RANGO // OӘͶAЯ - Another Outlaw Story [Engl.]

31. Different and Familiar

"Hey, mind where you're walkin'," Kinski grunted and pushed Chorizo away, who had fallen against him on the saloon steps.
"Sor'y, budy."
The rabbit snorted. "I've told ya, you shouldn't drink one glass more."
"The spirit is willing but the..."
"Okay, okay." Kinski put his hand on the mouse's mouth on the edge. "Let's go, I'm tired."
"Mm, mhm," Chorizo muttered and followed him with swaying legs. Kinski grabbed his shoulder so that he wouldn't fall down again.
He cursed himself that he had gone into rapture to accept Buford's invitation of a round for free. And after one round, it became a round more and more.
The mammals crossed the street and lost the orientation for a brief moment.
"Make a stop," Kinski said suddenly.
"I'm not with the bus," Chorizo muttered back.
"Psst! Keep still."
The desert mouse watched how the rabbit ears bristled.
"Wha's wrong?"
"Something is coming in our direction quickly."
Chorizo hiccupped. "I'm hearin' nothing."
"Of course not, coach potato."
He winced.
"It stopped."
He let wander his eyes and stopped his glance at a special house not far away along the street. The rabbit narrowed his eyes.
"It's behind the store."
He angled for his long gun.
"Let's take a look."
"Why shall we do that?" Chorizo asked bored.
"Maybe an ambush."
He walked ahead. His gun in one hand, with the other hand he pulled Chorizo behind.
Next to the store door, Kinski parked Chorizo against the wall. The mouse yawned.
"Psst!" Kinski hissed at him.
He wrapped his furred hand around his rifle. With a few big steps he jumped behind the house.
"Don't move!"
The following shocked scream let him froze. Especially when he was staring into fire filled familiar eyes.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" an angry voice yelled through his ears.
"I thought you are burglars," the rabbit defended himself.
"And something like you calls trapper?" Jake asked darkly.
"I heard a much louder sound than one snake, or did you increase?"
At this moment Chorizo appeared and waved. "Hi."
Jake rolled his eyes when he was smelling alcohol in the air. He coiled up his body and another familiar figure rolled out.
Bill swayed around and had troubles to find the balance. "Uh, oh, I'm feeling so giddy."
"Oh, hang in there, buddy," Chorizo said and caught him.
"And where have you been? Counted falling stars?" Kinski asked resentfully.
But instead of an answer of the others, Chorizo started.
"Mm?" Chorizo blinked his eyes heavily. "Who's that?"
Kinski closed and opened his eyes firmly. "Uh, don't I see pink elephants, but white snakes? What stuck Buford in our drinks?"
"No, it's real," Bill answered their confused questions.
The albino snake lowered her head a little more when she looked over Jake's body at the rabbit and the desert mouse.
Jake gave her a little jerk. "Don't worry, they are harmless."
"Harmless for what?" Kinski asked skeptically. "Where the hell does she come from? Or is she a new tourist like you?"
He chucked about his own joke, but nobody smiled back. He cleaned his throat.
"Eh?" Chorizo craned his neck. "What's wrong with you?"
Jake looked behind himself and saw how the albino snake began to sway. In the last second, he threw forward and caught her before she hit the ground.
"Are all people crazy today or what?" Kinski complained.
"Don't die!" The mouse girl cried.
Kinski scratched his head. "And who is this?"
"We talk later," Jake interrupted. "I bring her to doctor."
"Oh, that's convenient. We were on the way at him," Chorizo said. "We wanted to look for Stump, he is still with Meggy."
"Anything new?"
"Not yet."

