outlaws from the west

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He felt like utter shit. His body ached. His muscles protested at every slight movement he made. Callahan slowly blinked open his eyes to a bright view, the golden rays of the rising sun sending streaks in every direction. “Ugh, I wanna die.” He groaned as he sat up, wincing as his bones popped with the movement. The man leaned his head up to stretch his aching neck. Cal could almost hear Rena laughing and calling him an old man, though he was only a year older. God, he missed her. But now was not the time to reminisce.

Callahan rose to his paws, carefully raking his gaze over the open fields. It almost looked like home. Almost. The gang was gone. Holt was missing, and so were Mack and Wess. Everyone was gone. His family, his purpose. Just gone.

God was playing a game, pulling him from the gang when he was needed the most. Threw him into this place without a chance to say goodbye. It was a goddamn game they were playing, and he wanted no part of it. He just wanted to go home. Back to his brothers and father. Back to his life.

“No use cryin' like a kid.” He muttered as he started to meander closer to the tree line. His nose twitched at a familiar aroma that brought a slim smile to his lips. Deer. Now that the scent had reached him, his stomach howled with hunger. “Might as well get somethin' to eat.” Cal murmured as he started to trail the mouthwatering scent. The telltale grunts and snorts led him straight to a lone buck, his small spread indicating his youth. Despite his earlier pains, Callahan easily fell into a crouch, his body immediately falling into autopilot. This was familiar, natural.

Cal remained just behind the oblivious ungulate, the muscles in his thighs tensing as he prepared to launch himself at the buck. With a soft exhalation, the man burst out of the brush and made a motion to latch onto the buck's shoulder. “Goddamn!” A muffled shout left the man as he scrambled to keep his hold on the buck. His canines kept their hold on the shoulder as his nails clawed at its abdomen. The buck managed to shake him off and attempted to sprint off into the trees. A frustrated growl left Cal as he pursued, his shoulder shrieking in protest. The damned buck scraped him.

Callahan kept close, jaws snapping at the buck's legs and thighs in an attempt to slow it down. Finally latching onto a hind leg, Cal dragged the buck into a seated position before lunging for its throat. “Give up, dammit!” He grumbled as the buck persisted in writhing in his hold. When the buck finally stilled, Cal released his grip on its throat. A proud smile spread his lips as he moved towards its abdomen. “About damn time.” He grumbled as he began to tear into the warm carcass. And it seemed the victorious man didn't quite check his surroundings.

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Traveling. For days, that's all they'd been doing. No thanks to his big brother. Snort. He had his heart set on the grandest, most feared kingdom. Val had agreed to tag along, much to Malric's dismay. But he'd relented, and like always, gotten his way. Besides, that cute little woman that trotted along with him was quite the opposite of a deterrent. 

Having been sent ahead to scout the trail, seeing as Nesta was still healing and slowing them down a bit, he hadn't been too sure what he might find. But free entertainment watching a stranger hunt? That surely was far from his list of potentials.

It took some time, but eventually the buck had been defeated. Could Val have stepped in to help? Sure. But that didn't mean he was going to.

“Look who finally got their victory,” He mused, stepping out from the treeline where he'd been hiding in the thick brush. “You know, I never thought a hunt could be so entertaining. But you really do put on a good show.” A taunting grin took hold on his expression, his gaze searching the stranger for any signs of familiarity. He'd found one so far. Who's to say another might not be here too?

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Just as the cowboy decided to tear into his breakfast, a gruff voice called out from behind him. A groan left Cal's lips as he rose to face the intruder. He was still recovering from his awakening and the prior hunt, and his body craved rest. Each muscle cried as he turned and stood to his full height, quickly putting on a confident mask when all he wanted to do was lie down.

“Thanks…” He murmured, verdant gaze scanning the man. Cal's voice fell silent as he gauged the other man, almost trying to see what angle he was coming at him from. But Cal felt that odd feeling he got from bad men. Men like himself. But right now, he wasn't strong enough to come out of a fight unscathed.

“Say, you look like a good feller. Come and share in this kill with me. Might as well rest some, too.” His maw split with a smile of good faith as he stepped to the side. Cal was typically wary of strangers, but he had no gang to protect. No woman, no family. Nothing. And if Callahan knew somethin' 'bout being alone, it was always better to have friends than enemies.

Callahan plopped himself beside the downed buck, his verdant gaze on the other. He was half-expecting the man to leave or pick a fight, and he was prepared for both. He had fought hard to get his meal, and he'd be damned if some god-awful bastard took it from him. “Name's Callahan. What's yours, partner?”

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An offer of a meal, with this stranger? Val could have laughed. But he wouldn't. It would seem too rude, right?

“I would join you—” He began, a grimace apparent. “But my brother would have me skinned alive if he caught me out casually sharing a meal with strangers. Frankly, I can hear him in the back of my mind telling me to chase you off.” A small snort blew through his nose, his jaw momentarily hardening. “But you seem like a nice guy, so I won't.”

He could definitely hear his brother even clearer now. Weak. Merciful. Coward. Val gritted his teeth, rumbling out a displeased sound as he tried to shake away the unwanted voice.
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Ah, so he was someone's lackey. Cal should've expected it with the way he approached him. Talkin' the way he did, all the signs were there. But maybe Callahan had hoped this place was different, apart from being turned into the exact beast that killed his mare.

“Chase me off? What is he, owner of the land?” Callahan snorted as he busied himself with splitting the tender thigh of the buck. There was always someone who thought himself the lord of the land, who felt everything he set his eyes on was his. Cal had met plenty of 'em back then, and each had ended up on his ass in the mud.

“I'd be careful with who I trust. Never know who's out to get ya.” Callahan knew that all too well. Luckily for this sorry bastard, Cal wasn't in the mood to cause trouble.

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The man's comment drew Val's lip up to display a toothy grin. “Not quite, but he is a king by birthright. One of these lands will be his to command, as he sees it. He's traveling with his woman—” Despite how much he hated seeing that pretty thing at the beck and call of his damned brother. “He wouldn't take nicely to strangers where he travels.”
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Cal could barely hold back a snort at the man's words. A king by birthright. The confidence in how the man said it could've been funny if he weren't serious. Cal was from a world where there were no kings, well, not in name anyway, but presidents and chiefs.

“What a shame there are others out there.” Cal replied dryly, his expression looking almost bored. Callahan didn't care for a self-proclaimed king, a man who thrived off holding power over others and keeping them down.

He never understood those who ruled in such a way. The gang was never like that, if anything, it was a family. A collective who stood together while the world crashed around them, fought to survive, and survived to live another day.

“Good thing I plan on leavin' once I finish this meal, huh?” He let out a soft grumble as he rose onto his feet, olive eyes focused on the man. “Now his royal highness can travel in peace.” Cal scoffed as he moved to stretch his limbs, finishing with a shake of his heavy coat. Sure, he found it utterly ridiculous that he'd have to leave for some king, but he was not in the mood for trouble. However, trouble always did seem to find him.

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