Mini Stories

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An unfinished WIP

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Summary: After Dutch finds a poor man wounded in an O'Driscoll camp, he takes him in and cares for him. Dutch doesn't realize Pine's abilities until the two go out on a hunt

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He could hear shooting from his spot in his tent. Pine groaned weakly, trying to get the attention of...well he didn't know who. He grew quiet, thinking that an O'Driscoll could come and kill him. He didn't want that. He simply hung his head, closing his eyes as he waited. For what he wasn't sure.

The tent's opening was torn open as a pistol was aimed inside. Pine groaned weakly, the morning light being too much for him. He'd been kept in near darkness the whole time he was with the O'Driscolls so his eyes weren't used to the light. "Holy- Dutch!" Came a gruff voice. Pine lifted his head, breathing a bit heavily.

The unknown male crouched down beside him, frowning. "Easy. You're safe now." The male spoke and Pine could only nod, hanging his head again. "What is it Arthur?" Came another voice before a gasp sounded. "He an O'Driscoll?" Pine didn't lift his head this time, too weak to. The first man gently untied him before picking him up.

"Don't think so. Look at how wounded he is Dutch. Don't think no O'Driscoll would be hurt like this." The small male let out a soft groan before falling unconscious. He'd lost a lot of blood since being captured.

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A soft hiss left him as he slowly woke up. "Where...?" Pine forced himself to sit upright, despite the pain he felt. A gasp left someone nearby before they rushed over. "Lay down! You're still hurt!" Scolded a feminine voice. Despite his better judgement, he did as told.

"You poor boy. You're lucky Dutch and Mr. Morgan found you or you'd be dead." A damp and cold towel was pressed to his forehead and he shivered. He could only groan softly in reply, opening his eyes up. Pine looked to the lady and rose a brow. "Where am I?" Came his hoarse voice. The lady simply smiled a bit.

"Don't worry, you're safe. Keep this on your forehead while I get Dutch." Without waiting for an answer, the lady turned and left. Pine rose a brow but stayed down, keeping the cold towel on his forehead. He noticed it was around sunset now. How long was he out for? He patiently waited for the stern but kind lady to return, mind racing with questions.

Who was Dutch? And that other guy that found him, Arthur. Who was he? He quietly wondered where he was at the moment. Pine wasn't blind though, being able to tell he was in a half tent by a lake of some kind? From where he was he could see other tents like his, along with one slightly bigger tent.

From said tent, the lady from before and a man were walking over. "Here he is Dutch. I told you I'd take care of him nicely. Idiot did try and stand up though." The lady spoke and Pine growled softly at the insult. He wasn't an idiot, simply confused.

"Hello there. My name is Dutch. I and Arthur found you in an O'Driscoll camp. You were pretty beat up my friend." Came the deep voice of the man. Pine forced himself upright, wincing a bit as he did. The lady frowned and went to scold him but Dutch gently stopped her. He then motioned something to her and the lady left.

Dutch then turned his attention back to Pine, watching the male set the towel aside on a nearby plate. "So..." The smaller other glared softly at Dutch and he knew Pine probably wouldn't cooperate very well. "Listen, how's about this friend? We do introductions before I go questioning you okay?" A soft nod and Dutch perked up.

"Perfect! Now. I'm Dutch Van Der Linde. Do call me Dutch though. No one calls me by my full name. They only say my last name when they're angry." He chuckled but Pine didn't. Dutch grew silent before speaking again. "Listen, we won't hurt you. Not unless you're an O'Driscoll. From your wounds I'd imagine you're not." He spoke.

"No. I'd never associate myself with those bastards." Snarled Pine. His voice had an accent Dutch couldn't quite place. He wondered if he'd be able to learn where the smaller other was from. Pine sighed. "Apologies. I jus'...don't trust easy if it's not obvious. My name is Pine. I won't say my last name because I'd rather keep that to myself." He spoke and Dutch perked up some.

"Well then it is a pleasure to meet you Pine. This, is the Van Der Linde gang. We've got people from all parts of the world and we're looking for a utopia of sorts. Where we don't have to worry about the new world. Do you belong to a gang?" He asked curiously.

Pine had shifted to make room so Dutch could sit down and the other did. "No, I'm not. I don't deal well with others." Came his short reply to which Dutch nodded. "Ah, Alright. And how may I ask, did you get messed up with the O'Driscolls? Did you steal from or kill them?" He asked.

"I took a contract to kill a few of their men and they didn't take too kindly to that. They caught me off guard in an old cabin that's long since been burned down. Wasn't my cabin though so I don't care." Dutch rose a brow as he listened.

"You're a freelance assassin?" "More a sniper but sure." Pine nodded softly and Dutch smiled. If Pine decided to stay with them, he had a feeling the other would fit right in. "I see. So they kidnapped you and tortured you from the looks of it. You're lucky we were raiding their camp. Bastards would've killed you had we not found you." Dutch spoke and Pine paused for a moment, realizing this Dutch guy was right.

"For that I'm thankful. But I do believe I should-!" Pine attempted to stand before slumping to his knees with a groan. Dutch's eyes widened before he moved to help the other sit back on the bed. "If you think you're going to leave like this, you won't be able to. You can barely stand my friend. That and Ms. Grimshaw wouldn't let you leave so wounded. What if the O'Driscolls show up again? Then what?"

Pine winced as he sat back down. This Dutch guy had a point. He also realized that Ms. Grimshaw was probably the lady that scolded him earlier. He sighed. "So...what now?" He asked, catching Dutch off guard. After a moment of silence, Pine rolled his eyes. "Are you gonna let me stay here or...?"