LAST CHANCE → sean macguire ✔

one , seven

"Hey, Kiddo. Wha'ddya say about hunting?" Charles leant on the stack of boxes beside Willa. She blinked up from her book and pursed her lips in thought.

"I dunno... You're looking kinda crusty today." She wrinkled her nose and he scoffed in mock-hurt. She just started laughing.

"You're so mean, Lil's. It's a wonder you have a man at all." Tilly teased from her spot a few feet away, sewing a sock back together. Willa faltered and cleared her throat loudly.

"I don't, uh... I don't have anyone. I don't know what you're talking about... Charles, let's just go." She hid her red cheeks as she grabbed her stuff and hurried towards Horaz. Charles rolled his eyes as he followed her out of camp, chuckling. Sean and Willa both reacted like this, flustered and nervous whenever anyone mentioned how they'd been getting sweet on one another. Willa quickly denied it, but Sean would usually just chuckle and pretend like he wasn't blushing.

"Where are we hunting today?" Willa was still trying to get the hang of the land here, since Rhodes was all pretty new to her. Dutch had immediately found a way to use this place to their advantage and he was in the middle of figuring out how to use the Grays and Braithwaites-- the rivalling families in Rhodes. He had even gotten a bunch of the gang appointed as Deputies.

"We're going to try an area I found yesterday, seems to be full of game. Pearson said we're getting low, so let's get as much as we can carry." He led the way. Willa's shoulder was still sore and the scar was growing in ugly, but she could shoot a gun or bow as good as before.

They rode on for a while, taking in the rare silence. There was always something happening in the camp, someone yelling or singing, and both Willa and Charles enjoyed hunting trips like this. Silent.

"So, I have a question. Tell me truthfully, Charles, but what's Arthur's problem with me? He was alright when we were running for our lives, but now he's right back to it," The pair stopped their horses and Charles turned to face her, "Did I screw up somethin'?"

Charles sighed and adjusted his position in the saddle, "He's... Ah. Arthur had a son once. With a waitress. He couldn't settle down with them because of the life he lived, being an outlaw an all, but he helped them out and visited often. He loved that boy. Some fella's ran through there once, when he wasn't there, and robbed them. Then they killed them."

Willa angled her eyebrows upwards, "What does that have to do with me, though?"

"Grant, right? Your father was Thomas Grant?" Charles hinted. Willa nodded slowly, then it hit her all at once. She shoved her palms to her face and leaned back in her saddle.

"Fuck."

"But it's not your fault! Arthur knows that, but he... I'm sorry." Charles attempted to smooth things over. Willa sighed heavily and Horaz shifted beneath her.

She pried her hands away and shook her head, "I knew it had to be something like that. He screwed up a lot of things." She sighed again.

"Come on, hunting's good here. You can talk to him when we get back." Charles dismounted Taima and grabbed his bow. Willa nodded and joined him on the ground with her own bow in hand. She let him lead the way, until they came across a set of fresh tracks, "You forget how to track, yet?" Charles nodded to the deer tracks. Willa snorted and crouched down to examine them.

"I should ask you the same, old man. Come on, he went this way." She moved forward quickly. Her feet were light and made no sound as she followed the tracks. Eventually, the massive buck came into view. His antlers twisted upwards until they were almost as high up as he was tall, and each step he took was full of magnificence and grace.

"Shit, look at him." Charles breathed. Willa smiled.

"A real beauty of nature. He's got a lot of meat on him, and those antlers would be useful." She whispered. Charles nodded, still transfixed by the sight of the magnificent beast. Willa readied an arrow and lined it up with the buck's neck. An arrow through the windpipe would do just fine.

She let out a breath, but the kill was stolen by another beast. It leapt out of the undergrowth with a screech and locked it's jaws around the buck's throat. The buck let out a blood-curdling call, but was cut off as it was wrestled to the ground. The whole forest seemed to shake at the impact that the buck made, and the wind howled for it's death.

The cougar stood atop it's kill, proudly displaying it like a trophy. Willa wanted to be mad, but three tiny bundles of fur followed the cougar our of the bushes, mewling and toppling over each other. She was just feeding her young. Willa smiled.

"Come on, we might still be able to get something. Let's leave them be." Charles tapped her shoulder. Willa nodded, still smiling, and followed him. They never found anything like that buck, but that was just how it was. Sighting that beast was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. They got two pronghorns and a few rabbits to bring back. They rode back in a comfortable, content silence.

Nothing had to be said.

The wind wrapped around Willa reassuringly, urging her forward. Maybe her and Sean wouldn't need the money, maybe the gang would actually survive and Dutch would lead them to the promised virgin land. Maybe they really could have peace.

Just maybe.