Kindling | Red Dead Redemption 2

Chapter Three: Blood Hound

"Hey! Hey! Slow down, we're far enough!" Y/N yelled, unsure if her voice had traveled that far as the wind whipped through her hair. She pulled on the reins, but Ennis showed no signs of slowing, yanking the reins from her hands when he jerked his head forward, forcing her to grip his mane with one hand to keep herself in the saddle, the other gripping his neck.

They fled down the beaten path at a four-beat gait, passing other riders at what seemed like breakneck speed to someone who had never ridden prior.

"Stop! Do I have to be drunk and Irish for you to understand me?! I command you to listen to me! I'm begging you!" Y/N could feel her grip slipping as she desperately clung to him, her body hunched against him and her eyes tightly shut.

Suddenly, Ennis came to a screeching halt, his hoofs digging into the ground and sending Y/N flying forward as her feet had left the stirrups long before. She hit the dirt with a solid thud, the wind knocked from her lungs. She gasped for air, her body unmoving as her brain struggled to catch up with what happened.

"That looked like it hurt."

Y/N blinked a few times to combat her spinning vision, her eyebrows furrowed as she caught a glimpse of the man standing over her.

Arthur looked at her in a mix of concern and amusement from under the brim of his sweat-stained cowboy hat, "You need a little help there, miss?"

Y/N groaned as she picked herself up from the ground, gathering her bearings rather quickly. "Listen, no time to lose," she said, breathlessly pointing in the direction of town. "Sean's in trouble. Blackwater... Sheriff..."

"Damn, that boy..." Arthur muttered, motioning to her bag. "Quickly. Give me your map. I'll mark a place where you can meet someone to hold onto his horse while I go deal with Sean."

Y/N scoffed, "Uh, no way. You're not leaving me out here alone!"

"Look, I'll give you some money to stay at the hotel in Blackwater-"

"I demand to know where your camp is!"

"Demand?" Arthur stared at her in disbelief, his eyebrows creasing with his escalating irritation. "Lady, what makes you think you can - I could -" He paused, studying her closely, his eyes drilling holes into her own for what seemed like a lifetime before he spoke again.

"You know what?" Arthur threw his hand up, reaching into his satchel, "Fine. You can take my map, but you're handin' it over when I get back." He begrudgingly conceded, placing the map in her outstretched palm.

Y/N's eyes traveled the worn map after opening it, surprised at how well it held up after all these years by how fragile the paper felt beneath her fingertips.

"Don't lose it," Arthur warned, making his way to the black Shire horse nearby, glancing back at her when he settled himself in the saddle. "And before you think about double crossing me, my people don't take too kindly to traitors, I'd keep that in mind if I were you."

He nodded before heading off in the direction of Blackwater, leaving her to stew with his veiled threat.

"The personality of a grizzly bear..." Y/N muttered, her eyes trailing after him for a while before returning her attention to the map. "Well, ain't this dandy. I don't know how to read a fucking map."

She released a sigh and blindly paced the dirt path beside Ennis, her eyes glued to the page. "Can't be much harder than playing the game... So, Blackwater's here, near Valentine... Horseshoe Overlook! Jesus. I'll have to take the tracks if I want to skip the scenery."

"Okay!" She finally said, looking up at Sean's horse. "Ready to try again, boy?"

Ennis gazed at her with his big blue eyes, half-lidded and unimpressed as he snorted in her face, turning his head away and stamping his foot impatiently.

"Aw. You like me, don't you? Come on, admit it. I'm not too bad," Y/N teased, giving him a pat on the shoulder before pulling herself into the saddle, feeling the creeping tendrils of performance anxiety crawl up her spine. "Okay... how do I start this thing? Forward," she motioned ahead of her, holding the reins with her other hand.

Ennis didn't budge.

"Damn..." She muttered, her voice tinged with annoyance, "I have to use cowboy language for a western horse. Hyah!"

☆--------☆

Sean's face whipped to the side as the man's fist connected with his jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground. He groaned, his wrists twisting in their rope restraint uncomfortably, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth. "You know, this reminds me... it's been a while since I've felt the soft touch of a female." Sean joked, sending the gang member a defiant smirk.

"Where are they, Sean? Ike isn't someone you want to fuck around with." The man responded, ignoring his provocation as he gripped the Irishman by the shirt collar, the old floorboards creaking beneath their shifting weight.

Sean laughed, his blue eyes sparkling mischievously. "You'll have to refresh my memory, I was punched earlier, you know? Who are you lookin' for again?"

"Son of a bitch!" Patience worn thin, the man swung his hand back, his knuckles connecting with Sean's bruised cheek.

Sean's face throbbed, a spiderweb of pain shooting through his jaw when it shifted, prompting a flinch from the Irishman, his ear ringing, but it did nothing to extinguish his spirit, "I don't know shite, you loudmouthed fuck! You think caving a skull in is gonna help a man remember things? Your way of showing hospitality needs work, my friend."

"Tell me where they're hiding, or I swear to God I'll put a bullet straight between your fucking eyes." The man threatened, pulling his revolver, the barrel of the gun brushing against Sean's forehead.

Sean quieted for a moment, crossing his eyes to look at it briefly before returning his attention to the man. "Do you kiss your Ma with that mouth?"

"Quiet, you son of a bitch!"

"You Americans, you all lack a little somethin' called creative talent. You can do better than that, surely."

Sean's comment further angered the man and earned him another painful strike to the face.

The man grabbed him by his red hair, the strands tangled and pulled taunt in his grip, his voice a harsh whisper, "Don't worry. It won't matter anyway. We'll find them. And you? You'll be off to prison, you little shit."

"Ah, who cares? I'm not afraid of a little prison time."

"You got a smart mouth, you know that?"

"So I've been told," Sean said, his mind briefly wandering to his encounter with Y/N, hoping he put his faith in the right person.

It was easy to rely on himself to get things done, but taking a chance on someone he'd barely known for five minutes was something else entirely. Then again, what choice did he have? There was no way Oswald would've let him leave that town in one piece, and surely he couldn't put Ennis in danger.

So, taking a few beatings while he waited for a rescue that may or may not come seemed like a fair trade.