The sun had just starting pouring over the small village as the sparse group of men road in hastily. The seasoned men came to a quick halt, as two disembarked their mounts, and handed the reins off to the men still occupying their steeds. The tall, muscular black hedgehog, and a young gray wolf, rushed into the rundown saloon standing at the edge of town.
The taller man slammed the swinging hinged doors open, and was greeted by looks of fear from the two men that occupied the establishment behind the bar. "We need a doctor!" The dark hedgehog yelled while striding towards the freighted gray Rabbit men behind the counter.
Both barkeeps backed up in fear until their backs were pressing against the shelves, full of bottles of alcohol, behind them. "Doctor's been dead for almost a year mister!" The younger Rabbit, who was closer to the hedgehog whimpered.
The disgruntled outlaw punched his fist into the bar in anger at the disappointing revelation. He looked back to the wolf behind him. "We'll have to ride to the next town." He hissed as he started to walk back towards the exit.
"What about the tinkerer girl?" Questioned the older male rabbit, to the younger.
The black hedgehog stopped abruptly and then spun around, on his heel, before sternly approaching the other elder rabbit. "What?" Shadow leaned in over the bar while staring the other man in the eye.
The older rabbit backed up again into his merchandise. "There's a girl that use ta hang out with the doctor on an off. She's kinda odd, but she seemed ta know her way around fixing folks up."
The old man sighed in relief as Shadow pulled back from the bar. "Where is she?" The outlaw demanded.
The younger gray rabbit looked at his elder in irritation. "Their farm is ten miles south of town ta the left." His eyes never left his elders direction as the two strangers nodded before they turned and left.
The hedgehog and wolf burst out of the bar and, quickly regained their mounts as Shadow, their leader, motioned for them to follow him.
Not much later….
Sandy took a seat at the small wooden table right before her twin brother followed suit. She looked to the side in shame as their father tapped his fingers on the wooden structure they all gathered around. Her frown grew as her father's movements stopped.
She, and Randy, were late for breakfast, as she got him caught up in her latest attempt to improve tilling. The young brown squirrel's stayed uneasy as their mother placed bowls of soup in front of them while huffing.
They all looked towards their meal and said nothing after the older woman took her seat at the table. There was a long silence before their father slammed his fist down on the table and looked toward his offspring with furry. "Ya come ta the table when yer called!" He slammed his fist again before choosing to ignore them and start to eat after his wife spooned some thick gravy into the blows in from all of them. The two siblings stayed quiet and just looked at the meal in front of them.
Just as Sandy found her will to move forward, and eat, there was an aggressive knock at the door. Sandy dropped her utensil, as did the rest of her family as they looked at the entrance in worry. Her father stood up to answer the knock only to fall back as the front door was kicked open.
Two men barged into the small home with guns drawn. One, a young white wolf, and the other a slightly older, but still seemingly young black hedgehog. Both where covered in mud, dust and the stinking of death. Sandy's father tried to stand before the intruders but was pushed down by the hedgehog. "Where is the tinkerer girl?" The man demanded in a deep gravely voice.
Sandy blinked in surprise. She hadn't heard anyone refer to her by that title in quite some time, well at least not since before Doctor Lee passed away.
The older male squirrel cringed in pain as he tried to keep from falling completely back on the wooden flood under him. "I don't know what yer talking about mister." He winced while finally letting his back it the ground below him.
Sandy's father, Dean, had never been a good liar, and it was more obvious as the hedgehog lost interest in the family patriarch, and looked at the other 3 in the room, as they were still seating at the small table. His eyes quickly fixed on Sandy.
"You." The towering hedgehog outlaw grunted as he looked at her while still pointing his gun at her father. "Girl." He nodded his head a few times towards the door in an attempt to motion her to come outside. Sandy clenched her fists in worry, but kept a poker face as she pushed her chair out and stood up.
"No!" Dean pleaded as he pushed himself up obviously still in an immense amount of pain. "Not my daughter!"
The leader of the outlaws looked back towards the aged male squirrel, who was still attempting to stand again, as he holstered his gun. The young wolf still held his weapon on the older man. "I have a dying man. I need your daughter's skill in this regard." He looked towards Sandy and then scoffed before looking back at the slightly injured man. "Nothing else." He then pulled a small bag from his front pants pocket and tossed it on the table. "For your trouble." He then walked out of the small house while his underling took Sandy's seat at the table, still holding onto his sidearm, before pushing her towards the door.
"Girl?!" The man called from outside. Sandy then sighed as she bit her lip and walked hastily out the front door to comply with her captor's command.