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Jacob Seed had tracked the trail of the stolen horse nearly twenty miles. The journey itself felt like a quick leisurely stroll compared to his journey with his brothers to the west all those years ago. Jacob was almost grateful the thief had chosen John’s horse to steal in the first place as it allowed him a reprieve from what over hedonistic plans John had planned for them today. John had been up in an roar the moment news of the theft reached his ears, having just paid a hefty sum of money for it to some mercenaries passing by weeks prior. The mercenaries did not say where the horse was from, only that it was a buckskin Arabian, the fastest in the whole west. John was a horrible rider to begin with but he just had to have the best of everything, no matter what. The moment he realized it was missing, John amassed a group of men to go after it, Jacob included.Jacob broke off from the main group, having a easier time tracking when he did not have to listen to the other’s bitching and moaning. He halted his horse atop of the hill they had just traversed, bordering on the edge of the forestland, seeing his bounty at the foot of the hill. The mare stood minding its own business, munching away at the grass beneath her feet. There was nothing around her to indicate that there was a person with her.
Found the horse but where’s the thief?
Jacob removed his hat to wipe the sweat off his brow before proceeding down the hill on horseback. After he returned this horse, he was hitting the saloon as soon as possible. As he motioned to put his hat back on, a sudden force from behind him ripped it from his hand. Am arrow?? He watched as the arrow and hat plummeted down the hill, landing by the target horse and startling his own. His horse reared up, tossing Jacob from his saddle onto his back with a loud thud.
Fuck.
His horse ran from him as he stood, attempting to get his bearings. He only saw the figure barreling towards him at the last possible second. Despite being half his physical size, the figure caught him at an inopportune moment, sending them both careening down the hill. Jacob landed on his back with the assailant on top. Neither of them paused for a moment; Jacob reached his hands up defensively as the thief tried plunging a arrow down into his eye. His hands easily wrapped around their wrist, giving him the assumption this lad could be no older than his early twenties. The thief was masked, their hair hidden underneath their hat.The moment he caught a glimpse of the thief’s eyes he couldn’t help but admire them. They were a mixture of greens, browns and yellows, but more importantly, they had the look of utter contempt. He had seen that same look over the years, more specifically, from all the women he had scorned over the years. Could it be?, he asked himself.. The thief’s strength began to wane, allowing him an opening. He pulled the arrow head over to the grassy area beside his head, released their wrists, plummeting the arrow into the earth. He grabbed them by their waist, tossing them off. The person began to claw at the ground in an attempt to get up, but he was just a tad quicker. He flipped the thief over, gun already cocked and loaded as he held it against their head. “Don’t move or I’ll blow your head off.” he gruffed.The thief said nothing. The only noise that came from them was the sound of their own breathing. Jacob reached out his free hand, gently removing the hat from the thief. Two elongated braids immediately fell from underneath the hat as he pulled it away. His suspicions seemed to be warranted, but just to be positive-With his index finger and thumb, he pulled down on the bandanna that masked his captive’s face. He did well in hiding his initial surprise, but he had not expected such beauty to lie underneath. The woman appeared to be in her twenties, olive skin, dark bushy brows and pouty lips that he could not draw his eyes away from. She was without a doubt of indigenous descent and he, without a doubt, could not take his eyes off her. “Disappointed?” the woman’s voice cut through him like a knife. “Wish that was so.”He considered just knocking her out and leaving her here before meeting up with the others to avoid this situation getting any messier. But he didn’t. Instead he cautiously placed his gun back in his holster, standing just above the woman as he held his hand out to her, a gesture to help her up. The woman took one glance at his hand and swatted it away before getting to her feet. She snatched her hat from him, placing it back on her head before securing her bow and quiver around her. “Look lady, you stole from the wrong man. You're just lucky it was me who found you and not him.”She had her back turned towards him as she approached the horse that was the cause of this whole situation in the first place. She rested her hand gently on the horse’s muzzle.“Funny that you assume I stole this horse. Her name is Kohana, and she is not property. Mercenaries took her from our encampment weeks ago. I’m taking her home.”Kohana the horse snorted, almost like in agreement.“You sure went through a lot of trouble to get back one horse.” he spoke almost in a questioning manner, “Why not just get another one?”The woman was gently petting the snout of the horse; you could see it in her eyes she was relieved to have the horse back, but there was also a look of melancholy as well. “This horse belonged to my mother. And she’s the only horse fast enough to run between encampments in a day and a half.” she replied.“You some sort of smuggler?” he piqued.“If you really must know, my brother is very ill. The only place I can get his medicine is a day and a half’s ride out with Kohana. Any other horse would be two and a half days at least.”Jacob stared at her with a puzzled expression, “If the medicine is so important why not just move encampments?”The woman cocked her head, her look alone spelling out her belief that he was the biggest idiot in all of the west. “You don’t think we’ve tried it? He’s too weak to be moved. He would not survive the trip.”Jacob could feel sympathy for the woman; had he been in the same situation with one of his brothers, he would have done the same exact thing. He could admire her tenacity, foolhardy as she may be. The sound of horses neighing just over the hill drew both their eyes to that direction. John and his men must be getting close to their location. His hand twitched, reaching for his gun. The smart thing to do would be to take her in to avoid any further conflict. John however was not very kind to people who crossed him, nor those who would dare steal from him. Jacob removed his hand from over his gun, approaching the woman. He placed his hands around her waist, hoisting her up.“What the hell-!” she squirmed as he placed her atop of Kohana.She stared at him, still wary of his actions. Jacob assisted in stashing her weapons and getting her situated on the saddle. “If this horse is as fast as you say it is, you better get out of here before they see you.” he cautioned.The woman looked at him suspiciously, “How do I know you won’t just follow me and lead them to right back to my camp?”Jacob struggled to contain his smirk. There was just something about this woman that drew him to her. “Because any person who can hand my own ass to me deserves to see another day. Now go.”The sound of the stampede of horses was getting closer; the woman looked to the hill then back to him. She took the reins of the horse into her hand, making a clicking noise with her tongue as she and the horse turned away from him. Jacob hesitated saying anything more but at the last moment he changed his mind. “Wait-”He reached out, his hand briefly grazing against her thigh. The woman gave pause, halting the horse as she looked back at him.“I didn’t get your name miss.” The woman smirked, “That’s because I didn’t give it to you.”He chuckled holding out his hand, “A woman after my own heart. Name’s Jacob Seed.”The woman glanced to his hand, taking it cautiously as they shook, “Nayeli Lamb.”“Nayeli Lamb.” He repeated, pronouncing each syllable individually, “Well, Miss. Lamb, I do hope we run into each other again sometime.”The woman snickered, “Oh Mr. Seed, don’t worry. We won’t.”The woman was off in a flash, leaving behind a trail of dust. Those mercenaries weren’t lying when they said Kohana was the fastest horse in the west. He watched until she and the horse disappeared among the trees in a matter of seconds. Good thing too, he thought as the sounds of hooves pounding against the ground approached him from behind. “Jacob!” a man shouted.He turned to the man descending down from his horse, looking out of breath from the trek. John was not suited for this frontier lifestyle, as evident by his bourgeoisie wardrobe, “Is there any sign of the horse thief?”Jacob turned back to the eastern horizon in which Nayeli disappeared into, “Had them but they caught me off guard. Gave me a good scuffle.”“What?” John exclaimed.The youngest brother circled around Jacob, looking exasperated as he stood in front of him, “Did you at least see their face? What direction they went in?”Jacob stared down at his brother with an apathetic look, “Didn’t catch their face. Male, probably early twenties. Seemed to be heading west.”John began to fly off into a rant, yelling at the rest of his men to get a move on. Jacob kept his gaze on the horizon, smirking to himself. Given the circumstances, he knew he would encounter the little lamb again, and one of two things were bound to occur:
I’m either going to kill her, or end up marrying her.
Jacob saddled up his horse, following after John and his men as they took off in the direction of his bogus information. He was not sure when he would ever see the woman again, he was sure of one thing: she had stolen more than just the horse, she took his heart with her as well.
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“Łccʔups, you need to stop worrying so much.”The young man struggled to sit up, moaning with each movement. His face displayed pure agony, a tragedy for someone at his age. Takoda Lamb had once been a skilled warrior that many would have envied. Even his looks were ones the God’s would have sacrificed their immortality for. Copper skin, midnight black hair flowing down at all sides and piercing hazel eyes…The illness that plagued him was an invisible one that Nayeli had no name for. He looked perfectly healthy, no outward manifestations, no blemishes aside from the circles under his eyes from lack of sleep and this occasional rash that would form over his cheeks and nose. But something inside him had taken away any sense of independence, and he was losing strength day by day. Nayeli came to his side, assisting him until he could sit up all the way.“How can I not worry, your condition is getting worse. Hurry and drink this.” Nayeli pestered, handing him ceramic bowl with a medicinal salve. Takoda drank the salve in one gulp, wiping away any excess that dripped down his chin. Brother and sister sat within the tent, in tentative silence. “I think it’s time we both accept that the medicine is not working..” Takoda stated as he looked up at his sister.Nayeli, bit her lower lip, shaking her head, “Then-then we’ll just have to try something else. Adelaide said there’s a new medicine man in Missoula, maybe I can see what he has that may help.”Takoda took his younger sisters hands into his own in an attempt to comfort her, “Please Nayeli...even if he did, we have nearly expired all of our coin. I do not want you to put yourself in danger for my sake. I have accepted my fate.”Nayeli was about to argue but saw that he was struggling to remain sitting up; the pain was becoming too much. He nearly fell backwards until Nayeli grabbed hold of him, gently resting him back down. He began to chuckle as his head rested against his pillow, “And here I told sk̓ʷuy I would take care of you.”“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” Nayeli retorted, finally cracking a smile.“We’ll figure out something brother. I promise.” Nayeli leaned in, kissing her brother on the forehead, “Please get some rest.”
