GAH! FINALLY! I had to get an entirely new computer before I could finish this -.-! But on the bright side, this computer is a lot better than my old one, so I'm really hoping that I won't have as much trouble with this one :3

Anyway, here's finally the next chapter :D! So, so sorry for the wait!

*** Chapter Thirty-Seven : The Keys ***

Niño watched the roadrunners in the corral with narrowed eyes and clamped teeth. This day had sucked. Hard! The entire ordeal with the school had been slow, painful and unnecessarily agonizing! He had never needed to go to school before; his mom had taught him everything.

The only class consisted of all the kids in Dirt ranging from 8 to 15 years old, and their teacher was probably the most patient and talkative burrowing owl ever born (or hatched). And they had all been overly curious about the newcomer. First he had tried to get away from it all by pretending to only speak and understand Spanish, but that plan had failed the instant the teacher turned out to speak perfect Spanish as well.

Then he had tried to either avoid the other kids, or tried to scare them off by pretending to be just as bloodthirsty as Loco-Lorenz' 'El Monstruo'. It had worked at first, but then they had gotten curious again and wanted to know every single detail of his life. Apparently, having a rattlesnake as a daycare lady had made the next generation of Dirtonians less afraid and mistrusting of snakes. They found it fascinating that he was Blakes son, for some reason, and one of the boys had asked if he ever killed anyone. But he didn't reply when Niño asked if he wanted to be his first victim.

Now, hours that felt like an eternity later, he was sitting by the corrals behind the livery, watching the dumb birds strut around without any worries in the world. Unlike him...

With a low growl, he picked a pebble from the ground with his rattle and chucked it at the cluster of roadrunners, dozing off by a water trough carved out of clay and wood and which connected to a well and several other troughs with a long, metal pipe. He missed the birds, but the little rock hit the metal pipe, and the noise made some of the birds carefully wake up from their siesta.

He didn't want to be here, he never asked to be left off with that estupido Blake! His mom had decided to leave him with Blake for as long as needed, since she didn't him to get hurt. It was a dangerous job she had accepted, but still! She didn't have to leave him! It wasn't THAT dangerous, and he could take care of himself! He's not a little neonate anymore! Besides, she wouldn't be the only one there for him, the rest of the gang would be there too; Pacha, Loco-Lorenz, Emilio...

Niño picked up another rock and threw it into the corral. This time it landed in the trough with a faint splash. The birds looked around in confusion, and one starting to peck at another. They didn't seem especially concerned by the little rattlesnakes presence either.

The snake hissed in annoyance and picked up a third pebble. It just wasn't fair! She had ALWAYS treated him like some little fragile baby! She should have taken him with her, but noo! Instead, she left him with the dumbest snake in the world; Blake. He hated Blake. He didn't want anything to do with that knucklehead, and neither did his mom. But he was the only one she had who could take care of Niño while she was gone. They didn't have a family anymore, and the only friends she had was the gang. Blake was like the only family they had left. And they hated that thought...

Niño threw the third pebble away with a frustrated growl, and this time the pebble landed on one of the roadrunners back. The bird squawked and jolted in surprise, began to look around for any attackers. But when it couldn't find any, it began to polish and correct its feathers where the pebble had hit instead. The rest were still tiredly dozing off, and nothing seemed to concern them. Those stupid birds!

He picked up an new small rock and was just about to throw it when he heard someone holler behind him. "Hey! Knock that out!"

With a wince, Niño dropped the rock and turned around to face his 'father'. "Whaddya want?" He groaned in annoyance.

"I want'cha to stop throwin' rocks at 'em birds!" He paused and threw a glance at the roadrunners. Niño was about to come with an angry remark when Blake suddenly started to grin mischievously, causing the youngster to frown at him in confusion. "B'sides, THIS is how ya do it, kid!" The other diamondback suddenly said and snickered as he quickly slithered to the gate of the corral.

