Here we go. It's the beginning of the end from here on out. Sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed. I've been struggling with it for a week for some reason. Also, the songs used (partially) for this chapter were 'American Saturday Night' by Brad Paisley, 'Forever and Ever, Amen' by Randy Travis, and 'Wherever The Trail May Lead' by Tim McGraw.
The sun had set just some short while ago, and Beans huffed lightly as she worked a squirming Priscilla into small, blae colored dress, much to the young Aye-Aye's dismay. "Come on now, quit fussin' so much." The iguana stressed. "Will ya stop movin' about?" She then removed the rodent's black hat and set it aside for later, smoothing out the hair underneath.
"What's the matter with my clothes? Only gonna get it all mussed up anyways." Priscilla looked down at the dress and made a slight face, sticking her tongue out as she picked at a loose thread. "Ya done gone an' made me look like one o' them dumb, proper young ladies."
"Well, as far as i'm concerned, that's what you are, a proper young lady." Beans replied as she gave the laces in the back one final tug and tying it into a fancy knot. "Yer just in a huff 'cause I wouldn't let ya bring yer pistols with ya. Besides, don't you wanna look all nice and dressed up fer the sheriff?" She asked, dolling up the smaller animal's hair a bit more.
Priscilla rolled her eyes. "Not like some prissy little china doll I don't."
"Oh, come on now. It ain't that bad. Besides, one day you'll be wearin' dresses like this on a regular basis." The iguana smirked lightly.
"No I will not. I'ma wear whatever I want when i'm older, and i'ma make sure it's comfy, too. Not all itchy and tight like some fancy dress." The Aye-Aye huffed, quickly shaking her head and messing her hair up again.
"Priscilla! Now I gotta start all over again!" The taller lizard exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips. When the door opened nearby, however, both girls looked up to see the chameleon himself step inside, wearing his usual pants, only a bit cleaner now, and a white, new shirt. He grinned at both of them. The music playing outside was briefly heard, but then quickly cut off once the door had been closed again.
"Well, now," He said jovially. "Someone alert the heavens, 'cause I think they're missin' a couple of angels."
Beans rolled her eyes, but did cast him a polite half smile. "Everythin' ready out there?"
"Yep! Got the food tables set up, and a couple of folk are dancin' already." He rose a brow in amusement when Priscilla ran up and hid behind him.
"Look what she done did to me, sheriff! Dressed me up all fine and tight. Can we lock 'er up for a bit?" The Aye-Aye asked, flashing him her big, yellow eyes pleadingly.
Rango shared a smirk with the pretty iguana nearby before looking down at Priscilla. "No can do, little sister. I'm off duty at the moment." He chuckled when she groaned in response before taking both their hands lightly. "Now, I don't know about you two, but I could sure go fer a slice of Miss Daisy's apple pie." He said, leading the two over to the door before politely opening it for them, following them out once they had stepped out onto the street. The moon was bright and the stars were glittering softly. As the chameleon had said, there were already a few residents dancing in the street to a tune being played by a couple of animals with various little instruments. Spoons sat nearby, playing along to the music with his usual set of silverware. Everyone seemed to just be arriving at the center of town, where the festivities were being held.
Grinning thinly, the green lizard soon turned his attention to Miss Beans, offering the iguana a slight bow. "May I have this dance, my fair maiden?" He asked nonchalantly. Before he could receive an answer, however, a sharp whistle sounded from behind, making him turn. A familiar wagon had pulled up, dragging something large tied up in a worn old cloth behind it. Stepping down from said wagon was Balthazar and Ezekiel.
"We got it, sheriff!" Ezekiel called out as he hopped down, heading to the back of the wagon with his father.
Rango's yellow eyes lit up a bit. "Didja now? Well, let's have a look see." He said, placing his hands on his hips as Priscilla peered out from behind him curiously.
"That human never saw a thing." Balthazar said with a toothy grin, chuckling as he tapped the wrapped up bundle with his walking stick. He and his son began untying the cloth and pulling it back. Underneath was an old, squarish radio with a handle, different sized knobs, and an antenna. Though a bit dusty looking and somewhat worn, it seemed like it was in okay shape.
