticeable thing about him. As he looked up at Tucker's face, the man could see a strange violet hue in the so-called doctor's eyes, unlike anything he'd seen before.

“ Are you headed there too? Settling around these parts sounds like a hell of an idea, it's full of... Raiders. ” furrowing eyebrows, his expressive side shone through. He'd be lying if he claimed he wasn't tired of seeing armed men playing soldiers.

[shad-rp]

"A doctor out there alone? Don't they pay you enough to heal people, doc?" He patted his Shire on the neck, who nodded his head up and down, appreciating the gesture. "No. I'm not going to Rhodes. I left there a few hours ago." Little information and nothing more. He was looking for his size, but the doctor didn't need to know.

A smile hinted at his words. "Yes, There are quite a few of them around here, and I don't know how long a sick man like you can last here." Tucker wasn't used to helping people. He was a loner, preferring to travel alone, but he also understood that a doctor was an important person.

"I can drive you to Rhodes. It's still a few miles away, but I'll be on my way as soon as we get there." He didn't wait for an answer, he approached the man and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He was thin, well-dressed, and his long, curly hair, tied in a ponytail, was unruly. Although it was the eyes that struck him most. He had seen many men with that look, and some he had never seen again.

"Can you get on the horse or do I need to help you, doc?”

[dawnbuck]

Fairly short and scrawny, Lewis looked harmless if it wasn't for the sheathed firearm to his hip, not a threat but a shield for trouble. Noticing how brief the man's words were he figured Tucker had a delicate business going on. “ I see... ” he nodded, used to the ways of dangerous men.

He pondered for a moment. The openness surrounding them was both alluring as it hid real dangers, and with Penny's sudden outburst Lewis wasn't too keen on relying on the mare for the time being.

“ Drive me? You got a wagon somewhere? ” turning to face Tucker, Lewis' expression didn't change. “ And yes, I can mount myself. Thought I'm not sure if I should trust Penny right now. It's strange... She never did anything like this before. ”

Running a hand through the mare's neck, he could feel the quickening pulse through thick skin, faster than normal. Penny's ears were moving around, but Lewis couldn't hear anything nearby, even as he searched, glancing around.

“ If you don't mind, I'll take it. But you really dont have to. ”

[shad-rp]

"Yes, I know." Returning to accompany someone. He had done it a few times in his life and they had all been young women lost in the dangerous lands of that country. But he would have made an exception for that fragile man with a look that seemed more lost than his body.

"I don't want to risk wasting time if your mare throws you off again. You'll ride with me." It wasn't a proposal, and after tying the lasso tighter around Penny's neck, Tucker climbed onto Vanill, his Shire, and helped the man up, making him sit in front of him.

"It will be a short journey if we hurry." He warned his horse to move and they soon resumed the road towards Rhodes. In that town he had had a little trouble in a saloon with some men, but he wasn't the type to be turned away from a nice place just because some asshole didn't know his place.

"It seems strange to me that a doctor isn't paid enough to pay someone to take him to a city."

[dawnbuck]

Around lower half of Kamassa River, the clandestine doctor travelled in a Grulla Mustang, bringing with him first aid medical equipment, some clothes and leftover food on a saddlebag, his cane attached to it. He kept his eyes low, dark and hollow as they stared into the map on his slim, frail hands, unaware of surroundings.

“ If we keep heading south, we might make it to Rhodes before dawn. ” Lewis said to himself, unnoticed his mare's strange behaviour. Penny was agitated, those grey ears flicker, switching from rustling short grass, distant trees to flowing water. It all hissed and moved, her peripheral eyes wandering nervously to see what was hidden, only percieving sounds.

Braking from gallops, she bolted. The quick motion launched Lewis into the ground, not swift enough to grab by reigns as he hit the ground with a grunt. “ Ow! Penny! ” he shouted for the uncalled reaction and hurt by sheer shock. The Mustang ran not to far from there, kicking and bucking, taking Lewis' wooden cane with her.

He brushed back the curls drapping in front of his face with a hand, clenching his teeth. There was no way he could stand without aid with that crooked left leg. “ Penny, come back here! ” his calls were left unanswered by the frightened animal, spooked and kicking.

Hi guys :3 I decided to try something different today!!!!!! I hope y'all like Lewis because I do and if you guys encourage me I'll never shut up about him so pls be nice to him!!!!!