Niño arched an eyebrow. "Que?"

Without a sound, Blake undid the hatch before headbutting the wooden gate open. He grinned evilly at the roadrunners for a moment, then he suddenly lunged for them.

"OI! WAKEY WAKEY, EGGS N' BAKEY!" He hollered and dove in among the roadrunners. "Move it! SCOOT! GRAH!"

Total hysteria broke out when the roadrunners were abruptly woken up from their slumber and scared half to death by a huge snake. Feathers were flying everywhere and a cacophony of terrified squawks could be heard all over the town, and in the middle of it all was Blake, writhing on the ground with laughter. When the roadrunners bolted towards the open gate to escape the danger, Niño instinctively dove in behind a barrel and watched the hysterical birds run amok into the rest of the town.

Blake was laughing madly, and Niño couldn't help but to grin as well. "Look at 'em go!" The youngster laughed when the roadrunners could be spotted running up and down the streets, and the hollers from men who tried to catch them could be heard.

"C'mon!" Blake motioned with his head to the stables. "Let's go b'fore Jo comes!" Niño nodded and followed his father.

They hurried to slither out through one of the back doors and avoided the main street, but they didn't get far until Jolene suddenly dashed out from a side alley right in front of them. She was dusty and had scratches from beaks and claws on her face, and she looked pissed. She hissed furiously and bared her prong-like fangs at them, but didn't say anything.

"Hey, sis!" Blake grinned innocently. "Where's the fire?"

"Blaaake!" She growled and began to rattle her tail in anger. "I KNOW you did this!"

"Did what, sis?"

"Let 'em out!" She nodded at main street, which was overrun by roadrunners. "You're always doin' shit like this! ALWAYS!"

"No! Not this time!" Blake scoffed. "I've been with Niño all this time, right kid?"

"Actually, he did let 'em out" Niño nodded and grinned at the angry frown his dad gave him. "I was there and I saw him!"

"I know he did, that's why YOU'RE the one who's gonna catch 'em again, Blake!" She hissed at her brother, who groaned in annoyance. Niño laughed at his father, but stopped when Jolene turned her attention back to him. "What're ya gaffin' at?! You're gonna help 'im git 'em back in, kiddo!"

Now it was Blake's turn to grin victoriously at his sons painful wince, but Niño tried to ignore him. "But I didn't do anythin'!" He protested and nodded at Blake. "It was all HIS idea'!"

"Maybe, but ya were there too an' that's make ya an accomplice in the eyes of the law! Now hop to it or you'll both spend the next night in jail, sharin' the same cell!"

Niño threw a glare at Blake, but he had to admit it; that thing his father did, chasing out those roadrunners into the streets, was really funny!

…

Later, just after the sun passed and the majority of the town had shut down and went to bed. The saloon was lit and noises like clinking glass and mens laughter could be heard from the building, and Jolene was only visible as a dark blue shadow as she slithered around the streets on her usual night patrols.

Niño shuddered when a chilly night breeze swept through the alley he was hiding in. He should be in bed right now and everyone thought he was fast asleep, but what they didn't know was that he had other things to do than going to sleep. More important things. But while he waited, he grew more and more impatient, and that he was occasionally spitting feathers didn't do much to improve his mood. Those damn birds; he'd probably be spitting feathers for a week now because of them!

It hadn't been a graceful sight watching Blake and Niño try to herd the roaming roadrunners back to their corral. But apparently, the Dirtonians thought it was an hilarious display, as they had been sitting around at all time and cheered on either the roadrunners or the snakes. Some had even climbed up on the saloon and hotels balconies to get a better view!

But even if the ordeal had been a pain in the ass to both of the diamondbacks in the end, they had still caught themselves actually having fun. Together. While chasing a bunch of peabrained birds up and down the streets. Niño groaned and rubbed his face in his coils. He must have been REALLY bored if he had found THAT amusing earlier! Especially since he was accompanied by Blake!

