Realistic or Modern heading westward on| p |

[david tennant]

Ashley stayed quiet after he gave his last bit of information, waiting to see how the outlaw would react to it. He relaxed some when the gun was finally lowered and out but into the holster. He slowly put his away as well. Watching as the outlaw spoke and turned to walk away, he almost let out a soft laugh. He knew that there was no way he would be able to find them on his own. He only had a vague idea of where they were located himself. He was aware of how dangerous they were. It really wasn’t the best of situations at the current moment. He had already been planning on asking as few of his bounty hunter friends to help him take this gang down. He guessed he would have to settle for this outlaw.

“I’ll help. You just have to promise to listen to me and not be an idiot.” He stated as he began to walk forwards, surpassing Johnnie. His horse had been the other tied up to the post. He untied her from it, leading her away some. He then quickly climbed onto her back, adjusting himself in the saddle. “Y’know, I’m surprised you’re so willin’ to go get your partner back. Most outlaws would just leave them for dead.” He commented. He had seen the bond that the two shared multiple times before. He knew it was something different. As soon as Johnnie was on his horse, he began to lead the way out of town and towards the woods.

“I don’t know their exact location. My leads say they are hiding in some caves. If we can find wagon tracks, we should follow those. They usually grab people and stuff ‘em in there before retreating back.” He explained as they rode. He kept his gaze focused more on the ground, trying to gain a sense of which tracks could help them.

 

[beess]

Johnnie only huffed in reply as Ashley mentioned not being an idiot. He would've snapped back but seeing as they were partners at the moment, he chose to keep he regretfully kept his mouth shut. Then came the comparison of Johnnie to other outlaws and Johnnie clenched his jaw. The bounty hunter was right, most outlaws usually left their partners for dead, not wanting to get into any additional trouble but Johnnie and Alex were different. "Yeah, well I ain't one of those outlaws. I'm not about to leave him for dead he's..." Johnnie paused for a second, "he's just been with me a long time." The outlaw would leave it at that, not wanting to go any further.

Following close behind to Ash, Johnnie listened as he spoke and nodded slightly, adjusting his attention to the ground. If it was recent, the tracks would definitely still be quite visible, not yet trampled by other riders. He narrowed his eyes, trying his best to adjust his sight. Johnnie was usually good at finding tracks but it was definitely much more difficult in the type of lighting and setting that they were currently in.

He kept a slow pace, scanning the ground back and forth before he pulled on the reins of his horse slightly, coming to a stop to look more closely at what looked like very recent wagon tracks to him. For a moment, he sat there trying to make sure that they were the right ones and looked out ahead a bit, seeing an area where there were some plants that were pushed aside and trampled and he called out for the bounty hunter. "Ash! I think I got their tracks right here." He motioned with his head towards the ground before looking up and then pointing out the area where it looked like they had went off the path. "There's some plants over there, looked like they been trampled a bit."

 

[david tennant]

Ash glanced over towards the outlaw when he heard the huff. He was sure that he was hating the situation that they found themselves in. He didn’t find it ideal either. While he admired Johnnie and Alex, it was his job to take them in. He wasn’t supposed to help them. He was sure that Johnnie was feeling the same as he was currently. “That he has. I’ve been tracking you both down for years.” He admitted. It was a constant game of cat-and-mouse between the three. “I ain’t goin’ bring you in after this. While I still do want the multiple bounties on both of your heads, I have bigger issues than you right now.” He commented.

He left the conversation there in order to look for tracks that might be able to lead them to where they needed to go. It was never easy trying to find tracks in thick bush and woods. He was hoping the outlaw might be able to pick up on some things that he couldn’t. He lightly pulled on his reins when he heard Johnnie speak, turning his horse to go over to him. “You definitely do. Let’s follow them in. We will have to leave our horses a little bit away to bot draw extra attention.” He informed. It wouldn’t be easy getting Alex out by doing so, but he was sure that Johnnie would agree with him.

“How much ammo do you have? I can spare some if you need extra.” He inquired. He began to lead the way down the trail, keeping his eyes peeled.

 

[beess]

Johnnie was glad for the bounty hunter having taken up a sort of truce with the outlaw and the conman. Though, even if he still didn't trust him completely, he was positive he wasn't going to bring him in. They weren't the only two with bounties on their heads and there were people who were worth way more out there anyway. Plus, if he were to take him in, Johnnie was sure that Ashley would have done it by now, knowing how the bounty hunter worked. Johnnie knew he wasn't somebody to just waste time.

