A/N: This is my first attempt at a Western style story. This is a bit of an AU, as well. This story was inspired by Bad Company by Five Finger Death Punch.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, only the plot and the OCs
The saloon was noisy and busy with patrons, both local and foreign alike. There was a mixture of humans and humanoid animals, and everyone was getting along. Destiny was the only place where human and non-human species could mingle and not tear each other's throats out. Destiny was a safe haven for anthropomorphic civilians to rest and relax and enjoy the company of others without the prejudice that lingered in other towns; mostly because the sheriff and the deputy were also anthropomorphic animals.
Splinter was a wizened old rat who was strict but fair. His young deputy, Leonardo, a blue masked turtle, was eager to learn from his boss and guardian. Splinter had taken Leonardo and his two brothers, Donatello and Michelangelo in when their parents died of a pandemic that swept through the town when they were young children. Splinter had raised the boys as his own, teaching them everything they needed to know to survive in the wilds of the West, from horse riding to gun fighting. However, as they grew older, it was apparent that not all the boys were interested in guns and horses. When he got older, Donatello started training with the town's doctor in hopes of one day becoming a doctor himself. Leonardo was the more serious of the remaining two to learn more about the ways of the sheriff. Michelangelo just wanted to ride around on a horse all day and shoot at empty bottles. So, it was no surprise that when it came time to choose a new deputy, Splinter picked Leonardo.
The doors of the saloon swung open and footsteps padded across the wooden floors. A few of the patrons looked up from their drinks to see the deputy walk around the tables and chairs and head for the bar at the end of the room. The bartender turned around and smiled.
"Hey, deputy," she greeted.
"Hello, Angel," Leonardo replied.
"What can I get for you?" Angel asked, giving Leonardo her full attention.
Leonardo shook his head. "Nothing today, thanks. Just checking in to see how things are going."
"Things are good," Angel told him. "Quiet, as usual. Thanks to you and sheriff Splinter."
Leonardo smiled. "We do what we can," he said.
"How's Donnie and Mikey doing?" Angel asked. "I hardly ever see Donnie anymore."
Leonardo shrugged. "Same here," he admitted. "Donnie's always got himself locked away in his room with his head in medical books. And Mikey's...well, he's Mikey. You never know what he's doing."
Angel laughed. "Isn't that the truth?"
Leonardo let out a chuckle of his own. His eyes roamed around the saloon, taking in all the patrons. It always filled him with pride to see his town in a peaceful state when he knew that other towns were in such disarray.
"So, how are you doing, Deputy?" Angel asked, drawing Leonardo's attention again.
"I'm doing good," Leonardo replied.
He drummed his fingers against the bar table. Angel tilted her head to one side in a quizzing, concerned manner.
"You don't seem like it," Angel commented.
Leonardo sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Splinter's been distant lately," he explained. "But, I don't know why. He won't talk to me."
"Maybe he's just worried about the recent attacks by outlaws," Angel suggested. "After all, it is Oroku Saki behind the attacks."
"Maybe," Leonardo said. "I just wish he would tell me what it is that's bothering him."
The doors swung open again. "Leo!" someone called.
Everyone looked up to see Michelangelo standing in the doorway, panting and gasping for breath. His clothes were covered in dust and dirt. It looked like he had been thrown from his horse. Leonardo's guard instantly went up when he saw the panicked look in his brother's eyes.
"What is it, Mikey?" Leonardo asked.
"Saki," Michelangelo wheezed. "He's coming."
Hooves pounded over the uneven ground, kicking up dust in their wake. Horses whinnied as they were driven to run faster. The town of Destiny was fast approaching. It had been many years since he had set foot in the small town. The last time he had raided the town an infant had been stolen. That had been twenty-nine long years ago. It had been his greatest heist, and he was looking for one last thrill before he turned things over to his son.
There was the small matter of tying up a loose end from his last raid of Destiny. There was a certain rat that needed to be exterminated. Splinter had caused Saki nothing but trouble over the last twenty-nine years, ordering man hunts and forcing Saki and his band to keep moving from place to place whenever the search parties got too close.
Destiny was in sight. Earlier someone had noted that they had been spotted. Saki had said that it didn't matter, Splinter was going to fall; whether the townspeople knew they were coming or not.
Leonardo ran into the jail house, wide eyed and frantic. He had heard stories about Oroku Saki, none of them good. The story that mostly stood out in Leonardo's mind was the one where Saki led a band of outlaws into Destiny twenty-nine years ago and stole a child before disappearing into the mountains. Even though the infant was considered dead after so long, the hunt still continued to bring Saki to justice for his crimes.
"Sheriff Splinter!" Leonardo called out.
Splinter came out of a back room. "Leonardo? What is it?" he asked.
"Saki," Leonardo replied breathlessly. "Mikey saw Saki fast approaching."