A sudden pair of footsteps coming closer made Niño look up and frown skeptically. He was really hoping it was who he was waiting for. Or he'd get into a LOT of trouble already! He just barely managed to hold back a sigh of relief when Bad Bill showed up around the corner, constantly looking over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't seen by anyone.

"Finally!" Niño snorted and cocked his head to the side. "Got what I asked for?"

Bill muttered something low to himself and started rummaging in a satchel he carried. He eventually found what he was looking for and handed the young snake two blocks split in half and containing some sort of clay. Niño yanked them out of his hands and studied them with a smirk. These were proper molds for making keys. A lot better than he had expected!

"Nicely done, señor Bill! Where did'cha get these?"

Bill folded his arms. "That ain't important, is it?"

"Nah, just curious..." Niño shrugged. "I'll come to the hideout once my part is done. Shouldn't take that long!"

"How can I know ya ain't gonna cheat us, an' jus' go rob the bank yourself?"

"Because ya need two grown men to open the vault door, duh!"

Bill growled lowly. He still wasn't convinced. "Ya could send Jolene after us, tell her where our hideout is an' blame it all on us?"

Niño shrugged. "Yeah I could do that, but I won't. B'cause who'll then tell the world 'bout me?" He sighed and shook his head. "Look, señor Bill, if I wanted to bust y'all into jail, then I would've brought Jolene along with me, and if I wanted all the money for myself, I'd figure out a way to rob the bank myself. Why go through with all this if I'm just gonna stab y'all in the back? It just ain't worth it!"

Bill narrowed his eyes at the young snake and glared at him in silence for a while, then he slowly turned around. "Fine, but ya r'member what I told ya what happen if this is a trap?"

The snake grinned. "Don't worry, señor Bill! I remember alright!"

Without any further ado, Bill turned around completely and walked back to where he came from. When he was out of sight, Niño stopped grinning and growled. It wasn't like he wanted to work with these two, but he didn't have a choice; so far Bad Bill and his goons were the only ones around. Bill didn't like him, and to be honest, Niño didn't think too highly of the big lizard either. But as his mother use to say: you gotta make the best of what you got!

…

The next morning went on just like the previous; he was roughly woken up by Blake and sent off to school, where he spent the day daydreaming and avoiding his classmates. As soon as the day ended, he hurried 'home' and when he made sure that nobody was home, he went to his bed. From underneath the pillow he withdrew a yellow bandana which he tied around his neck, almost making it resemble a bag of some sort. Then he began to rummage around underneath the mattress and found one of the casts.

He paused and looked at the two halves of the block, containing some sort of clay which kept the shape of anything that was pressed against it. With this he would make copies of the vault keys, and help a bunch of outlaws to rob a bank. His heart skipped an excited beat as he stuck the block inside the loop of the bandana. He tried to conceal it as well as he could, but there was still a little bump sticking out. With a low mumble, he gave up and slithered back out into the sun. Hopefully, nobody would ask about the bandana...

He slithered around the streets, thinking as he made his way to the bank. He needed to get his coils on at least one of the keys today so he could make the molds after them, but how? And which one would be the easiest?

Just as he arrived to the bank, the door was so suddenly opened that he instinctively dove in underneath the wooden porch outside it. He peeked out just as Beans stepped out from the building and continued down the street. Niño arched an invisible eyebrow and carefully stuck his head out, glancing at the bank. They must have closed the vault for the day, and now Beans was heading back home. Good timing; this could be his chance to get his hand on one of the keys!

He got out from the porch and looked around. It appeared to be a slow day for Dirt, there wasn't a lot of activity going on not even on main street, so there were hardly anyone around either! Good! But he was still careful not to be seen or raise suspicions as he followed Beans to a wagon that was parked outside the blacksmiths. A pale colored javelina was just being strapped in front of the wagon by the blacksmith himself as Beans appeared.

