Back in Dirt, Doc watched over Jake on the floor. The rattler had received a good dose of the anesthetic and the doc expected him to be out for a while yet. Those injuries would ensure a longer sleep for the snake as well. Yessir, a good snooze was just the right thing for a time like this. Doc turned his head at a timid knock sounding on the door. "S'open," he replied.
The door opened to reveal Beans in a home-spun shawl against the gathering night's chill. Over one arm was a thick blanket, and in her other hand was a stewpot that betrayed something mighty tasty-smelling. Doc grinned and folded his arms. "Evenin', Miss Beans."
Beans' grin was fainter, but she did return the greeting. "Hullo, Doc." She placed the pot on the counter and straightened her shawl about her shoulders with a sudden shiver. She found herself gazing at the coiled mass of Grim Reaper on the floor, and she swallowed hard. "He's still out?"
Doc nodded as he rose from his seat to stretch... and possibly to inspect the son-of-a-gun smell that now seemed to waft everywhere. "'Spect him t'be fer awhile yet."
Beans bit her lip and started to fidget. She wasn't normally one to fidget and Doc - even in his semi-sober state - easily picked up on. The rabbit raised one scruffy brow. "Sumthin' troublin' ya, Miss Beans?" As if he needed to ask. He had a fairly good idea what was troubling her.
It was clarified the next second. Beans sighed, her shoulder drooping as she did so. "Ever since he pulled that gun on me, last week," she started, "I've... I ain't able t'settle m'self. M'like a tickin' bomb jus' waitin' t'go off." She sat down on the stool where Doc had been previous and put her face in her hands. "His eyes... the way he was lookin' at me..." her voice trailed off.
Doc temporarily abandoned the mouth-watering search he was about to embark on and instead offered a comforting paw on Beans' shoulder. "I know you ain't feelin' rightly 'bout all this," he drawled. "I ain't even, which is sayin' sumthin'." With his free paw, he swept it in a straight line, as if reciting imaginary words. "'Don't lev' no critter behind'. Well, here I am, never havin' once disagreed with that there princ'ple, an' now, well..." he chuckled as he scratched his chin.
Beans let her hands fall into her lap and looked up at the doc with a wan smile. "Jus' look at me, blubberin' so!" She shook her head, making her red curls bounce, but she made no attempt to stand back up. "I jus'... I jus' wish Rango wouldn't be -" she wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to say next.
"Wouldn't be so trustin'?" Doc finished, gently. He could surmise where this was going.
Beans turned to face him again, this time her smile was sheepish. "I'm turnin' into a bloomin' sentimental case, Doc. Ya got a prescription fer that?"
Doc winked. "Time. That, an' a whole load o'patience."
The posse rode on across the desert, keeping the tracks in their line of vision. They'd been on the trail for about ten minutes now and all they'd gotten was mouthfuls of dust and sweat dripping down their brows. But the tracks continued on. Ever onwards, never faltering. Rango's narrowed little eyes narrowed somewhat further. He wasn't used to being short-changed. In all his two full weeks of sheriff-ing, he hadn't been short-changed; there'd been plenty to discover and uncover. Well, those had been the days.
Now it was time for the real work, he supposed. Once the glamour wore off, reality checked right on in, and without ever being invited. Rango snorted inwardly. Whatever happened to those two days last week, so chock-full of action they'd tan a man's own pants? Gone. Just like that. It almost wasn't fair. Then the chameleon considered - constant, heart-stopping action'd wear a body down after awhile. And anyway, who needed to be entertained every spare moment?
...He did...?
Did he, really? After all, he'd practically been thrown into this role willy-nilly. And without a lick of experience; just a whole lot of imagination, charm, and... well, something else that he couldn't quite place.
Rango'd been so focused on his inner dilemma that when Spoons' voice rasped out behind him, he almost toppled right off his runner. "Sheriff! Ahead!"
The chameleon snapped out of his reverie to realize what lay up ahead: the highway. And not just the highway, but every car, along with every human that seemed to exist, was out upon it, zipping off at speeds unknown to destinations hereforto unseen. Rango held up a hand to halt his company as he slowed his runner down himself. "Hold up!" he called out, just for good measure. This wasn't good.
Definitely not. For the tracks had never even wavered. "They've crossed!" Rango broadcasted, even though it must have been quite apparent to the rest of the comapny involved. "The varmints, so taken up by their deed, have indeed gone and-"
"What d'we do now, Sheriff?" Mr. Fergus interrupted, without even realizing it. Normally, the townsfolk knew better than to break in during one of the sheriff's monologues - it was his shtick, and they respected it, somewhat. Now, Rango cleared his throat, abruptly, slightly annoyed.
"Well!" The chameleon hadn't dismounted, so his company hadn't moved to. "As is most likely apparent, we're stuck at the crossroads!" he pointed ahead. "Our quarry's gone and made themselves scarce, while we the intrepid hunters, are left in the dust! There's only one thing we can do, now!" He paused, impressed that he'd made that all down in one breath.
