Cole Black-Thorn's Story

Cole's hands moved to her shoulders, pulling her into a warm embrace. She rested her cheek to his adn she sighed. The place you held for him you had shut away, filled it up with what you thought he had done. Now, that place has been opened back up, the anger and hate has been washed away. Its like you've lost him all over again." Robyn choked out a sob. It was new. It felt entirely different now. It felt like he just died. She noted how he spoke from experience and she turned some, to look at him. "I held hate in my heart for so long against my father that I was blind to the real issue, his alcoholism. It wasn't until I was drowning myself in it that I realized that he had near no control anymore, that who he had been had been shoved aside and suppressed by his addiction. It tore open that place in my heart and allowed me to truly grieve his loss, to grieve who he could have been, who WE could have been." He told her and she sniffed as his grip strengthened around her. "The pain fades, and all that will remain are the memories of him. And that way he'll never truly be gone from this world, he lives in you," He told her, placing his hand over her heart. Her hand rose to his and she bit her lip, trying to let the pain take its course.

Eventually the tears were gone, and though the pain was still there, it hurt a little less. She had his face clearer in her mind than she had in years and now that she knew the truth, she could allow herself to grieve, and as he said, he wasn't gone, not while she lived.

She closed her fingers around his hand and turned to him. "Thank you..." She said, and those words didn't seem to do what she felt justice but it was all she had.

Her fingers closed around his with "Thank you..."

He cupped her cheek and gently brought her lips to his, leaving them there for a lingering moment. Pulling away he rested his forehead against hers. "Of course litu dloo," he said with that easy smile arcing across his face. He held her for a little while longer before the darkness around them was too much to ignore. Pulling back slightly he looked around them, the forest around them lit dimly by the pale light of the full moon. He had no idea how long they'd been out there, and he didn't rightly care. "We should probably be getting back to the cave soon, its starting to get cold out here." Even he was beginning to feel the night chill.

Robyn's eyes fluttered as his hand cupped her cheek and pulled her into a kiss. She melted into his kiss with one of her own before he pulled away and pressed his forehead to hers. Another easy smile graced his lips and she smiled softly as he spoke again. "Of course, litu dloo"

They were quiet for a while, his arms around her, and her back against his chest. She wouldn't say it, but she knew what this was now. Sitting here, in silent bliss, wrapped in his arms. She wasn't ready for it, not yet, but rarely did she have a choice in the matter.

"We should probably be getting back to the cave soon, its starting to get cold out here,." He said, and she looked up with a smile. "I thought you didn't get cold?" She teased softly. She was warm but of course she was, for one, she was dressed, and she had blanket made out of Cole. She turned and stood, holding out her hand to him so she could pull him to his feet. Her eyes fell to his leg, remember how he said an old injury caused it to lock up on occasion. It didn't seem to be bothering him much which was good but still. That was a massage for another time. Her eyes went to his arms and remembered the burns. She turned his arms over, her fingers dancing on the edge of the burns. She rose one of his arms to her lips and pressed a kiss where here fingers once danced. He got them reaching around a flame to help her. He should have let go but he didn't and for it, she was able to grieve and move on. "Do they hurt?" She asked softly, finding the odd way the burns were shaped a little amusing. She could have sworn it looked like a fox's tail and a hawk's wing. It might have just been a trick of the light but still. It would have made this whole thing that much more...meaningful if it were. Two drops in the same pond.

Cole hopped up with her help, pausing as she took his arms and traced around the burns, kissing the one that looked like a hawk. Her lips were cool against the heat of the burn. "Do they hurt?"

He looked at the marks on his arms, one in the shape of a hawks wing, the other the fox's tail. It certainly was interesting, how the fire had branded him with the marks of both their spirits. It was almost like they were trying to tell him something. He had a pretty good guess as to what that was, but as with most everything there were small tendrils of doubt in the back of his mind. He wanted what he was feeling to turn out to be real, but only time would truly tell.

He smiled that slow easy smile of his before answering. "Not all that much, its more of a dull heat. I think I'll heal," he said with a wink. He quickly gathered his things and then extended his elbow to her. "Well then, shall we away," he asked, the moonlight adding a gleam to his eyes that complimented his easy grin.

Robyn watched his eyes go to his arms and she wondered if he saw the same image she did. If he did, what did he think they meant. She shook it the moment he smiled. "Not all that much, its more of a dull heat. I think I'll heal," He told her with a wink and she smiled softly. "You'd better." She said, but not with her usual flirtatiousness, though it had a touch of it. She waited as he gathered up his things and cocked her head as he extended a gentlemanly arm to her. "Well then, shall we away," She smiled and nodded, slipping her arm through his, her heart kicking against her ribs as the moonlight added a soft blue hue to his features. Anxiety flared up in her, causing her to look away but not let go. She started walking and the moment they were at the cave's mouth she let go and slipped inside. Not looking back at him. She couldn't be what she was out there, when they were alone, she could be Robyn, but here she felt she had to keep the mask on, the blood covered mask that was the Crimson Lady. She was hardly ready to let Cole see behind it, she was certainly not ready for the others to see it. She hoped he understood that. There would been no stolen kisses, to her lips or her forehead like he seem to enjoy doing as much as she enjoyed receiving, he wouldn't hold her and she wouldn't hold to him, not in here. She cast a glance in his direction, before her eyes moved to Jack who was still sleeping peacefully, if not slightly nosily across from her, she looked back at Cole and shook her head, almost sadly. Hopefully he could read it on her face what she meant. It was a silent conversation, those they could have. Her face read "Not here, not where they can see." Surely he knew, but she hoped he understood.

She kicked off her boots, and lay on her cot, staring up at the stalactites on the ceiling of the cave. She missed his arms already.


Before she knew it, she was awake again. She felt rested, and the tension that she'd carried for years was gone. She saw up slowly to the smell of roasting rabbit. "Mornin'" Jack said, already with a plate of rabbit and peaches for her and a bottle of rum. She knew now why Cole didn't drink, and if she were honest, she felt a little strange drinking in front of him, but she had to save face. Besides the fact that she really liked her 'fire-water' "Sleep good?" Jack asked before her eyes could wander over to Cole who slept nearest the entrance of the cave. "Aye, did you cook this?" She asked, as she peeled the skin and popping the meat in her mouth with a finger. "Yep, Snag that one me'self." Jack said proudly. "I also recall you being covered in mud." She pointed out, making him drop his shoulders. "Yes, but it was almost worth it." He said, adjusting his bolo tie. Robyn chuckled and finally she allowed herself to speak to Cole, though she didn't look in his direction. "Hear that, Almost worth it." She said, though her heart wasn't in it. Everything from last night played in her mind and her heart was kicking against her chest. Fighting with what was and would could be. Why she couldn't bring herself to look at him was beyond her but she wasn't going to fight it. It was easier that way.