They talked about something for a minute and the blacksmith, a chubby and stout boar, demonstrated something by tapping the wheels of the wagon with the back of his hooflike hand. Beans payed him some money and they said their goodbyes, before she started leading the javelina and the wagon away to another part of the street; the general store. Niño curiously followed.

He watched as Beans went into the store and shortly afterwards, an old, scruffy bird walked out with a bunch of heavy looking bags. Beans came out again and once the shopkeeper had brought out all the bags, she thanked him and was about to reach for one of the bags, but the shopkeeper stopped her and insisted that he should help her with those.

But Niño noticed that the bird was old and already getting tired, and even Beans seemed concerned about that. He instantly got an idea and slithered forth.

"Umm, excuse me?" He said carefully, and the two adults turned their heads to him in surprise. "Do you need a hand with those?" He nodded at the bags, and both Beans and the shopkeeper looked at the bags as well. "I was just passin' by, and it looks you might need some assistance, no? Those bags looks awfully heavy..."

"No no, it's alright!" The shopkeeper said and tried to lift one of the heavy bags up. "I-I think I'll m-manage!" The old bird staggered as he managed to hoist the bag onto his back. Then he slowly made his way to the wagon on wobbly legs before finally throwing the bag up on the lorry. When he was done, he was breathing hard and used an old rag to wipe the sweat off his forehead.

"Actually..." Beans said and a hint of concern could be heard in her voice. "I think it would be better if we accepted his help, Mr Fergus"

"What? Ya think I'm old or somethin'?" The old bird protested and stuck the rag back into his back pocket.

She didn't hesitate. "Yeah"

Mr Fergus mumbled something incoherent to himself, then glanced at Niño and nodded. "Sure, Mrs Beans an' I really would appreciate some help"

Niño managed to keep the victorious smirk at bay. "No problemo!" He said and grabbed one of the bags with his mouth and began dragging it towards the wagon. It was indeed heavy!

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Beans and Mr Fergus go back into the store and haggle about the prize. He decided to focus on the bags and managed to load two more bags onto the lorry before Beans came back outside. He glanced at the three bags left on the sidewalk, then he glanced into the store. Mr Fergus was busy with another customer.

"So, señora Beans?" He said and grabbed the next bag. "What's in these bags? Some of them smell funny!"

"One bag is rice, two are wheat an' the rest is feed for mah critters" Beans replied without skipping a beat, and he couldn't help but to notice the slightly suspicious look she gave him. Of course, she wasn't of the newer generation of Dirtonians, so she was still skeptical towards snakes. And after hearing what uncle Rattlesnake-Jake used to do in this town a long time ago, she's got a very good reason to not like snakes at all!

"I see" Niño nodded and threw the bag up on the lorry with the others. The wagon rocked slightly when the heavy bag landed on it and the wheels creaked. "Ya gotta lot of critters, señora?" He said to keep the conversation going.

"Yeah, a couple of 'em"

"Auntie Jo told me ya live on a ranch? Is it far away from here?"

"Not especially, a mile or so" Beans shrugged. "But I've gotten so used to the road here it only feels like a kilometer or so"

Niño went silent for a moment. "Isn't that a pretty long trip to make if you're pregnant? And risky?"

"Not really, my only trouble would be them hawks or any other feral beasts" She paused. "But to tell ya the truth, I'd rather be at home than havin' to do this trip ev'ry day"

"Why do you have to?"

"Financial business" Was her simple reply, and Niño couldn't help but to smirk as he tossed another bag up on the lorry. He understood exactly what she meant.

"But what 'bout outlaws?" He asked and glanced at her.

She blinked in surprise. "Huh? What 'bout 'em?"

"Dont'cha ever meet 'em on yer way here?" He fiddled with the next bag, hesitating with picking it up. "I mean, robbers an' gunslingers oughta think you're an easy target, señora Beans? I ain't insinuatin' nothin', I'm just sayin' that a pregnant woman alone-...!"

