Chapter 4: New Allies/Trouble A Brewin'

The new characters that are mentioned in the story that I do not own belong to CBS and ABC, as well as fellow fanfic author Bovine Beauty.

Life as a farm boy wasn't easy for Brandon, but once he got used to that life, there wasn't any struggle he had with this sort of lifestyle. Brandon was asleep in his room, tossing and turning in his bed. His dreams were blurred at first, which concealed the five important things that he would be aware about. The dreams later faded away, not giving the border collie cowboy any details about it. At first, he figured it was nothing to worry about. It was actually during the season of fall when he was shivering at night. It must've been the cold weather that was brewing close. Or maybe it was those dreams that kept Brandon half-awake every night. It was hard to sleep through it all, but even if Brandon tried to forget about it…

The next morning, everything down at Brandon's horse farm appeared to be absolutely normal. He and a few ranch hands fed the horses and took care of them in any way possible. Brandon took Ryder out to Dog Town for a few errands, as well as one of his few jobs. He helped out a small group of cowboys drive a herd of cattle to a nearby town, getting paid the usual amount of funds daily. It was basically simple and expected as much. Brandon rode his trusty big horse back home, but on the way… He looks up to a canyon and spots another lone rider sitting on a horse.

"...?" Brandon was curious to know who this horseback rider was. Would that person be good or evil? Shivering a little, he led Ryder up to the top of the canyon to greet this person. "Uh… Hello?"

The figure looked at Brandon, not recognizing him at first. "Who might you be? Not one of them outlaws after me, no?"

"Outlaws…? Wha– Huh?" He hears the voice speak, recognizing it to be female this time. When Brandon got up close, he got to see the figure for who she was. An anthropomorphic/mutated hawk mounted on a gray horse wearing a cowgirl hat and clothes, with the yellow star on her vest showing that she was just a deputy of another town. "Nah, umm, miss. I just uhh… happened to see you on that canyon. What's wrong?"

"There's someone that really means so much to me… An old friend of mine's out there. I just know it…" The hawk girl replied. It seems she was on a personal mission to seek out her lost friend. Then, she turned back to Brandon. "You've never heard any rumors of the "riding hawk girl, have ya?"

"Rumors? Nah, I… I haven't." Brandon said back to the figure. "That supposed to sound bad?"

"To those liars and criminals who chased me outta my town, yes. So you've never heard of 'em before?"

Brandon was surprised that he was talking to a fugitive of her own town. Why did this ever happen? "No. We're a peaceful town. I've never heard such rumors like that before." He wondered if there was a possibility if he ever chose his words carefully. Brandon didn't want this to end up as a fight in the end. "... We err, ain't gonna fight, no?"

"I'm ain't here to pick a fight, I came to this town searching for a friend that was taken from me." said the hawk girl.

"Ah, okay. Well… You seem to be all by yourself. Gotta say the same with your horse too. What are your names, by chance? I'm Brandon Wishford, by the way."

The hawk girl began to introduce herself too. "I'm…"

"IT'S HER! THE RIDING HAWK GIRL!" A yelling sound was heard from both Brandon and the hawk girl, both turned around to see a group of hired outlaws ordered to capture her and bring the hawk to their master.

"What in tarnation!?" Brandon exclaimed, looking back at the outlaws who accused the hawk due to the rumors and their orders.

The hawk girl turned around and saw these outlaws coming after her. They weren't the ones she had recognized and fought before in the past. No, these guys were just low tier minions just doing what they're told. Without a second thought, the hawk spurred her mare and attempted to speed off from those outlaws. "Let's ride, Windstorm!"

Brandon became worried for the hawk and the horse she called "Windstorm". He spurred Ryder to chase after them, but the collie heard the thundering hoofbeats of the horses with their outlaws not giving up on the chase. "Dammit! They ain't gonna give up!"