He knew full well that things would be as they were before in front of the others. They had to be, she had a reputation to upkeep and allies to keep appearances for. As much as he would have liked not having to act, he understood it was necessary and was willing to keep it going. He would interact and act like he had before, not that it was much of a change, but still. At the entrance of the cave she turned to him with a look that told him all he needed to know, not here, not now. He gave her a reassuring smile and a wink and waited a few minutes after she'd entered to enter himself. When he entered the confines of the cave she was already asleep. The masque of the Crimson Lady was as necessary for her as his warpaint was for him, the fierce face presented to the world to conceal any weakness within. Under their masks, she was invincible, and he invisible. She the unbeatable indomitable Crimson Lady, and he the hidden fierce Apache Warrior half-breed. But underneath all that, they were two sides of the same coin, two drops in a pond, the Fox and the Hawk.

As he laid on his bedroll, he could have sworn he felt her head upon his chest. He let that comforting thought guide his way to slumber.

He awoke with the first light once again. Looking about the cave the other two were still asleep. He slipped out of the cave to greet the sun as was part of his morning ritual at this point in his life. As he stood outside the mouth of the cave he felt remarkably unburdened; a quick roll of his shoulders and neck confirmed it. He thought on the events of the previous night, and what they would mean for the future, provided they survived the union pacific job that was. He had a good feeling about their chances but it never hurt to expect the worst and prepare for it. It was one of the reasons he was still alive to be thinking and feeling these things.

He re-entered the cave to the smell of roasting rabbit and an awoken pair.

"Yep, Snag that one me'self." Jack said, his chest puffing with pride. He remembered that catch. The rabbit had tripped the snare and that should have been the end of that, but apparently both Jack and the rabbit had had other plans. When he'd gone to finish the job he knocked the snare itself loose and the rabbit had gone off like a shot, the snare-line and spring trailing behind it. Jack, not one to be outdone by a varmint, gave chase through a series of puddles and small gullies before the snare-line finally wrapped itself around a small tree and Jack caught the rassically rabbit. Leaving the usually spotless dandy covered in mud and filth. Cole had gotten a good laugh out of that one, but had made an arrangement to leave the rest of the gang out of the details of the incident.

They all did had reputations to upkeep after all.

"Hear that, Almost worth it."

The words directed to him brought him out of the recent past and sharply into the present. He smiled and clapped Jack on the back, taking a hunk of rabbit for himself. "I'd say it was well worth it," he said with a wink to Jack, their secret safe with him. Seemed he was keeping a lot of those recently. The rest of the meal passed without incident, conversation between bites as it was before. Everything as it had been before the previous night, business as usual. When he was finished eating he went over to the table with the map on it and stood over it, hands on either side of it. He was reviewing his half of the plan in his head over and over, planning it down to the minute. Every escape route he could see from the map, every possible thing that could go against him. There were so many variables that he wouldn't be able to account for until he was actually on location. And that was what was worrying him. He knew he was going to have to get on location well before the heist took place, but he was beginning to think that he'd actually have to leave sooner. Perhaps that day even.

The rest of the meal was rather quiet, or it was rather, Jack making comments that she would either ignore or smirk at but she wasn't really in the mood to speak. She was avoiding Cole's gaze. She didn't know what she'd do under it. Not handling this well and she knew it but couldn't -nor wouldn't change it.

After she finished and she saw Cole through her peripherals moved to the table and the map upon it. She made her way behind a particularly large stalagmite that she used to change. It kept her modest even though most of the time the boys would turn away.

She dressed in her usual attire, though she left her coat folded and her hat off. She finally rose her gaze to Cole as he looked over the map. Jack was cleaning his rifle but seemed aware of what was around him. She approached the table, her eyes falling to the map as she couldn't look at him for long. "Penny for your thoughts?" She asked, her hands behind her back as her eyes scanned the map. They would need to move out in a day or so to get to the water station in time for the train to stop.

Her eyes rose up some, landed on the burns on his arm. With the sun peeking into the cave, she could see more clearly now the burns on his arms. Her brow rose. It did look like a hawk's wing and a fox's tail. She couldn't believe it. She clenched her teeth to keep from commenting. He didn't like to call what he did magic, but she was beginning to believe. She snapped back on the mask again quickly, even though Jack was behind her and couldn't see her face.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

He chuckled half humoredly. "That would be the bargain of the century." His hand was unconsciously tracing along the edge of the fox tail shaped burn. He didn't seem to notice her slip from the mask. "There's too many variables at work here. I cant predict anything with any accuracy from here. I need to be on site for that. I'd need to be there early anyway to set up the fake attack scene, but everything else I cant tell." There was a hint of genuine annoyance to his voice. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "Its a days travel to the town, two if you don't want to be seen, and I damn well don't. Then from that I need a day to survey the area and plan routes and such. Then another couple days to get a prospectors wagon, the rest of the supplies, and set the damn thing up."

He sighed and leaned against the table again, his hair falling over his shoulder almost brushing against the map. "I'm probably going to have to leave today if I'm to make it there in time to get everything ready."

Cole chuckled. "That would be the bargain of the century."He said, his fingers going to the burn but he hadn't rose his gaze to noticed her face. "There's too many variables at work here. I can't predict anything with any accuracy from here. I need to be on site for that. I'd need to be there early anyway to set up the fake attack scene, but everything else I can't tell." He said, annoyed. She frowned. This was true. They needed to go now. "Its a days travel to the town, two if you don't want to be seen, and I damn well don't. Then from that I need a day to survey the area and plan routes and such. Then another couple of days to get a prospectors wagon, the rest of the supplies, and set the damn thing up." He said with a heavy sigh. "I'm probably going to have to leave today if I'm to make it there in time to get everything ready." He told her and she folded her arms. She felt suddenly very cold, she knew why but she couldn't make it known.

"Very well," She said, looking at the map. "Jack and I will be a day behind you, and we'll meet up after the heist." She said and another spike of apprehension. This could go very wrong, in various ways, but she didn't like the idea of being without him for the next few days. He was smart, meticulous, that's why she wanted him on her crew but after last night, she felt a twinge of nervousness that he -they- may not see each other again.

She shook it, no, they would, they would survive this, and they would be as reach as Kings by the end of it.

"Very well, Jack and I will be a day behind you, and we'll meet up after the heist."

He looked up and noticed the nervous shift in her facial expression. It was slight, barely perceptible. He glanced over at Jack and he was engrossed in his work, currently gazing down the barrel of his rifle. He quickly reached into his hair and pulled out the hawks feather. He walked over and stood next to her, and gently pressed it into her hand with a wink. "I figure even with the variables we'll all come out of this richer than some kings eh," he said with a confident flourish to the whole room.