Splinter's ears fell flat against his skull and a look of horror washed over his weathered face. It was like he was experiencing a long, recurring nightmare. Leonardo became even more worried at Splinter's expression.
"What do you want me to do, sheriff?" Leonardo asked.
Splinter headed for the door. "Gather your brothers and the women and children. Guard them in the church."
"I can help," Leonardo said, following his teacher out of the jail house. "I can fight."
"No," Splinter told him sternly. He climbed into the saddle of his horse. "I will lead a group of men out to meet Saki. Hopefully we will be able to stop him before he enters the town."
Leonardo looked up at his guardian and could see a haunted look in Splinter's eyes. "What aren't you telling me?" he asked.
Splinter guided his horse towards the town square, calling men to arms and for the women and children to get to the church. Sighing in resignation, Leonardo headed off to find his brothers. He found them in the hospital. Michelangelo and Donatello looked up when they heard footsteps on the creaky wooden floor.
"So, what Mikey said is true?" Donatello asked. "Saki really is on his way here?"
"Yes, and we have to get to the church," Leonardo replied.
Donatello gathered some things in a bag and followed his brother outside. A large group of men rode by as the brothers headed towards the church in the center of town.
"So, why aren't you going with them?" Michelangelo wanted to know.
"Splinter forbade me to go," Leonardo answered.
Donatello frowned in confusion. "What? Why? You're his deputy. It's your duty to be by his side."
"I know. But, lately Splinter's been avoiding me," Leonardo confessed. "And I wish I knew why."
The brothers entered the church to find it packed with women and children and some men who decided to stay behind. Leonardo stood guard at the doors while his brothers found seats. Off in the distance gunfire rang out. Some of the children began to whimper and cry. Leonardo nervously fingered his gun that hung at his right side. His anxiety was doubled when there was the sound of pounding hooves and laughter.
"Your sheriff has fallen!" a deep, evil voice yelled over the manical laughter.
Leonardo's world shattered around him. It wasn't true. It couldn't be. Splinter was gone? Leonardo turned to see Michelangelo and Donatello standing behind him, their eyes wide and shining with horror.
"Now surrender your deputy," the voice sounded again. "Let him face the one who will take his life as well."
Donatello grabbed Leonardo's arm when his brother made a move for the door. "Don't you even think about it," he hissed.
"He needs to pay," Leonardo said.
"If you go down, Destiny goes down," Michelangelo told him.
"Saki will ransack this place as you bleed out in the sand. Is that how you want to be remembered?" Donatello asked. "As the deputy who left his town to burn?"
Leonardo looked at his brothers, his brown eyes sad but defiant. "One shot. That's all I need."
Donatello and Michelangelo looked at each other. They both knew that Leonardo was the fastest and most accurate shot in town. If anyone had a chance at beating Saki, it was him. Donatello reluctantly released Leonardo's arm and stepped back.
"Come back in one piece," the purple masked turtle said.
Leonardo nodded and opened the door, stepping out into the hot sun. Seven men on horseback stood in a semi circle in front of the church. At the head was a black haired, dark eyed man that Leonardo could only assume was Oroku Saki.
"An Anthro?" one of the men sneered. "The deputy is an Anthro?"
"Is this some kind of joke?" another asked.
"Is that a problem?" Leonardo asked sharply.
The men snickered, but Saki remained stone faced. Leonardo stared back into the man's merciless black eyes. Saki didn't have the air of prejudice his men carried. Leonardo didn't know if that made him more or less deadly. In one swift motion, Saki dismounted his horse, much to the surprise of his men.
"Boss, what are ya doin'?" one of the men asked.
Saki walked up to an equally surprised Leonardo. "I may be an outlaw, but I am not without my own sense of honor. Your sheriff fell in battle, yes, but it was a dual so that he may die with honor."
"What do you know about honor?" Leonardo spat. "You come storming into town, raid it for its wealth and steal an innocent child. Where's the honor in that?"
"I had my reasons for doing what I did," Saki replied. "Do you wish to die in the same manner as your sheriff? Or do you wish for me to kill you right where you stand?"
Leonardo looked from Saki to the other six men. "I'll fight your dual," he said. "But, if I win your men leave and never return."
"And if I am victorious?" Saki asked.
Leonardo shrugged. "I'll be dead, so it really wouldn't matter what you did," he said.
Saki nodded and held out his hand, which Leonardo took and the two shook hands. "A fair deal," Saki said.
Leonardo and Saki walked to the center of town and stood a few feet away from each other. Some people began to trickle out of the church to see what was going on. Donatello and Michelangelo were among them.
"On three?" Leonardo asked.
Saki nodded. "One..." he began.
"Two..." Leonardo said.
"Three!" someone else shouted.
Two gunshots went off and someone screamed.
Reviews are welcome, flames are not