"Those consarned outlaws! Windstorm, let's try and lose 'em!' The hawk girl yelled as she looked around in the vast environment to see what can slow them down, or perhaps, distract them. She took out one of her dual pistols, firing at the ground to try and startle the outlaws' horses at first. What came out of the gun were metal feathers instead of bullets. Of course, any rider in the mesa who carried a gun had unique ammunation waiting to be fired out. Villainous ones, however, carried their own, or stuck with REAL bullets to kill their foes.

The metal feathers pierce the ground as one of the outlaws' horses gets spooked and rears up. Apparently, it was one down. The rest still pursued the hawk girl regardless.

Brandon saw that there was no stopping these crooks from chasing the hawk girl. He had to come up with something fast. "Ummm… Hey, over there!" Brandon looks over to a fruitless small tree across the mesa, carrying a beehive on one of its branches. "This'll sting 'em good!" He takes out a bullwhip from his belt, whacking the branch off for the little beehive to fall to the ground. As Brandon and the hawk girl both rode away further, the angry hive of bees targeted the outlaws instead, thinking it was them who destroyed their home.

"Ahhhhh! Retreat!" The outlaws yelled and screamed, riding their horses back to where they came from. "NOT THEM DAMN BEES! AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"YAHOO!" Brandon cheered, waving his cowboy hat up in the air as he rode along on Ryder, seeing the hawk girl who chuckles as well. They pulled their horses' reins back and found a moment to rest, relieved that the chase was over.

"Land's sake! I… Shucks, I don't know what to say, Brandon." She turned to look at Brandon, impressed by his quick tactics to save his new acquaintance. "Thank you kindly for helping me out. At first, I thought I was able to out run 'em on my own…"

"Well," Brandon started, sharing his personal opinion, "Sometimes you can't do it all alone. It's best to have a partner help you out in any situation, no matter how hard the task is. I learned that just today after work."

The hawk girl wanted to know a little more about Brandon's little lesson. "Where did ya hear that?"

"Eh, 'was during a cattle drive with a few cowboys I worked with just now." Brandon answered her honestly. "Say… I didn't quite get your name before. What was it, may I ask?"

"The name's Harmony. Harmony Hawktail… Deputy of Avian City."

"Avian City, huh?" Brandon wasn't sure if he ever recalled the name of a town like that before. He's only known about the farm life, the town, and the stories his Pa used to tell him that came from the mesa, mainly with Sheriff Kurt as the hero in those true stories. "Well now, Harmony. If you ain't got a place to stay for the night, I can have you and your horse stay over at my farm. You can tell me all about when we get there. Sounds good?"

Harmony Hawktail gladly nodded back at Brandon Wishford. "Yes. Thank you for the offer, Brandon."

"Anytime, partner." Brandon smiled with a wink. The two riders, now both formally introduced to each other, would both ride back to Brandon's horse farm. Once they got there, Brandon hopped off of Ryder, leading him inside of the barn for him to rest. Harmony does the same with Windstorm, glad to see that there was a spare stall for her to use. Leaning on the fence together, both Brandon and Harmony had shared their backstories one at a time. Harmony was up first.

"I used to be the deputy of Avian City until one day I was kicked out by a corrupt mayor who, like most of the folks in my town, despised my friend and his kind." Harmony said to Brandon.

"Who is your friend, Harmony? What's his name?"

"His name is Baron. Baron Buzzard. An old friend of mine when I was still in school…"

Brandon wondered if they ever went to school together. "Did Baron go to school with you too?"

"No. Because of the corrupted system and the mayor's heinous beliefs, Baron wasn't allowed to learn in school because he was a buzzard. Most of his folks were blamed for an old war and the fact that they were seen as 'lyin', bone pickin' vermin' who simply could not be trusted. Rgh… it riles my feathers up so much that I want to go back home and show those monsters a thing or two. I couldn't just let 'em hurt my friend!"

