Author's note. Just a silly little plot I decided to get done, hope everyone likes it.
Warning, contains spanking so if you don't like it, don't read it.
Enjoy and please review.
The Masked Bull smirked behind his mask as he rode across the desert, having successfully left the Colorado Kid sometime ago. It was always amusing to evade the lawcows, especially when they ate his dust. He'd been involved in some smuggling for the Mayor but of course, the Marshall and his men came across it. Luckily, with some handy dynamic, he'd left Moo Montana and the Dakota Dude trapped in a canyon.
The Kid had managed to escape in time but due to his inexperience, the Masked Bull had been able to elude him. However, in the whole process of escaping, he had actually picked up a little extra baggage. That little brat Cody calf had been snooping around the place but had ended up caught. After tying up the little brat and gagging him, he'd attached him to the end of his saddle. That's where the calf had remained which had been quite a while and when the Masked Bull had made his escape, Cody was still with him.
The Masked Bull hadn't really had a plan when it came to the calf but he figured at the very least, he'd be good leverage. Now that he was riding away from those meddlesome fools, he decided that the brat would make excellent bait for a trap. Unfortunately, he'd have to keep the calf with him for the night but it would give him the time to plan the perfect trap. Although it really was a shame he had to act like a babysitter to that brat.
"Mmth...uh...uh, lemme go," the calf yelped as he finally managed to work the gag off.
The Masked Bull ignored him and continued riding. But now that Cody's mouth was free, he let his kidnapper have it.
"Hey...hey...let me go, you great bully."
"Shut it," the Masked Bull growled, not bothering to turn around but feeling as though this was going to be annoying very quickly.
"Where are you taking me?" Cody demanded, struggling to free himself but he was too well tied.
"Dunno, wherever we end up," the Masked Bull replied shortly. "You'll make the perfect bait for that moronic Marshall and his stupid posse."
"Ha, Moo Montana will never fall for it," Cody retorted gleefully. "You'll never get the best of him, he always beats you."
The Masked Bull growled at this, he wasn't going to let some smart mouthed brat get the better of him. Nevertheless, the bratty calf's whining was really starting to get on his nerves, especially as he kept going on and on about how great that damn Marshall was. As if he didn't have to listen to enough of that when he was back in town as the Sheriff, with all the townsfolk singing the Marshall's praises all the damn time. And of course, as the Sheriff, he couldn't really badmouth the Marshall apart from the odd grumble. He had to save all his badmouthing for his time as the Masked Bull except when he was in that form, he couldn't hang around chatting.
"Moo's better at shooting than you," the brat continued, not realising just how annoyed he was making his kidnapper. "And he's better at riding than you are, and he's better at..."
It just went on and on and the Masked Bull was starting to reach the end of his tether.
"I told you to shut up," he snarled, aiming a cuff at the young calf that ducked but didn't stop.
"Moo's the greatest, he follows the code of the west and you'll never get the better of him," Cody suddenly and boldly declared and that's when the Masked Bull's patience finally ran out.
"Right, that's it," he snarled as he pulled on the reins, drawing his horse to a stop.
The place he'd had chosen to a stop was in the shadow of a long rocky outcrop and actually made quite a good rest stop. He jumped off his horse and started to set up camp. First, he dragged a fallen log over so he'd have a perfect place to sit on and then started on making a fire. He completely ignored the calf who was struggling even harder now that the horse was standing still.
Thankfully, there was plenty of dry brush around so it wasn't too difficult to gather material and start the fire. Evening was setting in very quickly and soon it would be night time, which meant it would be cold. He always kept his saddlebags stocked for emergency nights out in the Mesa desert. Of course, he hadn't been expecting to have the brat with him but they'd make do. The brat could always sleep beside the horse that would keep him warm.
"There," he muttered to himself as the fire got going at long last and he could leave it.
"Quit thrashing," he told the calf sternly as he went to untie him from the horse.