"Ah." The chameleon rubbed his hands together before beginning to inspect the radio for himself. "Good work, gentlemen." He took a hold of one of the knobs and carefully began to tune it as other folk paused in what they were doing to watch him.
"Whatcha doin', sheriff?" Turley asked from nearby.
"Just livenin' the place up a notch." Rango smirked, turning another knob briefly before going back to the previous one. After a moment of nothing but crackling noises and whistles, the radio came to life, making everybody jump from the sudden blast of music that exploded through the speakers.
She's got Brazilian leather boots on the pedal of her German car,
Listenin' to the Beatles singin' "Back in the USSR",
Yeah, she's goin' around the world tonight, but she ain't leavin' here,
She's just goin' to meet her boyfriend down at the street fair,
The citizens tilted their heads and looked at one another in interest. After all, they had never had a radio this large playing for one of their dances before. Usually, they had to provide their own music. The small, personal radio that Fergus kept on in his shop just wasn't the proper size for such an occasion. Not that he would be willing to give it up anyway. With the new song having just barely begun, folks began to grab a partner and move into the street to dance.
Rango took off his hat and pointed it at Beans with a smirk, nodding once. "Not bad, huh, Beans?"
Scoffing lightly with another smirk, the iguana rolled her eyes and snatched his hat, tossing it onto the nearest set of steps. She then grabbed his wrist and began dragging him lightly towards the street, "Aw, hush up, ya green fool, an' dance with me."
"Can do." The sheriff chuckled.
Away from the crowd, browsing the tables of food for something tasty to eat, Tanana took a napkin and placed a few random items on it. She popped a small pecan cookie into her beak before placing one last food item, a small piece of cornbread, on the thin cloth and turned around, near choking on the treat in her beak when she came face to face with her best friend. Coughing a bit, she swallowed and brushed her free wing rapidly across the Black Racer's snout, her more gentle version of slapping. "Doooon't! Don't sneak up on me!"
Shifting her muzzle a bit and looking away with a brief sneeze, Adina smirked at her and laughed softly at the unusual reaction. "Sorry. I thought you would have heard me." She said. Despite not having a particular reason to make herself look presentable to anyone, her scales had a softer sheen to them, making them look smooth to the touch and very glossy. She must have polished them sometime before.
"As my father likes to say, you snakes are insufferably quiet at the most inappropriate of times." The Grackle huffed, though did manage a small smirk of her own. "And why are you all spiffed up? It's just a dance."
The darker snake smirked again. "What, i'm not allowed to polish my scales once in a while? What about you? You look like you've been primping and preening yourself for hours." Adina teased, poking the smaller bird in the gut, knowing it was her weak spot.
Tanana's feathers poofed out as the action made her squawk the way any normal Grackle could. Shaking herself, she sent the taller snake a look as she straightened out her poncho and necklace. "You know I can't stand when you do that."
"You know, for the "mother figure of the forest", you sure can be a grump." Adina mused, shaking her head and glancing over the Grackle's shoulder when someone tapped it lightly.
Tanana turned her head and blinked lightly at the figure standing behind her, turning to face him after a few seconds. It appeared that her "date" had arrived. He was wearing his usual hat, but his poncho was certainly new. It looked much like his usual one, only white with pale markings. His dark hair was the same as usual but his feathers looked a bit straighter, and softer as well. Despite the simple changes in appearance, the slightly shorter bird cleared her throat, silently praising her dark feathers in her mind for hiding any evidence of the warmth that had risen to her cheeks. "Hello, Theodore." She greeted softly.
Blinking, the crow offered a light, slow nod in acknowledgment. "Miss Tanana." He replied, offering another small, rare smile. It disappeared once again when she suddenly glanced away from him with a partial chuckle mixed in with a cough. Tilting his head, he brought up a wing and lightly brushed one of her cheeks briefly, as he had done earlier. "Are you well?"
