Wild West (Frelance and Mim)

[Madam Mim]

It was always a thrill. Tessa closed her eyes against the wind as she rode Bo at a gallop across the foothills of eastern Colorado. Behind the bandana that covered her mouth she grinned and began to laugh. It started as just a chuckle and grew into an all-out belly laugh as the large black stallion carried her over grass and dust. This was freedom.

Bang!

"Fuck!"

Well, sometimes freedom was pain. Lead burned in her shoulder, still hot from the barrel, as Tessa turned and shot over her shoulder at the law men in closer pursuit than she cared for. Of course, Tessa reasoned, they probably hadn't cared for her holding up their only bank for miles, either. But she'd take her due from Johnny Law, no more no less. Wasn't her fault if the common folk suffered for the law's greed; it was the law's. What she took was only a system of balances, wasn't it?

When Tessa shot over her shoulder again, she heard one of the sheriff's deputies yelp in pain. Glancing back she saw she hadn't killed him, which was good. She didn't like killing. Still he was bleeding a fair bit...but so was she. The system of balances had been restored...Then promptly knocked off-kilter again as a bullet grazed her thigh. She swore loudly, clutching at the rip in her jeans as blood began to trickle. It wasn't enough to incapacitated her, but it would've slowed her considerably on foot.

They'd been going at this for nearly half an hour, Tessa and the law men. They were more persistent than most others she met; a quality she admired. When they began to slow, therefore, she frowned and wondered why. Then she realized...

She had wandered into Indian territory.

The outlaw didn't slow Bo, but instead turned him back northward, but west instead of east to avoid doubling back and running into her little friends again. She was pretty deep in savage country, but if her luck held she could get out again before being noticed. Adrenaline wearing off, her shoulder was beginning to hurt beyond just a sting and slow burn now.

 

[Evo Var]

Enapay struck flint to steel and smiled as the sparks landed in the tinder. Crouching closer to the tinder he slowly added more fuel to the fire until he was satisfied that it was burning strong he spent the next few minutes spreading the flames through the wild grasses. He looked north to making sure the others in the party had all started their fires.

As he turned away from the spreading flames behind him he tucked the flint and steel back into a pouch on his belt. It would not do any good for the younger members of the party to see him using the tools of the whites. Each year it got harder to teach the Sioux traditions to the younger generation as more and more of them got exposure to the whites that were settling the area.

He waited until the last of the group had come back to the horses before he swung himself onto his horse. "You two will go to the river and make sure the fire does not cross it." The two he indicated were the youngest of the group and had been expecting the assignment but they had waited until they were told what to do before turning their horses for the river. Everyone stopped and looked to the sound as the faint sound of gunfire reached their ears. Enapay frowned as he looked back at the two teens. "You have a job to do. We will find out what is happening." The teens exchanged a glance then turned their horses and rode off.

"Lets go. I could use some practice." It took them almost half an hour before they got close to the source of the gunfire because they stuck to the lowest ground using low hills and try river beds to keep them out of site. They dismounted leaving one of their number with the horses as the other three snuck to the top of a small rise, it couldn't really be called a hill but it was tall enough to block the horses and the rest of the party from anyone's view. They laid down prone and crawled the last few meters until they got a good view of the plains on the others side of the hill. They spotted a riders heading in their general direction and then after scanning the horizon they noticed three more heading out of their territory as fast as possible. "Follow those three and make sure they do not try to come back onto our lands. I will deal with this one. He should be easy to dispatch." One of the braves chuckled at the last comment and started to crawl back wards until he could rise to a crouch. "With the wounds that one has you just have to push them off their horse. No point in doing much else to them." Enapay smiled and followed his friend back to their horses. He waited for the other three to ride off before he mounted his horse and circled the rise keeping it between himself and the lone rider until they had passed him.

He was curious as to why the rider had come onto their lands and why they had not left like the other two. Digging his heels into the horse he came up fast behind the rider not trying to hide his presence anymore. As he got closer he pulled a stone knife from his belt just to be ready. It was not until he was almost level with the rider did he notice that he was not a man at all but a women instead. He didn't say anything for a few moments to surprised to think of anything. Then he pulled himself together coming along side of her as he spoke. "Why are you on my land? and why have you not left like the other three?" The knife was still drawn but he held it loosely in his hand.

 

[Madam Mim]

Bo seemed to slow instinctively, knowing his rider was hurt. He always seemed to know, but that was the way of it wasn't it? Tessa had helped deliver him; his dame had been her father's horse and she had started breaking him to the saddle as soon as he was old enough. The magnificent black stallion had been her companion since she was a teenager, and after spending nearly every day with her on his back the horse seemed to know better than she did when she needed rest.

