… Y'all ready?

*** Chapter One : A Visitor***

22 years ago, somewhere in the Rocky Mountains...

The sun had since long set beyond the mountains, and the little valley was covered in shadows. The only little glint of light came from the billions of stars on the sky and from a small, log cabin in a clearing of the woods.

In the little two-roomed cabin, there were two creatures; a female sitting by the table and nervously picked with the sleeves of her longsleeved, dark gray dress, while the male aimlessly sauntered back in front of the fireplace. Both were young aye-ayes, even called shadowfolk, not normally from around these areas. In fact, they weren't even from this continent! Their tails were long and fluffy, their eyes large and round, and they had little to no fur at all around their noses, ears and hands. A look that scared most people in the place they were from as they were said to be evil sorcerers, and brings death and misfortune wherever they go!

The male paused and ran his hand through his wavy, black hair and hopelessly shook his head. "I don't get it... I still just don't get it!" He thought out loud to himself, and the female carefully looked up at him with a concerned frown. "How can they have found us?! W-we're nowhere near the island! We're in the middle of nowhere straight across the sea! HOW could they have found us here?!"

"Tovi..." The female said, but her husband just shook his head with a deep sigh in response.

"Wh-what if it's all Avalonas doing?! If she somehow has managed to trace us-...!" Tovi paused and turned to the female. "Samara, we HAVE to get outta here!"

"Huh? But what about Rango?" She asked in return and slowly shook her head. "We've already sent him the letter, we can't just leave now!"

"We have to! And it's not like he's going to be happy when he comes here and realizes we've lied to him anyway..." Tovi grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. "Perhaps it was a pretty dumb idea to send that letter after all, he's not even going to get it anytime soon..." He looked up from the floor and at his mate. "Besides, I can't let them get a hold of you! I'm not worried about me; I'm the son of a noble AND Avalonas apprentice, there's no way they'll throw me in jail! But you're just..." He trailed off, unable to finish the last sentence.

"A Whitecoat, I know..." Samara finished instead of him and stood up with a sigh.

"And they won't just throw you in the dungeon and be happy with that!"

"I know that too, Tovi" She walked up to him and took his hands. "But that's not what I'm scared off..." She averted her eyes and glanced over at the cradle by the furthest wall. "It's what they'll do to HER that scares me... She'll be even lower than a Whitecoat, because she isn't even allowed to exist in the first place! We did a very stupid thing, Tovi, we shouldn't have gone against the way things were!" Tovi silently put his arms around her and laced his fingers into her long, silver hair, but didn't say anything. "I love you, Tovi... I love you both! But we broke several of the main laws, that's unforgivable! Not only because you're a Mage and I'm a Whitecoat, but also because we left the island without permission AND we had a child!"

"Dumbass laws were made to be broken" Tovi finally replied with a bitter growl. "I've got an idea on how we might be able to get rid of them, but..." He glanced over at the cradle as well and clenched his jaw.

"But what?"

"But I don't think she could be taken along..." His wife suddenly pushed away and looked up at him with a bewildered face. "It's too dangerous, and we would have to travel far and fast!"

"A-are you saying we should... Abandon her?!" Samara shook her head. "We can't do that! In our world, she might not be allowed to exist, but here-...!"

"Samara, we won't abandon her" Tovi tried to smile reassuringly and shook his head. "We'll just have to leave her for a while. A couple of months, perhaps" He turned his eyes away. "Or maybe a year..." But when he noticed that she had lowered her head as well, he looked back up at her. He gently stuck his finger under her chin and tilted her head up, forcing her to look at him again. "But we won't abandon her, ever!" He let out a short laugh. "Even if it might be her fault that we're in this mess!"

"Pfft..." She let out a mix of a snort and a chuckle and leaned her head in his hand. "No, the reason we're in this mess from the start is because I spilled wine on you... The day you were chosen too!" They both chuckled lowly at the memory, but then she turned her head away again and looked at the cradle, where their daughter were still fast asleep. "But, what should we do with her? We can't just leave her here..."

Tovi was quiet for a while, thinking. "You think you could ask Wounded Bird when he returns? He's the only one I could ever leave her to and I know that he wouldn't let anything happen to her!"

