I don't own anything related to RDR or RDR2. Also, I hope you liked the first chapter. Please review. And to all my old fans who left reviews on my first story, thanks so much for your support. Really. It meant so much to me to come back and read those reviews. It gave me the strength to start writing again. Love you guys!

Chapter 2: Wolves

Lilly watched in disgust as the two animals stuffed their mouths with the remains of her dead horse. Lilly took shallow but quiet breaths as the feeling that adrenaline leaves one with filled her body. The need to tremble invaded her muscles but Lilly closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. Calm down. She had to calm down. Breathe, ya fuck. Breathe. As Lilly sat there with her gun glued to her hand, her arm still level with the creatures, it occured to her that she could sneak out of here alive. While the warmth and security of the cave was a more advantageous and sensible place to rest, walking through the freezing cold and the mighty winds of a unnatural and violent blizzard in May was now preferable to being in this not-so-safe haven.

Lilly's eyes drifted almost desperately to the stash of her belongings sitting in front of the wall. If she was going to escape, Lilly had to buck up and gather her necessary supplies. Hopefully without drawing the wolves' attention. Lilly prayed they'd continue eating her deceased mount as she bravely, but slowly, crawled over to the saddle she'd taken off Holly. While grateful for the distraction, Lilly felt a deep agonizing sadness for her dead companion. It would seem her death would not be in vain, at least.

Lilly took point of how malnourished both wolves looked. Clearly the winter season had been harsh for them. Perhaps they wouldn't be tempted in the slightest to abandon the plentiful horse meat and attack her. Lilly assumed she was a far less appealing meal. The amount of fat on Lilly was scarce, but apparently put 'in all the right places', someone once told her. In fact, that same person described her body to be...what was the word? Ah. Junoesque.

They conveyed her height as imposing, but that person had been rather short. She was taller than the average woman, standing at 5'9", but she was no Amazonian. Lilly thought her build was more athletic than shapely, but she didn't spend much time in a mirror gazing at herself like some narcissistic lady trying to decide which dress was more capable of catching the eyes of a gentleman. Lilly wasn't sure how someone could see all that since she never wore dresses, though. No, the desire to wear dresses was utterly non existent. Pants and button shirts were the norm for her.

Lilly snapped back to reality. How could her mind drift off at a time like this? She inched her way to her horse's saddle. Lilly took the chance to survey the current preoccupation of the wolves. They didn't seem to care about her movements. Their eyes darted to her from time to time, but Lilly got braver and quicker as they continued to ignore her. The sounds they were making as they engorged themselves like greedy little pigs feasting on their mother's teats...feckin' disgusting. Eventually, she reached her things. Lilly started taking inventory.

A few pieces of salted meat, her water flask, a bowl and utensils, a bowl for crafting things, several boxes of revolver and repeater rounds...ah, so she wasn't as low on ammo as she though...a bedroll, a few personal items...but as she was going through her satchel, Lilly froze. The sound of flesh being pulled and eaten with razor sharp fangs, the squelch of blood and muscle being chewed away at, was no longer echoing in her ears. Lilly hoped she'd only gone deaf. She tentatively spied over her shoulder. The wolves, who now had full bellies, were only a few feet behind her. They were watching her. Lilly shuddered from the sight of blood soaked lips and very much wished this would not be the moment of her untimely demise.

She watched them as they watched her. No change of motion was made from either party. Not one hint of it. Lilly observed their relaxed body language. Perked ears, inquisitive eyes, no teeth bared. Were they...docile? Friendly? Or curious, maybe? Had they not seen a human before? Would moving even the slightest inch change their demeanor to one of aggression? Lilly knew she couldn't stay in her current physical position. So, with all the boldness she could muster, Lilly shifted around on her feet with leisure. This was allowed. Lilly took in a breath, realizing she hadn't done so in what seemed like an eternity based on how her lungs felt.

Lilly took the initiative and snatched her flask and two bowls. It was the last of her water, but hell, she could fill the flask with snow later. Lilly set them down on the cave floor. The animals watched her as she opened her flask. She filled each bowl with water and pushed them gently to the wolves. Without hesitation, the pair dipped their faces in and began drinking. Lilly shut her eyes and rested her head against the cave wall. Maybe the Lord would be merciful and not have the wolves kill her.

This was a bizarre position to be stuck in. Lost, alone...well, not really alone, a dead horse, and two gray wolves that appeared indifferent to Lilly's presence. Lilly decided to be even more bold and head back out, just for a moment, to fill her flask with snow. She removed her gloves and knelt down to put snow into the flask. Snow was such an odd thing to her. How could something be so cold but feel like it burned at the same time? Snow was a contradiction. How many things in nature were contradictions? Lilly was...sooooo exhausted, she realized. She glanced back at the furry inhabitants of the cave. They were still lapping up the water. Lilly groaned as she stood and walked back in. As she returned to her previous spot, Lilly watched as the blizzard raged on outside. She was not looking forward to trekking back out in that.

