Disclaimer: "Danny Phantom" is dead. Well, half-dead, anyway.
The stars shone brightly in the sky. However, one wouldn't notice their beauty as the night was so arid.
Four figures bathed in darkness slept around a circle of charred logs, clearly the evidence of a campfire. Given how much the figures tossed and turned, the aridness was affecting them.
Behind a rock, another figure crept quietly along, careful not to wake the sleeping figures. In its hand looked to be a rolled-up piece of paper.
The figure tripped over something in the darkness and, from the hushed 'Oof!' it made as it hit the ground, the figure was clearly female.
She quickly glanced toward the campfire circle. The figures still slept. She quietly breathed a sigh of relief as she picked herself up, the paper clutched in her hand.
She climbed onto the back of a horse, who was resting, and grabbed the reins. She tugged at them, causing the animal to take off into the night.
XxXxXxXxX
The sun shined directly over the circle. The figures stretched out and picked themselves up.
"That was a good night's sleep", proclaimed one of the figures in a dark, female voice. "Can't remember when I slept so good." She ran her fingers through her shoulder-length red hair before obscuring her locks with a wide-brimmed hat..
"I can't believe that you sleep", stated another figure with long blonde hair and a guitar slung on her back. "Men don't really like that."
The redhead simply rolled her eyes.
Another figure stood up, revealing her brown hair. "Please, don't talk about men. I'm so lonely."
The blonde turned to her. "Katherine, you're the one who left your boyfriend."
"For sleepin' around!", she snapped. "Still", she wondered dreamily. "I wonder what he's doin'."
The fourth female glanced around. Her long, dark hair was tied into a braid and her dusky skin allowed her to stand out from her paler compatriots. "Would you be quiet?"
"What is it, Mighty Wing?"
Her eyes narrowed. "Something's wrong."
The other ladies look around. The blonde glances in the path of some footprints. "Well, look what we got here." Pointing in the direction of the prints, she turned back to the group. "An escapee."
The redhead looked to the other women. "Ladies…we ride."
XxXxXxXxX
The four ladies rode horses along the path of the footprints, two on each side.
In front on the left was the redhead. Her name: Penelope. A snarl crossed her pretty face. She is very used to getting her way.
To her right was Desiree, or, as she was known to her tribe, Mighty Wing. The name was usually assigned to the first-born son, though, sometimes, it was given to the strongest child…which she was.
In back of her was Amber, so named because of her vibrant eyes. The guitar was a gift from her parents as a girl. She hasn't been without it since.
To the left of her was Katherine. She has been through several arguments with her beau/fiance John. One of them was so vicious that it led her here.
The sands looked to have wiped the trail clean. The footprints were nowhere to be found.
Penelope looked down with great scorn. "The trail's gone cold", stated Desiree.
"Damn!"
"What do we do now?", Katherine groused.
"I'll tell you what we ain't doin': giving up on finding' that girl."
Amber folded her arms. "And why is she so important, boss lady?" Penelope narrowed her eyes as she glanced back to the blonde. "Girls like her come along every day."
"Girls who know where to locate treasure don't come along every day."
"What kind of treasure?" Amber raised an eyebrow. Her interest was peaked.
"Lost gold. Practically a king's ransom and that bitch now holds the only map."
Katherine sighed. "Think of what that treasure could buy. The things I could rub in John's face."
The others rolled their eyes.
A stern look from the redhead. "Do you understand why we have to find her now?"
Amber smiled. "Perfectly."
"Good." Penelope whipped the reins of her horse, causing it to run faster. The other ladies followed suit.
XxXxXxXxX
The girl lied against a rock. She took her black hat off and wiped her brow. Her equally dark hair was matted against her head. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of lavender.
As she placed her hat back on her head, she glanced around. To her relief, she was all alone. When the women forced her to come along, she was on her horse. There was no way they could remain together.
She walked along for many…who knew? She'd been traveling for so long under the hot sun, the various units of distance ran together in her mind.
The girl glanced up at a signpost in the distance. She hurried towards it. Maybe the person who put the sign up could provide a good hiding place or, at the very least, a decent meal.
She glanced up at the sign; a wooden board with words written in white paint:
Little Amity
Population - 57
The girl shrugged. Maybe this would be a nice place to lay low for a couple days.