This may or may not be a very short chapter, but then again, it is the final one. There's SOME smut later on towards the end, so be wary of that if you're not into that crap. I really enjoyed working on this fic and appreciate everyone who wrote all of the lovely reviews. :) Thank you, all. Maybe i'll write some drabbles of Rango with the OCs from this story, though. If anyone would want to read them, of course.
Rango kicked one of the back paws of a bat sprawled out onto the moist ground to see if it was dead, a shotgun in his hand. The town was quiet now, and most of the bats had been terminated. Those that hadn't had already flown away. Thankfully, none of the citizens had been killed during the large battle, but a number of them were injured. The chameleon's own shirt was partially torn across the back and right shoulder, and even his vest had been damaged. The rain had stopped only moments before, and Rango glanced up as the sun attempted to fight its way through the thick clouds. He then felt a warm hand place itself on his shoulder, making him turn around to see its owner.
Beans offered him a light smile, a few rips and tears in her own dress here and there, but nothing some thread and a needle couldn't fix. She brushed at a small cut on her cheek and tucked some flyaways back into her reddish brown hair before giving his cheek a kiss. "You alright?" She asked him.
He offered her a nod and a smile of his own. "Just dandy." He replied, but frowned slightly and pointed to the cut on her cheek.
Blinking in confusion, she placed a hand on her face and chuckled when she felt the cut again before waving it off. "Ain't nothin' to fuss about, hon. Won't even need stitches."
Clearing his throat, he nodded his head a few times more. "If you're sure, sweetheart. Though, ya can't stop me from worryin' i'm afraid." He said, looking past her and raising a brow at the sound of whiny blubbering nearby.
"R-rabies...rabies!" Mr. Snuggles sobbed as Shanahan looked over his right leg, where the pants had been mostly torn away. There was a deep bite from one of the bats around his shin area, leaving a bloody mess around the mangled fur.
The old raven rolled his eyes and shook his head with a sigh, slapping the distraught porcupine in the back of the head with a wing. "Pull yourself together, you walking pincushion, you aren't gonna get rabies!" He snorted before looking to the wound again. "Now keep still, I need to concentrate."
"Owww!" Snuggles wailed, holding his paws in front of him when Shanahan sent him a particularly flat look.
"I haven't touched it yet..." He said.
Rango couldn't help but smirk, laughing lightly at the two before glancing over at Doc, who was seated on the steps of his office with one arm rested over a beaten bat's neck, one of the army's few survivors. He took a long swig from his flask before offering some to the winged mammal, who was panting tiredly from the fight. "Come on now, don't feel too bad fer losin'. We was handlin' guns afore any a you were off yer momma's teat."
The bat looked at the flask before wrapping a claw around it and taking a long sip.
Rapid knocking quickly sounded from the other side of Doc's office door soon after, the handle beginning to jiggle as well. Wounded Bird, who had been surveying the dead bats littered along the ground, turned to look towards the office before limping over with his crutch. His feathers were dirty and ruffled, and a part of his poncho torn, but he was perfectly fine aside from all of that. He made his way up the steps with ease before unlocking the door and opening it. He barely had time to react as a certain Grackle just about tackled him to the ground with a tight hug. Accidentally, of course.
The crow landed on his back with a grunt, but it hadn't hurt as much as one would expect. He was a tough old avian, after all. Blinking, he looked to Tanana, laying atop of him, in surprise as her eyes scanned his form over near frantically for injury.
"Are you ok? I'm so sorry if I hurt you, I was just..." She shook her head, finally looking at his face and furrowing her brows lightly, asking in a much calmer tone, "...Are you ok?"
Tilting his head slightly, Wounded Bird lifted a wing and brushed her cheek with a few feathers. "Could not hurt me if you tried." He said, offering her another one of his rare smiles to reassure her.
Smiling herself, she offered a soft nod and chuckled once in her throat, obviously relieved. She brushed his wing with her own briefly before suddenly locking him in a deep kiss.
The crow stiffened momentarily when she did, blinking and casting a glance over to Shanahan nearby with his eyes before even thinking of returning it, almost as if asking for permission to.