"I know exactly what ya mean, kid. An' it does concern me, yeah" She sighed and carefully folded her arms, glancing down at her belly. "Jolene says she's got 'em under control, but ever since our deputy got t'gether with that hyena, bountyhunters of all kinds along with other bad people, has occasionally shown up here in the area. An' it worries me sick!"

"That hyena?" Niño curiously arched a scaly brow at the desert iguana. "I didn't know there were hyenas 'round these parts?"

"They ain't exactly common, no" Beans shook her head. "But this one came with an outlaw bountyhunter gang three years ago, an' he's stayed 'round ever since then. I s'pose I should be happy for Priscilla, our deputy, who's already found love. If it weren't because Bentley is a good for nothin' outlaw with a prize on his head. He ain't just puttin' her in danger by continuously comin' back 'ere, chased by bountyhunters; the entire town could be in the danger zone b'cause of him!"

Niño nodded understanding. "Yeah, I agree. I kinda like this town already, and it would be a shame to see it b'come a outlaw town, si?"

"Yeah, an' that's exactly what's gonna happen unless somethin' changes!" She paused for a moment. "Of course, I don't want Priscilla to be unhappy, so I ain't sayin' that she should get rid of her boyfriend. He's not causin' any troubles directly, it's just the company that he attracts who does! An' if there wasn't enough with these bountyhunters roamin' 'round, we've got Bad Bill sneakin' 'round since twenty years back, an' it's soon the cattle drivin' season, an' when the herds pass by 'ere to drink there will be rowdy an' triggerhappy cowboys on ev'ry street!"

He tried not to chuckle at her. "Dont'cha think you're a lil' judgmental right now, señora Beans? I mean, ALL cowboys can't be like that, no?"

"That's what they've all been like ever since they decided to make a cattle route past Dirt, an' that's what they'll all be like in the future as well! People like them never changes..."

"You've gotta point there" Niño shrugged and dragged the next bag over to the wagon, but instead of flinging it up on the wagon, he turned back to Beans. "Some of those men could be real cowards too! Like only attackin' defenseless women and-...!"

"Who're ya callin' defenseless?!" Beans protested and put her hands on her hips. "I may be carryin' a child, but anyone's tryin'a somethin' funny with will regret it!"

"I don't doubt that for a second, señora, but there could be other women in a similar situation? But who isn't armed like you?" He glanced at the rifle barely hidden underneath the drivers seat. "What 'bout those women?"

"I know! That's why I've told Rango do to somethin' 'bout it, he should be able to do somethin'; he's the sheriff fer cryin' out loud!" She was getting upset, and ranting. Niño tried his best to not grin as his plan seemed to work out perfectly fine so far. "He should stop the outlaws in their tracks b'fore somethin' real' bad happens, but he ain't doin' nothin'! The only one who seems to be workin' 'round 'ere is Priscilla, but she can't look after the town all on her own! An' what can she do if I'm attacked at home?!" Beans paused and glanced down at her belly again. "Not that I got a problem with defendin' myself an' the baby, but I would mind havin' a man to protect me, y'know?"

"Absolutely, señora" Niño nodded and turned back to the bag who still was waiting to be thrown up on the lorry.

"Luckily, since Jolene b'came a deputy, she seems to be keepin' some of them away at the moment. But Bad Bill an' his goons still come 'ere sometimes, an' while they ain't doin' that much damage, they're still a nuisance to the rest of us!"

"Bad Bill? The gila monster an' all those rodents? I dunno, I think they seem fun!"

"Fun?! They're anythin' but fun! They're loud ruffians with a bad influence on our children! I can't b'lieve they're STILL allowed to walk freely among us! At least Jolene's got some sense when she arrests them as soon as she see 'em!" Beans was getting really worked up by now, and Niño waited in anticipation. "They've been 'round ever since I was a kid, an' ev'rytime they show up it can only mean one thing; trouble! They're nothin' but a bunch of mean, smelly, moral-less, good-fer-nothin'-..!"