Cody did as he was told as the many knots were undone but that didn't stop him glaring at his captor. What he didn't realise was that the Masked Bull hadn't just stopped to make camp; he had stopped for a very specific reason. He'd had just about enough of that calf's back talking attitude and since they were spending the night together, he was going to teach the little brat a lesson he'd never forget.
"Come on, we're gonna have a little talk," the Masked Bull said with a grim smile as he eventually lifted Cody from the horse and took him over the log. Once there, he sat down and placed Cody on his knee causing the calf to stare at him with bemusement.
"What are you doing?" Cody asked and the Masked Bull smiled behind his mask.
"Like I said before, we're gonna have ourselves a little talk," he told the naughty little calf who folded his arms with a pout.
"I don't wanna talk to you," Cody told him firmly. "You're a mean, ugly bully."
The Masked Bull chuckled and told Cody in a rather patronising tone of voice.
"Now, now, if you keep on telling lies like that then Uncle Bull will have to punish you."
"You don't scare me," Cody retorted hotly. "The code of the west says you should never let varmints like you try to walk all over you. And the Marshall says that you're a no good varmint, one of the biggest in the Mesa."
He shook his head slowly; he should have known the little brat wouldn't be able to resist back talking.
"Tsk,tsk, looks like Uncle Bull is going to have to spank his naughty little boy," he said with mock regret before taking hold of the calf and turning him over his lap.
Cody let out a squeak of shock and yelped, "Hey, what are you doing?"
"Giving a naughty calf a well earned spanking," he replied evilly as he raised his hand and brought it down on the little eight year old's bottom.
Cody let out a yelp of pain and started to kick his short, cuddy legs as his bottom was spanked in earnest. The black clad bull smirked behind his mask; he was going to ensure that the little brat never spoke so flippantly to him again. Well, while he was the Masked Bull anyway, he couldn't do much when he was the Sheriff. It didn't matter; he was content to teach this brat to respect the mysterious Masked Bull.
"OW...OW...stop it," the brat yelped, grabbing the folds of his black trousers and clinging onto them.
"Oh no, you've earned this and now you're getting it," the Masked Bull laughed before carrying on with an extra hard smack.
The calf whined, cried, kicked and struggled but he was far too small to have any effort. All the Masked Bull needed to do was a keep a firm hold of his back and the calf wasn't going anywhere. He continued to rain heavy smacks down on the little bottom causing the calf to start to wail a little now. But he somehow he didn't think it was enough, even with the amount of smacks he'd already given him.
So he decided to step things up a notch.
"Now then, how about you be a good boy, and show Uncle Bull your pants," he said nastily, taking hold of Cody's trousers and yanking them down.
"Nooo!" Cody yowled as the Masked Bull laughed at the sight of his brightly coloured pants.
"Aww, how sweet," the Masked Bull cooed tauntingly, giving the pants a few pings. "A little baby boy in his big boy pants."
"I'm not a baby, I'm eight years old," Cody protested hotly, his face burning with embarrassment.
But with a laugh, the Masked Bull just said "Good boy, you can count to eight, well done."
Chuckling, he bestowed a few pats on the little calf's bottom before going back to the business of spanking it. Without the padding of his pants, this was much worse for the poor calf who continued yelping and vainly kicking. The older bull had a hard hand and he wasn't holding back as he smacked it into the calf's bottom again and again. The calf's cries of pain were getting louder and he was started to gasp as he fought to hold back tears.
"Please stop," Cody begged, tugging on his captors trousers. "Please...OW...it hurts...OW!"
"That's the whole point of a good spanking," the Masked Bull told him with a dark chuckle.
"I...OW...hate it!" the little calf howled as yet another hard smack connected with his stinging bottom.
"Tough luck, kid," the Masked Bull chuckled. "I did warn ya but you didn't listen. But don't fret, when I'm done you'll never make the same mistake again."
