The Bandits of Sawtooth Mountain

4. Sawtooth Mountain

They had listened to San and took off immediately, only the three of them speeding through the dusty planes on the backs of their horses.

San was by far the best rider out of the three of them, his powerful legs slung around his horse tightly and he rode it with one hand at the reigns, the other one balancing his body behind him. Hongjoong kept watching his muscular back, riding at his left while Wooyoung was at the right.

The hunter expertively did know his way around the plains, easily showing them the best paths to follow around large boulders and avoiding the nests of any wild animals. Hongjoong was sure that a man like him must spend most days of his year out in the wild with all the venomous snakes and hungry coyotes and he could respect that. While Hongjoong knew how to live out in the wild he was not very keen on doing it more than absolutely needed.

Their journey was mostly silent, everybody preoccupied with not breathing in too much dust and Hongjoong memorizing the landscape around them. It was only after the first period of canter when they slowed down their horses to an easier trot, that San spoke up again.

"See those trees back there? A treck starts there that leads up the mountain. However, horses cannot take it. We either have to rest here for the night or travel in the dark. What shall it be?"

Hongjoong tried deciding, not sure about how well the bandits would take to them literally camping in front of their hideout. Had San ever had run-ins with them? Did he know how to fend them off?

"What do you think? Are we at a risk of getting attacked?", Hongjoong calmly asked back, not yielding to the fierce look in San's eyes. The man had a distinct white streak of hair in between his black locks, looking like lightning had stolen a lock of his hair.

"I'm not sure... They might come out if they see us close or they might watch only. However it's not more or less safe here than in Davis."

Hongjoong studied the other man's face, his high cheek bones and full lips, the way his fox-like eyes seemed to narrow a bit when he noticed Hongjoong's gaze on him.

"Let's stay the night then and go up tomorrow.", Hongjoong decided smoothly, looking forwards again.

-

Hongjoong tried not to fall alseep, he really did. The atmosphere kept creeping him out, the eerie silence of the plains only seldomly interrupted by the noises of wild animals he would rather not meet.

Wooyoung has had less problems with calming down despite their unfamiliar surroundings. After spending the whole evening sitting close to their little fire and staring into the distance he had nodded off quite easily, curling into a little ball underneath his blanket.

San himself kept watch without seeming to tire. His eyes were sharp and quick, ears picking up any sound and he also kept their fire burning, warming up the little group and keeping predators away.

Hongjoong and he had conversed a bit when Wooyoung was still awake, simple questions that San had avoided quite mysteriously. His shell was not easy to pierce and Hongjoong gave it up after some time, quieting down as not to disturb Wooyoung.

And after some time he also felt sleep tugging on him. His eyelids drooped where he was mindlessly staring into the fire. His limbs seemed much to heavy to still be used to move much and when he lifted his head again it felt already light.

"San.", he whispered carefully, meeting the other's fierce eyes over the fire that danced in them like a certain death creeping closer.

"Wake me up when you need me to sit guard.", Hongjoong mumbled tiredly, just getting a quick nod before the man resumed to looked out over the plains.