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

5. Today's Wednesday!

Jake became pale and froze, only looking into the rifle.
"Don't move. My fingers are faster than your fangs!" a dark voice said.
The man's face was hidden behind the gun. Also his blond hair covered a part of his eyes. On his head he wore a fur hat and long ears hanged down on the left and on the right side. His coat was made of brown leather and his trousers old jeans slacks.
"Kinski!" Meggy cried with shocked voice. "No, he is a guest!"
The rabbit lowered his gun a little. "Are you kidding me? Or did Stump drink too much?"
Meggy sighed. "I know, it's a crazy world, but as I said so, let down the gun!"
The rabbit Kinski dropped the weapon complete. "Never mind. It has unloaded."
"Uncle Kinski!"
The two rabbit boys jumped at him and knocked him down.
With effort Kinski sat up again and wrapped his arms around them.
"Hi little guys."
"Did you hunt something?" Stanley asked curiously.
"Not today. The hawk caught it before I could trap it."
"Daddy says you would be the best," Portley added and grabbed for his hat.
"Sometimes. But a hunter hasn't luck all along."
With that the older rabbit managed to stand up and picked up his fallen gun.
Meggy looked at Jake with an apologizing glance.
"That's my brother-in-law Kinski..."
"He has a hunter hut in the desert," Stanley said proudly.
"He is a trapper*," Portley added. "And he is very good."
"The best one!"
"And the only one."
Stump walked down the stairs of the house and greeted his relative.
"You are on time, brother. Like ever."
"Woken up with the sun," Kinski said and gave him a big hug.
"Javelina is ready!"
With that Chorizo appeared. He drove a cart which was pulled by a peccary and transported a lot of empty bottles and glasses.
Stanley and Portley jumped on it immediately.
Jake, who didn't say a word until now, dared to move his lips again. "Where are you bound for?"
"Today it's our special day," Stump explained.
"Oh yes," Meggy acceded to her husband. "Today's Wednesday. It's tradition to come into the city where we get some water."
"And my brother Kinski comes with us sometimes if he isn't on journey."
"Yeah! Where have you been, Uncle Kinski?" Portley asked loudly.
"In Nord California. Big trees, so high like they could reach the sky."
"WOW!"
Stump waved his hands. "That's enough, kids. It's time for us. We want to have something from the day."
He turned around. "Mr. Jake? If you need something, you can come with us. Didn't you say that you make a journey?"
Kinski pricked up his ears. "A journey? Where do you want to go?"
Jake avoided his glance. "Somewhere."
"Aha, a traveler who is searching the wide world."
"Similar."
"The town is just a few miles away, but it is not so far. You could take a stop and a rest. Our mayor could help you if you need help."
"Oh yes," Meggy said while she was climbing on the cart. "He has been living in town for my grandfathers' times. Yes, he is the founder of our town."
"Yeah," Kinski winked at his brother. "Nobody knows how old he is."
"I bet over 1000 years old!"
"Stanley!" Meggy cried.
"What? Why not? Look how old he looks like."
Jake was silent before he asked a careful question. "Is there a... sheriff?"
Kinski nodded. "Of course, there is. Even a saloon and a dentist."
Jake turned around and made a move to go back into the shed. "Sorry, I can't go to town. I have everything what I need."
Kinski made an "aha" gesture. "Aha, I understand. The earth and the free sky. How did you it?"
"What?
"That thing."
The trapper pointed at his Gatling gun.
"Oh this..."
"Can you really shoot with it?"
"Of course."
"Could you show it?"
"Oh yes!" Stanley and Portley cried with one voice.
"Boys!" Meggy sighed. "We want to go."
"We still have time. Just one shot."
Jake hid his gun behind his big body. "I don't think that children have to see weapons."
"OH!" The boys cried disappointed. "Just one shot."
With that they made very big eyes.
"I advise you to do it," Meggy said despondently. "As I know my kids, they will keep on and on."
Jake sighed very deeply.
"Alright. But really just one shot."
"YEAHAAH!" The rabbit boys triumphed.
Jake eyed them with sad eyes. Didn't they know that guns can do bad things?
He lowered his glance.
Let's get this out of the way.
He looked around where he could shoot without to meet something or someone.
He found a point, aimed with the special gun and...
A clicking sluggish sound was all what became hearable.
"What is it?" "I didn't hear anything." "Or has it a muffler?"
Jake started to understand.
"Maybe it was damaged while the car drove about me," he muttered.
"Didn't you remember which part of your body the car stroke you?" Stump asked.
"Not sure. It was so fast."
"I understand. Mmmh, can you repair it?"
"I will need a mechanic, but it's very complicated."
Stump thought a moment. Then he snapped his fingers. "Anvil! He is the blacksmith of our town. I'm sure he could fix it."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course. He always said, that he knows everything about technical mechanisms."
"Yes, and he said he knows the spaceship of Area 102."
"Oh, come on, Stanley!" Meggy shook her head. "These are just crazy stories."
"In this case, you have to come with us to town," Kinski said cheerfully.
Jake shook his head. "No! I can take care for my own."
"You can't survive with a non-working gun."
"That's unimportant."
"What about your venom?" Portley asked.
"How can he shoot with his venom from a distance?" Stanley asked skeptically.
"True that."
"It could be difficult to come away if you want to leave us," Stump shot the breeze.
"Why this?" Jake asked.
"Well, maybe the hawk could come back. And if there is nothing in near to hide, it could be your last day, in a bad way."
Jake shivered. Of course, he wanted to die somehow, but not this way.
"Alright. I will go to town. But just one moment."
"YEAAAHHH!" The rabbit children cried.
Just Meggy looked worried at him. "Do you think you can crawl the whole way?"
"I'm feeling better."
Meggy wasn't sure, but then she nodded. "Alright. But get in touch if something isn't right."
"Well, with that, we are agreed," Stump wanted to stop the dialog. "Let's go to town."