The calf sniffled loudly at this; his eyes were fast becoming very moist with unshed tears. Miss Lily had given him a few swats if he'd done something really naughty but mostly he was just given extra chores. He'd also been given lectures by her and various other adults like Moo, JR and the school mar 'am. Some of them had almost reduced him to tears and he'd considered that a bad punishment. That was nothing however, to what was happening to him right now, his very rear was on fire.
Little did he know, things were about to get a whole lot worse.
"Right, it's time I took a look at my little boy's bum," the Masked Bull suddenly announced out of the blue, taking hold of Cody's pants and pulling them all the way to his knees. This revealed Cody's very pink little bottom, a contrast to his light brown skin.
"Nooo," Cody cried, trying to cover himself up. "Please, not on my bare bottom, please."
The next moment, he let out an extra loud gasp of pain as a hard smack connected with both his rear and his protective hand. He automatically yanked back his hand, the fingers stinging fiercely. The little calf twisted around and looked at his captor with tearful disbelief. Smirking behind his mask, the Masked Bull said in the same mocking patronising tone.
"Now, now, be a good little boy, cause Uncle Bull's gotta spank this cute, bare little bottom of yours until you can see yourself in it."
"Noooo, please, please," Cody begged, kicking his legs more than ever but it was more difficult since his pants and trousers were so far down his legs.
The Masked Bull didn't listen, just delivered another hard smack to the pink bottom. It was too much for the young calf that started to cry in earnest, hiccupping and gasping away. Sadly for him, the Masked Bull was relentless as he continued spanking the little calf. Soon, the bottom started to go from a light pink colour into a blossoming red. The Masked Bull knew that he'd need to finish up soon but he wanted to leave a good, solid impression.
The brat should be grateful he wasn't resorting to a belt, just a good honest hand spanking. Although judging by how the calf was now just sobbing with pain and humiliation, he'd probably just about had his fill of punishment. So, after giving the bottom a good round number of ten smacks, he finally stopped. Without bothering to pull the calf's pants or trousers up, he lifted him and carefully placed him on his knee.
Giving the sniffling calf's belly a poke to get his attention, he asked.
"Now, is my baby boy going to behave now, or do I need to take him over my knee again?"
"No," Cody whimpered, scrubbing at his face. "I-I'll be good."
Chuckling, the Masked Bull said.
"That's what I like to hear. Now, you go scoot over to the corner for a while and think about how naughty you were."
"Okay," Cody mumbled miserably as he was lifted off the knee and set on the ground.
Before Cody could try to pull up his pants, the Masked Bull delivered a sharp smack to the bright red bottom. Cody let out a cry of shock and pain, twisting to give the Masked Bull a hurt look before hurrying over to the corner he'd been pointed to. He again started to pull his pants up but the Masked Bull evilly snapped.
"Uh, uh, my baby boy's going to leave those down while he stays in that corner. Only good little boys get to wear their big boy pants."
Cody burst into tears again he buried his face in his hands, against a rock slab. The Masked Bull smirked before grabbing his saddlebag and bringing out a pan and started setting up a suitable stand to go over the fire. He then brought out a can of beans and some jerky with a small jar of fat to cook it all.
Soon, the savoury smell of cooking was wafting through the little clearing, causing both the Masked Bull and Cody to feel very hungry. The horse was lazily chewing some grass which was growing around some stones. The Masked Bull poked at the pan of beans and jerky and decided that they were ready to be eaten.
He glanced over at the calf who was still crying into his arms but his bottom was looking a lot less red and more of a bright pink colour. The Masked Bull looked back at the dinner before glancing back at the calf. He sighed before saying.
"Hey, kid?"
"Hmmm...w-what?" Cody stammered in surprise before saying. "I-I'm sorry, I mean, what sir?"
"Come over here," the Masked Bull said gruffly, beckoning the calf over.