"I thought you didn't trust those 'feather-bearing, hooknosed savages?'" She couldn't help but to smile at him, and her smile only grew wider when his cheeks turned faint red.

"Okay, I don't trust the feather-bearing, hooknosed savages EXCEPT for Wounded Bird!" He mumbled and rolled his eyes. "Besides, he's the only one on our side right now. If we wait for Rango, we're gonna have to wait for a very long time, and I KNOW they'll have found us here by then!"

Samara slowly nodded her head. "I'll talk to him" She promised, just as the door was opened and a tall, dark silhouette stepped inside.

Tovi instinctively reached for the rifle leaning against the wall, but when he noticed that it was only Wounded Bird who returned, he stopped mid-air. He slowly straightened up and cleared his throat. "So, how does it look?" He asked, nervous to know the answer.

The crow shook his head. "There are more of the ones in robes now. They are ransackin' the town!"

Tovi and Samara exchanged glances with each other. Both knew that they would have to leave soon, maybe even tonight! Suddenly they both jumped in surprise as a hiccuping sound was heard from the cradle, followed by the unhappy cries that alerted them that their daughter had woken up. Samara sighed and was about to tend to her needs when Tovi stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll take care of it, you go ahead and talk to him" He told her, and she hesitated before nodding slowly and asked Wounded Bird to join her by the table.

While she told the Crow-indian their plans, Tovi walked up to the cradle to see what was wrong this time; she dropped her pacifier. Of course... He picked the little baby up in his arms and sat down on an armchair by the fire, waiting for her to fall back asleep and listened to Samara and Wounded Birds discussion. He wanted to know what was going on, and what those robed men wanted from them. But they both felt that they couldn't tell him everything about their past. Not just yet...

He looked down at his daughter, and smiled as he carefully rocked her to sleep. She was barely half a year old yet, but she had already her fathers wavy, raven black hair, and her mothers round, amber-colored eyes. A year and a half ago, all he would have wished for was to become Great Mage Avalonas apprentice, marry his betrothed, Neela and make his family proud. But that seemed like a whole lifetime ago. Now, he would give anything just to watch his daughter grow up into the beautiful woman he knew she would be, without him and his family having to hide from place to place to avoid getting captured by their own people.

"We're sorry, little one..." Tovi whispered as his daughter slowly fell asleep again with the pacifier in her mouth. "But mom and dad will only be away for a little while, just hang in there and be nice to uncle Birdface while we're gone, okay?" He felt a lump starting to form in his chest and his throat tightened up, making it harder to talk. He grinded his teeth tightly and clenched his eyes shut as he carefully hugged his daughter. "We love you, Priscilla, both mom and I love you so much!"

…

Present Day, the Mojave Desert...

Far beyond the horizon, the sun was slowly climbing its way up on the desert sky. The shadows of the night were getting chased away by the morning light, and the little oasis town in the heart of the Mojave desert slowly rustled to life.

A lonely shadow, riding a roadrunner slowly emerged on the horizon and headed straight for the town with the sun in his back. He first rode by the livery stable to leave his roadrunner, before sleepily make his way to the sheriffs office at the other end of the street.

A few early birds were already up and prepared their shops to be opened, and when they saw their sheriff Rango walk past them, they all waved and said their usual: "G'mornin' sheriff!" Rango didn't have much choice but to wave back.

When he stood in front of the door to the office and rummaged for the keys, he let out a loud yawn. He had never been much for waking up early in the mornings, and since he married Beans and moved to live with her on her familys ranch he had been more or less forced to go up even earlier, because of the distance between the ranch and the town! But when he found and inserted the key, he frowned and looked around. Someone was missing; Priscilla, his deputy of five years. She was usually first one on spot and hated to be late for work, but since two years back she every now and then has the habit of oversleeping, sometimes for as long as a couple of hours! But then again, he knew the reason she overslept, and that was why he rarely ever confronted her about it; it was a pretty good reason.

Rango entered the office and did his usual morning routine before slumping down on his chair, resting his feet on his desk and tilt the brim of his hat down over his big eyes. He thought it wouldn't hurt to take a few minutes nap, Dirt, or New Dirt, had always been a pretty calm place since he became sheriff, except for what had happened three years ago.