The sun was still low enough that someone could stand the heat. Just almost. It became hotter and hotter with every hour. The cart drove leisurely through the flat desert landscape. Jake followed them. From time to time he watched the sky just in case if the hawk could return.
Meggy looked at him sometimes then she turned around again. Kinski drove on his own roadrunner beside the cart. Stanley and Portley tried to kill time with little hand games. When they played "rock-paper-scissors" Jake's glance turned to the left side and winced.
"Who are they?"
"Who?" Kinski asked first.
Jake waved his head to the left side. "Between the little rocks, next to the big cactus."
Kinski turned around and followed his glance. In the distance lay a little mountain. Between the rocks stood two or three figures and seemed to watch the little group.
Kinski shook his head and looked ahead again.
"Don't pay attention to them," Kinski murmured.
"What is it?" Stump asked curiously.
"Danbys. Don't stop. Drive on."
"Stanley, Portley!" Meggy said and took their children on their lap as if she would afraid an attack.
Jake didn't understand.
"What is it? Who are the Danbys?"
"They are from the rabbit clan," Kinski answered, without to look at him.
"Clan?"
"Yes," Chorizo explained. "Around the city are two clans. The rodent clan of the Jenkins Brothers, and the rabbit clan of the Danbys."
"And what do they want?"
"Since the water is gone, there is a fight about every last drop. They are lurking like vultures. Just to find a chance to find the big water."
"But they don't dare to occupy the town," Stump added. "Because of the hawk who flies above it from time to time."
"But they rob city people whenever they want," Meggy said nervously.
"Take the advice," Kinski closed the talk. "Ignore them and they will ignore you."
The Danby rabbits followed with their eyes the group, but they weren't going to rob them. They knew the water distribution didn't happen yet. For this reason, they let them pass. Just this time.

The group continued their travels, until Chorizo stopped the cart.
"HO, HO! Well, here we are."
Jake looked ahead. Not far away there was a collection of houses in the distance.
"That's it?"
"Of course. What had you thought?" Kinski joked and drove on.
"Dunno. Maybe... never mind."
"Don't waste time," Meggy said nervously, still afraid of the rabbit clan. They became more aggressive from day to day. "We don't want to keep waiting the others."
Chorizo nodded and let walk the peccary again.
Jake lifted his head when he saw a wooden sign. He crawled closer and read the dirty smudgy letters:

Welcome to Dirt

*A hint for this story and especially to these figures. A trapper doesn't hunt animals like mammals or reptiles here. A trapper hunts more little insects, are very good shooters and are experts to read tracks. They have also the reputation that they could kill a predator bird. Some people say that the fur of their clothes are fur of bad criminals who annoyed them.