"Don't make me take the spurs to ya, Bo. I will," Tessa threatened. But they both knew it was an empty threat and the horse snorted stubbornly, keeping his pace at a brisk walk at best. When his ears turned back, Tessa patted Bo's neck and drew her six-shooter, keeping it in her lap. Figured.

She wasn't surprised, therefore, when the Indian rode up next to her. She raised her pistol quicker than was wise--he had come up on her injured side--and kept the weapon on him despite the slight shaking of her hand. Sweat beaded on her forehead from the pain and behind the bandana she grimaced, but stubbornly kept her gun up. She wouldn't be intimidated by a savage.

"Ya speak English. Well that makes this easier. Look Squanto, I didn't realize I was on yer land til it was too late. Just lemme pass and I'll be out afore ya know it. I didn't follow the others coz the white man's law ain't exactly my friend. Gave me these to remember 'em by, too." Tessa took a deep breath and squinched her eyes in an effort to keep her now violently shaking arm up as Bo slowed even more.

"Don't want no trouble," she grunted, finally giving in and lowering her gun, though she transferred it to the other hand. She panted with relief from the effort. "Even told Bo here ta step it out but he don't listen." The stallion had now stopped entirely and she gently pressed her heels to his sides and shook the reigns. "See? Stubborn ol' ass. Just let us pass an' you'll never see us again."

The promise was more likely than Tessa let on. In the heat and sun, even under her hat she was pale and clammy and the rest of her body began to shake as the adrenaline wore off and she started to go into shock. She'd been shot before, but always near where she could get help. With this bullet lodged in her shoulder and her bleeding thigh, Tessa knew she was losing blood quickly and had to get some help soon or she'd succumb to either lead poisoning or bloodloss. The longer she sat here chatting with this damn Indian, the less time she had to get back into settler territory and get fixed up.

"Hey, just lemme pass, Squanto!" the outlaw snapped, getting impatient and irritated. She had suddenly gone very cold and was trying to suppress the cold grip of panic clutching at her chest.

 

[Evo Var]

Enapay was surprised by how fast the women had pulled her pistol on her but he was less concerned with each passing second as he saw the shake of her hand get worse by every passing second. He glared at her when he got that she had called him Squanto. He didn't recognize the name but it wasn't hard to realize that she didn't mean it as a complement.

"Ah an outlaw." Things were making more sense now. The other three had been pursuing her, the lawmen were smart enough to leave the Sioux alone most of the time. "You whites are all the same. You think you are smarter than everyone else." He leaned down and patted the side of her horses neck as he spoke in his native tongue to it. "You have nothing to fear from us." Looking back up at the women he assessed her wounds and shook his head. "If I let you go you will be dead before you get off our land." He sat up and cut a section off of the blanket he sat on instead of a saddle. "Hold still." He leaned over again to wrap the fabric around her thigh and with a sharp tug he got the wrap as tight as he could before tying it off. He clicked his tongue and his horse started forward again as he took hold of Bo's Halter so he could give it a gently tug.

"Put your gun away. If you try to run on foot you will probably fall before your out of my sight. Your horse is smart enough to know that you are dead if you don't let me help you." The wind shifted so they were down wind and a few seconds letter Enapay's horse snorted and twisted its neck to look behind it. He twisted around on its back to see one of the three men who he had sent to follow the lawmen. The rider slowed as he caught up to them and spoke to Enapay. "One of them came back when they saw us following them. They are lawmen and say that they were pursuing a bank robber." The last two words were English and Enapay looked over at her sizing her up before nodding to himself. "Ride a head. Let the elders no I am bringing in an injured women. I think she might have a bullet still in her." The brave looked between Enapay and Tessa before spurring his horse riding for the village. "I will get you help then you can leave. We do not need to have you die on our lands. Your people will just blame us for your death." It was clear that he was not going to just let her go.

 

[Madam Mim]

"Hey hey hey! My horse, no touchin'!" Tessa snapped as the Indian reached out to Bo. Bo, however, merely made a contented noise and looked curiously over at the new horse. He'd never met a wild horse before.

"Yeah, an outlaw," Tessa confirmed. "Federal outlaw even. Got eight hunnerd bucks on my head." She grinned and sat up a little straighter as if this was something to be proud of. "And whaddya mean, you whites're all the same? How bout I say you Imjins're all the same, unwashed shriekin' savages, then what? How'd ya feel bout that?"

The outlaw hissed in pain as the turniquette was tied around her leg. When she tried to steer Bo away from the other horse he stubbornly insisted on following Enapay. She grumbled, continuing to tug on the reigns. It was a contest of wills and Bo was bigger.

"My gun ain't goin' nowhere and that's why." Tessa jerked her head toward the rider coming toward them. She kept a grip on her six shooter but didn't pull the hammer back as they spoke. She heard the words "bank robber" before Squanto started speaking, presumably giving instructions because the rider them doubled back and took off. "What'd he say bout me?"