Looking back down at the ground to continue following the tracks, he absentmindedly nodded at Ash's remark about leaving their horses some ways away. He didn't have a problem with doing that but more so had a problem with trying to get Alex back. He wasn't sure how many people there were who had took them or what kind of weaponry they had and he couldn't help but come up with at least a thousand 'what-if' situations. Once they found whoever took the conman, he was sure he was going to give them hell and more.

"I should be good on ammo, for now at least. That might change, however." The outlaw reached over to check his saddle bags, quietly feeling around for the extra bullets he usually always carried. As he did, something through the trees caught his eye. A faint light from a fire and he quickly pulled the reins of his horse and the animal came to an abrupt stop. Johnnie would then whisper yell over at the bounty hunter, "Ash! That's gotta be them, right at that fire!"

 

[david tennant]

sorry if this isn’t the best! i ended up getting a concussion and some stitches under my eye this weekend so my brain is kind of scattered still))

Ashley kept his gaze peeled as they continued to make their way through the thick bush. He knew of the gang’s abilities. He had been tracking them for quite a bit of time now. It wasn’t the easiest of jobs, especially with how he was outnumbered. The group was dangerous. He was hoping that Johnnie might be able to actually help him take them down. The outlaw was skilled enough and with the anger that he seemed to be feeling over losing Alex right now, it could work out for them. He glanced towards Johnnie, studying him for a moment. He didn’t think that he had ever seen the other male like this before. He seemed more determined than ever.

He carefully pulled on the reins of his horse to get her to stop, turning his head to look at the fire. “It’s definitely them. Let’s leave the horses here and get closer by foot.” He kept his voice quiet so they wouldn’t be heard. He carefully slid off the saddle before beginning to make his way towards where the fire was. He kept his steps light. He paused as he neared the edge of the brush. “Well, we are definitely out numbered. Any ideas?”

 

[beess]

[oh damn! hope you're recovering well. if you need to take some time off, feel free to of course!]

Johnnie watched as Ash dismounted his horse and followed, telling the mare in a whisper to 'stay' as he carefully crept his way up next to the bounty hunter. He grit his teeth when they got closer and were able to see just what they were up against. There were only two of them and at least several or more of the ganger members. They were definitely outnumbered and they were outnumbered by a lot. The outlaw quietly swore underneath his breath and sat there for a moment, trying to think of something, anything. Looking back over towards where the gang was settled up he looked around, seeing that they weren't too bunched up together.

"Hell, I don't know. If possible we could try to split them up by making noise or something, thin 'em out before we do anything else." Johnnie looked back out at the small encampment, trying to see if he could spot where Alex was but there was just too much in the way for him to really pick him out. If he could've, he would've definitely just gone in guns blazing but there were a lot of them and they seemed like a group of career criminals as well, he was sure they wouldn't miss their shots.

 

[david tennant]

it’s getting better! the swelling is down, but my brain is still a little jumbled lol. this is a nice distraction c: ))

Ash bit his bottom lip as he surveyed the area. This would be one of the hardest things that he ended up doing. He squinted as he listened to the other male speak. “That’s what I was thinking.” He commented. He slowly stood up more, feeling around for his gun. He pulled it out from its holster. He only then clicked the safety off. “I’ll be the distraction. It should be enough to draw them away. When I do that, you go in. I think you can handle a few of them on your own. I know you’ve been through worse.” He spoke with a gentle chuckle. He then took off in the other direction from which they came. As he ran, he fired his gun off a few times. “Come and get me ya bastards!” He yelled as loud as he could.

Alexander slowly opened his eyes as he heard some commotion from outside of the cave. His pain was numbing him by this point. His head was spinning as well from the loss of blood. He watched as a group of the gang members hurried off in the direction of the sounds. Confusion was hitting him then. He had no clue what all was happening. He glanced around him at the civilians that surrounded him. They seemed as lost as he was at the current moment in time.

 

[beess]

[good to know!]

Johnnie looked over as Ash unholstered his weapon, surprised to find the bounty hunter more than ready to go. He couldn't but scoff at the little remark about the outlaw having been through worse and before he could even reply to the bounty hunter, he was already gone, letting out a few gunshots before running off. "Jesus," the outlaw would whisper to himself. He looked over back at the camp and found that Ash's distraction worked and as three of the members ran off in Ashley's direction. The other four members stayed behind but spread out a bit, the female member being put on guard duty in front of the cave as the other three spread out, including the leader of the gang. Johnnie watched as they split up and he let out a sigh of relief as they went somewhat out of sight but now he had the problem of the one member who was left to guard the cave.