Gawking silently at the two for a few seconds, the old raven quickly shook his feathers and cleared his throat roughly. He looked to the side and flicked his wing a few times, as if to say, 'You may proceed...' before turning his back to them, allowing them to have their little moment. After all, he had to eventually come to terms that his little girl wasn't so little anymore. Age wise, at least.
Blinking again, Wounded Bird only waited a second longer before swiftly returning the kiss. He deepened it sharply as his wings went around her to press her as firmly to himself as he could, but making sure it wasn't tight enough to hurt her. He brushed along the feathers of her back tenderly.
Waffles grinned at them from nearby, his tail wagging slightly as he held the frying pan he had thrown earlier in his hands. His shirt was a bit torn up, and he had a few nicks here and there, but he was fine. Catching some movement in the corner of his eye, the horned toad lizard looked down the road and rose his brows high at seeing the forms of two familiar serpents in the near distance, as well as a much larger figure following close behind them. Slowly, he began to grin again. "Miss Adina!" He cried, dropping the skillet with a clang and hurrying forward to greet them.
Upon hearing her friend's name, Tanana broke the kiss her and Bird had been sharing and looked over sharply, raising her brows in surprise.
Rolling his eyes upon hearing Waffles, Jake released Adina from his coils, though somewhat reluctantly, and looked away as the small lizard leaped at her.
The black snake chuckled softly with a grin and caught him in her tail, hugging him close and tucking her head over his own. "Hey, Waffles." She said sweetly. "I missed you."
"I missed you too, Miss Adina." He said, nuzzling her softer underscales before looking up at her. "I was afraid i'd never see ya again."
Smirking in a kindly way, she gave his head a light noogie with the end of her tail. "Oh, you guys aren't getting rid of me that easy." She chuckled, grinning thinly when he hugged her tight again. Something smooth and cold gently brushed against her back briefly, making her shiver. Setting Waffles down again, she turned and smiled at the familiar figure behind her.
Wyatt smiled at her warmly before offering a wink. "Now didn't I tell you ya didn't come all this way for nothin'?"
Adina tilted her head slightly, continuing to grin before wrapping herself around him in a hug, chuckling when he returned it a few seconds later. "Couldn't have done it without you, Wyatt." She said, looking up at him softly. "Thank you."
The old rattlesnake grinned thinly and tipped his hat, then glanced over at Jake with a smirk. "And how're you holdin' out, Jacob?" He smirked wider and chuckled when the other pit viper merely grunted and snorted at him distastefully.
The Black Racer shook her head lightly with a smirk, nudging Jake lightly with her tail before looking back to Wyatt. "So, what's next on your agenda, Wyatt? Are you gonna go off to assist another damsel in distress?" Her smirk widened slightly.
Wyatt chuckled once again and kept his smile, though it was much more calmer now. He glanced behind him for a moment, where the rest of his gang stood watch from afar, their ghostly figures standing out brightly against their surroundings. "Actually," he began before turning forward again and looking up at the dark clouds. Some of them parted, allowing golden rays of sunlight to shine down on them and various other spots in the area. "It's time for us to go."
Adina furrowed her brows slightly, confused, though deep down she had a feeling what he had meant. "Go?"
Looking back down at her again, holding his smile, he nodded once with a soft hum. "My time wanderin' this desert is done, i'm afraid. Though, I will admit that there ain't a day that's gone by where I haven't wished i'd had a second chance at life to right my past wrongs. My intentions may have been good, but that doesn't justify some of my actions." He brushed her cheek with his rattle briefly. "I do thank you, though. Fer finally settin' us free."
The smaller serpent frowned softly. "I didn't do anything. But...do you really have to?"
Wyatt stared down at her sympathetically before offering another nod. "I can't go on a ghost forever, Adina. Sure, I ain't got no worries bein' this way, but that don't mean it's all good an' fun. Been a long time since iv'e felt anythin' other than the cold that comes with death. I wanna go home now, wherever that may be."
The Black Racer tilted her head a bit and nodded softly, blinking back the sting in her glistening eyes. "I understand." She offered another smile.