"I see… your loyalty to Baron is as strong as my loyalty to the people and animals I care about the most." Brandon responded back, telling his own backstory as well. "My parents were dearly beloved too, just like your friend. Pa taught me how to ride and train for rodeos and all. Ma taught me how to care for horses the right way, as well as helping her out with chores she might've needed help with. I loved them so much that I'd live with them for the rest of my life… until the day the whole farm was ablaze as they died along with it. They were killed, but… I wasn't sure who did it. I don't know if the person's dead or alive at all…"

"Bless their souls. They must've raised you well, Brandon. Just like how my Pa used to raise me back when he was sheriff." Harmony had replied, comparing Brandon's parents to her own father.

Brandon's left ear perked up when she mentioned that her father was a sheriff. "Really? What happened?" The urge to hear what another sheriff had done for his town had lit Brandon's eyes up with wonder.

"He believed in justice, freedom, and equality for all birds livin' in the town, no matter what species they were. Even if they'd go above the law, the sheriff was pretty much merciful and was fair enough to hear 'em out first. He was quite the lawful sheriff in town. My Pa was one of a kind."

"Heh, so's the sheriff of my town too." Brandon smiled, sharing about what Kurt did for the town. "Not only is he lawful, he's extremely brave too. The sheriff once evaded a herd of cattle and faced his fears to survive that encounter. Another time was when he foiled a robbery, but was left out in the mesa from the fleeing criminal. The only way he could brave the long walk home was by riding a bull to do it. Our sheriff took a dangerous risk, but in the end, he was able to get back home safely."

"I would pretty much like to meet him soon, Brandon." Harmony grinned after what Brandon had told her from his point of view.

"And I'd pretty much like to… ?" Brandon saw that the brief grin on Harmony's face turned back into a frown. "Hey, what's wrong? Is this about your Pa? Or…"

"My Pa was killed after he fought for a rebellion that started in the city. He stood for righteousness and justice for all birds. It was hard losin' my Pa, but with everything he taught me over the years, I knew I couldn't just let him down. But… considering the circumstances now, I ain't sure if I'll ever return to Avian City again."

Brandon places a hand on her shoulder, looking at her keen-sharp yet beautiful eyes. "It's okay, Harmony. His death wasn't in vain. He was a hero… but, this doesn't mean everything's all fine and dandy now. You have to finish what he started to restore the justice that might be suppressed by your foes. One day, you'll return home when everything's settled. I do hope that you get to find your friend as well, Harmony."

It looked as if Harmony was going to tear up a little, but she wiped it away, knowing that there was no time to cry. "Thanks, Brandon. I know this ain't really the end." She then started to yawn, as the bright yellow sun was starting to set with the orange colored skies in the background. "I've been out so long… that it feels like I've been all over the mesa forever."

"Looking for Baron." Brandon had finished her sentence, knowing exactly what she was going to say. "Well now, I might as well get you to bed today. There is a spare room in my house you can use for the night."

"Oh, thanks again, Brandon," Harmony had thanked him for the offer, "Better that than faintin' on the floor."

"Better to faint on the bed than the floor at all, Harmony. Better than the other."

Brandon's little joke made her chuckle a little as they both went upstairs. He allows Harmony to go inside that spare room, later going back downstairs to take care of the rest. Putting the horses back inside their stalls and heading over to his own room, the cowboy was relieved to call it a day, getting in his sleeping clothes to rest comfortably on his bed. The night was still young, but little did he know that at the same time… a transfer from Cow Town to Dog Town was arranged specifically to a hospital, carrying the same friend that Harmony had mentioned previously before. It was her old friend, Baron Buzzard, yet known publicly by most of the Mesa as one of the terrorizing outlaws named Boot Hill Buzzard.

End of Chapter 4

Coming Soon, Chapter 5: The Journey Begins

Author's Notes: I have not written in my fanfic in such a LONG, LONG time. Well, it had only been two months since I began work on this story. I have my classes starting up again this week, so this means I may not be available since it depends on the hard work that I might be tasked with, like Brandon's task with herding cattle as one of his three jobs. This chapter finally introduces Bovine Beauty's oc, Harmony Hawktail. For those wondering, she has given me free permission to use the character in this story, so it is okay between us. There are more of her ocs who will appear later on in the story, so expect to see them in time! See y'all next chapter!