Sniffling, the calf did as told, although he clutched at his pants and trousers which still hadn't been pulled up. As soon as the calf reached him, the Masked Bull leaned over and pulled them up for him. The calf yelped as the material scrapped over his sore bottom but he looked incredibly relieved to be clothed again.
"You learned your lesson?" he asked the calf sternly, who nodded, staring at the ground as his hands played with his shirt.
"And no more back talk?" the Masked Bull continued.
Cody shook his head vigorously as his captor smirked.
"Good, things should be a lot more pleasant for both of us," he declared as he directed the calf to sit opposite him.
As the Cody sat down with a barely suppressed wince, the Masked Bull remarked.
"Ain't ya glad I didn't make you sit down straight away?"
Cody squirmed as he realised how painful sitting down right after his spanking would have been. So he nodded, continuing to swipe at the tears from his face and sniffling loudly. The Masked Bull snorted and stirred the pan of beans and jerky, causing the calf to sniff even louder.
"You don't need to start crying again," the Masked Bull told him gruffly. "If you promise to be a good boy and don't cause me no trouble, you can have your share of the grub."
"Y-you really mean it?" Cody asked in a hopeful voice.
"Yeah," was the reply so Cody quickly said.
"I promise I'll be good, I won't cause you any trouble."
"You better not," the Masked Bull warned before grabbing a spoon and holding it out to the calf. "Here, dig in."
Cody grabbed it and eagerly started to tuck in, gulping down spoonfuls of beans and jerky.
"Hey, slow down a bit," the older bull told him sharply. "I'm not having you throwing up all over the place."
Cody froze and said tearfully.
"I'm sorry."
"Alright, just slow it down," the Masked Bull said sternly. "Go on, I want my share."
Cody nodded and continued eating at a less frantic rate. Once he felt full, he stopped eating and left the spoon in the pan which was still generously filled with beans and jerky. The Masked Bull ordered Cody to turn his back and pull his hat down over his eyes, which the calf did. This allowed the older bull to lift up his mask so that he could eat with ease.
He spotted how much Cody was fidgeting and growled.
"Don't even think about turning around or you're going back across my lap."
Cody jumped before flinching as his bottom bumped against the log he was sitting on. The Masked Bull chuckled darkly before carrying on eating until only scraps were left. He stared at the stained pan, while he had a canteen of water, there wasn't a water source nearby and he didn't want to attract anything. So he said gruffly to the calf, after replacing his mask.
"Kid, turn around."
Cody did so, nervously lifting his hat up. He still looked rather miserable but he also looked a lot better than he had before. Thrusting the pan at him, the Masked Bull told him.
"I want you to lick this clean."
"Lick it?" Cody repeated in disbelief. "You're not supposed to do it like that..."
"I know," the Masked Bull growled. "But there ain't no river here so you're going to lick it clean."
Cody wrinkled his nose but a fierce glare from his captor and he quickly decided he should do as he was told. It felt weird doing this; his Aunt Lily had always discouraged him from licking his plates, telling him they had to be cleaned properly. He felt like he was being naughty by doing this but he really didn't want another spanking.
The pan tasted very salty and he thought he could detect past meals cooked in it. There were also some burnt bits which made the little calf screw his face up and he did his best to avoid licking those bits. A couple of bits of jerky had charred on the bottom but he was forced to nibble these bits. They didn't taste too bad but he definitely preferred his jerky dry rather than fried.
"I-Is that enough?" he said after he'd licked the whole pan.
"Hmm," the Masked Bull said as he grabbed it and examined it. "I suppose it'll do for now."
Cody sighed in relief; he really didn't want to continue. But now he was aware of a really burning thirst at the back of his throat from all that licking. Dare he ask the scary bull for a drink?
"Mmm, sir?" he asked nervously and got a glare from the Masked Bull but boldly carried on.
"Please, can I have a drink?" he asked quietly, he really wanted something.
"Hmm," the Masked Bull said slowly. "I dunno, I've only got a certain amount of water..."
