𝐒𝐊𝐘𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋, ᵏᵃʸᶜᵉ ᵈᵘᵗᵗᵒⁿ

vi. predator and prey

(set in season three episode two)

ELAINE decided it was safe to say that she would be staying on the ranch for a while, she enjoyed the company of the wranglers and Monica, they brought a sense of happiness she hadn't quite felt since leaving school.

But most of all she was too frightened to go straight into town and start looking for jobs, especially seeing as though she'd only been at the Yellowstone for three days now, she supposed she needed to give it a bit more time.

Colby, being the only one to truly know the extent of her worries, immediately understood, telling her to take her time and even inviting her to help out with basic jobs on the Ranch.

But for now, Elaine would only worry about being warm enough at night whilst they camped.

Early the next morning she was drinking a cup of coffee with John, the man explaining the usual day-to-day work that gets done around the ranch as he sips at his own.

All of a sudden Tate comes rustling out of the tent he was sharing with his grandfather, a disappointed look on his face as he stomps towards the two.

"I overslept!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands at his sides as he came to a stop infront of them.

John grunted after a moment and tapped the log he and Elaine were both seated on.

"Yeah well you slept, that's what matters"

From the small amount of information she'd been graced with, Elaine understood that the young boy had found himself in a situation that caused a deep trauma.

The boy took his hat off and sat it on his head as he spoke. "Is it too late to go fishing now?"

The elderly man chuckled at his question before answering. "Trout are like... they're like bankers"

Tate help a confused face as his grandfather continued his statement.

"They don't do a damn thing in the morning" With that John stood up, Tate not far behind as he asked his next question.

"Can I try some?" Gesturing to the cup of coffee his grandfather had in his grasp.

The Dutton man immediately denied his request. "No, it'll stunt your growth"

"What does that mean?" Tate questioned further, following after him with intrigue as he walked off.

Elaine could hear them talking even as they kept walking, taking one last sip of her coffee before sitting it down and going to her shared tent to check on Mavis.

The closer she got the louder the sound of giggling could be heard, she opened the tent to find Ryan on the floor with Mavis as his hands covered his face.

"Ah– boo!" The man exclaimed in a child-like voice.

Mavis, who instantly forgot about the man infront of her once laying eyes on her mother, instantly called out for her.

"Mama!" She called, slowly standing herself up before waddling over to her.

Elaine lifted the small child up once she was in close vicinity, Mavis immediately wrapped her arms around the woman's neck.

"Having fun?" She teased to the cowboy who was now standing with a deep red filling his cheeks.

"She uh- was crying when i walked in" He played it off, waving a hand infront of him as he stuttered.

Elaine nodded with a knowing grin on her face before patting his shoulder and wondering out of the tent.

—

Later on that morning, after John decided he wanted the camp moved uphill, Elaine decided to take Mavis for a wander through the trees, letting her collect sticks and rocks.

"You be careful in there" John had warned her before she left, fishing rods in hand as he and Tate travelled down to the closest stream.

She had waved him off, knowing she wouldn't stray too far from the tree line.

"What about this one, baby?" She muttered, bending down to show Mavis the blue coloured stone on the ground.

The toddler almost instantly picked it up, placing it in the wooden bucket she'd stolen from her uncle only hours beforehand.

"Pretty" was all she said before moving further into the trees.

Elaine followed not far behind, keeping an eye out for any dangers that might sneak up on them.

She turned at the sight of giggles from her daughter, finding her almost a meter away from what looked to be a wolf.

"Mavi, baby can you come here?" She called out wearily, watching the wolf as it eyed her daughter with interest.

"Mama it's a puppy!" She exclaimed, moving closer to the wild animal.

"No it's not baby, you need to stay away from it" Elaine stated, slowly inching closer as to not alert and scare the animal.

Just as Elaine was nearing towards her daughter the sound of hooves echoed through the trees, making the wolves ears stand up and search the trees for the approaching horse.

Seconds later a dark brown horse ran near the wolf, scaring it off and allowing Elaine to pick her daughter up from ten ground.

The horse came to a stop and she looked to see who had helped her, finding it to be the youngest Dutton son.

"What in the hell are you doing all the way out here?" He breathed out, his eyebrows pulled together with worry.

"I was just taking her for a walk" She muttered back, feeling silly for her actions.

"Elaine you're almost a mile out from the camp, everyone was looking for you" He explained as he jumped down from his saddle.

"Sorry" She apologised nimbly, not knowing what to say.

He began to lead them in the right direction as he spoke. "You gotta be more careful, don't know what predators are out here"