Jack looked up from his work with a wide grin. "They'll never know what hit em," he said, racking the lever on his rifle.

Cole gave a wide wolfish grin and strode over to his area of the cave. He then started to gather up his things, packing it all neatly either rolled in his bedroll or into his saddlebags.

Robyn watched him quickly look over at Jack, before reaching into his hair and pulling out the feather she'd pilfered before. He walked over to her and pressed into her hand, slyly. She looked from him to her hand and back again. I figure even with the variables we'll all come out of this richer than some kings eh,"He s aid with a rush of confidence.
By God, she wanted to kiss him. Her fingers closed around the feather as Jack chimed in. "They'll never know what hit 'em" She turned to him with a chuckle as Cole moved to his bedroll and started gathering his things. She moved to her area and tucked the feather into her coat inner pocket, nearest her heart. She cast a glance his direction and swallowed before turning away. Anything she had to say, he already knew, and she was running the risk of dropping her mask again.

So while he prepared to head out, she prepared to arm herself. This would require a bit of stealth, so no rottin' tootin' like they usually did. She grabbed a corset, she made special, on the back and the front, hidden between the boning, had small slots for throwing knives, To look at her you wouldn't notice them, but if she were honest it wasn't very comfortable. The boning itself was light, but with the knives, it added a bit of weight, not too much, but enough that she noticed. She was still able to move with it which she knew she'd need to for what she had planned. Jumping on to a moving train would require a bit of finesse, this corset allowed for that.

She slipped a few knives into her special boots with the mechanism that would allow for her to click her heels and free blades from the toe. Casey commissioned those for her.

The thought of him sent a shock of cold down her spine. He'd been gone for two weeks and she barely thought of him in that time and she cared for him almost as much as she did--No, not going there. She abandoned the thought quickly. It was better that she didn't think of that at all, because it just made things all the more complicated. She didn't like complicated, she was a woman of simply pleasures

She decided to go over the plans of the heist in her head over and over rather then deal with her precarious love life.

Soon he was ready to go and her heart sank. So much for not thinking about it.

She'd finished up arming her gear but wouldn't put it on until tomorrow when it was time for her and Jack to move out. She was sharpening her Bowie knife on a whetstone when he was ready.

She approached him with a coolness that marked her as the Crimson Lady but the look in her eyes told him a lot. He could read her , no one else could, no one knew her like he did so she didn't fight it.

"Don't die out there, huh?" She told him, grabbing his arm, her eyes said. "You'd better come back to me."
"We'd have to split it three ways which would be nice, but I'd be greatly disappointed if you did." She said, her fingers sliding down his arm and brushing his finger tips, before falling to her side. Her eyes whispered, "I can't lose you too,"

"Don't die out there, huh? We'd have to split it three ways which would be nice, but I'd be greatly disappointed if you did." Was what her lips said, but her eyes told a slightly different story that he heard loud and clear. It took all he had to not reach out to cup her cheek and reassure her.

So instead he smiled that easy smile of his and gave her a wink. "Hey, this Hawk aint going nowhere anytime soon," he said aloud then, "litu dloo," under his breath so only she could hear as his hand closed around the fox tail burn. His eyes were filled with confidence, saying I'm coming back to you, and you'll do the same for me. I know it. "I aim to live more than long enough to spend all of my quarter of the take," he said aloud.

With that he shouldered his saddle and made for the entrance of the cave. As he walked out he turned his head back briefly to Robyn and gave her a wink before exiting the cave. Inside the cave could hear a robins call whistled out as he walked away.

A smile graced his lips with the ever present ease before he winked. "Hey, this Hawk ain't going nowhere anytime soon," He told her aloud before he breathed quietly. "litu dloo,". His hand gripped the fox tail, her fox tail burn. She blinked. He did see it too, not only that, he read as much into as he did. That kick started her heart. Her eyes rose to his eyes and she saw his words. He'd return to her, and she'd return to him. She smiled softly. "I aim to live more than long enough to spend all of my quarter of the take."

"If we do this right, none of us will live that long." Jack chimed in, not looking at them at first but then rose his gaze and tipping his hat to Cole as he made for the exit, while Robyn clenched her fists hard, the pain from her nails keeping her from running to him. He shuffled his pack on and made to leave but not before casting a glance back at her. She smiled when he winked but it vanished as he turned away. She started back toward her things when she heard the call of her namesake echo in the cave. She had to fight the smile that formed.


She didn't like this at all, but he'd come back. He'd come back to her. He promised.

As predicted Cole had finished his preparations right down to the wire. But he had gotten everything he needed ready, escape routes were planned, the scene of the 'attack' was prepared, and he was ready to knock the tree over the track. He'd hidden a double bitted ax by a large tree. He'd worried about the fact that the tree had been cut to lessen the time he'd have to get them out of there. The men sent to the tree would see that it had been cut and send men back when they smelled the rat. Luck was with him however, sending to him a large thunder and lightning storm. So all he had to do was cut down the tree, burn the trunk and the ground around it, and it would look like it was struck by lightning.

The scene of the 'attack was a thing of beauty if he did say so himself. There was a burnt out wagon with appropriate debris strewn about it. The place was littered with arrows and loose firearms he'd... liberated... from some local drunks. There was also generous splashes of deers blood and a trail of the same leading off into the woods. The trail would continue for a while then cut off, the rain had been a boon for this one too, muddying the trail and keeping the blood wet. It would be good enough to fool whatever tracker they had with them. They were unlikely to have a native tracker as they were the famous Indian killers. He'd then ran the four horses that he'd hidden at the agreed upon spot around the wagon and through the area to make it look like the horses had bolted. He was quite proud of his handiwork for this job.

He'd also pre-set a line to take down the telegraph line between the town and the fort. From where he was posted he would be able to see the train as it rounded the curve around the bluff about a mile off from the town. He'd, once again, liberated a .50 caliber sharps marksmans rifle that he was going to use to set off the dynamite at the scene of the 'attack'. He would sight the train, set off the dynamite, cut the line, then cut the tree across the track and send the message from the nearby line. It was going to be tight, but he knew he could do it.

The rest was up to Robyn and the rest, and he prayed for her spirits and his own to guide her.

It was finally time.

Robyn and Jack watched as the train approached. Steam pluming up, visible even in the dark of night. Their horses getting a little antsy at the rumbling beneath their feet.

Robyn abandoned all thoughts of Cole, Casey, she thought of nothing but how she was going to board the speeding steam train. It blew past them.

Time to go.

"Ready, Cap?"

"Naturally."