"Come on now, don't get all teary-eyed." He said, smiling softly. "Tears never accomplished anything."
"I know...but they help sometimes." She replied while looking down, barely keeping the waver from her voice.
Wyatt lifted her chin again, smiling still. "Suppose I can't argue with that one." He brushed her cheek once more before releasing her finally, beginning to back up. "I'll check in on ya from time to time." He said, looking back over at Jake. "Take care of this one, Jacob. Not many quite like 'er around here."
The outlaw rumbled lowly, but did dip his head briefly, coming up behind the Black Racer and coiling himself around her again slightly. "I will. Long as she allows me to."
The older rattlesnake smirked and backed up more, looking towards the sky again, as did the other Devil's Angels. The green glow to their transparent figures slowly changed to a more golden yellow, and they began to disappear from the feet up. After a few seconds, they became nothing more than gold and white wisps floating in the air, slowly rising higher and higher before disappearing into the illuminated clouds.
Wyatt's figure remained for a few seconds more, smiling as the remainder of his gang disappeared from view before looking back to Jake and the others. His brows furrowing just a little, he gave his hat one last tip to them before he, too, dissolved into a wisp of light and joined the others. Some of the rain clouds had already gone away, leaving the town in a beam of warm sunlight.
Jake turned his gaze away from the clouds, his usual firm frown on his face, and looked at the smaller snake in his hold. "And to think, I coulda avoided all this if I had just said no to the sheriff."
Adina looked at him, tilting her head softly before nudging his cheek with her snout. "I know. I am sorry for dragging you and everyone into this. It wasn't my-"
The rattlesnake rolled his eyes and shook his head as she spoke. "Ah, shut up." He said flatly, cutting her off suddenly by a brief kiss. The outlaw broke it after a few seconds and licked any of the remaining taste off his lips. He smirked down at the surprised female after a minute, grinning a thin, malicious grin. "Been a mighty interestin' month at least." He said, surprising her yet again when he took his hat off and placed it on her own head for a moment, the brim falling over her eyes. "Now that yer damned eagle's been taken care of, guess ya don't have much of a reason to stay."
Jerking her head up slightly, trying to straighten the hat with a puff of air, she finally just settled with holding the brim away from her eyes as she offered him a soft smirk of her own. "Well...I could probably think of a couple good ones." She moved her tail closer to brush along his mouth and down to his cheek. "If you'll have me, of course."
"Need I remind you again who you belong to?" He asked, his grin widening as he held her a bit tighter. "Besides, can't have ya runnin' off to fall in love with some other fool, now can I?"
"Not that you're a fool." Adina said, pressing her snout to his own again, her affectionate smirk remaining. "Stubborn and loud maybe, but not a fool. And I don't think I could love anyone else if I tried."
"Good. 'Cause yer stuck with me, girl."
"Stuck?" She said, raising a brow with a chuckle. "Shouldn't I be the one saying that to you?"
"Maybe...but if I wanted to get rid of you," He pressed the end of his gun under her throat, a cocky smirk playing at his lips. "I could. Now, you, on the other hand, can't do nothin' 'bout me."
Adina laughed lightly. "Hmm. Whatever shall I do, then?"
"Buck up an' get used to it." He grunted, flicking his tongue over her lips as his frown returned. He was just about to lean in to steal another kiss when the darker snake was suddenly knocked from his coils and to the ground by another, smaller figure. Scowling slightly with a hiss, Jake rattled his tail in irritation at being interrupted, glaring down at the bird that was now smothering Adina in her wings. "This better not become a normal occurrence fer you, witch."
Tanana ignored Jake as she near strangled the Black Racer's neck with a hug. "Adina, I could kill you right now after the grief you've put me through..."
The female serpent let out a few choked chuckles, grinning thinly. "Forgive me for being such an inconvenience."
The Grackle snorted and slapped her wing over Adina's snout a few times after releasing her. "Not an inconvenience...more like an occasional annoyance." Of course she meant none of it, though. Her look softened quite considerably before she nudged the snake's muzzle with her beak, getting off her finally. "You're going to give me grey feathers, you know."