He looked up from under the brim and looked at the billboard where the wanted posters were. Three years had passed since this sheriffs office was newly built, and many wanted posters of various criminals had both been picked down and put up, but there was one gang who had remained in the corner, untouched: the Campbell Gang, a gang of bountyhunters led by the notorious Rango. The FIRST Rango!

Sheriff Rango once again let his eyes travel over the familiar faces: Durango 'Rango' Campbell, Hicks Red, Eustaquio 'Flitch' Flores and his brother Chavez 'Fledge' Flores, Coral Campbell, Andrew 'Scrange' Alistair and Bentley the Nutcase. Nobody knew where they were now, except for one who was said to have left the gang: Bentley, the hyena. And seeing as Priscilla hadn't arrived yet, chances were good that Bentley now was in Dirt.

He had no idea how that had happened, as he wasn't there at the time, but somehow his deputy, who had been all work and no play ever since her teens, had fallen in love with one of the outlaws who besieged their town. And not just any ordinary outlaw; a bat-shit crazy ex-slave with the mind of a child and serious self-control issues. But he was a pretty nice fellow, and it had been so painfully obvious to everyone that he loved her just as much in return.

Rango wasn't all too involved with their current relationship, but what he did know was that every now and then he would be around the town to visit her, and he had actually had a run-in with the hyena a few times. The other Rango and his gang might have started out as enemies of the town, but somehow they had changed once Dirt got another, more powerful enemy, and were now more or less friends to sheriff Rango and some of Dirts citizens. Which was why Bentley was never arrested, even if he was wanted for the gangs previous crimes. Personally, Rango had absolutely nothing against the boy, but it was the company he sometimes attracted that worried.

The rumors that one of the Campbell Gangs members was hanging out in Dirt had quickly spread in the West, and the bountyhunter activity had never been this high in the area! Sometimes they would have a visit from bountyhunters, both those who worked alone and in teams, and they had an habit of causing troubles for folks when they searched for more information. It was also rumored that the wanted outlaw and the deputy had a thing for each other, and that naturally led to that Priscilla was especially targeted by bountyhunters. But the few ones who actually chose to take a more offensive approach against the young woman, soon found out the hard way that the female deputy wasn't to be underestimated; not only was the very lithe built woman quicker and more flexible than the men, she was stronger than she looked and enough punches from her could knock anyone unconscious! Besides, she always wore a knife and at least two revolvers, making her twice as dangerous so she didn't even need to use her fists most of the times. So Rango knew he shouldn't worry about her, she could take care of herself! There was only one thing that nagged on his mind every time a bountyhunter came by, looking for either her or Bentley himself; she wasn't invincible, and sooner or later she would encounter someone who was stronger and quicker than her, and then what? Would the town be able to step in for her, or would she get kidnapped and used as a bait to lure Bentley out?

He must have dozed off, because when a strangers voice made him snap back to reality it was almost noon. "Uh, sheriff? Sheeeriff?"

"We're not in Kansas anymore!" Rango exclaimed as he jolted awake, and startled the stranger, a very formally dressed, short and chubby ring-tailed cat with a bowler hat on his head and small, round glasses that constantly slid down on his nose. "Oh, sorry 'bout that..."

"Errm, no, we're in Nevada..." The stranger muttered and pushed his glasses back up and corrected his hat. "Now, you ARE sheriff Rango, right?"

…

On one of the older streets was Priscillas little house. It looked pretty much like the rest of the houses in the area; square with a front porch, freshly painted white with brownish red roof tiles, except it only had one floor and there wasn't much of a yard surrounding it. The sun shone into the bedroom through a small window on the side, and the only sound that was heard was the slow breathing of the young female aye-aye still sound asleep on a newer wide bed. But she wasn't alone.

Priscilla woke up when the one next to her moved. She was lying on her side, all curled up, and kept her eyes shut as a big, pawlike hand moved to rest on her hip. She didn't do anything to stop the faint smile that spread on her lips.

"So, you're back, huh?" She said lowly, almost whispering. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Mhm..." Bentley replied and let his arm fall down around her waist instead.