They kicked their horses forward and soon then they were chasing down the train as fast as the horses would carry them. Once they reached the caboose , Robyn let go of the reins. Jack behind her looked bewildered, clearly worried for her safety, his hands firmed attached to his reins. Robyn's powerful thighs kept her steady as they rode up next to the train. She scanned for the open window, Casey promised he'd leave open for them, but in the dark it was hard to see, steam , the bouncing horse and the glimmering moonlight made this difficult.

She blinked a few times before she saw it and smirked. She pointed to the window and Jack nodded. She guided her horse as close as she could to the train, she was almost close enough for a hand hold.

She reached out, the only thing keeping her steady where her thighs. She turned her body, reaching out for a hand hold near the open window and her fingers missed, leaving her twisting to keep from falling to her demise. Her hair brushed the speeding tracks. "Shit! Robyn!" Jack called but she ignored him as she reset and tried again. This time, her fingers found a grip, followed by its twin and soon she was a bridge between the train and her horse. Jack rode up beside her horse, grabbing it's reins to keep it from running off, and dragging Robyn with it.

All the while, Robyn was breathing, holding on white knuckled to the handholds she found near the window. The window was barely open, but she could fit through it. The thing was, timing.

She looked up, taking a deep breath, steading her heart before she relaxed her legs and transferred the strength to her arms. She then gripped hard and pulled herself through the window, sailing through like a bullet.

She hit the carpeted floor of the train with a hard thud, rolling until she crashed into the other side of the train. "Fucking hell." she groaned, holding her head a moment, shaking the stars from her eyes. Once she was more surefooted, she moved to the window and opened it wider for Jack. He was wide eyes. He mouthed 'Are you alright."

She nodded, and jerked her head back, telling him to come on. He found the same hand holds but didn't bother trying to sail through it. Instead, he climbed through with more grace then she had. He even had the nerve to adjust his clothes. She rolled her eyes before looking around. The car was empty, it seemed like it was a passenger train once but it hadn't been used for a while. "Look for a safe." She told Jack, and they began to search.

She heard the door to the car open, and she already had her knives free, prime to strike before she was able to see a familiar fair haired giant holding up his hands. "Easy, I'm on break, I'll be able to hide you but it won't be comfortable, we've miles to go before the water station."

Robyn slide her knives back in their hiding place. "Good to see you too." She told him and he smirked. She gave him a once over, he was covered in coal dust, soot, and was only in a thin shirt that showed off the lines of his muscular form.

She couldn't deny how attractive he looked then, which made things all more confusing when she felt strange for it. She'd always been attracted to him, but with Cole, and all that, that was, she felt guilty for feeling so.

She inwardly groaned. "Let's go then." She said and gestured ahead of him so he could hid them until the water station.

"Um," Casey started, after he lead them to a storage car. Robyn looked around. There were cases and chests and she already knew what he was proposing. "You have got to be kidding me?"

Jack rubbed the back of his head. "Billy...?" He said. "I know, but this is the best place for you two to hide."
"You know....I don’t...." Robyn stopped herself. "I know, I'm sorry, but there's nowhere else." he told her and she groaned and chose the largest chest. It stood upright so she was able stand at least but she had to let her mind drift to some place happier once he closed the chest, the darkness swallowing her.

She took a few breathes before her mind drifted to Cole, pretending that the enclosed place was his arms, and that she was safe. She then prayed to whatever god, spirits, ancestor that was listening that he kept his promise.

Cole heard the train almost before he saw it, the tall plume of smoke heralding its arrival. He smiled as he brought the stock of the sharps to his shoulder taking sight down the barrel he trained his eye on where he knew the dynamite to be. Taking a deep breath he gently squeezed the trigger as he exhaled. The resounding crack of the sharps distracted him momentarily from the fact that there wasn't a corresponding explosion. With a muttered curse, he racked the slide back and jammed another round in as quick as he could and took aim once again. He snapped off the second shot and smiled in satisfaction as the dynamite was set off.

He grinned and slung the rifle over his shoulder as he started running. Gliding through the underbrush and jumping over debris he quickly made his way to where he'd set the line by the telegraph wire. As he got there he could hear the faint sound of the cavalry bugle, the sound at the same time made him grin and shudder in memory. He tossed the line over the wire and pulled it as hard as he could, with a few minutes of constant heaving the wire finally snapped, the suddenness of it sending him falling onto his ass.

He repressed letting out a whoop as he brushed himself off and started towards his next part of the plan. The tree was the next, and the most dicey part of the plan as far as he was concerned. It took him about fifteen minutes to get to the tree and the hidden supplies. He was running slightly behind schedule, and in this endeavor that could mean the life of Robyn... and the others. Huh, that was interesting how he'd thought of that order of priorities.

He would just have to chop down the tree faster. Going as fast as he could he chopped the tree down, sending it crashing over the tracks, just getting him back on schedule. He wiped the sweat from his brow and started to spread the gunpowder around the base of the tree, lighting it as he walked away towards the telegraph line to send the message to the town. As he was climbing the pole he heard the whistle blow as the train pulled into the station, just in time. He tapped out the message then slid down the pole and disappeared into the forest. He had a spot picked out where he could watch over the town and be close enough to act should something go wrong. He prayed it didn't but he had to account for everything that could happen.

As he watched he saw someone run from the telegraph office to the train, conversing animatedly with the guards. One of them leaned into the car and yelled something, six other guards exiting and following him. They and a small crew of the towns laborers started down the line carrying axes and saws. They didn't look too happy and the guards on the train were fidgeting with their guns nervously, pacing back and forth. He unslung the sharps rifle from his shoulder and loaded another cartridge, sighting on the guards. If anything happened or they turned towards the interior, they were dead men. And he would have to move fast to get to the stables and start the distraction. He glanced down under the tree he was currently halfway up to look at his horse patiently waiting below. Slung on her saddle, in addition to his winchester, was a pair of sawed off shotguns and the pearl handled pistols he'd taken from Quinto. He'd need every bullet if things went to shit, and he prayed for Robyns sake that they didn't.

There was a simple three knock rap on the case of her truck before Casey opened it and Robyn couldn't deny herself the breath of fresh air. She hated enclosed places, she really did.

It was made easier by thinking of Cole, replaying the way he held her those few nights ago, her fingers having found the feather he'd given her. By then end of it, she was more anxious to see him then she was to acquire the amount of wealth she was about to receive.

Strange....

"Captain, We have a problem." Casey said, calling her from her thoughts. "What problem?" She asked, noticing he was whispering despite the loud noise the train was already making. "There are a few crewmen on break. "

Robyn blinked as Jack approached them, after stretching a bit. "Alright, so what?"

"We didn't account for them?"