"W-whut's that?" Waffles ventured, eyes wide.
One thing, indeed, and Rango knew it, too. After all, the sun was already sinking low towards the West. "We turn back and resume this chase, afresh, in the morning!" Rango sheeled his runner about and slice his hand through the air, jabbing it forward. "Onward!"
So, the posse made it's way back to town, somewhat resigned to their fruitless search, but also filled with a strange sort of anticipation - hunger, maybe - for the next day.
The posse hit the town before nightfall officially fell. They were met by a scampering, skittering wisp with long black braids and errie yellow eyes. Priscilla had rung the bell announcing their return and had scurried down, quick as a wink, to meet the group. She trotted up beside Rango's mount.
"Didja gunshoot anyone, Sheriff?" She asked, eagerly. "Ya catch those varmints, an' give 'em what-for?"
Rango's laugh was a nervous one. He was still getting used to this young'un and her... habits. "Ehh, not this time , Little Sister."
Priscilla sighed, dejected. "Aw," she trotted back off then.
Rango brightened when he saw another familiar face - a face he looked forward to. Beans had peeked out of the door of Doc's office and, seeing the returned posse, clutched up her skirts and hurried down the steps, her shawl jumping up and down upon her shoulders. Rango barely had enough time to dismount - much less brace himself gaainst Beans' signature move: The Squeeze. The chameleon was caught up in a tight embrace, with Beans' head resting against his face.
"M'glad t'see ya!" She murmured, sincerely. "Ya ain't got one leg, have ya?"
Rango wheezed in the negative, and only then did Beans release him, with the somewhat sheepish grin of before. "Sorry," her hands still gripped his shoulders. "But how was it?"
Rango cleared his throat. "Oh well, we missed 'em by awhile. Their tracks led out to the highway, an' none of us had a mind gettin' squashed at this time o' night." he winked at Beans' concerned frown.
"The highway? Ya think they made it?"
Rango shrugged. "I've an inclination-like. Maybe they came from out that way. Wouldn't make sense gettin' smushed if they knew their way."
Beans frowned again, this time it was stern. "Yer too sure, Sheriff." She nodded with her head back the way she'd come. "Anyway, someon'e awake."
Rango bit his lip as Beans dragged him up to the Dioc's door. He wasn't much of a mind to see Jake either, especially after that earlier incident, but figured the rattler might have more answers for him. Rango was willing to bet Jake'd crossed the highway himself.
Inside, Rango found Doc at the table, feet propped up and helping himself to a thrid serving of the son-of-a-gun stew Beans had brought. "Evenin' Sheriff. How'd the search go?"
"Lost the trakcs at the highway. Think jake'd know a thing'r two?"
"Go right ahead an' ask him." Doc waved permissively with his spoon.
The coiled mass on the floor that was the Reaper himself was a sight for sore eyes that'd been sprayed with Mace and then blinded by floodlights. Those hellish eyes were dull - only the smoldering embers of what they could be. Rango was even inclined to think that rattler's hide was even duller than usual. The bright white diamond pattern upon his back didn't pop out as much as usual.
The dark slitty irises shifted in the unmoving face towards the chameleon when he approached. Rango started, slightly. "Ahm, hullo Jake! How'd ya sleep?" He was about six inches away, but decided to stop there and squat down. Call him paranoid, call him wary, just call him not interested in getting crushed again.
A slight spark seemed to sppear in those eyes. Rango saw a flicker of the old Jake come through as the rattler grumbled. "Like hellfire."
Rango nodded slowly. "Well, uh, ya look better."
The rattler's chortle was raspy, but still cutting enough. "Dammit, y'all lookin' real hard at me? Go ahead, tell me what ya see."
Rango knew far better than to actually go and do the snake's bidding. So he licked his lips and tried again. "What I mean t'say is, we went out to yer burrow, Jake. We found a bunch of trakcs, but they led us to the highway."
Jake's muscular coils tensed as his eyes sparked again. "The highway? Good! Let those scumbags get squashed," his victorious murmur was broken up as he hacked and coughed. Beans flinched at the blood-curdling sound.
"What I meant was, I don't think they did... get squashed, that is." Rango continued. "I figger they knew their way. Plus, it was earlier. Ain't much traffic around that time."
The irises flickered over once again, and the snake slowly smirked. "Glad t'know you ain't jus' a figurehead, set up in that fancy office. Musta been real bored 'till I came along, huh?"
Rango frowned. "Was not," he mumbled. "Ya been out over the road?"
The black tongue flicked out. Just talking seemed to do Jake more good than harm. "A few. Nicer settlements out that way."
Rango smiled. "Tell me 'bout 'em,"
Whoo! On a roll XDD