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As Nayeli exited Takoda’s tent, she was met with the eyes of everyone else in the encampment, even Kohana who stood idly by Takoda’s tent. Nayeli made a gesture to keep it down as she approached her crew sitting around the campfire.“He’s getting worse isn’t he.” it was less a question and more of a statement from Grace, their resident sharpshooter.Nayeli reluctantly nodded, her gaze turning to the fire, “I’m at the end of my rope here.” she sighed.Despite being thieves, they could not steal enough money at a time to keep up with the demands of food, supplies, and medicine for Takoda. “I guess desperate times call for desperate measures.” Adelaide spoke up next, flipping her hair back, “I’ll just have to start charging lads to ride this pony for now on.”“Oh ma’, please don’t start.” Hurk moaned in pure horror.Sharky began laughing, “I don’t know Addy, I think Hurk may be in high demand.”A cold stare from both Nayeli and Grace quickly shut both of the rowdy cousins up. “Focus.” Grace implored before turning to Nayeli. “We’ve hit every town within a fifty-mile radius. It’ll be hard to make a second hit so soon.”“Grace is right,” Addy inputted, “That Sheriff Whitehorse would be on us like butter on a biscuit.”“Hey, uh, ain’t that Deputy Pratt in Fall’s End sweet on you though Nayeli? Maybe giving him a good rub and tug could make him look the other way.” Hurk jumped back in.Nayeli glared at Hurk before going back to contemplating. Like a spark, Nayeli was struck with an idea.“No, there’s one we haven’t hit. The mercenaries that stole Kohana, they sold her to a man in a town I had never seen before. Most of it was still being built. It’s about seventy miles from here.”“How new could it be? We’ve been out here what, six months now? There’s no way they could build a town that fast.” responded Addy. “Does it matter when or how it was built? All I know is there’s probably a lot of money sitting in that town from how vast the buildings were being made. This could be the hit that we need.”“Well,” Grace shrugged as she leaned back into the ground, nestling in for a night’s sleep, “You just let me know when we’re going, I’ll be ready.”Nayeli smiled; she knew she’d never had to ask Grace twice to do anything. They were pretty much always on the same wavelength. All Nayeli had to do was point and Grace would shoot. The young lamb looked to the others, formulating the plan in her head.“Adelaide, do you mind if we borrow the carriage while you watch after Takoda.”Addy perked up, “Oh darling, you don’t need to ask me twice to watch after that hunk. I’ll even do it for free.” The rest of the plan began to fall into place: Hurk would stay behind to protect the encampment while Nayeli, Grace, and Sharky would infiltrate the town under the guise of a curious merchant from a neighboring town with his wife and an unnoticed stowaway. Kahona trotted over and huffing as she rubbed her nose against the top of Nayeli’s head, wondering where she fit into this plan.“I’m sorry my Saka'am, but you have to stay here. They’ll recognize you in an instant.”Kahona neighed in rebuttal as Nayeli stroked her cheek, “I need you to look after Takoda, can you do that for me?”After a long pause, Kahona nodded her head. That’s my girl. This run would make or break them. She did not anticipate Takoda making it another month without proper medicine and frankly, they could not go another week without any coin to buy food and supplies. Her only worry was if they got caught. Sharky and Grace could probably get away easily, but Nayeli, her face has already been exposed to the man she knew as Jacob. She hoped that their encounter was brief enough that he would not remember her. Time would tell.
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“You doing okay in there Nay?” The ride to their target town took a three days with stops. It wasn’t the most comfortable, sitting inside a carriage for eight to ten hours a day. Nayeli’s current position wasn’t much better. They had hallowed out both indoor benches of carriage to store contraband and other goods. Today, they were smuggling Nayeli inside the town so they carved out just enough holes in the bottom of the carriage to allow her some air flow. “Yeah, doing just fine Grace. We almost there?” Nay grumbled from inside the bench.“Just about.” Grace responded. “Looks like the welcome committee is already out in full force.” Sharky shouted from the front.“How many Sharky?” Grace asked.Sharky responded, “Looks like three men, and one little lady.”“Alright. Then, faces on.” Grace remarked. “You’ll be good until sundown Nayeli?”There was a disheveled grunt from beneath her. Grace took it as a yes. The town residents all crowded towards the main road, look on curiously as the carriage passed by. They didn’t make it much further in, The four figures Sharky identified blocked their path. Sharky, dressed for his part, halted the carriage, addressing the four individuals.“Greetings gentleman and lady.” The young lady standing with the three men eyed him suspiciously, while the others remained stoic for the most part. There was a man in glasses wearing preacher’s clothing that stood further up front. He smiled slightly, holding his hands out.“Good day sir. What has brought you to our quaint little town?”“Oh, my wife and I are passing through, on our way to visit my sister and her husband. Though, we are also looking to trade.”“Well then,” the shortest of the men spoke up next, a large grin overtaking his face, “You’ve come to the right place. Please, allow us to store your carriage as we show you around. We also have rooms at the saloon in case your wife would like to rest.”The man made a gesture with his hand, signaling the largest of the men to approach the carriage“Well, alright then.” Sharky replied, a slight hitch in his voice.“Come on out honey.” he called as he descended down from the carriage. The man opened the carriage door for Grace to descend.“Well it’s about time. My poor back could not stand another minute in that carriage.” she complained, stepping out.Nayeli, from inside the bench tried to contain her heart from thumping out of her chest. It was loud enough in her ears she was sure that anyone within close proximity could hear it as well. The carriage shook slightly as they pulled down the luggage from the top of the carriage Without any notice, the carriage began to move. To where, it was anyone’s guess. She just hoped Sharky and Grace could keep up their charade long enough until it was clear for her to get out. And then they could get down to business.
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The sound of crickets chirping was all Nayeli needed to feel comfortable enough to finally push up on the bench, peeking her head out slightly. Wherever they had stowed the carriage it was pitch black. The only other noise came from the two horses at the front of the carriage as they munched away at whatever food their “guests” had provided them. Nayeli lifted the seat of the opposite bench, pulling out her bow and quiver, as well as Grace’s rifle and a pistol for Sharky. His usual guns were unorthodox for stealth heists like this one. Nayeli felt her way out of the carriage and her surroundings. She must have been in the same stables that they originally had Kohana in. Finally finding a door, she made her way out and towards the last known location of her crew.They always ran through the same routine for every new town they hit: two of them posed as travelers while Nayeli hid. Then, once the two posers were set up in a room for the night, they’d light a single candle and set it in the window. Nayeli clung close to the walls of buildings, searching for the one window she needed. The trouble was, unlike most towns, this one actually had what appeared to be patrols.Nayeli weaved her way through alleyways, narrowly escaping being spotted by them. Luckily, this was not her first encounter with them, having easily avoided them when she came for Kohana. This time though, she was not alone. The lamb weaved between buildings, looking for the one.Bingo.Across the street, up on the second story window seal of the inn sat the candle. Approaching cautiously, Nayeli picked up a pebble, tossing at the window. Like clockwork, the silhouette of Grace’s head shot up, snuffing the candle out. It was only seconds before the two unlocked the inn door for Nayeli.“Can we make this quick? This town gives me the creeps.” Sharky whispered as Nayeli entered, shutting the door quietly behind her. “Though I will admit, the brunette lady here at the inn seemed pretty interested if you know what I mean.” Sharky smirked.Grace huffed, “Of course she’s interested, she’s a prostitute. Why do you think there’s a saloon attached to it.”Sharky pouted, “Well, she seemed like a really nice lady.”“Guys, focus.” Nayeli snapped. Nayeli distributed their weapons, hostering them for now. They may have been thieves and smugglers, but they were not killers. The golden rule: do not kill unless you're absolutely sure your life or someone else's depended on it. Wound the other guy if necessary but never kill. Using the bags that were seen as “luggage”, the three began to snatch everything that looked of value: statues, books, coin. Whoever these people were, they had quite the collection.They moved quickly and swifty, moving from the inn to the next building and the next, Sharky picking whatever lock blocked them from their path. The trick to keep away any suspicion was to only grab a handful of items. Take too much and the target becomes aware that they have been robbed. But take three or four things, and they believe it's been simply misplaced. They had to be extra careful lugging their loot around, not wanting the noise to draw any attention. As they drew close to one of the buildings at the edge of town near a mountain face, they paused. From behind cover, they watched what appeared to be a couple workers transporting barrels into a mine embedded into the mountain. “What do you think is in the barrels?” asked Sharky.