Adina sat up with a soft laugh. "Well, you have quite the array of colors already. A bit of grey or white might look nice."
"You may be able to pull off black and white, but I'm not sure about me." The small bird rolled her eyes before finally offering a friendly smirk.
The Black Racer chuckled again, but before she could reply, she was scooped up and pulled away by a larger set of coils. Jake held her to himself almost possessively as he gave Tanana a slight look. "You got plenty a' time fer a happy reunion with 'er. Go find the indian or somethin'."
Adina scoffed and nudged him lightly, "Jake..."
"It's alright, Adina." The Grackle said, holding up a wing briefly. "I'll leave you two alone for now." She sent Jake a slight look and said, "You're gonna have to let her go eventually." She then turned and headed back to her father and Wounded Bird.
"Not yet..." The outlaw grunted before turning his attention back to the smaller snake in his hold, frowning lightly. "You owe me."
The Black Racer rose a brow high at him, tilting her head. "What for? Worrying you?"
"That..." He snorted. "And a number of other things. Leavin' me here with that bumblin' fool of a sheriff most of all."
Adina smirked and chuckled softly. "And what is it you want from me?"
Jake remained silent for a long moment, merely frowning down at her before his coils tightened slightly. He leaned in closer with a wide, wicked grin and nudged the underside of her chin with his gun, lifting her head slightly. "All in good time, baby girl. You'll figure it out soon enough." He flicked his tongue over her lips again before silencing her with another kiss before she could ask, rumbling deeply as he pushed her head deep into his coils.
Waffles blinked a bit at the two before looking away, grimacing slightly at the kiss. He turned when he heard Spoons and a few others call out to him from down the road for help in straightening up the town a bit. He beamed at them and cast the two serpents a final glance before turning and bounding toward them. "I'm comin'!" He called out, leaving the outlaw and his friend to themselves.
A few, much drier and hotter days passed after the entire Semira incident had occurred, and things had just about returned to normal in the old town. With the old mill now destroyed, Adina, for the time, had to stay at the mayor's. Needless to say, Jake didn't mind as much as he would have a few weeks ago, given there was far more privacy and less dust in the empty office. A number of the townsfolk had made amends with the young snake, thanks to some "fair persuasion" from Beans and Tanana, and had even offered to rebuild the mill for her. An offer Adina accepted, given that she was allowed to help with the work.
The sun had only been up for an hour or so, and most of the townsfolk were still in a deep sleep. Two of them, however, were now wide awake.
An 'ok' or 'good' was all that Jake needed to hear when he asked Adina how she was feeling that morning. It wasn't long at all before he had her restrained in his thick coils, emitting lustful rumbles and hisses into her ear as he caressed his heated body against her own. Though she had barely begun to wake up, she didn't resist his actions and rolled her eyes with a soft smirk, quite easily figuring out it was her "payment" for what had happened.
This had been almost a good twenty minutes earlier of course, and both were already well into their escapade. Jake hissed sharply, his tail giving a harsh rattle as he slammed himself into the smaller serpent once again. His twin members throbbed and ached harder each time he reentered, which was starting to become a more difficult feat with her gradually becoming tighter around him. He nipped the back of her neck briefly with a low rumble as she moaned and writhed slightly in his grasp. He sensed she wouldn't last much longer at this rate and smirked heavily to himself, nipping her again as he strengthened his thrusts to a near jarring degree. A deep chuckle sounded from his throat when she cried out briefly, half in surprise and half in ecstasy. He hissed again as he felt the biting sensation of his release draw near, sinking his smaller fangs into the side of her neck and holding her tighter. He gave a few final, hard thrusts, rocking heavily against her before hilting himself when he couldn't hold back any longer.
He listened to her cry out a final time before easing his grip when the sensations began to die down. He released her neck with a heavy pant before licking at the marks he had left in her flesh. Sluggishly, they both untangled themselves from one another before Adina settled into the center of his coils tiredly, a quiet rumble of sorts welling up from her chest.
Jake laid his head down across her back and let his eyes slip shut, a satisfied smirk on his face. He chuckled lowly after a minute. "Betcha regret tellin' me yer fine now."