"I did." She said and it was true, she overcompensated during these heists, that way if something went wrong, she could adjust more easily. She figured not all of the crew men would be in the back, and it was late. She began eyeing the cases and chests they were surrounded by. "Jack, check the cases," She said, side stepping Casey with a pat to his shoulder, Noting how unsettled he looked about this new development. "Don't worry, Casey, That just means there is more to tell our story." She said with a grin, moving to a crate and cracking it open herself. She rummaged through it, and only found a few watches. "Oh look at this." She beamed, freeing the watch from the case. "Gold." She said and Jack grinned. "Oo Wee! " He cheered but his tone was hushed. "Do you have the bags, Will?" Robyn said, Casey nodded, before disappearing and reappearing with a leather sack. He handed one to her and another to Jack and kept one for himself. He looked nervous.

"Will, We've done this a million times, only difference is we're on a train." She told him and he nodded. She'd talk to him later, for now they had to become very rich.


They finished with the cases and crates, they mostly found jewelry and not all of it was very valuable. Casey held on to the bags while Jack and Robyn made their way toward the front car, where the crew men were lounging and drinking.

Jack kicked open the car door, guns drawn while Robyn sauntered in, dramatically.

She was always one for theatrics. She wished Cole could see it.

"Hello boys." She said. "This...is a robbery." She said, as if it was an opening to a play. There were about four men in the room, all very large, covered in coal and soot, much like Casey was. Fighting them would prove difficult, but she was prepared for that.

"What's this?" one called. It was a fairly larger man, shorter then both Casey and Cole, but large enough to prove to be a threat. Casey walked in behind her and they looked at him oddly. "Billy, Boy what is this?" The same one asked

Robyn sighed dramatically. "I said already, didn't you hear me?" Robyn looked at Jack, she walked over, pouting, placing her hand on his shoulder and her chin atop her hand. "They weren't listening to me, That's rude." She said and Jack played along, shaking his head shamefully, never dropping his guns. "Hey...I know you. You're--" The same one said, recognition in his eyes. They were green she noticed.

"The Crimson Lady, yes, I am." Robyn nodded with a smile, sitting up. "Then that means." The green eyed man said looking at Casey. "You're Billy Bones...The injun lover. You're a traitor! Shacking up with this colored bitch now too. " Fury burned in his eyes then. Casey's was eerily unaffected for someone who had been working with this man for the better part of a forenight. He was just quiet. Robyn stomped her feet like a child, . "You're not listening to me!" She pouted and walked over to Casey, and hugged him around the chest. None of them could see him pull a small dagger from the back of her corset. "Billy, they aren't listening to me, make them listen." She said with a dark smile, and Casey wasted no time, moving across the cabinet and grabbing the green eyed man. "I remember what you said, how you liked to make the dark ones scream." Casey's voice was dark and low. "I should let her do it, She likes to hear men like you scream." He said before sending her blade through up his chin, it wasn't long enough to kill him, so Casey ripped the blade free causing him to drop to the floor, trembling. The other three were quiet, clearly none of them were fighters.

"Now, that we have your attention." Robyn clapped. "This -pay attention this is important- a robbery." She said, like a teacher to a young child. "Say it with me now. 'Robbery'" She said and the scared three repeated. "Good, now, That means, me and my friend here are going to still all of your shit." She said with a smile. "So, I would suggest not pissing me, or my friends off, because, well, Jack here. Is a helluva shot, you wouldn't make it far, and Billy, well." She paused for dramatic effect. "you've see what that's like." She said gesturing to the fool would was bleeding out near Casey's feet. She heard what he said to him and she was going to let him bleed slowly.

Casey leaned down to her and whispered. "I don't know where the safe is." She nodded.

"Now, Where is the main safe?" She asked the three and they all looked from one another before looking at her. "I'm getting annoyed." She told them, and they looked panicked. "We don't know," spoke one, he had dark hair and blue eyes. He was thinner then the rest. He was scared, not of her but of Casey. He could be manipulated.
"Ma'am." Jack corrected.
"We don't know, Ma'am." said the dark haired one.
"Well, someone knows, and someone better tell me." Robyn warned and they all looked panicked. They truly didn't know.

"Alright, Well, This coming from the mint, right?" They nodded. "Well, that means their is money, newly minted money, around here somewhere." She said and they were quiet before the dark haired one looked up at her. "It would be in the express car, hidden, in a safe, but it's on a timer, it won't open until the train stops." He said and she smiled at him before walking up to him. She knelled down to him, bending at the waist, face to face with him. Jack moved his guns to the other two. "Do you think I'm pretty?" She asked. He did not know how to answer that. "Don't worry, It's a question."
He frowned, still not sure what to do. If he said no, he might offend her, if he said yes, he might offend her.
"Say yes." She said softly. It was her usually flirtation tactic.
"Yes." He said, he was still very tense. " I think you're handsome." she said, and it wasn't a lie. He seemed to try not to response to that but his lips tugged a bit. "That was very nice of you, Handsome." She said, reaching up and kissed him, like one might a lover. She pulled back and he was completely bewildered, her red lip stick smeared over his lips. A soft smile on them "You, Handsome, get to live." She said with a wink and with that Jack shot the other two, clean head shots. Her 'Toy' jumped hard, blanching at the two bodies beside him.

"Anything else you want to tell me." Robyn asked him, sitting on his lap. He was as stiff as a board. he shook his head. "You sure? I really don't wanna hurt you, I like you, Handsome."

"I swear, Ma'am, I swear." He told her and she sighed. "Alright, I believe you." She said, before her hand came up quick and slamming her palm into his chin, rendering him unconscious.

"Alright, Ideas." She called, all business now, even though she was still sitting on the unconscious man's lap. "We take the safe." Jack said and Robyn shook her head. "We don't have the time, and we couldn't carry it even if we did." She said, her mind going a mile a minute, too bad so was the damn train.

"Let's just find it, see if we can blow the thing open." Casey said and Robyn nodded, before looking over at his victim, who was still alive, he was looking at her. "You go on ahead." She smiled, got up, and sauntered over to him. "You have something to say?" She asked, turning her head. He spat blood at her. Blood and spit splashing on to her cheek. She turned up her nose before backhanded him hard across the face. His hand snapped the other direction, blood spraying from his mouth. "You are very lucky I don't have time for you....Otherwise, I'd make a hobby out of you." She said darkly, taking a sleeve and wiping of what he spat at her.

She stood up, and kicked him over, and pressed her boot to his throat and leaning her weight onto it. He thrashed and tried to gasp but it couldn't and soon, he lay motionless.

She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his cheek, her lipstick -what was left of it-leaving her mark on him.