“Who knows. Let’s get the carriage and get out of here before we get caught.” Grace urged.“Could be worth something.” cooed Nayeli.“Nay-” Grace spoke cautiously, “I don’t think this is a good idea.”“A peek won’t hurt.” Nayeli insisted, “With this stuff, we’ll be good for at least a few months. And if those barrels have anything of worth, well, a second hit wouldn’t hurt would it? Let gotta let things settle down first.”Grace shook her head but sighed in compliance, “Alright then. Just tell us where the stables are. Meet us there in ten.”Nay nodded and pointed the two in the direction of the carriage’s location. While they loaded up their cargo, she would investigate the mine. Oddly enough, there were no patrols near the mine, and the workers who had descended into it had not come back out yet. Lucky for her, the mine was dimly lit by lanterns hung up along the cave walls. Cautiously the strolled down the tunnel until she came across the barrels they had seen earlier lined up against the wall. There was a symbol on them, resembling a cross but not quite. Using one of her arrows, she propped the lid of the barrel open, surprised to find nothing but liquid inside.What the hell is this.. Nayeli dipped her head in closer, lowering the bandana that covered her face, taking a brief sniff. She nearly fell on her ass as she pulled her head upwards, immediately feeling a sense of vertigo and lightheadedness. This had to be a drug, and not in the medicinal sense. Movement from behind her caused her to whip around, startled by the appearance of one of the workers. From behind, nothing had been out of the ordinary, but facing one of them now….something was horribly off.Despite the dim lighting, she could see that the man’s eyes were like a milky substance, unlike anything she had seen before. More unnerving was the fact that the lower half of his face appeared to be covered by a makeshift mask. He was yelling incoherently and then began to charge at her. Without thinking, Nayeli grabbed the barrel, tipping it and it’s contents over as she kicked it towards him knocking him clear off his feet. Frantically, Nayeli began to book it out of the mine, hearing more movement from behind which meant there was more than just the couple they had seen earlier.She made it to the entrance, panting. What the fuck was that. She had more questions than answers, all she knew was that she had to get back to Grace and Sharky. Unfortunately for her, the commotion seemed to draw some unwanted attention. She could hear voices from around one of the buildings so she began to run. With the patrols attention directed to the commotion in the mine, she figured she had a clear shot back to the stables. Or so she thought. Like a phantom, a hand shot out from one of the alley’s she had begun to pass, pulling her into the shadows. Nayeli gasped as the figure planted their hand over her mouth, restraining her as they held her back to their chest.Nayeli struggled and cursed under the figures fingers to which they shushed her, “Quiet. They’re coming.”The lamb froze as she peeked as best she could. Running right past the alley were more armed individuals, and a couple of the same monstrosities she had encountered in the mine, this time, what appeared to be two women. Once they were out of hearing distance, the figure released her. Nayeli whipped around, ready to defend herself, but was immediately stunned by the identity of her would be saver. “You.” she hissed.“Miss. Lamb.” the man she only knew as Jacob Seed tipped his hat at her. “What the hell are you doing here?”“That’s none of your business.” she huffed as she peaked around the corner. “What the hell are those things in the mine?”Jacob frowned, “That’s a complicated answer. And well, from the looks of it, it appears you are robbing us so, it is my business to know why you’re here.”Nayeli grimaced as she poked her head around the corner of the alley. The coast was clear, but now she had this man to contend with. “Look,” Nayeli snarled, “We meant no harm, but frankly I don’t have time for this. I have to find my friends.”As she tried to leave, he grabbed onto her arm, halting her. Nayeli turned towards him with daggers for eyes.“Pull your mask up.” he stated. “If one of my brothers or sisters catches your face, they’ll be damned sure to hunt you down.”Nayeli smirked, “And so why, pray tell, have you not come and hunt me down yourself after our first run in.”The gruff man chuckled as he freed his grip on her, “Just hoped you’d find your way back to me again I suppose. Though not quite under these circumstances.”Nayeli felt her face redden, but thankfully in the shadows, it was hard to tell. After her first encounter with this Jacob fellow, she had to admit, she was a bit confused as to why he allowed her to go so easily. Her body language projected her caution towards him as she cocked her head.“Why are you helping me?” she pried.Jacob crossed his arms over his chest, “Because you won’t get far without me.” Nayeli scoffed, a coy look in her eye, “You’ve no idea how far I’ve come.”“Well then,” Jacob continued to smirk, “You’ll have to indulge me one day over a drink.”Jacob peeked his head out of the alley, making sure none of his fellow residents were near. They seemed too preoccupied by the disturbance in the mines but it wouldn’t be long before they began searching the town for any other disturbances, or rather intruders.“Come on, let’s get you and your friends out of here.”
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After dodging multiple patrols, Nayeli and her newest associate reached their destination. Jacob pushed open the doors to the stables, Nayeli close behind him. As they approached the carriage, the sound of a gun being cocked gave them reason to pause. Grace popped up from the top of the carriage, rifle aimed at the red-headed man.“Back away from my friend, sir.” she ordered.Nayeli held her hands up, standing in front of Jacob now, “Grace, it’s okay. He’s helping us.”Grace looked puzzled, but she did not budge. Sharky peeked his head out from inside the carriage, curious as to what was happening. “How do we know we can trust him? His family owns this town from what Sharky and I have come to understand.” “If I had any ill intentions you’d all be dead by now.” Jacob responded.“Yup.” Sharky piped up, “I’ll take the scary man’s word for it.”Grace begrudgingly lowered her rifle, hopping down. She did not seem happy about this uneasy alliance but she and Nayeli had been through thick and thin, and she had little reason to ever doubt Nayeli’s decisions. Before anything more could be said, a distant bell began to ring frantically. Nayeli turned to Jacob, whose face had turned to a scowl, “The witch of the inn has probably realized her guests are gone.” Grace loaded up with Sharky in the back of the carriage, “Nay come on!” As Nayeli moved towards the carriage, Jacob took her hand, halting her once more. She looked back at him confused, and then became on edge, what if he was lying, this could just all be a ploy to stall, “What are you doing?” she barked.“You have to punch me.” he ordered.Nayeli cocked her head, becoming irritated, “What?”“Punch me, knock me out, do something. They’ll question me if it does not look like I tried to stop you.” At this moment, she did not have to be told twice. Without any hesitation, she clenched her fist, planting it square in his face. Jacob was taken aback by just how much force the tiny woman managed to conjure up as he stumbled backwards, before toppling on his behind. Blood ran down from his nose down to his chin, as he glanced up. She had a look of regret in her eyes, mouthing something over all of the comotion before pulling her mask back up.
Sorry.
She was already climbing into the rider’s seat of the carriage when the footsteps approached from behind him, the towns guards entering the stables, “Jacob’s injured! Stop them!”Jacob watched anxiously as the guards began firing upon the carriage, narrowly missing Nayeli. She pulled on the reigns of the horses, shouting something in her native tongue. The horses reared up before racing towards Jacob and the others. Nayeli watched as Jacob rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding being trampled. The others jumped out of the way as the horses went barreling through, making a sharp turn towards the beginning of the town. She looked back briefly, for a reason she did not want to admit. She told herself it was to make sure no one was following them on horseback but in her stomach...in her stomach she knew it was just to see the Jacob man once more.There was something about him she could not place her finger on. She tried so hard to tell herself he had some ulterior motive to helping her, not once but twice now. He was hard to decipher, and from what she saw in the mines, this town and him had something to hide. At the same time however, she felt an almost comforting feeling when she was near him. She could feel it in her gut that maybe perhaps he was worthy of her trust. That was, if they were to ever meet again. As they expanded the distance between themselves and the town, she knew. Their paths were likely to intercept again.