Looking at him again, she smiled and nodded a few times. "Fine, yes. Shall we...find a seat?"
Nodding once again, Wounded Bird offered her a wing, which she took lightly without hesitation, and led her over to a few empty chairs, soon settling by her side comfortably once they had chosen a seat.
Adina smiled as she watched the two, chuckling silently and shaking her head before turning her gaze on the street. Another song had begun to play, namely for couples but it wasn't the least bit slow. She rolled her eyes in a goodhearted manner when she caught sight of Rango and Beans dancing still to the upbeat tune.
Oh, darlin, i'm gonna love you forever,
Forever and ever, amen,
As long as old men sit and talk about the weather,
As long as old women sit and talk about old men,
The young snake couldn't help but tap the end of her tail on the ground to the beat. However, noticing that a few citizens were lingering a short distance from the food tables, seemingly waiting for her to move away from them, she politely slithered off to the side and leaned lightly against the side of a building, just outside of a small alley. She continued to smile and tap her tail, still watching the couples dance happily with one another. Once that song had ended, another, more slower one began to play.
"Bunch'a lovestruck fools if ya ask me." Rumbled a voice from behind her in the alley, causing her to turn and lock gazes with a pair of sharp, fiery eyes staring out at the dancers in distaste.
Her smile remained despite the words and she lifted her tail in a slight shrug. "I guess so. If you're not into that sort of thing." She replied, slipping back a few feet to be closer to him, both serpents just hidden in the darkness of the alleyway. He didn't look at her yet, and merely grunted at her response, though he did slide his coils forward and wrap them around her a bit. Smiling a bit more briefly, she leaned against his long neck and gave the rough, almost jagged scales a brief nuzzle. "What are you doing here anyway? I never took you for a soul who joined in on things like this."
"You see me "joinin'" in on anythin'?" He asked sarcastically, looking down at her briefly and raising a brow before looking back at the dancers. "Only reason i'm here is, believe it or not, 'cause of you. And mostly 'cause I can't get a goddamned wink a' sleep with these idiots prancin' about like monkeys with their loud music." He snorted.
"Well, you seem to enjoy watching these "idiots", as you like to call them." She said with a light chuckle. "And if you don't like it we could always find somewhere else to be."
"Maybe..." He said, then turned his gaze to her own once again. "Though, seems yer just fine where you is now. I think i'll tolerate it here with ya. Fer now, at least." He flicked his tongue over her lips briefly, then across her cheek.
"How considerate of you." She said teasingly, batting her eyelashes at him a couple of times lightly. She let out a laugh and jerked her coils to the side briefly when his gatling gun suddenly gave her side a hard jab. He had found the sensitive area a few nights ago, much to the black snake's displeasure. "Come on now, what did I say about that?"
He let out a low chuckle, smirking in a cocky and mischievous way. "That's what yer gonna get every time ya get wise with me. Don't like it, then don't say somethin' you know yer gonna regret."
Emitting a chuckle of her own, she feigned disappointment. "Ohh, but it's so fun toying with you." She said, letting out a louder laugh when he did it again, harder this time. "Don't, don't, stop." She said, taking his tail in her own and holding it back, being serious this time, though she did chuckle for a minute before frowning just ever so slightly. "You don't want to draw attention, do you?"
"Who gives a damn now whether or not they see? They ain't gonna do nothin' to ya long as i'm around."
"Maybe, but I don't want to confirm what they've already been speculating about me."
"Adina, you ain't gotta worry about what any of them cowardly little fools think of ya." He grunted, giving the base of her jaw a light kiss. "I say fuck 'em all. Ya ain't gotta prove yerself to nobody. They wanna believe lies, then let 'em." He turned her gaze back to his own when she looked away, giving her a very firm look. Despite such, she still seemed unsure. With a tired sigh, he shook his head and curled his tail more around her own, holding her in his coils more firmly. "Come on now..." He said, keeping his look hard but making his tone a bit more gentle. "What's it gonna take to make ya smile again?"
Sighing softly, the smaller serpent shook her head. "Jake, you know you don't have to do anything for me. You're all I need to be happy."