[shad-rp]

The sheet of paper with the face of the next bounty moved in the wind, in the hands of the hunter on his horse. He had been traveling for a few days to reach the supposed city where he would find the man sketched in a small yellowed poster. It wasn't a big bounty, but money almost didn't matter to him anymore. It had all become a "fun" thing, and he had no intention of stopping.

It had rained that morning, and the air was cold and damp. It entered his lungs and was almost suffocating. He had been riding his light-coated Shire horse for hours, An animal that did not seem to belong to the gloomy figure of that cowboy with the pitch-black hat.

The sound of fast hooves caught his attention, and when he saw a mustang galloping toward them, he thought it best to take out his lasso and catch it. Who knows, maybe he could sell it. It was when he realized that the saddle and the objects were on its back that he understood that someone had made that beast escape.

"And you? where are you from?" A caress on the muzzle of the newly caught Mustang, who clearly didn't want to be held down. The voice a whisper. But a distant scream made him realize what had happened. Calmly and on his horse, the cowboy rode toward the source of the noise, Finding a man on the ground.

"I guess this horse is yours."

[dawnbuck]

Penny flinched at first, struggling with rope. She, however, was domesticated and used to such treatment, collecting herself quite easily. The saddle to her back, as well as the things attached to it didn't lie. Her rider was nearby.

Lewis, still at the ground, watched a stranger with his familiar companion. Squinting his eyes, he couldn't quite see the figure above the shire. Penny's dark, guilty eyes and flickering ears were unmistakable for the man who had always been on her back.

“ ...Yes, precisely. That is my horse. ” sarcastic, he struggled while using a rock for standing up. “ I don't know what happened, she never pulled a stunt like this before. ”

Managing to balance himself, Lewis stood up, holding a crumpled mapping of the region. It felt unnatural to him, painful even, but those dead, hollow eyes of his signalled indifference. Getting a better view of that figure on the stallion, he kept a monotone mumble of a response.

“ Thank you, mister...? ”

[shad-rp]

"Grey. Tucker Grey." The man introduced himself by dismounting from his horse and waving his hat. As the two animals seemed to have a moment to get to know each other, Tucker watched as the man tried to stand alone. There was probably something wrong with him at that moment.

"I imagine falling off a horse isn't an everyday thing for you." A hint of a wry smile, his clear, gray-tinged eyes watching him. Everyone in his family had them like that, hence the surname. "What is a man like you, who can't stand alone, doing in the middle of the forest?" He might have seemed rude, but he didn't care.

The smile faded, his hands on his belt resting alertly. He always assessed the person in front of him, and even if the man seemed harmless, he couldn't let his guard down.

[dawnbuck]

Turning to Penny's side, Lewis reached for his cane, unattached it from the saddlebag so he could stand properly. He let out a sigh, relieved as the weight lift off his crooked leg. Turning to the other, he studied that confident posture closely, but figured he wasn't looking for trouble, caring enough to bring back a disabled man's horse.

Tucker's comment made Lewis scoff. “ No, I usually avoid being thrown in general. ” he wasn't butthurt but wouldn't miss an opportunity to throw shade. “ You should too, it's not just dangerous for brittle boned bastards like me. I know that, I'm a doctor. ”

“ The name's Lewis Steele. I was headed south to Rhodes where I'll be looking for work. I'm not licensed and tuition is expensive, so travelling around the country is much cheaper. ”

Darkness and depth in Lewis' droopy eyes weren't the most noticeable thing about him. As he looked up at Tucker's face, the man could see a strange violet hue in the so-called doctor's eyes, unlike anything he'd seen before.

“ Are you headed there too? Settling around these parts sounds like a hell of an idea, it's full of... Raiders. ” furrowing eyebrows, his expressive side shone through. He'd be lying if he claimed he wasn't tired of seeing armed men playing soldiers.

[shad-rp]

"A doctor out there alone? Don't they pay you enough to heal people, doc?" He patted his Shire on the neck, who nodded his head up and down, appreciating the gesture. "No. I'm not going to Rhodes. I left there a few hours ago." Little information and nothing more. He was looking for his size, but the doctor didn't need to know.

A smile hinted at his words. "Yes, There are quite a few of them around here, and I don't know how long a sick man like you can last here." Tucker wasn't used to helping people. He was a loner, preferring to travel alone, but he also understood that a doctor was an important person.