"No, actually." She replied in a groggy tone, hiding her head under a section of his tail to shield her face from the morning sun pouring in the window. "I think I enjoyed it almost as much as you did."
He chuckled again, lifting his tail from over her face and sliding his head in front of her own to block the sun. "Almost?" He asked, lifting her chin slightly with his gun. "Sounded to me like it was more."
Adina smirked lightly and chuckled as she gave his face a weak shove away from her own with her tail. "You decide how much." She closed her eyes. "I'm sleeping."
Jake smirked widely with a low rumble, licking her lips briefly before dragging his tongue further down her coils to begin the process of cleaning up, as it were. He had barely gotten past her middle when he heard the faint sounds of knocking downstairs, from the first floor. Narrowing his eyes, he instantly scowled and refrained from yelling down to whomever it was to go away. He growled to himself and moved away from the smaller snake, not bothering to wake her as he slipped out of the office doors and down the stairs. The unfinished theater hadn't been touched in days, much to his delight, and he figured if that's what someone was their for now, they had made a grave mistake. Cocking his gatling gun, he threw the doors open as another series of knocks sounded and snarled, "What?" He paused, however, when he came face to face with...not an animal's face at all, but the base of pale, glossy coils. Following them up, he drew back slightly in both irritation in surprise at the familiar figure smirking down at him. "The hell you doin'?"
Chuckling heartily to himself, the albino rattlesnake tipped his hat before saying in his usual warm tone, "Mornin', Jacob. I believe standin' here is what i'm doin'. Judgin' by the smell of you, it's not to hard to figure out what you were just doin'." Wyatt chuckled again.
The outlaw scowled and rumbled heavily, raising his tail to shoot the old snake for the hell of it, but paused when he received a serious, almost concerned look in return. Wyatt had grabbed his tail quite quickly in his own and pushed it to the side slightly, away from him. It was then he noticed the albino's golden bullets and gun belt were gone.
"I'd prefer if ya didn't point that thing at me anymore, Jake. It's a bit early fer accidents just yet." Wyatt said.
Jake scoffed lightly, drawing back in confusion. "The hell you care for? Yer dead." Smirking once again, the older rattlesnake was about to reply when another familiar face appeared beside Jake.
Adina, having heard the commotion and come down, peered out from behind the door and rose her brows high. Her green eyes seemed to glint in the sun as she grinned at the figure before them. "Wyatt." She said happily, quickly slipping out and giving the older snake another hug. She smiled even more when his gentle chuckling greeted her, but then she paused, blinking. Something was definitely different with him, and it took her a few seconds to realize. His coils were warm. Confused, she pulled away and looked him up and down, tilting her head. "Wyatt...?"
The large pit viper grinned down at her thinly, his eyes still gold but with a few tints of brown around the center. "Surprise." He said.
Adina blinked again before realization suddenly hit her. "Wait...you're...? You're alive?" She said, drawing back in astonishment.
Jake drew back himself, his own brows going up slightly. "Wha?"
Wyatt laughed lightly, his grin wide as it could be. "Quite." He said, lifting his tail and showing a small cut near the base of his rattle. "Slithered over a piece of glass on my way here. And it hurt. Ain't that somethin'?" He laughed again, obviously quite happy himself.
Ignoring Adina's own laugh of joy, Jake pushed forward and shook his head. "Now, hold on a minute..." He growled, poking the larger snake in the chest with his tail roughly, as if testing for himself. "Exactly how long is this fer?"
The albino rattlesnake chuckled down at him, offering his equivalent of a shrug as Adina hugged him once again. "Well, i'm 63 now, not countin' the years I were dead, of course. I'd say about...oh, 25 more years or so. Give or take."
For a long moment, Jake only stared at the rattler long and hard as he processed the idea in his mind. He paid no attention to the other two now as they began to discuss a few various things, including what his first meal should be after over a century and what he was going to do with the time he had left. After another long moment, he seemed to sink down heavily on his coils as a flat look appeared on his face. "...Fuck."
~ Fin ~