"When?" She found his hand and laced her fingers together with his, still without opening her eyes.

"Last night"

"I didn't hear ya come back last night"

"That's b'cause ya were already asleep back there, Sleepin' Beauty" He added with a low chuckle and squeezed her hand. "Didn't wanna wake ya up, ya might shoot me y'know..." She didn't say anything, she just smiled in return and scooted back, closer to him.

If someone had told her three years ago that she would one day fall in love with an outlaw and even break a few rules just to be with him, she would just have laughed a dry laugh and maybe even shoot the son of a gun who said it in the foot. But then the legendary bountyhunter Rango and his gang came to their town, and she met Bentley the Nutcase hyena. Even if it was HE who was the one with the feelings first, it didn't take long until she found herself falling in love as well. Today, she couldn't imagine a life without him.

Bentley had left Rangos gang shortly after he was reunited with Priscilla again after ten long months, and had gotten a job as a messenger for some organization he never could remember the name of (either that, or they just never told him). As a messenger, his job was simple: deliver letters and packages from his boss in the town Tuskagee on the border of the desert, to whoever his boss said, and since he was familiar with the Mojave desert, that's where he mainly was sent. And that meant that he could swing by and visit Priscilla whenever he was nearby. Sometimes he made the deliveries as fast as he could just so he could stay a few days extra with her.

Not that his boss or any of the others seemed to mind if he was late a couple of days for visiting his girl, in fact, the only thing they demanded of him was that he made the deliveries on time and wore a red sash around his waist at all times. He couldn't help but to think that the red sash thing was a bit odd though, and it seemed to alarm Priscilla since she found the red sash familiar, but she just couldn't remember why. But according to one of his associates, a frillneck lizard called Lewis, it was just a symbol to show that he was in the organization. And as long as this job made it possible for him to see his girl on a regular basis, he didn't care what the hell the dress code was. As long as he would be able to see Priscilla without having to wait ten months, he wouldn't even mind having to wear a porcupine on his head and crocs on his feet.

Although sometimes he really missed the guys. He hadn't seen them for almost two years, and the last thing he heard about them was that Scrange was leaving to go back to England, apparently his mother had died as well and now his sisters wanted him to come back. Rango, Hicks and the others were still hiding out somewhere in Mexico, completely gone from the face of the Earth. But hopefully he would see them again, someday...

This time, he had returned shortly after midnight, just after delivering a letter and a small package to some funny-smelling, red sash wearing guy in Dry Creek. He had a copy of the key to her house, since she got tired of him climbing through the windows to get inside (even if he still would do it sometimes just for the heck of it), and he didn't even need any light to see that she was sleeping in her bed. Even if it only had been a week since he saw her the last time, it had felt like forever and he had to put a lot of restrain on himself to not just scoop her up and cuddle her, since that would wake her up, and he would probably just end up having to sleep on the porch because of that. Instead he silently slid down underneath the blanket next to her, and almost instantly fell asleep.

He had woken up again just after sunrise, and now when she was awake as well... "So, Prissy..." He cooed and nuzzled her neck. "Ya know what I've missed this entire week?"

"To take yer meds?" She mumbled in response without skipping a beat, and let go of his hand to stick hers back underneath the pillow. She knew exactly what it was he wanted, but it was way too early and she was way too tired for that now!

He chuckled lowly. "Meds are for weaklings, besides, I think ya know what I'm talkin' 'bout..." She held back a restrained sigh as he began to plant kisses along her shoulder and neck. "Pretty please?" He had a pleading tone in his voice, and she bet that if she would turn around she would see the biggest and roundest puppy-eyes anyone could ever have.

"No" She shook her head and nudged herself deeper into the bed. "It's too early, Bentley!"

"Nakupenda!"

"That won't change my answer!"

"But I'm gonna have to leave later t'day, and then it'll probably be another week 'til I see ya again!"

"Good! More peace an' quiet for me then!"

"Aww pleeeease, Prissy? Baby? Sweetie? Hunny-bunny? Love?" He kept nuzzling and kissing her, despite her annoyed growls. "Center of my universe? My angel? Goddess?"