"Oh please," Cody begged, he couldn't bear going a whole night without any water. "Just a sip, please, I really need a drink."
"Well, I'm not sure," the Masked Bull replied evilly. "If I can spare a drop or not."
Cody stared at him for a moment before jumping to his feet and hollering.
"You're mean and horrible and I hate you."
And with that, stamped out of the glow of the firelight and away to hide among some rocks. The Masked Bull watched him go, muttering quietly to himself.
"Horribul's my brother."
He was mildly surprised that the calf had dared to talk back to him in that manner but he had always been rather mouthy. Also, he was clearly upset and desperate for a drink so he couldn't take going without. He wondered if he should give the calf another spanking for his smart mouth even though he had provoked the youngster.
He dug into his saddlebag and drew out a canteen of water and had a gulp. After swilling the water around his mouth for a minute before swallowing, he glanced over at the calf whose back was to him. He couldn't help but snigger at just how indignant the calf was being, especially in his situation. Was this why that damn marshal let the calf hang around so much, because he was good for a few laughs?
"Hey, kid," he called out after a few minutes.
When there was no response, he called sharply.
"Kid, if you don't get your little calf behind here this minute, your hide's gonna be so tanned I can use it for boots."
There was a squeak and Cody came hurrying back over. The Masked Bull smirked behind his mask as the calf stood there nervously, twisting his waistcoat between his hands. The older bull beckoned the calf over and very slowly came closer to him. As soon as he was close enough, the Masked Bull grabbed him and pulled him onto his lap.
"No," Cody cried tearfully, trying to escape. "Please, don't spank me again, please, I'm sorry."
"Now, who said anything about spanking?" the Masked Bull sniggered. "Uncle Bull just wants a little word with his baby boy."
"I'm not a baby," Cody complained, pouting in that cute way eight year olds had.
"Compared to your old Uncle, you are," the Masked Bull chuckled. "Now, I believe you wanted a drink?"
Cody stared up at him with hopeful, watery eyes that looked like they were also expecting extreme disappointment. For a moment, the outlaw considered shattering the young one's hope but he didn't really fancy dealing with a crying calf all night. So he said.
"I want you to ask your Uncle Bull nicely."
"I did ask nicely before," Cody said with a slight sob in his voice. "But you said no."
"Now, I never actually said no," the Masked Bull corrected evilly. "And I want you to ask me nicely again."
Cody sniffed before looking at the ground.
"Please can I have a drink, sir?"
"...Okay, since you asked nicely and all," the Masked Bull finally said as he brought the canteen out from behind the log and offered it to Cody.
Cody let out a gasp of relief and eagerly took the canteen and gulped a big mouthful of water. The Masked Bull didn't say anything; just let the calf have his drink of water. The calf didn't finish the canteen but he did look very concerned about the amount they had left.
"What are we going to do?" he asked softly.
"Don't panic," the Masked Bull said gruffly. "We'll ride out to the river first thing in the morning. We're not far from it; it was just too much hassle going there earlier."
"Oh...okay," Cody said softly, wincing a little as he shifted uncomfortably.
"Aw, my little boy's bum giving him trouble?" the Masked Bull asked in the slightly patronising voice he had used earlier.
The calf didn't say anything, just grumbled. As the bull continued to chuckle, the calf suddenly asked.
"Um...where am I going to sleep?"
He looked very uncomfortable as he said this.
"Hmm, good question," the Masked Bull agreed. "And I only got one blanket..."
Cody looked at the ground again, kicking his legs slightly. After thinking about it for a moment, the Masked Bull finally declared.
"Alright, here's what we'll do. You can sleep with me and you won't get cold. But the condition is you wear a blindfold and you don't remove it unless I tell you. If you don't think that's reasonable, I can always tie you up as well."
"No...you don't need to tie me up," Cody said quickly before asking nervously. "You...you're not going to gag me as well?"