Her question went unanswered, however, as Squanto (as was his name now, as far as she was concerned) informed her he'd be helping her. "Uuuhh...thanks but no thanks, chief. I don't wanna be beholden ta no one fer nothen. 'Sides, you let me die and the feds might give ya the reward. I uh...I dunno iffin the treasury deals out in wampum though." The words cultural sensitivity had very very little meaning to Tessa. Despite her protests, Bo followed Enapay back to his village willingly, knowing his rider wouldn't accept help without him making her.

 

[Evo Var]

"I am no Chief. My father is the chief." He picked up the pace and smiled as her horse matched his pace. He let go of the animals tack and started cutting off a few more pieces off the blanket until he had a rough dressing for her wound. He ignored everything else she was saying as he let go of his horses reins and started to mix some herbs that he had stored in pouches around his waist. When he was satisfied with the mix he held out his hand to her. "Chew these. It will help with the pain." He was tempted to let her deal with the pain on her own but he had chosen to help her and he would do everything he could do to help her like it would be expected of him and anyone else in his tribe.

It took them only about twenty minutes to get to the village. When they turned the last bend in the trail and it came insight Enapay saw his father and the medicine man waiting for them. Behind the two men the tepees were arranged in a circle around a group of communal cooking fires wear Enapay's people were. Some were watching the new arrivals but after a quick look most just went back to their tasks.

"Enapay bring her to my home. How is she hurt?" The medicine man walked along side them looking up at the outlaw already focused on what he needed to do to help her. The Chief watched his son as the horses rode by. "Come see me when you are done with them. We need to talk about this when you are not needed anymore." Enapay didn't say anything but he didn't need to his father knew he would do as he as told.

When they got the Medicine mans tepee Enapay dismounted and went around to the outlaws good side. "Just lean over and I will get you down." The medicine man spotted the gun for the first time and shot the women a glare. "Get that thing off her face and get rid of that gun. It will not come inside my home." He switched to English for her benefit even though he was speaking to Enapay. When she was off the horse he helped her inside and over to clean skin that had just been put down. The medicine man reached over and pulled the bandanna down from her face and shook his head. "Could you not have gotten her here any faster?" He had dropped back into his native language as he scolded Enapay. Enapay stepped back letting the man take over as he pushed the girl down onto the skin. When he finally had her on the skin he took a quick look at her shoulder then started talking to himself for few moments before he spoke to Enapay even as he started cutting away her shirt so he could get to the wound. "Get some of the coals from the fires. I need you to heat that knife over their so I can sterilize the wound." As he spoke he pointed out the knife he spoke of before taking a bowl of carefully prepared pain killer. "Eat this. It will help with the pain." After he placed the bowl beside her he waited to see if she would do as he told her. If she didn't eat it he would have to have Enapay and a few others to hold her still until the pain made her pass out but he hoped she would just each the herbs so that they could knock her out instead. It would be much easier that way.

 

[Madam Mim]

"Yer dad's the chief? Great...my luck..." Tessa laughed and shook her head, think crinkled her nose at the herbs offered to her. "The fuck...? No thanks. I don't put nothin in my mouth I dunno what it is er where it's been."

Tessa stubbornly and steadfastly refused to take the herbs through the entire ride though her shoulder throbbed and burned and her thigh was beginning to itch. When they got to the village, she tried to pretend the strange tongues didn't bother her. When Squanto offered her help down from her horse, she scoffed.

"I'm hurt, I ain't helpless."

Gritting her teeth against the pain it caused her leg, she was careful not to move her arm as she swung her leg over Bo and stepped down out of the stirrup without her rescuer's help. It irritated her that she had a rescuer in the first place. When the medicine man insisted in English that her gun wouldn't enter his house, she opened her mouth in protest but it was useless. The gun in her hand as well as the one still in the holster had been taken and she was being ushered inside.

Tessa was pushed down onto a skin and when the medicine man started cutting away her shirt she pushed him off. "Hey! That's my only shirt!"

Grumbling, she took off her hat and yanked off her bandana and began to unbutton her shirt, heedless of who was in the room. She slid it off, hissing in pain as it peeled away from her wound. The same went for when she unbuckled her belt and slid her jeans to her knees so he could get to that wound as well. Without her hat and bandana, Tessa was rather pretty for a white girl, even under all the dirt and sweat. Her ample, soft bosoms, however, commanded more attention at the moment since the only undergarments she wore were a pair of soft cotton panties. She glared as if daring anyone to say anything.

"What is it with you folks tryin ta get me ta eat stuff?" she demanded. "Just gimme some whiskey and get this damn slug out and I'll be fine."