She quickly found Will and Jack, they found the safe, and it was attached to the wall, bolted in. They didn't have the tools to remove and like she said, not even Will could carry it the whole way. They would have to beat a hasty retreat.

"Shit." She sighed, running her hands through her hair. Her eyes darting around the room looking for an solution. All she saw was a plain old train car, seats for passengers, luggage and crates.
Her mind searched and searched only for it to keep lingering on the crates. It was then she thought she saw a fox's tail brush against the side. She blinked and it was gone. Must have been a trick of the light.

Even still she approached the crates, thinking maybe it had tools inside it. She grabbed the edges and pulled hard. Snapping the wood and her eyes went wide. "Boys!" She cried, they were at her side in a hurry. "Holy shit." Jack gasped "Damn." Casey breathed. Robyn beamed, Inside were huge pieces of gold bars. Glimmering in the moonlight. She could have cried. "C'mon, Let's get this in the bags, It's almost our stop." Robyn said, and they quickly bagged the gold.

They rode the train out to the water station, and it was clear that Cole's plan worked, as it was a ghost town, the rain was the only noise. This disembarked quickly, before the rest of the crew made it through the cars and they ducked through into the forest. The rain made it hard to listen for the stream but they found it, and they found the old trapper's hut, just as he said there'd be, beside it. They ducked inside, finding the cellar, and hiding inside that. Casey and Jack carrying the bags of gold bars. Jack struggled a bit and set down the bags. Casey looked as if they weigh nothing at all.


"How where we suppose to know it was him?" Jack asked, his tone hushed.

"A hawk's screech?" Casey asked and Robyn chuckled, her hand slipping into her coat, to them it would have looked like she was nursing an old wound and neither would ask her about it now, truthfully, she was rubbing her fingers over the feather. "No, Not a hawk's screech." And left it at that.

Cole let out a sigh of relief as he watched Robyn and the rest made their way to the treeline unseen. "Fuck me, they did it." The smile that had grown on his face faded quickly as he noticed something wrong. From the car came stumbling a man talking animatedly and gesturing wildly, the guards immediately started to move. Bringing the sharps to his shoulder quickly he sighted on the guard nearest handsome.

"Fuuuuck," he breathed out as he squeezed the trigger. As soon as the bullet left the barrel he racked the bolt back and rammed home another round, sighting and firing it at the second guard. They were dead before anyone heard the shots that killed them. He slung the rifle around his shoulders and jumped down and landed in the saddle of his horse. With a sharp cry he tapped his heels against the flanks of Chenoa driving her towards the town, rain whipping past his face and against his chest.

"What the fuck am I doing," he muttered to himself with a chuckle as he drew his Winchester, racking the lever chambering the first round. Giving a loud Apache war cry he tore into the town firing into the air and at any guards that dared to poke their heads out of the saloon. He was covered in muddy camouflage so he wasn't worried about anyone in the town recognizing him, what he was worried about was the thirty or so guards pouring out of the train car ahead of the one that the dazed man had come out of. Sliding the rifle back in its sheathe, he drew the sawed offs. Wheeling Chenoa around he fired off three blasts from the shotguns at the mass of guards, sending most of them scattering.

Sporadic fire started coming his way from the rapidly recovering guards. There were a lot more than he'd expected there to be, just what in the fuck were they transporting. This wasn't a contingent for just simply newly minted cash. His thoughts were interrupted by a bullet grazing over his shoulder, digging a shallow channel in the meat of it. He turned his upper body training the barrel of the shotgun on the offender, pulling the trigger and blowing him back filled with buckshot, shredding the poor bastards chest. He dropped the shotguns to either side and drew Quintos pistols, thumbing the hammers back. Bringing his right leg up he spun in the saddle so he was sitting backwards in it, trusting Chenoa to lead him out true, he needed his eyes on the men in front of him... behind him. He brought the dead mans pistols to bear on the men running after him.

Hammer struck primer igniting powder and sending the lead slug spinning down the barrel, its deadly velocity sending it through the throat of the man unfortunate enough to be at the lead of the pack. The process repeated until the hammers clicked on empty chambers, leaving behind it at least six men fated to never see the sunset. He swung around again dropping the spent pistols into the holsters hanging from the saddle. He had no time to reload the pistols, so he grasped the tomahawk as he guided Chenoa to the stables. Entering with a war cry he struck the stable hand on the head with the flat of the blade and slid off of Chenoa. Using tomahawk and voice he whipped the horses in the stable into a frenzy and set them loose as quickly as he could before launching himself bodily onto his own saddle, hanging from the side in the middle of the small herd of horses.

He hid in the herd as he heard the shouts of the men trying to catch a horse, any horse, until he heard one of them exclaim "he's hanging from the side of one of them, get him!" So much for that, he thought as he threw a leg over Chenoa and spurred her to the head of the herd and bolted into the forest. In the opposite direction of where Robyn and the others had went.

He lead them on a merry chase for the better part of three hours, finally convinced he'd lost them he started to carefully make his way to the trappers hut. He was almost there before he heard something that made his heart sink in his chest.

"You sure they went in there?" The voice was low and hushed.

"Fucking only place they could have, and we havn't found them in this fucking forest yet have we." A tougher yet equally hushed voice.

"I know but... isn't that place supposed to be haunted." A third voice, younger and slightly fearful, perhaps something he could work with.

"Shut the fuck up all of you, ya yellow bellied sons of whores," snapped a fourth voice, obviously the leader by the tone of his hushed voice. "You three fan out, we're going to light the place up then sift through the ashes to see if that black bitch and her friends were there. Maybe we'll get that Red bastard as well."

Cole drew his tomahawk and slid through the underbrush noiselessly as he approached the source of the voices. They had just entered the clearing the hut resided in as he hit the edge of the woods. True enough there were just three of them, the man who had run out of the car and three guards from the train. He had to warn his companions in the cellar somehow, otherwise it could be a bloodbath that they wouldn't survive.

"No, not a Hawks screech." He smiled as her words flitted through her head, he knew exactly what would warn them. Opening his mouth he cupped his hand around it and gave a loud long hawks shriek, the sound ringing above, through, and all around the clearing.

"The fuck was that," handsome said, looking about fearfully.

"A fucking bird, what did it sound like, now clam up and come here with that torch," said the biggest of the gathered men. He produced a book of matches and started trying to light some for the gathered torches. Drawing his knife Cole took a deep breath, and charged soundlessly across the damp glade.