"Only if you disturb me," the Masked Bull said silkily. "But if you're nice and quiet, I won't need to. Now, I reckon we should turn in now, be up nice and early tomorrow. You go and do your business, then come straight back here."
Cody blushed at this but hopped off the Masked Bull's knee. Showing that he wasn't going soft, the bull aimed a smack at the calf's rear, chuckling as he heard a yelp. He got up and went to grab the spare blanket before making sure his horse was alright for the night. Once that was done, he stomped back over to the fire to ensure that it was still burning okay.
As he settled himself against the log, the calf came timidly back over.
"Sit yourself down and I can put this blindfold on you," the Masked Bull said softly as Cody sat in front of him.
He trembled as his eyes were covered but the Masked Bull just said gruffly.
"Don't panic, you'll be alright. You can lie down now, we're going to sleep."
"Okay," Cody said softly as he buried his face against the other's chest, he just wanted to pretend he was safe at home.
The Masked Bull was mildly surprised at this action but didn't say anything. Instead, he wrapped the blanket around the two of them and pulled the calf closer. He'd never done anything like this before and he certainly had never expected to babysit a calf like this. It wasn't as bad as he might have thought it would be, at least as the Masked Bull, he didn't have to hold back.
If the brat disobeyed or caused trouble, he didn't have to be understanding, he could just wallop him and that was it. There was no need to be nice and think about feelings or anything sissy than that. He snorted; tomorrow he'd need to think of a good plan for the marshal, involving that brat of course.
With a grunt, he drifted off into sleep and started snoring. Sometime in the night, a buzzard gave a sharp cry and it woke up Cody who panicked slightly when he found he couldn't see. With a yelp, he pulled off the material covering his eyes and sat up, heart pounding.
"Oh," he mumbled as he realised where he was. He twisted and saw that the Masked Bull was sleeping soundly, his mask still covering his face.
Cody's eyes went wide, he could find out who the Masked Bull actually was. His hand started to reach for the mask when the older bull suddenly gave a snort and shifted in his sleep. Cody squeaked and flinched backwards, heart thumping as he waited to be yelled at. However, the minutes passed and he realised that he was safe but he knew that could easily change.
He didn't know how light a sleeper the Masked Bull was but he didn't fancy putting it to the test. His little bottom still felt sore and he didn't relish a repeat of the spanking he'd gotten earlier. So carefully, he moved away, not wanting to risk himself. But now that he was awake, he wasn't sure what he should do.
His captor was asleep, now was the perfect time to sneak away. The only thing was, it was the middle of the night and he wasn't entirely sure where he was. And if the Masked Bull caught him, he'd probably spank him so hard; he wouldn't be able to walk. And he'd probably tie him up and Cody really didn't like being tied up.
Then again, the Masked Bull was going to use him in a trap for Moo and the others. Surely, as a junior deputy, he couldn't allow the lawcows to fall into that trap? He might not be able to capture the Masked Bull or anything like that but he could make things a lot easier for his heroes. Plus, he had no idea what this trap involved, it could be one that ended up really hurting him. So really, it was his duty to at least try to get away, whatever the consequences.
Carefully, he slipped from under the blanket and stood up, watching the Masked Bull closely. He wasn't stirring so he hadn't yet noticed that Cody wasn't beside him anymore. If Cody was lucky, he wouldn't notice until morning that he had snuck away and by then it would be too late. Quietly, he carefully started to creep away until he was out of the dying fire's light.
"Where can I go?" he mumbled to himself softly. The Masked Bull had said they were near the river and if he could find it, he could easily found his way home.
It wouldn't be easy finding it in the dark but he wasn't too worried. If he couldn't find it, he'd just hide and low lie until first light. It would have to be a good hiding place because he knew the Masked Bull would be beyond furious. The little calf didn't consider that since he didn't know who the Masked Bull was, it wouldn't be difficult to exact revenge. All he was concerned about was stopping the Masked Bull's evil plan.