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“I’m only going to say this once and only once: I want those thieves heads' on a platter before sundown.” John Seed slammed his fists against the table he sat at, causing his subordinates to flinch before him. John Seed was a proud man, also a very wealthy man, and he did not take kindly to being made of fool of. His older brother Joseph stood by his side, trying to tend to the flame that was brewing inside the youngest of the brothers. Despite being the middle child, Joseph acted as the defacto leader of Eden’s Gate, though it could be easily mistaken to assume John was the one who was in charge given his rumbustious attitude and wealth.“Brother, I understand your frustration, but we have much bigger concerns then lost trinkets and coin.”He was referring to retaining their town’s status as a sovereign state from the federal and state government. That way they could conduct their own “personal” business without the worry of interference from authorities. With John’s railroad expanding to different regions of the northwest, they could easily traffic their supply of the bliss drug to the highest bidders. Whether they used it for personal use or as a weapon, it did not matter. Only how deep the buyer's pockets were. John’s pride, however, seemed to come first in this matter.“This is the second time in a month Joseph. And from the reports, one of these rats stumbled into the mines. Who’s to say they won’t try to save their own skin by going to the authorities.”Jacob sat idly off to the side, sharpening his knife as he listened to their conversation. “Did anyone at least get a look at the third thief?” John barked at the men before him, the same ones who found Jacob “wounded” in the stables. “Not quite sir. Their face was masked and it was near pitch black in the stables.” one man responded.John quickly turned his attention to Jacob, “Dear brother, did you see their face? Or were you, unfortunately, caught off guard once more.”Jacob’s eyes turned upward, glaring. He’d let that comment slide for now. John’s little hissy fits were just something you had to grow accustomed to, as there was no use in arguing back.“Same as your men. The face was masked.” he replied before turning his attention back to his knife.John cursed under his breath. Movement from the other side of the room drew Jacob’s attention; Vittoria, the “witch” or “siren” as she liked to refer to herself as pushed herself off the wall she had been leaning on, a coy look on her face. Vittoria was the newest addition to their little “family”; beautiful, manipulative and foreign, she could sing the pants off any given soul, and make you tell her your deepest darkest secrets.“Don’t fret dear, I can have my little birdies in the other towns bring back any leads that may help us.” Their other “sister” Faith scoffed, having been standing on the opposite side of John at the table, “Little birdies? You mean your battalion of whores.”“At least my little whores have a purpose. What is it that you do again sister?” Vittoria snickered.“That’s enough, both of you.” Joseph interceded. Like children, Faith and Vittoria quickly shut their mouths, each one exchanging harsh looks with one another. “These “guests” obviously have had experience before. Vittoria, have your birds gather information from our neighbors. For now, it’s business as normal.” Joseph ordered.With that, they began to disperse. Jacob felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, recalling his first conversation with the Lamb woman. If what she said about her brother being so ill that they could not move their encampment was true then they were sitting ducks just waiting to be picked off. Unlike his brothers and sisters, he had no interest in wealth or their other ambitions. Life was fleeting, something he learned the hard way as he watched his brothers in arms fall in battle during the Civil War. He had no will to fight back against the government that failed him with the same way his brothers did. If you asked him what he wanted more than anything, it would be a lone cabin in the woods and a dog, and to be left alone. Ever since his encounter with Nayeli however, he wondered if maybe there was something more.Keeping his movement casual, he stood up from his seat, clearing his throat, addressing John who still remained at the table.“You rely too much on that woman.” he huffed, placing his knife back in his holster.“Well,” John began, “from what I’ve seen, you are losing your touch brother. You’re not the soldier that you used to be.”Jacob met John’s eyes, “Perhaps.” Without another word, Jacob proceeded towards the door. He could hear John’s chair scrape across the hardwood floor, indicating he was standing up.“Where are you going?”Jacob looked over his shoulder, “This old soldier needs a few days to himself.” As he opened the door, he took one more look at his youngest brother. Jacob was well aware of John’s hardships as a child before they were reunited later in life, but he could never validly use his past as an excuse for his egotistical nature.“You enjoy your witch hunt.”He shut the door behind him before John could say any more. If Vittoria’s little birdies were as efficient as she made them out to seem, he had perhaps only a few days to find the Lamb woman and warn her of the impending danger that loomed over her and her friends. Had this been any other low life thief, he would not have cared one bit. But he could not put past his admiration for the woman’s tenacity and stubbornness. Like a moth to a flame, he was inexplicably drawn to her, and as such, would be devastated to see that flame snuffed out. For now, he had to play the waiting game and see what information Vittoria’s birdies brought back, and then, he could make his next move.
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“Sheriff Whitehorse and Deputy Pratt is it? We’re so humbled that you could take time out to make this trip for us.”Jacob stood amidst the back of the room as he watched John entertaining his two newest guests. Vittoria stood by John’s side, opposite of the lawmen, her hands resting gently on his shoulders. It was because of Vittoria’s “little birds” that the lawmen were here today, bringing any information they had on the thieves who had robbed them two weeks prior.“Now, Sheriff, you say that you, in fact, are familiar with the identities of these thieves?” John inquired.“I am sir. In fact, I’ve known two of them since they were children. Brother and sister. The rest of them are just hired guns. I doubt you’ll have any luck finding them, to be honest. Have had a hard time ourselves with our forces spread so thin.” The older man, the Sheriff responded.The young man shifted uncomfortably beside his companion, Jacob noticed. Whatever his inclination was to do so, he remained silent as the Sheriff and John continued to speak. According to the Sheriff, the two ringleaders were a brother and sister, orphaned after their mother died. The Sheriff tried taking them under his wing but they wound up being pickpockets instead, the brother doing most of the dirty work. As they grew older, they took on more help, hitting up nearby towns in two-month intervals, always at random to keep the lawmen guessing, always switching out who they brought on jobs, making it hard to identify them. Their base, however, was unknown. As the Sheriff finished speaking, John rested his elbows on the desk, ready to make a proposition.“Well, Sherriff, I’d like to place a bounty on the heads of these thieves. Dead. Five-thousand dollars.”The Sheriff cleared his throat, no doubt surprised by John’s extreme demand.“Mr. Seed with all due respect, they’ve never harmed anyone. If anything, if you give me the resources, I’ll take them in myself. They’re just kids who didn’t know any better. Some jail time and rehabilitation will do them good.” Whitehorse tried to implore. “Earl, may I call you Earl?” John spoke condescendingly, “I am a businessman, and I am concerned that these thieves may have stumbled upon a product that has not been properly patented yet and I’d very much like news of it to not get out which is why my demands may be a little...over the top.”The Sheriff made a gesture to speak, but his deputy stood up abruptly. Everyone gave pause as they looked at him curiously. Whitehorse’s face scrunched in both confusion and annoyance, “What the hell are you doing deputy-” “If I just tell you where they are,” the young deputy spoke, “will you ensure that no harm comes to the girl?”“Pratt!” Whitehorse shouted.Jacob’s chest tightened as John erupted into laughter, “My, my, seems we have a few conflicting interests don’t we deputy?”“I do love a romantic drama.” jested Vittoria.“I’ll tell you what-” John stood up from his desk, “Tell me where their base is; I’ll do the hard work for you gents so you can get back to your duties, and you’ll have my word that no harm comes to the girl.”Whitehorse narrowed his eyes at Pratt shaking his head, “You and I are gonna have a talk when we get back to Fall’s End.”Everyone seemed to be waiting for Whitehorse to make the final confirmation. Realizing this, he sighed, “Guess I have no choice.”The Sheriff stood up, reaching his hand out to John in agreeance, “Just-don’t rough them up too much. They’re good kids Mr. Seed. Just, misdirected. ” Jacob watched carefully as John took the Sherriff’s hand, shaking it, sealing the deal. Be it a positive trait or not, John was a man of his word. In this case, however, his eyes told a different story. Jacob was familiar enough with both of his brother’s tells, and in this instance, he knew that John was lying. His pet project had been exposed, and his pride now bruised not once but twice. If he did let them live, he’d no doubt make them wish that they were dead.The rest of the conversation became a blur as Jacob left the room. He had half a mind to choke out the deputy fellow for ratting out Nayeli’s whereabouts but at the same time, he was grateful. Hopefully, with this information, he’d reach Nayeli and her den of thieves first and save them from whatever cruel fate John had planned for them.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It had been over a week since their latest heist, and Nayeli could not shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. She hardly slept, feeling an overwhelming feeling of doom hovering over her during different intervals of the day. She tried meditation, going out for strides with Kohana, but nothing seemed to help. Her mind continued to go back to what she had seen in the mines. The substance that had nearly knocked her out with a mere sniff, and the monstrous individual she had encountered. That town had secrets, ones that they more than likely did not want anyone finding out. But because of her actions, she felt that she had just painted a huge target on their backs.She sat quietly, eating dinner with Takoda inside his tent. Takoda kept glancing at her, noticing that she had barely touched her food at all.“Are you not feeling well?”Every word he spoke was of pure concern, and at the same time, soft, a stark contrast to his intimidating appearance. His muscles had waned over the past two years when he became inflicted with whatever it was that caused him so much pain, but he was still fit enough that you would assume he could win any challenge or challenger that dared to cross him. Despite missing her every day, Nayeli was glad their mother Sokanon was not here to see him in such a state. She knew Sokanon would have been devastated, and like Nayeli, would have dedicated every resource and ounce of willpower she had in an attempt to cure or at least treat this affliction. Takoda was a man of honor; he promised their mother on her deathbed he would always look after Nayeli; you could see he struggled with the knowledge that that may no longer be a possibility, and at this moment he could easily see that she was struggling with her failings as well“I think...I think I made a mistake going back to that town.”Takoda sat down his bowl next to him, attempting to prop himself up, “What do you mean?”She could not deny a lot of good came out of the heist. They traded in the stolen goods and earned enough coin and supplies to last two months at best, and she was able to get the new medicine to help Takoda which seemed to be working well as he was able to move significantly more than usual. Nayeli explained to him the ever looming dread that she felt, bringing up once more what she saw in the mines and how she could not get it out of her head. She told him of the man known as Jacob Seed and how he had helped her not once but twice, leaving his intentions completely unknown. All she knew was that she felt like the leaders of the town would retaliate in some way. Takoda listened in silence, watching as Nayeli became more discontented by the minute. “Nayeli,” Takoda eased, placing his hand on his sister’s shoulder, “You cannot blame yourself for something that has not even happened yet.”Nayeli looked up, greeted by Takoda’s big stupid grin, “Whatever happens, we will face it together.”She could not stand his optimism sometimes, but that was what made him a great leader. From the time their little group of misfits had come together up to now, even if his duties, for the time being, were passed onto Nayeli.“You know I can’t stand it when you’re right.” Nayeli simpered.“Don’t I know it.” he laughed.Nayeli leaned in towards Takoda, their foreheads touching affectionately. As they pulled apart, shouting began to ensue from outside the tent.“Hey sugar!” Adelaide could be heard shouting, “We’ve got company!”Nayeli and Takoda glanced at one another each one with a different look of concern on their face. “Help me up.” Takoda spoke.“Brother-” Nay began to speak.“Please Nayeli.” he insisted. Nayeli huffed but did as he asked. She tucked her arms under his, pulling him up. He grunted, no doubt pain surging throughout his entire being. Once he was in a standing position, she assisted him out of the tent. Sharky, Hurk, and Adelaide were grouped together by the campfire while Grace stood further away up front. She had her rifle aimed towards the distance as a figure on a horse approached. Nayeli and Takoda approached the other three waiting.As the individual drew near, Nayeli’s heart sank. The reddish beard was a dead give away even at this distance. Nayeli clutched onto Takoda, her breathing becoming sharp. Jacob had his hands raised, halting his horse about a hundred feet away. “No need for weapons..” he announced, mostly directed to Grace who still had her rifle aimed and ready.Grace looked to Nayeli who gestured for her to lower the weapon. Unwillingly, the sharpshooter lowered her sights, allowing the intruder to come closer. At about twenty feet, Jacob hopped off his horse, approaching cautiously. He glanced back and forth between Nayeli and Takoda, once then twice. It was a common occurrence; one glance at the siblings together and you would swear they were identical despite being three years apart. That was part of the trick back when Takoda was able to still do runs. With identical clothing, hairstyles and close proximity in height, it made for easier escapes and easier distractions during thefts gone wrong. Nayeli viewed Jacob with suspicion, “What are you doing here? How did you even find our camp?” “I tracked you before did I not? I came here with a warning.” “Well, this conversation is off to a great start. What are you getting at, hunk?” Addy piped. “What I’m getting at is that you all need to leave here immediately. My brother is not too far behind and he on his way with his men looking for a particular group of thieves and he’s not in a particularly merciful mood.”Everyone looked stunned, glancing about at one another before Hurk interjected, “How the hell-I can barely find my way back to camp half the time, how does he know where we are?”“A little birdie told him. My adoptive sister’s spies. She has them all over Hope County. One of them found someone who must’ve been acquainted with you.” Jacob explained.Nayeli’s face dropped, the realization that they had been ratted out. Pratt. A childhood friend and former lover that just could not let go of the past, or her. She knew having their rendezvous on the outskirts of the encampment was risky, but she never thought he’d actually divulge their actual location. I’m going to murder him she thought as her anxiety level and anger began to rise. “They’re about a day’s ride out from here.” Jacob continued.“My brother can’t-I-” Nayeli began to panic.