Handsome was the first to notice the charging devil, but was unable to open his mouth to warn the man across from before the blade of a tomahawk split the mans skull down the middle. Leaving the blade where it was Cole threw a foot against the man, sending him crashing on top of handsome. The second man turned just in time to see the flash of Coles knife as it crossed his throat. The big man was faster on the draw and brought his torch down on Coles back. Taking the blow he rolled to the side and crouched in a fighters stance the knife dancing back and forth as he swayed. Lunging forward the big man made to swing the makeshift club at Coles head. Cole caught the torch with his elbow and wrapped his arm around it, clamping his hand on the mans wrist, locking the torch under his armpit. He brought his knife up towards the mans side, the big man blocking the blow with his forearm. Unrelenting Cole kept stabbing faster and faster, keeping the mans hand occupied trying to keep the knife away from his soft belly. While his hand stabbed he threw a leg behind one of the big mans, sweeping them out from under him and sending them both crashing to the ground. Cole never stopped stabbing the entire way down, and the man was dead as they hit the ground.

Cole sat back on his haunches for a breath before he remembered the fourth man. Rocking back he stood up and walked over to where he'd left the man, pinned under the dead soldier. Wrenching his tomahawk out of the mans skull he looked at handsome, noticing that there were traces of Robyns red lipstick on the mans lips. He didn't know why but that fact inflamed him a little, he knew it was part of the facade of the Crimson Lady, but it flashed by nonetheless. "Sorry son, no hard feelings," he said bringing the tomahawk up over his head.

A single shot rang out, piercing the air. He staggered back, swaying slightly he brought a hand to his gut, his fingers coming back covered in crimson. "Ok, now hard feelings," he said unsteadily before bringing the blade crashing down on the mans throat, cutting him down to the spine. Cole staggered back until his back was against the wall of the hut. Slumping down he rested the hands that were still clutching his blades against his knees limply. Wetting his lips he tried to whistle, faltering at first, no sound coming out. Coughing up and spitting blood he tried again, managing to get a clear robins call whistle to float through the now still air.

As he rested against the wall he looked up, a single hawk circling overhead. As Robyn and the others came out of the hut he turned to her with his slow easy smile sullied by the crimson dribbling down his chin, "I came back."

Robyn was getting restless. He should have been here by now. Three hours. Three hours and there was nothing.

"He should be here by now." She whispered to the others. Casey looked as if he wanted to comfort her but decided against it. Jack chewed on his lower lip. "He'll be here." He said, but it was as if he was trying to convince himself.

Robyn began to pace, an arm wrapped around her waist, her fingers twisting her bottom lip. She went over it in her mind, wht if they did something wrong. Should she have killed them all? Where they followed? Did Cole get---

Suddenly, a shrill hawk's screech rang out and they stiffened. Robyn looked at the two of them horrified. "What was that?" Jack asked, Casey looking just as confused.

"A hawk's screech." She whispered. Casey frowned. "But you said..."

"Something's wrong, he's here but he-Fuck this, I have to help him." She said, her heart pounding so loud she could feel it in her throat. She made a beeline for the opening of the cellar but Casey grabbed her. "Fuck, Casey, get off me." She hissed like a snake, as she thrashed about. Jack didn't know what to do, looking at the two of them.
"That was a warning, the guards must be close, too close for us to do anything." He said, and Robyn hated that he was right but that wouldn't stop her. "I don't care, He needs my help." She said, nearly panicked. Something was wrong, and she felt fear, true fear for the first time in a long time. She had to find him. She had to see him. Now.

"Robyn!." Casey hissed, now struggling to keep a hold on her. She was always rather slippery. "Let me go, William Casey or so help me-" A shot rang out and they all went still. Robyn's eyes were wide. She didn't know how but she knew that was not good. She broke from Casey's grip and dashed up the stairs and was making her way through the hut before a robin's call rang out. Robyn's heart sank. It was weak.

She ran as fast as she could toward the sound, and found it's source slumped against the side of the hut, bodies around him. 'Handsome' with a gun in his hand but still as dead as the rest. Cole looked up at her, pale, hands still gripping his blades. He tried to pull on of his easy grins but it was marred by the blood that trickled down his chin. "I came back."

He could read her eyes.

Robyn bridge that gap between them, on her knees beside him in an instant. She surveyed him, a bullet wound right through his stomach, blood gushed from the hole. "Shit...Cole, I told you not to die." She spat, pulling her coat from her body, and tossing it aside, she grabbed the sleeve of her shirt and ripped it at the seams. She tore it into two strips just as the boys found them.

"Holy shit."Jack gasped, Casey was silent. She began to wrap the cloth around him, her mind trying to find a solution. Her hands pressed against the wound, keeping pressure on it, but they were shaking. She couldn't stitch him up, she didn't have anything to do that with, and it was a days' ride to the cave. Longer on foot and Cole was in no condition to move let alone walk.

"You said you were going to live long enough to spend your share." She said, her voice wasn't as strong as she would have liked. "I'm going to hold you to that, We've got it, we've got all of it." She told him before looking back and Casey and Jack. "Find something to help me with this." She said and they both took off the opposite directions, looking for some form of first aid.

Robyn turned back to Cole, fear and guilt glossing her amber eyes. "Don't you dare leave me, Cole Black-Thorn" Her eyes said. "You promised." She told him, trembling,

"Rob, Here." Jack said, appearing beside her, with a small bottle of whiskey in his hand, pillaged from the dead men. Robyn snatched it and pulled the cork with her teeth. She spat it out and used one of the clean strips to sop up the liquid. She would have offered it to him to drink but she knew now why he didn't and wouldn't bother. Even if it would help with the pain.

"This is going to hurt but it's all I can do for now." She said, her voice was tender, and apologetic as she was about to clean his wound with it. Jack moved from them for some reason. She couldn't think about why as her full attention was on Cole and trying to staunch the bleeding.

Meanwhile,Casey beat the forest, looking for a camp, while Jack scavenged from the dead. He searched and searched but because of the rain he couldn't smell for fire, or listen for people.
Suddenly, a twig snapped behind him and Casey pulled free his bone daggers, the ones Cole fashioned for him. He stayed quiet, slowed his breathing just before he whirled around on his attacker as they approached. What he saw froze him in place.

"It's you." He breathed, dropping his guard. A beautiful native girl stared at him, with wide eyes. Her black hair falling over her shoulders like shroud, clinging to her skin from the rain. She looked afraid at first but then she smiled.

"Equi Dalonige Atsilvquodi" She breathed and he nodded, now knowing what that meant.

Cole. Shit.

That thought broke him from his stupor and he looked at her. He couldn't speak a word of her language and hoped at least by now she knew a little bit of his.

"I need help...a friend, He's hurt." He told her, with a frown. She looked at him, her face unreadable. God she was as beautiful now as she was then. Older, but still just as lovely.

"Bang." She said softly and it took him a moment to realize what she meant. That's what she was out here, she heard the shot.