"God damn it, Bentley! No!" She finally exclaimed and turned around to face him. "I AIN'T gonna make ya pancakes for breakfast an' that's FINAL!"

"Pleeeeeeeeease?" He begged again, and she sighed and turned her back to him again. "But yer pancakes are the best! And I'm hungry! I haven't eaten anythin' since yesterday mornin'!"

"You're always hungry, Bentley! That ain't somethin' new!"

"Aw c'mon..." He said and leaned over her, letting one of his hands rest on the mattress just next to her side for support. "What do I gotta do to convince ya, huh?" He had gotten a tired tone in his voice as he bent his head down and brushed his lips along her temple. "Besides, ya stole my heart, girl! And pancakes is the only acceptable substitute!"

She had to chuckle at that one. That one was new! "Yeah, well ya stole my pride, an' I reckon that's a fair trade, ain't it?"

He snorted. "No!"

Knock, knock, knock...

Suddenly she heard something coming from somewhere on the outside, and she tensed up as her eyes sprung open. "Wh-what was that?"

"It was my belly... It's empty, and wants to be filled with pancakes!"

"No, it came from the door!" She saw the sun shining through the windows and frowned, slightly turning her head to look at him again. "What time is it?"

"It's time for pancakes!"

"Seriously Bentley!"

"I dunno..." He shrugged. "Almost noon, perhaps?"

Priscilla took a couple of seconds to let that sink in. I've slept 'til noon?! When another round of knocks was heard from the door a second time, she cursed and quickly jumped out of bed. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?!" She exclaimed in panic and was about to head towards the door when she noticed she was wearing nothing but her nightshirt.

"But, ya look so sweet when you sleep!" Bentley answered lowly and dragged himself up in a sitting position.

"I can't keep oversleepin' like this!" She said, sounding flustered as she looked for something to cover herself up with. "Rango's gonna fire me sooner or later! And I do NOT wanna end up as a saloongirl for the rest of my life!" Three more knocks were heard from the door. "HOLD ON, I'M COMIN'!" She hollered at the door and yanked the blanket off the bed before Bentley had any time to brace himself for the cold air.

She ignored the unmanly scream from Bentley as the blanket was yanked off him and wrapped it around her before making her way to the hall. She hurried to open the door, and was not surprised to see sheriff Rango standing there. He tilted his head at the side when he saw the just-woke-up look on her face.

"Slept well, I presume?" He said, and her cheeks blushed in a faint, red color as she wrapped the blanket tighter around her.

"I-I'm real' sorry, sheriff!" She hurried to apologize. "Th-this won't happen again! I swear on it this time! Please don't fire me!"

Rango held up both his hands in front of him and chuckled. "Calm down! I'm not gonna fire you! However..." He lowered his hands and nodded towards the town. "I'd like you to hurry down to the sheriffs station right now! There's a gentleman here who'd like to have a word with us"

Priscilla nodded, but then frowned in concern. "It ain't another one of them bountyhunters lookin' for Bentley, is it?"

The chameleon laughed. "Are you kiddin'?! This man is more concerned about his suit getting dirty than outlaws like him!" He said with an amused shake of his head. "So you can tell him that the streets are bountyhunter-free for today!"

"Sure! Wait, how did you know he's...?" Without her having to finish the sentence, Rango pointed to the side of the house. She peeked around and saw the tall, dark brown roadrunner. Grumpy was tied to the kitchens windowsill, and he looked bored out of his mind. "Oookay..." She said lingering and turned back to the sheriff.

"That, and you're never late when he's NOT here... Anyway, just get dressed and I'll see you down at the office" Rango said and tipped his hat at her before he turned around and left.

Priscilla drew a sigh of relief as she closed the door. Barely avoided getting fired once again! But she didn't want to make this into a habit; even sheriff Rango must have a limited amount of patience with her. She walked back into the bedroom to get dressed, and was met by Bentley, who sat on the edge of the bed with a disappointed look on his face.

"So, no pancakes?" He said, he had heard the entire conversation.