Is this my punishment, she asked herself. I try to provide for my family and friends in the only way I know and now I’ve doomed us all.
She felt Takoda’s hand rest upon her back as he tried to calm here, “Łccʔups, it’s going to be okay. Let us focus on getting the other’s out first, and then we’ll focus on us okay?”
Takoda was always the most level headed out of the two, that was for sure. Takoda was robbed of his childhood at an early age so he had no choice but to pick up the slack. When their mother fell in love with an Irish immigrant, she was exiled from the only home she knew. Their whirlwind romance did not last long, however; he left when Nayeli was three and Takoda at the tender age of six. He helped their mother in any way he could, always smiling, always trying to keep their morale up as they traversed from place to place. When Sokanon passed seven years later, Takoda turned to pickpocketing to keep them afloat and thus led to their life of petty theft and sometimes larger heists. And now here they were, thieves on the run.
Takoda stood idly, waiting for Nayeli to give any sort of recognition as to what he had said.
“Okay,” Nayeli spoke hesitantly, “Let’s get started.”
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The outsider watched anxiously as the camp scrambled. The woman recognized as Adelaide was barking orders at the two buffoons dubbed Sharky and Hurk as they attempted to load a large trunk atop of the horse carriage. The same carriage they had used to swindle Eden’s Gates of many goods. Jacob knew the moment the carriage stepped forth into their town something was off, but he said nothing to his brothers or sisters. Life had become dull, repeat after repeat of the same thing. He was not interested in Joseph’s crusade for sovereignty nor was he interested in gaining riches like his brother John. What he was interested in was protecting his family, and that meant making sure they did not take unnecessary risks. Chasing after a rag-tag group of thieves was one of those risks.He had figured if he got here early enough, Nayeli would have more than enough time to find a way to transport her brother and, despite his burgeoning feelings towards her, give her and her friends a chance to take their business elsewhere, outside of Eden’s Gates reach. He looked around, feeling almost uncomfortable not doing anything. He began to approach the woman who had been with Nayeli in Eden’s Gate, watching as she carefully inspected their weapons before carefully placing them away to be loaded on for later. He opened his mouth, ready to ask if she needed assistance, but the cold glare she gave him as he stepped within five feet of her was enough to stop him dead in his tracks.Probably a bad idea.Jacob cautiously back away, seeking if there was any way he could possibly speed up this process. His eyes fixed on Nayeli and her brother. She appeared to be frustrated as she tried retrieving what seemed to be different plants and small vials from a tent; no doubt the medicine she needed to care for her brother. The brother, Takoda, was sitting by the fire, looking frustrated in his own sense. With Nayeli herself looking feral, he found it safer to approach the brother, standing beside him as he continued to sit near the fire. They stood in solitary silence. It was few moments before the silence was broken, Takoda looking up at the man beside him.“You’re the one who helped me sister?”Jacob looked down, being greeted by the man’s large hazel eyes, “I wouldn't say help is the right word...just happened to be there.”Takoda chuckled, looking back to the fire, “She appears to like you.”Jacob’s head cocked to the side, confused. He could recognize his own feelings, and he was very confident in his ability to read others so he was a little thrown by the Takoda’s comment.“Considering she tried to gouge my eye out the first time we met, I’m going to say that you are probably mistaken.” he retorted, “What makes you say that?”Takoda made a slight gesture with his hand, directing Jacob’s gaze to Nayeli’s direction. For a quick instant, he had caught her staring. By now she had finished packing the medicinal items and was now tending to the horses, Kohana in particular. She had been looking in their direction, her eyes widening with horror and embarrassment realizing she had been caught. She ducked behind Kohana, fiddling with the saddle.“Before I became...afflicted, there was not a day I was not by my sister's side.” Takoda stated, fixating his eyes on Jacob, “I have seen every phase of joy, every moment of heartbreak…”Takoda’s gaze turned soft as he looked back to the direction of the woman of the hour. “The day she recounted to me the story of the man, the one touched by fire, who helped her bring Kohana home, I could see in her eyes...both enthrallment, and fear.”For once in his life, Jacob had no words. His throat tightened at the even slightest thought of the native woman, and here her brother claimed that perhaps, unknowingly, she may reciprocate the attraction. He shifted slightly as he tried to find a way to respond, but the sound of guns in the distance drew everyone’s attention. Seeing as the encampment was situated within a forested valley, it left only one of two ways in and out and a lot of terrains to traverse. “Impossible.” Jacob muttered.John’s men must’ve ridden through the whole night, cutting the day’s ride completely out. Nayeli darted towards the campfire, kicking dirt into it in an attempt to cease the smoke that had no doubt already given their position away.“Takoda come on,” Nayeli urged as she went to hoist him up. The brother grunted, trying to bend his legs to push himself up, but midway through his body became dead weight, his body dropping to the ground and Nayeli with him. “Nay! Takoda!” multiple voices shouted as they rushed over to help.As Nayeli pushed herself up, she reached towards Takoda once more, this time Jacob placing his hands under Takoda’s arms in an attempt to lift him. Takoda cried out in pain, swatting away any hands that came near him.“Stop, stop!” he cried.Jacob quickly retracted his hands. Nayeli, and the others remained at a standstill as they watched Takoda writhe in agony. With a solemn look, the former leader looked at the others, sighing with regret.“You have to go without me. I’m only going to slow you down.”Jacob watched as Nayeli’s face began to contort, first in disbelief, and then anger.“No, no. We’re not leaving you.”“Nayeli- listen to me.”“Goddamnit Takoda I’m not leaving you.”Takoda jerked back at her outburst. Takoda reached out to his sister, beckoning her to kneel beside him. She leaned in close, pressing her forehead against his. Jacob was stunned to see the sibling using the same type of affection he and his brothers used for one another, though theirs seemed more genuine. Just watching the two interact, you did not need words to know that they had an unbreakable bond. “I’m not leaving you.” She muttered, barely audible.The others looked on in disbelief, “We’re not seriously considering this are we?” Grace spoke.Hurk, usually the jokester of the group, was overwhelmed with pure shock, “Nayeli, Takoda, come on-stop messing with us.”Takoda met the eyes of each and every one of the people of the encampment, Jacob included.“This is not something any of us want, but the day we formed this family, I made a promise to lay down my life for anyone of you. Please, do not let me go back on the promise.”Nayeli’s face began to scrunch up and she tried to keep her emotions under control, “We’ll hold them off while you guys go.”Kohana huffed, approaching Nayeli and Takoda, asserting that she too would be staying.“You really are our mother’s horse aren’t you. So stubborn.” Takoda sighed.Jacobs' stomach churned; this was not what he had anticipated when he came here to warn them. Of course, he had taken Nayeli’s word that her brother was ill but part of him sadly had thought she was exaggerating. He had assumed his plan would occur in the linear progression that he had imagined in his head: he’d arrive, warn Nayeli and her band of thieves, and they’d be off, able to relocate elsewhere, away from the growing power that was Eden’s Gate. Standing there now he saw that was not the case.Jacob watched, one by one, as each person came to the realization that the twins were not going with them. Time seemed to both freeze and speed up as each one shared words with him; tears were abundant, the woman Adelaide wailing as they led her to the carriage that awaited them. It was like he was a ghost, a quiet spectator as the others seemed to disregard his presence, preoccupied with the knowledge that two of their members were staying behind. Within minutes, they were off, perhaps only a few minutes and kilometers ahead of the doom that threatened to take their livelihood. Jacob watched as four other thieves, along with their horses and carriage became speck amongst the environment, leaving him with the two Lamb siblings and Kohana. As he turned, he was met with a right hook to the face, blood quickly filling his mouth. As he looked up, he was met with Nayeli’s furious gaze.What he had done to deserve her sudden fury, he had no idea. Honestly, all he could focus on was the tightening of his chest as the sound of his brother’s small militia approached from behind. There was no time to formulate a plan now, so he did the only thing he could think of. He drew his gun, aiming it at the Lamb. “You should have left with them.” he growled.