Killer's Eyes [Engl.]

6. Killer Instinct

The next few days were for Rango partly recovery, but also uneasiness.
There was no day where he didn't get an evil look from Jake.
Every morning, Jake didn't greet him, but he only asked: "How are you today?"
And Rango used to answer: "not bad" or "better than yesterday."
After that, Jake used to take a look at the injuries. Depending on how the injuries looked like he put a salve on it or cool compresses. Then he gave him water, what Jake only did with a disapproving, contemptuous gesture. But he had to realize that Rango was still too weak.

On the second day, Rango was hungry, but he didn't dare to ask Jake for food. But on the fourth day, Rango couldn't stand it any longer. The hunger bit him in the stomach. When Jake treated his injuries like every morning, Rango tried to ask him carefully.
"Jake?"
Jake said nothing, but looked at him suspiciously.
"Jake? I... I'm hungry."
An exasperated hiss made him start. Jake had raised up menacingly in front of him and looked at him so angrily as if Rango had insulted him with his question.
"All right, all right", Rango said hastily. "I think I can go without food."
At that moment Rango's stomach growled again. Rango screwed up his eyes and feared he had made Jake mad because of his stomach growl.
Jake sighed in disgust. Then he turned and Rango was alone again.

A while later Rango woke up when Jake came back.
Something fearfully Rango hid under the blanket as Jake closed the door. In his mouth, he held a small sack, which had filled with something.
Rango held his breath when Jake let fall the sack beside him to the ground.
Hesitantly, Rango peeked out under the blanket.
"Here." With these words, Jake pushed the sack to Rango with an annoyed gesture.
Unsurely Rango took with his free hand the loop of the sack and opened it.
Grasshoppers. The sack had filled with dead desert grasshoppers.
"Normally, I eat some bigger things," Jake said mockingly. "Either you eat it or you let it."
"No, no", Rango said quickly. "That's really okay. I like insects."
With his free hand, Rango took a grasshopper. Hesitantly, he bit into it and chewed. It was lucky, that he was an insect-eating lizard. So it wasn't a problem for him to eat Jake's captured insects. On the contrary. Slowly he developed a taste for it and soon he ate with relish a grasshopper after another.
Jake watched him with suspicion. He hated it so much to feed his prisoner and his anger rose again in his stomach.
I hope you choke to dead on your food, he thought.

Rango lay slumbering peacefully on the blanket and seems to be very happy. Now that the hunger didn't longer torment him, he fell asleep very quickly.
Jake, who was still awake, bit on his lower lip. Most of all he liked to bite him now.
Again his killer instinct called to him.
"Calm down", he said to himself. "You come soon enough to quench your revenge. Don't worry."

But on the eighth day, Jake lost his patience.
Rango hadn't still awake this morning yet as Jake pushed him roughly to the side.
"Get up!"
Still half asleep, Rango sat up. But because of the rope around him it wasn't easy for him to stay in this position.
"Get up!" Jake ordered.
"What is it?" Rango asked wearily.
"I don't care how you are today!" Jake snapped. "We fight our duel today! Immediately!"
"But I..."
But Jake didn't give him a chance to reply. The snake moved like lightning her body around the chameleon. Then Jake took a knife in his mouth and bend down to Rango, who lay stiffly and breathed hardly in the loops. Jake put the knife on the rope carefully and with a quick jerk cut through the shackles. Then Jake loosened his grip and Rango fell roughly to the ground. Rango was dizzy. He wasn't fit yet. At the same moment, he heard something fall beside him. Surprised, he looked up as he realized his clothes on the floor. Including his gun belt.
"Put it on!"
Unsurely Rango pulled on his clothes and bucked on the belt around his hips.
Jake watched at him impatiently. When Rango had finished at last, he pushed him outside. He couldn't wait to satisfy his urge to kill. He wanted revenge.