Charles Smith x Reader

Four

Smoke scratched in your lungs with every breath you took. Carefully, you balanced two of the smoke bombs in your palms.

"Can you throw?", Aponi asked and aimed for the sky.

"I think?", frowning, you squeezed one eye shut and threw it as hard as you could.

The smoking bundle whizzed through the air in a high arc, so far that it fell right in front of one of the horses' hooves. Startled, it reared up, threw its front legs up and neighed. The rider tugged at the reins, desperately trying to get his mount under control.

Smoke shrouded the plain in a thick blanket. Aponi threw another handful of bombs to turn everything grey before crawling out of cover.

"Come on, we have to be quick!", her hand wrapped around yours and pulled you along.

Surprised, you stumbled over your own feet, but let her pull you along.

Horses trampled over the ground. The earth shook under their hooves. Men shouted confusedly. You were afraid they would shoot blindly into the cloud.

"Aponi?", you asked, whispering into the mist.

Suddenly she was gone. Her hand was no longer on yours and you found yourself lost in the midst of darkness and animals.

Bison were mooing. Without thinking, you stretched out your hand and tried to make your way through the mass of fur.

It smelled wet. A bit like cows.

Suddenly there was something bumping against your shoulder. Warm breath brushed your cheek, along with something sharp. A shiver crawled down your spine.

One of the bison bulls had found you in the hustle and bustle of the smoke. His tail swung calmly back and forth while his dark eyes stared at you. There was no sign that the animal was aggressive. It just stared.

"Careful...", Aponi's voice crept out of the fog like a ghost. "He wants to assess you."

Calmly, you turned your head far enough to cross the bison's gaze. Your heart was pounding in your throat. The bison let out another hot breath. Goose bumps grew all over your body.

"Come on.", Aponi took your hand again to lead you slowly backwards.

Step by step, you moved away from the bull while you continued to look deep into each other's eyes. How calm the animal was. Almost frozen with calm.

"What...", you gasped as the shadows of the riders appeared in the distance. "He is not moving. Aponi! The bull is not moving."

Frightened, you tried to free yourself from her grip, but she wrapped her fingers tighter around yours and dragged you back into the forest.

"Leave it.", she breathed. "He knows that his herd must survive. That's what he sacrifices himself for."

Your eyes darted restlessly through the forest.

"But the herd is already gone.", again you wanted to rise, but Aponi was stronger than she looked.

"Animals aren't stupid.", she said as her dark eyes rested on the cloud of smoke that slowly thinned in the wind. "He knows his herd is slow."

"Aponi.", with both hands you gripped hers so tightly that she pulled a face. "We must protect him. They will kill him. For no reason. Simply because they can."

Her thick eyebrows furrowed, she stared at you. Her eyes travelled over your face.

The way she was raised, this was a cycle of nature that she would not interfere with. But just because she believed in it didn't mean the same rules chained you down.

"This is not your land.", she said with a slight shake of her head. "If you break its rules, you'll have to live with the consequences."

Her fingers opened to release you. Slowly she stood up, took a few steps and then glanced back over her shoulder. Remorse shone briefly in her eyes. Then she turned round for good and disappeared in the direction where you had left the horses.

The beat of your heart was so dull that it felt like your ribs were about to burst.

This was a favour you could never repay. Aponi had broken the rules of her tribe, helped you do something that went against your agreement with the natives.

It would be a shame to let this opportunity go to waste. Your breath caught in your throat as you jumped to your feet and turned round.

The smoke had cleared.

There were four men, all on horseback. They held hunting rifles in their hands. Sweat dripped from your forehead. As it ran down your lip, a salty flavour spread.

Where was the bull?

Your legs twitched, but your mind told you to stay in cover a moment longer.

Hooves thundered over the ground. Then, all at once, the bison appeared between the trees. Its hooves dug into the ground, deep furrows tore through the fresh green grass.

Wildly, the bison threw its head into the air. Horns dug into the side of the first horse when its rider was foolish enough to get too close. Although bison were not particularly fast, they were all the more deadly when their horns reached a target.

Screaming loudly, the horse threw its rider off, blood running down its neck and legs as it crashed to the ground.

The bison left it alive. The rider was not so lucky. He was too slow to pick up his weapon before the animal crushed his skull with all its mass.

Incensed, the other horses began to shy away. Their riders tugged on the reins. Weapons were raised.

A shiver ran down your spine. Your heart stopped for a moment in your chest. As if of its own accord, your hand reached down and closed around the grip of your revolver.

Cold metal nestled in your palm.

With a quick jerk, you raise your weapon and fire two quick shots. One bullet hit one of the men in the elbow.

Screaming in pain, he threw his head back, the bison seizing the moment and throwing him and his horse over his back.

The second bullet was a lucky shot. It hit the second man in the neck. It was more than just a grazing shot, but it didn't lacerate his throat.

Blood poured out from everywhere and he fell off his horse. Now there was only one man left.

Gun raised, he took aim. But the bison was not his target. Clenching his teeth, he pointed the barrel of his gun in the direction your shots had come from and pulled the trigger.