Born to Ride

Chapter 4: Evolution

Lovely Belle,

I'm sorry that I'm not there with you. I wish that there was something I could do for our friend Sean, but I'm afraid I'm powerless. We should put our trust in his friends, they will get him out of there if they find it at all possible. Have faith that he will be alright, he usually manages to squirm his way out of trouble more often that not.

Katherine.

I wish I could ease her mind more, but I really can't. I know that she worries about Sean, but I'm sure that he will be okay.

Arthur, sweet Arthur. I knew I would never see him again, yet every time I remembered the way he spoke to me the day he rescued me. Such a soft tone, so gentle and caring. Not one that you would expect from a wanted, murderous, outlaw. The irony.

I grabbed Captain from the tiny stable by my cabin and started making my way toward Annesburg so I could mail my letter to Bellamy. The ride was slow and peaceful, I was happy with where I was and who I had become.

I walked out of the post office and stood on the deck, inhaling a nice breath of thick, mucky, polluted air. Annesburg, the armpit of New Hanover.

"Hey Kate, come over here!" Someone shouted. I looked over by the police station and saw my friend Colt, one of the members of my little gang standing by the bounty board.

Oh god, please not another bounty. I thought to myself.  When I crossed the street he held up a poster with a picture of a rough, dangerous man.

John Marston

He was wanted for the murder of a man near Armadillo.  Dead or alive.

"What do you think Kate? Feel like tagging along?" He asked as he patted Captains neck.

"I suppose so, but only because I need the money." I huffed. Colt gave me a huge childish grin and hopped onto his Appaloosa stallion, Hugo.

"So the poster says that his last known location was Colter. The sheriff believes that him and the gang he runs with is camping up there. So this is going to be a hell of a trip."

"You've got to be kidding me, Colt. That's a two day ride from here. Is the money even enough to make it worth it?"

"I wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't. Two hundred dollars for him if he's brought in alive, fifty if he's dead."

That was good money, I could live off that for quite a long time. That was the only reason I decided to go with him.

"So what do we do if we get all the way there and they're not there?" I asked him, hating that we have to travel through the snow.

"Obviously we will track them, follow them. We will have to be careful, we don't know the size of the group he's with."

~~~~

After two days of bickering, hunting, and riding we finally made it to the rundown town called Colter. And much to Colts surprise, it was deserted.  Not a soul for miles, that we could see.

"Kate, I found some tracks, they're heading south. Let's go."

We took off at an easy canter, wanting to keep up but not necessarily catch up, yet. We followed them to wear the snow ended and paused. The road forked, and we weren't certain which way they went. There was fresh tracks in two different directions.

"Colt, we have to split up or we could lose them. You go left, I'll go right. We meet back here in an hour, if the other isn't here, we find each other as soon as we can, got it?" He nodded.