Partner (Micah Bell)

15. Hunting

Ashley sat at a table talking with Arthur about the new camp and about how everything seemed to be changing. Arthur closed his mouth and looked over Ashley's shoulder when he saw Micah approaching them.

"I'm heading out, you coming?" Micah asked, patting Ashley on the shoulder, making her look up at him.

"Yeah" Ashley smiled and nodded, watching Micah walk away. "Sorry, Arthur. I'll see you later" she smiled, quickly waving at him as she walked away and followed Micah to the horses. 

Arthur raised his eyebrow at her as she left. At first Ashley couldn't stand the thought of working a job with Micah, and now she didn't even need a reason to leave the camp with him. All either of them have to do is say the word and then the other goes running behind them.

Ashley and Micah didn't say anything as they mounted their horses and rode out of camp. "So what's the job? I thought everything had died down around here" Ashley asked as she followed Micah away from the camp and in the opposite direction of Rhodes.

"There's no job. We're going hunting" Micah told her blankly, causing her to look at him in confusion.

"Hunting? I have so many questions" she chuckled, shaking her head.

"Just ask one" he said, glancing at her as they rode side by side.

"Why are we going hunting?" she asked. She never thought of Micah as a hunter, he never seemed interested in it. 

"Saw Pearson's supply was running low, thought we could grab some stuff for him" Micah shrugged but even he knew that he was lying and making up excuses, and Ashley was pretty sure that he didn't care about Pearson's supplies at all.

"How thoughtful of you" she hummed, not believing him at all. "Why do you need me to go hunting with you?" she asked. If he wanted to go hunting, surely he could do that alone.

"I said you could only ask one question" Micah reminded Ashley, making her laugh to herself as they rode to a spot where Micah had seen some deer.

Once they reached the area that Micah had in mind, they dismounted their horses and walked over to a large slanted rock. Ashley hopped up onto the rock and sat down, just looking around the area to observe the deer. She turned her attention to Micah as he lent on the edge of the rock, loading his revolver.

"You don't hunt, do you?" Ashley laughed as she shuffled down the rock so that she was sitting beside him with her legs crossed.

"Not often" Micah admitted, putting his gun back into his holster.

"Well you can't use that gun, you'll startle the deer. You should use a bow" she advised. 

"A bow? I don't think so" he scoffed, shaking his head as he hoisted himself up and sat on the rock with Ashley, his legs hanging over the edge.

"Seriously, it's quieter and gets a cleaner kill" she told him.

"Since when do you use a bow?" he asked, he had never seen Ashley using a bow before.

"Charles taught me how to use one, I only use it for hunting" she shrugged. Charles was pretty much an expert when it came to hunting so Ashley took his advice seriously.

"I'll stick to guns" he shook his head, pulling one of his revolvers back out and waving it in front of her face.

"They are nice, I see why they are so precious to you" Ashley smiled as she grabbed the gun from his hand and held it in her own, testing the weight of it in her hand. She hummed as she examined the gun, since this was the closest she ever got to it. Micah never let anyone touch his prized revolvers, so Ashley felt lucky that he hadn't punched her to get it back yet. She couldn't help but admire the custom red and black skull grip. She tilted the weapon to read the words engraved on the side of the barrel, 'Vengeance is hereby mine'...yeah, that sounds like something that Micah might have engraved on his gun. Ashley smiled to herself before having the revolver snatched out of her grasp.

"Give that back" Micah rolled his eyes as he grabbed his gun back, a somewhat fond smile gracing his face as he tucked the gun back into his holster.

"It is a nice gun, you have to let me shoot it sometime" she smiled, nudging his shoulder with her own.

"That's not going to happen" he scoffed, shaking his head.

"Come on I could use some pointers from the best shot in camp" she smiled innocently as he glanced at her.

"Flattery won't change my mind" he shook his head, smirking to himself.

"But I'm your favourite person in camp" Ashley pouted and crossed her arms over her chest, sulking like a child.

"Why would you ever think that?" Micah asked, scrunching up his face.

"You said that you hate me a little less than the others, that means that I'm your favourite" she reminded him, uncrossing her arms and unfolding her legs so that they hung over the edge of the rock like Micah's were. 

"I knew I would regret saying that" he rolled his eyes, looking away from her again. 

"So...you gonna let me shot your gun?" she asked with hopeful eyes, leaning forward to see his face.

"...fine. When we get back to camp you can shoot some bottles" he nodded, sighing as he gave up trying to win this argument.

"Really? Just bottles?" Ashley whined, groaning to herself.

"Yeah, just bottles. I want a beer while I watch you" he shrugged.

"That makes you sound like a creep. Now come on, we better get at least one deer to bring back to Pearson" she hummed as she stood up, turning to look at the man.

"Fine" he nodded as he stood as well.

"I'll kill it, you carry it" Ashley suggested, smiling before walking over to Robin. 

"That doesn't seem fair" Micah pointed out as he watched her grab the bow from her horse.

"Aw, I don't care" she sent him a sarcastically apologetic look before walking to a position that made the deer clear to her.

Micah stood beside her and watched her as she aimed the bow and arrow at one of the animals, he smiled slightly as he watched her furrow her brow in concentration. He smiled again when she shot the arrow at the deer, taking it down in one shot. "See, quiet and clean. Now, go fetch it" Ashley winked at Micah as she walked back over to Robin and but her bow away.

"Good shot, Black" Micah nodded before walking over to the deer, he pulled the arrow out of the carcass and held the arrow out for Ashley to take. Once she took it, Micah picked the deer up and hoisted it over his shoulder before securing it to the back of Baylock.

They mounted their horses and rode back to camp, and when they got there Ashley stayed on her horse as she watched Micah lift the deer carcass off of his horse. "You just gonna watch me or do something useful?" Micah asked as he rolled his eyes.

"I quite like watching" Ashley smiled as she hopped down from her horse.

"Oh, Miss Black. If I didn't know any better I'd think that you're flirting with me" he smirked, moving to stand in front of the woman.

"Now, why would I be doing that, Mr Bell? But you do look good with a carcass thrown over your shoulder" she smirked back, crossing her arms as she looked up at him. 

"You are quite something, Ashley" Micah chuckled as he shook his head and walked away to give the deer to Pearson. Ashley laughed to herself as she walked in another direction, not even noticing Kieran who had watched the whole interaction awkwardly.

A/N: I promise that something is going to happen soon XD