“And I should have killed you the day we met.” she spat.Her eyes widened as she stared past him being greeted by the men who had tracked them down.“There’s the man of the hour.” a familiar voice spoke almost in a congratulatory manner. Jacob turned his head just slightly to look over his shoulder as John descended down from his horse, followed by his henchmen who had weapons readied. “Always one step ahead, just like a good soldier.” the younger brother boasted as he patted Jacob’s shoulder.Jacob watched as John’s face went from pleased to obnoxiously creepy. He glanced from Nayeli to Takoda, who still remained sitting on the ground.“Seems Deputy Pratt failed to mention that the thieves had such a rare beauty in their midsts. But where are the other two? The colored woman and the buffoon?”“Far away from you [salish insult]” Nayeli growled.“Oh, she has a mouth on her, I like it.” John cooed mockingly. “And look here, it seems we’ve found our stolen horse as well. Grab her.”Kohana neighed, rearing up as some of John’s men approached her, tossing a lasso around her neck hoisting her down. Nayeli began to yell and tried to run to Kohana but another one of John’s men took hold of her, restraining her in place. Jacob watched anxiously as the situation continued to spiral down. With all the focus on Nayeli and Kohana, the other Lamb took the opportunity to stand, albeit painfully. With a quick motion, he unsheathed two hidden daggers from behind, effortlessly throwing one at the man who held Nayeli, stabbing him in the hand and the other at the man who was harassing Kohana, stabbing him in the back. “Kohana run!” both he and Nayeli shouted. Kohana hesitated but instinct took over as she darted in the direction that the other’s had fled to. Before he could do any more, two men descended upon Takoda, restraining both his arms. Jacob could see on the man’s face he was refraining to show just how much pain he was in. Another man took hold of Nayeli, this time seizing her with rope and gagging her with a bandana. Nayeli’s muffled screams pierced the air as she fought against her restraints, John slowly approaching her. He caressed her face, instantly filling Jacob with a pang of envy as he watched. During this whole encounter, he felt like nothing more than a spectator, unable to help without giving away his own intentions.“Shhhh...it’ll be over soon.” John spoke softly.Had she not been gagged, Jacob imagined she would have bit the nose right off John’s face. He pulled his hand away from her and directed his attention to Takoda, still being held.“As for you-well, the deputy said nothing about not harming you.”There was not a single warning; even Jacob could not have predicted John’s next move. The sound of the gun firing was second nature to Jacob that he really thought nothing of it at first. It was when Takoda’s body crumpled to the ground did the former soldier full realize what John had done. Jacob’s felt his body freeze, completely stunned. Nayeli’s screams filled the air as she fought against her captors, trying to reach her brother’s side.“Bring the girl with us. With enough persuasion, she can lead us to the others.” John ordered.With a lump in his throat, he spectated as they hoisted Nayeli onto the back of one of the horses, her muffled cries continuing. When she looked in his direction, all he saw was pure devastation in her eyes. John’s men began to disperse, the youngest Seed approached his brother patting him on the back.“Well done brother. Let us return home and celebrate.”John’s words fell on deaf ears however as Jacob watched them take Nayeli away. No, his mind was racing, calculating. It was too late for Takoda. Despite their brief encounter, Jacob would mourn the young man for the rest of his days. There only one thing left he could do for the young soul: that was to bring his sister back.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The figure was huddled up in the furthest corner of one of many makeshift cages that littered the cellar of the Siren’s establishment. It was customary for potential birdies to spend their first few weeks here. They were much more likely to oblige and listen after the fourth day of no food. Also made it easier for the injection of the bliss as well. After all, what was better than brainwashed whores doubling as spies. It had been five days since the native woman’s arrival here She was first paraded through the town as John took credit for capturing her, and then she was pawned off to his right-hand woman, Vittoria. Jacob knew John had no intention of returning her to the Sheriff in Fall’s End. No, he had taken a special keen interest in her; an interest that perturbed Jacob to no end. Jacob had snuck down there, using the noise and distraction of the burlesque show’s final act as cover. He knelt down by the cage, his breathing the loudest noise down here aside from the rumblings up top. There were no other birdies down here this time, allowing him a private audience with the town’s newest house guest.The women seemed to sense another presence with her, propping herself up as to face the front of the cage. She couldn’t have taken more than a second to realize the identity of her guest, her eyes widening with a crazed fury. “You.” she hissed.Jacob has nearly fallen on his rear end as she launched herself at him, closing the gap between them. He was lucky there were bars to separate them as her hand came sweeping between them, nearly slashing his face with her nails.“This is all your fault!” She howled, her arm still twisting every which way to get her claws into him. Eventually she seemed to tire, slumping down against the bars to the floor. Jacob squatted down to her level, removing his hat, pressing it against his chest, “Miss. Nayeli, you have to believe me when I say I was just trying to help. My brother John would have killed your entire encampment without any hesitation.”She raised her head, scoffing at him, “Well, your help still managed to kill my brother...so...well done.”Jacob felt like he had been sucker punched in the gut; seeing her like this, knowing she was separated from the only life she knew, and knowing that it was his fault...well, it sure as hell wasn’t a pleasant feeling. Her eyes had dark circles under them, and if you looked closely enough, you could see her body trembling. The result of being deprived of food and sleep. The soldier set his hat down, removing his out coat and handed it to her through the bars.“Take this.” he muttered.She looked at the coat then back at him, eye’s narrowing with suspicion. She eventually outstretched her shaky hand, grasping the coat. Immediately there was a change in her demeanor as she draped it around her shoulders. Her face softened as she closed her eyes, pulling the coat up past her mouth and nose like it was the softest blanket she had ever felt in her lifetime.He sat with her on the cold damp floor for awhile, pulling out his knife to sharpen as he listened to the chatter of her teeth slowly subside. At one point she became so quiet he was certain she had fallen asleep sitting up. Curious, he looked up, surprised to see that she was staring at him with those hazel orbs he could stare into for days on end.He sheathed his knife, looking around the room wondering if she was perhaps just staring at something else but all he found was darkness and dimly lit lanterns illuminating the furthest corners of the room. Looking back, she lowered the coat from her mouth, clearing her throat.“I didn't mean to take my anger out on you.” she murmured, “But a life without my brother-”“I’m sorry.” Jacob responded softly, feeling that emptiness in his stomach again.This poor girl would have been so much better off had she never met him. Had her horse not initially been stolen and sold to John, he more than likely would have never known of her existence which was a tragedy in of itself. His eyes wandered along the sharp edges of her jawline up to the soft mounds of her cheeks and the strong brows that highlighted her eyes. He was falling hard and fast, and the realization of that terrified him.“I’m going to find the key to this cage and get you out of here. It’s the least I can do.”With this declaration he stood up, placing his hat back on. He barely took a step when the woman reached out between the bars, grabbing him by the pant leg. Looking down, he saw her holding out his coat to give back to him.“I don’t want you getting in trouble by leaving this here.” she whispered, a hint of genuine concern in her voice.His cheeks began to warm, eventually spreading to the rest of his face. He was glad it was so dark down here so she could not see how red his face was in that moment. He took his coat without another word and left to figure out his next step.