"I can drive you to Rhodes. It's still a few miles away, but I'll be on my way as soon as we get there." He didn't wait for an answer, he approached the man and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He was thin, well-dressed, and his long, curly hair, tied in a ponytail, was unruly. Although it was the eyes that struck him most. He had seen many men with that look, and some he had never seen again.

"Can you get on the horse or do I need to help you, doc?”

[dawnbuck]

Around lower half of Kamassa River, the clandestine doctor travelled in a Grulla Mustang, bringing with him first aid medical equipment, some clothes and leftover food on a saddlebag, his cane attached to it. He kept his eyes low, dark and hollow as they stared into the map on his slim, frail hands, unaware of surroundings.

“ If we keep heading south, we might make it to Rhodes before dawn. ” Lewis said to himself, unnoticed his mare's strange behaviour. Penny was agitated, those grey ears flicker, switching from rustling short grass, distant trees to flowing water. It all hissed and moved, her peripheral eyes wandering nervously to see what was hidden, only percieving sounds.

Braking from gallops, she bolted. The quick motion launched Lewis into the ground, not swift enough to grab by reigns as he hit the ground with a grunt. “ Ow! Penny! ” he shouted for the uncalled reaction and hurt by sheer shock. The Mustang ran not to far from there, kicking and bucking, taking Lewis' wooden cane with her.

He brushed back the curls drapping in front of his face with a hand, clenching his teeth. There was no way he could stand without aid with that crooked left leg. “ Penny, come back here! ” his calls were left unanswered by the frightened animal, spooked and kicking.

Hi guys :3 I decided to try something different today!!!!!! I hope y'all like Lewis because I do and if you guys encourage me I'll never shut up about him so pls be nice to him!!!!!

[shad-rp]

The sheet of paper with the face of the next bounty moved in the wind, in the hands of the hunter on his horse. He had been traveling for a few days to reach the supposed city where he would find the man sketched in a small yellowed poster. It wasn't a big bounty, but money almost didn't matter to him anymore. It had all become a "fun" thing, and he had no intention of stopping.

It had rained that morning, and the air was cold and damp. It entered his lungs and was almost suffocating. He had been riding his light-coated Shire horse for hours, An animal that did not seem to belong to the gloomy figure of that cowboy with the pitch-black hat.

The sound of fast hooves caught his attention, and when he saw a mustang galloping toward them, he thought it best to take out his lasso and catch it. Who knows, maybe he could sell it. It was when he realized that the saddle and the objects were on its back that he understood that someone had made that beast escape.

"And you? where are you from?" A caress on the muzzle of the newly caught Mustang, who clearly didn't want to be held down. The voice a whisper. But a distant scream made him realize what had happened. Calmly and on his horse, the cowboy rode toward the source of the noise, Finding a man on the ground.

"I guess this horse is yours."

[dawnbuck]

Penny flinched at first, struggling with rope. She, however, was domesticated and used to such treatment, collecting herself quite easily. The saddle to her back, as well as the things attached to it didn't lie. Her rider was nearby.

Lewis, still at the ground, watched a stranger with his familiar companion. Squinting his eyes, he couldn't quite see the figure above the shire. Penny's dark, guilty eyes and flickering ears were unmistakable for the man who had always been on her back.

“ ...Yes, precisely. That is my horse. ” sarcastic, he struggled while using a rock for standing up. “ I don't know what happened, she never pulled a stunt like this before. ”

Managing to balance himself, Lewis stood up, holding a crumpled mapping of the region. It felt unnatural to him, painful even, but those dead, hollow eyes of his signalled indifference. Getting a better view of that figure on the stallion, he kept a monotone mumble of a response.

“ Thank you, mister...? ”

[shad-rp]

"Grey. Tucker Grey." The man introduced himself by dismounting from his horse and waving his hat. As the two animals seemed to have a moment to get to know each other, Tucker watched as the man tried to stand alone. There was probably something wrong with him at that moment.

"I imagine falling off a horse isn't an everyday thing for you." A hint of a wry smile, his clear, gray-tinged eyes watching him. Everyone in his family had them like that, hence the surname. "What is a man like you, who can't stand alone, doing in the middle of the forest?" He might have seemed rude, but he didn't care.

The smile faded, his hands on his belt resting alertly. He always assessed the person in front of him, and even if the man seemed harmless, he couldn't let his guard down.