Slowly, the outlaw exited his hiding spot and unholstered one of his revolvers, slowly cocking back the weapon and raising it he pointed it up at the female member, carefully looking left and right to make sure the other members didn't return anytime soon. "Hands up." Johnnie watched as the gang member slowly turned her head towards him eyes wide in surprise. Slowly, she raised her hands and Johnnie slowly walked forward towards her and before he knew it, she was faking him out and quickly pulled her gun out. However, before she could get a shot off, he quickly tackled her, trying to wrestle the gun out of her hand.

 

[david tennant]

Alexander kept his gaze focused on the base of the cave, waiting to see if anything else would happen. He could hear some talking and then noticed the rest of the remaining members splitting up. A weak smile came to his lips. If they played their cards right, he would be able to get most of these people out of this. He turned his head to the scared lady that was sitting next to him. “Love, would you mind turning for me a bit? I might be able to get your hands untied. If I do, you begin to untie everyone else. We can get everyone out of here if we move quickly and quietly.” His words were a bit of a jumble, but she seemed to understand as she nodded quickly.

He carefully turned his own body, trying to not grunt due to the pain he felt. His fingers felt around for a bit before. He found the knot. It was a simple yet effective one. He managed to get to get the lady’s hands free. He then signaled with his head for her to get everyone else. He only noticed then that someone had tackled the remaining guard in the cave. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see who it was. They widened quickly when he realized that it was his own partner. He wanted to yell out to him, but it would ruin everything he set into motion. Instead he smiled and leaned back against the wall. The lady was quick to begin to undo others.

 

[beess]

Johnnie swore as he wrestled for the gang member's weapon, watching as she tried to get her finger to the trigger and shoot it so that the others would come back. Johnnie was finally able to get a hold of the gun and tossed it over somewhere towards the cave. However, right when he thought their fight was done, the gang member quickly reversed his grip and quickly overpowered the outlaw, putting him on his stomach and pressing her knee into the back of his neck. She was too busy to realize what was going on in the cave.

The outlaw tried his best to reach up behind him to try and get her off of him but instead of grabbing the woman's body, he grabbed at the bandana obscuring her face and pulled causing her head to fall forward, letting her face hit the back of Johnnie's head as he lifted it up a bit. As she backed away, clearly in pain, Johnnie finally got out of her hold and pushed her off, stumbling to stand up and quickly pulling out his gun once more as he aimed it down at her as she sat on the ground, nose bleeding from the contact she made with his head. He looked almost ready to pull the trigger until she looked up at him and the grip on the outlaw's gun loosened. "Josephine?" Johnnie completely let down his guard, the gun in his hand almost falling out of his hand as he stood in complete shock.

The female member physically reacted to her name being said and for a moment her eyes softened as she eyed Johnnie before she suddenly got onto her feet, tackling him to the ground, his weapon finally falling out of his hand. She reached for a knife she had and held it dangerously close to his throat but was clearly hesitating before she whispered a simple 'I'm sorry'. Looking behind her and seeing that pretty much all the victims were now untied, she slowly stood up and backed off before picking up her pace and disappearing into the trees.

 

[david tennant]

Alexander could feel the confusion fill him as he watched Johnnie stop fighting. He had no clue why the other male would, especially with the way that he was winning. The outlaw never hesitated before. He noticed that he was saying something, but the commotion around him was too loud for him to understand what it was. It didn’t take much longer until everyone else was untied. The lady finally returned to him and untied his hands. He stretched his wrists out with a weak smile “Get everyone out of here. You should be able to make it back to the town. When you do, find either the authorities or a bounty hunter. They will help you.” He instructed. She just nodded.

The people began to help the ones with worse injuries out, using each other to help. He let someone help him up and over to the outlaw. “Johnnie!” He called as he was slowly walking over. He could barely put any weight on the one leg by this point. He was hoping that it wouldn’t get infected. He mumbled a quick thanks to the person who had helped him before allowing them to leave as well. He tried to balance himself, but ended up falling down next to the outlaw. “Sorry.” He mumbled.

 

[beess]

Johnnie stayed laying on the ground, shock having completely taken over his body. He didn't move for a long while, not breaking his line of sight with the forest and where he last saw his sister run off. The outlaw didn't even hear Alex calling out for him but as the conman fell next to him, he was finally snapped out of his thoughts and looked over towards Alex. Realizing that he was injured, his brain instantly switched and he got onto his knees.

"Jesus, Alex, what did they do to you?" The outlaw would reach out for the other man and carefully and slowly helped him to his feet. "Christ, don't apologize to me you ain't got nothing to apologize for." He would carefully bring the conman somewhere out towards the forest, away from the camp and helped him to a fallen log where he could sit. As he did, Johnnie would then stand for a moment, trying to take everything in. However, the sight of the conman's injured leg was enough to snap him back and Johnnie began searching his pockets for something to tie around it. Not able to really find anything, he took his bandana from his pocket and began to tie it around Alex's wound, though, it was clear he was somewhere else in his head with the amount of times he fumbled with the piece of cloth.