Silence. Niño turned his head around after throwing the bag up on the wagon, and noticed to his relief that the curly haired desert iguana was standing completely still with an empty expression on her face. Like a lifeless statue.

Not a moment too soon! She was gettin' annoying! Niño thought to himself and quickly looked around. When nobody seemed to have noticed anything, he yanked the chain with the key off from around her neck and took the cast out from the bandana around his neck. He quickly made prints of the key into the clay before slipping the key back into her purse. Still completely unnoticed.

He hurried to fling the last bag up on the wagon before slithering into the general store, and interrupted Mr Fergus talking to his new customer by clearing his throat. "Uh, señor Fergus?" He said, and his worried frown made Mr Fergus frown in return.

"What's the matter, boy?" He asked, and Niño hesitated before glancing out on the street.

"Umm, I-I was helpin' señora Beans with the bags when she just suddenly... I-I don't know what happened!" He was almost surprised himself over how real his worry sounded! "She's just s-standin' there, señor! I-I don't know what to do!"

Mr Fergus sighed and mumbled something before following Niño out, and shook his head at Beans. "It's nothin' to worry about, son. She's always done like this, it's a survival reflex"

Niño frowned, acting confused. "A-a survival reflex?"

Right before Fergus was about to reply, Beans woke up again. "An' if he ain't back home safe an' sound b'fore the baby's born, I'll kick him out without as much as a goodbye handshake!" When she found herself shouting into the street, she blinked confusedly and calmed down.

"S-señora Beans?" Niño asked carefully and slithered up alongside with her. "Are you alright? You scared me for a while there..."

Beans blinked down at the young diamondback, she wasn't quite sure how to reply. "Uh, I did? I-I can't remember what happened... We were talkin' 'bout somethin', weren't we?"

Niño nodded. "Yeah, we were talkin' 'bout the outlaws an' Bad Bill" He paused and hung his head. "I'm sorry if I said anythin' that made you upset, or... Freeze up like that..."

"Don't worry, I-I'm sure it wasn't yer fault!" She smiled awkwardly, then glanced at the wagon. "I see you've gotten all the bags up on the wagon! Much obliged for yer help, Alejandro" She nodded at him and reached for her purse. "I'll see if I've got a penny or somethin' for yer troubles!"

"No, no! It's fine!" Niño hurried to stop her from opening her purse and shook his head. "I'm just glad to help out!" He paused and looked around again. "I should probably head back home now, though. Don't want Blake to think I've run off or somethin'!" Though the idea is might' temptin'...

Beans nodded slowly and shut her purse again. "If you say so then. Thanks again!"

Niño nodded happily. "De nada!" And with that, he turned around and slithered away.

"Y'all sure that's Blakes son?" Mr Fergus said in disbelief and arched his big, feathery eyebrows. "They're nothin' like each other at all!"

"An' I'm sure glad for that..." Beans nodded in agreement.

As Mr Fergus went back into his store, Beans climbed up onto the drivers seat, ready to drive off when she noticed that something was missing. She felt around her neck for the chain, only to find there was nothing there. A cold feeling spread in her chest and she jumped down to start looking for the key on the ground, but found nothing. She was close to panicking when she glanced at her purse, which she had left behind on the drivers seat.

She opened it, and found the key inside. As she put it around her neck again, she couldn't help but to frown. She NEVER put the key in the purse, and she couldn't remember doing it earlier either! But then she stopped and turned her head slightly to the side, watching as Niño slithered further and further away down the street.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Maybe father an' son ain't too different after all..."

Le gasp! Beans is suspicious! But, will she find out?! Hehehe, gotta go write the next chappie soon, huh ;P?

Anyway, still learning how to work this new laptop, but next chapter should be up as usual ^^!