Snake Skin | John Marston

Welcome To The New World

"Dutch," Arthur greeted as he entered the campsite, making a beeline for the white tent.

"Arthur, my boy. How was the train job? Sean isn't telling me anything now!" Dutch stood up, putting his book aside.

"Here's the camp's cut," Arthur said, handing Dutch a stack of cash. Dutch nodded, a pleased smile spreading across his face.

"Tell me, boy. How did it go?" Dutch asked, wrapping an arm around Arthur's shoulders and guiding him away from the tent.

Arthur nodded, uncertain where to begin. Dutch waited patiently. "Well?"

"Well, Dutch, it was supposed to be me, Marston, and Charles, but Sean forced his way into this job."

"Sounds like it went smoothly, son," Dutch said, letting go of Arthur's shoulder and standing before him.

"And then a woman joined us on the raid, just as spontaneously as Sean."

"A woman? Joined you on the train job? Who is this woman, Arthur?" Dutch crossed his arms, intrigued.

"Another outlaw just like us, but her case seems far worse than ours," Arthur spoke quietly.

"Why are you being so cryptic?" Dutch complained.

Arthur sighed. "This woman... the folk know her as The Golden Cobra. There's a huge price on her head. I've seen her work a gun, and she's absolutely terrifying."

Dutch's eyes lit up with excitement. "I have to meet this Cobra, Arthur!"

"That won't be necessary, Dutch," a deep voice spoke from behind them, accompanied by the footsteps of several others.

Dutch and Arthur turned around in surprise. They faced John and a woman slightly shorter than him, both exuding confidence with intimidating expressions.

"Who's your friend, John?" Dutch asked, stepping toward them.

John glanced at Arthur, who sighed. "That is Y/N, The Golden Cobra."

Dutch's eyes lit up again, as if he was staring at a pot of gold.

"Welcome, dear!" Dutch exclaimed, grabbing Y/N by the shoulders and leading her away from the men. John and Arthur exchanged worried looks, soon interrupted by Sean and Abigail approaching them.

John groaned at the sight of Abigail, but she ignored him. Sean, on the other hand, playfully jabbed John with his elbow. "Where did ya' go after the raid, Johnny? Were you with that gunslinger-lady over there? Weren't you supposed to find a job in Valentine?"

John sighed dramatically, looking away. "We went to the saloon in Valentine just at dawn. By the way, did you guys know her mother is Black Belle from the Colter Tobin Gang?"

The men's eyes widened as they stared at each other, but Abigail didn't understand the reference and squinted at John. "So, you're just takin' girls to the saloon now, huh? What about Jack, John? What about our son?"

Sean laughed and quickly left the group. "Aye, here we go. I'm out, boys."

John turned to Abigail, ignoring Arthur's presence. "What about Jack, Abigail?"

"The boy needs his father, or he'll grow up to be—"

"Like me? Like the rest of these criminals—outlaw scum?" he raised his voice just enough for everyone to hear. But nobody seemed to care. In their life, it was just another episode.

Only Y/N didn't understand what was going on. While talking to Dutch near the camp's edge, she could still hear John and the woman arguing. She looked back and caught John's eyes. His face was stoic, his eyes darting everywhere but at the woman in front of him.