 

[david tennant]

Alexander could see that something was wrong with Johnnie. The outlaw had never been in such a state of shock before. It actually made him quite worried. He went through all of the options of what could’ve caused it before it clicked in his mind. He didn’t answer his question to begin with. “That was your sister, wasn’t it?” He asked quietly. He bit hard on his bottom lip as he debated his next words. He guessed that he should properly respond to his question then. He winced as he was helped to his feet, leaning again the outlaw as they walked. “I heard some movement in the alley next to the saloon and went to make sure that we weren’t being followed. They cornered me there. When I began to try to bargain for freedom, they shot me and dragged me away.” He explained.

He slowly sat on the fallen log, stretching his leg out some. His head was still spinning from the blood that he lost due to the wound. He reached a shaky hand up to rub at his face. He dropped it when Johnnie began to fumble trying to wrap the bandana around his leg. As much as it pained him, he knew what he needed to say. “You should go after her Johnnie. She is far more important than I am. I know how long you have been searching for her. Go.” His voice was softer than it had been before. He didn’t want to be the reason why Johnnie wasn’t able to reunite with his sibling. He was aware of how much the other male missed her.

 

[beess]

Johnnie would only listen quietly as Alex spoke, not really paying attention to what he had to say. When he asked if the woman who had run off was his sister, the outlaw slowly nodded, still trying to clear his head. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he would manage to tie the bandana around Alex's wound and he pulled his hands back to his sides. Looking back up and towards the trees, Alex's words would quickly snap him back and the outlaw sat for a moment, looking for words to say. Part of him did want to stand back up and leave but there was another part of him that told him to stay and he would finally speak through somewhat gritted teeth, "No, I- I'm staying here with you. You're hurt and God knows how much blood you've already lost," he would look back towards the trees, "plus I gotta worry about those other gang members, she could be regrouping with them for all I know."

The outlaw would then sit down next to Alex, looking down at his hands. "At least I know she's fine." Johnnie would then laugh, "sure as hell wasn't the reunion I wasn't expecting, though." He would then look back over to Alex, "Don't beat yourself up or anything, you mean just as much to me and don't you dare forget that." Johnnie would smile but the moment would quickly be interrupted when the bushes began to rustle. Quickly standing up, he drew his weapon before sighing and dropping it, seeing that it was just, Ash. "Jesus, you gotta make that much goddamn noise?!" The bounty hunter would grin, "Sorry, didn't know you were so easily scared." He would then motion over towards, Alex before fixing his hat, "Good to know you got your friend back."

 

[david tennant]

Alexander could see that the other male was in a completely different place. He was sure that this was hard for him. Johnnie has been searching for his sister for quite a long time now. The fact that he had managed to find her after all of this time must’ve been a shock, especially since he ended up fighting against her. He did have to say that she was the nicest out of all of the members he had interacted with during the time. He winced as the bandana was fully tied around the wound on his leg. “I’ve had worse. I can handle myself from here if you truly want to try to find her.” He tried to reassure. He felt terrible physically, but he could deal with it.

A weak smile came to his face as the outlaw sat beside him. “That’s true. You gave her a hell of a strong blow to the face.” He commented. His expression softened when he heard his words. “Thank you for coming to get me.” He added after a few moments. He debated then if he should even risk telling him the way in which he felt then. It was quite a cliche moment, but he didn’t want to wait any longer. He opened his mouth to speak again before the bushes began to rustle. He paused, freezing then. His eyes widened when he saw Ash step through. “What is he doing here?” He inquired, looking between the two.

 

[beess]

Johnnie could tell that there was something that Alex wanted to say before the bounty hunter had interrupted him and part of him was a bit annoyed about the interruption, perhaps he could ask later when they had the time. The outlaw sighed, seeing how he had to explain the current situation. He looked over at Ash who was now making his way over to join up with them and Johnnie scratched at the back of his neck, "Ah, well, it's a long story." He would then look to Ash who slightly motioned with his head as in a way to say, 'go ahead' and Johnnie sighed again.

"He helped me come get you. Managed to run into him back in town and I kinda asked him if he could help me since he was already going after that gang that took you." Johnnie would then pause before looking between the other two, "I know it sounds crazy." With that, Ash suddenly moved and wrapped his arm around Johnnie's shoulder, "He was practically on his hands and knees begging me to come help," Ashley would tease before Johnnie shrugged off the bounty hunter's arm trying to hide the embarrassment on his face. "I wasn't doing nothing like that, don't twist the story."

