RANGO // OӘͶAЯ - Another Outlaw Story [Engl.]

2. Welcome in Nowhere

The hot wind blew innocently over the landscape, as if he would not care about who he annoyed with that. Even the sun shined merciless down and let the air glimmer. Nothing else seemed to be here than them. And they didn't care, but Jake hated them. He slithered over the hot sand, the wind in his face, the sun on his back. He breathed exhausted. Maybe he should walk on until he crocked up in death.
He lifted his head when he was hearing a male singing voice.

"Welcome, amigo
to the land without end.
The desert and death
are the closest of friends.
We sing of his courage
in magnificent song
but pay close attention
he won't be here long.
As the birds pluck his eyes
The sun bleaches his bones
See his entrails get scattered
Watch him lose the cojones..."

"STOP THAT!" Jake shouted.
Señor Flan and his companions interrupted their music play. The owls stood on a cactus branch and looked at him with disappointed glances.
Jake snorted with disgust and continued his slithering walk.
Chico shrugged his wings and continued his trumpet play part, while Señor Flan continued his monolog: "Here in the Mojave Desert, animals have had millions of years to adapt to the harsh environment. But the snake? He is going to die."
Chico interrupted his playing. "Is the text also from a western novel?"
"No, from a guide book."
Jake sighed deeply. "Somewhere must be a place where I can die without..."
"Don't move."
He stopped.
"Hey! Blend in!" a strange voice called.
"What?" The rattlesnake looked around, but he couldn't see anyone.
"Blend in!"
"What?"
His glance wandered down at a little rock looking object.
"I said: Blend in!"
Jake winced. The rock had eyes. Maybe a kind of toad or similar.
"W-why should I...?"
He winced with shock, as a shadow flew above him.
"Too late," the rock looking animal said.
Jake forgot for a moment all his pain and wounds. With big jumps he dashed away without aim.
"Hey! What are you doing? Calm down!" the rocky animal cried, but the rattlesnake slithered as fast as he could like the devil would hunt him.
The hawk nosedived and reached out his claws to dig them into the snake's skin.
The owls who still stood on the cactus flew up as they almost had crashed together with the excited hawk. Irritated the hawk flew up. Meanwhile, Señor Flan and his companions flew a few meters over the ground and looked for a place to hide.
"Guys! On 11 o'clock position!"
Señor Flan pointed ahead where another big cactus stood with a hole inside.
Nosediving and fast, they flew down and landed ruggedly through the cactus cave hole.
The hawk looked at the cactus irritated, then he remembered the rattlesnake and forgot the owls very fast again.
He looked to the side where the rattlesnake crawled quickly over the desert floor. His injuries made it harder for him to be fast.
The hawk uttered a cry and flapped with his big wings to the snake.
Jake looked back and screamed with horror.
"THAT'S NOT THE WAY WHICH I WANTED TO DIE!"
His heart stood still when he saw an old empty can. He crawled inside. The hawk behind him.
The can floor had broken. Quickly the snake speeded out while the hawk got stuck. Angrily the predator threw his head in all directions to get it off.
When he heard a cracking sound of his victim, he forgot his situation and jumped in the direction where he had heard the noise and crashed against a cactus.
Jake, who stood behind the cactus, tried to flee again. Suddenly he stopped and looked at his gun tail.
I can shoot, you can shoot!
He aimed his gun at the hawk and pulled the shot mechanisms, but...
[CLICK! CLICK!]
The empty clicking sound echoed through his head like death knells.
He shook the gun like a mad man.
"No, no, no, no, no!" he screamed in despair. "Why don't you work!?"
He winced. Maybe it was damaged as the car had driven over him on the road.
Meanwhile, the hawk had managed to remove the can. With big greedy eyes, he looked at the rattling bullet less snake.
Jake forze like ice when he felt the raptor's eyes and looked up at him slowly.
The hawk grinned feisty.
He could read it in his eyes what he was going to do with him.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Aimless and without way of hope the snake scuttled off in a hurry like no other snake could have done it.
In mortal fear he crawled past cactuses, always trying to shake off the bird with all by all available means. Dust and sand flout into his eyes. Like blind, he ran somewhere.
"AAAHHHHH!"
Jake screamed with horror. A sharp beak had grabbed his tail. A brutal pull and the snake was thrown through the air. He crashed against some stones and stay laying there.
He blinked heavily. His vision blurred in his eyes. He only saw a big shadow which flew in his direction.
With last force he stood up and started crawling again, but more than few meters he couldn't anymore.
The hawk took a run-up.
His eyes wandered on his tail. He pressed his lips together and shook it again.
"Come on! Come on!"
Tears filled his eyes.
The hawk's cry let him wince and he shook it more.
"COME ON! WORK!"
A loud "BANG" broke the air.
Jake had been so unprepared when the shot loosened, and he fell backwards. The hawk screamed. Maybe the bullet had met him. He flew up in the air very close in front of the rattlesnake. The wind and the shock let Jake fell backwards. He lost his grip and rolled down a stony hill. The snake tumbled several times. Stumbled over a little cactus and crashed against a wooden fence finally. Wood splintered.
He got so much pain that he couldn't feel his body anymore. He yelled with his last conscious breath. Then he was silent. His body jerked gently, and his rattle moved softly. Then he lay stiffly.
Dead silence rose in the air.
Minutes passed, until something moved in a cactus cave.
"Is the bird gone?" Chico whispered.
Carefully the owl head of Raoul looked out. "I think, yes."
They left their hiding place in the cactus and glided down.
When there were complete, they looked around searchingly.
"Where is he gone, our companion?"
"I will check it out."
With these words, Lupe flew to the sky.
"There! I see him!"
Lupe flew down and pointed few meters away a hill down.
Señor Flan and the others ran as fast as they could to the top of the hill and looked down to the motionless rattlesnake.
"Is he dead?" Chico asked.
"That's happened very fast," Raoul said.
Lupe scratched his head. "Shall we take a look?"
Señor Flan lifted his wing. "Wait a second. Look."
A little figure came closer. A rabbit with long hanging ears and a big hat ran to the accident place. Few meters, he stopped and walked carefully closer to the snake. The rabbit looked around. Then he took off his hat and scratched his head.
"Meggy!" he shouted. "Bring water and some men. We have an injured snake outside!"