"Is your tribe close, he is...like you." He said, unsure of how to tell her he was native without sounding like an ass. She looked at him, pausing a moment before nodded. "He's this way. I have other friends, another man, and a girl, " He didn't really know how to warn her of Robyn, Jack would be fine, Robyn- he knew how she reacted to surprises...and that was not well, especially with how she reacted to Cole being down. There was something there, but he didn't- wouldn't dwell on it.

The native girl reached for him, touching his arm before shaking her head. She wouldn't go with him, he was to go with her. "I can't, I have to help him and my friends." He said and she looked at him, her eyes narrowed a moment.

"I will bring help" She said and he blinked. So she did speak English but the way she spoke, it was strange, like she couldn't quite hear.

She turned to run off but stopped to look at him, a soft smile touching her lips. Casey looked at her too. "Your name? I don't know your name." He told her and she narrowed her eyes again, she seemed to be watching his lips as he spoke.

"Nidawi" She said with a smile before dashing off again. Casey rubbed his face before turning back hurrying to the others.

The edges of his vision was fading, blackened tendrils sporadically spiraling at the limit of his sight. The only thing he could focus on with any clarity was Robyns face before him. She was speaking to him, but it was fading, he was barely able to hang on. But something brought him back. "You promised." Her words came into sharp focus, bringing him back from where he had been headed, the darkness receding slightly.

He reached up and cupped her cheek slightly, though from the outside it would look like he'd just reached out. "I'm still here," he coughed, spitting blood to the side, "aren't I?" He tried to laugh but found himself quite unable to because of the blood that was coming up.

"This is going to hurt but it's all I can do for now." She started to daub at his wound.

He hissed inwards through his teeth as she daubed at his wound with the alcohol soaked rag. "You were right. Feels like a 1890 rotgut, not a good year." His eyes rolled back in his head as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

As Casey came running back into the glade Robyn was finished with trying to clean his wound. The rain had finished, letting him see the extent of Coles wound. Deep crimson had blossomed across the sleeve bandages and was threatening to soak clean through. "I... helps on its way. I met uh..." he paused unsure how to say just who he'd met in the forest.

Cole cracked open an eye and trained it on the blurry form of Casey, from what he could hear of the man and his posture he could guess. It looked as if he'd seen a ghost. "You saw her huh," he said weakly, coughing up more blood. He turned his head to the side and spat it onto the ever growing puddle of the selfsame blood. "Funny how things work out eh?" He tried to laugh again and pull himself up farther against the wall, unable to do either.

Casey looked at the man who was so close to death. He didn't seem scared, in fact he seemed completely at ease. "Yeah, actually."

Cole smiled, his bloody lips curling into a knowing smile. The minutes between ticked by like hours until finally he gathered the strength and looked over at Jack, who was loitering on the steps of the huts porch. "Hey Jack, I got you a present if you ever find Chenoa," he said just before a particularily violent fit of coughing racked his body. They ripped through his body, sending him in small yet violent convulsions, blood starting to pour from his wound and from between his lips.

"What do you mean find? Did you really think she'd leave your side ciye cetan," came a voice unfamiliar to everyone but Cole.



Casey's hands went to his knives and Jacks pistols were in his hands in a flash. The older native man paid neither of them any heed as he walked into the glade. Cole weakly held up a hand calming the other two, signaling the man was known to him. "Leksi shunkaha" he said weakly confirming the fact. "Thought you were up north," he said spitting a wad of blood to the side.

"I was son, but now I'm not. Good thing too it seems." The man had a deep soothing voice that retained a thick native accent for how well he spoke english. His weathered face was deeply lined, telling the story of a life longed lived through good times and bad. His long pitch black hair matched Coles in hue yet his was a full head as opposed to Coles half shaven. Unlike Cole however he was dressed like a white man, though he retained symbols of his people everywhere. To his right trotted Chenoa, to his left a large grey wolf, its head sweeping back and forth sniffing the air, its intelligent eyes scanning the clearing.

Behind him were four horses that were being led by Nidawi. Caseys eyes immediately went to hers and she flashed him a smile before leading the horses to the side. Timberwolf crouched down next to Cole, even in cowboy boots his footfalls were as quiet as his namesakes. Cole weakly tried to sit up, Timberwolf laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You got old," Cole said smiling at the man.

"And you've lost a lot of blood," Timberwolf replied, his eyes focused on the gaping hole in Coles gut. Reaching into his bag he withdrew a wad of bandaging cloth. Looking at Robyn he handed her the wad as he drew a small knife hanging from a leather strip around his neck. He carefully cut the bandages free. Then taking the wad back he quickly exchanged the bandages, a renewed stream of blood pouring out before he could get the bandage on. "Hold this tight against him miss," he told Robyn as he placed her hands on the wad. Standing he motioned to Casey and Jack, "two long strong limbs, bring them here." He turned to Chenoa as Casey and Jack went to find two suitable limbs. By the time they had Timberwolf had spread Coles blankets out on the ground, then taking the limbs from the boys he laid them on the edges of the blanket making a stretcher like structure that was wider at the bottom than it was at the top. "Lift him carefully onto this," he said as he secured the blanket to the limbs.

Casey, doing as he was told went over to Cole and very gently and carefully lifted the bleeding man, transferring him to the blanket structure. "Great, its like my nightmares come to life," Cole said, suppressing a laugh. None of the others would understand quite what he meant, but Robyn undoubtedly would. Timberwolf led Chenoa in between the narrow end of the structure, her saddle between the ends of the sticks. Reaching onto the saddle he took the sharps off from where it was slung on the saddle horn and tossed it to Jack. "I believe this is yours, but first, you two lift the sides up," he said indicating the two limbs. Jack looked at Casey with a raised dubious eyebrow, Casey simply shrugged and nodded. Standing on either side of Chenoa they carefully lifted the contraption and Cole as Timberwolf attached a length of rope to both limbs over the saddle ahead of the horn. He signaled for them to lower it and they did, the contraption now securely hung on Chenoa, the sled was complete.

Timberwolf nodded to the other horses, "alright, follow us. The village is about an hour to the south." He made his way to Cole, who had passed out just after he'd been laid in the stretcher. He took a length of cloth and tied it around Coles middle to hold the bandages in place. As his skillful gnarled hands worked he noticed that something of Coles was missing, his feather. He looked over and noticed the coat in a heap by where Cole had been. Peeking out from under the flap, visible only from the angle he was at, was the feather. He looked up at Robyn with an amused smile and a raised eyebrow. Casey and Jack were getting the horses so the look was shared purely between the two of them.

As soon as the rest of them were saddled up Timberwolf started to lead Chenoa and the unconscious Cole off towards the woods on foot. The wolf running off ahead of them, a hawk gliding overhead.