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Jacob proceed carefully through the door that led up into the main theater, the door leading to the cellar being just off to the side. He could have easily shot the lock off from Nayeli’s cell right then and there, but it would have been too obvious, and the trail would have led back to him. No, he needed the key to make it look more viable. He quietly made his way up the aisle between the audience chairs.“Why were you snooping around my birdie’s cages?” a woman’s voice echoed through the theater.Jacob looked over his shoulder, seeing the crimson witch sitting idly on the stage, her legs swinging freely back and forth. She was still in her attire from her burlesque show earlier. Had her corset been any tight he would have bet that her tits would have burst out from the top. She eyed him with the coy look of a mischievous cat, cocking her head, awaiting an answer.“Get out of my face witch.” Jacob snarled as he dismissed her with a wave of his hand.He had no idea why John and Joseph kept her so close at hand with all their dealings, even giving her her own business to head in the form of a burlesque theater and brothel during after hours. She was an outsider, simply looking for her next fix of chaos and her next fuck as far as he was concerned. Could her cunt really be that magical that she had them both wrapped around her finger so easily? “You fancy the girl don’t you?” she shouted musingly as he attempted to leave once more, “I plan on using her in my next show once we give her a proper bath if you’d like to see.” she spoke suggestively, “Or…” she let the r roll off her tongue indefinitely, “Seeing as you do fancy her, I could help you help her escape her dreadful conditions.”Jacob’s shoulder’s became rigid as he slowly turned his body towards her, this time all the patience slowly draining from his body. “Is there something that you want Vittoria?” he cocked his head, starting to approach her, “Or do you just get off at the sound of your own voice?”This seemed to excite her as her shoulder scrunched up to her ears like a child awaiting their treat, “I know you’re all business so I’ll get straight to the point -”She hopped down from the stage, her heels clicking against the wooden floor as she approached him, “I help you now, and then you help me later on down the road.” Her lips curled upward as she traced her finger along his chest which he quickly swatted away. Jacob scoffed, crossing his arms as his eyes narrowed at her, “What are you insinuating here?”Vittoria rolled her eyes murmuring to herself, “Men are so dense I swear…” She proceeded to huff before placing her hands on her hips. “You want her free, and honestly, it’s hurts me to see a creature like that locked up in a cage. Besides-” she hunched, “I can see her and myself being friends one day perhaps. She’s very feisty. My kind of girl.”Jacob’s fist tightened as Vittoria referenced to the girl as a creature, but if she truly was willing to do such a thing…“What do you want from me?”“Oh to replace that pompous woman that sits at Joseph’s side of course.” Vittoria smirked, “She may have his ear but I have my grasp on something much more important.” she finished her sentence with a wink. Jacob could feel the bile in his throat begin to rise. He did not need any more information. In fact, he wished he could just erase the past thirty seconds from his brain permanently.“Now, scoot along.” Vittoria made a wispy notion with her hand, signaling for his exit, “I’ll handle my side of the bargain. I expect you to uphold yours.”Begrudgingly, Jacob nodded, “I’m sure I’ll figure out something. Just do what you promised.”
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Vittoria kept her word surprisingly. Nayeli slipped away the following evening without any incident, like a phantom into the night. Must have snatched my keys without me knowing had been her excuse when John stormed into her establishment, demanding to know what had happened. John never stayed angry at Vittoria for long of course. In some ways, Jacob swore that Vee was the closest thing John had ever experienced as being love, even if their relationship was dysfunctional as all hell.All five siblings gathered inside the church following Joseph’s sermon. As per usual, he sat away from the ongoing conversation, sharpening his knife idly as he listened in. John was already going off his rocker, pacing in every which direction, repeating all the information they could gather from his scouts.“She was spotted about a two day’s walk from the river. If her plan is to go over that bridge-” John spoke hurriedly.“- she’ll be out of our grasps.” Joseph mused.Vittoria, sitting on one of the pews stirred her tea, sipping obnoxiously, drawing the attention of the room to her, “I’m sorry, what’s the significance of her crossing the Henbane?”“Because it leads right to the Salish and Kootenai Tribe reservation.” Joseph replied, “The girl is probably going to seek asylum amongst her own.”
“Send some men ahead. I want that bridge and that damn thief destroyed.” John declared, slamming his fist on the podium.“The Sheriff and Deputy want her alive. We don’t want them breathing down our necks if we can’t deliver because you grew a fixation on the girl.” Faith insinuated, crossing her arms in the process.Vittoria’s brow arched as she took another sip from her tea while shooting a stabbing look at John, “Fixation huh?” This web was becoming more tangled with each passing second as they continued discussing their next move. Jacob sheathed his knife, his head pounding from all the chatter. Something told him that he was going to be going on another trip to make ensure the Lamb’s safety. I’m getting too old for this he thought to himself, now standing up.It appeared the other’s had settled on planting explosives on the bridge; there would be no way to trace it back to them, the blame being easy enough to shift to the various outlaws that roamed the area. Vittoria shot Jacob a knowing look. Jacob subtly shook his head at her, Not a word. Vittoria, with a sardonic grin, raised her cup of tea to him, nodding her head. He did not enjoy the feeling of owing her a favor, but with the witch's mouth sealed shut, Jacob could do what he needed without any interference. He only hoped he reached her in time.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The sound of wolves kept the young woman wide awake as she nestled closer to the back wall of the shallow cave. She crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to keep herself warm as she curled up in a ball. She knew she had to get moving soon; the cover of darkness was her best ally at the moment, and she estimated she was about twelve miles out from her destination: the Henbane bridge and then from there, her mother’s tribe. Nayeli did not know what to expect once she crossed that bridge. She had not been back to her birthplace since, well quite frankly the time that she was born. They had scorned her mother for first having Takoda, but when she had Nayeli, she had been ostracised completely. One-half blood was tolerable, but two?
Not that that’ll be a problem anymore.
Whether they welcomed her with open arms or not was far from her concern. She simply needed supplies and a real place to rest then she could carry on to find the others. Granted, none of this would be possible if it weren’t for Jacob, the continuous thorn in her side. When the woman who had been put in charge of her came to her cell two days prior, she had not anticipated that she would actually let her go at the mere request of Jacob.”I think he’s rather taken with you. It’s extraordinary really.”, the woman had teased, “I do hope we meet again.”Whatever she had on him was still up for debate. As was the reason as to why he kept helping her. He was not sure how to feel about him. Part of her wanted to kill him; not so much for anything he did personally, but to get back at the man who took her brother away from her: John. She had already formulated all the ways she could kill Jacob in the easiest and most painless way possible; it was the least she could do. At the same time, she could not help but struggle with the burgeoning feeling that she had a bit of respect for him. Maybe something more.
Don’t be ridiculous you idiot. Get going.
For traversing with nothing but the clothes on her back and a giant rock she found along the way to bash small animals with for food, she was doing pretty okay. Luckily the wolves had no interest in her tonight as she left the confines of her shelter and proceeded on. It took three additional hours; within that time she could have sworn she heard the sound of riders in the distance. It came and went, then grew close again. Yet she saw no one; whoever it was did not want to be seen. That or it was simply her paranoia getting the best of her. The lack of food and water could do that after all.Once the bridge came into view, she felt all the tension in her body deflate. In a few hours, she would be out the overarching grasp of this new enemy she unwittingly found herself at war with. While the bridge was prominent in the fact that it linked Hope County to the Salish and Kootenai territory, but also that it was the most basic form of construction in all of Montana. It was less of a bridge and more of planks thrown together with bits of rope; it expanded over fifty meters and was a hefty hundred-foot drop into the Henbane itself and lord if it wasn’t dangerous as hell. Nayeli proceeded carefully, grasping onto the rope. Her breathing stiffened as she gazed on ahead. She was never good with heights; lift her two feet off the ground and she was bound to flip out. Twenty minutes in she took too heavy of a step, the aging plank snapping like a twig as her foot plunged through. Nayeli yelped quickly withdrawing her foot and grasping onto the roped railing. Her heart was about seven seconds from bursting out of her chest but she knew she had to keep going. As she went to step over the gap, a voice rang through the silent night air.“Nayeli!”No, she froze in place shutting her eyes, please tell me this idiot did not follow me. Hesitantly, she turned. Low and behold the man of the hour that she did not ask for. Jacob lept down from his horse, approaching the bridge cautiously.“Nayeli, you need to turn back now.” he warned.“Jacob-just leave me be-” she was cut off by another noise, this time the sound approached from the opposite side of the bridge.Nayeli whipped her head around; her earlier suspicions of paranoia proved to be false. A trio of men on horses stood on the opposite side of the bridge. They were adorned in a mix of blacks and greys, red hoods concealing their faces.“Sorry darling!” one of them shouted, “Didn’t wanna risk not seeing the fireworks.”Confusion waved over Nayeli as she slowly began to back up. She could hear Jacob calling her name continuously but her attention was solely focused on one of the men as he descended from his horse. He pulled something out from a hidden pocket, approaching the edge of the bridge. A light emitted from it - no, a flame. As soon as he knelt down and lit something she knew she was royally fucked. There was a rapid moving spark moving along the bridge; this shit was rigged to blow. Nayeli about-faced, rapidly moving along the bridge. To her bemusement, Jacob was headed towards her, his hand outstretched, a look of pure dread and regret on his face. There was no doubt in her mind he knew of this - and here he was once again trying to save her. For a moment, Nayeli thought she could reach him in time, even as the shockwave from the explosion rippled through her body. The bridge disappeared from below her feet, falling rapidly as it snapped in half. She grasped onto a plank while Jacob grasped onto the railing, their bodies flailing through the air before colliding with the canyon wall. Nayeli yelped as her fingers smashed into the rock face, leaving her to cling onto the plank one-handedly.