Doc yawned loudly and bent forward again. With narrowed eyes he eyed the whiplash on the snake's cheek, which didn't bleed anymore. Meanwhile, she had recovered her senses, but she was still exhausted.
While Doc was treating her, Jake had told the whole story at Kinski and Chorizo in Doc's office. Bill was sitting on a chair, a glass in his hand, what Doc had given to him. But he still didn't take one sip.
"What have you thought to go to Joel's ranch without company?" Kinski said reproachfully.
But Bill sat there like forgotten in nothing.
"Let him alone," Jake said and pushed him away gently.
"That's simply true. What a moronism. Risking his life to flirt with a daughter of a crazy man... Ouch!"
"Don't call her like that!"
Kinski rubbed his head where Bill had thrown the glass.
"Don't give me that! I'm not that stupid like you! What were you thinking?"
Bill jumped up and ran at him, but Jake intermediated before the Gila monster crashed against the rabbit.
"Stay away from each other!"
A throat cleaning sound interrupted them.
"Gentlemen," Doc said and entered the room. "That's a hospital house, not an interrogation room. I anticipate consideration."
The men bent down apologizing. "I'm sorry."
"By the way, the lady is ready. No bad injuries. She can leave the house if she wants."
"Wants she?" Kinski asked.
"Ask her."
"Good idea," Kinski said and patted Jake's skin. "Maybe it will abolish some questions."
"What questions?"
"For example, who she is."
"From the Jenkins Clan."
"That's what you told us already, but who is she?"
"Yes, what's her name?" Chorizo asked.
"I don't know."
"Where does she come from?"
"I don't know."
"What do you know something about her at all? Does a sheriff not notice a statement? Maybe she is a spy."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Jake grunted.
"Are you sure?"
Jake hissed at the rabbit. Meanwhile, Bill was sitting back on the chair and stared at them with empty eyes.
"Listen," Kinski started again. "I don't know the Jenkins Brothers like the Danby Clan, but they would stoop to everything to get the water."
"Hey! It's very nice of you that you want to try waking up Meggy, but could you make your rude discussion somewhere else? It's nothing for Meggy's ears."
With that Stump walked in. Dark under-eye circles marked his face.
"I'm sorry," Jake and Kinski said together.
"But you don't know what happened," Kinski added.
"I heard every word in the patient's room," Stump said. "If you have so many interrogation points, do something against it and let her make a declaration."
"Good idea," Kinski said. "Do your duty, sheriff."
With that, the discussion was closed and the rattlesnake slithered in the secondary room.
When he came in, he saw how the white rattlesnake was whispering some words with the mouse.
He narrowed his eyes and cleaned his throat. Both winced.
"Oh."
"How are you feeling?"
"A little better. It was just the anxiety. Nothing serious."
"I'm really pleased."
His glance fell at her little companion, which hidden herself behind the albino snake.
"I'm sorry, she is a little afraid of strangers," the snake explained.
"I can understand."
"And you are the sheriff?"
"Like you can see."
Kinski tapped him. "Don't allay yourself suspiciousness," he hissed.
Jake hissed back, but he cooperated.
"So, who are you?"
The snake nodded respectfully. "Sorry, well, in our tribe, they call me Nitika, that means "Angel of Diamonds". But my name is Coral."
Kinski narrowed his eyes when he saw how the eyes of the darker rattlesnake got a dreamy-eyed glimmer.
"Nice to meet you," he answered respectfully, after a new tapping of Kinski.
"And you?"
The mouse peeked around the snake and muttered: "Naira... Priscilla."
Chorizo cocked his head. "Naira? Has that a meaning?"
"It means "Big Eyes"," was Kinski's answer.
The mouse girl pressed her head closer on the snake skin.
"How do you know that?" Chorizo asked at Kinski.
Kinski snorted and crossed his hands behind his head. "I know a lot of Indian names."
"I've never seen such a mouse like her."
The mouse girl avoided their glances. But the others knew what he meant. Her eyes were bigger than usual.
For the first time a little smile placed Coral's lips. "She is a very specific mouse. Humans called her "Aye-Aye"."
"Eye-eye?" Chorizo scratched his head.
"Aye," she corrected. "Her family came from another continent."
"From humans you said?" Jake asked.
"We were born in human houses, but we get lost after a transport to a zoo. We strayed in the desert, until Indians found us and gave us a place to stay. Maybe we had never survived."
"But you are a rattlesnake, aren't you?" Jake asked. "Don't rattlesnakes live in that area?"
The albino rattlesnake waved her under body over her head. "My problem is my color. Natural enemies could discover me quickly. I never dared to leave the tribe."
"What will happen with the others," the mouse girl said suddenly and grabbed her skin. "And what about Wounded Bird? Do you think they will hurt him?"
"I don't know, little one," she said and stroked with her rattle over her head.
Jake's eyes got a sad touch at the sight of a real rattle tail.
"Why do they force you to do unfree labor?" Kinski asked.
"Well, we were forced to dig for the water pipelines which is connected with the town. The Jenkins Brothers think they would find water this way."
"And, did they?" Jake asked this time.
"Not yet. And to tell the truth, I never smelled a trace of water in the pipes. It's a work for nothing."
Jake narrowed his eyes, leaned his chin on his lifted upper body and thought hard.
"What is your brain thinking about?" Kinski asked.
At this moment, the aye-aye yawned.
Jake relaxed his forehead. "It's late. We should continue talking tomorrow. You need a quarter to sleep."
"You can stay here," Doc said, but Jake shook his head.
"I don't think that's a good idea. They are refugees. I could imagine Jenkins Brothers don't like workers who leave their workplace without their permission. You can sleep in my room."
"Uhoh," Kinksi muttered. "He comes straight to the point."
"Of course, I will sleep somewhere else," Jake added with a nerved glare at him.
"Don't inconvenience yourself."
"That's not a problem."
With that the rattlesnake sheriff closed the meeting for today. Stump stayed in the house, while the others took themselves outside.
Jake guided the newcomers to the door. But shortly after the bigger rattlesnake had crossed the house steps a voice let him stop.
"Excuse me, but you didn't tell us your name."
He turned around at her.
"Jake."
"Nice to meet you. And thanks for your help."
He sighed. "You're welcome." Sadness lay on his face, what they didn't see.

Priscilla belongs to Paramount/Nickelodeon, I just own her American Indian name. Coral/Nitika belongs to me.