She shook her head and threw the blanket back on the bed. Then she walked over to the wardrobe and picked out another one of her shirts and a pair of jeans to wear. Usually, she would order Bentley to either get out of the room or turn around while she changed, but just this morning everything just happened too quick for her to bother. Besides, there wasn't an inch of her that he already hadn't seen. But just as she was buttoning her shirt in front of a full length mirror, she saw Bentley stalk up to her and wrap his arms around her waist from behind.

"When will you be back then?" He mumbled and leaned his left cheek against her head, staring at their reflections in the mirror.

She shrugged. "When I quit later tonight I guess..." She added with a sigh and glanced up at him. "When are ya leavin'?"

He shrugged as well. "It depends... This afternoon perhaps... They told me not to linger for more than five days after delivery, and it takes three days to reach Tuskagee..." He sighed sadly and looked down. But when he noticed the cleavage caused by her halfway buttoned shirt, he grinned slyly. "But I COULD say that traffic was slow, and stay a couple of days!"

She gave him a flat look and buttoned the rest of the shirt. She then writhed out of his arms and picked up the gunbelt, which was thrown over the back of a chair, and buckled it loosely around her hips. But just as she was on her way to get her hat and head for the office, Bentley grabbed her hand and stopped her.

"Hey! I think you forgot somethin'..." He cooed and slowly reeled her in.

She yanked her hand free and chuckled. "Yeah, you're right!" She said and with that, she walked back to the mirror, picked out a leather strap and tied her messy hair up as she used to; in a ball by the neck. When she glanced behind her in the mirror, she saw Bentley with a disappointed frown and couldn't help but to chuckle again. "You've forgotten somethin' too, ya know; yer clothes!"

He looked down at himself and noted that he wasn't wearing anything else but his underwear. He shrugged. "Meh, I'll get dressed later" He said nonchalantly.

"Really? What if someone walks by an' sees you?" She teased and turned around.

He snorted and put his hands on his hips. "Then, seein' me naked will be their punishment for peepin' into my girls house!" When she laughed out a short laugh, he couldn't help but to snicker as well.

"Well, I better get goin'..." She said with a sigh and did a last, quick check in the mirror. She wasn't surprised at all when Bentley hurried to block the doorway.

"You shall not pass!" He sad seriously when she walked up to him and folded her arms. "There's one more thing you need to do" He added with a sly grin and lowered his head when she put her hand on his cheek.

She rolled her eyes before reaching up and kissed him on the mouth. As their lips locked, he took his hands down from the sides of the doorway and wrapped them around her instead, pushing her closer to him and deepening the kiss. He could stay like this forever, but she was already a few hours late and to his disappointment, she pulled away pretty soon.

"Now I HAVE to go, Bentley" She said and shouldered past him after he slowly let his arms slide down to his sides. She quickly pulled her boots on and stopped with her hand on the door handle. She turned around to him and smiled. "I love ya"

He returned the smile with another one of his toothy grins. "I love ya more!"

"No you don't!" She laughed and hurried to escape before they were stuck in another one of those 'I-love-you-most' arguments that never ended.

"Yes I do!" Bentley mused and remained on the place as he watched her vanish down the street through the window in the hallway. When she was out of his sight, he sighed and looked down at the floor. "I love ya so much..." He said with a low mumble and went back to the bedroom.

With another heavy sigh he flopped down on the bed and hugged her pillow, a smile formed in the corners of his mouth when he felt her scent that still lingered. It wasn't until afternoon he had to go, and the sheriff had said that the streets were bountyhunter free today, so maybe it wouldn't hurt if he swung past the office and payed her a little visit? He looked down at his underwear and figured that it would probably be better if he got dressed first. Sure, they might be his favorite pair of boxers, but the townspeople might not agree if they saw him. Plus Prissy would probably want him to wear at least a pair of pants before going out in public this time...

Suddenly he heard an angry squawk on the outside and something that pecked against the kitchen window. He cursed when he remembered that he had forgotten Grumpy on the outside and jolted out of bed, before the bird decides to kill him once and for all!

And so it begins, MWAHAHAHAHAAA!

The awaited sequel to Snakes with Guns is finally here, and MAN I look forward to this! And I really hope you guys do it too ;)!

Anyways, y'all know that a little review is always appreciated, hope you'll enjoy this story and I hope to see y'all next chapter again ;P!