As he started to creep away, the Masked Bull's horse suddenly snorted and started pawing at the ground. Cody groaned, that was all he needed, the horse snitching on him. He continued sneaking away but the horse began to snort and give small neighs so he spun and started trying to quieten the horse down.
"Shhh...please be quiet," he begged, he knew he couldn't excuse being away from the Masked Bull's side.
The horse merely gave him a stern look as he pleaded with it not to disturb its master. Cody glanced anxiously over at his captor, he hadn't woken up but he had shifted a few times. If the horse carried on the way it was, he was going to wake up. He didn't know how to calm the horse down so he only had two options, go back to the Masked Bull's side or run now.
He gathered all of his courage up and ran for it, not caring if he was making noise now. He was surely already in trouble so there was no point in delaying his escape. The little calf almost felt like crying, if he was caught, he was going to be in such trouble he could barely comprehend it. Because it was so dark, he tripped over several rocks and bashed his knees and shins but he didn't stop. He almost yelped out when he heard a curse and knew that the Masked Bull was awake.
He had no choice now, he needed to hide and fast.
Masked Bull's POV
The Masked Bull came awake suddenly as the sound of his agitated horse reached his ears. Grumbling, he lifted up his mask and rubbed at his tired face, sometimes, he felt damn old. Why was that horse bothering him? Unless of course that damn marshal had found them, this made him sit up properly.
"What's happening?" he asked as his horse stopped making a fuss now that he was awake.
The horse just snorted and pawed at the ground slightly. The Masked Bull grumbled under his breath as he started to get to his feet before suddenly remembering about the calf. His head jerked downwards but there was no sign of the little brat. With a snarl of rage, he roared.
"Boy, you better come out right now or you're in big trouble."
He waited for a moment, just in case the calf had needed to take care of business and had rushed off for that. But when there was no reply and no calf appeared, he knew that his little captive had done a runner. By his granddad's horns, he would teach that little brat a lesson he would never forget if he had to spank him all night. Fixing his mask, he grabbed a spare branch and stuck it in the fire to ignite a torch. Once it was lit, he gripped it tightly and marched out into the darkness.
"Where did he go?" he growled out to his horse who pointed in the direction of the rocky canyon.
"Right," he snarled, not bothering to keep his voice down. "One naughty little boy calf is going to get the spanking of a lifetime."
As he marched forward, he listened hard for any sign of where the calf was hiding. Since his horse had woke him up, he guessed that the brat had only just made a break for it meaning he had to be somewhere nearby. Sadly, there were quite a few hiding places for a little calf to squeeze into and it could take him a while. Well, the longer that calf hid, the worse his backside was going to suffer.
He aimed the torch at the ground, looking for signs of where the calf had gone. The ground was disturbed and it was clear that the brat had come this way but he wasn't entirely sure which way the direction he'd gone in next. So he began to comb the area, hoping he could find the brat quickly so he could get the punishment over and go back to bed.
"Boy," he called out with a growl. "If you come out right now, then I might consider not using my belt on you."
He thought he heard a whimper in the still night air but there was no other sound. But now he knew that the brat was somewhere very close by, it would only be a matter of time before he found him. He really started to examine all handy hidey holes, trying to work out where Cody was hiding. Spying a large boulder balanced on several smaller ones, he saw that it was a perfect place for a naughty little calf to place himself.
"Come out, come out wherever you are," he growled to himself as he approached it before crouching and sticking a large hand into the hole.
His hand didn't capture anything but there was a loud gasp and a rattle of stones as whatever was in there scrambled back. With a growl of triumph, he barked out.
"Boy, I know you're in there. You better get your little ass out here this instant."
There was a sound of scuffling and then a very small, scared voice mumbled.
"No."
"You're in enough trouble as it is," the Masked Bull warned, giving the large boulder a little push, making it shake slightly. "If you make me drag you out of there, you won't be able to sit for a whole month."