The rattlesnake gave a short hum, but wasn't satisfied with the answer. "Truth you may be tellin', but I ain't acceptin' just that." He said, bumping his snout against her own briefly. "Now i'll give ya two options;" He smirked. "I throw ya down, and fuck ya here an' now in front of God an' everyone," His smirk grew when the suggestion made her look away and laugh softly. "Or...I could turn into one of them other fools out there an' do this..." He said, bringing her a bit closer and beginning to guide her in smooth, rhythmic turns, "dancing" with her to the music.
Though surprised by the sudden, and unsuspected action, Adina tilted her head and soon found herself smiling again, leaning into the larger snake as she began to move her coils with his own. Luckily for them, the alley was big enough for the simple movements they were making.
And, there's a long road before us,
And it's a hard road indeed,
But, darlin', don't fear, 'cause i'll be right here,
To give you the strength you need,
Jake stopped after a moment, simply engulfing the rest of her body within his own, frowning at her calmly, but not in the least bit unhappy way. She returned the frown, but it was soft and compassionate, her brows furrowed at him lightly.
And through the whole ride,
I'll be by your side,
His own brows seemed to furrow, but only the slightest bit as he brushed her cheek with the cold metal of his gun. His eyes burned into her own, but all she felt now was warmth whenever they locked gazes. He leaned over gently and whispered lowly in her ear, "You belong to me." Yes, she had heard the words before, but now there was something more to the tone in his voice when he said it. Something...gentle, and loving. A tone she had rarely heard from him, given the time they had spent together. Just the sound made her smile all the more, and for once he even smiled back a bit. Not a coy, wicked grin, but a genuine smile. Before he even had the time to do it himself, she locked lips with his own and shut her eyes softly, allowing him to return it and do the same after a moment.
Wherever the trail...may lead.
Their mouths broke apart after a long moment, but they kept their snouts pressed together. Finally, Jake offered her one of his usual smirks. "Don't expect this part of me to show itself too often now." He teased, grinning thinly.
Laughing lightly, Adina offered him a smirk in return, though a loving one. "Wonderful as it is...it's not the Jake I fell in love with."
Chuckling lowly at her words, he leaned in once again to kiss her, but seemed to pause at the sudden silence that had come over the once noisy townsfolk. He glanced over, as did Adina, and saw that everyone was looking up at the sky slightly, and towards the end of town. His tongue flickered out, smelling and tasting the air. He let out a low rumble. Something wasn't right.
"Jake?" Adina asked, keeping her eyes on the distracted citizens in worry. "What is it?"
He flicked his tongue out again, gaze going to the sky. "Dunno." He replied. "Ain't familiar with this smell."
Not a moment later, a large knife, seemingly from nowhere, flew down and embedded itself into the ground just in the center of the street, barely missing a few startled animals, who jumped back sharply. Dangling from the bone hilt of the knife was a black and gold ribbon. Adina stiffened sharply, green eyes widening as her pupils turned to small slits. "No..." She near whimpered.
As quick as the knife had come, so had its apparent owner, who sent animals scurrying away in terror as she landed hard on the ground, one set of sharp talons landing on the hilt of her blade while the other slammed a black, beaten figure to the ground. Smirking wide, the Golden Eagle straightened up and stood tall, towering over all the citizens in town. The figure beneath her one foot coughed, and a familiar voice rang through the street.
"Father!" Adina heard Tanana cry out.
Chuckling lowly, Semira turned and gazed upon the terrified Dirtonian's faces, asking lightly in an amused tone of voice, "Am I interrupting your charming little party?" She said, running a long middle talon through the old raven's feathers as she continued to hold him down. Though covered in scratches with a few ripped out feathers here and there, he was still very much alive, just disoriented.
It wasn't long until Ragnar soon landed by her side, followed by a decent number of armored bats, who each took places on nearly every roof in town.
Managing to refrain from hissing or rattling his tail, Jake near hid the frightened female in his coils as he cocked his gun as silently as he could. Wyatt, he now knew, had been right all along...