 

[david tennant]

Alexander didn’t speak as he waited for the explanation for the situation in front of him. It was odd to see that a bounty hunter was willing to help Johnnie with something like this, especially Ash. That man had been after the two of them for years now. They had close calls where he had almost brought them in, but they always managed to get away. “It must’ve been a serious situation for him to agree to help you.” He spoke gently. He rolled his eyes at Ashley’s words, knowing better than to believe that exaggeration. “I am sure that Johnnie wasn’t.” He stated. He glanced around them before slowly shifting to try and stand.

His balance was still off, but he was able to at least stand this time. “We should probably get moving. I am sure that they are going to come back here to round up whoever might be left.” He admitted. He couldn’t see the horses which caused him some worry. “Where did you leave your horses?” He didn’t know how far he would be able to walk right now. He wouldn’t be able to get some proper medical attention until they got back into town. They probably wouldn’t even want to stay there for the night, especially with the gang knowing where they had been. The entire situation had turned into a mess.

 

[beess]

Watching as Alex stood up, Johnnie moved just a couple inches to help him out in case he fell but backed off when he noticed that the conman was able to stand on his own. Then then question of their horses came up and Johnnie perked up, pointing off towards the direction that they had been left. "They're some ways away, we left them a bit away from the camp. Didn't want the gang to get alerted to our arrival." He took a moment to look over, Alex, concluding that the man most likely couldn't walk that well on his own and he began to move towards his side again. "Here, just lean on me and we'll make our way to them," Johnnie would state before looking up at Ash who took that as a sign for him to start leading the way.

"Your horse is still back at the saloon, you think your leg will be good enough to ride?" Johnnie would question, looking over towards Alexander with concern. Up ahead, Johnnie could hear Ashley snickering to himself and the outlaw quickly looked back forward, "What's so funny?" Ashley in response, would shrug, "Nothin', you two just remind me of some sorta old married couple or somethin'." Though, it was mostly a joking statement, Johnnie had a clear reaction to it, almost as if he had gotten flustered at the thought, his gaze flickering towards the ground.

"Ah, damn, didn't mean to embarrass you like that," Ashley would tease which caused Johnnie to quickly look back up, unaware that the bounty hunter had seen his reaction. "Shut it and just lead the way, would you?" The outlaw would snap back.

 

[david tennant]

Alexander put his arms to the side as he stood, working to make sure that he was balanced enough before he even attempted to take a step. His head was still spinning from the blood loss and the lack of food he had that day. He would be lucky if he didn’t end up passing out on the back of his horse as they rode later that day. After all, he knew they couldn’t stay here. It was far too risky for them to be found by the gang again. “Ah, okay. I’m just mentally calculating if I can handle walking.” He explained. His tone had dropped some and it was clear he was beginning to feel worse as time continued to go on. He looked to Johnnie as the other male returned to his side. He gently put his arm around the other male, using him as support as they began to walk.

“Thank you.” He murmured. He still wanted to have the conversation about the feelings that he held for the outlaw. Everything that occurred today was enough to make him want to finally confess. He didn’t want to die and never say it to him. “The least that I can do it attempt to ride. If I feel as if I can’t handle it, I will let you know.” He assured. He doubted he would truly be able to. If it came to it, he could just ride with Johnnie. The other male would make sure he didn’t fall and was comfortable enough. He raised a brow as he heard Ashley snickering. His words made sense though. He just didn’t expect Johnnie’s reaction to it.

“By this point, we really are like an old married couple on their last legs.” He agreed with his own chuckle. He didn’t want for Johnnie to be so tense. He hoped his own comment would lighten his mood some. “Where are we going to head after we get back? I don’t know where the next closest city is.” He inquired.

 

[david tennant]

small bump c: ))

 

[beess]

hey hey just want to drop in say im alive just got a new job but it's a graveyard shift so I've been caught sleeping a lot bc of it but I definitly plan to get back into the swing of things!

 

[david tennant]

no worries! i completely understand lol i am in my last semester of undergrad and i am hella stressed between that and personal stuff so take your time c:

 

[beess]

[hello hello im back! so sorry i went inactive for so long lotta life stuff came up and im moving houses so i got caught up in A LOT im still definitely interested in this thread though! just wanting to drop this message to make sure you're also still interested in it before i drop my reply in]

 

[david tennant]

hi! you are completely fine! a lot happened in my life too so i understand c: i am definitely interested in the thread still! i am currently on vacation in Greece so i will be a bit inactive until next Friday, but after that i will just be working))