Six Shots Deep

Memories

"So, how old are ya?"

I looked over to Arthur and chuckled. "You know, you really shouldn't ask a lady such things."

His face went red. "I-I'm sorry, didn't mean anything by it."

"I'm twenty seven if you must know."

"Twenty seven, huh?" He smiled. "Well I'll be damned."

"And how old might you be, Mr. Morgan?"

"Thirty one."

"Hm," I scoped him up and down, "you're getting a bit old for hunts, aren't ya?"

"Getting there." He chuckled.

"How long you been with the gang?"

"Twenty somethin years," he adjusted himself, "Dutch rescued me when I was fifteen. Took me under their wing and here I am now."

"Long time bein an outlaw, ain't it?"

"Just a bit. But I wouldn't have it any other way."

I hummed in response. I dug in my satchel for a cigarette. I struck a match on the bottom of my boot and held it to the cigarette in my mouth. After, I shook the match out and threw it to the ground. I took a long drag before letting out a cloud of smoke.

"So," I said, taking the cigarette from my mouth, "what're we huntin for?"

"A stag. Keep us fed for a while."

I nodded, pulling back on Whiskeys reins. "Well, reckon we should go on foot from here, don't ya think?"

"Yeah," he got down from Autumn and got his bow and arrow from her saddle. I followed, tethering Whiskey to a tree. He whinnied as I fed him an apple.

"So, where should we start?"

"I was gonna leave that up to you."

"Well, ain't you just the gentleman?" I said with a smirk. He chuckled in response, following my lead.

*****

Well, we never caught the stag, but we ended up a long ways from Horseshoe Overlook somehow. We decided to camp near Rhodes in the woods not far from town. I set up my tent as Arthur started a fire.

"Well, this was an interesting hunting trip." He grunted.

"Tell me about it," I sat down next to him, "how we end up over this way anyhow?"

He shrugged. "I was followin you."

"Well, maybe don't 'follow me' anymore." I retorted.

"Hey, I let you take the lead on this hunting trip."

"Well, that obviously didn't work, now did it?"

"If I let you take the lead, maybe hunt instead of goin on a wild rabbit chase-"

"Hey!" I shot him a look, "you started it."

"No, the rabbit starting it by taking off with my arrow-"

"And the rabbit got the better of ya, didn't it?"

"Shut your mouth-"

"Don't tell me what to do-"

"I do what I damn well please-"

"That's definitely the case-"

"The hell does that mean?"

"It means you act like a child-"

"And you don't?"

"At least I'm smart enough to admit it-"