"I...I can't," the calf replied with a whimper. "You're gonna spank me and tie me up and...and...I can't bare it."
"Tough," the Masked Bull snapped. "If you were worried about that, you should have thought of it before you tried to run for it."
"I know, I'm sorry," the calf said pleadingly. "Please don't spank me, I'll be good, I won't run off again."
"I know you won't because you won't be able to move when I'm done with you. Now get out of there."
"No!" Cody cried shrilly. "I won't come out, I won't. Leave me alone."
"That's it," the Masked Bull snapped, grasping the heavy boulder and heaving against it.
Cody screamed as the boulder groaned and slowly started to shift as the large bull pushed against it. He curled up into a ball, starting to cry as he realised his situation was completely hopeless. How he wished he was back home, safe in his bed and asleep. He should have stayed by the Masked Bull's side; he shouldn't have tried to escape.
"Stupid rock," the Masked Bull mumbled to himself as he finally shifted it enough that Cody was exposed. Keeping his shoulder hard against the boulder, he leant down and grabbed Cody by his collar and pulling him out. Once he was sure Cody was free, he pushed away from the boulder which crashed back into place, crushing some of the small rocks it had been balanced on.
The calf had started to cry and it was grating on his nerves big time. However, he didn't really want to hang around this spot so he tossed the brat over his shoulder and stomped back to his makeshift camp where his horse was waiting. He was feeling extremely tired by now and knew that if he didn't go back to sleep, he would pay for it in the morning.
"Listen up, brat," he growled as he neared the camp. "Thanks to you, I'm darned tired and I can't be bothered spanking you right now. We're going to bed right now and if you're lucky, I might feel merciful tomorrow."
"You're...you're not going to spank me?" asked a very tearful but hopeful voice over his shoulder.
"Not right now," the Masked Bull confirmed. "In the morning I will so if you want to avoid the belt, you'll damn well stay by my side this time."
"I will, I'm sorry," Cody said earnestly as they reached the camp and the young calf was swung off his shoulder and onto the ground.
"Yeah, I bet you are," the Masked Bull said grimly before a sudden thought occurred to him.
Grabbing the calf firmly by the shoulders, he looked him square in the eye and growled.
"Did you look under my mask?"
"NO!" Cody cried his eyes wide. "I never, I don't know who you are."
"Funny, you weren't tempted?" the Masked Bull probed, if the brat had seen his face, then they were both in trouble.
"M-maybe," Cody admitted fearfully. "But I thought you'd wake so I didn't. Please, I swear I don't know."
"Hmm," the Masked Bull grunted, giving the calf a piercing look before deciding he was telling the truth.
"Alright, I believe yah," he declared, as he grabbed a nearby rope and dragged Cody back over to the spot they'd been sleeping in before. "Lucky for you or I wouldn't be able to ever let you go."
"You wouldn't?" Cody said horror as the Masked Bull nodded.
"Leaping lizards," the calf exclaimed as his captor quickly tied a rope around one of his legs before firmly attaching the other end to one of his own.
"Yeah," the Masked Bull muttered before tying a new blindfold around Cody's eyes. "So you're damn lucky you didn't peek and don't ever forget it. Now we're going to sleep and unless that damn marshal shows up, I better not be disturbed for anything. Got it?"
"Yes sir," Cody said very meekly as he blindly cuddled into his captor once more who snorted but didn't say anything.
The Masked Bull wrapped the blanket around them, quite aware of the fact it was a lot colder now with the fire practically dead. It seemed there was an advantage to letting the little brat sleep by his side; at least he had something to keep him warm. At least it early summer so the night wasn't as cold as it could have been, but it still was enough of a chill that you didn't want to be caught out without a blanket or fire of some sort.
Thankfully for his temper, both of them soon dropped off to sleep and past the rest of the night, completely undisturbed.
Author's note. What happens the next day, will the Marshall be able to rescue Cody or will the Masked Bull continue to hold him prisoner? Find out next time, until then.