“Nayeli-” Jacob called out once more, attempting to descend down the rope in a last-ditch effort to grasp onto her.The thief stared up at him, panic making every nerve in her body feel like it was on the verge of combustion. She the plank her clutched onto shifted under her weight, causing her to cry out. This was not going to hold for much longer. After Takoda died, she was perfectly content risking her life if it meant getting John Seed’s head mounted on a stick, even if her death was a guarantee. In this moment, however, as she met Jacob’s piercing gaze her mindset shifted. The look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know about him. She had seen the same gaze as a child, whenever her mother would look upon her father. Hell, she had seen that same look during those lonely nights she shared with Deputy Pratt years prior.This was the look of a man who was in love. The look of a man who was about to watch the one he loved perish. Nayeli whimpered as she tried raising her other hand in an attempt to reach his. She grazed the tips of his fingers when the plank gave way at last. She could not hear herself scream. She was too focused on watching Jacob’s figure as it shrunk as she fell further and further away. Sound only returned to her as she crashed into the raging waters. A low but deafening sound as she was engulfed by the freezing waters. She knew not which was way up and which was down as she flailed about. All she knew was that her lungs were on fire as water flooded into them, inhaling in a manic frenzy. It was not long till only darkness remained.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Hauling a soaking, grown-woman out of a river was not as easy at it looked. Once he had managed to catch up to the Lamb after falling into the river after her, Jacob Seed had to figure out a way to keep them both from smashing into oncoming rocks that hid beneath the currents; the tips of the poke out just marginally, threatening to tear them apart or shatter them in an instant. He took the brunt of the collision, having formed himself around the woman like a protective cocoon. He was rather confident he broke a rib or two by the time they reached the river bank. With a loud grunt, he dragged her onto land, rolling her onto her back.She wasn’t breathing. Fighting against his own injury, he knelt over her, placing his hands over her chest. He began to perform compressions before alternating tilting her chin up and head back. He pinched her nose shut as he planted his mouth over hers as he began to blow air. He repeated this four times, his panic rising with each failed attempt. He gave it another go - this time, the girl jolted to life, water spewing from her mouth as she gasped for air.She looked around in a panic before her eyes settled on him. Her gaze quickly shifted to a glare as she pushed him aside, stumbling as she stood up, “You should have left me in the river to drown.”He pushed down his instinct to groan in pain when she shoved him, shutting his eyes for a second as he took a deep breath, “You’re welcome for saving your life.”“I never asked you to!” she whirled around, her expression indignant until she realized that he had not moved from his kneeling position, his hand clamped around his ribs.“You’re hurt.” she uttered throatily. Jacob opened his eyes just as Nayeli began to approach him, placing his arm over her shoulder as she pushed up, bringing them both to a standing stance. They began walking - no particular direction. At this point, wherever they were was up for debate. There was no telling how far down the river had taken them, and from the looks of it, there was not a single town in sight. The fact of the matter was that it was still nighttime, and they had maybe less than thirty minutes to find shelter and start a fire before the cold took them.It seemed whatever greater being watched over them took pity on them today, as they found a decent sized cave in the face of a mountain perhaps no more than ten minutes later. The interior dipped downward slightly until it flattened out again. She was gentle in her handling of him which surprised him greatly. He half anticipated her to simply roll him down the slope but her grip was sturdy as she leaned him against the cave wall. He watched as she began to get to work, gathering sticks that littered the ground and forming a pile in the center of the ground.“You should have let me die so I could be with my brother.” she hissed as she continued to position the debris into a triangular shape, reiterating her earlier comment.“I couldn’t do that.” he grunted in between sharp breaths.“And why not?” she seemed annoyed at best with him, moving past the initial rage she had when they left the river.He smirked this time, “Because I’m a selfish bastard.”She glared at him before her hand shot out, snatching the knife that was holstered to his thigh. He could not lie; he had flinched believing she was going to finish him off right then and there, but instead, she picked up a rock and began striking the rock with the knife as she held it over the sticks until sparks came off, giving birth to a small flame. As she worked, Jacob could not refrain from staring at her in awe. She was unlike anyone he had ever met and he could not imagine leaving this cave without going where ever she went.He had no wish to return to Eden’s Gate, no wish to take part in another one of his brother’s nefarious plans or whatever hell was brewing between Faith and Vittoria. He wanted something more, and fuck if this woman wasn’t it. It was in this moment he realized he wanted to be with her always. As soon as the tiny flame now resembled a real campfire she turned to him.“Take your clothes off.” she demanded.“Excuse me?”The suddenness of her demand caught him off guard. His face turned crimson at the sight of her already undressing. She had removed her arms from her shirt, the fabric hanging just over her breasts. She once again looked at him like an absolute idiot.“You want to catch hypothermia in those wet clothes?”
Well she has a point.
Begrudgingly, he began to remove his layers. He was a bit more slow-moving than she was due to the pain in his ribs. By the time he had removed his top layers, she was already completely nude, her clothes lying out by the fire. He avoided looking down past her neck, his throat tightening as she knelt before him to assist him. She seemed to have no issue about being in the nude in front of him; she nonchalantly began pulling his bottoms down, showcasing everything he had to present. “Hmph.” she uttered as she looked at his family jewels.“Hmph? What’s hmph?” he spoke, almost feeling offended.She could not help but crack a smile, “It’s nothing. Just-girthier than I expected.”“Well that’s….reassuring.” he spoke sardonically.As she finished laying his clothes out she approached him. Gently tucking her arms under his, she began to pull him down with her to the ground until they were both lying together on their sides. Her breasts gently rested against his chest just as his own member rested against her thighs. He felt his entire lower body freeze up, not wanting to make any sudden movements that may jeopardize this moment.“What are you doing?” Again, he felt his throat tightening. He now limited himself to gazing just past the nape of her neck.“I am using our body heat to keep us warm until our clothes dry.” Her bravado seemed to fade at this level of intimacy, her voice cracking slightly, “Obviously.”The two sat in uncomfortable silence, each one avoiding the other’s gaze, pretending that this was perfectly normal and rational, which under the guidelines of survival, was very much true. Eventually, his eyes did drift downward, but not for the reason you’d think. The Lamb had begun running her hands over his chest, a curious look marring her face as her fingertips gently brushed against his various scars and burns. Eventually, her hands drifted down and up his arms where the damaged tissue continued.“How did you get all these…” she murmured. She was close enough that her breath tickled his skin. Jacob gazed down meeting her eyes. There was no feigning the look in her eyes; she was sincerely interested in this aspect of him.Jacob shifted as he tried to recall, “This area here is from a bar fight." he gestured with his head, "This one’s from the war. Most of them from women I’ve pissed off.” That last bit earned a chuckle from Nayeli. The next one, not so much, “The ones on my back are from my father. Liked to use the buckle of his belt.”“I’m so sorry.” she responded her hands retreating from him as if she had crossed a line.“There’s nothing to be sorry for.” he replied, taking hold of her hands bringing them back to rest upon his chest.It was her turn for her face to become flushed as she looked away. He raised his hand with a bit of hesitation to her face, gently caressing her cheek as he turned her face back to him. Nayeli without any hesitation on her part leaned into the warmth of his palm. She shifted closer to him, incidentally grinding against him, immediately making him harden. Nayeli could not refrain from giggling as he was wracked with embarrassment, clearing his throat in a nervous manner.“My apologies.” he grunted, still fighting against the pain in his ribs.She spoke just above a whisper like she was cautious of someone else overhearing, “Don’t be.” Her hand ran gently over the bruise that began to form over his ribs. His breathing stiffened as she continued to wander, grazing the abs that rippled over his abdomen. She turned her face inward to his palm, opening her mouth just slightly, allowing her lips to graze the inside before planting soft kisses. The heat began to rise between his thighs, a sudden ache emerging. He lowered thumb along her lips, and in a teasing manner, pulled down on her lower lip and held it there.As their eyes connected, everything happened almost instantaneously. He pulled her face into his, feeding off the longing he had felt since the first day he laid eyes on her. He worked his tongue into her mouth, elicitating a moan from both of them. Jacob ran his large fingers through her hair as she pulled him atop of her. He pulled away from her starving lips, propping himself up to take the complete sight of her in.“Goddamn…”“Disappointed?” she mused, mimicking the first thing she had ever said to him.He leaned back into her, his lips pressed to her neck, “Wish that was so.”Their bodies tangled up against one another with no way to tell where one began and one ended. The break of dawn began to rise by the time they finished. Nayeli had begun to make a makeshift bandage with Jacobs shirt, leaving him his jacket to wear over it. It would have to do until they could find the nearest town with a doctor. As she finished, he pulled her back into him kissing her with no end in sight.Nayeli pushed back against him, facing away from him. Jacob was filled with instant regret reaching out to her, “I’m sorry-I shouldn’t have assumed that-”“No-no, it’s not that.” she shooked her head, “I just feel so foolish.”She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration, laughing at some unsaid joke, “As fucked up as this is-I think I’m in love with you and I don’t know how to handle it.”Jacob’s chest tightened. He felt guilty for feeling satisfied at hearing those words escape her mouth, while obviously, she was conflicted over them. He scooted closer to her, taking her chin into his grasp as he looked her in the eyes.“I don’t expect you to forgive me for what my brother or I have put you through-but if you’ll have me, I’d travel to the ends of the earth for you.”He kissed her again, this time, she did not pull away. “We can go find your friends...we can leave Hope County...whatever you want…”He cupped her face in his hands, “So long as I can be with you, because I’m sure as hell am in love with you, Miss. Lamb.”He watched as her dread quickly turned to a precious smile, “God, if you weren’t so pretty I’d punch you in the face right now for turning all sappy on me.” she murmured as she yanked him into her.Within seconds they were reenacting the night before to which he had no complaints. They would seek out her comrades, and from there plan their next step. She was the sole keeper of his heart, and he was bound to her no matter where she may go.