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Fort Collins 03 - RP with DragonsTigerLilly

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“Easy girl!” Kiera said with a shaken voice, her eyes locked onto the snake rattling at them. Far deep in her mind she knew, that she just had to get away from the danger, and it would be over. But the animal had startled her in an unfocused moment, freezing her brain to a state where logic was far away.

Somewhere a stranger’s voice floated towards her, but she didn’t fully grasp the words. The snake striked out. Under her the mare danced. Then the piercing sound of a fired weapon split the world up and she felt like she was ripped out of her drowned thoughts and back into reality: Toffee’s head shut upwards, hitting Kiera in the face - the fired gun made echoes in the otherwise silent wilderness - the rattlesnake randomly jumped into the air with the tail losing its rattle rhythm - and then suddenly, as out of nowhere in her mind, Kiera saw a stranger with a smoking gun dismounting his horse.

“Are you alright?” the stranger asked after checking the snake was truly dead.

“You didn’t have to shoot it!” The words bursted out of Kiera’s mouth before giving it much thought. She hadn’t even fully comprehended what had just happened, really. She stared at the stranger, words rambling around in her head, trying to find the right shelf for every thought.

“Perhaps, but then that pretty horse of you would have gotten bitten and that, I just could not let happen,” the man replied with a calm voice. “First rattlesnake I guess?”

Kiera noticed the grin playing on his lips, when he made the last remark. For a moment she was ready to explode, but then cooled herself. “No, not my first … I was just not paying attention. It caught me by surprise, nothing else.” She put away a wild strain of hair behind her ears, then softly muttered: “Thank you, sir.”

“You’re welcome, miss.” He touched the brim of his hood. “If I may be so bold as to ask what a fine lady such as yourself is doing here all alone?”

Kiera gave him his best lady smile and battered her lashes. “I am on my way to Fort Collins. I guess I should have learned to shoot before travelling out here,” she added with a touch of laugh in her voice.

“That should indeed have been a great help, in case you came across rattlesnakes,” he replied. “Fort Collins huh. Could a fine gentleman tag along for the ride?”

“Well, that depends if the fine gentleman has a name?” she said, smiling still. “I can’t be travelling with a stranger after all.”

“Well, the name if Michael Blackburn. Or just Mike, for friends.” he introduced himself. “And this is… Okay, where is he?” The man look around, as if he had lost something, then whistled. A beautiful stallion came as an answer to the call. “And this is Buckshot. Regrettably, he’s no gentleman I’m afraid.”

“Seeing as he comes when called, that makes him rather the perfect example of an gentleman in my eyes,” she said, not unable to hide a grin. “Please call me Kiera. And this young mare goes under the name Toffee.”

“Well, Kiera, it’s a pleasure to meet you. But I have to warn you, that beautiful mare of yours is the reason why this boy is no gentleman.” He mounted his horse. “Since I’m no stranger anymore, do I have the lady’s permission to travel along with her?”

“I see no harm in that, since you have saved me once already.” She lead the way, Toffee carefully treading around the dead snake, snorting uneasy. “Been travelling long?”

“A couple of weeks new. Been longer on the road before.” He replied, finding the pace beside her. “It was my pleasure to help. There are more fun ways to die then bitten by a snake. Nor would it be pretty to lose a horse that way in the middle of nowhere.”

“It would sure break my heart to lose Toffee.” she smiled. “I am thankful you came along, when you did, with me being all silly and frozen like that. Usually I do not fear snakes though, honestly. But sometimes the wilderness playes with your head, I guess …” Kiera consciously pulled her jacket up over her shoulders, so the sun couldn’t burn her light skin. And so she felt less … naked. Normally she played the role fine, but out here on the traveller's road she didn’t like feeling like a prostitute in companion with a stranger.

“Where did you come from, if I may ask? I mean … since you travelled for so long? Coyote Creek isn’t far behind us after all.”

He glanced back as if trying to eye Coyote. “You gotta be kidding me. I must have missed it then. I’ve been looking for a town for two days now,” he said in a voice, that to her sounded tired and dry. “But where I come from? To be honest, I haven’t had a home for years. I just go where the road takes me.” His face tightened for a moment, and Kiera wondered what he neglected to say. “Are you from around here?”

“Not really, I only been in Coyote Creek for a short while. Before that I have travelled quite a bit, but usually by train. This time I thought I would go by horseback though, get a feel for the country down here. You see, I am a bit restless too these days, not having much of a home to return to, so I guess I thought I could make this land feel more like home, if I took the longer travel with Toffee. You do not get much of a feel for the country, being stuck in a train all day long.” She reached behind her and located a bottle, still more than half full with water. “Do you need a drink? I have enough to share a little, and if you are low on supplies, we can take the road to Westwood instead of passing by it …?”

He politely turned down her offer. “I think I’ll manage for now. Well, I can tell you what the land feels like, outside a train. Hot, dusty and hard. It’s not always as romantic as people claim it to be, to just mount your horse and hit the road. Before you know it, you get lost and stumble on a damsel in distress.” He chuckled and once Kiera found herself unable to not be amused by the man and his ways. The more she talked with him, the more relaxed she felt in his company. That he wasn’t just another John helped as well. Having a regular kind of travelling partner was rather nice.

“It’s not the romance I am seeking from this land, so hopefully I won’t regret my choice of travel,” she said, wondering if all he saw was just another damzel, all fragile and in need of saving. If so, that would really be her own fault though, Kiera reminded herself. And maybe not a bad card to play either.

“I think we should follow the road I had planned then,” she continued. “I was planning on taking the most direct road the Fort Collins, though maybe more to the south to trail the river, unless we find any ranches before the road splits.” She patted her saddlebags. “I have a sketched out map, I bought from a traveller in Coyote. Hopefully his scribbles aren’t too far away from the truth.”

“Since it’s kind of hot, perhaps we better follow the river,” he replied after a moments thought. “It’ll be easier to get some cooling for ourselves and the horses, if need be. If that’s okay with you of course.”

“I will trust your experience on the matter, since you have travelled more on horseback than myself.” She glanced at him, when she felt his eyes on her, and subconsciously tried to make the dress cover her thighs and legs more by replacing herself in the saddle. “All we have to do then is follow the road up ahead and keep to the left, going south until we see the river. According to the traveller and map creator, we should be able to reach the river in a day or two, if we keep up the pace.”

Kiera peered up at the sun, noticing the beginning descent of the light as they went into afternoon hours. “I guess we should start looking for a suited place to rest as well …?”

He looked up, gazing at the sun like her and removing his glance from her. “Perhaps you will get some more experience about travelling the country before we reach Fort Collins then you have now.” She smiled for herself, but didn’t make a remark. Not everything needed to be told after all.

Mike: fav.me/d7khrac
Kiera:
fav.me/d7kd14l


Roleplay text between myself and DragonsTigerLilly
Haven't edited it much, so sorry about typoes ^^

:iconfort-collins:
Art: 0 dollars
Story, 1488 words: 248 dollars
Dollar Earnings: 248 dollars
Fort Collins 02 by Danesippi
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BloodlustSerenade's avatar
I love that banter ^_^