Lilly cast her attention back to her...roommates, and was shocked. They were resting comfortably near the fire. Lilly let a 'huh' sound escape her lips. Could she possibly sleep here without them caring? Oh, if only she could. If she was to be eaten, well, fuck it. Lilly doubted it at this point. The creatures still had plenty of meat to feast on. If they found Lilly to be a threat or an invader of their territory, surely her throat would've be torn out by now. Still, she loaded her revolvers fully. Better to be safe than sorry. Lilly grabbed her bedroll and unfurled it, taking care not to disturb the now sleeping wolves.

She couldn't believe her luck. As she snuggled into her sleeping bag, she grasped her gun in her hand, resting it on the cave floor. Her dark blue, almond shaped eyes darted over the wolves' forms, appreciating now how beautiful the two predators were. Both had patches of gray and white all over, so obviously they were gray wolves. But...they were peculiar. How could they be that comfortable around a human and not want to attack one? They didn't look fully grown. In fact, they looked almost like pups. Contemplating all this was irrelevant. She was tired, yet as she laid there, Lilly found it difficult to clear her mind. It was filled with too many things she was concerned about.

Was she going to die out here? How long would she survive before she got eaten, fell off a cliff, or froze to death? Would she ever see her surrogate family again? Lilly's thoughts trailed back to Arthur. She missed him. Lilly was, after all, quite fond of him, but..she needed to stop thinking about him and the rest of her family. It was making her go in circles. Everything was. She had to come up with a plan to get the hell out of there and find her Da and her Athair. Lilly's horse was deceased so she had to walk. That was going to slow her down. She had food, she could get water, and she had her weapons and ammo.

If she was lucky, Lilly could find game out here. Maybe. Hell, she got chased by a bear. That's how she got separated from the Van der Linde gang in the first place. During the escape from the massive grizzly bear, she'd lost her bearings. She knew everyone was traveling north but the snowfall was so thick, as were the clouds, that Lilly could not see the sun to help her navigate. Not a single, solitary patch of moss were on the trees to show her where north was. How was that possible? It was spring, for fuck's sake! It was like the snow drowned out the pretty growth on the trees. Suffocated the life from them with the bitter cold and consumed them all.

If Lilly could find the stream the group was walking along, she'd follow it, but she'd risk traveling in the opposite direction. In the slim chance she did find it, she could stay put near the water, hoping for someone, anyone, to cross her path. Still, what if there was no shelter nearby? And she had no idea where the stream was anyway. God dammit, she was screwed. Or maybe she was just too tired to think clearly. Lilly heard one of the wolves yawn and she let a small, dainty giggle pass through her lips. They really were cute albeit wild animals. They looked so fluffy. Lilly resisted the urge to hug and squeeze them until they popped, but that would definitely get her killed. So, instead of driving herself insane with all the seemingly impossible obstacles she had to consider, along with not being able to rest, Lilly stared at the wolves. Fuck it. Talking might pass the time.

"Hey," she said to them. They both lifted their heads and their ears twitched. They eyed her with interest. "So, you uh...you pups from around here?"

Why would she ask such a dumb question? They're wolves! Of course they were from around here! Lilly groaned internally at herself and gently banged the back of her head on the wall. Bang, bang, bang. Talking to wolves. That's what she's stooped down to. Borderline, out of her god damn mind, crazy talk. However, maybe if she did talk to them, she'd feel like she wasn't alone. God, Lilly wanted a cigarette. She found her "emergency pack" of cigarettes and matches in her coat. Lilly lit one and started smoking it. She wasn't one for smoking often, but hey, she was in a very stressful situation.

"So, I'm Lilly O'Callaghan. Nice to meet you both, I guess." She heard herself and puffed out air with a strong cackle right behind. She pressed her head to the wall. She focused on the rocky texture upwards and took a long drag from her paper rolled tobacco. "What the hell am I doin'? Tryin' to socialize with a pair of god damn-" Two parallel whines caught her attention. Lilly looked in front of her. "You gotta be shittin' me."

The wolves were casually sitting a few feet in front of her. A shaky, nervous giggle escaped her throat. They just stared at her, panting with their tongues hanging out lazily. Their yellow eyes almost glowed. Their shadows were cast on the wall. When Lilly saw that, their overemphasized black silhouettes looking like a painting on the wall, she inhaled from her cigarette once more. Lilly's eyes shifted back to their physical forms.

"Hmm, I wonder. Are you both gonna get that big? You'll be the terror of the land if you do," she chuckled. "Alright, so, since I now have your undivided attention, are ya wonderin' what I'm doin' here?" They whined at her again. Lilly smiled and her eyes also smiled. The flames of the fire reflected in her eyes. "You two are very unusual. Ya got names? Are ya boys or girls?" The Irish girl smacked herself on the forehead. "God. Okay, you know what?" Lilly smoked again and shifted to make herself more comfortable. "I'm gonna tell you a story. The Failure of the Blackwater Ferry Heist."

Alrighty. So, what did y'all think? Please review.